I have a plan...

... not to take over the world, but to give structure to my writing here (for a while, at least).
I will work through the list of what I want to make room for, and see where it takes me.

So, I'll start with AWAKEN

As I write this, it's still the deepest black outside (despite the clock showing it's already 7.30am), but the birds are starting to chatter and chirp, so the light of day must be appearing somewhere on the horizon. It really is one of my favourite sounds, and I give thanks each time I hear it - thanks for the gift of hearing (denied to so many), thanks for living in rural England (I've lived in Africa and the US, but England is my soul-home), thanks for birds (such amazing creatures), thanks for the everyday miracle of simply being ALIVE.

I've awakened to this New Year incredibly slowly (this cold/flu/virus-thing has drained me dry). Each day, I think 'Today I'll have more energy...', and I get washed and dressed, and that's it - I'm done! I read a bit, journal a bit, tidy a bit and nap A LOT, and before I know it, it's bedtime...

I keep adding to my 'to-do' list, but I'm being gentle with myself - I write the thing to be done, but I have a 'started' box, an 'ongoing' box and a 'completed' box. I've 'started' quite a few things as energy permits, and things like 'tidy desk' are ongoing, so I feel I'm making progress, little by little. 

That's the thing with low energy reserves - you just make the steps smaller, so you feel like you're making some kind of progress. It's all mind-games, but hey, if it works, don't knock it! 

We never arrive in this lifetime, but always return and awaken...

again and again.

Christine Valters Paintner, PhD 

And in the spirit of 'awakening' again and again, I've signed up for this. I love Satya's courses, and her gentle, thoughtful approach. As she says,

I know when I’m not ‘awake’. I drift through my days without stopping to think about what I’m doing or why I’m doing it. I flit from one task to another like a restless butterfly. 

So much of being 'awake' is being aware and alive. It's too easy to sleep-walk through our days - despite being busy and active. Notice I started this post with my 'to-do' list. It's actually easier to DO than to BE. It's easier to live on the surface of Life by being busy, than it is to be awake and aware of WHY we're doing what we're doing. 

It's been said many times, we are human BEings not human DOings, but we define ourselves so often by the jobs we do. But as I slowly move through the days of 2018, I want to spend my days AWAKE to myself and the life I am living.

What I love about my new Breathe planner, which I mentioned here, is the open plan pages and the space for weekly reflection. It's helping me consider what I'm doing and why...

It's a simple tool, but it helps. 

Do you have anything that helps you live in a more awake, considered way? Do share in the comments below 😊

Sharing with Becca on Nurturing Thursday.