The Joy of Flow

The Joy of Flow

There are a bunch of things that I try to keep in mind as I go through my day. I try to remember to be peaceful at my core. I relax my muscles whenever I think of it. (I always hear Popeye saying “muss-kulls” when I type that word.) I try to remember that each person I encounter is doing their best.I try to remember to choose, to decide, and to enjoy what I’m doing.

That’s not always the easiest thing to do.

I have found that when I allow my life to flow, I enjoy it, regardless of what is going on. Letting my grief flow when I am mourning a loss is good. Allowing my body to have the sensations it has without resisting is good. Letting the people in my life who do things, um, differently from me, just be the way they are without my imposing my judgment on them is good.

I found that I had to redefine “enjoy” a bit, but that it was certainly worth it. But I also discovered that giving up my resistance to life makes all my experiences more enjoyable.

I enjoy experiencing my emotions, all of them. My feelings often get muddy, but my emotions are always clean. I have learned that I can experience my emotions without having to express everything. That has brought the drama in my life way down. And that sure helps me with my peaceful core.

I enjoy sensations in my body, even the unpleasant ones. This is sometimes challenging for me, especially when I am in a detox phase, or an injury , or, well, you know, stuff.I find that changing how I think of it helps. I know I am not being punished, I am not a victim of my body. I don’t “deserve” high discomfort, and it does serve a purpose even if I don’t have a clue what it is. I’ve never had a physical sensation last forever.

I really work on this enjoying thing. It is my personal quest. I spent so much of my before-life so miserable that I figure I have earned a good 60 or 70 more years of unbridled happiness, prosperity, health, joy, gratitude, compassion, and peace. I do what I can to be in that place, and I find that, when I’m there, other like-minded folks show up. That is so nice.

A nice side benefit is that I spend more time feeling satisfied by the things that really matter to me, and less time looking for external ways to satisfy myself. It seems that I find more opportunities for activities I love. Writing, songwriting, voice over work, crafting, getting to know people, my list is long. I’ve found I don’t want to shop as much, for one thing. I don’t want to watch as much TV. I am a little choosier about my magazines and other reading material.

I also find that I am moved by the beauty in the world way more easily. The sunrise this morning stopped me in my tracks. Snow on the branches and little birds. The rabbit who stopped on my walk and cocked her head. The thoughtful look on a dear friend’s face.
My baby snails moving around with such grace and elegance.
And I am more aware of goofy things like noticing the thrill I get when singing certain phrases with my choir, and the zap I feel when getting my teeth cleaned are the same sensation, only one is judged this way and the other that way. Hmmm.

How have I changed from judging everything as crap to enjoying the heck out of it all?


(c) Pam Guthrie 2013 all rights reserved 020613