Choosing Rich

Choosing Rich

Lavish. Sumptuous. Luxurious. Magnificent. Opulent.  Where is the rich in your life?

For some of us, it’s in our pockets, for some of us, it’s in our hearts, for some, it’s in our minds.

There are so many kinds of rich for us to enjoy, when we remember to enjoy them. But that’s the trick, isn’t it. Remembering.

Over and over we need to remember what we want. Over and over we need to bring our focus to what we want. This is why it is called a practice.

Going through our normal days, we have a thousand distractions. We have people clamoring for our help and attention, we have tasks to accomplish, we have little housekeep-y things to do, we have our routines to follow.

One of the most important gifts we can give ourselves is the gift of paying attention to what we are doing, what we are thinking. We need to stop from time to time and do a little assessment. What are the things you want to pay attention to? Your kids? Your partner? Your work? Maybe you are an aspiring artist, and need to find more time to do your art?

Only we can prioritize our own life so that it is meaningful for us. When we let others dictate our priorities, we can end up feeling lost, or even worse, we can find ourselves feeling resentful.

What are my priorities? What do I want? What do I want more of? What do I want less of? Who supports me with kindness and love, who hammers criticisms at me? How do I know I can choose?

I get this life. I get these years. I get to choose how I spend it. If I say that I have no choice, that is the choice I’ve made over and over. If I say that I am a victim to something or someone, that is the choice I’ve made over and over. Likewise to being a martyr, likewise to being helpless, likewise to a lot of things. Unhappiness is a practice, too.

It is up to me to notice what I want to change.

I had a great opportunity to add to the richness of my life today going to school with my 5 year old neighbor. Rolling down a grassy hill on a lovely day is sumptuous. Playing tag with people half as tall as you is a hoot. Making monster yells is fun. Life is so full of things to live, all it takes is remembering to do it, and then doing it.

When we remember to choose to enjoy ourselves, we open up pathways to opportunities that otherwise we may miss. When we are aware and present, we remember that we like to roll down hills. We remember that spinning around until your head is woogly is fun. We remember that running around like a monkey makes life richer.

What am I choosing to practice? Am I practicing acting my age, or living my life? Am I practicing seeing my cup half empty, or celebrating that I have a cup? Am I practicing being vital and loving? Am I practicing what’s important to me, or practicing letting others make my choices for me and just going along?

How have I changed from letting my environment live my life to directing my own course?

(c) Pam Guthrie 2013 all rights reserved 06282013