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Monthly Archives: January 2009

Enjoy Nature

January 14, 2009 – 6:53 pm

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Orchid

Orchid

By Melanie | Posted in fresh fruit | Comments (0)

The Unhurried Space

January 13, 2009 – 7:55 pm

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In June, my 78 year old father and I went on the trip of a lifetime.  We traveled in Europe together. I saw places he had seen as a younger man, sauntered through streets he strolled with my mother  and heard stories of his life.  I got to see my father through different eyes and the site made my heart sing.

One agreement we had on the trip was to not hurry.  If we found ourselves rushing, one or the other would offer the reminder that there really was no hurry.  In this unhurried space, there was a spaciousness in which we could truly enjoy each other.

Our time with those we love is ever so precious and still most of us fill our days and nights without steady awareness of the preciousness of those with whom we share our lives.  It doesn’t take a trip to Europe to wake up, though I consider myself extremely lucky that I got to have that experience!

These days I’m aiming to let it sink deeply into my soul to make sure that I take time to be with the ones I love in unhurried space.

It’s not as difficult as I would have thought.  I am aiming to spend time with my loved ones on a regular basis with an open, unhurried heart. Sometimes, it’s a cup of tea.  Sometimes, it’s a walk.  Sometimes, it’s going grocery shopping.

The “it” of the doing is not what matters.  The secret to this kind of joy is being while doing in the unhurried space of your shared love.

Who would you like to invite into the unhurried space of your shared love?  Share your stories with the rest of us.

By Melanie | Posted in relationships | Tagged | Comments (0)

Resist the urge to procrastinate relaxation

January 13, 2009 – 7:52 pm

With the rush rush of life, I’m hearing more and more from my clients that they are stressed!  Relaxing is something that many of us haven’t consistently tapped into our palm pilots, iphones or even put on the to do list.  Some of us have forgotten how as we move from this urgent task to that urgent task.  I am no exception.

Last night I received some unpleasant news and I reacted.  I didn’t respond.  I reacted.

For those of you who have been reading for a while, know that I think it is our primary responsibility to protect our personal state and return ourselves to peace as best we can as soon as we can.

So there I was reacting.  After a few minutes of that, I noticed my teeth were clenched and my forehead scrunched.  OK.  So, I’m not a saint . . . yet :)

Anyway, noticing the reaction was the first step, resisting the urge to indulge the reaction was second and finally, finding my way back to peace.  On this occasion it was to relax.  Relax my body, relax my mind and relax my worried heart.

After a few easy breaths and walking to the window to listen to rain, I felt better, relaxed even.

In a couple of weeks, I’ll be offering a class at the University of Tennessee, “Learn to Relax, The Easy Way.”  If you’re in the neighborhood, I hope you can join us.  If not, stay tuned for PeaceFruit.com where I’ll be finding a way to share some of the material with my distant friends.

In the meantime, join the discussion.  How do you relax?

Breathing easier,

melanie

By Melanie | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Comments (0)