Taking a Stand in Your Own Life
Hello Dear Ones!
Yesterday, I sat in contemplation. I have decided that my daily tea ritual is in fact a ritual of contemplation. My favorite part of sitting outside in a chair, now all bundled up in the cold, with steaming tea in hand is the opportunity to be still, silent, and inspect my own thinking. Often this leads to writing, and the writing leads to greater clarity.
So, as I was saying, I sat in contemplation yesterday. It was delicious. I sat digesting the election results. Now, I have never been politically active in a public way, and I’m not about to begin. Alienating others because of differing beliefs…. I just can’t allow that in my life. You all are welcome here at my table, however you believe, and however you voted…. You are all welcome.
As I sat contemplating the election results, a message came through me. It was clear and LOUD! So loud and clear that it set me on a beautiful path, and one worth sharing. What came through is this:
It is time to audit the way you live your life, and how you make decisions. Take a stand in your own life! What are your values, and do your actions align with them? Where are you deviating, making choices that are out of alignment with your beliefs, your knowings, your values? And what is the repair? How can you come back into alignment?
The very first thought that came to me was this: Time to fire Amazon from my life. Every time I see those damned blue and white bags in my home I want to vomit. Plastic! It is choking our planet. And the immediate desire to HAVE, met with a too rapid delivery (depending upon your locale, of course)… this immediate gratification which is quickly affecting the health of our planet… Nope. It’s over.
I say that, and then I realize why I hired Amazon to serve me in the first place: because it is easy, and for a mother in the early years…. I’ll take easy as often as I can. So it’s complicated, but the important piece is to be in dialog about it within myself. To be a conscious consumer rather than an unconscious one.
(And…I know that Amazon provides jobs that put food on tables for families, helps people in remote areas access goods, etc…)
We all have to make our own choices, and reserve judgement. I’m not recommending that you fire Amazon just because I am. I am recommending that you start to audit your life, to whatever degree serves and lights you up.
What are your inner thoughts? Can you catch a few of them and really look at them? Are they true? Do they act in loving support of you? Which ones are negative, and worth dismissing? Which ones are wonderful, and worth amplifying?
What kinds of actions/choices that you’ve habitually made are actually not in alignment with your truth, or are no longer in service to you?
Just to help you get started, here are a few things that have come up in my own audit. These do not need to be your findings or align with your beliefs. I mean merely to offer some examples that might jump-start your own process. And please note, some of these are easy. I can make these changes in an instant. And some are much harder.
Amazon, as discussed
Black caffeinated tea (chai). I’ve been drinking it, prepared the way I was taught in India. Delicious. Terrible for my adrenals. Gotta go.
Processed foods. As a gluten and dairy-free home, sometimes junk (non-nutritious “food”) walks into our home, as substitutions. This is so outside of my belief system and nutritional compass. Done. Gone.
Any foods with dye. We almost never eat these, but I have learned that they act as poison in our bodies. Gone.
Accepting a belief from others faster than listening to and believing in my own inner wise voice. This one is so much harder than detoxing from delicious Indian Chai. But I am in process, I am continually becoming more awake about when this happens.
Saying YES when I actually want to say NO. Again, harder than releasing Chai. This is a practice, and I am committed to it.
Doing everything around the house because it is faster and more efficient, instead of allowing my child the time it takes to practice being a part of the household work. This is possibly the hardest one for me, but I am conscious of it in my life, and conscious of the misplaced anger/resentment I feel when I do everything all the time for the sake of efficiency.
So, I turn this over to you. Take a stand in your own life. What do you stand for? What are your values? What does your inner compass tell you? And where are you out of alignment with yourself? This can be a tiny inquiry or could be a huge overhaul of your life. Take this to whatever level serves and energizes you. Please do not dive in deeper than you have time or energy for. We women carry so much on our very strong shoulders. No need to add to this. This should not be a burden, but instead simply a light invitation into more consciousness in your own life.
As always, I love hearing your thoughts and responses. What comes up for you when you read this? I’d love to know!
In deep gratitude for everything in this sweet life,
Rebecca
* Disclaimer: This likely goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway: Everything I write is for educational purposes only. Nothing I write or share can be deemed diagnostic or medical advice. Nothing I write or share can replace your own healthcare providers or your own internal knowing and wisdom. Period. Please seek tailored medical care and advice via your skilled healthcare team whenever you need it.
