Dear friends,
Happy New Year!
May 2018 bring you all health, happiness, laughter, wilderness – and above all ALIVENESS!
Why not start 2018 with a (renewed?) commitment to fully experiencing, exploring, expressing and sharing what it feels like to be alive – part of our beautiful natural world?
Like every other year, 2018 will be sure to bring us all moments of pleasure, beauty and fun but also times of pain and discomfort. Though it isn’t always easy, let’s strive to explore and embrace them all. Let’s practice remaining present with everything and everyone we experience – with kindness and compassion towards ourselves and others.
Ask yourself as often as possible – without judgement and with playful curiosity – what does being alive feel like right now? What can I see, hear, touch, smell and taste in this moment? What do I feel in my body? What thoughts are on my mind? What emotions am I experiencing? What effect do my surroundings and interactions with others have on my mind and body?
Turn towards the answers – receptive and honest. Whatever you encounter, there will be beauty, learning, wisdom, mystery and wonder there. See if you can let the answers guide you a little in your actions and decisions. In my view, exploring life in this way – mindfully – is the first step towards greater fulfilment and happiness. It is also the first step towards a happier, more peaceful and more sustainable world for us all.
Over the Christmas holidays I came across this quote (extracted from a book on Creativity by Osho) – which I loved and will leave you with – which I hope will resonate with you too:
“Don’t allow your life to become just a dead ritual. Let there be moments, unexplainable. Let there be a few things that are mysterious, for which you cannot supply any reason. Let there be a few things for which people think you are a little crazy. A man who is a hundred per cent sane is dead. A little bit of craziness on the side is always a great joy. Go on doing a few crazy things, too. And then meaning will be possible”
May you all experience many moments of ALIVENESS throughout 2018!
Take care,
Claire x