There’s more to see from where you stand.

Reminders come and go of how far we’ve come, what we have endured and the ways we continually meet ourselves in it all.

With welcome respite, challenges continue for as long as we are here living this life.

Knowing that all we experience is here for us not against us.
Said another way, life wants for our highest, our benefit.   Challenge is the invitation, taking pause, applying awareness.  Shifting judgement to discernment the initiation into a new baseline to live from.

Earlier this week a sudden fractured ankle during what I most covet, a daily walk, could be viewed as a detriment - a new limitation, why now, or insert any circular “why” question.
Or, I can meet it, and mine for the gold.  There is always gold inside, with clarity and attuned listening. 

The first thought was a flash memory, to 2016 when receiving a medical diagnosis that would prep me for consequential life altering surgery.  I wasn’t ready to mine for gold. 
2017, still not ready after a year of managing symptoms, finding myself in the ER once again, this time preparing for that surgery.  Assured by the doctors that if I don’t have surgery right now I would die.  Promptly handed a stack of paperwork that would have me relinquish permissions for my body had I been unable to speak for myself after the surgery.  And choosing DNR or not. 

A generous ER call with my meditation teacher guiding me to be with “what is”, what ever may the outcome be. 

Me:What if I die?!
Teacher: You die. 
Me: Silence. (How can this be true? I can’t believe they just said that……oh wait….)

We can push, resist, to-do-list our way out of what we don’t want to feel, heal or deal with.
I took the invitation, I was ready.  Ready to be with what is, feel feelings, meet emotions, honor now in its fullest. 
With physical life-long and decades-long practices on indefinite pause, a deeper dive into yoga and meditation’s non-physical teachings.  Gaining altitude to widen my view.

Initiated into a settled heart, mind, body, spirit - at peace with “what is” or as Ekhart Tolls calls is the is-ness of right here, right now.  Not past, not future.
In the is-ness of life its continual assurance that all fires don’t necessarily burn us, they refine us.

If we listen. 

In the moment - my sneaker catching the walkway on an angle bringing searing pain while gathering all attention to listen to my body, open to the wealth of tools inside decades of practices and bodywork.
Reminded in what is fractured and discomfort, the miraculous life between and in challenge.
My physical practices are on hold while I rehabilitate my ankle not parsing self off to the smallness of fear, despair, judgement but using collected tools to curate compassion, science, medicinal food choices, herbs, and metaphysical mind-body-heart practices to heal with.  Steadfast allies.

We all have a toolbox.  Opportunity to practice what we add to that set of tools.
With clarity we access truth over a belief that it’s necessary to resist and struggle through life.
Meeting ourselves in the power of clarity in monogamous relationship with Self in the is-ness of life, we access a sustainable peace, calm, knowing and our intuition. 

From my path to yours,
Nina