Illuminated Relationships – finding you in every thing

This post is #4 in the series, ‘How I came to do what I do’.

(I actually wanted to name this post, ‘The present…my ass foot’ but WP doesn’t allow strike outs in the post title)

If you would like to read from the beginning:

Post #1 and the chinchilla

Post #2 and the seal

Post #3 and breathing

I have been walking again. Yay!

I broke a bone in my foot at the very end of last year and was in slow recovery for what felt like FOREVER. (never broke anything before)

Starr and I are up to an hour of walking at a good pace once again.

When I first broke my foot at the end of last year, I could not work at my second job. All I could do for over a month is lay in bed or on the couch and hobble to the bathroom when needed and the kitchen when hungry.

It took me all of 2 days of sitting, laying down and hobbling to realize that I had received exactly what I had asked for. Exactly.

Let’s go back. To a few weeks before I fell.

I had just finished designing my blog (the one you are on now) for my business, Animals’ Wisdom.

After hours and hours of work during my off-hours from my second job, I had finally created a blog that I was happy with.

And…I was so eager for time to write. Time to write blog posts. Time to connect online with potential clients and new connections via Twitter and Facebook. Time to come up with new ideas for my business. Products. Books. And anything else my heart desired.

I needed T I M E.

And this is what I asked for.

And….T I M E is what I received.

LOTS of time.

I found that I had received exactly what I had wanted and needed. Now…I had all the time in the world to write. Create. Just be. Rest. And….WORRY.

I found myself worrying about money…where was it going to come from when my sick days ran out? Would my second job be supportive of my needed time off? AND…what was I going to do with myself when I wasn’t writing, creating, just being or hangin’ with friends that visited???

Ugh.

In retrospect, this was a perfectly, designed learning experience for me…I was reminded of the power of staying present. Something that the animals taught me at a very young age.

Something that as adults, we easily forget.

Animals naturally stay in the present – they thoroughly enjoy the found patch of sunlight, a new scent in the air, a perfect belly rub, snuggling while you watch a movie, eating something stinky and gross, fetching a stick, digging a hole, laying with all four legs in the air sound asleep…

…they give their ‘ALL’ to each and every moment.

This is what, we as humans need a whole lot more of. Presentness.

Presentness – just stopping for a moment and noticing your surroundings. The couch you are sitting on, the road that your car is driving down, your breathing, the feeling of being in your body, the way the light plays on a building in the late afternoon. Just noticing whatever is around you.

Have you noticed that when you do this, everything is OK?

Even if you just found out something is NOT working the way that you wished? Or your relationship is NOT going as you wanted? Or you are stressed about money? Or your job? Or you feel unfulfilled? And don’t know where to start to change things?

Just notice the things in your immediate surroundings and take a deep breath.

Be present. Choose to be present. Everything is really OK in the moment.

This is exactly how I managed my stress and myself through the months of recovery that my foot required.

Now that I am mobile again I have also rediscovered my sheer love of photography. And that taking pictures keeps me in the present.

Where everything really is OK.

Tags: animals, breathe, challenges, choice, communication, connection, feelings, present, relationship