Enjoy The Ride

Blissful greetings, dear friends, from the woods of southern Oregon. I just got out of the hot tub on the deck and came inside to write to all of you. Before I sat down at my computer, I danced around my new digs and said out loud, "I love my life".

There's still a pandemic going on with variant strains popping up everywhere. In fact, I'm currently administering vaccines in pop up clinics and as a health care provider, I received my first dose earlier today and my arm is pretty sore.

We had a family tragedy over the weekend that has devastated us and left us with a great sense of loss.

The weather has been wild in many parts of the country and our government is still struggling...

However, I can still say that life is friggin' awesome! Mostly, that's because I don't dwell on the unpleasantness, even though it would be very easy to do exactly that.

This week's MQ (Monday Quote) was:

"If the journey isn't at all pleasurable,

what chance does the destination have?!"

There's plenty of crap happening all around us. There's also some amazing beauty surrounding us. If we only focus on the disturbing parts of life, that's all we'll see and take in.

Even though most of us aren't doing much traveling right now, let's pretend. Think about going on a trip to Europe. Imagine being annoyed at the lines at the airport and while you're at it, start getting worried that the airline will lose your luggage. While in flight, start fuming about how long it takes to get there. Once you arrive, criticize everything that is different and not "what you're used to". How in the world would you ever enjoy, let's say, Paris?!? In fact, you would probably wonder why anyone would recommend the City of Light as a destination.

Let's try a redo ... Picture being in line with people at the airport, everyone excited about going somewhere. See it as an opportunity to chat with fellow travelers and to feed off each others' enthusiasm. Enjoy the flight because it gives you a chance to totally unwind -- nowhere to go or anywhere else to be. When you land, assume a "beginners mind". Take note of how much is unlike what you're accustomed to and how interesting it is to not even know what you didn't know. Relax and open up to the delights of La Vie Lumiere (Paris).

Do you see where I went with this? Being miserable, making choices to look for difficulties, and then hoping or expecting the journey's end will make you happy is a formula for disappointment. First of all, you will never get to a final destination since it really marks the beginning of "what's next". Secondly, whatever energy you've brought along the way cannot help but color your arrival.

As you know, if you've been reading along recently, my center of attention has become "healthy habits". How we can live our best life by addressing all areas and by recognizing how much power we have over how we feel. Yes, these are challenging times and that's all the more reason to be centered and whole. What can you do today that will improve your journey? It could be something very small and it probably entails some self-care. Where can you start? Are you feeling overwhelmed with that question or just tired of listening to the loops in your head? I'm setting up chat times. Email me and we can set a time, cummingsbarbara@gmail.com. I'd love a tête-à-tête!

Both the trip and the landing can be filled with wonder and pleasure and joy -- it's up to you and this is what I wish for you.

Sparkles and Love,