The courage of a river to continue belief
John O’Donohue
In the slow fall of ground,
Always falling farther
Toward the unseen ocean.
In my last post, I alluded to a recent ah ha moment that made me chuckle out loud. As a pre-curser, I invited you to read John O’Donohue’s poem “In Praise of Water” from his book To Bless the Space Between Us (you can access the blog and poem here if you missed it).
The poem introduced itself during my morning wisdom reading, part of my daily mindfulness routine. I noticed within the first few lines how deeply it touched my heart. I re-read it three times, seeing my journey more clearly reflected in O’Donohue’s water imagery with each iteration. I journaled about the experience and went on with my day.
A couple of hours later, I had a virtual session with another teacher who guided me through a meditation and energy alignment. As I deepened into stillness, tuning into the rhythm of my breathing, sensing into the physical experience of my body’s aliveness, I opened my heart to whatever would serve my highest purpose.
After a couple of moments of utter peace (which would have been “enough”!), something shifted. I felt what seemed like the lock of a river canal opening. I could feel energy flowing through and around my body, carrying me in synch with the universe’s energetic stream.
It was subtle and probably not as dramatic a feeling as you might imagine. But in that moment, images of every aspect of my work and life converged into an understanding that I was in flow with the universe’s creative energy.
Mission Memo Received
The ah ha moment, after years of trying to analyze and clarify what I “do” through the various channels of my work (paid and non-paid, teaching, coaching, writing, photography, and even parenting) is that my purpose and mission during my one “wild and precious life” as Mary Oliver describes it, is to help people experience more flow in their lives.
When I opened my eyes at the end of the session, I laughed out loud when I noticed that my Peaks of Otter Flow print was hanging right over my head during the meditation. A literal and even titled image of flow!
I realized that water had been one of my first anchors of attention as my mindful photography journey unfolded. The awe of observing a single drop dance with the breeze, navigate the movement of a trembling leaf or flower petal, descend inevitably with gravity, and finally release its grasp in surrender, held my fascination with such intensity that past- and future-based thoughts (the source of our stress) dissolved. Fully engaged in this way, time slipped away.
Each moment of attention felt meaningful and purposeful while making those pictures. The fulfillment came as much from the process as it did from the final image and whatever accolades and sales might have followed. These are all flow characteristics.
Over time, my subjects expanded in scope as I shifted my focused attention photography meditations to wider perspectives. This choice parallels the experience of open awareness meditation, which trains us to let go of distractions and unimportant details that try to carry us away from presence and purpose. Open awareness allows us to welcome whatever experience might arise and stay grounded even in the midst of uncertainty.
The Big Picture
Being able to broaden my lens, trusting that whatever I’m experiencing right now is part of something bigger, keeps me connected to a sense of meaning, even when the ground feels like it’s completely fallen away.
My photography has flowed from being a mere mindfulness practice, to a source of anchoring and healing energy in my clients’ personal and professional spaces, to a core component of my teaching and speaking engagements.
My Damselwings offerings as a whole have flowed from my morning meditation sessions (next 15-Day program starts on February 28th!), to deeper dives into mindfulness and emotional intelligence workshops (SIY), PQ® Mental Fitness training, and 1:1 coaching.
Each new venture was sparked by inspiration and trusting my heart instead of my head, then using my honed attention skills and clarity of purpose to take laser focused action. My “work” in all its forms feels like play every day of the week. I have so much gratitude for the journey that brought me here — yes, even including cancer.
Why the Laugh?
What made me laugh out loud was the realization that the universe had sent me yet another playful high five. I was paying attention, trusting, and taking aligned action to show up for my life as fully as I possibly can.
Life becomes a game when we live in flow, with all sorts of powerful synchronicities showing up to support us. The game isn’t always easy, but we can strengthen our capacity to live more skillfully, finding meaning and growth opportunities every precious day.
If you would like to experience more flow in your life, I’d love to support you! Schedule a free discovery call with me here. Perhaps a friend, family member or colleague comes to mind who might be interested in this work? If so, sharing is caring!
