Peace with Self - Contentment with the Journey

View of my back yard January 27, 2011 from the back deck. ~ Nita

I was recently spending some time on Facebook getting to know a few new friends better when I stumbled upon the note I'm sharing here with permission.  I felt that it was a word in due season for a lot of us, a story many of us can relate to and resonate with parts of.  Especially the healing is a process part.  It is.  So is the journey to acceptance and contentment.  You have to go through the muck of life to get to the part where you surrender and accept.  Seems like once we do we find grace and contentment with the process that got us there to begin with. 

Then there's the gratitude aspect of the here and now for my friend.  She truly appreciates the life she's created for herself as she patiently waits for the next chapter of life to unfold.  I feel this way now in my own life, having my mountain solitude and life of tranquility.  Anyhow, I hope you enjoy Marg's words as much as I did.  I'm grateful she's letting me share them with you. 

Sanctuary

by Margaret York

A few short years ago, I went through a very difficult period when trying to come to terms with the demise of a relationship in which I had been deceived and betrayed. I sought the counsel of a very wise woman who listened to my story and and my feelings of uncertainty, loss and rejection and then provided me with what at the time seemed like very simplistic advice. She advised me to:  Enjoy my home. That my home was ME. My space.  My cozy place.

Time has passed. Healing is a process, but a rewarding one. When entering my warm and welcoming apartment after a long day of work, I breathe a sigh of relief and contentment. I greet the cats and pet them, then it's upstairs to change immediately into soft, comfy pyjamas. The Food Network is on the televison, with the comforting voices of my favourite chefs. Jamie Oliver is describing a tasty, rustic dish in his soothing British accent, which lends an air of gentility. The Christmas tree lights are twinkling and outside my huge picture windows, I look down a tree-lined street of old Victorian houses, their lights shining and welcoming. In the kitchen, I'll prepare a simple pasta dish, maybe with some salad, followed by tea and a comfort dessert, all while the cats watch wide-eyed, eventually settling down to doze nearby for the evening while I relax with the Golden Girls and a good book and of course:  more tea!

I share this because of my gratitude for the wise counsel I was provided during a very sad time. Counsel that was indeed truly wise because of its simplicity, which was just what I needed at the time in order to begin to heal: that my home is ME and enjoying my home and the nourishing sanctuary it provides and envelops me with is, as Sara Ban Branach so aptly refers to in her beautiful books on the sacredness that is found in the ordinary pleasures and comforts of life:  my House of Belonging. My Home. My cozy place. My space. And in that space I find the contentment of truly being at Home with my Self.

Copyright ©2012 Nita Clewis
All rights reserved. For personal use only. Commercial use without permission is not allowed. Sharing with friends and family is warmly welcomed.

Abundance & Intuitiveness - Stop Denying Your Worth

Life the past few weeks has an abundance of a-ha moments, inspiration, and knowing.  I have been in a place of excited anticipation each day, amused as these things continue to unfold.  It truly is what we American's term on point.  For those of you not familiar with this American slang term, it means that these occurrences comply with that which I am establishing (in this specific instance: manifesting) in my life.  This on point phenomenon has not just been effecting me though, it’s been trickling out to everyone I speak with, particularly my friends who call and write for some “Nita knows” time. 

Hard to believe though, that while residing in all of this high energy wonder and awe, that I can still have moments of inner conflict.  That I still wrestle with understanding, how is it that I can know for others that which they don't know for themselves?  I am not talking fortune telling stuff either.  I know exactly which of my friends being a humorous smart mouth just blurted that out reading this!  No, I cannot tell you about your future.  I am talking about intuitive gifts.  Oh yeah, those things.  What I question is how is it that I can talk to someone I love and care for, knowing with every ounce of my being that the words I am speaking are truth, when one seeking the truth that I am speaking to does not receive the same?  Just as when someone can look at me, see that which I do not see, point it out, and I still not see it?

Why are we blind or in denial to the advice we receive when we seek it?  Better yet, why do we listen, nod in affirmation, and even say things such as “I know, I need to work on that, I’m going to fix that” yet continue down the same paths?  I know the answer to this but do you?  It is about two things: self worth and trust.  Just this week I had a conversation with a friend in Missouri affirming this.  We can scream it from the rooftops what we believe and know for others but when we shift those beliefs and intuitive insights to ourselves, we struggle to overcome our own feelings of inadequacy.  Thus again, receiving anything is rooted in our abilities to believe we are worthy and then trusting in what which we do in fact receive.    

I mean, I cannot explain why the words come as they do when asked or why I relate it in that way that just 'clicked' for someone.  I cannot often even repeat what I just said if in a moving conversation that is coming from a high-energy place.  I can create a summary without a problem but to repeat it word for word, no way, no how will that happen.  That is just how I am.  I am still working on accepting it.  This blog was part of that acceptance.  I can however tell you adamantly that what I know is what I know and that if I love you, I will in how ever many forms or fashions feel the need to explain it do so that it seeps in….every single time…every conversation that you seek it.  

When I talk to you or write this blog, I am not sharing what I know to give you light in times of darkness.  I am not sharing what I know to ground you when you seek grounding.  I am not even sharing to benefit something specific at times; sometimes I am even flying blind as to why I'm sharing.  I have just have learned to do it when asked.  What I am sharing is from beyond me, from a place of inspired thought.  The words are nothing more than the actions of those thoughts.  They are for our experience of the journey.  We just need to receive them.

Yep, so here we are, on this journey.  We are all in our own ways reconciling, accepting, letting go and becoming.  Our greatest obstacle is ourselves and believe me, I get that.  Maybe I shouldn't even be stuck on those who I love that aren’t receiving the words?  Maybe I should just stay in that place of being in wonder, when I watch transpire that which was supposed to?  There are after all people who do get it, who do listen.  Guess what?  There are also times when I listen too.    

Copyright ©2012 Nita Clewis
All rights reserved. For personal use only. Commercial use without permission is not allowed. Sharing with friends and family is warmly welcomed.

Connecting the Dots

There is nothing more to conquer; an ocean of peace lay before me.  To be free, as I knew myself to be, is to realize that all conquest is vain, even the conquest of self, which is the last act of egotism.  To be joyous is to carry the ego into its last summit and deliver it triumphantly.  To know peace is total: it is the moment after, when the surrender is complete, when there is no longer even the consciousness of surrender.  Peace is at the center and when it is attained the voice issues forth in praise and benediction.  Then the voice carries far and wide, to the outermost limits of the universe.  Then it heals because it brings the light and the warmth of compassion. - Henry Miller, The Colossus of Maroussi as spoken by Brandon Boyd at the introduction of the Incubus in Chili Film (YouTube)

Learning to create one's life if not taught how to do so productvely early on can be a challenge.  You have to scrub away false belief systems, you have to undo what's been done as you create new habits and practices.  It always boils down to free will and choice.  This is true.  It also boils down to your sense of worth.  When you know your worth and begin to develop it, you reach father, you expect more, you just do better because you know better.  Loved hearing those words from Maya Angelou.  It's completely relative, when you know better you do in fact do better.  If not, you're dying not living and what's the point in that?

There's this magic that happens when you start driving your own life though.  When you set out controlled intentions that are for your greater good, experiences bring circumstances into your life beyond explanation.  There is the orchestra of events, people, places and things that all connect beautifully.  All of a sudden you see the order of the dots.  Your mind races and you connect 1 with 2 and 2 with 3, so on and so forth.  I guess you could compare the sudden clarity to when you look at those hidden images that they used to sell in the mall.  You know the ones where you stand afar and wait to see what's really there as your eyes adjust?  Yep, it's just like that.

I'm watching the dots connect as of late.  Actions from inspired thoughts in the mid to late 90s lead to knowledge used a decade later on the path.  Actions I took in 2009 of inspired thought are bringing forth fruitful and rewarding friendships.  The ones in 2010 have opened up an entirely new area of my life, bringing forth some of the most amazing people I've yet to meet on the journey.  Oh yeah, even a few that make my head spin in joy.  Energy, it's an indisputable force.  Best part is, it's right there, right for you to tap into.

Get about the business of connecting your dots.  They're all relevant.  Step back, give them gratitude and see the big picture.  As for the baggage of any of it, just do your best to let the rest of it go.  The experience is what's relevant, not the baggage connected to the same.  

Copyright ©2012 Nita Clewis
All rights reserved. For personal use only. Commercial use without permission is not allowed. Sharing with friends and family is warmly welcomed.

Yummy Goodness

Yummy goodness.  

Those are the words used by my friend Ingrid to describe part of the process of life.  She even giggles when she says it.  To me, the yummy goodness of life, they're all of the moments of pure joy, the moments of laughter, and those moments of full throttle energy that flow between people.  The moments of being present and in gratitude.  The love that comes from being a parent, a friend or the love of being connected to another in ways that are beyond explanation.  They're also the moments of experience, of smelling the sweetness of a flower, of hearing the stillness of the woods, of feeling the warmth of your beloved pet's fur under your hand.  Yes, many moments in life of yummy goodness are to be had.     

In my own life, laughter in particular has been more recent these past few months.  I absolutely love it.  My son is a preteen now with a wicked sense of observational humor.  Never a dull moment around him as he comes into his own.  Since I won't let him have a dog yet, he's vicariously adopted my Facebook friend's dog in Florida who turned 1 this weekend.  Every day it's the same thing, how's Doug, what did Doug do today, what did she post?  He'll look, make a hysterical observation, or crack a joke later when reminded of something related about Doug that he saw on Facebook.  Oh yes, he is his mother's child (animal lover to all animals, well, less stink bugs of course). 

I've also enjoyed the joy connected to the kind of laughter that comes from no where, without warning.  You know the kind, when you're just doing something unrelated and your mind drifts to think of something or someone and you laugh out loud to yourself suddenly.  Yes, yummy goodness that is.  The last blog I wrote was late at night. I turned in for the evening after posting it, laughing out loud as I tried to wind down to sleep.  I was amused at watching all of the dots connect earlier in the evening.  

In all honesty, there is no greater joy than to look upon a moment of your life, something so good, so yummy, that it makes you in that very present moment feel bliss.  Yes, indeed, my journey as of late has had some interesting 'things that make you go hmmm....' moments (remember my amusement at the photo I found for the last blog from Aimforawesome's website, te he, te he).  When I take a second to pause, to give thanks, to soak it in, whatever it is at the moment, I find glimpses of Nirvana.  It is but just another layer of the joys of life, observing it unfold as it should, being in the wonder of the knowing.

It's good to acknowledge all of these moments on the journey.  I've found that I have developed a sincere appreciation for them having observed or transcended many opposite, not so yummy goodness times in life.  It really is just like we're told, life really will make you appreciate when it's good if you'll but hang on and endure when it's bad.  

Which reminds me, if you're on Facebook and you have time to invest in yourself (set it at 15 minutes a day or you could get sucked in for days doing this), I have a little project for you.  The new timeline profile.  You do realize it has every status update, link, image, etc. you've ever posted right?  Oh yeah.  So, if you're a sharer and use Facebook often in that way, that timeline is literally a glimpse into your journey (at least your Facebook years).  Take a little time daily to see where you've been.  Just observe.  Don't judge.  Take mental note or make a list of each time that you transcended an obstacle.  Doesn't matter if it was of your control or not, but each time that hardship came and you overcame.  Remembering what you're capable of might just get you through the muck faster the next go around.  You are after all worth every yummy goodness moment of life has to offer.

Copyright ©2012 Nita Clewis
All rights reserved. For personal use only. Commercial use without permission is not allowed. Sharing with friends and family is warmly welcomed.

Invest In You!

Image courtesy of AimforAwesome.com , which I found AFTER writing this blog under the search term 'invest in you inspiring images'.... Note to self,  another coincidence to laugh out loud too....

Really interesting past forty-eight hours leading up to the ringing in of the 2012 New Year to say the least!!!  I'm still processing the Ben Breedlove legacy that I wrote about.  I've been finalizing my SMART goals for 2012 as well in preparation for a call for my Mastermind group.  Yes, lots of reflecting, processing and visualizing as I knock the daily to-dos off of the regular life list (read: eat, workout, services, listening to my intuition, housework, taking decorations down, organizing for the week ahead).  I also watched The Secret again this morning, one of my new annual New Years traditions.  

Add to all of those things a visit in a dream from my beloved Grandma Irene the night of the 30th and yes, it's been a wild and crazy two days.  Anyone care to take a guess as to what time I woke up from said dream?  If you know me personally on Facebook, you probably figured that out in lightening fast speed.  For everyone else, 3:33 a.m.  I really think all of the coincidences going on amidst the same are just cherries on top of it all.  You are all well aware of what I think about coincidences in life, right?  If not, use that nifty little google search box to the right and search this blog.  Yep, I have lots to say about those things too!

So, tonight I found myself responding to a friend regarding a private inquiry seeking some tips on a certain subject.  Now you just know that subject being inquired upon IS something I've been working on myself these past few years.  Random inquiry, I think not!  We weren't able to chat about it today so when I found the time to do so, I sat down tonight to write out my thoughts in a response.  Lets just say that when I did so, the fingers went flying in that oh so special auto-pilot way (like they're doing right now as I start drafting this blog at 1am).  I was blown away that within an hour of writing that I could sum up 21 years of history and add to it the lessons learned, basically my two cents on the subject at hand.  I knew I'd been doing a lot of work these past few years processing the journey but I had no idea it would lead to the summation of what I shared tonight with this friend.  When all was said and done I was in shock. 

This of course then inspired me to come over here and write to share with you how IMPORTANT it is to spend some time with yourself and to learn how to allow yourself to have said time.  Think of it as a nonrefundable investment.  Like all investments, it's risky but also like all investments, it has the promise of a remarkable return.  Now, getting to know yourself, what makes you tick, where you've come from, what you've learned, etc. doesn't mean you look back and get stuck there looking.  No, no, no.  I'm not a fan of living in the past or 'looking back' in general but I will say this much about it, sometimes you have to retrace where you've been to understand where you are and how far you've truly come.  Again, don't get stuck there reliving or over analyzing it. Notice what needs to be noticed, let it go and then give thanks.  Be grateful for all that you learned on that path to get to today.  You know, today, the here and now.  The only thing that really matters in the big picture.  

In closing, a comment thread has been ongoing over at the Facebook fan page (link on the right of this page) today as well that inspired me to complete this blog tonight verses say putting it off until tomorrow.  Don't you just love when the universe does that?  When you get onto something and find additional signs along the way affirming the journey?  I do.  So one last time, make time to get to know the wonderful being that you are.  Let that which is behind you go and create the next chapter on your terms with your new knowledge.  Trust me, you're worth every bit of effort on your nonrefundable investment.  This is your life after all.  Remember, you can't give to others what you don't cultivate in yourself first.  Your philosophies should always support your best interests.  If there is negative thinking or limiting beliefs living within you, you MUST replace them.  If you don't, you will not grow and thrive.  You deserve to grow and thrive, just as you deserve to be loved by others.  Love yourself first and the rest will fall into place.  YOU ARE PRICELESS.  Start acting that way and get to know yourself today!

Love you.  Happy New Year!

Copyright ©2012 Nita Clewis
All rights reserved. For personal use only. Commercial use without permission is not allowed. Sharing with friends and family is warmly welcomed.