Spaciousness, stillness, and early mornings
/It’s early morning
the light of day hasn’t yet reached this neck of the woods
It appears still night.
Its cold, brrr, in the 20’s and only early October.
I am sitting in my favorite cream colored chair,
wrapped in a pink afgan my mother made 30 years ago.
Snuggled close to the gas fireplace
as the fake flames blaze hot they warm my, purple sock, covered toes.
I often read a smattering of poetry or a page of a book
as I sip the warm fragrant coffee I made moments ago.
My daybreak daily rituals.
I pause as I pour the water
over the beautiful black grains of freshly ground dark roast coffee.
The whirring sound having pierced the quiet of night.
This morning I reached for John O’Donohue
from the middle of the stack of eight or so books
that sit by the window, waiting for me.
In the passage I opened to, he is talking about language
and the importance of it.
And the need for silence between words
and how poetry does that, leaves space.
Like what I’ve created here.
Silence, stillness, emptiness--not the status quo in the larger culture I live in
And
When I can take in words
With a sense of the s p a c i o u s ness
of the white page that surrounds them
I enter the moment
With the silence that adjoins them
With the darkness that soon will become light
With the in-breath I am taking
With my smile curling upward
All received like a precious gift.
Today
And I am nourished, filled, and delighted
by the expansiveness that abounds
sitting quietly, reading some favorite passages.
Then taking up pen to paper and writing this
In the warmth of my home before dawn.
It's not often, throughout a day, that I touch that quality of spaciousness. I don’t pause to receive it, or take notice.
Many mornings I hurry on to meditating (ha ha) after my coffee, and then a check in with my partner. Sitting in that same sweet spot in our home. Then jump off from there to the next thing. And on and on, only to find myself, at the end of the day, empty instead of spacious, the silence exhaustion.
Missed possibilities to receive the s’s (stillness, spacious, silence) which nurture my soul.
The good news. Fall is settling into my body, if I let it. The darkness. The slowing down as the leaves, in there full colorful glory, fall from the trees-- and the ground that was fertile weeks ago is now fallow.
My questions to myself--Can I take, receive, notice the spaciousness? Can I pay attention to the white spaces my day offers to me? Can I be still for ten minutes as I eat my breakfast and 10 more before I go to bed?
And you---
What does the Fall season offer to you?
What reminders are in the air around you, in the chairs you sit, in the people you tend to?
How might you begin to bring attention to silence, spaciousness and stillness?
See below if you’d like to do some inner work with others. We have a couple opportunities upcoming!
Happy Fall.
Hugs,
Carol
P.S. October 26th Stoke Your Woke on Cultural Norms, sponsored by our local library (free to you!) Click HERE
P.S.S. We received such great feedback after our June afternoon retreat on Belonging we are hosting a four hour afternoon retreat Money:Self and World on Saturday November 16th from 1 pm-5 pm at the Hive click HERE for details. Space is limited to 10 participants so register early!
P.S.S.S. I have openings in my private practice. Message me if you'd like a 30 minute free discovery session.