My Body feels drained or is it my Soul?

That point of total exhaustion – and yes, it is body, mind, and soul.  Having immersed myself in various projects – many times simultaneously (somewhat out of necessity), I reach a point where there are no more resources to draw on.  The ‘to do’ and ‘want to’ lists have not gone away, just running below empty.   Yes, below empty because the output is more than full tilt.  Nurturing the Soul just became a necessity.

Do you ever get to that point?

Picture -  hands wringing, pacing, face scrunched, saying “What to do, what to do?”

Best starting point is BREATHING.   I also fall back on some of my techniques and modalities for reconnecting and rejuvenating my body, mind, and soul.  I use Jin Shin Acupressure, Flower Essences, drawing Mandalas, breathing, exercise, walks (especially in nature settings), reading, and have to watch out or eating enters the formula.    Then I give myself permission to stop and play; not to have to do it all today.

The trick is to build nurturing the Soul into the daily routine.  The intensity of life’s “routine” experiences requires frequent nurturing of the Soul.

Another wearing on the Soul is that many times nurturing can be very exuberant and watch out for the reactions of others. –à Lean your head back, shake your hair from side to side with a gentle breeze caressing you, and laugh out loud.  Be comfortable in your own skin and the Soul shines through.  (And yes singing in the shower or dancing in the garage is ok too.)

PLAY– Something that will make our hearts sing, souls dance, and can be remembered again and again with joy and happiness.  Barbara Brennen in ‘The Gift of Play’.

Yes nurture your Soul through play.  Play often – it is productive, it nurtures your soul!

What do you do to Nurture your Soul?  How do you PLAY?

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Edith shares more thoughts, tools, and experiences at How To In Life

Adult Enrichment and Creativity

We focus tremendously and appropriately on providing enrichment and stimulating creativity in children. What about us as adults?

Our soul, our intensity, our internal drive thirsts for creative expression and cultivation through enrichment.  This means times for play, pursuit of something new as a result of curiosity, delving into something that seems irrelevant because it caught our attention, getting our hands dirty, listening and daydreaming, excusing ourselves to be with children, and….

Without enrichment and creative expression we lose our ability to make leaps, experience the flow, manifest ideas, identify multiple solutions, or…  We are also grouchy, less energetic, feel lost, withdraw, or become numb.

Part of the process is giving us permission.  Knowing it is OK to have a day that nothing is planned, nothing needs to be accomplished, to have a few minutes of wistful thinking or daydreaming, to indulge yourself in puttering, or to walk beside the river, set on the grass, see pictures in the clouds.

Next what have you put off trying new or did often when younger and do not any more (‘not enough time’).   Yes make a list – your loves, your bucket list, your wishes.  You need to feed your soul with enrichment and opportunities to create.  You’ve made the list now be sure you put it on your schedule.  Do it, enjoy it, allow it, experience it – you, the child, coming out to play.

What will it be to today – doodling, making mud pies (either with dirt or luscious chocolate delicacies), exploring subatomic matter, staying up all night to see the various astronomy wonders or …?  What will bring a smile to your face, a twinkle in your eyes, relaxation to shoulders and at the same time bring you to the excitement and enthusiasm of being on edge?

Embed in your daily schedule (yes one more thing) to put that bounce into your step – enrichment and creativity.

What do you do for enrichment and creativity?  Let us know you could stimulate someone else to pursue an adventure.

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Edith meanders through various thoughts and experiences at her howtoinlife.com blog .

Love, the Heart, and Gifted

So as I try to decide how to write this post and complete the month’s topic, I sift through the various ways to approach the subject.  I have many different ideas – the connection between the heart and the mind; the passions and pursuit; the ideas and the emotions; the delights and tribulations; relationships with others /with self; introspection or connecting with the world around.  All of these are aspects of love, the heart and being gifted.

The fascination with many ideas and seeing various perspectives is at the heart of being gifted.   I love to look at something from many points of view or brainstorm to create multitude possibilities.  That is the working of the mind and yet brings the emotion of delight in the process.

Relationships are intense.   There is no doubt the heart is involved as a whole or in the resulting many pieces.  The caring for significant others, our children, our family and friends … and yes the kindred spirit of all humans is so much at the heart of being gifted.  We want to joyfully embrace those in our lives and reach out to all in the world.

Passions… what is there not to be passionate about?  Maybe that is an exaggeration.  We do each have individual passions.  However, living life, exploring the world, making new discoveries, playing in the sand, dancing on the roof tops, playing or listening to music…are all done with great passion and sincerity (which many find hard to believe).  These are all from our heart and done with love.

How often do you wear your heart on your sleeve?  How often are you frustrated because there is not the right emoticon or enough emoticons to express what you are feeling?  It does not matter whether it is delights or tribulations – it is a roller coaster ride with all the fireworks.  That is at the heart of being gifted.

Now dear mind, dear heart – still yourself.  Breathe, follow the breath, slowly in and out to the depths.  Time to go inside and be one with your heart and mind.  Feel  the calm.  Know the center.  Understand the multitude of your being.  Accept your love of being gifted.  Namaste.

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Edith shares more at howtoinlife.com  

New for today

I started in 2012 with a promise to myself to do something new – either never done before by me or not done for a long time.  I have made that a life time process now.  Last year I made it indoor skydiving, horseback riding,  a road trip to an Opal Mine and Yellowstone-Tetons, rented a forest service cabin in the La Sal National Forest, spent a weekend at Vapor Caves and Spa —– well you get the idea.

I am continuing this year already with returning to Tai Chi, Qi Gong classes.  Planning the basement remodel (yes out of necessity, yet it will be NEW).  Some plans include joining some groups I am a member of for their conferences, hiking to see the wild horses, and whatever else I can come up with.

Doing something new brings vitality, release, excitement, discovery, adventure, thrill, relaxation… many emotions and experiences.  New beginnings bring growth and opportunities.

Each day is a new beginning with a fresh attitude and potential to look at things differently.  I can write a new page of my story.  Oh, there are days and moments that I cannot see beyond whatever muddle I am stuck in.  However, with the intention of looking for a new beginning the rebound comes quicker and a new chapter begins.

Experiencing the newness in relationships, on the job, different activities, goals, learning and playing is very much a part of life.  Many times we neglect to be aware of that newness.  We become stuck in a rut, routine, familiarity, complacency, or maybe our own intensity.  Similar to breathing – we do it automatically (and not always well).  However, when we become aware of our breath and consciously breathe in and out, our energy changes; there is a different awareness; there is a letting go; there is newness.  And with an awareness of the moment we see the flower blooming (not just in bloom); we hear the melody of the birds singing (not just the chirping); we feel the emotion, including the intensity, of the interaction.  We are new.

We are new – literally – (someone – provide the details again of how we change every day with the replacement of all the cells in our body).  We are new – our thoughts and experiences are constantly changing.  We are new – there has been no other person like us and no other moment like this.  Be conscious of the newness and have fun!

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Edith blogs regularly sharing her thoughts and tools for personal development of multi-talents at www.howtoinlife.com

Flash Mobs — JOY

Flash Mobs have been a way to stop the chaos of the day and have a shared moment of delight.  Do you notice that most everyone enJOYs the moment and stops to be a part?  One tidbit online shows the trending way to propose is in a Flash Mob presentation, a moment of joy within a joyful event.  Planned and yet spontaneous – Joy.

I can be going through the day – be down or be happy and the lyrics from a childhood song will come to mind to cheer me or express the moment…. I’ve got joy, joy, joy …down in my heart, down in my heart, down in my heart …to stay!  Daily life is truly a roller coaster – with high sensitivities and intensity – it is a very fast moving roller coaster with significant magnitude.  With that as a contributing factor, my joy can be a little zealous at times.  Two things then come into play – need to fit in so tone down the excitement, delight, exuberance – otherwise get those weird looks and comments, “why are you so happy?” The answer is many times I don’t know, I am.  The second thing that comes in to play is my wariness, as I know the crash is coming and then need to moderate that experience.

And still, JOY is very desirable – it is pleasant, warm, and fun feeling.  It can be the littlest things – comments this week on facebook – “hearing my child – whistling, singing, playing in the house for the holiday – brings me JOY”.  Other little things can be noticing – snowflakes, ice formations, flowers, drops of rain, rainbows, butterflies, the silly smile or position of your pet, and…….   Then there is the ongoing or new relationships; being in the flow; sudden windfalls (of minor or major proportions); figuring out the next step for a goal or a problem solution; and …..  Breathing is a joy, not usually noticed.  Are we noticing our joy?  Are we experiencing our joy? Are we sharing our joy?

Joy to you and me and the world this holiday season!

Take a moment and share a moment of your joy here with all of us….

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Edith can be found sharing joy and many other thoughts at www.howtoinlife.com

Intensity of Gratitude or Gratitude for Intensity

Oops Drafted and not posted!  Enjoy!

Gratitude is an emotion, an attitude, a frame of mind and all part of the roller coaster I experience as life with intensity.  Yes when I am grateful, appreciative, thankful – I may bow down to you and get on my hands and knees or jump up and down with an excited dance.  Yes gratitude can be intense.  Then I am grateful for the intensity in my experience and expression of life.  The vivid colors I see, the subtle differences in sounds I hear, the rapid connections and leaps in ideas are oh so marvelous and I am thankful for encounter on all levels.

Some thoughts by Sue Patton Thoele:  “Gratitude, like laughter and humor, lifts our spirits and hearts and encourages us to ascend into the realms of joy and appreciation.  It makes us thankful for the incredible gift of life that we’ve been given and for the people who have chosen to share it with us.            Gratitude gentles even the roughest roads and gives wings to the heart.  Buoyed by gratitude, we can sail over most situations while keeping healthy, and even joyful, perspective on the landscape of our lives.”

“As we gently learn to believe in our own worth, gratitude for our unique individuality is the result.”

“ We also need to be especially gentle with ourselves when we misplace our sense of gratitude.  We are human, and, when the pain in our hearts becomes acute, we sometimes forget to be grateful.  That’s okay, because we can always reclaim our gratitude.  And as we remember to drink the sweet nectar of gratitude toward ourselves, the cup naturally passes to those whom we love.”

Remember the roller coaster with its up and downs.  Remember the Intensity –of gratitude and gratitude for.

Any preferred emotion, attitude, or habit of action takes practice.  The Alphabet of gratitude is a fun way to practice being grateful.

I am grateful:

A -  I am grateful for All  – things and people.  Or the apple for the nutrition it provides, the seed for growth it represents, the sweet / tart taste experience.

B – Bad time lessons; the basketball game watching the boys play, brothers

C – for the courage to continue; the cat rubbing against my leg

D – the devastation I have muddled through; the dreams translating to realities

E – the egg, sunny side up; the enthusiastic greetings of people gathering

F – Family, Friends, Father, Fun times; the failures I have got up from and failed again to overcome or accomplish

G – the grass, the greenery, the ground; the grasping at straws and grabbing hold of one

H – hope, help, health; hard times that stretch us beyond

I – INTENSITY……..

J – joy, justice, jubilation; jealousy and jerks that provide an opportunity for an attitude shift

K – kindness, kitchen sink, kettle for homemade soup

L – Life, Love, little brother and sister, landscapes to admire-to cross

M –mountains, Mother, mistakes

N – nothing – think again; notions, nudges, nuts

O – oblivion, opportunities, oceans

P – parents, people, pets, pockets, pistol-packing-momma

Q – quiet, quirky, quizzical

R – rowdy, races,  open roads, relationships

S – sunsets, sunrises, sisters, sacrifices, sharing

T – tolerance, tragedy, time

U – underachievement, unity, useful tools

V – vinegar, vitamins, vitality

W – water, wishes, wander lust, waste, work

X – xrays (a word for scrabble of course), xenobiotic, xenophilia (had to have some fun)

Z – It’s been a zoo to add some order to this intense chaos – smile – an everyday experience.

What would be in your Alphabet Soup of Gratitude???

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Edith can be found sharing notes, thoughts, experiences, question with or without answers at How To In Life. Com 

Emotional Intensity – It’s a New Day

Emotional Intensity is a daily experience.  Questioning my sanity and normalcy is a recurrent question.  There is the need to blend in.  Survival requires developing the ability to deliberately detach.  Yet the moments of ecstasy, even relative to little things is marvelous.

I do treasure quiet times.  Walks in nature even urban trails is moderating and rejuvenating.  I also have found other ways to manage the rapid moving roller coaster.  Flower essences and acupressure are tools I use to moderate the intensity.  To get further in touch, drawing mandalas is helpful.  And movement, various kinds, is oh so helpful both as a release and a stimulus.

Emotional Intensity covers the full spectrum from pain to joy.  I know no other life.  I embrace the intensity now with greater understanding.  I also, know to live the diversity present in my life I need to manage the intensity as not to have it manage me.  Constant containment is not the answer.  Flowing within a channel with periodic gentle excursions over the bank, works.  Water absorbs and reflects, as to the emotional intense.

The experience of the most brilliant rainbow and the darkest night are important.  Knowing there are subtleties of color in between expands the experience of management of intensity.  To know I AM (intense) and CAN BE (balanced) adds to the adventure and enjoyment of each new day!

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Edith shares further her experiences and resources at howtoinlife.com blog.

Surviving Change

So I am not in school and the boys have completed college.  School is a symbol of continued learning and ongoing change.  School has a set schedule – 9 months, year round, 5 hour days, 12 hour days – with a progression – it changes.  Some of the changes we plan and mitigate some are not within our control.  We change internally also, part through experiences, maturity, and other change by how we respond to “the change”.  Change always presents its challenges.  Surviving change is a life skill.

The seasons’ changing is the common example of the constancy of change.   Each school year is a change.  Each day of life offers change.  School has a routine as does life.  Routines, people, places can feel comfortable as they are “the same”.  However, are we aware of the subtle changes?   Are we adjusting to the changes without thought because of the familiarity?  The seasons change and we adjust without much thought.

Change is stimulating – delight or overwhelm?  Does the change meet our need of something new, different, and challenging or overwhelm us with too much, anxiety of the unknown, and increases of sensitivity?  What is our perspective or point of view relative to change?  What approach or response do we demonstrate for those around us –children – colleagues?  Do we create change or do we muddle through change?  Do we meet change head on and immerse ourselves or we do fight it tooth and nail?

Change can be easier if we understand some of the whys.  Last month was the discussion of transition – preparation for the change.  Knowing a change is going to happen planning and preparation are important tools – at home, school, or work.  Wanting change and achieving it is easier knowing our whys – is there enough value in the change for us to apply the effort necessary to change?  Why change – responsive or proactive.  Surviving change is a life skill.

We are in the midst of a season change.   The colors of the foliage are part of that change.  It is a beautiful transition to observe.  However, have you thought about the factors that impact the color changes – different plant genetics, different weather conditions, man-made environmental factors, fire, elevation all contribute to the color change?  We can experience the change without much thought, with or without conscious observation, or understand the dynamics of the change and our participation in the change.

Information gathering (observation, listening, and research) and decision making (info, value, pros, and cons) are tools for surviving change.  Breathing, flowing, and  patience are also tools of change.  What are your tools for surviving change?

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You can find more of Edith’s ramblings at   howtoinlife.com blog

School time – big steps to college

Always planned on going to college, say the freshmen.  Have been working on this for all of high school and before.  School chosen.  On the way to begin a new adventure.  Smart so should know what to do and how to do it.  Advisors – the main thing is to get students into classes that fulfill general eds and may even move toward some declared major.  College offers training, education, opportunities.  Colleges are big money – grants and loans – payments guaranteed.

Back to the students – advising – into classes or left on their own.  The guidance from experience and knowledge of options is beneficial when available.  Freshman strike out on their own in a new environment with new freedom.  Each one wanting to further establish their independence, yet there may be confusion and uncertainty.

Parents adjusting to one less fledgling at home – needing to let go and yet wanting to protect.  Parents full of advice and yet know much of it won’t be listened to.  Parents need to let the freshman know they are available to listen and ask questions.  Parents can share some of their own stories letting the freshman know – how to find answers, that challenges will happen, that things can work out, it is truly an adventure.

Colleges are now looking at the support and guidance needed for retention.  Information is getting out.  Still the inconsistency between the business of high education and the purpose of higher education requires strategies for navigation to gain the students objective (which can be knowledge, job skills, play, adventure….).

Parents still have the role of advocacy at the college level as in K-12.  The role may be more guidance for the student, yet there needs to be a willingness to step in also.

Parents are proud and delighted with their freshman taking this next step to college.  Yet, parents are in a panic as they know the freshman will be exposed to the big world out there- both the good and the bad.  Ongoing communication so the freshman knows the parents are there as a support, even if only in the background is critical.

Freshmen have a major transition in routine.  There is more freedom and more self-responsibility.  The excitement is paramount.  The anxiety can be overwhelming.  The struggle exists with going solo into the unknown and yet partially wanting the security of the known.

Parents and freshmen what are you doing to prepare for the transition?  Expect the bags are packed and the shopping is getting done (don’t forget your toothbrush).  What are you expectations?  What are your concerns?  What are your resources and safety nets?

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You can find more of Edith’s ramblings at howtoinlife.com blog 

Rest and Restoration

Intensity and Life in general requires rest and restoration.  When you give yourself in totality for a committed period of time the inner resources can be drained.  Withdrawing and changing  directions becomes a necessity.  This allows for the opportunity for new discoveries, new adventures, time to do what has been put aside. So to the delight of my inner child it is time to play and escape from the day to day reality.  The adult in me calls that a vacation.  It is also time to regroup and feed the creativity so it may be expressed.  Time to explore nature and soak in the peace and energy.

The mystery of light

Going within

Simple Beauty

Path to new adventures

A bit of tranquility.

What is your favorite way to revive your energy?  How do you relax and rejuvenate?

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More of Edith’s writings can be found at HowToInLife.com Blog .