So, dear friends, it’s been a while since my last post … and now it’s a year since this blog was born, and the anniversary of my very first post!
And as the milestone approached, I’ve done some reflecting, on the past, present, and future of the blog.
When I started this blog, it was with the simple intent to speak truth in love, to echo belovedness, to encourage mindfulness.
I believe, I hope, that I have fulfilled those purposes, yes, and so if I measure the success of the blog by just that simple gauge, then it’s been successful enough.
I don’t think I had any specific visions of having a popular blog, but I did want to reach people and touch lives, hearts, minds, souls … I wanted to reach a significant number of people and have a deep impact! I desired to sow many seeds, seeds of loving-kindness, seeds of compassion, seeds of mindfulness. I wanted to inspire broadened perspectives, to encourage equanimity and grace …
To open up deeper connections and engage in thoughtful conversations …
To look at matters of the heart and soul, of truth and justice, of relationships with ourselves and others, in the light of Belovedness …
Sometimes, I wondered … is any of this happening; if it is happening, is it happening very much? I couldn’t see if much was happening … and I wanted to see and know! It rather seems to be my nature, that I want to see and know, and accepting that sometimes I am simply not going to be able to see and know is hard.
And I had to ask myself the questions: was I writing for the views, or writing to share my views for whatever good they might mean, whether that was to 10, 50, or 100? Was I writing to feed my ego or pride, or writing to feed the souls of whomever read the words, whether that was 10, 50, or 100?
Was I writing from the soul and from the heart? Was my heart and soul fed by simply writing and sharing and loving and being?
I think, as this new year begins, and a new year of blogging begins, that I have learned to let it be. Something has shifted and relaxed, become more fluid and free, in my blogging perspective, in my life perspective.
The success of this blog still matters to me … I just define that success differently, if indeed I even bother to define it! I’m being more intentional about not creating some clear-cut definition, but letting the definition be fluid and flow as it will. And letting truth and Belovedness flow as they will, letting whatever words come flow as they will. And doing more trusting and less controlling …
So perhaps this blog will have a fresher, freer feel and flow to it!
Related to that new feel and flow …
I am teaching a mindfulness/meditation class each week at a local yoga studio, which has been a beautiful new challenge and learning experience for me.
(The class is called ‘Awakening Stillness’ … which harmonizes beautifully with ‘Echoing Belovedness,’ don’t you think?!)
One thing I’ve learned in planning for this class is to distill my thoughts and words. I like to have a theme, such as surrender or being present or creating space, form the structure of the movements and the meditation in each class.
And a meditation class is not a lecture class! Only a few clear, concise words are needed to speak of following the breath, letting attention be anchored in the breath, being aware of breath in the body. Only a few clear, concise phrases are needed to invite people to consider the theme, the seed-thought.
Simplicity and clarity in my words, my instruction allows space for the seed-thought to be whatever it needs to be, or not be, for each person in the class.
Simplicity makes the teaching clearer and the message stronger. It takes much stillness to find such simplicity and clarity. A stillness I am still, and always, seeking!
But perhaps I can learn to distill my thoughts and words, desires and expectations, for this blog in the same manner as I have learned to do for my class …to be still and let the distilling happen!
Awaken stillness to more clearly echo belovedness!
