Pondering Blog: exploring lessons from life’s teachers
Painting of the ironwood tree by Tracey Harris - a tree I first saw in a dream, 20 years before I met it - and where I was held safe for my vision quest in Kapaau, HI, Big Island - an amazing gift by Karen Smith Good
Writing is how I process and make sense of the life experience. I take time to carefully review, digest and find the poetry in my world. Writing helps me get the lesson - earn the wisdom - find the perfect piece of sea glass in the painful shards of glass. Without writing, the teacher may go by unnoticed and return in another form.
Do you have a writing habit? My pondering workbook offers writing prompts so you can scratch the surface of your life - dig deeper into relationships, past experiences, dreams, habits, animals and hobbies and find beautiful words and imagery to elevate your wisdom, understanding and peace.
Sat nam, for truth, Janet
The Slippery Slope
Walking a path of sat nam is not an easy path.
What Holds You Steady?
My foundation for self care is a three legged stool - my daily kundalini yoga practice, healthy food and adequate sleep. And each leg relies on the other. When one starts to wobble, the whole structure is at risk.
My stool fell this year - its legs slowly weakened and fell to the ground. I thought it was sturdy so I started paying a little less attention to it. When it wobbled, I thought it was fine.
But it’s okay. I think I needed to embody the understanding - my sat nam - that I can’t take the sturdiness of my stool for granted. Just because it was strong and steady yesterday doesn’t mean it will always be that way. It doesn’t mean I can invest in it less.
And just because it feels like a pile of broken pieces today - doesn’t mean it won’t be sturdy again.
Returning to Innocence
Returning to Innocence
A Truthful life
I honor you little Janet. I hear your voice. I feel your pains. It’s okay to release your anger now so we can let it free - heal - forgive - and be at peace. And forgive yourself - forgive myself.
Lessons From Falling Down
Lessons from falling down. Sometimes in life — we fall. It can’t always be avoided. We can notice the conditions, give ourselves a warning and fall.
Sometimes I ask for help
I make messes. And then I clean them up.
Waiting for the bus - the bus that never comes
and I pedal
into a beautiful future
and never look back.
I Can’t. I Am. I Did. - Lessons from uncomfortable positions
Every dawn - I face discomfort head on. One minute each. Every morning. I start the day doing something that I think I can’t. This short, daily kriya is an important component of my spiritual healing practice. It represents life - Tackling what scares me the most. The things I don’t want to do - the parts of my self I don’t want to look at.
Grasshopper Lessons
On my vision quest, I had some quality time with grasshoppers.
Pushing Through: Stop
There was no room for ginger steps.
In the early years.
I had to push through.
But I don’t have to do that anymore.
I can stop pushing.
I can stop pushing.
I can walk gingerly.
and take care.
of my
self.
Lessons from KitKat - A Needy Cat
KitKat’s depth of need appears bottomless - perhaps that mirrors my own. As I take the time to love and comfort her - I take the time to love and comfort myself.
A Recurring Dream - A Gift with a Pretty Pink Ribbon
I like reoccurring dreams. I welcome them. Important information is delivered, like a present tied with a pretty pink ribbon. And if I don’t fully appreciate the gift, it’s given to me again and again.
Salty Rivulets
Letting things go is hard for me. I look to the tide for comfort. It knows what it’s doing. It comes in and brings us gifts. It goes out and takes things away. In life, things come and they go. Some things on the beach aren’t meant to be there for long. In they come and out they go and it’s perfect. Like a tide. Like a sadhana. Like a breath.