A Summer Ends and Labor Day Lessons
Sometimes, things go the way we want...
And sometimes, they don't...
Sometimes, they end up worse...
But sometimes, then end up better...
I have not written much of late because I have been knee deep in house repairs. But I am happy to say, they are all completed now. And I have spent the last couple of weeks painting, de-cluttering, throwing things out, re-arranging, and so forth...
I began by painting one wall in the house that needed it - and it did not stop there - leading me instead to change the color of various hallways, and rooms. Now, a number of places in my house have been adorned with a coat of fresh paint, and there are new rooms to enjoy, new flooring to practice yoga on, and many other things that have been replaced throughout my home. There is a sense of newness, and openness, and expansion that I am simply breathing in...
It has been a season of restoration and transformation...
Earlier this summer I wrote about preparing my house for the Divine, and how a house is often a metaphor for the soul. And so, I have emptied both house and home of what does not serve, and created space for new things to be invited in...
I learned a lot about myself in this process, and gained many insights as I painted walls and rooms. It taught me so many lessons...
For example, if I was mindful, and went with the flow, the painting went very smoothly, and mistakes were literally absent. If I put just a little bit of water in the paint as I stirred it, the paint would go on the wall more easily, especially if I was using a roller. If I put too much water, then I would have apply another coat. I was able to discern what was just the right amount needed.
I learned that I much preferred using a brush than a roller. If I was totally mindful - I could paint with both my right and left hands, and could do so steadily, without having to tape the walls, and without leaving behind unintended blemishes on the baseboards or ceilings. And if I was more focused, my eye - or at least - my "inner eye" was much more discerning, and I could easily sense what was needed and where, and I developed a repertoire of best practices and techniques that came to me very intuitively - because I was open and receptive, and in the flow...
Painting reminded me of one of my life's great lessons - the art of letting go. If I let go, I would find the flow. If I found the flow, the results were effortless and exquisite. The one day I was unsettled as I started to paint, my painting reflected it, and I found myself having to redo much of that wall.
As I went from room to room, I imagined it with less. I eliminated bookshelves and file cabinets, rendered useless once I recycled drawer upon drawer of files that no longer served me. Stacks of CD's, and CD racks were also eliminated. Rooms began to look more open and expansive, and I could sense unihibited lines of energy coursing through my home, as if it were being brought into greater alignment.
I learned to detach to a greater extent. Brutally, as a dear friend noted. I realized so much of what I had been holding on to, only took up space. I started thinking of what I needed at the bare minimum, and what I could dispense with - easily at first - and then what I could let go of more reluctantly. I envisioned everything being divided to its lowest common denominator. I was wonderfully surprised to discover that meditating in my sacred space also seemed lighter, more luminous, and expansive! An added benefit and gift!
And now, on this day, I rest... Well, not totally. I taught a private lesson and have a yoga class later, but for the most part, I am enjoying the fruits of my labor - on this Labor Day.
I am ready to cross the threshold into a new season and time of the year. By making space, I shall be able to focus on more creative ventures that I have planned for the fall. More to share on that, but later...
But just for today, I enjoy stepping into new rooms, a new house, and a new life!
And sometimes, they don't...
Sometimes, they end up worse...
But sometimes, then end up better...
I have not written much of late because I have been knee deep in house repairs. But I am happy to say, they are all completed now. And I have spent the last couple of weeks painting, de-cluttering, throwing things out, re-arranging, and so forth...
I began by painting one wall in the house that needed it - and it did not stop there - leading me instead to change the color of various hallways, and rooms. Now, a number of places in my house have been adorned with a coat of fresh paint, and there are new rooms to enjoy, new flooring to practice yoga on, and many other things that have been replaced throughout my home. There is a sense of newness, and openness, and expansion that I am simply breathing in...
It has been a season of restoration and transformation...
Earlier this summer I wrote about preparing my house for the Divine, and how a house is often a metaphor for the soul. And so, I have emptied both house and home of what does not serve, and created space for new things to be invited in...
I learned a lot about myself in this process, and gained many insights as I painted walls and rooms. It taught me so many lessons...
For example, if I was mindful, and went with the flow, the painting went very smoothly, and mistakes were literally absent. If I put just a little bit of water in the paint as I stirred it, the paint would go on the wall more easily, especially if I was using a roller. If I put too much water, then I would have apply another coat. I was able to discern what was just the right amount needed.
I learned that I much preferred using a brush than a roller. If I was totally mindful - I could paint with both my right and left hands, and could do so steadily, without having to tape the walls, and without leaving behind unintended blemishes on the baseboards or ceilings. And if I was more focused, my eye - or at least - my "inner eye" was much more discerning, and I could easily sense what was needed and where, and I developed a repertoire of best practices and techniques that came to me very intuitively - because I was open and receptive, and in the flow...
Painting reminded me of one of my life's great lessons - the art of letting go. If I let go, I would find the flow. If I found the flow, the results were effortless and exquisite. The one day I was unsettled as I started to paint, my painting reflected it, and I found myself having to redo much of that wall.
As I went from room to room, I imagined it with less. I eliminated bookshelves and file cabinets, rendered useless once I recycled drawer upon drawer of files that no longer served me. Stacks of CD's, and CD racks were also eliminated. Rooms began to look more open and expansive, and I could sense unihibited lines of energy coursing through my home, as if it were being brought into greater alignment.
I learned to detach to a greater extent. Brutally, as a dear friend noted. I realized so much of what I had been holding on to, only took up space. I started thinking of what I needed at the bare minimum, and what I could dispense with - easily at first - and then what I could let go of more reluctantly. I envisioned everything being divided to its lowest common denominator. I was wonderfully surprised to discover that meditating in my sacred space also seemed lighter, more luminous, and expansive! An added benefit and gift!
And now, on this day, I rest... Well, not totally. I taught a private lesson and have a yoga class later, but for the most part, I am enjoying the fruits of my labor - on this Labor Day.
I am ready to cross the threshold into a new season and time of the year. By making space, I shall be able to focus on more creative ventures that I have planned for the fall. More to share on that, but later...
But just for today, I enjoy stepping into new rooms, a new house, and a new life!
Comments
Blessungs and love,
Olga