I just returned from a spectacularly restful and warm vacation! I was warmed by the sun for 10 whole days, which I didn’t realized just how much I needed it until I was down there. It’s been unprecedentedly cold here in New England and I was in desperate need of some natural vitamin D. Though that said something was going through my head while I was down in sunny southern Florida.
“Wherever you go there you are”: I have been in love with the writings of Jon Kabat-Zin since the mid 90’s and his book Wherever You Go, There You Are is something that I think of often. We take ourselves with us everywhere we go. All of what we are is with us all the time. And I was reminded of this. Everyone leaves for their vacation with either hopes, expectations or intentions for their time away from home. And sometimes while away our time doesn’t live up to what we were hoping for. So a shift in expectation is needed. A thought reframe is needed (or in my case a reframing of my thoughts about returning home to the cold 🙂 was needed). Then there are the thoughts we have about our vacation, I’ll be more…. peaceful, active whatever your thoughts are and then you’re attached to those expectations. What would happen if we let go of that? Allowed ourselves to be exactly as we are the way we are?
“You might be tempted to avoid the messiness of daily living for the tranquility of stillness and peacefulness. This of course would be an attachment to stillness, and like any strong attachment, it leads to delusion. It arrests development and short-circuits the cultivation of wisdom.”
In the next few weeks I thought I’d introduce you to some of my favorite people who have guided me on the road to awareness and today it’s Jon Kabat-Zinn.
Energetically,
~Sarah
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