Cosmic Confidence

I’m having a fascinating morning. I haven’t had the TV on or music playing. Just pure silence today. It’s been snowing all morning and everything is white and grey outside. A few times in this now I’ve glimpsed briefly through life’s complications to the simplicity of “solutions” beyond them. I can’t explain it any better than to call it a sort of “cosmic confidence.” A sense of seeing our everyday complications as mere distractions that keep us from feeling that deeper simplicity which feels like not THE answer but AN answer. A doorway through which I can feel contentedness, a very deep harmony or serenity waiting to be accepted. Everything for that brief moment falls into place where it all makes sense and I can feel accomplishment and fulfilment. Friendships, the act of not caring what others think, turning away from unconstructive thinking, etc, etc, etc all just seems to “fit” and I can understand the much larger picture in a forest for the trees way. It’s all right there in front of all of us. We just need to learn how to look.

The Saturday Ritual

I began today the same way I do each Saturday. I wake up at 5am and wander into the kitchen to make the coffee and wait until about half a cup is brewed. It's the thickest, oiliest, most potent portion of the pot (and the tastiest!) I pour it into my cup on top of a splash of creamer. Yes, I love my coffee so strong it could walk on its own! I head for the living room and open the blinds to the east-facing window. I sit down in my favorite armchair in the dark and absolute silence to await the growing sunrise. It's my favorite time of day; I'm alone with my thoughts, my coffee, and the rising sun. For an hour or two the world is still slumbering and it's quiet and serene. In those few hours my mind is clear and I am thoughtful in ways that remind me I am a living, breathing part of a living, breathing planet. That harmonious "oneness" is palpable and profound in its simplicity. The sunrise gradually kisses the room with a warm, orange "Hello!" and I begin the journey into my day unencumbered, mindful, and enlightened. 

The Richness of Simplicity

Anyone who knows me knows this is so me. Simple things and simple pleasures, they make life so incredibly rich. It's the stuff that really matters.

The Beauty of Simplicity

My friend Dan posted this quote this morning on Facebook:

"There is hidden beauty in the ordinary, and great beauty in the overlooked. Little things are big, less is more. Imperfection is beautiful. Paradoxes such as these fascinate me."
— Abby Ross

Isn't that the truth! He and I have had these kinds of conversations more than once. Coffee in my favorite chair in the quiet of the morning as the sun is coming up is one of my favorite simplicities. No cars yet. No noise. No work. No squawking news. Just coffee, me, and the sunrise. When you get into and/or achieve that mindset, the ordinary world around takes on profound beauty. A bee moving from flower to flower, trees rustling in the wind, rain on the pavement; they all let us know we're part of something incredibly larger and uncomplicated. That's the beauty part, if we understand how to recognize it, embrace it, and let it embrace us.

The Peace of Presence

There comes an age where priorities and things one thought were so important honestly aren't anymore. All you'd like is peace and quiet. Living a simple, uncomplicated life, quietly sipping your coffee or tea in your favorite chair as the sun's coming up. Moving through the day knowing where you are with yourself and feeling like your'e fully in the present moment.

The Best I Can

I've spent a good portion of my life being a people pleaser and a perfectionist. That's a whole other series of blog posts. I've always chased perfection and made sure everyone else was happy, even if it was at the sacrifice of my own. Perfection is an illusion that only brings misery. A friend described that mentality as "perfectionist despair." 

About a week ago in a conversation with my partner I stumbled on to the best prescription for avoiding perfectionist despair and help with being a people pleaser. It's not complicated. It's just this simple, I say to myself or to others, "I do the best I can in the best way I know how." 

It's just that simple. It's liberating. It frees me from my panic and desperation to be perfect and please everyone else but myself. 

I do the best I can in the best way I know how.