I started meditating on a regular basis a year ago. At that point in my life, I was stressed. ALL THE TIME. It was a combination of many things but mostly that I was trying really hard to control all aspects of my life, my business, and be perfect at everything. The more I explore mediation, the more that I learn that being reflective is often about being thankful for the good things in your life. I first started thinking about this when I ran across the 365 Grateful Project at the early phases of my journey. I realized that my reactive nature often controlled my level of reflectiveness. Then I realized that being reactive is a choice. So I decided to choose to be less reactive, to breath when I felt stress, and to count my blessings. Sometimes I felt like I was in slow motion and would catch myself falling into old habits only to be caught by a deep breath. Is this even worth the energy I will expend? And slowly my life has gotten better. Or maybe it was good all along and I wasn't taking the time to notice.
I have by no means mastered a zen lifestyle. Ask my husband- just last night I was panicking as we tried to drive on a muddy Rwandan road with water that had reached knee level. He powered through as we passed a capsized truck and got us home. Have I mentioned that I am grateful that he is slightly more adventurous than I am? Especially considering the FS lifestyle and all.
So I suppose my relationship with an abundant life is still at its beginning. But I've spent some time to figure out what brings more of it into my life.
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Family- My family consists of my husband and one black and white Zambian fuzzball. I'll put them at the top of any "grateful" list. I know that there have been times where I didn't put them on the top, but I also know that all that focus on other things didn't bring me the same amount of happiness.
©Crystaline Randazzo Photo LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Meditation- Every morning before I sit behind the computer and get lost in the depths.
Passion- I am particularly lucky to love what I do. But as I am learning about my industry that loving what you do and making a living at it are two different things. I've spent a lot of time in self reflection and I am still learning what I want. Perhaps my 30's is where I narrow that down.
Exercise- Particularly swimming. Putting my head underwater and laps behind me puts me in a good headspace. Though- I will give a shout out to Insanity which I finished earlier this year. That was an exercise in my problem with task completion.
Relationships- The few and far between true blue friendships that get you through the sweet and the sour in life. I am learning to put more energy into the great ones and less into the ones that don't go anywhere.
Food- Spending that time to make something truly delicious. Give yourself permission not to rush. This applies to both cooking and eating.
Learning- I love learning new things. And with the glories of the interwebs and now MOOC's. I actually have to contain myself.
©Crystaline Randazzo Photo LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Nature- Sometimes I think that nature is my own personal version of church. I get so much out of running away to cabin or a tent and soaking up the scenery. It is simple, blissful rejuvenation.
Distance- Living far away from the people you love forces you to be practical about a lot of things you wouldn't normally be practical about. This ranges from everything from holidays to family drama. There really is something to be said about perspective.
I wonder what would happen if we just took a little bit more time to consider the great things in our lives. What makes your life more abundant?
