Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Abundance & Gratitude

I spent the entire month of November seeing Facebook updates as people did their 30 Days of Grateful. Or rather, they tried to do it but often had to have multiple "grateful" items when they forgot and skipped a day.  But I had to appreciate people taking a moment to say the universal prayer that applies with or without religion.  Thank you.

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. 

©Crystaline Randazzo Photo LLC. All Rights Reserved.


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?

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