patterns, patterns everywhere

 '

havi said something at the january rally (rally!) that hit me like a ton of bricks. (in a good way. i was going to substitute feathers for bricks, but that made me think of getting feathers in my nose and mouth which seemed very unpleasant and sneezy.)

essentially, she said that the way to getting ease will be with ease. in other words, the way to bring more of a quality into your life will be in a way that includes that quality.

ding, ding, ding.

there are all these qualities that i care about, things like kindness, sweetness, comfort, rest, possibility, mindfulness, spontaneity, hope, joy ..

and how do i go about my goals or wishes? in ways that most certainly do not always include those qualities.

so, i am experimenting with flow. i didn't know it was flow when i started - my plan was to follow my heart/inspiration/whims throughout the day for the rest of february, unstick myself as necessary, and document my findings - but it turns out that following my inspiration is flow.

i must say, this is quite possibly the most fruitful experiment ever. i keep seeing more and more ways in which i block my flow, often related to internal rules that i didn't even realize i had. (for example, i can't go hiking unless i decide the night before and wake up early because otherwise there will be traffic and heat. or, it doesn't count as work unless i am sitting at my desk in front of the computer and i had better be doing so for more than 8+ hours a day no matter how much my body protests. or, i have to eat lunch when i feed atlas lunch even if i'm not hungry because it's more efficient.) i am constantly shouting, "you can't get to flow by blocking flow!" as i notice a new pattern.

it is all so fascinating. i haven't even had much time to physically practice shiva nata (which is genius at helping you see patterns) because i am spending so much time writing down my noticings. then again, i am sort of living my practice. wheeeee!

oh, the fun of learning more about yourself and how you live/work.

Comments

[Darcy]

Oooh, how did I miss that bit? Thank you for sharing. It will give me a lot to think about.

[kelly]

mmmmm....this is so good. i love this (love!)
i so wish i could come stay with you for a bit
and talk and hike and eat. you just send me such
goodness. so in honor of flow and ease, i sit here - i will close my eyes - relax and find you
deep in my thoughts.

it is funny forever if i am on the couch working on the laptop, for some reason i feel
guilty that "this is not work" even though i am
laying out designs, editing images, etc. i have done this since i have started freelancing. but the last few months i have caught myself saying to bryce...man i got so
much done today, eventhough it was on the couch - all day. it is work(work!)

mmmmmm....feeling very light. love that.

[Tracy]

Living your practice... That's what it's all about, isn't it?! :o) I like how you distill the essentials down to: "...the way to bring more of a quality into your life will be in a way that includes that quality." I'm trying to allow more spontaneity in my daily life. I can be so structured, so schedule-driven sometimes. So making for fun. Lots of food for thought here today, Elizabeth... Thanks! Happy Day ((HUGS))

[jilliankay]

awesome! what a great statement and discovery. and thank you for all the specific examples...got my brain thinking about my own. :)

[claire]

Cool! Thanks for sharing that tidbit. Seems so obvious and yet so easy to overlook.

[Briana]

Yes! This was the one of the biggest things I got from Rally, too. And, most fruitful experiment ever. So basically, what you said! :)

[elizabeth @ retinal perspectives]

@darcy: i think it was tucked into a conversation about something else, but my ears perked up when i heard it.

@kelly: isn't that funny?! i find that i get more work done when i'm at my desk because now that my body knows i'm listening, it starts to hurt almost immediately and then i'm so distracted by the pain that i can't get much done so i wander around on the internet to avoid it. instead of doing what i went on their to do in the first place. now i am picturing you working on your couch and it makes me so happy.

@tracy: me too. me too. i wish us both more spontaneity!

@jillian: you're welcome!

@claire: it does seem obvious now that i heard it, but apparently it is taking a while to integrate so it's natural to practice. ;)

@briana: !!!

[Kylie]

I really really REALLY need to remember that and practice it in my life. Why is it that I think that pushing myself to exhaustion will yield the (ease-ful, calm, balanced) results I want? I'm getting better at it, but this could really use some focus. Oh, how I hope I'll get to come to Rally (Rally!) some day.

[Amy]

Oh, so much to think about here. Too much to even comment on other than to say that I love this.

(And also: *Darcy's here! Darcy's here! Darcy's here!* Darcy is one of my favorite people, and a dear college friend!)