Every morning we wake up with a huge grin on our face. We spring out of bed, full of energy and enthusiasm for the day, and draw back the curtains, allowing the rays of sunshine to penetrate through. “Ahhh’ we let out a gentle sigh of appreciation, thinking of all the things we are so grateful for in our lives. “What a beautiful morning. I feel so alive, so happy to be here and so excited about today!” After a delicious breakfast, enjoyed with the one we love, in the peace and quiet of our budding garden, we skip off to work. From here, our day unfolds magnificently…
We feel the hearts and kindness of strangers we meet, and lap up all the meaningful conversations we exchange. We pat ourselves on the back when our boss congratulates us on all our hard work (even though we really don’t feel like it’s work at all) and beam when he says it’s a delight to have us as part of the team. Our full lunch hour is spent in tranquillity, in the nearby park. We sit back by the glistening lake, feeling the sun warm our face, listening to the sounds of the birds, and indulging in our favourite home-made sandwich. In the same fashion, our day continues to flow with ease and joy. We’re out of work by 5pm, and able to meander along to the yoga studio for an invigorating practice. To then come home to a delightful veggie dinner offered to us by our partner. No worries, no moans to be had. We’re not even the one to wash up! Bed-time comes at the perfect moment, just before 10pm. We cosy up under the covers and think “I so look forward to waking up tomorrow.”
What a wonderful world we’d live in if this were our experience, day-in, day-out. Ease, flow and peacefulness, maxed up to the brim. Nothing to worry about, nothing to fear and nothing made hard for us. An easy life, and path of happiness…
But is this really what we’re after? Does this ‘ideal’ even exist? Can things come so easily to us, and leave us so content and fulfilled? I’m not so sure they can. And I don’t believe this is really what we’re after.
Bring down a glorious image of what life can be is not what I want to do. I think that our lives are out there for the taking, the making, and the creating. They can be filled with beautiful moments, shared with outstanding people and lived truly to the full of our hearts desire. But, at the same time, and from my experience, we need to see all the colours of the rainbow. And the truth is: It’s Not Always Easy.
During the last few weeks on my school placement, I experienced a challenging time, a ‘tough period’. I certainly wasn’t waking up to sunshine beaming in at me every day, or feeling energised or like I had moments to spare for meandering through parks. No, quite the opposite. In fact on some days, I barely spent any time out in nature. I was too busy waking at the crack of dawn (at 4am on several occasions) to do my planning, feeling waves of anxiety about the days ahead and whether my lessons would be any good. I was feeling very tired during the day, trying to find my feet and make the most of the experience. My yoga and running schedule deteriorated, and pretty much went out of the window on the last week. I found myself opting for moments of relaxation and sleep, instead of exercise. I tried to establish a good work/life balance, I tried to make time for things I know are important for my well-being, I tried to do the best job I could on my school placement and I desperately tried to get myself back on ‘top form.’
And it was during all this ‘trying’, that I learnt a very important message: to ‘let go’, and just flow with my experience. I learnt to slow down, take things gently and not worry about having to be ‘on top’ all the time. “It’s alright to experience things differently, to come across bumps in the road, and to spend time in the valley, rather than at the peak of the mountain.” I listened to these words I heard from within me. I listened to the cues and prompts from my body, like when it said “lay off a run today and take some time to lie low and rest”, “go out and enjoy today, with no worries of it being the ‘best day’”, and a third one, which I think is really important: “life is not always easy, and that’s OK.”
We can learn from every experience, every ‘bad day’ and every difficult moment.
03/03/2010 at 11:22
hmm – so true.
Although, I do have to admit that you paint a pretty rosy picture – I would like my life to be all sunshine!
03/03/2010 at 12:17
Great post.
Reminds me of the quote: “Live the life you love, love the life you live”. We can accept and be grateful for what we have now, whilst at the same time dreaming of and moving towards our ideal days.
And it’s so important to acknowledge that life isn’t always easy. Far from it. I think the human experience is WAY challenging and anyone who sticks with it deserves a medal, quite frankly.
03/03/2010 at 12:37
Thank you for sharing your valuable thoughts and inspiration with us Rosanna, and thank you to my lovely friend, Natasha, for introducing me to your website – I hope that one day she introduces me to you!
Your article reminds me of what I have learnt – that I have to experience the ‘downs’ to appreciate the ‘ups’!
03/03/2010 at 14:22
Ah, I felt compelled to write here as I have also being going through a really tough time lately, 5 job rejections in 3 weeks, lack of security and fear of the unknown. I was having a conversation with a friend just last night about letting things flow more and enjoying the present, the successes and the disappointments, thanks for the piece!
03/03/2010 at 22:21
Hi Rosanna
As you determined by the end of your placement, what was making it ‘not easy’ was your trying to stay on top and not going with the flow. I’m practicing letting go when things aren’t going to plan – it sometimes just takes me a while to detach enough from the situation and gain the awareness required.
You are doing a brilliant job – keep it coming!
04/03/2010 at 08:46
Thank you for all your comments.
Denise, we can certainly still create sunshine in our lives, by aiming for and creating these kinds of moments. And we can also be aware that sometimes the rain will come, but instead of seeing the dark cloud, we can look for the rainbow
Fantastic quote Corrina. It is definitely about finding a balance between being happy with what is happening in your life, and making things happen in your life. Thank you for this.
Thank you for posting Sue. I’m very touched to receive this, and thankful towards lovely Natasha. I hope too that we can all meet together one day! What you say is very true – and I think we can learn a great deal from the ‘downs’. It’s all part of life’s wonderful tapestry – each part offering us something dear.
Wonderful Laura. Look at what important messages you’re learning now – ‘to let things flow’, ‘to enjoy the present’ and ‘to have a positive attitude towards what comes your way’. This is fab! Carry on with these reflections, and in the mean time who knows what amazing job will come your way…
Thank you Ian. It’s refreshing to hear that we’re all in the same boat, we all find things difficult from time to time, and we gain a lot form letting go. It’s also refreshing to think we don’t need to be ‘on top’ all the time, isn’t it?
Rosanna
12/03/2010 at 04:47
Hello from South Africa, Rosanna!
Wise thoughts and wise comments.
I have been practising speaking from stillness, and resting between actions, and this has helped me deal with an extremely difficult three-year period which, thankfully, seems to be drawing to a close.
Certainly, the most important thing in bringing us through has been the knowledge that “this is all a game, and not to be taken too seriously!”
Being awake and aware in any given moment, one finds that that moment is full of bliss – it is only the past and the future which hold terrors!
So, there has been intelligent action with no concern about its results, but all the application that the present moment suggests – and eventually, in its own good time, blockages are eased and the weather changes! So I agree that the stormy bits are just as important as the sunshine!
Much love, Raymond.