It’s Aliiiiiive!!

Yes, like the zombie dead, I’m back!   

Except for without all the gross decaying flesh and moaning. 

During these months away, I’ve been focusing on some of the things I value: relationships, spirituality and health among them.  In fact, I’ve been exploring what my values are.  You’d think I’d know them – don’t we all practice our values everyday through our behaviors?  Then I started really trying to define my values.   

And that’s where I fell down the rabbit hole. 

Trying to pinpoint my personal definition of each core value was hard!  Some values seemed to cluster together and define each other.  Trying to define a value without using the behaviors that demonstrate the value was very difficult.  One answer led to many answers and even more questions.  It became a maze of enlightenment with many “aha” moments. 

Hard work my friends.  And I’ve only explored one of my many values so far.  I’ll share my results with you soon. 

I invite you to explore your values with me.  Start with these questions and see where it takes you:

·        What do I value?

·        How do I define it?

·        What does it look like?

Majeeda Rosa

Just Be

Staking a claim

Can you believe it’s already Autumn?  I incorporated some healthier habits this summer.  I improved my choices in how I care for myself, physically and emotionally.  Some of them were big, like walking regularly, taking time to get a pedicure and realizing it’s OK to be angry when I feel anger!  Some of them were small, like taking vitamins, drinking a glass of water in the morning and not rushing or skipping out on doing small things for myself.

And then my intentions came crashing down.

Why?

I’m still figuring that out.  In a nutshell a few events happened last month.  Someone close to me treated me disrespectfully.  I was put into a position of cleaning up someone else’s mess due to their carelessness and lack of control.   Stressed out, physically and emotionally sick with it, I went into defensive mode and tried to bend myself in such a way that I could accommodate this new and alien environment and fix whatever I could fix.  All the new habits I acquired went out the window, not because I didn’t have time for them, but because…because…

And that’s what I’m trying to figure out.  I can see that I went back into old patterns of fixing and bending - I’m still figuring out how I should have handled that whole scenario – but why abandon the healthier habits?  I’m treading carefully as I explore this one; I know I’m on the right track because I’m very uncomfortable with what I’m writing:

Do I feel I need to deserve health?  If health and vitality are the goals, do I feel I need to earn them or is it my right to have them and sustain them?  Well, there’s logic….and then there’s the heart’s logic.  I'll keep saying this until I mean it:

Right now, right this second, I claim my right to health. 

Are there things you need to “earn” instead of claim?

Majeeda Rosa

Just Be

Meet my House Guests

I have three house guests I'd like to introduce.  They've been with me...well...forever.
 
Say hello to Mind, Body and Spirit
 
On a daily basis, Mind gets most of my attention - Mind helps me at work.  Mind is often my companion when I read, which I love to do.  Mind likes clever puns and learning.  I'm most comfortable with Mind.  If I had a picture of Mind, it would be that of a young student with a slightly furrowed brow, one who is somewhat distracted except for whatever has her focus at the moment.
 
Spirit visits me every day, roaming around the house unless I insist that she sit for tea. Spirit knows how to expand my thoughts and patterns.  Spirit helps me reach out to others and connect.  Spirit's power to open me up can be a little intense sometimes.  Her full attention is best savored in smaller doses of consumption.  Spirit is hard to look at directly; her embodiment is of a brightly lit, yet ephemeral, being.
 
Poor Body.  She's the most neglected houseguest.  She's not enchanting like Spirit and not as interesting as Mind.  She's the scullery maid of the three.  She does her essential work of keeping me on this earth, connecting me with human experience.  She provides her intuitive knowing as well as the mechanics of survival.  I've been ignoring her.  I haven't given her credit for years.  Last year at about this time she'd had enough and went on strike.
 
Mind, Spirit and I realized we couldn't cope without her or at least not as well.
 
This year Body's getting the attention she deserves and needs.  Mind is learning to give up some of her time and learning that when Body feels better, Mind works better.  Mind is getting inspired by Leo Babauta at Zen Habits to make small changes and grow into them so that Body can take her rightful place in the house guest triad.  Spirit is giving Body the honoring and nurturing she desperately needs by taking care of her in daily and weekly rituals.  
 
Me?  I'm working at listening.
 
How do you treat your "house guests"?
 
Majeeda Rosa
Just Be