Restful Inspiration

When do you recall receiving your best inspiration?

In a world full of mass productivity and movement, we can easily be tricked into thinking that only in doing can we gain inspiration. Yet, we find that our mental focus, at times, can hinder true, clear inspiration from coming through.

The reality is that inspiration presents itself in between the activity, when we're "resting" our minds from focused thought, and allowing ourselves a chance to relax a bit and expand our auras. 

Inspiration can come right when we're falling asleep or just as we're waking up. People have been known to gain inspiration on nature walks, in the shower, or when cleaning their homes. So often inspiration pops in when we least expect it, when we're loosely looking for it, or not considering it at all!

Making sure we have sufficient rest and sleep is paramount to encourage consistent inspiration in our lives. 
 
Resting invites inspiration. Resting also gives time for the inspiration to integrate and contemplate how best to express that inspiration. Then we can bask in the joy inspiration cultivates thereby inviting more blissful inspiration in - creating a lovely cycle of contentment and joy. 

Wishing you a brilliant balance of marvelous rest and peaceful inspiration each day!  

The Spirit of St. Nicholas

We all know the popular stories of St. Nicholas and how he became the patron saint of children. Stories can be found about how he provided money and treats for families when they were in need. Even after his physical life, there are accounts of him stepping in from the other side to help children. St Nicholas is also the patron saint of many other professions and trades including sailors, bakers, bankers, travelers and more.

I believe St Nicholas' patronage with various trades goes beyond the specifics of each profession and relates more to the underlying heart of Christmas Spirit. The heartfulness, generosity, compassion, and perspective of St Nicholas is relatable to all, regardless of what skill or talent one has, regardless of how each chooses to earn a living, and regardless of season. 

The Spirit of Christmas is a beautiful sentiment that most of us can hop on board with this time of year. The notion of giving toys, food, and other necessities increases, as we realize how fortunate we are to have what we have. Hopefully through the combined giving hearts of those with a little more, everyone can feel a glowing warmth at Christmas.   

While the Spirit of Christmas is ever-present at the end of each calendar year, we can remind ourselves to carry over that generosity and perspective all the time. We can notice when others are giving from their hearts - how one simple gesture, kind word, or anonymous deed can bring about joy in a moment. 

Giving is selfless and joyful when it's accompanied with sending hope, love, and generosity to others with the intention their lives might be enhanced in some way. How wonderful it can be to give to one another - the gift of time, the gift of believing in someone, giving someone the benefit of the doubt, or a listening ear.  

By opening our hearts and keeping them open year-round, St. Nicholas and his Spirit of love, oversight, and caring is always available.   

Happy Holidays

Given the busy-ness of this season and how crowded our days can become while we prepare for celebrations, listed below are a few heartful things for us to incorporate all year long, and especially during the holiday season. 

• Fill your mind with good thoughts
• Expand your capacity to be compassionate and kind
• Breathe deeply and regularly
• Create time for yourself
• Keep your heart open
• Be ready at a moment's notice to give and receive an exchange of kindness 

Peace of Mind

We talk about having peace of mind when it comes to safety, healthcare, financial security, and a lot of other things. We purposefully put measures in place - checks and balances - in various parts of our lives to ensure that we mitigate or eliminate concern so we can go freely about our lives in other capacities.

Many of us are distracted by our own routines, jobs, workout schedules, volunteering, paying bills, caring for others, home/chores, etc., that true peace of mind may escape us for long periods of time. We may constantly be worried about getting everything done, how others perceive us, or some variety of persistent thoughts. 

What if we were to elaborate on the concept of peace of mind, and increase its priority to be in every aspect of our lives? At first it may seem daunting, and when we consider for a moment what peace of mind looks like in all ares of our lives, of course, most anyone would want that.

Where does peace of mind come from - what is it driven by?  Do we claim or pursue peace of mind to allay fears versus opening up to the wonder and goodness of this world?  How do we keep this seemingly protective layer in place so we and others can be mindful of our own and each others' peace? 

Obtaining and maintaining peace of mind requires:

• Awareness of all our emotions and thoughts and addressing those emotions and thoughts to fully let go of them. Yes, although this can be a bit time consuming initially, it will become easier as we continue the practice. 

• Permission - us giving ourselves permissions to not only take the time to reflect and process what we need to mentally and emotionally, but also permission to let go, trust, and allow ourselves to truly be in the moment releasing any concern. 

• Commitment to ourselves that we are worth the investment of time, attention, and growth.

Peace of mind may be subjective and personal, so feel free to take some time to identify what peace of mind feels and looks like to us individually and collectively. Then dare to bring that peace of mind with the help of our angels and guides to clear the path of experiencing peace of mind as a gift to ourselves on a daily basis. If we employ the assistance of others too, this peace of mind concept may very well be contagious.