Take Time To Reflect

This has really been a challenging time for all of us wherever we live in this wide, wonderful world.

Here in New Zealand, on February 22, Christchurch was hit with a massive earthquake, followed by many large aftershocks. While we weren’t directly affected here in Wellington, many of us have friends and relatives in Christchurch. The people of Christchurch are continually in our thoughts.

And then Japan and the horrendous tsunami and earthquake that hit there on March 9. So many people lost their lives or loved ones and our hearts go out to them. Daily, the pictures on the News programs really bring the horror of it into our living rooms.

And this chaos is not restricted to New Zealand and Japan. All around the world there is unrest and uneasiness. So how do we handle this time of chaos?

I have been taking time to take stock. See my Gratitude List. This is where I always start.
Then I make time to spend with loved ones and friends. I take time to really connect with those people who I care about, who nourish my soul and support me. These people raise my energy levels and help me direct my thoughts to the positive.
I take time to notice what is going on around me and also within me. I notice how other people’s emotions and energy can affect me and I work on making conscious choices as to how I want to respond to these emotions and energy states.
I make time to just sit still, to reflect on what I am learning from this state of chaos and what I can do to influence this even in a very small part.

When Robert died 13 years ago I learned to meditate. In this way I learned to accept what had happened and recognize that I was unable to change it. If you haven’t tried mediation click here to access a number of free meditations that you can use.

And if you are interested here is a YouTube link on Calm over Chaos. Just take a look.

At the water's edge

I am very fortunate in that I live close to both the beach and the bush. Lotte (my Tibetan spaniel) and I take advantage of this to walk, experience the open air and to reflect on life and my place in the scheme of things. I must say that Lotte’s contribution to this last part is hard to understand. But her smiling face and waggy tail tell me she is happy.