Every day I do my best to practice mediation, prayer, and walk in the woods. I feel more balanced when I am able to make space for these daily practices.
I can’t remember how long ago I started mediating or spending time quieting my mind but I’m constantly reminded of its business as it works on solutions large and small.
I can remember starting my practice of prayer as a very little girl. One way that I stay connected with this practice is by reading my Daily Word every day. When I was in my early twenties my grandmother gave me a subscription to this little gem, and I have been renewing it ever since. Sometimes I read it to my family to help start their day on a positive note. If my day takes a turn for the worse, I take the booklet out of my purse and reread the lesson of the day. I also spend sometime in prayer about all that I have to be grateful for, staying mindful to gratitude helps me see the good surrounding me.
I have never been an athlete, so running or bicycling has never felt natural for me. I can enjoy a bicycle ride on the back of our tandem as long as we are on a quiet, somewhat flat road, with the wind at our backs, and a shining sun. Clearly there are too many conditions for me to enjoy the act of bicycling often or alone. But if you put me in the woods, most any day, I will enjoy a walk and or hike. I love trees large and small. Sharing space with squirrels, chipmunks, eagles, owls, grey and blue jays, deer, woodpeckers, and all the other critters that live in the woods help my heart smile. Lucky, I live close to a large park that is home to all of the above critters along with some sea life that enjoys peeping up near our coast line. Just the other day, I got to see some porpoises enjoying the waters edge next to my woods. As I walk through nature I can feel the rough edges smooth out, I take note of my gratitude, and I get to note all the good that lays before me.
I feel healthier and more balanced when I am able to practice all of these things on a daily bases, but if time is tight any two will do.
What are your daily practices? Do you feel more balanced when doing something for yourself on a daily bases? How do you find gratitude?
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