I decided that the most subversive, revolutionary thing I could do was to show up for my life and not be ashamed.~Anne Lamott

I rounded the corner and drove up onto the bridge, on my way to work.  Clouds, singed pink around the edges, flamed against a gray backdrop.  I wanted to pull over and let that sky seep into me.  But I couldn't.  I had to let nature's brief caress be enough.  Like a tender kiss with your beloved that you'd just as soon be extended.  But life and duty called more loudly.  This week, though, I thought about how these things I love can't get lost in the sea of obligation.  It is important to connect to things we love, whatever those things are.  It is imperative to let our real selves rise to the surface.  

Just this week, a young woman was hired at our worksite.  She'll be moving from another state.  What struck me in the interview that I liked more than her resume and experiece, was her authenticity, her vulnerability.  She said moving to a place near the water was a lifelong desire, and now she had the opportunity.  I loved that she was connecting with her truest self.  My interaction with this lovely woman, caused me to ask myself if I was consistently aligning with my heart's desires, or  had I allowed myself to merely be going through the motions.  Maybe that was why the morning sky slayed me, pierced through the pensive, anxious state I allow myself to dwell for long periods of time without a break.

I hadn't been walking as much, feeling too tired to get outside.  Not wanting to spray myself with insect repellant.  Yet I realized that what often energizes me on walks is the combination of light and sound and wind.  Light at the end of the day is golden, honeyed.  I enjoy the sun's rays glistening on the water, dappled shadows, a breeze pushing the hair from my brow.  Peace can steal over me as I listen to birds singing or the rustle of leaves or the quiet hush of the creek waters as they lap against the shore.  As soon as I lifted my face and peered through tree branches and witnessed blue patches of sky, I felt better.  I stopped and admired some ironwork on a gate.  I saw a pelican drift through the air, relaxed and lanquid, enjoying his flight. 

Reading the psalms is like poetry to me.  I found several phrases that I liked, that centered me: (All taken from The Passion Translation)

You are my beautiful strength.~Psalm 92:15

You break open a way into a beautiful and broad place.~Psalm 118:5

Streams of your refreshing flow over us until our dry hearts are drenched again.~Psalm 126:2-4

He has a thousand ways to set you free.~Psalm 130:7

What are your heart's desires, kind reader?  Give some thought to connecting this week with some things you love. What might you expect?