Spiritual Parenting with Mimi Doe

Obstacle or Opportunity...

 
I love the notion that every obstacle is an opportunity in disguise.  And yet, when in the throes of the seeming "obstacle," it's hard to get my monkey mind from swinging from negative thought to negative thought.

Deepak Chopra in his book The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success noted:

"One-pointed intention is that quality of attention that is unbending in its fixity of purpose...it means holding your attention to the intended outcome with such unbending purpose that you absolutely refuse to allow obstacles to consume and dissipate the focused quality of your attention."

I love the reminder this quote gives me...to adhere to an unbending quality of thought -- divine thought -- and trust that my life is a divine idea simply unfolding each moment into the highest good. 

If you are in the midst of an obstacle, large or small, try to shift your thoughts and know that nothing can disrupt the unfolding of who you are and what you are here to do.  It's a practice, a habit of reverence of sorts.  Embrace this habit and watch how you are able to reinterpret bumps in the road and call them fertile opportunities for growth.

Blessings and light from my heart to yours!

 

Balance Tip

Americans get about 19 billion catalogs a year (at a cost of 53 million trees).

I want to save some trees and also save myself having to deal with a mailbox jammed with catalogs I don't want. 

SOLUTION!

Do what I did today and take 15 minutes to STOP all catalogs you no longer want to deal with.  Simply go to: www.catalogchoice.org and check off which catalogs you will gladly opt out of. 

Say goodbye to waste and find a little less clutter goes a long way towards more balance. 

Unlimited Resourses -- Within

David Lynch in his book Catching the Big Fish says:  "There's an ocean of consciousness inside each of us, and it's an ocean of solutions.  When you dive into that ocean, that consciousness, you enliven it.  You don't dive for specific solutions; you dive to enliven that ocean of consciousness.  Then your intuition grows and you have a way of solving those problems--knowing when it's not quite right and knowing a way to make it feel correct for you.  That capacity grows and things go much more smoothly."

Would you like for your life to go more smoothly?  Would you like to solve problems -- both big and small?  Would you like to sharpen your intuition and feel more expansive?  Would you like to ignite the creative flow?

I say YES!  A resounding YES.  In fact, let this be our lovely launch into this new year...To make the time...to demand of ourselves the gift of that time...each and every day to get quiet and simply and calmly go within to the silence.

Tough for most of us.  But on the days when I force my bottom into my cozy white meditation chair I experience everything that David Lynch describes...I feel the capacity slowly growing to operate more calmly and evenly.  I find creative solutions and I embrace what's in front of me with recognition rather than a startled HELLO.

How do you become quiet so that you might go deeper into that place where all good is awaiting you?
 

Clear Counters in the Empty Nest

MICROWAVE BE GONE.....

I have appreciated hearing from so many newsletter subscribers and parents who have read one of my books in the past....asking me about life in a newly empty nest.  Many thanks for your emails.

My husband Tom and I shook things up here in the empty nest this weekend and did a counter purge.  Yup...we took stock of our life in the kitchen sans children and noted that we didn't really need that clunky microwave on the counter. Upon closer examination, we were a bit horrified to realize that we had purchased said microwave when our college freshman was 4 years old...No telling what toxic energy this machine was throwing off...

We decided to keep track of when or if we missed the microwave before purchasing a new one.  My Starbucks latte (lovingly delivered by my husband) was a bit lukewarm and I missed zapping it...but...came to enjoy the taste of an iced latte.  Today I warmed up last night's pasta and sauce on top of the stove and listened to soothing Steve Halpern music as I brought myself to the moment...rather than a quick zip zap in the microwave...It didn't take much longer and I moved into the meal in a more conscious way.

See our kitchen above...no microwave...more room for flow...

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I'll keep you posted...as we may crumble when the kids come home and microwave popcorn is only a vivid memory.

Think about Time in a Different Way

Downshifting our often frenzied lives is crucial if we are ever going to enjoy the moment with our children.

Build in structures to give your life breathing space. Arrive 10 minutes early for your daughter’s doctor’s appointment, so you can meander up the path together, with time to stop and examine the spider’s web.  Rework how you keep a calendar and build in extra time around routine events.  Notice how you feel when you aren't rushing...notice how your children behave when you aren't rushing them!

We’re so busy multi tasking and dashing to appointments, engagements, practices – organizing our lives – that we fail to make time for the ordinary encounters and experiences that make life special. Yet, it’s those small, often unplanned things that offer us joy, help children feel connected with their lives and understand the dimensional, magical world they live in. 

When we downshift into our children’s rhythm, rather than always expecting them to notch it up to the level of a mini-CEO in order to “get there on time” or “learn something new” or “excel,” we allow them the grace that is the natural flow of childhood. Within that grace, greatness is being incubated – I assure you.

One Small Thing

It's a little thing...an organized silverware drawer...but it does help me to remain more centered and mindful...and all you have to do is go back a few posts to see the BEFORE photo...

What one small change might you make today to help you feel more at peace with the ordinary details of your life?

May Meditation

Ralph Waldo Emerson said,  "Place yourself in the middle of the stream of power and wisdom which flow into you as life."

My still small voice is not a booming proclamation nor a symphony, rather it is practical listening during my quiet times when any question is answered with God's grace.

"Be still and know that I am God."

--Psalm 46:10

Scientists tell me I have 40,000 thoughts a day.  My mind is full of rich ideas.  I chose to shift the judging, critical, fear based thought to thoughts of love.  God's great intelligence flows through me as my thoughts.  I am an extension of Source energy and so grateful to these constantly flowing ideas and inspirations.  Each moment I can pause and listen to the still small voice, the whisper of ideas Spirit means for me -- my unique awareness, skills, talents, future, past combine in this glorious now and now is what Spirit has for me when I awaken to it.  I listen, today, to the sights, sounds, prompts, ideas, suggestions, and inspirations that flow through me.

Spirit feeds me moment by moment along my way -- I already have everything I need.

 

I give great thanks for the gifts of Spirit expressing in my daily, hourly experience -- and honor Spirit by taking action on at least one of these ideas today.

Family Connection -- 7 Core Concepts

As you start this new semester of your life...shifting gears into "school mode" and out of that lazy summer rhythm...Make sure to keep my 7 T's for Connected Families somewhere you can see them.  When you make a decision, refer to the T's -- doing so will help keep you grounded and balanced.

Yes, we are all busy but by choosing to embrace the 7 core concepts, the 7 T's, our lives will become balanced. When we are living balanced lives we soar.

 
1. Tolerance: let the little things go.

 

2. Time Together: being together is what it’s all about.

 

3. Trial and Error: never give up just keep trying new approaches for a deeper connection with your kids.

 

4. Take it Out Into the World: practice compassion in action as a family.

 

5. Teach Less Listen More: honor each other’s viewpoints and dreams -- learn from your kids.

 

6. Tools For Living: agree on your family’s unique toolbox of beliefs for life.

 

7. Total Love: you can’t go wrong when you love deeply.

 

 

 

Twilight

I love that time of day when the hot summer sun has rolled away and the soothing blanket of night is not quite tucked over the world.  As I sit writing this on my laptop, I'm gazing out of my living room window and the creamy white hydrangeas are gently bobbing their heads as if in a gentle nod of thanks to the day -- their evening ritual.  Comet, our old Cocker Spaniel, lies at my feet, my children are healthy and life is good. 

I don't have the foggiest idea what I'm making for dinner, but somehow it doesn't matter on this tranquil summer twilight.  There are fresh tomatoes, zucchini, and basil from the farm stand and those amazing flash frozen chicken strips from Trader Joes (thawed in moments).  I'll come up with something.   

Stewart Wilde's quote: "Life was never meant to be a struggle" is my mantra today.  I'm attempting to be in the moment and savor my fleeting days of summer with my precious family gathered together.  Too quickly girls will be off to school and life inside this house will not vibrate at such a level.

Do me a favor.  Tomorrow, as the sun goes down, pause for just a moment and notice the softer light, feel the evening cool on your skin and say YES when your child asks to "say up a little longer!"

Get Rid of Guilt

GUILT...

I've heard from so many of you since the last post about struggling daily with guilt...We truly beat ourselves up for "not getting it all done."  And yet, it's not possible to have perfection -- or some magazine's definition of perfection -- on a daily basis.

If you find yourself feeling guilty for not being a perfect mom...use the guilt to push you into positive action or come up with strategies to let it go.  A long hot bath, a run, venting with a friend, a glass of wine...whatever it takes to drop the smothering sensation of guilt is good.

What I mean about guilt as a good thing is when we use it to make shifts in our lives that serve us.  For instance if we are guilty over not attending to the the pile of papers that we need to go through in order to get our taxes done...schedule the 1/2 hour to tend to them.  Guilt Gone!

Don't allow negative emotions to zap your energy for being fully present.  We get the gift of today and let's flourish in that rather than feeling badly over our failings.

What works to help you banish guilt?