Years ago, I created a Born Joy: Mindfulness Facebook page. I did this to reach more people and spread a message of awareness, compassion, and beauty in everyday life. On that page, I share photographs and small snippets of mindfulness. Yet I realize many people have left Facebook or are trying to reduce social-media time, and I support these decisions. This blog post is a digest of my recent Facebook offerings. Interestingly, to reach more people, I created a social-media page for my business, but now I find that people seek space and respite, which you can find here on my blog. There’s no rush, you can take your time. Let these words and images sink into your heart and mind.

November 15

Just as I left the park, sun at the horizon, I saw this leaf lying in a puddle of melted snow. The scene was both poignant and hopeful: light and dark; tatters and elegance; details and reflections. We all have layers within us. Layers of memory, habit, protection, vulnerability, emotion, and untold stories.

We’re complicated and beautiful creatures, just like this leaf. When we embrace the layers, we learn and grow. Gradually, we peel off unneeded layers and live life more true to ourselves; more free and bright and creative and true. This leaf isn't looking for the approval of others: it's being itself as-is. It invites us to embrace our own messy, elegant, and unique expression: don't change who you are; be more authentically and wholeheartedly you.

November 18

I just wrote a card to a friend whose teenage son died. Sometimes there are no words. There aren't words to express the depths of grief or the expansiveness of love. There aren't words to soothe such painful, heartbreaking circumstances. And yet, it's vital to connect: to be real and supportive, not with platitudes, but with fumbled words straight from the heart. I'd rather connect than not; I'd rather engage than ignore; I'd rather my heart crack open than stay closed.

Sometimes there are no perfect words, but there are many imperfect, real, loving actions that express the inexpressible. It's the complex, difficult situations that call us to change; that shake us awake; that ask us to freshly listen and understand. This is how we evolve and expand our hearts. This is how we become more fully human.

November 24

Wisdom from Mark Nepo: “Our creative efforts allow us to meet and co-create with life, not bend life to our design. When finally accepting that we relate to material rather than manipulate it, we discover what we create and are changed by the discovery.”

I love the idea of “discovering what we create.” When I go outside with my camera, I look for light. I look for small details of nature illuminated by sunrise or sunset. I’m never sure what is co-created until I come inside and view my images. Many times, I’m changed by the discovery. It’s not anything special about me; it’s more that I open to the whole of life: I pay attention with patience and care; I find beauty in new places.

Mark and I took a personal meditation retreat this weekend. Friday, late afternoon, I walked around the prairie fields that surrounded our hermitage. There was no rush nor agenda other than to follow the light, which led me into a field of grass illuminated by late-day sun. These little grass blossoms wholeheartedly sing.

Sometimes, we forget about the light: the light inside us, the light inside others. But the light is there. It’s complex and textured, rarely flawless, but it exists in everyone. And it becomes more obvious when we pause; when we look and listen with compassion; when we attend both inward and outward with genuine care.