Diving In
Yesterday, the air was so hot and smoky I could barely breathe. Our family had escaped to the Bay to get reprieve from the 100 degree temperature. I jumped in and the cold icy water jolted me awake.
At first, my limbs felt numb. I had to swim a few laps just to warm them up. Then, finally, I reached it–the sweet spot.
My body fell into a rhythm in synch with the water and current. The prickling heat feeling was gone and instead, the water embraced me.
Usually, Jim and the kids are the ones jumping into the 58 degree San Francisco Bay without me. It’s not being in the cold water that I hate most. It’s the chill that comes over me in the cool wind afterwards. But yesterday was different.
My swim in the Bay got me thinking about how the best moments in life usually happen on the other side of our comfort zone. A little bit of inconvenience, getting out of our patterns and habits, or being physically uncomfortable, just for a bit, and we move to a new place, where we never could have arrived if we hadn’t been willing to brave the experience of changing things up.
When the shelter-in-place started, I tried my first 28-Day Flow Challenge. For me, doing the same creative activity on a regular basis, even just five to ten minutes, took me out of my comfort zone. Prioritizing pure fun, joy and creativity just for the sake of it, an activity that was done with the sole purpose of reconnecting back to myself–nothing more, nothing less–wasn’t something I was used to doing.
The flow activity I chose to do for 5 to 10 minutes was to write, something I had loved as a child, and on and off again as an adult. The first few 28-day challenges, I experienced lots of hiccups—starts and stops, days when I skipped, or even forgot. Many times, I grabbed my pen and notebook right before bedtime, just in the nick of time to keep the rhythm of 28 days going.
But with five completely imperfect 28-Day Flow Challenges now under my belt, I can honestly say I’ve changed. I feel more peaceful. Rarely does a day go by without writing. My life is different as a result. This time around, I’m adding in a few new flow activities into the mix. Dancing by myself to crazy, upbeat music, and long walks on the beach are just two of my new experiments.
Athletes and academics have studied flow extensively, calling it the best state for peak performance. I look at flowing a bit differently, like a doorway to who we really are.
We usually don’t get there instantly. There is a process, a getting ready, a moment of discomfort and transition as we cross the threshold from the outer world to our inner truth. For me yesterday, that threshold was literal as I stood at the water’s edge and contemplated whether I really wanted to dive in.
This week, I invite you to cross your own comfort threshold in some way and see what happens. You might want to join those of us doing the flow challenge. We are only on day 2. If you’d like to try it out and receive weekly emails to encourage you and keep you going, let me know. (You can respond to this email with a quick note.)
Whether it’s flowing or something else beckoning to you to take a risk, change things up, try something new, or nurture YOURSELF or YOUR DREAMS in a new way–I would say, GO FOR IT! If my swim in the Bay yesterday is any indication, it will be be worth it.
How Did We Land In California?
Lately, I’ve been going through “old stuff.” Part of this cleaning out process has led me to rediscover my original blog, called Soul Wisdom, which I published on Blogspot from 2005-2010.
One of my essays on that blog was written a few days after we moved from New Jersey to San Francisco, and was inspired by our (then) two-year-old son Devin. It’s Called Remembering The Dream.
This was my wish then, and it still is today:
“May I always remember that life is a series of phases, one new one after the next. May I have the wisdom to celebrate the one I’m in and the humility to welcome the one that’s coming. That is my dream. At least, it is for today.”
I thought this article might be perfect to share today, because it’s all about taking that leap of faith in order to receive the goodness that is next.
We never know how taking one small step can shift our energy just enough to allow even bigger, more wonderful things to come our way.
(P.S. This Heart Photo was taken yesterday while we were on the San Francisco Bay. We looked up and saw this beautiful heart being created in the sky by a plane.
It kept me looking up (literally and emotionally) all day! Here’s info about the Heart Celebration.
