Small Stone Jan 3

"Shoot bullets at me, Mom!" he entreated, and then blocked every one with his imaginary feminum bracelets. "Now do machine gun!" and his arms moved fast, almost flailing, as he blocked 'em all again. The toddler got in on the act, both making the piw piw piws of the machine gun bullets and also simultaneously blocking every single one of them with impressively precise movements. They danced in front of me with their smiling delighted sweetness. 

Small Stone for January 2

A very good meeting--laughter, coffee, greetings, the right agenda items, smart ideas, insights from all around the table, disagreements and discussions, decisions about next steps, and a plan to advance toward victory. 

make the spiral by walking

I took a walk on Christmas Day. Sky of white and blue. When the sun shone between the clouds the snow sparkled beautifully. I got past the barns and the expanse of field stretched out toward the horizon. All that open space gives me peace inside. Farm girl self loves the feeling of open space.  

I missed a recent spiral service, and I regretted that as I walked. But my life doesn't lend itself to evening engagements right now!

I realized I could position myself as missing out, or I could position myself as someone with choice. If I had choice, liked walking spiral meditations, and was standing in a field of snow, what choices could I create?

I began to make my own spiral in the snow, and it was so satisfying to feel it take shape, and to feel how its shape in turned shaped my walking. 

I focused on shaping it. I went in to the middle, got a bit dizzy as I turned around, and stepped back out with my feet close together. I went in again, and wondered if I should focus on a question as I walked. Instead I said, "I open myself to what arises."

I walked in and out many times. What arose is this: they way out is the same as the way in, but opposite. Things I'd like to be different in key relationships got this way through small daily steps, and the way I can choose to transform my dance moves in those patterns is also through small daily steps that are consistent in new ways. 

I made the spiral as I walked, and the spiral shaped my walk. 

Small Stone January 1

I'm doing this Mindful Writing Challenge this month. I'm going to write a "small stone" every day of January and post them here, and that way I'll practice writing and blogging! I'm excited. Here's my first small stone:

Small Stone January 1

New Year's Day walk all by myself... out past the barns, up and down over little hills I can't see til they're right in front of me. Grey sky, white and brown speckled fields, even the pine trees seem grey today. The only sound my feet trudging through snow. When I am still, I can hear the mmmmmm and hhhhhhhhh of far away cars. My mind can wander with no one to call Mama and summon me back to my duties of love.  Ten minutes of footsteps take me far away.