Things that bring me joy
Today, I'd love to share with you some of the things that have brought me great joy, expanded my energy, or inspired me in recent times.
MOVIE: A Man Called Otto
This movie featuring Tom Hanks made me laugh out loud, got me all choked up, made me cry, and feel squishy and sentimental. I left the cinema feeling extremely satisfied. It was an experience worth every moment of my time. If you haven't watched it, go stream it right now!
BOOK: Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey
The author's business is The Nap Ministry and she calls herself The Nap Bishop. Rest is a revolution we need, says the author. In times when many are feeling trapped by the profit-over-people and hustle-and-grind culture of capitalism, we must reclaim our bodies as divine portals. I enjoyed her passionate arguments favoring rest and the dreamspace as ways to imagine ourselves toward a better future.
NETFLIX SHOW: The Good Doctor
The show features the central character, Dr Shaun Murphy, who is a medical genius and a surgeon who has ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). This show combines all the elements of good drama: suspense, laughter, grief, tragedy, and the difficulty of being human.
FOOD: My go-to morning smoothie
A bunch of spinach, a banana, assorted berries, 1/2 an apple, a date, sunflower, pumpkin, and chia seeds, nut milk + a scoop of protein powder. I've been drinking this smoothie every weekday morning for about eight years and I'm still in love with it.
SONG: The Way Knows the Way
This song moves me to tears for the truth it returns me to, each time I listen to it. Use it to trust and surrender. A lovely 3-minute reminder. Listen here.
SACRED PRACTICES:
Lighting a candle I Meditation I Reading something inspirational every morning before I begin my day I Deep breathing many times a day I Yoga stretches I Walks by the river I Journaling I chanting OM
FAVORITE SOUND: Silence
I don't look at my phone for at least 60 minutes after I wake up, sometimes even longer. More and more I feel nourished by silence and spend long hours marinating in the sacred sound of stillness.
*****
As spring struggles to emerge, a long and stubborn winter still holding its ground, I send you wishes for beautiful new beginnings. We don't get to choose how those beginnings find us. Sometimes it's through surprise and joy. Other times it's through disappointment, heartbreak and grief. No matter how it finds you, I trust you'll be a welcoming space for it.