Welcome to the beginning! I have to tell you, I have a complete feeling of giddiness starting this next 13 week cycle of habits. For those of you who don’t know, I’ve been investigating, concentrating and discovering just what creates bliss for coming up on 5 years! Truly amazing and in many ways quite hard to believe.
As you might imagine, a blogging routine could start to get old but I have to tell you this next group of habits (see them all and our schedule here.) really feels like a breath of fresh air. I actually feel like I did when I started my experiment way back in 2009. As I told you back then, bliss is an illusive gal, and I had been missing the mark lately. The injection of these fabulous new topics and the willingness of our great Bliss Habits writers to dive in newly again has me completely excited to BEGIN!
BEGIN – to begin or set out, as on a journey or activity. commence; start.
Yes, Begin! Not only our first Bliss Habit for consideration this season, it is probably the lynch pin for the whole darn thing… in this Bliss experiment, this specific moment and even our whole life. That one specific moment when we say “I will start this now” is what makes everything happen.
Take Tamara for example. She has been dabbling and taking marvelous photos for decades but just a few weeks ago she declared the she will dabble no more. She is no longer willing to be at the whims of other people’s businesses and will now do what ever it takes to follow her photography passion (see her work here). She has decided to BEGIN a whole new chapter in her life and that “Selfie” is the perfect look at her Beginning!
January too, is ready to start:
Now I begin
by January Handl
The veil between now and next
feels like a wall of flames I must
walk through to burn away
the past I’ve been clinging to
allowing the transformation to
re-member me, in the next version
of my life.
My breath provides the anchorage
in the storms of life,
and over and over
over and over
over and over,
I begin again,
fully feeling
the cool waves wash
over the scars of burnt flesh,
the tender touch points
of grief and loss.
Salt water cleanse pulls me into
the next moments of awake.
Breath connects me to tide,
connects me to season,
connects me to the
universal pulse,
connects me to the
exchange of aloha
with the others
who breathe to be.
Letting go
so I can reach out
open-armed,
I experience the intensity
of no ground beneath my feet,
weightless and spinning,
freeing myself from fears,
images and sensations
that keep trailing insistently behind.
Wordless music expands
to a choral crescendo
that provides the patterned
backdrop to hold
my leap toward
surrender,
toward
acceptance,
of the presence
of Presence.
Again, I breath,
and again,
stepping forward
to
the beginning that
each moment
offers.
Yes, to begin. Again if necessary.
This week’s Bliss Initiative is to Begin. What ever it is for you, a new fitness routine, creative outlet or a new state of mind. Something is calling you to start. Let today be that day!
“Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it.” ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tamara and January are here each Monday to help set the mood for the week!
Tamara Magnitsky
My mission is fulfilling a lifelong desire to be a creative professional making a positive difference in the lives of those I encounter. Photographing unique personalities in a fun and relaxed environment. To challenge myself creatively, listen deeply and take a damn good picture.
See Tamara’s photography on her Facebook Page.
January Handl
January Handl is first and always a mother, has been a preschool teacher and parent educator for 25 years. She is currently lives in Aptos California AND simply in awe of existence.
She calls her photo “hot tub bliss” 🙂
Just what I need – a new start! Time to learn something new – I need to build confidence in my sewing now that I’m working for my Sister-in-Law making doggy coats – but I’d love to extend my skills and get past the ‘oh, I’m no good at this’ place. But also in a bigger context, we in Scotland are on the brink of a new beginning – Thursday will tell us if we have that new beginning or whether we have to content ourselves with the same old same old. My heart fills with the potential to change – and so I look forward to a momentous new beginning – what a synchronous week for Begin to come up!
Oh Karen, how exciting for you. I hope you get the election result you want! I also look forward to seeing those doggy coats! I’m sure your work is wonderful!
Happy BEGIN week to you!
What a wonderful post and theme Kathy! I am SO on the same page … in fact tomorrow (9/22) is significant because it marks 100 days to go until the end of 2014 and there is still plenty of time to achiever life changing goal! In fact in addition to working on my own goals I’ve organized a group of people who will also be working on ending the year with a bang. This in itself was a big decision because it marks a return to coaching for me so I’m excited about the journey. And, I have added your blog to my Feedly feed so I won’t miss a single new article so I can follow your journey as well!
Marquita, what a great project! I hadn’t even realized it was 100 days until the end of the year. Potent stuff in the world of encouragement! (LOL that is the topic for next week 🙂 )
Thank you so much for stopping by and for letting me know what you are doing. I’m heading over to your place now! And for those of you who would like to join me here is the link: Marquita’s 100 day Challenge.