It has been a year of learning, growth, and change. When I think about the path I’ve traveled since March, with all its gnarly roots and patches of lush moss, I’m reminded of the lessons I’ve learned. These and so many more.
1. Home is where the heart is ~ it’s true. Where our heart is happy, we are happy (after all, what else are we, besides heart). What I’ve learned is that my heart has a difficult time deciding where to lite when I’m scurrying about so much. This year I’ve stayed in four houses, and spent a big chunk of time in the studio I opened in March. Five homes, of sorts. Places I’ve put my ‘stuff’, to say the least. Though stuff is just material … we rely on it to function day to day. When it’s scattered about, how can we expect our heart to be settled?
2. Take the road less traveled ~ it could be my theme song. My parents have long told me that I never make the easy decision. The road less traveled is, for some reason, the one I generally choose. It brings adventure, heartbreak, insecurity … birdsong, blue skies, and huge aha moments. I’d still recommend taking it.
3. Always say “yes” … unless it’s time to say “no” ~ I lived, for a long time, saying yes … to opportunities, to invitations, to good things coming my way. I don’t regret any of it, but I did get in a “yes” habit. And so … I began to say yes to things that I didn’t have time for. I began to say yes to things that didn’t resonate with me. I began to say yes, because I thought I was always supposed to. Sometimes, now, I say no. I don’t have to give a reason … I just say no.
4. Let your doing come from being ~ something I heard on one of those free calls we sign up for online. Being present, listening to what’s important to me … to what makes my heart happy, is the way … the only way, to know what I should do. I do still say prayers, search for advice, and allow myself to be totally inspired by amazing people. But I also take that in, let myself be, and see what surfaces. PS, The answer is not always “yes”.
5. Make new friends, but keep the old ~ loves, it is entirely possible to meet new friends whom you’ll love and adore as if you’ve known them forever. The story of the friendship in my life is glazed with dear precious friends who have come and gone. Leaving dear ones in Raleigh was really, really difficult. Making new friends in Roanoke was, maybe the easiest thing I did all year. Perhaps it has something to do with “taking the road less traveled”, and “letting the doing come from being”. They’re the beyond-words kind-of dear to me. And when I’m with old friends … we simply pick up right where we left off. Silver and gold.
6. Love the one you’re with ~ yeah, not in that way. Be present. Love the people you have the honor of being with at any particular moment. Your spouse, your parents, your children, your colleagues, your clients, that kind-of odd person who stops by your shop from time to time. Be present. They are each there for a purpose. Take it in as deeply as you possibly can. That moment, will never, never come again.
7. The grass is always greener on the other side ~ and as the poster in my sister’s childhood bedroom said “until you get there and discover it’s artificial turf”. We think we know how that grass will smell. We can just feel it under our feet. Until we get there, and find that it feels good … it smells good, but it isn’t what we expected it to be. When we envision what’s to come, we can’t possibly envision it exactly the way it’s to be. It may be better, or worse, or just hugely different. Still, take time to lay in the sunshine, watch the bugs creep up one blade of grass, and down the next. Enjoy the experience for what it is, rather than judging it for what it might have been.
8. Fire and Rain ~ because we’ve all seen sunny days that we thought would never end. They do. Be prepared for the rainy days. In whatever way you know you need to. Do the work. Eat healthy food. Practice self-care. When we let the doing come from being … we often have a knowing that caring for ourselves first, and taking gentle steps for our own well-being, is best for ourselves, as well as for those who love us. When the rain comes, I hope you’ll be in a position to curl up with a good book, rather than frantically trying to stop a leaky roof.
With love and gratitude for each of you, I’m wishing you wild abundance, gentle being, and a heart that listens for the guidance that knows, always, what is best.
Take special good care,
Let’s connect on Facebook ~ hop over to my page at Jane Barefoot Rochelle … also, I’ll be sending out the Barefoot Studios Monthly Newsletter soon, so be sure to sign up for it. You can click here to sign up.
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