Wake up and smell the Roses

Small Steps to greater awareness...

Each morning begins with Grace and I 'pad walking' for 40 minutes to stimulate her foot re-growth where the seedy toe has been cut out.

This has become a quiet time for me.  I don't do quiet easily. Yet going round and round in circles or squares or serpentine shapes, before offices awake and doors to shops swing open, there isn't much else to do.

I'm wearing my HeartMath machine.  I'm becoming predictable - the first few minutes I am Green (coherent)  as my awareness focuses on my breathing.   Then, lost in whatever journey my thoughts take me on I re-enter my 'base line state' which for me is Red.   This is my pattern and my default body talk state is 'hyper'.  Not good long term.  Not helpful for expanding my awareness (unless I want more of the same).

The good news is that as soon as I focus back onto my breath, and breath for 5; in and out; I'm Green.   So it can be done - an adjustment of my focus brings an adjustment in my nervous system.  I guess horses work the same way.  They quicken their breathing and flee!  They slow their breathing and rest!

This morning's walk provided another awakening moment.  Grace kept trying to pull me over towards some rose bushes.  I kept resisting.  Then I spoke aloud to her (as many of us horsey people do) and explained "we'll smell the roses in a minute"!  Then I laughed!  What a lovely metaphor for how I approach my life - 'saving the nice stuff for later'...

I stopped resisting and we went over to the roses.

If one picture could tell a thousand stories this would be my pick for today.  If a horse can seek out simple pleasures of smelling roses why can't we?  I am more and more convinced that my own three horses are trying to teach me how to 'wake up' to what's important.  

Today, I am going to pay attention for the next 24 hours to the symbology of moments like this.  To those moments where I resist; to those ideas I think I'll save for later... and ponder on the symbology of each moment to see what comes to light by looking through a different lens.

Surely that in itself will help my awareness grow a little more today?