Connect with the rapture of being alive

Quote of the day:  “We’re so engaged in doing things to achieve purposes of outer value that we forget the inner value, the rapture that is associated with being alive, is what it is all about.”  ~ Joseph Campbell

I choose joy

I know that I choose to follow my heart at this point in my life and to change a lifetime of patterns of pushing hard, task orientation, and driving for goals into new patterns of listening to my heart, seeking what brings me joy, and relaxing and going with the flow. Waiting for right timing and trusting that all is well, is a constant challenge for me.

Even though my intentions are strong, it’s easy to slip into fear, which leads to a loss of joy and stifling of creativity.   The trick is to find ways to choose tools and techniques that resonate with my real voice and heart song, to notice when fear is starting to influence me, and to choose courage even in the face of fear.

Earlier this week I noticed that I wasn’t having fun and that a slowly rising tide of anxiety was starting to color my thinking.  I took time out to reconnect with my purpose and what gives meaning. Yesterday, I grabbed my camera and tripod and headed out to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum to play. Ahhhh… taking photos just for the love of it, no purpose, no audience, no project planned, just enjoying the day and the beauty all around.

Against a backdrop of years of striving and pushing and hard work, I am learning that my primary purpose needs to stay focused in the creative realm of bliss, joy and following my heart, not in the practical goal-oreinted realm. It is a lesson I am sure that I will need to revisit frequently as I lean into joy and gratitude and connect with “the rapture associated with being alive.”

Bloom

A Gift of Pink Flowers in Conservatory (MN Landscape Arboretum)

Dramatic Orchid MN Landscape Arboretum Conservatory