Living as a warrior

Quote of the day: “Fear doesn’t go away. The warrior and the artist live by the same code of necessity, which dictates that the battle must be fought anew every day.” ~ Steven Pressfield The War of Art

Playing singing bowl

No matter who you are and how good you are, if you are doing what you truly love and living from the heart, fear will arise.  For me, it sneaks in with soft whispers, saying things like, “Maybe I should be sensible. The photos I took yesterday weren’t all that good. A real professional would have… Think how much income I could make if I got a short contract writing software. It wouldn’t be for that long.”  If I listened to the whispers, I would be moving away from what I really love and want to do.  The whispers are just fear and resistance, nothing more.

Living in gratitude and wonder takes work.  Sometimes I ride a wave of joy and bliss that lasts for weeks, but sometimes, for no apparent reason, fear and resistance creep in.  Today was one of those days.  On days like this, when the waves and wind of my own thoughts feel like they are working against me, I practice the disciplines of gratitude, meditation and presence. Breathe in, breathe out. It’s just thoughts and emotions. Fear arises and fear diminishes like waves and wind. Nothing lasts forever.

I have decided to live as a warrior, to show up, and be here like a mountain, doing the next right thing, until the practice of presence and truth lift me up into joy and bliss again.

Note on the photos today: I took these photos Sunday for a client at an acupuncturist’s office in Roseville, my first paid photography gig.  These are just a few of the many photos I took of various aspects of the office

Lotus Candle Holder

Tuning forks and vase

Dream Catcher

Color play