Exchanging Energy

I was quite mesmerized the other day by raindrops falling on the pond. Each individual drop sent ripples outward, crossing over and combining with others.


We do much the same, sending out ripples of our energy and mood as we interact with one another. We should consider what impact we want our ripple to make.

To Each His/Her Own

Mindfulness is as simple as acknowledging the present moment and can be incorporated into anyone's daily life. Meditation, which takes many forms, calms the mind and relaxes the body to increase awareness of the present moment.

Missy prefers deep silent meditation in lofty places.

Angel is more grounded and prefers being close to nature.

Yoda finds meditation music helps him maintain focus.

Seriously though, mindfulness and meditation are as individual as the individual themselves.

Soul Life

Have you ever wished to have someone else's life? They seem to be so together and content and if you just had that career or spouse or lived in that neighborhood ... then life would be perfect. I believe it was Pat Parelli, a well known natural horseman, who said, " when choosing a horse, don't base your decision on the desire to have a certain breed or color, but choose a horse that is your soul mate". If you haven't had direct experience with horses, you probably have seen the chaos and stress that arises when an inactive person chooses an active dog because it's the "in" breed at that time. When making life choices, look inside, get to know you and find your perfect fit or "soul life". True contentment lies in finding the life that is meant for you, not trying to live someone else's.

Above are my horses at their first face to face meeting, sizing up how they fit. While I love them dearly, I have to say that I found my equine soul mate in my Mediterranean Donkey, Agapios (Gapi). It goes to show how important it is to stay open & present, because what you are looking for may come in unexpected packaging.

Peace and Love

The time of year for sharing thoughts of peace and love is upon us. This is my first card I received today with a message too good not to share. This message could apply to how we treat our planet, and also to how we treat each other and ourselves.

This year may the hands that touch the earth be a little gentler

and the hearts that care for it a little wiser

Mind Over Malady

Mind Over Malady is an article posted today on MSN Health. It is written by Nicola Nieburg from Prevention Magazine. Here is a brief excerpt followed by a link to the complete article:

Once the catchphrase of 1960s counterculture, "mindfulness" has finally graduated from the fringe to the mainstream. "Staying in the moment" is now the guiding principle of millions of devotees who faithfully practice mindfulness meditation to enrich their daily lives. Just as impressively, mindfulness has also attracted another group of admirers: clinical researchers, whose latest investigations document its surprising and powerful physical and mental health benefits-achieved in as little as five minutes a day.

She goes on to state that researchers have learned that brief sessions "improve memory and attention, ease anxiety-and even deepen personal relationships". She then list four other proven health benefits along with simple techniques to try.

See full article at:http://health.msn.com/health-topics/mental-health/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100227263&page=1