This summer I’ve seen more hummingbirds than I remember ever seeing in one season. I also learned to recognize some of their sounds – the strong buzzing of their wings and the high-pitched whir of a male's song.
This week, I read in a Barbara Kingsolver essay about how a hummingbird builds her nest. She describes this stunningly detailed process including laying down spider webbing, weaving in shreds of bark, and meticulously licking her nest into perfect shape.
Reading this reminded me of the power of details.
I had a dance teacher in Israel who said, “God is in the details.”
She was urging us to study the details in our dancing.
To create artistry, dancers train to observe the breath between the take off and landing in a leap, the involuntary gestures an elder makes while speaking, the focus of our eyes, the precise force in a push.
We learn to notice what so many miss.
When I’m in the dance classroom, I frequently focus on the details of the fingertips. Do they curl in? Do they extend? Do they face forward or back? Are they inviting or reprimanding?
How do your fingertips connect you to what’s beyond your body? Do they reach? Or pull?
These are the edges of your body. How do they facilitate connection? Or protect your privacy?
This week, notice how your fingertips move. As you reach and stretch, pay attention – can those fingertips open a little more? As you find yourself angry or withdrawn, how do those fingertips behave?
I also invite you, over the next few weeks, especially as the seasons begin to change, to notice new details in nature. I guarantee there are surprises for you in every inch of your daily travel.
I’d love to hear about your discoveries. Send me an email!
It brings me joy to write to you. Thank you for being with me on this journey into dance, the wild world, and our bodies, in service to life’s wholeness.
If you think of anyone who would love to read this, please send it along.
With heart,
Maren
Viewing entries tagged
environment
Happy Thanksgiving! I’m pleased for the occasion to write to you during this holiday week focused on giving thanks.
It gives me an opportunity to share with you one of my steady, go-to gratitude boosts.
Over the past year, I’ve been earnestly developing a dedicated gratitude practice.
That means…
…watching my mind, multiple times a day, to notice where it is focused.
…lovingly monitoring my mood and keeping guard against those little internal gremlins who want to keep me grumpy.
… actively cultivating habits that give me energy and hold me in more connection (because that’s when I feel more joy).
Here’s a practice that works almost every time to guide me back to a state of being genuinely thankful (which in turn softens & relaxes me while opening me to possibility):
Focus on what is already here that is good, positive, supportive, prosperous, & loving.
During this holiday season when nature slows down, turning inwards to conserve energy, your challenge is to:
TAKE TIME TO SLOW DOWN AND REFLECT ON WHAT IS ALREADY HERE THAT IS GOOD AND WORKING IN YOUR LIFE. Breathe it in. Let it sink into your bones, blood, and brain.
Choose 5 of these things, write them down, and post them on your mirror. Then share this practice with someone you love. (Of course I’d love to hear how it goes! You can tell me about it here.)
If you’re having trouble accessing true gratitude, go outside for some fresh air. Try re-visiting that tree you talked to a few weeks ago :)
Here's a message from our postcard collection that overflows with sincere, heart-centered gratitude:
"Thank you Mother Earth; for I am grateful.
Thank you for the trees to climb when
I need a new perspective.
Thank you for the peaks to summit
when I need a challenge.
Thank you for the soil to till and plants
to eat when I am hungry.
Thank you for the streams to fish
when I need solitude.
Thank you for the rapids to ride
when I want a rush.
Thank you for the forest when I
need shelter from the elements.
Thank you for the diversity of life to ponder
when my ego gets too large.
May your holiday season be peppered with many moments of meaningful, genuine gratitude.
Soulfully,
Maren
PS - Know anyone who would like to read this today? Please share it and grow the gratitude network. Thank you!