It’s been decades since the sun caught me in bed, it’s my favorite time of the day. Investing more thought and time into morning routines can single-handedly change how the rest of your day unfolds. Adding these eight chi-boosting habits to your morning will help to improve your mood, and your relationship with others, and you will be able to manage your stress and anxiety. The important thing to consider is to create a morning ritual that makes you feel good about yourself. Here are mine:
Silence –sit in silence and focus on your breath. Notice the sense of calm that comes over you. You will feel peaceful.
Reading – grab any book, and read for 10 minutes. You will feel motivated.
Affirmations –an affirmation is a powerful reminder of the unlimited potential that exists inside of you. Write your own. You will feel empowered.
Visualization –what do you want? Put images on a board that motivates you and represents your heart’s desires. Take time each morning to pause at each image and feel what it would be like to manifest what you want. You will feel inspired.
Journaling –the simple act of writing down things is powerful. Start by writing down all the things in your life that you are grateful for. You will feel grateful.
Photo by Alexy Almond from PexelsExercise –moving your chi physically every day will prove to empower, inspire and get your chi set for the rest of the day. You will feel energized.
Prayer – speaking to a higher power will ease stress and set the tone for the day. You will feel holy.
Meditation – sit with your eyes closed and when a thought enters your mind imagine that you are tying a red balloon to that thought and allowing it to float away. When you empty your mind you will find that you make room for innovative ideas and solutions. You will feel deeply connected to the whole.
Photo by Simon Berger from Pexels
Sunrises are breathtaking; the sun starts subtly as if it is afraid to rise. Then the dawn breaks over the horizon like an egg yolk spilling across the clouds. The sun, a true artist, creates beauty on its canvas, reminding me that this picturesque site is not what I love about mornings. I love how they resemble hope and the promise of new beginnings.
“All things are subject to interpretation. Whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth.” — Friedrich Nietzsche
Perception. How we see the world, and what we perceive the world to be is all about how we truly see ourselves in relation to the world, the people, and all the things around us.
Every life experience impacts our worldview. The humor is found, not in the life events that unfold, but rather in the disillusionment that we assume everyone around us sees, hears, and believes things to be as we ourselves, see, hear, feel, and experience them.
There are many ways to understand life, the universe, and you: through superstition, religion, philosophy, science, etc. While each approach has its own experts – scientists, priests, philosophers, doctors, poets – all are simply blind people receiving different impressions from touching an elephant.
A priest may feel its legs and life is a tree trunk; a scientist holding its tail may find that life is ropelike; a poet feeling an ear may proclaim life is like a lotus leaf, and so on. From each of their perspectives and perceptions, their expert conclusion makes sense and is based on knowledge. As we all know, their theories are merely parts of the whole picture.
I too am one of the blind. And because I touch a different part of the elephant, I have developed my own theory about the relationship of the universe to human life and the relationship we each have with ourselves. My insights come from spending time in Peru, Spain, and Israel, two trips to Tibet, and studying in China-, which during 5000 years of civilization has spawned many diverse and meaningful concepts. Among the most arcane yet practical of these concepts is Feng Shui.
In feng shui, the far right corner of our space is the relationship area. It is easy to remember if we think of extending and reaching out our right hand to touch someone who is dear to us. The relationship corner is a good spot for our red or pink bouquet of roses together with other meaningful symbols of love and romance. In China, married couples prefer the image of Mandarin ducks as they mate for life. Trinkets or objects in pairs are always gentle reminders that there is a significant other in our life.
Did you know that mirrors in the bedroom are the most effective tools to destroy a relationship? Mirrors in the bedroom are really not advised for any type of relationship whether you’re starting out or in a committed relationship. Mirrors are often said to reflect a third party in the relationship. Mirrors represent another person always coming in between two people. This often means an extramarital affair but sometimes the third person can be anyone such as a discouraging relative, etc… Ever heard of “Two’s Company, Three’s a crowd!” So remove your mirrors, hide them, or cover them up!
If you are looking for love remove all solitude figures and replace them with items in pairs; a pair of hearts, flowers, love birds, etc. Remove all pictures of single men or women, and clean out your closets to make room for your significant other to enter your life.
I think all the people we have met and all the people we have yet to meet are meant to exist so we can find them, so we both can exchange a set of directions, which will guide us to the next place we are meant to go. And, as we go we must always believe that maybe this could be the last stop. That maybe the next person will not have a set of directions, maybe they will have more, and maybe they will offer us something beautiful, enough to inspire us.
And, I think out of all the people we meet, we fall in love with three of them, each for a different reason.
First love: This love often happens at a young age. You eventually grow apart or call it quits over silly things. When you get older you may look back and think it wasn’t love. But the truth is, it was. I was love for what you knew love to be. Remember there are three depths of love.
Second Love: This one is the hard one. You get hurt in this one. This love teaches us a lesson and makes us stronger. This love includes pain, lies, betrayal, abuse, drama, and damage. But this is the one where we grow. We realize what we love about love and what we don’t love about love. Now we know the difference between good and bad humans. Now we become closed, careful, cautious, and considerate. We know exactly what we want and don’t want.
Third love: This one comes blindly. No warning, it creeps up on you silently. You don’t go looking for this love. It comes to you. You can put up any wall you want, it will be broken down. You’ll find yourself caring about that person without trying. They look nothing like your usual crush types, but you seem to get lost in their eyes daily. You see beauty in their imperfections. You hide nothing from them. You can be everything you are and everything you are not with them. You probably want marriage and a family with them. You thank the universe for them. You truly love them.
Traveling is the healthiest addiction. Every trip I take, and every new person I meet is a new adventure pulling me deeper into the love of the unknown. My heart hurts when I’m standing still for too long.
When I got melanoma skin cancer six years ago one of my doctors suggested that I make a travel bucket list. The last destination on my list was Iceland, so I decided to go to the land of my Viking ancestors.
Since this was a science expedition boat, I had to check-in, get a Covid test, go through all the safety regulations and get fitted for my winter gear, and report to the powers that be that Olga will be delayed. However, when I went to the meeting area and met the person in charge, I was told if Olga didn’t get on the ship at Reykjavik, where the ship was docked, then she wouldn’t be able to get on at all. Further, if I got on the ship without Olga, I would not be able to get off to meet her at any of our stops.
Because I am forgetting so many things from past trips; delicious meals, landscapes, conversations on balconies under the canopy of stars, insights, theater, scenes in distant cities, moments I swore I would remember forever, so many washed away like Etch A Sketch drawings. So while packing for this adventure I promised myself to have more of a balance in recalling the magic.
When arrived on a bright, freezing summer day in the capital city of Reykjavik, I discovered that there is nothing quite as humbling as standing on the land where my ancestors once lived. This reminded me that I am the result of a thousand sacrifices and of a thousand loves.
Each trip I take seems to be defined by a single moment, and those moments always involve a person. I randomly hired a driver who happened to be a man named Marius. He picked me up from the Reykjavik airport and showed me around while I waited on my fellow explorer and dear friend Olga to arrive.
There was kindness in Marius’s smile and gentleness. It was the smile of a man who laughed with ease. His stunning eyes were the blue color in the middle of a Bic lighter. He too came from Vikings and our day was spent walking through history.
Unfortunately, Olga ended up missing her connection in New York, due to a flight delay in Miami, which meant she would miss boarding the ship on the embarkment day. We both thought that this was no big deal and felt she could board at our first stop the following day.
Marius was carrying in my bag and overheard everything. I went into action calling the boat captain, the company, and our insurance provider. Two hours later, no one could help. Marius never left my side. As I bowed my head in defeat, knowing I wouldn’t get on the boat without Olga and knowing we would lose all the money we spent, Marius softly put his arms around me, bent down, and quietly said, “Let me see if I can help you.”
In less than five minutes he came back and told me that the company will make an exception and that Olga could join the boat from anywhere at any time. I don’t know whom Marius called or how he did it, but Olga happily arrived and boarded the ship the following day at our first stop.
I most likely will never see Marius again but his unselfish kindness will be a part of me forever. I realized in Iceland that sometimes miracles are good people with kind hearts. I also realized that it is time for me to make a new bucket list!
I too am one of the blind. And because I touch a different part of the elephant, I have developed my own theory about the relationship of the universe to human life and the relationship we each have with ourselves. My insights come from spending time in Peru, Spain, and Israel, two trips to Tibet, and studying in China-, which during 5000 years of civilization has spawned many diverse and meaningful concepts. Among the most arcane yet practical of these concepts is Feng Shui.
In feng shui, the far right corner of our space is the relationship area. It is easy to remember if we think of extending and reaching out our right hand to touch someone who is dear to us. The relationship corner is a good spot for our red or pink bouquet of roses together with other meaningful symbols of love and romance. In China, married couples prefer the image of Mandarin ducks as they mate for life. Trinkets or objects in pairs are always gentle reminders that there is a significant other in our life.
And, I think out of all the people we meet, we fall in love with three of them, each for a different reason.
Each trip I take seems to be defined by a single moment, and those moments always involve a person. I randomly hired a driver who happened to be a man named Marius. He picked me up from the Reykjavik airport and showed me around while I waited on my fellow explorer and dear friend Olga to arrive.
