Day 27
To the tune of dripping rain, singing robins and blanketing fog.
I no longer care if this comes across as cheesy, but something I heard on CBC Radio more than half my life ago continues to have positive results in my everyday life. Take the very last awake moment before sleep to conjure a few things that brought some form of happiness or gratitude throughout that day. It has been and continues to be a litmus test of how my life is going. I like how often it connects the smallest of things to the present moment and relates that to the larger embodiment of life. It acts as a personal tour guide through experience and how one perceives events, emotions, interactions, reactions... In my experiences this simple reflective exercise is as important to continue whether life is taking a turn for the worst or whether you are thriving. In this contrast we gain access to the full spectrum of existence. When life has you in the gutter, how can anyone be grateful for anything? These are times when I can connect with the body, experience the vessel we have been gifted, thankful for working limbs and organs, the ability to think clearly or the freedoms we are privileged with in this country, in this time in history. Once we gain access to these levels of gratitude rather than dwelling on the opposite, a new perspective takes over and it allows for a lightness to hover over our sometimes mired days.
Nowadays my challenges are to arise in the morning and reflect on moments of joy or gratitude. Same exercise, but I tend to struggle with the morning version as it takes a lot of effort and will power to pause and bring the positives into focus before I embark on another day. I do not know why this is the case, but it continues to calibrate perspective and focus on what is important vs. what doesn't serve anymore.
Another day of harsh conditions for performing in a damp, cold dark structure but another opportunity to rise above and overcome any of life’s challenges by simply showing up and giving everything. These gloomy days are fun to explore cheerful and major key songs, contrasting the heavy weights of grays and cold. The opposite can be true. Playing dark, minor, intense sounds on clear, sunny, vibrant days. My objective is to allow whatever comes to come flowing regardless of expectations.
