The mind is a fascinating little ball of gel. It is a network of pathways that have the ability to prune, thicken, and reroute, which keeps us questioning things, such as wormholes, more efficient technological devices, the meaning of an art piece, which underwear to buy, and even where I left the sunglasses that are resting on the top of my head. The human spirit, however, is a abstract thing of awe and mystery. Some reductionistic thinkers would combine the two, which is fine for them, but I firmly believe that our spirit and mind reciprocally influence each other, often in a way that is unnoticed or not understood. The more we take time to become aware of the subtle and seemingly random things in life the more we strengthen our abilities to see connections and themes within ourselves and between ourselves and our world.
For those of you that are rurally challenged, meandering may seem a bit foreign. Meandering has a few similar definitions, in which a theme becomes easy to see. Taken from http://www.thefreedictionary.com, as a verb it means “To follow a winding and turning course, or to move aimlessly and idly without fixed direction;” as a noun it means, “Circuitous windings or sinuosities, as of a stream or path; a circuitous journey or excursion; ramble; or an ornamental pattern of winding or intertwining lines, used in art and architecture.”
Giving yourself permission to immerse yourself in the intrigue of the question, instead of having to see the answer and have the solution, can be freeing and allow for greater creativity and growth. This is not to suggest forsaking goals or having direction, rather it is to allow one’s self to be flexible and open for unexpected changes, limitations, surprises (often experienced as unexpected gifts, observations, or lessons).
Since I mentally process in visual images, the picture that comes to mind is a jigsaw puzzle, where upon first viewing is simply a pile of oddly shaped pieces with fragments of colors and shades. Which pieces do you look for first?……of course, the edges, that is unless you are a masochist; we can schedule an appointment for a session. We use a sense of structure to help us begin, and then we start separating what seems like random pieces into piles that have some sense of order (color/shade/unique markings). These pieces do not make sense at first, but we hold them until we can start to connect them into two-piece, three-piece, or maybe six-piece segments, while looking for how they will fit into the bigger picture. These random pieces are not so random at all, but they feel random when we do not yet know where to place them or how they will fit.
The more I look around life the more I find lessons in the most unique places, or perhaps it is in my willingness to break away from my usual mode of busy-ness and blindness to be mindful of all that is present. This blog will be about random and purposeful thoughts, reflections, ponderings, questions, and observations that are related to health, mental health, nature, awe………you name it. Life is the edging to our jigsaw puzzles. The meanderings are the pieces yet to be placed and are gathered through experience, relationship, and lessons from anyone, including from children, from clients, or from mentors that are no longer living. The cool thing about this is that my edge pieces will connect with yours; how and how much is yet to be determined, but learn from these meanderings what is of use to you and hold or discard the rest. As a good friend of mine says, “Eat the meat and spit the bones.”
One activity that I seem to connect with and find an abundance of life’s lessons in is hiking, walking, or moseying (call it what you will) through the great outdoors. So, often you will see posts about hikes, as well as general comments.
Welcome to anyone visiting! I have already published a sampling of posts, and there are more to come……
(Obvious and shameless plug)…..please feel free to follow, repost, like, share on various social media sites, send me some cake, smile, hug your loved ones a bit longer, be kind to yourself, cry if you need to, and make this day into something that is meaningful and that supports your values/priorities.
