waking up {AW}
So far, the artist dates are my favorite part of AW. A scheduled date with just me. And a time when I have to stop my usual patterns and do something different. Get out of the house. Take a pause when I am working. Think of myself. Let go of answering the phone, email, pleasing everyone else.
This week I went to the zoo. One of my favorite things is to just stand and watch the sea otters play, swim, eat. I could watch them for hours. My heart fills with joy and I feel lighter as I watch them. I envy their ability to swim, float, play, tease, share, pause and groom one another. The laughter bubbles inside me and flows out in a giggle as the daughter otter steals food from her mother. Over and over. The mother tries to teach her to share by giving her a bite but eventually the daughter wins and takes the entire piece of food. I have to stop myself from talking out loud to them (well, I must admit that I do when no one is around).
I did not accomplish the morning pages every day. And I really appreciated that others were honest about this on their blogs - this was harder this week. I did do them four out of seven days. And I will keep going. I see the benefit to the extent that I am kind of afraid of them. This may be silly, I know.
As I looked back through AW on Friday, I was stopped short by Cameron's section on attention. The way she wrote about her grandmother. The tears came to the surface in the middle of the cafe where my husband and I were sitting. Partly because of the letters, notes, and cards I have from my grandmother, but also because I am beginning to notice that I am finally paying attention in my own life. This began to happen before these two weeks of AW, probably when I started my blog last fall, and AW is reinforcing this. I feel like I am awake. Awake in my own life for the first time in a long time.
Good morning.
liz lamoreux
Reader Comments (7)
the feeling of reawakening--i have been experiencing this feeling too. it feels odd and scary and exciting all at the same time!
btw, your time with the otters sounds wonderful. i like that they made you so happy that you had to "contain yourself"--:)!
Being an Otter myself I was more than overjoyed your date was to visit the otters. They are the inspirational to watch. We all need to be more like Otter...playful and joyful.
Lisa
P.S. Check out my blog to see what I did on my date.
Pretty amazing what changing our usual pattern can do. Oh...and I think you'll like this...the message on my calendar reads: "The dharma--the Buddha's teaching--is about letting fo of the story line and opening to what is: to people in our life, to the situations we're in, to our thoughts, to our emotions. We have a certain life, and whatever life we're in is a vehicle for waking up."
I love love love this photo (although I can never bring myself to go to a zoo) otters are my spirit creature in the native american lore---- and I NEED to find the otter in me, playful and slippery and loose--- thanks for sharing such a beautiful shot.
~bluepoppy
what a fantastic ad!! i adore watching sea otters...penguins are great afun to watch too...and i totally enjoyed seeing the polar bears play at the san diego zoo. i'm glad you had fun and that the aw is reinforcing your paying attention...same here. :-)
Oh to be awake, what a wonderful feeling. I love how alive you sound, how happy and aware of everything around you. It takes a really strong and courageous person to open themselves up like that, and I'm in awe of your willingness to let beauty in.
Opening our eyes to the beauty around us not only stimulates creativity but nourishes our souls.
Thanks for sharing your joy in the seeing
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