Loving What Is!

Dear Reader,

Lately I’ve been noticing how many seemingly insignificant

things I do as part of my daily routine. As I gently wake up my kids, make my hubby coffee, serve breakfast and get school snacks prepared, I start reminding everyone of the day’s schedule – who has what activity after school and who will be picking up who.

I’m keenly aware that all of my children have a better chance at being president, an astronaut or the next Oprah than I do! I start to wonder what day or decisions I made that led me to be the backstage manager of so many lives instead of the star of my own. It can be sobering to realize the BIG VISION (aka ROCK STAR!) of who you envisioned yourself being as a child or young adult is now scaled back or a completely different version of what you set out to be!

Becoming a mom was the biggest game changer of my life. From the moment I held my first son, it seemed the rest of the world faded into the background and I knew loving him was what I was meant to do. As my family expanded and then years later, blended to a family of six children, I consciously shifted my perception of myself from being the Crew Chief in a symbolic Nascar pit supporting my car called family to regarding myself as the LIGHTHOUSE of my family. Lighthouses do not move about in the world, yet they offer shelter, protection and navigation to those seeking their way in the waterways of life. Their bright light penetrates the darkness and offers stability in relationships and confidence that any storm can be weathered. Lighthouses represent hope, beauty and strength, virtues I choose to represent for my family.

By making this conscious shift in how I value my own role as a wife and mother, I have allowed myself to really enjoy the WHAT IS of my life rather than dwell on WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN. I take pride in how deeply I love my family and I no longer discount all the little things I do to make their lives more comfortable and enjoyable. Simple rituals of making after-school smoothies, and tossing the warm just out of the dryer towels onto my children’s laps and family walks all take on more meaning when we consciously choose to value LOVE not only as a virtue but as a vocation.

Is there any area of your life that can benefit from a shift in perception?

We often think we want really big changes in our lives but it's actually little changes that shift our perception or allow us to adapt rituals that are meaningful! You deserve to have an extraordinary life and often all that takes is adding a little extra to the ordinary! What would it feel like to fully ACCEPT that what you are doing in your life right now is exactly what you are supposed to be doing? Maybe it’s time to let go of yesterday’s goals and realize somewhere along the line, your priorities changed and your life is now reflecting those changes. OWN your choices or change them!

Some people experience sadness or even depression when their life plan shifts. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin who was a member of the inaugural crew who traveled to the moon once said it was easier for him to go to the moon than to return to Earth! Where do you go if you've already been to the moon? How do we make peace with each of life’s seasons and stages?

Each season of our lives offers a chance for us to make new choices that reflect our evolving natures and circumstances. Expanding waistlines, dwindling eyesight and stiffer joints can all be met with critical resistance, but this approach does not serve! A shift to gentle compassion of our changing physiologies can be accommodated with massage for our bodies, readers for our eyes, and humor and acceptance for our souls! For me, as I grow in my years, wisdom and in my consciousness, I am choosing to let go of ideas, beliefs and things and realize it is not in what I'm achieving or owning or where I am going - it is in what I am enjoying, actually savoring, that makes for my day to day happiness and contentment.

I encourage you to make the shifts in your mind and heart that allow you to feel good about where you are right now! Be at peace! All is well!

Happy Shifting, Diana

Diana Stone, M.A., is a Wellness Consultant and inspirational writer and speaker. Connect with her at dianalynnstone@comcast.net