Creating Clarity

Having falling in Love with 2010 even before it began, I jumped into this year bursting with enthusiasm, awe, and optimism. I grabbed hold of CLARITY and COURAGE and vowed to myself to honour these words with honestly living them. My focus this month has been on Clarity and how do I create more clarity in my days, weeks, mind, relationships, thoughts. I found myself at the end of 2009 hazy and unfocused. Grounded happily in Berlin but with no clear vision. So how do I change that? My recipe is of course specific to me. It reflects how I tick and what make me tick smoother and more vibrantly. Typical of me it is detailed and long with various branches spurting from each other and of course with a note to not plan to do too much, less is more after all. What I am especially enjoying this month from my long list are my tea breaks.

I stop or finish up what ever it is I am doing. I make a conscious decision of 'now'. I walk into the kitchen (if I am not already there). I put water in the kettle and turn on an element (the broken one at the back that always heats to high even if it is on 1). I set the water to boil. I chose a tea. Roibus Carmel, Sencha Green, Hexen Krauter, Pita Mix ... I enjoy choosing the tea. I scoop out the loose leaves into the metal sieve. I wait for the water to boil and do nothing else but that (no dishes or emailing or calling or web surfing or...). Once boiled I poor the water into the cup (usually but not always the big bright orange one). I sit at my kitchen table with my journal or not. I wait for the tea to steep. Then I drink it. Staring out of the window, writing a word or two in my journal. Day dreaming or thinking about the day, the week, before, now, and later. Time for just me, tea, and my thoughts. I am surprised at how much this helps with my overall clarity throughout the day and week.

January goes. February arrives. There is snow, ice, cold. It is my first hardy winter in 8 years. I am loving it. I am still in love with 2010. Of course, 2010 is bound to grow older and be filled with life. For some it has been a time of peace and happiness for others a time of great destruction and pain. My heart goes out to those suffering. I so deeply wish that all being are happy, healthy, peaceful and free from suffering. But unfortunately that is not yet the case. I turn to the last of the Metta Bahvana Meditation.

May all beings progress.

So may I progress in order to be of better use for others.

May my quest for clarity and courage be of service to others.

Peace,

erinbell

www.erinbellfanore.com