[Daring Greatly] Book Nook's Day 1

Today, I'm going to borrow something from the mind of spiritual adviser, teacher and blogger Ronna Detrick ~ (with my additional thoughts in "{}")

Some thoughts before going further...{specifically in our DG Book Nook}

I'm aware of the tyranny of time; how incredibly difficult it can be, despite our best intentions, to clear space for spiritual reflection/practice.  {Any kind of higher study for that matter or simply honest-to-God time for ourselves.  No, not impulse buys, booze or bingeing or bags of Tostitos.  Escapism, anyone?  Um...guilty as charged! :p}

So when this quote landed in my inbox this morning, I felt it Divinely inspired - and perfect gift to both of us as we continue this journey together:

"What I want is a quiet life.

I mean a life that listens: to other people, to my place, to silence. I want to notice even the smallest things, to stay immediate to my surroundings. But daily distraction can be so fragmenting, so addictive, and the kind of attentive patience I seek requires clarity of mind. To find this clearheadedness, I must make a commitment to do so - I have to say no to the constant, frenzied consumption of "needs" (more often wants and excesses), and I have to make room for the quiet contented yes I actually desire.

It is a generous gift - to choose the way I want to live, in spite of circumstances. I believe that I am daily shaping myself through my decisions, and so I make them earnestly, carefully. But I too easily fall into patterns I believe to be obligatory - habits of convenience I depend upon. I am carried away by the impulse to keep up, though this sentiment inspires only a perpetual state of wanting. I'd rather punctuate my days with actions turning me towards gratefulness, revitalizing my eyes to see the calm goodness already around me." ~ Julie Pointer, from Kinfolk

Here's to "going further" - willfully, quietly, Divinely.

Courage in creativity,
Chiqui