Your Wild and Precious Life

Mary Oliver wrote, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

It seems that people, like people smarter than me, keep asking questions about what am I doing with this life I am processing through. And I feel like the days are slipping away so fast and I cannot slow them down. It seems impossible to me that next month I will be turning 72 years old. I have so much I wanted to have done and there seemed to be plenty of time to do it all. I feel I have frittered away my years unknowingly feeling that I could put off my goals and do them tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, etc. I have kept putting off what calls me and now face some overwhelm in trying to figure out what to do next.

I want to just stop and get off the carousel of what life seems to be lately. I want to stand quietly on the curb with the sunshine on my face and just listen to the sounds of the birdsong around me – feel the breeze on my body – smell all the smells that I can and ground myself onto the earth and just BE!

I want to exclaim like Anne Lamott and tell myself “THIS is who I am” do you see me?

I love rituals – especially little ones like taking a mindful bath – shutting the door on the out there with specific instructions to not disturb. Lighting a candle and playing soft music and filling the tub and immersing myself in the water like a warm hug from a dear friend. And just being with there with my Self and no one and no thing else. This is my Conscious Contact with my Spirit. This is my Being mindful of who I am and now I can see my Self. Here I can recognize what calls me to myself and where I can connect the dots to my soul. These are the things that call to connect and these are my ways of jumping off the wheel that spins me too fast.

What are your ways to connect with yourself and get off the hamster wheel of shoulda – coulda – woulda? Would love to hear some of your suggestions!