New Years Wishes
I would like to take a moment to wish all of my readers/viewers a fantastic, healthy, happy & prosperous New Year.
For me and my family, 2009 presented several, serious challenges. My wife dealt with some very frightening health issues which shook my whole family- she weathered them and bounced back stronger than ever. I am thankful for the health of my family, and I look forward to what is coming in the following year. May you and yours be able to look back on 2010 and smile.
Contributing Editor: My Wife, Donna.
This is a perfect opportunity to introduce you to my wife of nearly 15 years, Donna. You can read a little about her background in the previous post.
Moments of beauty, moments of awe-
Donna Kirschner, Contributing Editor
The natural, calming, fluid beauty of Koi…
The brightly colored fish slowly work their way around the indoor pond. These giant Koi, each with a beautiful marking, move in a way that always stills me. I must not be alone as people often include these gems in their zen meditation gardens. They seem to be a part of upscale malls lately. Perhaps like other shoppers, I’d been hurrying along and then I stopped short, struck by their beauty. Grateful for the moment of internal quiet that they provided, I mindfully slowed my breath. I silently expressed gratitude for the forces of nature and the workings of humans that helped create this beauty.
While not every day provides us a perfectly manicured garden of costly animals to gaze upon, I firmly believe that when we look for beauty, or find ourselves lucky enough to happen upon it, we can find ourselves in a state of grace. I find that this helps when faced with all sorts of challenges, whether physical or from the struggles of daily life.
I offer this perspective from three dimensions of my life that have transformed me. First, my training as a cultural anthropologist brings a perspective on the human condition garnered from the wisdom many cultures; we’re so similar and so much of what we do is not “natural” but cultural. Second, I have the good fortune to work with couples as they prepare for natural childbirth and parenting and open themselves both to the process of normal birth and for unexpected situations. We spend a lot of time developing tools and strategies to work through what can often be a physically challenging process. When these couples share their birth stories, they often talk about the role of teamwork and mental relaxation in this process, which always draws them closer together. Certainly, in childbirth you have a clear goal and the prize of a precious, alert new life. Mitigating chronic pain may be another story, but I think we can draw upon the wisdom of couples’ birth work to help you in your journey. Finally, my offerings come from the place of someone who has slowly worked her way out of an acute and debilitating depression, which began a few years back. Medication and some excellent therapy, both talk and energy-oriented therapies, went a long way. Yet it was only when I developed the habits of gratitude that I began to alter my perspective an head in the direction towards emotional healing.
Some days, I could only be grateful for how lovely the soap felt as I washed my hands. The little habits of gratitude built over time, and trust me, they are often mindful habits, but they built and the depression eventually abated. So while you may not find yourself at an art museum today, I urge you to find some beauty. You may find it in the natural world or in something that people have created. I know that often, when I slow down and bring myself into the moment and simply watch my daughter at play, or my dog asleep, or the clouds blow by outside, I can feel a state of awe, grace and gratitude. I wish you the same. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments here at BackWords.
