Letting Go

I've returned to reality - wind chill minus something my first day back.  The coldest day in Boston since the 1950's, though today is going to be in the 50's.  However, I am in a good frame of mind having had a wonderful break and I came back with a nice suntan.  We were in the Sarasota area for two weeks on a lovely little island and found so much to do, especially museums.  Take a look at these pictures from the Chihuly Museum in St. Petersburg.  The colors are stimulating, exciting, and happy.   I went to the exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston a few years ago and could not resist seeing it again.  We also went to the Dali Museum and took a docent tour.  Dali is an extraordinary artist and having someone point out all the details in his work that I never really saw before made it so much more meaningful. The whole trip was like this, clarifying.  I understood more about my need for stimulation and then how to take a step back and allow myself to regulate to a slower pace. I discovered that I don't have to be stimulated, active and purposeful every minute of the day.  It was a pleasant insight and I learned to flow a little better.   I'm hoping I can stay more in touch with this part of myself.  Life is demanding and we all get caught up in the "doing".    Here is one way to clear out the clutter in your head.  Sit still and allow internal demands to come up (i.e. "I should be, I should do ...." whatever your "shoulds" are).  Give yourself permission to literally breathe out these thoughts. Then replace the undermining thoughts with a positive message ("I am okay, I feel good about...").  It's simple and takes only a few minutes.  Trust me, it works.  I hope you enjoy the pictures.