Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Do You Have the Energy for Life's Possibilities?

Note: I've been encouraged to do more blogging about the wellness and life topics I often delve into with my clients at Nourish instead of focusing more narrowly on food. I'm up for it! It's all part of the Decadently Healthful life I try to live and that we at Nourish work with clients to achieve. So in this blog, while I'll continue to write frequently about food and healthful eating, I'll also dip into the broader subjects of health and wellness and living a vibrant, abundant LIFE! I'd love to hear from you through comments as I continue to evolve this blog so that it most thoroughly stimulates your thinking and inspires your personal journey to your own decadently healthful life. So here goes....

possibility Pictures, Images and Photos

I've been biting off a lot lately - maybe more than I can chew - maybe not. With the arrival of warm weather, a growing business, an incremental consulting opportunity, two preschoolers at home all day, and
a new baby arriving in six weeks, there is simply a lot going on that excites me these days! I'm one of those people who is prone to overdoing it. I always believe I have it all under control and that I can manage my life through rigorous scheduling and self-discipline and careful planning...but the truth, in the wise words of Deepak Chopra, is that "Even when you think you have your life all mapped out, things happen that shape your destiny in ways you might never have imagined.” Or as my father-in-law often quips, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans."

Sometimes the "things that happen" are small. Last night my 2 year old woke up at midnight with a stomach bug and he and I spent most of the night huddled on the bathroom floor with him whimpering or vomiting or napping and me stroking his head and whispering soothing motherly words while wondering how on earth I'd have the energy to get through the jam-packed upcoming day. And yet here I am. Getting through it with some reserve of energy that presented itself just when I needed it.

And sometimes the things are big. An unexpected turn of events that radically reshapes the plans we had for the rest of our tomorrows. The reserves we require to navigate these changes are far more significant and require more careful cultivation to have available when they are needed. It doesn't matter if the unexpected event is catastrophic or overwhelmingly joyous - it calls upon us to deliver energy we never knew we had. I've had a few of these show up lately too - fortunately all of the joyful variety - but they require energy in order to say "YES" to them!

I often talk to my clients about the idea of creating energy for life's possibilities. When we dream together about what their very best life would look like and they immediately articulate a clear vision and their path to get there (trust me - sometimes it happens!), I try to get them to leave room in that vision for the unexpected. For the husband's new job in another city. For the birth of another child. For the blossoming of a hobby into a passion. For an accelerated promotion. For illness or injury or winning the lottery!

When we hold tightly to control over our original plans (and yes, I'm absolutely prone to do this, too) we can miss the even bigger things the world has planned for us. Staying open to the wonder of possibilities - living the questions so to speak - allows for a much richer life.

Yet, to take advantage of those opportunities, we need to have energy in reserve. If life shows up with a big, beautiful, wrapped present and we're too tired to open it, we simply miss out. There's rarely a second chance to say YES when life offers us an opportunity.

It's why I feel so strongly about living a vibrant, energized life and about NOT walking around in a chronic state of depletion. Moments of depletion? Normal. (Just ask the woman who was up all night on the bathroom floor!) But a life of depletion? Daunting! Finding ways to replenish ourselves in small everyday ways (a walk outside at lunchtime, a killer iPod mix for the morning run, a jar of sun tea on the patio) and through bigger, more intentional actions (
a spa day, sending the kids to Grandma's for a weekend, a family summer vacation, a sabbatical or leave of absence) funnels energy into our reserve so it's there when we most need it. These activities also clear our minds enough to SEE the possibilities set before us. In our daily head-down, fast-paced, don't-get-in-my-way lives we rarely pick our heads up long enough to see the big gift that may be sitting in front of us. It shows up as a distraction or an obstacle rather than as a possibility.

If you're living in a state of depletion, you can feel it. Ask yourself why you're allowing this to happen. What would have to be true to find moments of replenishment? What would it take to carve out a real chunk of time for more intense renewal? What's stopping you? Your best life is waiting for you to be ready to take it on....

7 comments:

  1. I love this post! There are so many ways to find joy. Even being up late at night with a sick child can be a moment of intimacy love and appreciation of what we have.

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  2. Thanks! I am excited about blogging on a broader range of topics - and I really believe in this one!

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  3. Cherylanne,I am so pleased you are considering how we nourish our spirits and not just our bodies. I know you are on the right track when I see the forward looking, positive attitude you reveal in "Energy for Life's Possibilities". I am a firm believer in the energy which is derived from a positive outlook in our everyday lives. I have been passing through this life a good number of years more than you I am sure.( It is aparent from your profile that I would be the grandmother type with whom you would leave your children when you have a mini vacation day.) I can promise you, a positive attitude gets you through any day. Nourishing your spirit is the first step to getting yourself energized especially on bad days, nourishing your body is the second step. Nourishing your body WELL is much easier when the spirit is WELL nourished. For too many years, I nourished my body by trying to reward or console myself with food... much of the wrong kinds of food. Today, I am re-adjusting my eating habits, ( I won't call it a "diet" because I eat most of the same things I ate before, only in different perportions, and with better knowledge of what I am eating, and when). Best of all, I have overcome a health scare which is now under controll. Attitude, knowledge, and a joy of life have helped. Now, If I had only done this years earlier, I could have enjoyed having the elasticity of my skin take over and put things back into place after losing 25 lbs.!! That, unfortunately, is the price you pay when you wait too long to pay attention to your own self. As you say, children, jobs, spouses, and any number of activities are known to sap the energies which make us vibrant. It is essentual to renew and nourish our spirits and not just do for others. Have a mini vacation, even if it's reading a book or a blogg. Do it now. Thanks Chyrelann, for being so wise, so early in your life, and sharing that wisdom with us.

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  4. @ Linda - Thanks! I couldn't agree more that it's much easier to nourish our bodies well when our spirits are well nourished!

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  5. Cherylanne, you have given us so many mouth watering recipies. I would love to try them without having to cook them myself. You see, I have come to the point where I no longer enjoy being the "cook", since I am a retired homemaker. (It's easy to retire from a "job" but the responsibilities of being a homemaker, don't go away!) Can you suggest some dishes which don't require collecting unusual or a number of different ingredents or is already prepared? I know frozen or pre-made foods don't usually have the flavor the "from scratch" recipies do but sometimes, I just like to have a nutritious meal without having to get out all the ingredients to make it. I like shortcuts. We often eat out and that can sometimes be a problem too, especially when we watch for sugar and fat contents. I don't expect a pat answer, but I hope you consider those of us who like good, healthy food but not the cooking part.

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  6. @ Linda - Stay tuned - I'll be sure to blog soon about some healthy brands/varieties of prepared foods and how to get a nourishing meal on the table without cooking!

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  7. Great..I'm getting tired of Salads, grilled meats, and spending time in the kitchen putting dishes together which usually call for an ingredient I don't have or have to stop and run to the store to get. Because there are only two of us to cook for, it seems the fresh fruits and veggies I purchase end up sopiling before I can use them all. Because need to be careful about what I eat, I end up thinking about food, all the time. I guess I need some healthy "fast food"! Look forward to your suggestions.

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