How many times have you passed by a rose and thought "Oh yeah, I'm supposed to stop and smell the roses." And so you do. And you likely remember in that moment how nice it is to pause and inhale the scent.
How many times have you passed by a tulip and thought "Oh yeah, stop and smell the tulip." Seriously? Who does that? Not me until recently when my friend was visiting and she had to stop and smell every tulip. In spite of a pretty good memory I couldn't recall a time when I had ever smelled a tulip. Maybe I did growing up but it wasn't embedded in my brain. So I had to see what was so intriguing about the smell of tulips and to my delight, they smell lovely.
It got me thinking of how many things I may be missing in life because I follow a script that was written by my family, friends and acquaintances over the years. Maybe I have taken the same route or followed the same patterns in the choices I've made. It is true that although I was never introduced as a child to kiwi, avocados, salsa and hummus, I am now a big fan. I did not grow up around water so now that I live on Lake Huron my appreciation is boundless.
And what about the ways of thinking that we never challenge because we simply react to life's situations. I know that I was raised ... unintentionally ... to slip into a drama filled state of anxiety over anything that felt like a slight or criticism. It still shocks me how quickly I can feel victimized (although like most people I don't like to label myself that way) instead of pausing to see the truth of the events taking place around me. I take this work of living with joy and peace very seriously and to stay in integrity with what I teach, I put a lot of effort into holding a more empowered perspective on what comes my way.
This is the 'tulip' effect. Doing something different. Getting a different result. And sometimes a very pleasant one. Where in your life are you trudging down the same well worn path you have always taken and missing the potential for
How many times have you passed by a tulip and thought "Oh yeah, stop and smell the tulip." Seriously? Who does that? Not me until recently when my friend was visiting and she had to stop and smell every tulip. In spite of a pretty good memory I couldn't recall a time when I had ever smelled a tulip. Maybe I did growing up but it wasn't embedded in my brain. So I had to see what was so intriguing about the smell of tulips and to my delight, they smell lovely.
It got me thinking of how many things I may be missing in life because I follow a script that was written by my family, friends and acquaintances over the years. Maybe I have taken the same route or followed the same patterns in the choices I've made. It is true that although I was never introduced as a child to kiwi, avocados, salsa and hummus, I am now a big fan. I did not grow up around water so now that I live on Lake Huron my appreciation is boundless.
And what about the ways of thinking that we never challenge because we simply react to life's situations. I know that I was raised ... unintentionally ... to slip into a drama filled state of anxiety over anything that felt like a slight or criticism. It still shocks me how quickly I can feel victimized (although like most people I don't like to label myself that way) instead of pausing to see the truth of the events taking place around me. I take this work of living with joy and peace very seriously and to stay in integrity with what I teach, I put a lot of effort into holding a more empowered perspective on what comes my way.
This is the 'tulip' effect. Doing something different. Getting a different result. And sometimes a very pleasant one. Where in your life are you trudging down the same well worn path you have always taken and missing the potential for