The gift of music

I've been feeling very blue for the past several days.  I understand why, and I'm okay with it because grieving is a natural emotion that accompanies loss.  But after a few days of complete and total lethargy, I've decided it's time to do something with my pain, to honor it, to allow it to be, so that I can eventually move on.

Tonight I remembered something that I used to know... that music has an incredibly powerful calming effect.  Perhaps it's the beauty of creative expression.  Or maybe it's the heartfelt certainty that someone else has experienced similar emotions, and they are able to express them in ways that I cannot.  Whatever the reason, no matter how low I sometimes sink, music is always able to lift my spirits.

I took piano lessons for most of my childhood.  It wasn't until I was much older that my mother told me that as a teenager, she could always tell when I was sad or under stress.  Those were the times that she never had to remind me that I was supposed to practice at least an hour a day.  Not only did I get my requisite hour in without a fuss, but I apparently lost track of time, got lost in my music, and played for much longer.  I bought another piano a few years ago, but it's been sitting quietly in my living room.  Perhaps it's time to revisit that habit.

In the meantime, tonight I'm thankful for YouTube and all the P.J. DJs who post music and videos on line for the rest of us to listen to for free.  I've created a few playlists so that I'll have appropriate music available for whatever mood hits me.  Right now I'm working on one called "Weepfest" which has some of my favorite songs that are so beautiful, or so expressive in their lyrics, that they make me cry.  I know it may sound weird, but scientists have actually studied the physiological effects of crying and have found it to be beneficial.  To read more on this, click here, here, and here.  Now that I've had a good cry, I feel much better.

The power of feeling empowered

Today I took a class in laying tile at Home Depot. After I close on my new house next week, my first project is to renovate the kitchen. Yes, I'm doing most of the work myself. No, I've never done it before. But just because I've never done something before doesn't mean that I can't. I've successfully accomplished countless firsts in my life. And I've committed equally as many blunders, none of which were life-ending for me or anyone else. In fact, I'm better because of them. So, I'm educating myself, talking to professionals, reading how-to articles and watching how-to videos, and I'm ready to get started.

When I hit my first glitch, which I almost certainly will, I'm going to remember a story I heard in my class today. A woman attended the same class a while ago, and informed the instructor that she was going to redo her kitchen herself and she wanted to learn all she could so that she'd do a good job. She said that she'd never done anything like this before, but didn't see why she couldn't do it. Several weeks later, the woman returned to the store with pictures of her new kitchen. The instructor, having over 30 years of experience in tiling, said that she had done a wonderful job and her kitchen looked as if she'd hired a professional or done many kitchens before.

What's so amazing about this story is that the woman was 90 years old! My first thought was "Wow, I'd really like to meet this woman and have her show me her kitchen." I was so inspired by her courage, her tenacity and her energy to take on a project of this magnitude. But perhaps more importantly, I was struck by the fact that she could have easily decided that she'd lived all her life without the kitchen of her dreams, and she wasn't going to live much longer anyway, so it would be senseless to "waste" the money, time and effort on creating a new kitchen. That's exactly what I think most people would have concluded under the circumstances. This woman, bless her heart, gives new meaning to living a full life and following your dreams, wherever they may lead.

I've been thinking about that woman all afternoon and God's mandate to me is clear. If that 90-year-old woman can not only redo her own kitchen, but do a beautiful job at it, what excuse could you possibly come up with for not doing yours? I'm starting on Saturday.

The gift of time

Short on cash? Short on gift ideas for the friend who has everything? My friend Irene shared with me a wonderful gift idea that just about anyone would love. The gift of time. Irene has a friend who uses every gift-giving opportunity to give Irene the one thing that she never has enough of - time. Sometimes it's only a few hours. Sometimes it's a weekend. The important thing is that once they agree on a mutually convenient time, this friend allows Irene to decide what she needs help with most, and that's exactly what she gets.

Whether it's planting flowers, pulling weeds or de-cluttering the spare bedroom, this simple, yet extraordinary gift has many benefits. In addition to the obvious benefit of an extra set of hands to tackle a project, there's also the gift of quality time spent among friends. Sometimes all we need is an extra set of eyes to provide a different perspective on how to solve a problem or complete a task. Sometimes the encouragement of a friend is just what we need to get the job done.

Instead of buying a gift for a friend or loved one, next time consider giving them some of your time. More than likely, it's a gift that will bless you both.

Welcome to my blog

Living a life of "soulful abundance" has become a major life goal for me. In fact, after my decision to become a Christian, it's probably the next most important lifestyle choice I've ever made. I've been on this journey for about two years and the results have been profound. I've been thinking about sharing the strategies and insights I'm learning for quite some time, and finally decided to take the plunge and start this blog. I hope you find it useful and meaningful and I invite you to share the journey with me.

What exactly is "soulful abundance?" Dictionary.com defines these two words as follows:

soulful: full of or expressing deep feelings; profoundly emotional.

abundance: an extremely plentiful or oversufficient quantity or supply; an overflowing fullness; wealth.

The concept of abundance is not new. It's mentioned often in the Bible and it's been gaining popularity lately in its current incarnation, known as The Law of Attraction. The concept first began to take hold for me when I read Simple Abundance. In it, Sarah Ban Breathnacht, defines simple abundance as "an inner journey, a spiritual and practical course in creative living, a tapestry of contentment."

That simple definition contains so much insight. It's an inner journey, meaning that it is ours and ours alone, a journey of our choosing, it comes from within us and is not predicated on external events. We can embark on this inner journey regardless of our external circumstances. We don't need to wait until the bills are paid, the kids are grown, we get married (or divorced), we buy that new house, or we get that new job. We can embark on this journey NOW.

It's both spiritual and practical. It's interesting that both words are included here. So often people focus on spirituality, but they forget that it's faith and love in action that matters. We're talking about a lifestyle, not an abstract theory here.

I love the word creative. As a self-proclained artist (in the very broadest sense of the word), anything that involves creativity definitely has my attention. But what's great about that word in this context is that not only does it inspire me to live my dream of filling my life and home with "art", made by me and by others, but it also reminds me that God and I together are the artists of my life as well. God has given me the opportunity, the resources and the desire to create a life that is pleasing both to Him and to me.

Here's what Sarah has to say about Simple Abundance:

At the heart of Simple Abundance is an authentic awakening, one that resonates within your soul; you already possess all you need to be genuinely happy. The way you reach that awareness is through an inner journey that brings about an emotional, psychological, and spiritual transformation. A deep inner shift in your reality occurs, aligning you with the creative energy of the Universe. Such change is possible when you invite Spirit to open up the eyes of your awareness to the abundance that is already yours.

With all due respect to Ms. Ban Breathnacht, while simplicity is goal and ultimately a by-product, the process is not "simple". It requires a conscious commitment to changing the way we think about our lives, our relationships and our environment. It is a paradigm shift that challenges the choices we make and the motivations behind them. For me, it's been a central theme in my spiritual development, and has also been profoundly emotional - hence my personal preference for the term "soulful abundance."

In upcoming posts, I'll expand more on my thoughts about soulful abundance. I'll also be sharing practical suggestions on how to create more soulful abundance in your life. I'm also planning to develop a set of links in the far right-hand sidebar of online resources and books in print that you may find helpful.

Thanks for visiting and please come back. I invite you to share this exciting journey with me.