Startled Out of Complacency
It is hiking weather where I live. Yesterday I allocated time to go on a lengthy hike alone to invite in nature nurture for my physical, emotional, mental and spiritual being. Nature outings help me stay centered and grounded, and invite me to see anew.
Walking down a remote trail, I came to a sudden stop, startled by what was in front of me.
It was unexpected, bold and vibrant - and living. The intricacy of the design captivating.
While an unexpected snake would have startled me, this time it was a lone flower vibrantly waving in the breeze. As if it had been placed there with the invitation for me to notice, to invite the startling beauty of nature to beckon me inward.
And it did just that.
And I am grateful.
And I ask you, what has startled you in your life? In the last week? Today?
One definition of the word startle is ‘to surprise or frighten (someone) suddenly and usually not seriously’ it can also take on a connotation of unwelcome. Might we consider being startled as an invitation to show up fully for life? This relatively tiny miraculously made flower did just that for me.
Its presence may have been amplified by an ‘into the shadows’ undertaking that I began three weeks ago. It’s a daily practice that I’ve committed to for 30 days and invites me to move inward using breath to see what is beneath the surface, to reveal what I might’ve otherwise missed. Sometimes these breathing sessions are also startling – both welcomed and unwelcomed.
When we listen to life, we have the ongoing invitation to be awakened to a startling scene. When we listen to our bodies, we can be amazed at what they reveal. When we get out of our small self - letting go of judgments, opinions, rights and wrongs, how it should be - life can startle us out of complacency. Like seeing the beauty of a simple flower placed in our path.
So today I invite you to embrace the ‘flowers’ in whatever form and however they show up. It might be in the form of something unwelcome, or something that is so beautiful it stops you in your tracks.
If you’re interested in exploring experiences that invite a delving into our body speaking to us - perhaps even inviting startling revelations, click on the link below to receive more information about an upcoming online course being offered. Plus, there is an option to take the course in person if you live in the Phoenix area.
May you trust and embrace that which startles… both welcome and unwelcome. It is all part of the journey.