joy

image credit.. criminallyinnocent 

I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. 
I acted and behold, service was joy......Rabindranath Tagore

Joy is an essential spiritual practice growing out of faith, grace, gratitude, hope, and love. It is the pure and simple delight in being alive. Joy is our elated response to feelings of happiness, experiences of pleasure, and awareness of abundance. It is also the deep satisfaction we know when we are able to serve others and be glad for their good fortune.

Invite joy into your life by staging celebrations. Host festivities to mark transitions and changes in your life. Toast moments of happiness you notice as you go through your day. Dance — jump for joy — as often as possible. Life is not meant to be endured; it is to be enjoyed....excerpted from spiritualityandpractice.com

today i humbly present tracey thorn's new vid and song. i <3 nbsp="nbsp" p="p" thorn.="thorn." tracey="tracey">
i do believe that this holiday season will be the best i have had in several years. although i am busy, i have tapped into peace of mind that i have not been able to access in the previous sober years. whatever this is or whatever this means, i am thrilled that there seems to be no major crisis going on in my life. i am not in conflict with anyone of real significance. my relationships with friends and with co-workers are smooth and without much strife. my family and i are simpatico and i am feelin' good.

mahogany sessions

i stumbled upon a vid with the name "mahogany session" and of course it caught my fancy. turns out it is a series of music that is posted on a blog by the name "mahogany blog". there are hundreds of vids posted over the last 3 years or so. all are high quality(that i have seen) and most of the music speaks to me. 

when i looked at the "about" section of the site, i found this:

Mark Murdoch

Mark founded Mahogany back in 2009 whilst working at a large digital music firm in London. Having started it as a small personal music blog, he’s since seen it grow into something extremely special.

Humbled everyday by the opportunity to do what he loves best; Mark is the Editor of Mahogany Blog, Head of Music for the Mahogany Sessions and oversees the entire project.

let the river run

colorado river- horseshoe bend arizona

When you begin to touch your heart or let your heart be touched, you begin to discover that it's bottomless, that it doesn't have any resolution, that this heart is huge, vast, and limitless. You begin to discover how much warmth and gentleness is there, as well as how much space...pema chodron

life is full again. so many good thoughts. so many great  opportunities. numerous kind words exchanged. promise and practice. i didn't know i could let go so unwillingly. of course, i struggle way too much. but i am finding it (finally) to be really quire tiring.

i was to go on a date last weekend but plans changed and i found myself relieved because i honestly can't say i feel date-ready. i am riding a wave of change at my workplace that i somehow had anticipated and channeled. i get to see ideas come to fruition and savor accomplishment. i smile most of the time and it is not about creating reality. this is my reality.

naivete aside, i don't attach any forever here. it is now. it is amazing. it is all the way live.

the pema chodron quote above has snuck its way into my psyche. if i think about the last few years of sobriety, i am immediately accompanied by the onset of ancient feelings that prior to sobriety, i had no real idea existed. but exist they did, and fester they did, deep down inside imprinting furrows and crevasses that petrified and fossilized much of my interior.

if a miracle is a shift in perception as a course in miracles defines, then i find myself opening a shop on miracle boulevard. and i hope to open for visitors soon. something has definitely shifted. i have let go of some fear that i couldn't until just very recently. quietly and without fanfare, the refreshing waters of forgiveness and letting go in many many facets of my life have refreshed the dried up river beds of my memories.

i am thankful today. i am in awe. i am humbled. i believe. let the river run.. and i'm gonna run through it barefoot with laughter in my heart. let the river run.

It's asking for the taking.

Come run with me now,

the sky is the color of blue

you've never even seen

in the eyes of your lover.

Oh, my heart is aching.

We're coming to the edge,

running on the water,

coming through the fog,

your sons and daughters. 

carly simon

                                         

post script- when i was in the lgbt chorus here in denver in the early 90's - we sang this song. that show reminded me how much i love to be behind the scenes as on stage. that versatility remains a strong part of my program.

finally

Finally it has happened to me right in front of my face

My feelings can't describe it

Finally it has happened to me right in front of my face and

I just can not hide it

at the beginning of this year i turned in hours and supervision paperwork to accrue my addiction counseling certification level III. i have been concerned because it has taken quite some time to hear back from dora- (department of regulatory agencies) colorado. but today, i have received my paper version of my certification.

the delay has been frustrating. i had to forego a salary increase at the anniversary mark of my employment as it hadn't arrived. i also missed out on applying for a position as a level III counselor and circumstances have shifted strangely due to this omission.

but i have to stay true to my beliefs and trust that all things happen as they should. i am moving forward now and it is the time for me to do so. have i mentioned that i really enjoy working with most of the clients? i get to care for them and remember my desire to do so. i get to be of service and work at being a life coach.

today is good news. and i am thankful.

with a post title like this, it should be no surprise that i am including the cece penniston number. it still gives me a feelgood.