In this blog we will be talking about finding and enjoying the sacred little things in everyday life. So get comfy, cozy and open your heart, open your mind and let’s get into it…
Welcome back Adventurers and Friends to Adventure Inwards Let’s Talk Series. For those who are here for the first time, hello! Welcome! Thank you for joining us!
I would like to start off with this quote from Robert Brault:
“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”
When I first met my husband, Corey, I knew nothing about the Native American culture, beliefs or traditions. Being part Native American, and practicing these sacred rituals, I was introduced to life changing experiences deep in spiritual history. This opened me up to understanding everything in our lives, everything around us has value, has purpose and it deserves respect, acceptance and love unconditionally.
One of the things I love about the Native American spiritual path is the focus on appreciating the simple things in life.
Simple things are often hard to relate to in today’s world of overwhelm.
Eric Schmidt, previously the executive chairman of Google, pointed out that we human beings create as much information in two days as we did from the dawn of civilization up through 2003!
And yet our bodies were, and still are, designed to be in tune with the sun, the moon, the seasons, and the cycles of nature. That simplicity is what our souls long for.
So our adaptation to the “modern age” has been fraught with peril to our peace of mind and our health.
Our ancestors greeted the sun each morning, enjoyed simple home-cooked meals, played with their children and grandchildren, and delighted in a beautiful sunset, with no television to lure them inside on a beautiful summer evening.
I am as tempted as the next person to watch a good TV show, but I have found that the evenings when I putter in the kitchen, making a healthy meal while listening to relaxing music, are much more fulfilling.
Let’s talk about finding meaning in the little things.
I know someone who designed their house around being able to have African violets in the kitchen window.
They did it because their grandmother had them in her kitchen window. That meant the kitchen window had to be in the south, because that gave them the best light.
So their entire house was designed around having a south-facing kitchen window for African violets.
She said every time she stands at the kitchen sink and sees them, she thinks of her grandmother. And it becomes a simple, heartfelt connection to the past.
Native Americans sought a simple, earth-based lifestyle also. No one who truly understood the responsibility involved, ever sought to be a “medicine man.” They longed to be a simple human being, living a simple life.
My first Native American teacher, Black Warrior, said, “I’m not interested in any philosophy unless it can help me grow herbs.” Meaning, knowledge that makes our lives better is what’s most valuable.
It’s fine to spend time philosophizing about lofty ideals, but how does that help you if you are unable to enjoy a cup of tea, or a sunset, or delight in watching a child take their first steps?
Living a peaceful, fulfilling life is sacred.
But you may feel as if there should be more to life.
I remember an episode of the sitcom Seinfeld in which Jerry Seinfeld was, for once in his life, thoughtful and sensitive. In reviewing his shallow life, he asked, “Isn’t there more to life than this?”
His neighbor Kramer replied, “I know the answer to that: There isn’t!”
What if there isn’t more to life than simplicity, appreciating every day, helping others, and being kind when we can? I think that’s not so bad!
Once I became an empty nester, I asked my husband , “What should we do now with our time?”
After a long talk we decided we wanted to spend our free time helping people. We let friends, neighbors and community volunteer organizations know that, since we were pretty handy, whenever something needed to be fixed around the house, to just call and we would fix it or if someone needed help with lawn and garden care we would help at no charge. We will do it just for the pure joy of it.
It helps us enormously and gives us the fulfilling feeling of having helped someone. What a simple empty nester’s solution.
Let’s bring this conversation to talking about spiritual acts in daily life that I feel are sacred and simple. Perhaps making time to add them to your day will bring the sacred back into it:
1. Prayer.
2. Meditation.
3. Time in nature.
4. Time with children; they certainly know how to live in the
Moment.
5. Meal preparation. It’s an opportunity to pray over your food.
Make it a meditation.
6. Greet the day. Watch the sunrise and say, ”Thank you.”
7. Say “goodnight” to the day and express gratitude for
everything that happened that day.
8. Declutter your home, which can also lead to decluttering your
mind. I’m going through a massive purging right now, getting
rid of things I no longer use. It feels as though I’m opening up
my mind and soul for a fresh breeze to flow through and renew
me.
9. Awake early to have time to meditate, breathe, and watch the
birds, while slowly, mindfully, drinking a cup of coffee or tea.
10. When you feel the need to buy something, stop. Wait
twenty-four hours. Ask Why do you want it? Do you need it?
What void is it filling? What else can fill it?
11. Do you keep the T.V. on without even watching it? Being home
alone often, I am well aware that sometimes I like the T.V on
just to hear the voices of other people. But I’ve recently taken
to leaving the T.V. off and listening to music instead. So I still
hear voices, but more pleasant ones.
Here are a few things turning off the T.V. can give you: time
with a loved one, time for exercise, time for meditation, time
for yourself, time to observe nature, or even time for a nap.
So here are my final thoughts
Why not take some time to slow down, incorporate some of these spiritual acts into your day, and see what a difference it makes?
You may find that you are living a more enriched and fulfilling life, leaving you happier and healthier at the end of each day.
Life has so much to offer and most of that can be found in the smallest of corners, kindest of words, and simplest of gestures.
Remember to be kind to yourself, give yourself grace, and always always love yourself.
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