"We are all wanderers on this earth...our hearts are full of wonder, and our souls are deep with dreams." ~ Gypsy proverb

Thursday, January 31, 2013

when you can't see in front of you

Driving in snow is a new thing for me. But, driving in snow down a mountain when visibility equates to a thick white curtain of nothing is terrifying :)!!! When I get nervous behind the wheel, I shut off the music or book I'm listening to, place both hands on the wheel, breathe deeply and slow down, waaaay down (thankfully no one else was around to curse or roll their eyes at my snail's pace).

That's when the silence took over. Soon white sheets of snow flurries danced and spun in circles in front of my car, like someone just shook us in a snow globe. It's eerie to watch nature mind its own business while we worry away our lives. But when we are forced to be silent and focus on just one thing, everything slows down. And steadily within 15 minutes, I was completely clear, in my head and outside my car.

It really is that simple isn't it. When you can't see in front of you, when your wondering if the next gust is going to pick you up and send you over the edge, when panic wants to set in with maniacal messages prepared for your head and body-- just. slow. down.

Silence + acute focus + slowing down = peace, clearer thinking, and patience.

Not that I plan on regularly driving in white out conditions to remind me of these things, hehe...



Speaking of peace and calm, have you heard of Lotus Wei?  I learned about these flower essences from this wonderful lady, and my order was waiting for me after I arrived home yesterday from the snow globe. So far I have used Inspired Action, Quiet Mind, and Inner Peace and I have to tell you I love them, even for just the scents alone. They even have journals you can download off their site so you can record if and how your mood changes using these essences and their combinations. If only I had them with me this past weekend, I would have made each of us bathe in them :)!

Cheers to you and Thursday

xoxo



11 comments:

  1. scary conditions!
    and you listen to books while driving?! how do people DO that? lol

    anyway, yes, slow the f down, is usually enough, to re-find centre.

    we often just want to DO something about a situation. i know i do. i'm 10% Doer personality. but likewise place a golden value on silence, i have to, to find my centre, on a daily basis.

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  2. Lovely, MJ! How amazing to find peace and serenity—such a floating, clear moment—in the middle of all that whirling chaos. I love the yin and yang of it all, the balance, the beauty.

    I love the photo—it's incredible. And, now, this becomes like one of those curly logic questions you get in exams or puzzles: if you've got both hands on the wheel, how'd you take the photo?? And… much like the answers to puzzles like this (the prisoner used the ice for a ladder to get to the hole in the ceiling then it melted and the prisoner was free!), I'm guessing someone else was in the car with you…? maybe one of your kids took the picture which is a lovely thought… ? or it was another day and you were a passenger watching someone else navigate the whirl…? or something else simple and uncomplicated. But I like the mystery, lying alongside the clear, so I make it a puzzle which becomes a story, which makes me feel connected to your story in my own way…which makes it even more special. If that makes any sense :)

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    1. Ha!! What a wonderful question Helena! Now shall I answer or just let your imagination fly?!!
      It really is slmple really, as it is with many logic puzzles.

      I stopped the car :).
      hugs
      xoxo

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    2. glad to hear you stopped the car!! that was my first thought..."mj, don't take photos and drive in the snow!" but you didn't, of course.

      my first winter in CO (i moved there from Ga) I called into work "southern" when the first storm hit, dumping a foot of snow . after 20 years, driving in the snow became habit, but i still dislike those white knuckle trips.

      be careful!
      ox

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  3. We drive the same in snowy conditions :) You have put into words how I feel when I get home after driving in these conditions. My hubby always asks about the drive when I get home on a snowy day and finds it strange when I say it was fine...there is a sense of calm I get from it, as long as no one is riding my bumper :)

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  4. I would have had to leave the car and just walk! Be careful.

    Glad you got your Lotus Wei order in, I have got to place one too, I was very impressed by Thea's recommendation.

    Have a great weekend.

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  5. yes, so much power and potential in simply.slowing.down. not always easy to do, but so vital.
    and lotus wei...i spritz throughout the day over here!!!

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    1. it is really amazing, can one get addicted to flower essence :)?

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  6. Driving in white-out conditions, especially in the mountains is terrifying. It still scares me after all these years that I've lived in Colorado, Montana, and the mountains of central Oregon. Mother Nature's calling is loud and clear at times, just as you said. Glad you made it home safely. :)

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“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
~ George Bernard Shaw