I’m squeaking in just under the wire, posting about Renewal on the 31st of this month.
Renewal has been my Word for October.
It has taken me all around the bend this month.
At first, I thought that Renewal was a call to greater Self Care. I upped my Self Care game, and that was good.
Then, on further reflection, it seemed like Renewal was an invitation to retreat and reset, a call to regroup.
Before I could schedule a retreat, Renewal morphed into a process, not a point-in-time event. I was exploring: What is the practice of Renewal?
I was getting warmer (remember that game as a kid? “Warmer” “Cooler”). Then, the words came: Renewal as a Lifestyle.
Well, what did that mean?
(This often happens to me. I consciously release my agenda or expectation or assumption about something, and just sit with it, as inscrutable as it may seem. I “be” open to life showing me what it means. Then, something eventually comes to clarify.)
This morning, a clarification came: Renewal as a lifestyle means emptying.
I knew this must be right for me, because it came out of left field, and it felt right.
I have been filling lately. Buying lots of books and learning lots of stuff. Doing more and more art, and squeezing in even more kinds of art. My brain feels like it has been over-stuffed at an all-you-can-eat buffet.
My Emptying/Filling balance has definitely been off.
This reminds me of two quotes:
“Be empty and you will remain full.” Lao-Tsu (This quote came up in a blog post in March, when my Word was Eagerness.)
“Empty your cup so that it may be filled.” Bruce Lee
To me, emptying occurs at all levels:
- Spiritual: Surrendering my agenda
- Mental: Clearing my mind, as in meditation
- Emotional: Letting go of my expectation, or assumption, or my grasping that something has to be or look a certain way
- Physical: Releasing stuff
I want to make emptying a lifestyle. The filling will occur naturally and organically. Nature abhors a vacuum.
It still remains to be seen how this plays out from a practical standpoint in my life. Right now, it is a sincere intention, and I am confident that I will be shown the way as I go along.
What is Renewal for you?
P.S. A new word has butted its way into my 12 Words, for November: Resilience. This wasn’t in the original list. That will bump Whole-Heartedness, originally set for November, into December. And perhaps Love (the original December word) will become my word for 2019.
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