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Every day there are “gems” all around us….just waiting to be noticed! When we become more aware…when we let go of fixed expectations…we might notice an abundance of “gems”… around us each day!
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This summer, I had an experience that highlighted this awareness…
finding an agate on a beach…not realizing that I had actually found an agate, because I was so busy looking for red and green rocks…not looking carefully and appreciating what was in the palm of my hand…and then stashing that “gem” into my pocket with the other rocks!
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And so…realizing that the little agate…that little, almost unnoticed gem…is similar to the “gems” I might be overlooking each day…. as I’m so busy with preoccupations with thoughts, lists, having fixed expectations and often missing what’s right there in front of me…the special people, the beauty, the kindness, love and generosity…so many “gems” just waiting to be noticed and appreciated….so many “gems” throughout each day….
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Learning to notice the “gems” around us each day
I went to 4 wonderful workshops in the past month…two of the workshops were lead by Angeles Arrien, author of The Second Half of Life: Opening to the 8 Gates of Wisdom and The Fourfold Way: Walking the Path of the Warrior, Teacher, Healer and Visionary.
The Second Half of Life workshop was a wonderful weekend workshop that was jam packed with amazing and insightful ideas! The Four Fold Way workshop was also wonderful!…. five days of insightful, inspiring and practical ideas!….GEMS!!!
Here are a few questions that Angeles Arrien asked us to reflect on each day during the workshops…and suggested asking ourselves each day once we were home… opening to the awareness of “gems”… using these questions to become more aware, appreciative and thankful for the abundance of positives…blessings…in our lives each and every day.
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Questions for the evening…looking back at the “gems” of the day…the blessings…
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Before the day begins…during the day… at the end of the day
~ bringing more awareness and appreciation to the positives ~
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I’ve been reflecting on the morning questions, as I start my day….what a special time of “wondering” that is…
My husband and I have been reflecting on the questions each evening. It’s surprising how quickly we’ve become more aware of the blesssings, throughout the day…and how much more appreciative we are of what happened during the day…including quickly becoming much more appreciative of how much we each bring and offer to each other… an “unexpected” bonus!
We’ve also been jotting down a few words in each column of the chart below, at the end of the day… increasing our awareness and appreciation….
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And so…
becoming more aware….
loosening expectations…
letting go of the tendency to want “fixed outcomes” ….
~ being open to the “gems” that arrive in our lives each day ~
~ nurturing… awareness, appreciation and gratitude ~
~ an abundance of blessings…just waiting to be noticed ~
what we appreciate…appreciates…
increases…expands
pause…notice…appreciate….be grateful
so many “gems” in our lives each day
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Pocket Perspectives 
The workshops you attended do sound really great! I think your observation that sometimes we’re just too preoccupied with “other things” to notice the gems really hits home! I can easily get busy and just forget to “notice.” Thank you for the excellent reminder. ox
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You’re welcome….The workshops were terrific! Happy to share a few of the ideas I heard
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That’s a brilliant post, so full of learning.
How do we loosen expectations? By clearing out our past from our future and putting it where it belongs, in the past .
As we do this what happens to our awareness? It jumps as it tries to search for a meaning in the clean slate nothingness which is now the future.
And how does this heightened awareness of the clean slate future support? By allowing us to create a vision which is both compelling and empowering.
Shakti
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Thank you for adding your ideas and insights…
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Love those questions! I have been reflecting on things I am grateful for at the end of each day, but I really like the idea of extending that out to include other areas of reflection. I especially like “What was calling to be strengthened in my nature today?” That’s very relevant for me in my current situation! 🙂
Cat
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Ahhhhh, yes… “what’s calling to be strengthened?….”…. I’ve been getting lots of those too! I guess when we live a life of “taking chances” we might get a few of those???? 🙂
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That’s a very good way to look at it!
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What a beautiful lesson to be open to the unexpected gems/blessings in our day. Loved the idea of wearing the agate on a necklace as a reminder to keep your awareness expanded to the gems of life. The workshops sounds like a good investment of time. If ever hear normally, I would love to attend lectures and workshops that lift up my mind and spirit. 😀
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Thanks Marie…. the agate is such a helpful (and pretty) reminder. The workshops were wonderful… perhaps when you can hear normally again, we can take the workshop together? I’ll look forward to that! 🙂 (btw….At the first workshop, The Second Half of LIfe, I took notes that I’d be happy to share with you… great and helpful ideas! I had even typed the notes up after I returned home, so they’re easy to read, too!)
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Oh, yes! If I can hear normally again, I would love to take a workshop with you. That would be fun. Thank you so much for the offer on the notes, but I am reading three books at the same time, ( and two pending) and focused on this. If I get your notes, I know I am going to want to read them and lose focus. It’s good to know once my reading load is lighter I can email you. 😀
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Good pacing! Aren’t there sooooo many wonderful books around? What a delight to have such choices and options! 🙂
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I love this awareness and love the tools you are using to make this real in your own life. I kept seeing the morning and evening questions as posters on my wall!
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Posters on a wall? Good idea! Oh my… Joss, is it already “tomorrow morning” there in France?…You can enjoy the “I wonder what I’ll be ________ by today???” questions…. 😀 Hope there’s lots and lots of “being inspired by ________” in your life today, and every day! Happy Friday Morning to you!
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