Week 34 | Tap Into Your Right Brain | Draw with Your Left Hand

Getting harder and harder to keep up with weekly posts.

My right brained-ness is screaming for attention lately. Spending way too much time in a left-brained state of mind.

So..

Week 34

Mantra: Tap Into Your Right Brain

Action: Draw with Your Left Hand

ps - Send me your drawings and I'll post them! (Anonymously if you insist...)

pps - This is loosely related to this week's post, but I LOVE art journaling, and I have been enjoying a blog about the "Ten Coolest Art Therapy Interventions" and really especially liked this post - which got me thinking about the left-handed drawing idea 

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-healing-arts/201006/cool-art-therapy-intervention-4-visual-journaling

ppps - If you are left handed, I <3 you, and you should keep drawing with your left hand.

Week 32 | Mantra: Morning Glory | Action: Wake up and Move Toward Joy

Well, I guess walking at a slower pace led to posting at a slower pace this week. Ha! 

It was really nice to slow down and I think last week's action is something I will carry with me when I can be conscious of it. Slowing my pace generalized to driving and other things too, which was really nice. (And safe!)

As much as I try to be conscious of my disposition, I find myself really struggling in the morning more than any other part of the day to be present and positive. I just simply am not a morning person, but having a child who wakes up earlier than I've ever set my alarm has really challenged me. This week has been worse because Bri and I have been up even later as we grapple with our decision about a real estate investment, which then just leads to all sorts of open-ended conversations about our future. It's fun and exhausting at the same time. And I'm definitely waking up crabbier. So, for what's left of the week, and moving into next week, I'd like to focus on being more present and positive in the morning. 

Some day I will be able to sleep past 7am again...

Week 32

Mantra: Morning Glory

Action: Wake up and move toward joy

(by the way, I mean glory as in "a state of absolute happiness, gratification, contentment,etc")

Week 31 | Just Slow Down | Walk at a Slower Pace

I am grateful to live in a place where I walk every day. I love walking. But I often find myself walking quickly, pressured by my mind-clock, which is usually running 10 minutes behind. I remember my first year in grad school when I was assisting an art history professor as part of my work-study program. I hurried through the academic halls balancing a slide carousel atop a heavy stack of books and binders. I almost tripped over the threshold into his office, catching myself just in time to look up and catch his irritated gaze.

"You are always so frantic. Just slow down."

It was kind of mean, the way he said it. But it has always stuck with me. When I notice myself hurrying about, I replay his words, take a deep breath and do as he suggested, slowing myself down. 

This week, I want to put my intention into slowing down my walking pace. This will surely lead to all sorts of slowing down - my breath, my thoughts, my overachiever pace of life. 

Not that I've read the whole thing just yet, but here is an essay written by Thoreau about walking slowly, sauntering. 

Thank you, Dr. Iorio for this week's mantra. 

Week 31 

Mantra | Just Slow Down

Action | Walk at a slower pace