Flowering Wisdom: How to Keep Blooming Open (When You Want to Close Down)

Dear Beautiful Flowers,

It's been a long time since I last wrote in this space. I am returning from a lot of time composting and am ready to blog again. I am dipping my toes back in with this note I sent out today. I am forward to sharing more flowers, more inspiration and more stories with you. Thank you for being here and most of all, thank you for being the beautiful flower you are.

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For me, the news that Osama bin Laden had been killed deepened my heart's desire for more love and more peace in this world.

{imagine a world filled with peace amongst all. how awesome would that be?!}

But sometimes when I feel overwhelmed by the pain and suffering in this world, I want to shut down, to give up. It feels so hard and vast.

 But thankfully, this week I remembered the flowers.

{yes, yes, the flowers can heal so much!}

I see the hyancinths in my yard and how they keep blooming open no matter how harsh the conditions might be — rain, sleet, snow (yep, this is springtime Wisconsin!).

And I think of the desert flowers who don't open until the heat gets oppressively hot.

Knowing this about flowers, I know this about us humans, too: 1. we are made to overcome adversity and 2. no matter what the conditions are, it's important to keep opening to blooming.

And so my practice this week has been around cultivating an open heart, through prayer, meditation, breathing, and leaning in when I notice I want to close down.

Yesterday, I felt called to do a lovingkindness meditation. 

{Meditation teacher Susan Piver has a wonderful free mp3 here (scroll down to bottom of page).}

If you aren't familiar with lovingkindness meditation, it is a Buddhist practice that opens your heart to yourself and all of humanity.

To do this practice, you start with wishes of wellness and peace to yourself.

Something like: "May I be well. May I be happy. May I know peace and ease."

And then you extend this wish to people you love, people you are neutral about (the grocery store clerk, the mom at the park) and finally you send love to those you feel hostility toward.

As I was doing this meditation, it struck me how you send the meditation first to yourself.

I had an epiphany then as I looked at all the places in myself where there was not peace, love and compassion.

And I realized: I can change the world. From the inside out.

How?

The more peace, the more love, the compassion I cultivate within myself (especially the parts of myself that aren't very peace-like...like the judgmental and grudging-holding part...or the part that snaps at my husband), the more peace and love can take root in the world.

I so believe we are all connected to all being through our hearts. (Change yourself, change the world, my meditation teacher Donna Mitchell-Moniak says.)

So as I keep blooming open to more love and peace within, I create more love and peace in the hearts of flowers the world over.

Of course, there is more inner work to do. (Maybe a peace treaty between the warring parts of myself is in order?) And I might still shut down sometimes.

But my commitment to remember to keep blooming open, again and again and again.

big love,
Shannon

P.S. Local friends: I have two spaces left for this Saturday's Flowering Wisdom: Bloom Bigger in Your Life class. You'll learn how to flower more fully in all areas of your life. If you are called to join us, please contact me by noon tomorrow (Friday, May 6, 2011). It's going to be beautiful and a chance to root even more deeply into peace and love.

P.P.S. If you haven't been around my website for a while, have you seen my new book, Flowering Wisdom: Inspiring Thoughts on Life, Love and Blooming Big? It's a compilation of photos and words that first appeared on this blog. Thank you for taking the time to be here. Your presence allowed this book to be born. {grateful, grateful}