As I began my hike, I tried to still my mind (letting go of my thoughts; which bird is that? oh the black throated blue, focus on my breathing - in 2,3,4 out 2,3,4,5,6, boy it is muddy out here! random songs that played on repeat, etc.) without much success. But I was able to immerse myself into the endless babble of the brooks crossing my path, a constant, peaceful companion, until I reached the height where the brooks were no longer with me.

On my way down I imagined the impact of each small step, filtering down through the layers of the earth, the soil and the bedrock; my gratitude and love radiating like the roots of the trees and the depth of the fungi intermingling and healing deeper and deeper spreading far and wide as I walked.

I was touched again by how communing with nature brings me…

Peri and I were closely together in the Well Keeping day this Sunday - spanning many miles, times zones and hemispheres. While everything is bursting out in blossoms and every shade of green in North America, here in South Africa autumn is upon us. The oriental maples in our lovely little garden are gently and generously showering us in amber, rust and golden glory.

This Sunday it all felt particularly, vividly beautiful. I think that is the gift in these well keeping days - the intentional focus and awareness brings a added quality of extraordinay appreciation and respect into the ordinary, giving it all a sacred quality. Even the unavoidable conversations I had were imbued with a deeper quality of listening and tenderness.

I carry that with me into the week, and silently offer it to the next ones in this necklace of precious gems that weaves a magical thread…

Spring has sprung here in New Hampshire! Everything is bursting out and in blossom. Green in every shade and hue graces the entire landscape and there is such an energy to get up, get out and do. Contemplating what my next "thing" on the list was, I sat for a moment.

And sure enough, that simple act of sitting and pausing stopped me in my tracks. It is the day of sabbath for many, the day of well keeping for me. Sitting and stopping I felt my breath shift, deepen, steady. My heart open ~ a wave of gratitude for the wisdom and beauty of the way my life continues to unfold. Challenges, blessings, opportunites, setbacks. So much wisdom and guidance when I stop and see the overall flow of it and how the moments weave together. Deep feelings surface in the act of sitting quietly....taking a moment of …