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“Love is never any better than the lover.” — Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye
So many of my friends these days are reinventing themselves. Some are beginning new careers, others are finding new ways to be creative, and a few are opening up closed parts of themselves; expressing aspects of their personalities I’ve never even known about before! It feels exciting and I’m inspired to chart new territory myself.
I can find a reason why any season is a good time to start a renovation project, and so as we approach Autumn I’m thinking about falling leaves, bringing in the harvest and cool nights again. I cannot suppress a smile here. I think my heartbeat slows down just a little with thoughts of blankets and staying indoors cooking something low and slow. I get excited at the thought of picking up my meditation practice again, turning inward and journaling!
Thoughts of sparkling fires and hot cocoa pairs so well with taking the time to contemplate. Undervalued and misunderstood as unproductive and a waste of time, contemplation is where we learn about our changed and changing selves; where we can appreciate what’s gone and what has survived. How have you changed since last Autumn? How are these changes informing your new goals for 2020? What have you learned?
Are you making a multi-layered effort to learn more about your communication style and improving your skill set? Do you think good communication should flow magically and effortlessly from any happy, healthy relationship, or do you think you need to make an effort to communicate effectively and regularly, with clear intention and compassion? How do you improve those skills? Do you take classes? What books are you reading now? I would love to know!
I’m reading a lot of poetry these days, and appreciating the life work of Toni Morrison, along with the rest of the world. The way she chose to share her inner world has transformed mine. I strive to find an ounce of her eloquence to commune with my connections and transform my relationships into spaces of deep understanding and love.