A dear friend of mine always says “Aaaah life…”. This usually follows one of us, and very likely both of us, facing a perplexing situation that is beyond our control.  She says it with a sense of humor, a trace of relinquishing control, and hearty side of sarcasm. I love it every time.

I love a good chat around the table with girlfriends, I always have.  Even if you can’t relate, you try.  Hopefully you have a good laugh, sometimes a bit of a tear fest.  Whatever the discussion brings…I find that what we have in common is that some things work out great, and other things just don’t.

I like to think that in life we grow like tree roots, under the ground, over the rocks, and through the concrete. No matter what, we keep growing and find a way to thrive, to reach for the water.  We don’t know where our desires may bring us, but we keep reaching towards them with all of our might.

Sometimes I can’t sleep at night so I take out a pen and paper and write everything down that’s on my mind and that usually helps.  Worst case, I recite my favorite yoga phrase which goes like this…

Everything you need is within you.

Everything is at it should be.

I focus on my breathing and make sure each intake of breath is long and from deep down into my belly and exhale slowly.  I aim to do this with gratitude and a zen silencing of my mind.  I think about the endlessness of the universe. I imagine an astronaut’s view of the planets. I imagine floating throughout the solar systems, seeing the constellations up close. I feel a sensation of amazement. Usually a few deep breaths later, I find myself waking up to the sound of my alarm.

When none of that works, I just say to myself “Aaaaaah, life.” It usually makes me smile and reminds me not to take it all too seriously, to see the big picture and in a way, it reminds me of my favorite Shakespeare quote “Time must untie this, not I, ‘tis too big a knot for me to untie”.  That is always a good reminder that us little humans while we have the mighty force of great tree roots, in the scheme of things we are but brave beings doing our best, and that is enough, until the sun rises and we try again the next day.

Sometimes what keeps me up late at night isn’t even a problem! It’s the list of all the great things I want to do, everything I want to accomplish in my life, everything I hope to experience!  How can I possibly do it all?  To that I say, one thing at a time. Relax, the important stuff will get done. And some things will come that you can’t even imagine yet! But calm down, you’ll get there.

Anyway…cheers to you out there. I am rooting for you, and I believe the universe is rooting for all of us.

xx

Image via Pinterest.