How Are You Acknowledging the Golden Moments in Your Life?
Photo by Taylor Smith – Clear Creek in Golden, CO
I have been mesmerized by the light this fall, and how golden it is as the sun rises and sets in my part of the country. It is awe inspiring and stops me in my tracks. Light is so ethereal this time of year. As it reflects on the colors that are changing on the trees, it is as if we are drenched in golden light every morning and evening. I watch these sunrises and sunsets and can only be in deep gratitude with an open heart. It helps me forget any worries or challenges, and for just that moment as I witness the rise of the sun or setting of it, I bow to this miraculous change of the seasons this time of year.
It is a reminder for me to stop and acknowledge what I am grateful for, what good has transpired in the last day or week, and gives me permission for a moment to experience the state of awe in my morning and evening. In that moment, I look at how I have changed, what the light has shown me in my own life, and how I have grown into more acceptance of change.
What did you experience this year that moved you into a state of awe?
How are you celebrating that magical moment?
I was walking with my daughter on our local creek trail filled with all the golden and red colors of fall, and we ran into my son. The three of us then walked together on this Sunday afternoon and ended up on the way back at a local hotel lawn sitting in the sun sharing a coffee and just being family together. It was truly a magical moment in its simplicity filled with love, family, dogs, girlfriends and beauty. It is often the simplest moments that take our breath away and fill us with such grace and gratitude.
As I sat there on that beautiful lawn, I thought (for a split second) of all the work tasks I was going to catch up on that day and then, in the next second, I let it go as I told myself to just be present in this moment with these amazing people and enjoy this beautiful day. By the time I arrived home, it was 4PM. I ate some food and went to my office. I ended up completing my tasks in 2 hours with plenty of time to relax for the evening. I realized by giving myself some grace to just be in those magical moments earlier that day and putting my to do list aside actually energized me to complete what I needed to do in a more timely manner.
Funny how that works – when we fill up our tank first, the rest just falls into place in less time than we thought.
This month, how will you honor the simplicity of your life?
How can you allow grace in the moment to open you?
How will you be in gratitude for your life in how it is changing, the challenges and all the beauty?
In the midst of so much change and shaky ground around us, it helps me to slow down, take strolls along the creek, hang out with family and give myself permission and space to just be in gratitude for all the good in the simple things that surround me.
This holiday I hope you allow yourself to celebrate all the ways you have grown, all the things that challenged you to grow and not only your ability to sustain it, but also to pay homage to the golden moments it offered you. In this way, we open up a space inside ourselves to enjoy the journey of our lives.