January Round-Up

January.....can be 31 days of focus, sticking with the New Year Resolutions, etc, etc or "January, sick and tired you've been hanging on me" - remember those lyrics?...January by Pilot.

On the whole, I feel I've been focused and I am working with my Resolutions, although I think I called them intentions.  I have also been sick and tired, because I came out with a horrible cold at the start of this week which really scuppered me.

My focus has been on decluttering/making space and loving up my home - a work in progress

I feel like this - digging deep and working hard!

I read these words the other day on the Roots of She  "when you let go of something big, something that has held a place of power over you, it creates space. It opens up space to let other needs and feelings see light. That light, it doesn’t have to be a harsh spotlight: something shining and garish. It can be the warm, intimate light from a lit candle or a fire in the fireplace. It can be the fading light of sunset or the soft light of sunrise"

I had let go of something pretty big on the Winter Solstice, that, combined with letting go of  general clutter and stuff that has held power over me left me with a bit of an empty space inside. In typical Swirly Girl fashion, I decided to shine a very harsh light on that space, and began to excavate my perceived past mistakes.  By Wednesday afternoon this week I had managed to give examples of where I wasn't good enough and why I would never be good enough - well, that was my past and future taken care of! By Thursday (today) I had a bit of an "Ah ha" moment - don't you just love those?  And, for the first time I saw quite clearly that when things aren't going quite to plan, or I feel I've failed in some way, I pick up a very familiar stick and beat myself up with it!

I also read In the Roots of She, "if your best friend was hurting, you wouldn’t poke and prod at her. You wouldn’t get angry when she couldn’t articulate exactly why she was upset. You wouldn’t think she was stupid because her heart was aching.

You would sit with her, hold space, listen.
Why shouldn’t you treat yourself with the same care?

Alternatively, practise on myself what I give others,  one of the core conditions for therapeutic change "unconditional positive regard" .  And I am reminded of a self portrait I took last year when I took Vivienne McMaster's  e-course Wading In.

October 2011 - Friend

This is quite an iconic picture for me, it represents how I should be with myself, a friend. I am making friends with alot of things just recently which I considered anything but.

Here are a few pictures of my decluttering/making space activities in the month of January:

"Stuff" packed up ready for the Charity Shop

Loving up my Love and Abundance Corners

Creating Space in drawers

Tidying up and adding some colour into my bedroom.

I've been focused on taking pictures, starting up on my own A Year of Mornings has kept the focus going and remembering to take my camera out with me more on dog walks! I've also been creating white space/negative space in some of my photos which I learnt through taking Susannah Conway's Photo Meditations e-course.

Birds, mainly seagulls are featuring alot in my photos (well, I do live by the sea!)

As for joy, I am learning that is in us, and around us.  I share alot of joy with my family, friends and dogs.

I took this picture of my daugher on a bike ride last summer, it always make me smile

Jasper resting his chin on my shoulder, this makes me smile

"Some changes look negative on the surface but you will soon realise that space is being created in your life for something new to emerge"......Spiritual Awakenings