Overgrown

©Robin Edmundson, 'Overgrown Barn - July', watercolor, 8 x 10 inches.  Framed to 11 x 14 inches.  $280.

July is when everything out here is in danger of getting overgrown by the oat grass, the virginia creeper, the fox tail, the nutgrass, the poison ivy, the walnut saplings that the squirrels planted last year, the ironweed, the johnson grass, the ragweed, the goldenrod, the wild grape vines, the blackberries - so many blackberries... 

In short, there is an abundance of growth and with that comes the very real danger of a structures being entirely overwhelmed.  They can be pulled down by the weight of the vines, or pulled apart by things growing through the cracks in the walls, or knocked right over by trees growing next to the foundation. 

I do this to myself.  All. The. Time.  Country life is a metaphor for the rest of my life.

I love an abundance of information.  I love learning new things, reading new books, mulling over new ideas, trying new strategies.   I want all of the information - right now.   I want all of the options - right now.   I want to save all of the ideas - right now. 

Pretty soon, my head is bursting with options; I worry that I won't pick the 'right one', I feel anxious that I'm 'behind' in what I'm studying, frustrated that I don't understand it all, irritated with the number of notebooks full of Very Important Notes and piles of books that I've saved from studying all the things and afraid to get rid of them because what if that's the notebook with The Answer that I've been looking for.

So much abundance and so much overwhelm. 

I need some mental mowing.  Weed eating.   Pruning.  Maybe a judiciously wielded chain saw.  Something to keep balance between the growth and the structure [me].

Quite honestly, I have no idea - at all - how to do that.  It's one of those boundary things I'm not so good at. 

I'll be thinking about it for the next while to see if I can come up with a strategy to encourage abundance while limiting overwhelm.   Maybe that will help me restore some Fun to my life.

Making Room for Magic - An Attitude of Abundance

We spent last month talking about releasing. We thanked what no longer serves us and let it go. We released things we don't need,  activities we don't need,  relationships we don't need.  We released control.  We released our old selves to step into our new selves.   

Now there's room for us to add some things that will serve us better and help us live our best lives now.  To do that, we need to tap into the mindset of Abundance. 

Take a minute to think and write a few things down.  What lovely things are abundant in your life right now? 

Right this minute, I have  hummingbirds outside my window.  I have one feeder there and eight birds are jockeying for position - not politely.   It's an abundance of birds, of motion, of twittering, of green and red flashes of light, of life, of entertainment.   Also, today there is an abundance of dew, of flowers blooming in the garden.  There is an abundance of humidity [my hair looks great!] and sunshine. 

Take a moment to focus on and feel the abundance around you and the gratitude that comes with it. 

Here is a good mantra for tapping into the abundance all around you. 

• There is plenty.  There are plenty of things.  There are plenty of resources.  There is plenty of time.  There is plenty of space.   I enjoy all the plenty around me.  I am enough.  There is enough.  There is more than enough.  

If your mind moves on to fear and scarcity, thank it for trying to protect you and then focus again to find more abundance and gratitude.  Don't beat yourself up.  We all have to re-focus.  It's part of the process.

Why is this important?   Because a positive outlook will take you much further in getting what you need.  You will have more energy, hope, faith, inspiration and connections.  People like being around positive, hopeful people.   As you continue to connect in positive ways, solutions will present themselves.  As you feel better and more inspired, you'll see new ways of doing things that will bring you lasting benefits.  

A mindset of abundance will allow you to find and get what you seek without feeling like you have to take it from someone else or without feeling like if you get it someone else more deserving won't get theirs. There is enough to go around and plenty more.  Really.  There is plenty.

Practice tapping into an attitude of abundance. 

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Cozy

So, 'Hygge' is a thing I've been seeing a lot in the past year or so.  It's a Danish word that encompasses all things cozy.  [Go to the link to find out more.]

I am practicing hygge these days.  It's perfect weather for it - ice storms with power outages, bad roads and very cold temperatures to keep us home.  The things I do that cultivate the hygge is to keep fires in the woodstove, quilt on a new quilt, watch the snow swirling, snuggle with warm cups of things, feed the birds and watch them feasting, light candles, make smelly bath salts.  It all adds up to delicious self care and a reminder that abundance is a feeling, not a list of things we own.   That helps me live my best life now.

What are you doing to bring hygge into your life?