From August Moon:
with thanks -
what do people thank you for?
I was surprised to discover the phrase "surprise and delight" is used in other places in a variety of documents around my computer. I'm grateful for that... yes: with thanks!
I spent time this morning meandering around the ways people express thanks for me, most specifically in asking/living the question --
How do I surprise and delight other people?
I can only report in from what I notice others saying about me or to me.
People report I am inspiring.
People report I give great hugs.
People report I am a mother to more people than I realize.
People report I make them feel welcome. I make them feel ok. I make them feel loved and optimistic.
People report I have a fresh perspective which helps them have a fresh perspective and I have a laugh that won’t quit.
People report I am smart and intellectual, which I sometimes translate into “you are unapproachable and talk about things I don’t ‘get’ like you do.” A friend of mine consistently says, “I can’t keep up with you!” and my instant thought-response is, “I’m doing it wrong, I must tone myself down.”
It was a few weeks ago that I told myself no, this just means that friend is slower than I and more comfortable with slower. While this friend may delight and be surprised with my speedy thought processes and eclectic passions, she may not be willing or able to match me, thought for thought and noticing for noticing and all of this is just fine.
Now I am going to rewrite this, own these surprising and delightful things about me.
I regularly inspire others, even when I don’t realize I am doing so.
I give great hugs. People seek me out for hugs, “I need a JJS hug!” I hug with my arms, yes… but I add in my spirit and wrap my fullness in the other person’s fullness. It simply feels heavenly.
I am a natural mother, I was born a mother. I was first called “Earth Mother” when I was seventeen-years-old and carrying a seven-month-old little boy I was babysitting. My next door neighbor, a man of maybe forty, caught sight of the tanned legged, sun bleached long haired me with this sweet little boy on my hip and reported what he saw. I didn’t understand it then.
During a recent massage, I received the message, “You were born a mother, you will die a mother.” Being a mother is not something I am sometimes, I am all the time. It is a good thing.
I make people feel loved, perhaps as an outpouring of my Earth-Mother-Earth vibe. I bring optimism showers wherever I go and colorful flowers of hope blossom under my feet.
I enjoy pursuing knowledge and wisdom. Lately I have been much bolder about speaking up when things aren’t quite in alignment with those I love. I don’t do so combatively, but I do ask pointed questions and I have been known to point out the facts.
What might happen if I devoted myself to consistently living these delights?
I’m not sure - so I am going to walk around more consciously with these delights atr the forefront of my mind, just to see what changes might arise.
What delights and surprises do you bring with you and share openly with others?
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Julie Jordan Scott is a writer, performance poet, Mommy and mixed-media artist. Coming soon - more creativity camps, playgrounds and workshops to grow yourself artistically (and hey, just for fun!)
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