Celebrating Now

Reverend Anne Naylor: Celebrating Now
Nurture yourself through to Completion

Nurture yourself - what does that mean for you? Do you already nurture yourself? Or could you be more creative with your self-nurturing? And at the end of the day, why bother? Life will go on the same anyway, surely.

"Be careful what you water your dreams with.
Water them with worry and fear
and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream.
Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success.
Always be on the lookout for ways to turn a problem
into an opportunity for success.
Always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dream.”
Lao Tzu

The number 8 bus stops just behind where I live and takes me into the centre of Cannes. It runs every 15 minutes. The bus drivers are unfailingly cheerful and seem to wish everyone a “bon-jour”! That simple courtesy to each passenger makes for a happy bus. Nurturing does not have to be difficult or complicated.

Friends last year gave me a tile which sits on my desk. It reminds me: “Life is a journey not a destination”. Journey comes from the French word: journee, referring to a day’s travel or a day’s work. I have heard it said that our work is our love made manifest. If we want more of anything, we need to give more of ourselves. If we want to give more, then inwardly we need to receive more. It is a virtuous cycle that spirals upwards.

“We've got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant.
You can't just accept it and leave it in the cupboard
or just think it's going to get on by itself.
You've got to keep watering it.
You've got to really look after it and nurture it.”
John Lennon

It is not just that you have a gift of love. You are a gift of love. And you do need nurturing. We all do. Physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually we benefit from the gifts of love we first give to ourselves. Recharged, we are then equipped to give of our best into our endeavours, whatever they may be - career, vocation, friendships, our homes, families and communities.

What is more, in each moment, we can hold a positive intention and focus to be nurturing towards ourselves. Is this practical, or even realistic, in a busy life?

“Everyone has a talent. What is rare is the courage to nurture it in solitude
and to follow the talent to the dark places where it leads.
If you nurture your mind, body, and spirit, your time will expand.
You will gain a new perspective
that will allow you to accomplish much more.”
Brian Koslow

To come into the present moment now, take in a deep breath and relax. Bringing your conscious attention to your needs will make you aware of them. Awareness is one of the greatest gifts we can give to ourselves - and it costs nothing. Just a moment of our time.

Reflect for a moment how you take care of yourself in these areas:

• PHYSICALLY
  Food, exercise and good sleep nurture the body.

• MENTALLY
  Positive focus and intentions nurture the mind.

• EMOTIONALLY
  Gratitude and laughter nurture our emotions.

• SPIRITUALLY
  Acceptance and a sense of connection with all life
  nurture our spirit.

“First you need only look: Notice and honor the radiance of Everything about you... Play in this universe. Tend All these shining things around you:
The smallest plant, the creatures and objects in your care.
Be gentle and nurture. Listen...”
Anne Hillman

Whether you live here permanently, or come as a visitor, please take every opportunity to nurture and enrich yourself with all of the extraordinary resources we have. Rich need not be material affluence. Rich can be found in the simplest of things available to us all.

A walk in the woods, on a mountain ridge high up, along the soft sands of a beach. A fresh meal in a village cafe. The warmth of laughter and hospitality over a long lunch. Views to inspire and lift your spirits. An abundance of creative talent – painting, sculpture, music, theatre – to enliven and stimulate your senses.

Fulfilled in these ways, you will find it much easier to deal with any difficulties that life may present to you. Fulfilment will allow you to be more centred and certain, more able to attract the dreams and desires of your heart because you will naturally radiate the best of yourself.

Completion could be the end of a day; the conclusion of a project, a career, a holiday; a phase of life, or life itself. The journey to completion is made up of many moments. We would not want to miss the moments and the pleasures they afford us.

The moment is always now. Receive the best it has for you. Celebrate it with all of the joy and the love that you are.

“There are times to cultivate and create, when you nurture your world
and give birth to new ideas and ventures.
There are times of flourishing and abundance,
when life feels in full bloom, energized and expanding.
And there are times of fruition, when things come to an end.
They have reached their climax and must be harvested
before they begin to fade.
And finally of course, there are times that are cold, and cutting and empty,
times when the spring of new beginnings seems like a distant dream.
Those rhythms in life are natural events.
They weave into one another as day follows night,
bringing, not messages of hope and fear, but messages of how things are.”
Chogyam Trungpa

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