Forward Motion

"The best antidote I have found is to yearn for something. As long as you yearn, you can't congeal: there is a forward motion to yearning." - Gail Godwin, writer

Today I focus on moving forward. Spiritually, mentally, emotionally - my focus is to always move forward. Ms. Godwin is right - yearning for something keeps me going. God knows I have no intention of congealing today.

Recently I attended a convention and there were some awesome speakers who shared their life stories with us openly and honestly. One of the speakers was a Jesuit priest and he shared something with us that I've been using ever since. He said to repeat to oneself "left foot, right foot, breathe; left foot, right foot, breathe" when life gets tricky and stressful and confusing. No matter what goes on in my life, I know that if I keep doing the next right thing all will be well. I have a tendency to over-think things and I worry more than is necessary. When I feel overwhelmed with life, when I am confused and disoriented, when I feel stressed so much that I can't get my body to relax - that's when I use this saying and it immediately helps me to pause and breathe. The trick is to breathe in AND out. Then I can regroup, refocus, and start again.

This new phrase has helped me so much that I've shared it with my close friends as well and they love it. We can remind each other very quickly by saying it on the phone or in person and the atmosphere immediately improves. This is a simple tool that works for me and others - try it, you might like it also! It will keep us all from congealing. Let's move forward all!