Living Deeply at the Surface

Sometimes I wake up in the morning with a song on the brain.  It's often not one I have heard recently but the words are usually apropos to where my thoughts have been lately.  For example, one morning I woke up with words from a religious song I had learned in my youth.  One verse is "long have I waited for your coming home to me and living deeply our new life."  If I had to guess why it was in my head, I would say that the words "new life" had been on my heart because I had done walking meditation with these words.  During this time I was trying to define what I wanted my new life, including a different career, to look like.

Mostly I wanted a life of living more deeply at the surface. Sounds like an oxymoron, right?  To me, "living deeply at the surface" means being present when I am with others, minding the everyday surface tasks with a song on my heart.

More specifically, for me, it meant leaving the hustle behind and easing into the morning with a cup of tea or coffee, then doing kitchen chores while my husband and children come in and out according to their own schedule to eat breakfast.  The calm and the interactions at the start of the day were two pieces that I knew would segway to a more meaningful life.  And so it began.  I interacted better with my family at the start of our days.  Then came the next piece.  I created space to work out of the house so that I may be part of the comings and goings of those I love profoundly, and doing work which puts me in contact with amazing people who need my skills.

Reflective questions:

1   In what ways are you living deeply?

2.  If there was one thing you could change about your own life right now, something that you have control over, what would it be?

3.  What does God* want you to know about this (ask directly, God what do you want me to know?)

* I use the term God as a universal term.  You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, etc. better suits you for today.  It is not for me to decide.