Have You Ever Been a Flower?

 Shawn Harris' children's book Have You Ever Seen a Flower inspired both the title and content of this entry.  When I picked up Harris' book to read today, I came at it with a chaotic whirlwind of emotions screaming inside all corridors of my head.  Frustration, exhaustion, confusion, pain, hopelessness and loneliness weighed my shoulders down... made my breath come out in tight, short bursts... shattered my motivation.  Yet after reading Have You Ever Seen a Flower, I felt a deep, healing breath fill my body and escape out my lips.  The book's plot takes the reader into colorful, gentle self-kindness before one even realizes what's happening.

So in light of my experience today, I wrote out a short self-compassion exercise for you to try.  I hope with my whole heart that you'll give it a chance even if it feels foreign or false.  Let the words sink in, allow your unconscious mind to find healing in them... even if it seems you're only saying the words hollowly.  I take this challenge with you, as self-compassion is a practice I struggle terribly to do.  Maybe you share my same stumbling block of beating yourself up every time you don't live up to expectations- your own or others'.  

But no one beats up flowers.

And you are a flower.

Let's begin

Feel the ground beneath your feet.  Do your toes cling to fuzzy carpet or smooth hardwoods?  Feel the attachment between the earth and your feet, a togetherness orchestrated by gravity.  Thank your feet, your ankles and lower legs for anchoring you.  Remind yourself you are anchored in your values, passions and dreams no matter how hard the wind blows.

Rub your hands gently over your legs, tracing the soft skin over your hips then onto your belly, back and chest.  Feel the beating of your heart.  Experience the rise and fall of your chest with each new breath.  Think of all the organs sharing this space inside of you to keep you alive.  Thank your legs and torso for centering you and giving you strength.  Know that in every scenario you can find strength in your breath that reminds you you're still alive.

Embrace yourself, using those talented arms.  Rub your fingers across the flesh surface beneath them.  Release the embrace then move at each joint in your arms.  Notice the way your fingers bend, the ability of your shoulder to turn or elbow to change directions.  Thank your arms for reaching out in discovery.  Never forget to reach out: to new experiences, hard lessons, creative pursuits, comforting love.

Turn your face towards the sky.  Feel or imagine the sun tracing its warm fingers across the dips and grooves of your face.  Use the senses packed in this area- seeing, smelling and hearing- to experience what surrounds you in this moment.  Thank your head for looking higher than yourself.  Remember to always look towards the sky, knowing the sun will rise again.

Now take a deep breath.  And another.  Take five more, becoming attune to feeling fresh air causes throughout each part of your body.  Then thank your body for keeping you alive.