Welcome, spring, with your
Wide-open windows.
Fresh air and raindrops.
Gentle breezes and rousing wind.
Dandelions. Nettle tea.
Fresh linens.
Tucked away turtlenecks.
Shaken out mats.
Garden gloves.
Bicycles and yoga.
Ruffled pages.
Walks with Speedy.
Composted clutter.
Open mind. Open body. Open breath.
Space for now.
Recently as I was planning my day, the words “appreciate you” bubbled up. I jotted “Spend the day appreciating you” in my magical day planner with a few, but not many, other items to do. I just knew that I didn’t want anything to get in the way of my day of “appreciating me.”
Appreciating myself, not my accomplishments, but just me, isn’t something I was taught. I wasn’t taught that I wasn’t worthy of appreciation. It just wasn’t something we made time to do. There were so many “important things” at hand.
And so, on this Sunday morning, I decided to devote the day to “appreciating me.” I began by reflecting on my qualities, way of being, perspectives, strengths, weaknesses, basically the whole spontaneous, beautiful, messy package of me.
I immediately wrote out a list of 31 things I appreciate about me. (Sounds like alot, I know.) Next, I appreciated each and every item on the list and the list-making process. I planned to take “appreciation pauses” throughout the day, which I promptly forgot and which I notice I’m remembering more often as the days go by. I read “My Appreciation List” every day during my morning mintues — quiet time I devote to me.
According to a post by The Purpose Institute on Nov. 13, 2015, to appreciate can mean:
Let’s play with “appreciating us” and see where it leads, what we notice, what surprises us. Whether you create an appreciation list, poster, love song, rhyme, jar or some other wonderful way of appreciating your gifts and grace, happy appreciating!!!
Hey, CELEBRATE! You’re making FANTASTIC progress! Remember that first day on the road bike when you took a spill in the middle of Chicago Avenue and all those drivers stopped to see if you were okay? Or how about the time you put your helmet on backwards? Even we hadn’t seen that before!
We’re impressed you stuck with us given that uneven start and how much you disliked riding up – and especially DOWN – McClure Pass. That takes some chutzpah. How about the time it took you so long to descend Maroon Bells that Edward fell asleep in the car?
Clearly, you’re a slow-twitch, scenery rider. Racer – not so much. Congrats on finally getting the hang of shifting! Gone are the days when you were so shift averse you rode in the same gear for fear the chain would fall off.
Thumbs up on pumping up your tires before every ride. Even if you can change a flat – albeit very slowly and with the help of YouTube – why ruin a perfectly good ride doing so?
We heard you chanting “Keep the bike upright” long before pro cyclist Chris Horner mentioned it on The Butterfly Effect. Common sense and, as you know, easier said than done.
Fortunately, you’re doing much better with the apparel! No more wearing an undershirt in lieu of a jersey. How handy are all those pockets – especially the zippered ones for your id, credit card and patron saint cards featuring Catherine of Siena and St. Francis. That’s new. We’ve not seen other riders carry saints on their rides. But, hey, if it works for you! Weird as though the padded shorts may look off the bike, we can tell you appreciate the comfort on those long days in the saddle.
Yep, in our estimation you deserve those purple cycling shoes Edward gave you for your birthday. You took to the clip-on pedals way more gracefully than we expected given your previous track record. And while you were learning to wear them, you mastered an important cycling and life lesson. “Do it your way.” We handlebars have plenty of time to listen to you humans talk and it’s apparent to us that offering opinions is easier for most people than riding a bike.
We’ve been watching you and here are a few pointers/reminders we would like to humbly offer:
Pedal on.