(picture of me taken by my Sister Lynda at the Turning Stone Resort, Verona, NY)
"In beauty I walk
With beauty before me I walk
With beauty behind me I walk
With beauty above me I walk
With beauty around me I walk
It has become beauty again..".
This is part of a Navejo prayer which I think is fitting when it comes to talking about "Reverence" which is my intentional word pick for this year. (Every year I choose a word to focus on and live by). Reverence means deep respect for someone or something or to regard or treat with deep respect.
When I was treated by my sister Lynda to a day of pampering at the Day Spa Resort I reconnected to what I find to be sacred within me. In one of my poems I wrote..."I want to drink the cup of tea that lives inside of me..." which was a deeply profound statement and wish to reconnect with my body at a time when I felt disconnected from it. At the Day Spa at the Turning Stone Resort I was able to fulfill my wish and more! I reconnected in body through the power of a 80 minute lavender oil massage, a facial, scalp and neck massage, a pedicure and a manicure.! I also connected with my mind and spirit at the same time too because of the whole set up and experience of the Spa.
From the moment I walked in I was "in awe". The indian music and theme all around was reverential. As I walked onto the carpet I was immediately comforted by the mindfulness and lovingkindness of the present moment. The table for two was set with a lunch of fresh salad, cheese and tortilla crackers, hummus, and two tiny angel food bites. Strawberry tea and water were in areas easily accessible whenever you wanted it. On some of the walls there were indian plaques to read/readings--having particular reverence for women. I felt like I had stepped into heaven.
The experience is still giving back to me. In my daily routine I am making sure to treat myself with reverence so I can radiate that outwardly to others. I awaken early so I can spend time in prayer and meditation. I read and write my morning pages when everyone else is asleep. I treat myself with beauty first. From the smile I give to myself first in the mirror, washing my face with my Mary Kay beauty products, to the food I so lovingly prepare for me and my family which is often aesthetically pleasing and savory. Each day I wake up I treat my life as a gift waiting to unfold. There is much to be thankful for and blessed about. I strive for the millpond and I am able to attain it at times in my daily round. Sometimes life gets chaotic and rushed but I always return to serenity by giving myself the practice of meditation before bed and drift into a deep state of peaceful sleep.
I feel that this practice of mine that I have been doing for two years now has really made a difference for me in the way I am as a mother, homemaker, writer, "wife", sister, friend, and confidante. Being at the Day Spa with my sister has reinforced my practice and has made me pay more attention to the presents that make up my life: My family, my friends, and those on my journey I have yet to meet.
I am walking "the beauty way..."
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