Hi Friend,
I am slowly making my way through an extraordinary book called This Here Flesh: Spirituality, Liberation, and the Stories That Make Us by Cole Arthur Riley.
I say “slowly” because the language is just so beautiful, so nourishing, that I am pacing myself so I don’t accidentally devour it in one sitting.
This line knocked me out today:
It’s not arrogance, it’s just paying attention.
When is the last time you paid enough attention to your Self … your body … your spirit, to notice the wonder that you make in this world?
Wowing yourself isn’t just about the grand gesture moments. The speech you nailed. The difficult conversation you showed up for with courage.
We can allow ourselves to be wowed by our everyday wiliness and resourcefulness. By our small acts of creativity or goodness.
I wowed myself this weekend, in fact.
I created a cozy vibe in my living room that was so irresistible (Candles! Snacks! Blankets!) that all three of my children made their way to me from their various bedrooms, and we had a cuddle puddle in the middle of a Saturday. My oldest contributed by putting Evermore on the turntable, making it even cozier. My middle child pulled out one of my favorite coffee table books, and we all peered over her shoulder in awe and amazement.
Would this wow anyone else but me? Who cares?! I was STOKED and mentally high-fived myself for being able to draw in the surly teens and tweens out of their bedrooms and into the shared space of our home.
Here’s the thing: too often it seems as if the systems and structures of this world are perpetually disappointed in us. It seems like nothing we do is ever enough.
Some of us have internalized the lie that what we do isn’t enough, that who we are isn’t enough. It’s no wonder we move through the world in a fog of dissatisfaction and disconnection.
But when we pay enough attention, as Cole Arthur Riley suggests, we can find our own secret wells of joy—something that everyone can feel and sense the moment they interact with us.
So, you know what today is?
Today is Allow Yourself to Wow Yourself Day.
And THAT, my friend, is your thought experiment. Notice how it changes the way you experience the day and all of the people in it. And PLEASE report back. I love hearing from you.
Shine on,
B
