Sunrise, new beginnings

THERE CAN ALWAYS be a new beginning.

It was a lovely sunrise this morning, such a beautiful sky – more smudges of pink and blue and a new moon on the way. I think the sun will shine here today, and I wonder if the sun is shining in your little corner of the world.

To be honest I woke early, with concern on my mind about something, and I wanted to share that seeing the beauty and joy dots to exercise your positive neural networks, doesn’t mean you suppress feelings and emotions. This practice gives you the capacity to let feelings and emotions flow through you, giving the spaciousness needed to not ‘become’ them, or feel swamped by them. By practicing when you feel fine, you’ll find you can continue the practice when you don’t.

When I exercise my positive neural networks by seeing the beauty and writing warm words, or noticing joy dots and writing them down then reading them back, my brain changes. I feel the brain rhythms drop down into a gentle hum that isn’t heard. My body relaxes and my heart purrs like a contented cat lazing on a warm sunny old stone wall. With practice, peace can come that easily, even when things happen that cause you upset.

Practice can come from reading other people’s warm words and joy dots, perhaps you will share yours in the comments, and we can create a community of people creating some good feelings in this world of ours.

It does take practice for stress-filled times to be managed in this way, there needs to be a constant watering of the brain even when we’re not stressed, so that it becomes a habit, for the times when we are.

Sometimes, when stress has become too large for the brain and the survival brain has taken charge, we need someone else to do this for us until the survival brain settles down again, like that cat lazing in the sun. The fall-asleep stories I will be recording soon, relax the brain, exercise positive neural networks, and support the brain to access good REM sleep to lower stress levels. Together these things support the brain to remain spacious enough to exercise positive neural networks, itself. And, this does all make an incredible impact on the world and the people around us.

It’s the simple things.

Especially when life rising up around you feels complicated.

Joy dots

Slither of new moon on it’s way

New beginnings

Warm glow in the sky

Soft blanket

Trust

Feeling at home

Hush

Birdsong

Kindness

Sunshine on a rooftop

Bird flying

Bumble bees on lavender

Butterfly

Photo by Eric Karits – unsplash

Fall Asleep stories

The Sam series (for kids but adults can benefit too!) – Tangerine beginnings: an extract from episode two.

It’s a warm summers afternoon as Sam walks out of school and along the road to Grandad Tom’s…Sam always stays there on Fridays, because every Friday Sams parents have a date night. Ever since Sam was a baby, Friday evenings have been spent hanging out with grandad Tom, and Sam always really looks forward to it.

Sams grandad lives just along the road and around the corner from the school, so not far to walk.

As Sam makes his way down the road, under the fruit and nut trees…the warm summer sun shining down… makes patterns on the pavement, as the tree branches sway this way and that, and leaves rustle above Sam’s head.

There are all sorts of birds in the treetops… a big crow appears, squawks, then flies to another tree, and now a little red breasted robin lands next to Sam’s feet on the pavement. Tilting his head to one side the little robin stares up at Sam, then flies into a newly dug garden looking for worms…

At the end of the road Sam crosses over, turns left and walks down a small hill just a few yards, then turns right into Grandad Toms street…there’s the smell of freshly cut grass. Sam hears a lawn mower and sees Edna Brown cutting the grass in her front garden…“hello our Sam” calls out Edna. Sam smiles and waves. Sam likes Edna, she makes good cakes, and she can climb lampposts…

Walking the last little stretch of grandad Tom’s road, enjoying the smell of the freshly cut grass…the birdsong in the treetops…the warm sun…the gentle summers breeze on face and neck, Sam reaches grandad Tom’s front gate…opening it Sam walks up the garden path to the front door, past rose bushes with their sweet scent…through an arch of jasmine and honeysuckle, with lavender underneath in full bloom…then Sam takes out the front door key and opens the door, knowing that his grandad may still be asleep because he has started having little naps in the afternoon.

Sam walks into grandad Tom’s house and there is the smell of freshly baked bread. Grandad Tom loves baking bread, and cakes. Sometimes, Edna Brown and grandad Tom have a cake stall down the end of the road on Saturday mornings, and Sam helps out…

Photo by Leonard Cote – unsplash

Till Friday, warmest wishes,

Lucy x