What do I do?

The first spontaneous response with a big laugh, is "as little as possible!"

What do I do? 

First thing in the morning, I lie there scanning my inner landscape.  Feeling how I feel, which usually leads to my counting my blessings.  Counting how I am blessed in so many ways.  Feeling appreciation for everything that fills my interior and exterior worlds.  Surrendering my will to Spirit for the day and praying only to know God's Divine Will and Plan.  Surrendering and opening to Spirit to move through me and as me this day and every day.

I go into my sanctuary - the bathroom!  I had a couple of people say to me once, that my bathroom was about as big as their apartment.  Sort of kidding, but not!  So in my huge space, I sit on the green carpeted portion and close my eyes.  Breathing, feeling, enjoying the sweet connection with Source Energy.  Feeling happy and open...

Opening to any part of my John Randolph Price book (A Spiritual Philosophy For The New World) that I have finished up, but still lingers in my mind.  Enjoying the magical feeling of his words and allowing them to wash over me and fill me up, like the start of this beautiful meditation:

"Spirit of the Living God within, my precious Reality, I have given up everything, surrendered all to you, and now I come before you as a spiritual child seeking only the Kingdom..."

I feel like I have melted and am in Heaven!  I am!  If I haven't already in my mind counted my blessings, I write down all that I feel thankful for in this moment...

The incredible beauty of the forest that surrounds me... visible from all sides of the house.  The view of the rising sun as I exercise in the mornings.  This precious breath that fills me up, circulating and feeding nourishment and life to all of what makes up this physical body.  The presence of God in my life.  My willingness to surrender time and time again to Spirit.  Over and over if needs be.  The love that fills my heart.  My beautiful family and dear friends.  Money coming in so that I can buy what I like and can help out loved ones.  The ability to be home with my children and play and learn in school together.  An abundance of food.  A kind and generous husband.  Sweet children who are wonderful to learn from and who at times, are such great reminders for me to turn it over and release control!  A great car that performs well.  A physical body that is in great shape too, allowing me to move and be with much ease.  Beauty everywhere I look.  Fruit trees that magically survived the frost and are thriving (yippee!)  The ability to turn anything around, to become aligned again when I rest in Spirit.  Remembering always to reach for a better thought... that how I feel is so important to my well being.  My emotions that guide me... thank God for the clues!  Many online forums like this one to connect and play!

I do my daily 3 to 5 minute exercise / stretching routine in front of a huge window enjoying the visiting birds, the majestic trees and grand bushes of the rhododendrons.  Loving always how their leaves tell the story of the temperature outside.  Right now, they are open and unfurled.  It's going to be a nice day!  Sun coming out behind the trees in the distance.

I go into the shower enjoying my new lavender and castille soap of wonder!  I have a new peppermint one that I am saving for warmer days.  TIngles and cools and at this time of year, it sends me under a continuous shower of heat!

Next for the morning is a party with the animals!  Bird feeding.  Dogs and cat feedings.  Katy, my black lab, dutifully follows.  Dragging any dog toy she can find or the muddiest tennis ball that she can uncover, she is looking for a partner!  She will play forever and ever and keep wagging her whole 75 pound body!  Poppy, unless she is on the leash, moves in and out of our walk.  She is the bird dog of the family.  A wavy-coated (or flat haired) retriever, she loves to stare up into the trees and the skies for anything that moves.  Barking at a bird so high... chasing a squirrel trying to balance on the bird feeder... whining at all of my three cats.  Her tail going in to overdrive if they come near her to get licked and licked and licked! 

Feeding time is over.  Kids have been fed by Dad.  I feast on fruit usually.  I take whatever time I have before school starts (9 to 9:30 a.m.) and come to the computer.  Do whatever I feel inspired to do online... Today, it is here on Gaia!  Thanks for this question guys!

School fills most of the day with Mikkel (6) and Dominique (9).  Geography, Literature and Language fill the morning.  Maths, Reading and Spelling fill the afternoon.  This week, we are in heaven (my daughter and I for sure!) with a looser structure as we study Asia.  Mongolia last week.  Korea yesterday.  Turkey and the Phillipines today!  Reading together.  Sharing what treasures we discover.  Looking at online reviews, videos and photos.  Talking to live people from around the world about their experiences.  We start the live conversations this week to hear more about Africa and Asia...

The joy of cooking that weaves through the day.   Fruit of the season.  Cheese crackers at any time possible!  A big lunch as we are all home.  My husband gets to find out what we have been doing in school.  My daughter paces and circles the kitchen as she talks.  I love to see how the movement seems to inspire her thought!  My son hides under the table at times, as he doesn't want to share!  He does not want the spot light of attention.  I love how after a full morning with all of these drawings that he did on Korea, he told his father that he did nothing all morning!  "Your mother let you do nothing all morning?"  "Yes," he replies!  Finally, he dredges up one thing that he remembers!  I am amused by the thought of doing nothing for three hours!  I like doing nothing actually.  I can do that quite well!

Time to be outside after the school day is done.  Time to enjoy nature's free outdoor spa!  Walking through the woods to look at the rushing creek.  Swollen from 3 or 4 days of constant rain.  Everything is so vibrant and alive.  I love when I go get the mail.  We have an incredibly long driveway that weaves through the woods.  Leafy canopy overhead.  It is pure magic to walk under the branches overhead, listening to the breeze rustling the leaves, hearing the birds calling in the skies and the trees.  Looking up into the huge trees and spotting various nests.  Huge ones.  I wonder if the racoons live up there?  Wondering about the wildlife that I do not see, but know is in there.  My husband spotted the black bear the other day as he was leaving for his trip.  I caught sight of a fox peeking out through the bushes near the mailbox.  Our many deer who wisely elude our dogs.  The incredible birds, turtles, snakes... The possum who didn't get away and was the dogs' winter toy for months.  That is a smelly story!  I would toss it somewhere far in the woods I thought, and there they were, carrying that stink thing around again!  So happy with their new toy!  Preferences, preferences!  To each his own.  One day, Mikkel distracted them and I took it deep into the forest never to return to my garden again!

I have nowhere to go today.  I love being home.  I love time to wonder around outside, listening to my kids playing (or not) in the background.  Breathing easy.  Feeling contentment.  Loving my life.  Appreciating the evidence of God in everything all around. 

Most days, I find snipets of time to read and write.  A poem that comes easily when I am open.  The words flow and I capture them on paper.  Wonderful books that nourish my soul.  Tapes sometimes that I listen to... soaking in the wisdom or the delightful music... Latching onto and enjoying new thoughts and beliefs that feel good inside.

Evening time, our family is all together again, unless my husband is travelling.  We may read together, watch a movie together (Little House on the Prairie or Harry Potter are the top picks!) or play UNO.  One time on our way back from Jamaica, my son and I played game after game of UNO on the plane and I won so often that he got so dejected.  Poor thing.  I was enjoying myself, because I am usually on the losing end of the stick with this bunch and this game.    I think he won one game and went to sleep!

Kids in bed, husband on the computer.  My time to be alone with myself.  Read, write, General Hospital for an hour, play with my online friends, play with my in person friends, play with my husband (no details for you!)

Simple life with a huge enjoyment factor for me.  Tomorrow, I do it all again with a fresh attitude, different perspective, good feelings (that's what I focus on) and maybe some new characters entering the story with the familiar cast.  The stuff that fills up the day is not as important to me as how I am feeling.  How I am being, as I move through this glorious day, colours everything.  Feeling good inside is what matters to me.

Enjoy your day wherever you are.  I am in the South Western tip of North Carolina.  Pisgah Forest.  A small town surrounded by the beautiful blue mountains.

Love,

Nicola

P.S. the picture above is with my husband Marshall and his friend on the right Larry.  Larry is an artist and adores his dog Ubi.  Can you tell?!  We just bought three of his incredible paintings and I will post them whenever someone teaches me how to upload or scan or whatever the process is!