Practice and Purpose

When I was young my parents made my sister and I take piano lessons.  I am not sure if it was ever really a choice.  Not that I minded, but I am not sure I would have been inclined to continue if I knew it was a choice.  Not only did we have lessons, but in my house we were required to practice at least 30 minutes a day.  I didn't mind being able to play the piano - I didn't even mind practicing (although I played only the things that I liked and didn't work on the assignments as much as I should have).  However, I know I complained about having to practice when I really wanted to be outside, or watch T.V. or talk on the phone . . . but the timer was set and off I went.

I really liked my piano teacher.  She was kind and helpful.  She may have scolded us for not practicing more, but I always felt like she liked me.  Plus she had a cat and a dog and games to play while you waited for your turn.

One of the things about her little piano room (which held 2 upright pianos) was a sign that sat on one piano which said -

"Practice does not make perfect. 

Practice makes habit. 

Only perfect practice makes perfect."  

For a long time I have mulled over that statement.  I have always believed it to be true.  And sometimes that can feel very heavy.  It is only recently that I have begun to question perfection.  I wonder perfection is not what I have made it out to be in the past.

Bear with me on this one...One of the things that I did get scolded for in piano was that I liked to improvise.  My teacher would say "Erin, first you need to learn how to play what is written - and then you can make it your own."  Maybe that is more what perfection is about.

As a healer and a pastor I believe that we are all created perfectly.  When we learn what God has written in our body, our soul, our mind, our spirit,  then we can make it our own.  Maybe then - Perfection is living out our Purpose...But first we have to learn what is written.  And our community and our experiences make a big impact on that.  Community life plays a very important role in helping us to read ourselves.

And so there is a long explanation to say - it is time get back to the practice.  Practice writing and thinking and moving muscles that I have let go of for awhile.

It is time for me to claim my wisdom and bravery.

So if you are reading this blog, if you follow it - please bear with me.  There will likely be a lot of what one of my colleagues calls "hose spiders"*.  For awhile this may just be for me, but you are welcome to come a long for the writing/thinking/dreaming rehab that I am giving myself.  And I should say that I was particularly inspired to get back into it because of an article from  becoming minimalist (one of the blogs I follow).

there you have it - and here we go!!!

(30 minutes a day of keyboard/blogging)

Peace and Light

Erin

*hose spider - the spiders that have crawled into your garden hose over a long winter and come scrambling out when you turn on the water for the first time.  They may or may not make a mess - but they are a little surprising and scary until the hose gets cleaned out.

Wednesday Wellness Tip #1 Back to the Basics - Tracking

One of the many things we learn in life is that when you want to get somewhere it is helpful to know your starting point.  This is just as true in terms of wellness as it is of driving from point a to point b.

Whether we are trying to eat right or train for that 5K (10K or Ironman), or just simply finding more joy in life, it is helpful to trade food, workouts and even things we are thankful for.

I have found that this part is vitally important, but as simple as it seems, it is not so simple to keep up with it.  Maybe because it seems too simple.  Isn't life just like that?  We "poo poo" the simple things thinking if we challenge ourselves more we will get better results.

So I invite you to start tracking where you are.  Get a lay of your wellness landscape.  Know yourself, listen to your body.

A basic tool for this is using a simple rating scale for your wellness in terms of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual self.  Use the following either when you get up in the morning or before you go to bed to get an idea of there you are this week.  Then decide what you really would like to change (or strengthen).

Physical Wellness - "I have all the energy I need for today" 10=highly agree to 1=no energy at all

Emotional Wellness - "I am feeling very good about myself" 10=highly agree to 1=I don't like myself at all

Mental Wellness - "I am confident in what I know" 10=highly agree to 1= I am not sure about anything

Spiritual Wellness - "I feel very connected to the world (and people) around me" 10=highly agree to 1= I have not connections at all

Check back next week for ideas on how to strengthen your wellness quotient.