Posted on Dec 27, 2012 in
LIVING THE SWEET LIFE
Alisa Murray
Perhaps Martha Beck put it best. When asked about her favorite quote, it was not from some journal or complicated literary work but a simple and yet so very true life lesson from none other than Winnie the Pooh!Here’s what Beck said: “Winnie the Pooh. There is a scene in which he, Piglet and Rabbit get lost. Rabbit, the frantic intellectual, keeps steering them in circles. Then he leaves, and Pooh tells Piglet, ‘Let’s go home.’ ‘But Pooh,’ Piglet asks, ‘Do you know the way?’ ‘No,’ says Pooh. ‘But there are 12 pots of honey in my cupboard, and they have been calling me for hours. I could not hear them properly before, because Rabbit would talk, but if nobody says anything, I shall know where they are calling from.’ All I ever do is help people quiet their rabbit minds until they hear the pots of honey speaking to their tummies. That’s the way to our destinies. Follow what is sweet, delicious and calling.”
This month’s life lesson in Living the Sweet Life is a small reminder to stop and wait for your inner voice to speak. At certain times of the day, it is buried and can barely speak at all, while in our quietest moments, it can be heard. Last year, the year flew by. It came in with the same warnings as each year does, but somehow, I wasn’t paying attention and so every month flew in, and I was taken with it covered up in work and play and parenting and the like. But, I wasn’t paying attention.
Soon, it was fall again, and alas, Thanksgiving and then Christmas. I allowed my time to be so filled with activities that the quiet of my own mind never happened, and the inner voice never got heard. It was in these last few weeks before Christmas when all the things that could be done had been – presents sent, cards written to loved ones and the planning of what would be a huge year for my company all done – that my inner voice began to speak.
Clear goals and living in the moment is what I heard. “Meat and tatters” as my Daddy would have called it with his distant voice still heard so loud and clear. Thank you, Daddy. What do I want specifically to happen this year? Where am I going? Where are my pots of honey calling from?
So, therein lies my January challenge to you. Sit quietly for a few moments each day, and listen to the inner voice. Let her or him have a say in your thing called life. Find yourself inside yourself so to speak. It may tell you to go back to school. It might reveal a creative burst that enables you to see more clearly that special gift only you can share with the world. One thing is for certain, your voice will call to you, and you must be ready to hear what it has to say. The keys to your Sweet Life are already inside of you. Listen, and let it lead you to the pots of honey!
Take Care of You!
By Alisa Murray
www.AlisaMurray.com
Nationally recognized portrait artist and award-winning columnist.
