I really enjoy connecting with others. I might do this over a cup of coffee, a phone call, or through teaching. It fills me up. It re-energizes me and makes me feel whole. So, often times I look for ways to connect, or re-connect when I’m having a bad day or if I’m really upset about something. After reading the following, I realized how many other ways there are for me to feel connected. Every item here resonated so much for me that I thought I’d share them with you.
This is an excerpt from the book Pebbles in the Pond, Transforming the World One Person at a Time. Here Ann White is explaining her thoughts on how we can re-connect with our higher power – whatever that higher power might be for you.
1. Step outside. Certainly God is everywhere, but sometimes we forget. Stepping outside into Nature is one sure way to get “God-smacked” into seeing the incredible beauty and power of the divine. Even if I find myself in a concrete jungle, I look for life. I may see a bird fly by, or a tiny flower growing up through the asphalt. Connect with life, breathe it in, and know that you, too, have this strength, beauty, and power.
2. The biggest re-connector for me because I am painfully shy, is to greet every person I meet during a day. Sure, many will walk right by me, but I connect with enough people to bring me back into connection with the Source, and I hope, to help them connect too.
3. Spend time with animals. Adopt a rescue pet. Look into their eyes and know you are connected. Let them teach you how to love unconditionally.
4. Listen. Listen to the quiet. Listen to the sounds of nature. Listen, truly listen, when someone is talking to you.
5. Sit in meditation or prayer and breathe in divine energy or spirit. Let it fill your soul.
6. Look at challenges, obstacles, and heartbreaks as life’s teachers. Learn from them. Find the silver lining in every cloud.
7. Do random acts of kindness. I actually tithe to the planet. I set aside about 10% of my money and instead of giving it to a house of worship, I return it to the Source. I see far more benefit than I ever did with traditional tithing. I will randomly give my co-workers a gift card for a cup of coffee or tea, donate a small amount to an animal rescue group, or bake a treat and take it into an office. Hand out money to homeless people. Bring flowers to a neighbor. Send a card for no particular reason. There are so many small gestures we can do each day to stay connected, and I promise that by doing them, we re-energize our own happiness.
8. Lastly, practice the smaller “ones” such as one breath, one moment, one day. Live in the moment. Know that every breath we take is a gift: every sunrise and sunset a blessing.
Rabbi Ann White, J.D., is calm amid chaos. As a trauma chaplain at a busy trauma center, Ann turned to chaplaincy as a way to bring peace into troubled hearts, including her own. She is the author of Living with Spirit Energy, and The Sacred Art of Dog Walking – Making the Ordinary Extraordinary. She also hosts a weekly radio show on BlogTalkRadio.com called Creating Calm within Chaos. You can reach her at www.CreatingCalmWithinChaos.com.
