Zen Moments, Freedom, and Other Things We Could All Use More Of

I’ve mentioned before that I go through various phases from time to time, and honestly, I think we all should.

I tend to get into a hobby or new interest (very heavily) for a year or so, then move on and invest my time in something new, and eventually I’ll circle back to an old hobby, which feels brand-new and warmly familiar, all at the same time.

Right now I’m enjoying some zen moments in my life.

As in, more yoga, personal reflection, time with friends, career changes, new ideas, thoughts about freedom, and peace.

I noticed my desires were shifting a little bit when I started losing interest in my Dan Pink books, and even in my books about teaching face-to-face and online (which is annoying, because I really wanted to keep reading those).

I’m a believer in reaching for whatever feels right, and disregarding what doesn’t (although I almost always return when it feels fitting again).

So when I scoured my bookshelves for something I could commit to for the next few days, it surprised me that The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz was exactly what I wanted. It’d been sitting there for a few months, and I wondered if I’d ever feel the urge to read it, but I read it in one sitting. Perfection. Everything about it felt great.

Yes, this was exactly right, and it led me to do other things that fell in line with my own desires and with Ruiz’s thoughts about filling your life with things that create lasting happiness, freedom, peace, and love.

I started reading another book that was collecting dust on my bookshelf, How to Practice: The Way to a Meaningful Life by the Dalai Lama. If I stay in this phase for much longer, I might even read Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg (one of these days!).

I played my guitar, and not the alternative country indie music that I normally seek out, but good old-fashioned Taylor Swift. It just felt fun, and right, and free.

So here I am with candles lit throughout my apartment, with books in my lap, my guitar hanging on the wall next to me (resting up for the evening), and 1989 ready and waiting in iTunes.

I’m feeling very free, filled with exciting ideas and direction, and totally at peace with this particular ‘zen’ moment.