The Vitality of Spontaneity

Thomas Jefferson wrote the pursuit of happiness into the Declaration of Independence yet today’s researchers studying mind/body health do not like to pursue the term, “‘happiness.” They claim that its pursuit turns into a challenge to define or measure. As a result, expectations may get in the way of its capture.

John Monterosso, a researcher at the University of Southern California’s “Brain and Creativity Institute,” says today’s Americans feel happiness is, “something we should be able to control and pursue.”  He encourages students to consider far-reaching goals rather than immediate success. Monterosso provides examples of learning a musical instrument or appreciating art which can open possibilities for future potential.

Defining the term, “subjective well-being,” Arthur Stone, USC professor of psychology, indicates it contains three components: how satisfied you are with your life, (so-called hedonic experience, feelings of happiness, sadness, anger, stress and pain), and how meaningful your life feels.

In USC’s Emotion and Cognition laboratory, Mara Mather studies the “positivity effect.” She finds, “Young people still are seeking out information to improve their future well-being, while older people are focusing on the present moment and trying to optimize their emotional experience. They’re priming themselves to feel good about life.”

Using the word, “flourishing” rather than happiness, Varun Soni, vice provost for USC campus wellness, claims,”happiness can come and go, but flourishing endures.” It acknowledges suffering and cultivates resiliency.

Consider what gives you a wisdom of well-being. Investigate feelings of contentment and joy mingled with concerns and considerations for future choices.

Sensory awareness bridges the gap between our moments and life’s ever-changing nature.

Use a kaleidoscopic approach to find a life balance. Acknowledge the peaks and low points and develop an understanding of their necessity in life.

Discover the vitality of spontaneity.

Learn nature’s nurture by immersion in outdoor settings.

Add slides of gratitude, loving relationships, and creativity.

Spin and twirl with appreciation, mindfulness, humor, fun, resilience, and determination.

When frustrations or anxiety appear, use positive views to glide over them.

Let your experiences become the best teacher of well-being.

Laughter will energize all the body and mind muscles.

Find your kaleidoscope of words for well-being. Create them: Aroo. Blee. Crue.

Write around, in and through ideas to assist with balance.

Write with a Funtain Pen

 

With a fountain pen, the hand moves to energize the brain’s logical side. Letters form words in artful flow from the right side’s intuitive cells. Integration of both sides occurs as a result. The physical process of writing connects the writer on a sensual level.  

Technology requires the fingers to push keys on computers, cell phones, ATMs and other needy. A world of total keyboard input might work for everyone but writers. A pen gripped by fingers stimulates creativity and lets out the magic of words. 

When writing with a fountain pen, the wetness of the ink drying on the page reflects a scent of its own. Feeling the elegance of writing and seeing the splash of color adds to the creative flow. Mindful moments with a pen slow and focus thoughts. 

 As fingers blend with swirls, loops, and angles of letters, relaxation of the mind occurs. The rhythm moves the writer away from the rapidity of life’s requests that bombard the psyche. 

Return to your emotional core and connect by thinking and writing with a pen. Without a fountain pen, try any pen that flows. Avoid the use of a pencil.

Experience a free write for ten minutes. Find self-reflection in ink with your funtain pen. Prance the fellow across the pages.

Connect with Nature

Get the pen and notebook. Walk into a garden or natural setting. Feel the energy to write into a variety of wonders.

Begin with your creative awareness. Write your mood or feelings at the top of the page.

Breathe in a count of four and out four. Repeat.

Focus on nature's colors. Notice the edges, shapes, and shadows above. How does the green with its veins provide a background?  Imagine the life of a bee.

Move into the flow of your writing and let the words spread across the page.

Discover surprises in scents and sounds. Absorb the breeze or temperature’s sensations.

Gaze upward. Describe the color blue without using a color

 

List five sensations that make you happy.

Write about what you take for granted.

Notice creatures who will come to visit.

Characterize them. Add a tint of humor to the seahorse who dances with its curled tail or the octopus with giggly eyes. Let the seagull spout its wisdom.

Stop. Breathe in and out.

Write your current feelings or mood. Notice a difference from what you wrote on top of the first page.

Keep your friendly focus as you move into the rest of the day.

Catch the green flash at sunset with a wish.

Word Wander

Will you wonder and wander so words sprout wings?

Do you know where to venture to discover your art? Will voices and sounds, tones, and trills follow your pace?

Where does silence fill the crucible with curiosity?

What hides and peeks around corners that once felt inaccessible?

Ideas sneak away from unexpected petals.

Cracks crunch beneath the feet.

Clouds attract feathers to defy gravity.

 How will you begin?

Mountain Power

Mountains invite intrigue, goals, and victories. When climbing Half Dome in Yosemite National Park opportunities arise to stimulate mind, body, and spirit. Views to Half Dome from North Dome inspire warrior poses. 

I have summited all Yosemite’s peaks from the valley floor. I carried with me the philosophy and assurance that nature would provide guidance and shelter in all types of weather and challenges. Nature’s nurture stimulated reverence.

Hiking in mountainous regions attracts the mind’s tranquility.

Stillness surrounds with sounds of footfall, swish of tree branches, or flap of birds’ wings. Calming settles with each breath. 

Breezes massage the face, arms, and legs. 

Oaks, pines, and cedar mingle scents with lupine to enhance memories.

Meeting a bear cub that falls onto the trail just yards away increases heart beats. Unaware of another presence, it ambles down the other side of the path.  Lizards scurry into shadows.

I have slept in all the High Sierra camps within a lullaby of waterfalls.

Everyone needs mountains to climb. 

Choices loom around each turn in the metaphorical trail.

Etel Adnan fell in love with Mount Tamalpais, the first vertebrae of the backbone that stretches all the way to Tierra del Fuego. She found herself,  “left with the sort of wonder that the sense of eternity always carries with it,” with a “feeling of latent prophesy.” The mountain became her muse, which she celebrated and serenaded in a flood of paintings and poetry. 

With Adnan’s insights, the mountain became both object of reverent curiosity and sovereign; both metaphor and not-metaphor.

Writer, Ursula K. Le Guin was asked, “Who is the most importent person you ever met?”  She replied, “A mountain. I discovered that Tamalpais was at the very center of my being. “

Skinner Butte in Eugene, Oregon inspires with its views of the city and beyond to Spencer Butte’s silhouette. Along the snaking trail, squirrels, hawks, osprey, bluejays, flickers and sparrows share the journey to the top. Eagles nest in high branches in the park below.

Mind mountains attract daily in a struggle or an insight. 

Enlightenment arrives from reflection on sensual delights and challenges of nature’s experiences. We learn lessons of solitude and climb above the fear of falling. In the step-by-step process, we defeat self-doubts. 

A mountain’s simplicity and tranquility calm and soothe us into views where  blues of sky meet the azure sea.

Blue Water Experience

A focus on water sights and sounds. Touch leaf textures. Breathe in scents of nature’s nurture in movement and moments.

White Storks of Spring