Divine nine or nine ways to stay present

Hello everyone,

I have recently been reflecting on mindfulness and how to stay present. I wish to share with you nine ways I have found useful to help me remain in the NOW. Hang on a mo, why nine? Well nine is a divine number.

In numerology the number nine has global consciousness; it is a 'humanitarian' understanding the connections and 'oneness' between all of mankind and creation. So I thought it quite fitting to choose nine as a vehicle for sharing what I have learned so far on staying present. Shall we get started then? Ok, in no particular order:

1) I choose NOW - sounds simple doesn't it? But I wasn't really aware of how much I lived up in my head, re-living the immediate or distant past or stressing about what's next until I read a couple of interesting books that enabled me to observe my own thoughts. I'm sure you will have already heard of "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle. 

I bought this a few years ago and it took me three or four attempts to read it. I didn't find it an easy read but I persevered and realised that shows the reader a practical way of breaking old habits of the mind and re-centring oneself in the present moment. Later on I stumbled upon an absolute gem of a book called "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz. I may have mentioned this one before. It is beautifully written and heralds from the realms of Toltec wisdom. In it Don Miguel Ruiz talks about the dream state we are all in  and about how we can wake up from the dream. There are four main lessons in the book, which are actually four agreements you can make with yourself. You can learn more about it in this video. 

Both books enabled me to set my intention towards choosing the present moment. 

2) I learn meditation - meditation, a practice found in many countries, cultures and belief systems, enables me to slow down, focus on just being in my body and become more aware of my internal as well as external landscape. I found it hard at first, especially when my mind jumped about a lot like a macaque skipping over hot coals.

Anyway a friend of mine, while we were chilling out at an African music festival in north London, told me about a useful website called Headspace. This is a handy resource where you can find out more about meditation and follow some simple guided meditations, taking no more than 10 minutes. After I discovered this I incorporated this into my lunch breaks at a quiet spot in St. James' Park. It is still a work in progress for me as I do get distracted by my daily routine and don't always make time to meditate! Perhaps I can learn the way of the lion...

3) I practice reiki - I have been practicing reiki for the last three years or so. The act of conducting a reiki healing on myself, friends or family members or sending reiki over distance grounds me in the  present moment. Human touch is a powerful, immediate and healing thing as is setting one's own intention. 

4) I make music - music has always been a passion of mine since learning to play the recorder and piano while I was a primary school. I subsequently learned the flute at middle school and sang in a school choir, competed in music festivals, performed in school and university orchestras, a singing group and jazz duo, taught music to other pupils and taught myself the guitar. I began writing and performing my own songs in my early twenties, going on to sing in folk clubs solo, as a duo and in a folk band. 

Although my music, and various instruments accompanied me throughout my humanitarian aid career, I tended to push it to the background and over the years I felt I had lost touch with a part of myself. In the last 10 years or so I tried to ease myself back into singing first in a church choir and later an urban gospel choir but my constant travelling meant I couldn't commit to regular rehearsals. However I really missed co-creating beautiful melodies and harmonies. 

Now I'm rediscovering this creative side of myself again and what a joy it is! A friend of mine, Luc, invited me along to participate in a couple of regular open mic style events at the Larrik Inn, Fulham and at the Anchor Pub in Battersea, so I stepped up and had a go! I've picked up my guitar again, added another instrument (the uke) to my collection and I am re-vamping my repertoire. Whenever I sing or play a note I can only be in the present moment time falls away and I am conscious of the vibrations inside my body and the affect music has on other people. My heart resonates. 

5) I care for someone I love - my mum and my aunt have both been coping with health concerns. When someone you love is ill or is struggling with something, this really focusses the mind, body and soul on loving relationships. Spending time listening to them and providing practical physical and emotional support opens the pathway to just 'being there' and enjoying every precious moment. 

6) I garden - growing up in the Warwickshire countryside gave me a healthy curiosity for and appreciation of nature and all wildlife. I have always loved plants and animals. I love nurturing plants and growing my own flowers, fruit, herbs and vegetables. Feeling the soil between my fingers, fragile leaves of seedlings, root balls vibrating with life as I plant them out into the ground, literally brings me down to earth! Being with nature and feeling the warmth of the sun on my face, my bare feet on the grass and hearing birdsong reminds me to look around me and really open my eyes to the beauty of creation that is constantly evolving without a care in the world. 

7) I pray - communing with the Divine for me is having a conversation and I don't have to be in a church or holy place to do that. I can pray anytime and anywhere, offering words and intentions to the Divine presence from my heart. This keeps me connected, present and forever grateful. 

8) I meet up with my friends - as a natural, born introvert and only child, I have not always found it easy to socialise, often preferring to be on my own. I am happy in my own company and yet I have chosen to go out, conquer my shyness and make friends. I value my friends - who are my extended family. I have been very privileged to have lived and worked in many countries of our one world and made friends wherever I go. Being in the company of my friends is very grounding. Sharing laughter, cooking good food, celebrating the joys and commiserating over the sorrows or enjoying going out to the theatre, cinema, music festival or seaside trip brings me away from my busy headspace and into my heartspace and firmly roots me in the here and now. 

9) I take a walk - this might sound a bit counter-intuitive but I find it easier to be in the present when I'm walking around instead of just sitting down. When I'm walking I am conscious of my feet touching the ground, how my body feels in motion, the breeze on my face, and my awareness increases so that I notice the sights and sounds around me. I don't think we were born to be sedentary beings! Walking is a natural a way of being...and maybe dance-walking is the next evolutionary step? Enjoy it people! 

Happy New Year and Reflections on 2013!

New Year Greetings!

Happy, bright and beautiful New Year to you and your loved ones! I hope this finds you well and enjoying the first few days of 2014 so far. Reflecting on 2013, I am grateful for the opportunities I have had to work, rest and play and spend quality time with family and friends.

Rest and relaxation

Last year I saw in the New Year with John, who had come all the way from Down Under to spend Christmas and New Year with me and my family. We had met a few months previously in Port Moresby, while we were both working in Papua New Guinea and hit it off. After a restful few days over Christmas in Long Itchington and exploring the sites of Warwickshire, we returned to the bustling metropolis to enjoy the Christmas lights, shows and spectacular fireworks that heralded in 2013. All too soon it was time for him to return to Sydney.

I enjoyed an extended period of rest in January and February following my hectic, productive and very interesting mission on behalf of the Protection Standby Capacity Project (ProCap), seconded to UNHCR in Papua New Guinea in 2012. I needed to recharge my batteries, sort out a shoulder injury and contemplate my next steps as I realised that it is becoming increasingly important for me to be at home in the UK for periods of time and regain a decent work/life balance. During those months of rest I took up pilates, enjoyed some deep tissue massages at Lavender Heal and had some physio for my shoulder, all of which worked a treat and I felt as good as new! In addition I joined a 100-day co-creating our reality challenge, which was a fun way to set some intentions for a 100 day period, work towards them and video blog (vlogging) about the experience along the way. I have never vlogged before but I had a go and learned how to make movies on my MacBook with iMovie.

Itchy feet and road trips

In March I took up a UK based job as a Programme Specialist on Child Protection and Education for UNICEF UK, a national committee affiliated to UNICEF. This entity is primarily geared up for fundraising for and communicating about UNICEF’s work internationally and on the domestic front. While in the International Programme Advisory team, I provided technical programme input into pitches to corporate partners – a whole new universe for me! Remaining chained to a desk and a computer somewhere in the City of London was a challenge. Unable to sit still for too long, I visited my friend Nejla in Sweden for a long weekend in May and we toured around the ‘Köpings’ – Nyköping, Norrköping, Linköping, Soderköping and Gamla Linköping. It was good to catch up and explore a lovely part of Sweden in the springtime.

As you know I do so love to travel and fortunately I didn’t have to wait long until my next adventure. In July I ventured Down Under to visit John and meet his folks. We packed a lot into two weeks. We started off with a few days exploring the Hawkesbury River and Blue Mountains, followed by urban walks in Sydney discovering the best the city has to offer including the harbour, opera house, Botanic Gardens and historic centre as well as venturing into the surrounding beaches and headlands including Palm Beach, Barrenjoey Head, Bondi by night, the Gap, Bobbin Head and Appletree Bay. We then embarked on an epic road trip up the coast into Queensland and on to Fraser Island to wend our way along the beaches and into the rainforest. What a trip! All being well we plan to meet up again soon.

On her Majesty's service

After a few months at UNICEF UK I realised the role wasn’t for me as it wasn’t challenging, strategic or fulfilling enough, particularly compared to recent roles with NGOs and UN agencies. I made the decision to move on and in September I took up a Humanitarian Adviser role at Crown Agents. Crown Agents provides a range of services to Her Majesty’s Government including the Department for International Development. I’m based in CHASE OT (Conflict, Humanitarian and Security Operations Team) which sits within DFID, at Whitehall. Since I began my new job in September I’ve been on a range of induction training courses such as Working with Ministers (a bit like “Yes Minister”) and Hostile Environments Awareness Training. As the name suggests, this training covered dealing with threats such as ambushes, mines and unexploded ordinances, armed groups and potential hostage situations, and learning first aid including responding to traumatic field injuries. Some of the training was familiar and a refresher and other parts were new to me so well worthwhile.

Following that I was seconded to the Syria Crisis Unit for a few weeks, where I was doing a piece of work relating to the needs of children affected by the ongoing conflict, both inside Syria and in neighbouring countries to inform DFID’s programme design for the Secretary of State’s Lost Generation Initiative. Subsequently, as it was typhoon season, I assisted colleagues with ongoing monitoring of natural hazards and since November I have been providing technical support to the Typhoon Haiyan response in the Philippines.

As we begin 2014 the conflict in Syria shows no sign of abating leaving 6.8 million people in need, 4.2 million people displaced from their homes and 2.3 million people who have fled Syria into neighbouring countries. I hope and pray for an end to the conflict soon. In the Philippines the typhoon has affected 14.1 million people and displaced over 4 million people from their homes. The international response has been good so far and donors and agencies are working with the Government and local communities to support the recovery process.

Creativity

Aside from work and travel, I have been deepening my reiki practice for the wellbeing of friends, family and myself and participating in reiki shares, where I have enjoyed meeting reiki-lovers in my local area and sharing experiences and practice. Also, I experimented with drawing mandalas, which I find to be meditative and colourful.

Creative writing continues to be a joy when I sit down and make time to put pen to paper or finger to keyboard. I endeavour to post musings up on two blogs. Blonde Bombshell in Crises takes a tongue-in-cheek view of humanitarians and the humanitarian world and this blog, Shalomsplinters which reflects on creativity, spirituality and wellbeing. I may not be the most prolific of writers but I do enjoy the creative process and receiving feedback from friends and occasionally random strangers. In December my line manager, Ian, gave me an interesting mission, to write a script for the CHASE OT’s Christmas pantomime for the end of year review and party. Each team within DFID CHASE were required to put on a mini-panto and Ian was keen for CHASE OT not to be outdone. Mission Impossible? Horrified by the task I turned to partners in crime in the team, Barbara and Andy who agreed to co-write the material with me and also galvanise willing actors. I am happy to report that we won first prize! This marked my first foray into comedy script writing and I could develop a taste for doing more of it in future. Watch this space!  Feeling the creative pull back to music, I bought a ukulele and I have been teaching myself the basics. In addition, I returned to the live music circuit having been persuaded by my friend Luc Floreani, to perform at local open mic nights in Larrik Inn in Fulham and The Anchor pub in Battersea. I plan to do more of this throughout 2014 and I might perform with my uke and jam with friends. Perhaps I might even do song writing again!

Family

At the moment I’m grateful for being the UK and not roaming too far afield as both my Aunt and Mum have been going through health problems. My Auntie Josie has been recovering from a stroke during the past 12 months and is now doing very well. Mum is undergoing all sorts of tests and has been in hospital a couple of times. I go to visit them as often as I can and I accompany Mum to her numerous hospital appointments. I spent a quiet Christmas and New Year in Long Itchington. Mum and Auntie Josie and I had a lovely Christmas Day together. Unfortunately, a few days later mum had to go into hospital on New Year’s Eve for a biopsy. I am thankful that I could be there to support her through it and will be going up to Long Itchington on a regular basis. I hope and pray for healing for both in the coming months. It is, especially, at times like these when I truly appreciate my loving family and the kind support of friends and neighbours.

On that note, I wish you and your loved ones peace, love and light throughout the year and always.

Much love,


Sarah xxx