Wonder Manifesto: V is for…

Writing my way through the A-to-Z blogging challenge, I’ve tasked myself with creating a manifesto reflecting wonders, curiosities, and delights currently captivating me – all through the lens of unusual, obscure, or simply charming-to-me words.

V is for…

vitative – (adj) (archaic) –  fond of life; of or relating to vitality

It amuses me to have fallen in love with an archaic word that means fond of life – a shade ironic don’t you think?

But I am very fond of life indeed.

I love these words from Maya Stein:

“Fall to your knees at least once a day. Say yes at least twice. Love daringly, wholly, unapologetically. Believe in magic. Befriend your fear. Look up. Listen. The birds will tell you everything you need to know about flight.”

This says so much to me about what it is to be here, now, embodied on this beautiful planet.

My life is filled with so much goodness. I do work that I love; I am well-loved and love well in return. I have a rich internal life; I know who I am and am committed to aligning myself as fully as I can with my divine soul self and expressing that as brightly, with as much clarity as I can in the physical. I know myself to be a powerful creator being and accept responsibility for creating the life I want.  I’m on a mission to be an encourager of soulfulness; to be an ambassador of joyful creative expression; to be part of the tribe Rob Brezsny so delightfully names “dissident bodhisattvas rebelling against all those forces that feed fear and ignore love.”

I like keeping my face turned to the sun and my heart to the moon; and my feet on the joy trail.  I’m constantly questing for more awareness, for more balance, for more open-heartedness.  I love that I’m connected to Bee, to Spider, to Crow, to Elephant, and to Whale; and I love that I have a deep relationship with flowers and trees and the stone beings; and I especially love that I have a strong connection with my non-physical support team and family of Light.

I believe the world is filled with goodness and we can encourage the growth and unfolding of it. We can nurture our hearts, we can love one another, we can help those in need.  We can be agents of positive change, of transformation, of anchored light.

I confess I can get annoyed, although lately I’m feeling more amused, when I’m summarily dismissed as someone wearing rose-colored glasses with little grasp on reality – as though my life doesn’t contain the same share of sadnesses and hurt and hard that everyone elses’ lives do.  I’m an ordinary person.  Just like everyone else.   It’s crazy to pretend that we’re not all deeply complex, multi-layered creatures navigating through a world that seems to get more complex with every passing moment.

But I’m certain of one thing.  My life is better with a daily gratitude practice.  It really is.

It’s my belief that gratitude and appreciation are some of the most expansive energies we can dance with.  Gratitude places you in the joy of the moment, AND it opens the door to welcoming more.

I’m convinced gratitude begets happiness.  And if there were nothing else true about it, I think that would be more than enough.  But the thing is, there IS more.  Immersing yourself in the energy, the vibrations, of gratitude, brings more to you to be grateful about.  It’s one of those lovely little magic tricks of the universe.

Sure it can be kind of easy to be grateful for the big apparent stuff – what we love about our life.  The people and things that make our heart just burst with joy.  And that’s certainly a good starting place.  But the second you start taking it a bit deeper, it really does seem to expand exponentially.  Because being aware of the small stuff makes it so clear there’s beauty, and joy, and support for us in every moment.

But I think it’s a fair question, and one I’ve had some deep conversations about – how do we stay in gratitude, how do we hold on to kindness, in the midst of tragedy, in the aftermath of expressions of hatred that shows how broken we are?

And to this I say:  This is not a world for the unbrave.  We must choose love, and love, and love, again, and again, and again.  When our hearts are broken; when we’re in the fire of resistance and small-mindedness and fear that gets expressed as hatred; when grief brings us to our knees and threatens to keep us there forever.  There is so much for us to do – so many ways we can be moved into action that expresses the highest and best of who we are.  It is times like this when we are called to stay open – to expand our ability to give love, to hold compassion, to remember we’re all so much more alike than any differences between us. And it is a time to remember to be open to receiving love as well.  Let’s not forget to acknowledge the kindnesses that show up in our world, that fill our tender hearts and make it easier to continue our journey.

I encourage us all to be like thirsty sponges, drinking up what brings us joy, what delights us, what nurtures and nourishes and refreshes us, so we are filled and rested and ready. We have jobs to do in this world – there is much to be done. We all have contributions to make, causes to support, action to take based on our own individual wisdom.

I claim a vitative attitude and hope it’s contagious – may we all love our lives deeply and fully.

I love that I woke up today and have another opportunity to be on this adventure called life, and I love that I get to peek into the lives of others on this journey as well.  So tell me – what do you love?  You know I want to hear.