Last week I stumbled through a fairy garden on a perfect cool morning in Tampa on duty in my new position as a Garden Magician. As we made our way through dreamy yards and beautiful gardens detailing them, I asked the Head Magician Barbara (my boss) who has worked her magic for many years like I always do, what the plants and flowers we were working with that day. And on this one day, I learned about the Cranberry Hibiscus Flower and how it blooms for just one day.
Over the years, through my daily writing practice, when I have felt sluggish or unmotivated to take action, I have consciously chosen to evoke the fear of death with my pen with a variety of prompts. one of my favorites is, “what would you do if you only had one day to live?” At the root of this prompt, I have realized I can powerfully connect with my values and the areas of my life my heart truly desires to prioritize.
And what I have found is that often times, me included, are not making daily time for these things because we are too busy manicuring our life to fit the ideals of societal hustle culture. Or we are too exhausted, burnt-out, or afraid to truly connect with what it is we truly desire. In the last few weeks, I have used this prompt in a few different writing workshops and what has emerged have been beautiful answers like, “spending time in nature, being with family and connection, having more fun.”
One woman even followed-up with me after one of my recent events to thank me for offering this prompt to the group. She mentioned how it activated in her dormant requests in her heart space. She told me how she was going on a business trip the upcoming week and had rerouted her returning flight to go see her parents to share with them things that have been left unsaid.
In that moment, my heart melted, and God sent me a wink to keep going.
Many of us, including myself, get caught in habitual patterns of a culturally conditioned life and forget about the depths of our hearts.
Today, I encourage all of us to spend event just ten minutes to acknowledge what it is we truly desire to be doing and then have the audacity to get radically honest with ourselves if we are making choices that align with our hearts.
This is the awareness that has led me to keep writing every. single. day. because if I had just one day left to live, I would write.
What would you do? …share with me in the comments below :)
Poem: The Cranberry Hibiscus Flower Blooms for Just One Day
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Thank you for being here and thank you for choosing to live life from your heart.