This picture says it all!

I Envision A Life...

Hello Dear Ones,

Today is my birthday! I feel deeply blessed in so many ways, grateful for my life, for every breath and heartbeat that has brought me to this moment, and for each of the 55 circles around the sun I've turned. It's been a wild ride!

For the past five years I've enjoyed a birthday ritual of reading the vision statement that I created when I turned 50. It was a manifesto of sorts, consisting of affirmations proclaiming what I want the "second half "of my life to be about. Whereas second "half" may be mathematically incorrect, I think the sentiment still holds. I am in a beautifully different phase of life than I was in my youth, and I am committed to living whatever years I have left powerfully, gratefully, and joyfully.

Here is the vision I created that calls me into my wise-woman years. Whatever stage of life you may be in, may it inspire you to embrace your power and your dreams!

I Envision A Life

I envision a life where joy prevails, the joy that is the inherent delight in being alive; the joy that is the natural state of a wide-open heart, independent of outer circumstances.

I envision a life of connection, support, and caring, a life where I am encircled by a community of friends, neighbors, family and pets; a life where there is plenty of time and attention for each another.

I envision a life where, in my most vulnerable, fearful moments, I courageously choose love.

I envision a life joined in a loving spiritual partnership that continues to deepen; a juicy connection that brings out the very best in one another.

I envision a life of beauty, and of standing in awe of that beauty; of living in continual amazement toward this earth and all of Creation.

I envision a life where I am continually falling in Love.

I envision a life where I give myself one hundred percent permission to enjoy myself.

I envision a life filled with work that I love; creativity, authenticity, purpose; a life where I am being a conduit for God’s love.

I envision a life of simplicity, balance, & Presence, where, in the face of distraction and overwhelm, wisdom continually brings me back to What Really Matters.

I envision a life of gratitude, where that gratitude becomes the vessel that holds the mixture of my life, the bitterness and the sweetness; and where my heart’s cup is continually overflowing.

I envision a life filled with inspiration, from music, poetry, Dharma, nature and amazing people; a life where I find my teachers everywhere.

I envision a life surrendered to a power greater than myself.

I envision a life that is a living, breathing prayer.

I envision a life that is comfortable with mystery, a life of taking on the unknown as an adventure, a life where not knowing invites me into the sacred; where the Don’t Know is a juicy place to be; where growth and aliveness comes from stepping out of the comfort zone of having it all figured out.

I envision a life where changes of the body and mind are accepted with grace and dignity, where growing older is welcomed with fascination and wonder; where the inevitable losses and impermanences are met with the deep knowing that who I am is much bigger than all of that.

I envision a life of enoughness, where I see that I have enough, I do enough, and I am enough, and that’s good enough.

I envision a life where there is no longer a use for guilt or shame, toward myself or anyone else; where self-doubt clearly serves no purpose and therefore melts away. The words should, shouldn’t, & shoulda  are gently dropped from my vocabulary and my thinking.

I envision a life of lightness & laughter, where nothing is taken so seriously that I can’t stand in the face of whatever it is and shout WHOOHOO!

I envision a life that is about serving others and about making a difference, so that the footprint I leave on this earth will be just a little more love.

Written June 2007, for my 50^th birthday

© 2007 Jody Kessler