Before I gave birth to Ruby, I noticed my body calling me to slow. And the week before her birth, slow was just about all I could do. And I chose {what I felt at the time was a conscious decision} to stay present with my baby and maintain as much of that slow for her first few weeks.
But that slow has lasted so much longer. Almost four months in, and I'm just emerging. In slow, I found myself meditating before sleep, waking to practise yoga before the baby fed and reading so so many books. And I found that when rushing presented itself {hello school mornings} I could deal with it much more effortlessly than before.
I have found myself so full on love, and with so much love to give. And that boundless love has surprised me so much. Not that it wasn't there before, but because it seems here more often, and love is my first response so often right now. And because it's shown me a second time what I know to be true - that when another baby comes into your world, that love we share as a family evolves - expands, increases, heightens, grows stronger with every experience we share.
Today I picked up Sara Avant Stover's The Way of The Happy Woman, which I find myself doing as the season's change. And I realised that my desire and need these past few months to retreat from the world, nurture my nest, and write just for me were in line with winter's calling. And my readiness to write for here again, to venture our with friends and be outdoors has arrived just as spring emerges. And I'd say it's no coincidence at all.
xx
Have you read The Way of The Happy Woman? And do you find yourself moving with nature's rhythms too? xx
How beautiful Elisa, Ive just caught up on this & Ruby's birth in one go, congratulations. It's so beautiful and inspiring to read how you're honouring what you need. I haven't read that book & Im going to look into it now xo
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ReplyDeleteThat book is one of my all time favourites which I return to time and time again over the course of each year. At the beginning of every season, I re-read the appropriate chapter, as well as the beginning ones again just to re-clarify things for me. I find her advice and suggestions so helpful and so in tune with my body each season. I particularly found her advice on monthly cycles helpful and now, I am more aware of resting and taking things easy during that first week. What have you found to be most helpful from her book? x
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. This mode is so nurturing. I can relate a lot. My babe is three months now and I find my life flows and evolves with much more ease when I remain slow. As soon as I start to rush or load up events I fall back into exhaustion mode and am limited in what i can do and what love I can give. My job, like you, is to just love. So I need to focus myself in and remind myself of the benefits of going slow, always. Spring is such a lovely time to emerge too :)
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