We all have preferences.
Preferences for which people, places and activities that we choose to spend time with. For me, the discovery and evolution of my preferences is a very important part of my life’s journey. Just as most of creation has its own stamp of uniqueness, so too, no two people seem to share identical preferences.
Knowing and discovering what and who “makes our hearts sing” is a very important part of each individual journey. For me, the long days of summer offer the opportunity to spend time recognizing and enjoying some of my favorite pleasures. Thus you can often find me spending my time near Horses, Cows, Meadows, Wild flowers, the Sea, the Sunsets and of course hiking in and near my favorite Mountains. All of these, along with spending time connecting with the magic of Nature, are on my list of preferences.
Needless to say, sharing my preferences with friends and family members always tops the list of how I like to spend my time.
I like to define my preferences as those people, places, life forms, styles or activities that naturally resonate with the deepest part of my being. They are not stagnant and can expand and change. Mostly, however, they reflect the cherished joys from my childhood. Their very presence energizes the inner core of my being. They are the parts of life that seem to “make my heart sing!”
During the past several months I was blessed to expand my preferences. Factors like Covid and my accident forced a stillness that stopped my access to so many of my previous likings. It was this gift of stillness that created the opportunity for me to expand my perception of the world around me. I had time to notice the signature of the Divine written on so many aspects of nature that I had previously ignored. On days that I was most conscious (meaning days that I viewed life from joy and gratitude rather than complaining), it seemed that I could find an endless variety of things to be amazed by.
From the movement of a caterpillar,
to the flight of a hummingbird,
to the web of a spider,
to every aspect of the human body…
all of life seemed to sing its own special “song of Awe”.
I found that by listening to each of these “songs”,
my list of “what makes my heart sing” started to expand.
I still have my old preferences, but it seems that my heart is singing a few more songs!