New Beginnings
a reflection by Rochelle Calvert, PhD BCBA
Every year, month, week, day, hour…….moment – we are one turn towards allowing ourselves an experience of a new beginning. Learning to shift into a state of curiosity, not knowing, opening, expanding, allows for new beginnings to arise within and in the actions of our lives. If we allow ourselves to see opportunity, freshness, and the choice of a moment, we can experience the beautiful possibilities that lie within our mindfulness practice.
I recently took a family vacation to visit a few national parks through Utah and Colorado. Beautiful, expansive, amazing places to experience. Clearly the cultivation of time has allowed these beautiful natural places to exist, AND also realizing that EACH moment that occurs NOW continues to allow these places to take more beauty, expansion and awe. We decided to take a rafting trip down the Arkansas river. As I was traveling down a river in a majestic beautiful national forest, I was inspired within- by the moments of my experiences- to JUMP literally into the water and swim with the current of the river. The not knowing, opening, allowing, stepping towards the possibility of new, exciting, opening, trusting the fruit of one moment allowed me to really see the possibility of CHOOSING- new beginnings.
This summer I have been working (amidst my travel) on the cultivation of our “New” Mindfulness Meditation Studio. The creation of this studio is a dream I have had since beginning my own mindfulness practice. As I reflect on what it has taken to allow this dream to arrive at this moment (a few weeks away from launch) I am struck that it took a willingness to turn towards the possibility of what could be new… what could be possible… what would not be known. TO JUMP!!! This the beautiful possibility that lies within our practice. The realizing that this moment is like this…if I can open into it, without the judgment, the comparing, the doubt, the over planning, the fear, and step into what is possible and new in THIS moment, then shifting into newness and new beginnings arise. And so it is arising, a new beginning – (that has been cultivated over many new beginnings, inspirations in time and continues to be inspired in each moment), New Mindful Life, the Meditation Studio, offering opportunities to practice, connecting in community and deepening our understanding of practice together.