Hello Reader!
Stringing Bead Necklaces for Life
Anyone who’s spent time with a 2- to 4-year-old knows the joy of watching them learn how to string beads or buttons together. It’s one of my favorite activities with my grandkids. We pour out a pile of beads and create a string of colors. The younger kids pick whichever bead catches their eye, while older ones and adults start categorizing and making patterns.
Lately, I’ve been reflecting on this as a metaphor for life. These beads remind me of all the tiny moments of delight we can collect in our daily lives, moments we can string together to create a beautiful necklace that tells the story of how “awfully good” life can be.
Our journey of awareness is about practicing the art of directing our attention. Typically, our minds flit from one thing to the next, often getting stuck on worries and persistently striving to “fix” our lives. While this is natural, it doesn’t have to define our experience. We can train ourselves to notice the small delights—those tiny good moments—and begin stringing them together to form a more complete, heart-centered view of life.
Outwild: Gathering Precious Moments Amid Adversity
Just as we collect beads, I recently had an experience that reminded me of the importance of gathering moments of delight, even in adversity.
Last Saturday, I led a workshop at Outwild, and by all accounts, I could have easily written the whole experience off as “awful.” Upon arriving, the beginnings of a vertigo attack suddenly struck. Within 30 minutes, I was vomiting. But I still wanted to go ahead with the retreat. Each moment became a decision to stay present and engage with the incredible participants.
If I moved too quickly, my head spun, threatening more nausea, but I remained steady and open. I was fully transparent with the group, even though I had gone from a polished, well-dressed presenter to sweating profusely and changing into shorts and a bathing suit just before starting. It was important to show up as I was because I could feel the lesson unfolding in real time—everything I thought I needed to lead the workshop was unavailable to me. Yet, presence remained.
Awareness Excercises Help Ground
I was grateful for the awareness exercises I shared that helped me stay grounded: a body scan I like to call “Kissing Yourself All Over” and the one where we investigate the nature of being by asking, “Where Do I Start and End?” These reminded me that I’m much more than my body—much more than my dizzy brain.
Group Sharing and Connection
What I remember most are the faces of the participants, lit up with excitement, and the powerful words they shared—especially the vulnerable and daring shares during Naked Writing—a practice of unedited, uncrafted writing—that quickly brought our group together.
One person spoke of how scary it is to seek deep connections—that that kind of thing seems more challenging to bear than physical pain–and we all nodded in agreement. As the group felt a moment of cohesiveness, the underlying idea floated up: Maybe, just maybe, we were all after the same thing and could be present for one another as we explored what that was.
One person wrote about how meaningful being in a group like this is to her. She shared a collection of free-flow words that, when strung together, perfectly captured the essence of a bunch of individuals coming together with a similar intention—to dive deeper into connection, into oneself, and we laughed as she wrote “odors and all.”
Another wrote about what makes them come alive, and we watched as she visibly lit up while talking about their advocacy work. Someone else described the joy of waking up alone in bed, another about the gorgeous stillness in the early mornings that sustained her, another of the elusive nature of dreams she so wants to remember. Each daring share wove a thread uniting us in presence.
Hugs
I can still also feel Gaby and Anita’s hugs before the workshop, Lesley’s comforting presence in the van, Sanni and Courtney checking in regularly, Shelby and Ken sharing vertigo maneuvers with me, and the connections made at the very end of the retreat when I found myself able to walk again—all these small acts of kindness stood out to me as moments of delight.
Even though I spent 22 of the 24 hours at Outwild lying in a van, incapacitated, what I remember most are these singular inviolable moments filled with joy and connection—notwithstanding everything else. I came home with a pearl necklace.
A quote to inspire
As Buddhist teacher Cheri Huber says,
“If you see everything in your life as here to assist you in moving from suffering to the happiness that is your Authentic Nature, your life will be transformed immediately.”
This vertigo attack was an opportunity for my authentic nature to show up anyway.
Good News!
- The Las Vegas Review-Journal will feature an interview with me about Naked in the Now in this Sunday’s glossy insert! This honor stems from an unsolicited interview, so I am particularly pleased.
- Look for Spirituality & Health Sept/Oct 2024 Print Issue! It should be out at health stores and bookstores now! Naked in the Now is featured in the “Books We Love” section. I am so honored for it to be in great company with authors like Mirabai Starr!
- In discussion with an agent about Foreign Translations!
Upcoming Offerings:
- Write Now Mind October 2024 – I am going to be offering another Write Now Mind Session soon! It will likely start in late September and last five weeks. Email me if you are interested, and I will pre-register you! Otherwise, if you have participated before, look for an email with the join link.
- Las Vegas Book Fest October 19, 2024- If you are at the event, find me. I’ll be walking around offering juicy practices!
Closing Practice:
As you go about your day, begin becoming aware of all the tiny moments of delight you can string together. What story does your necklace of moments tell? Please take a moment to appreciate each bead, each experience, and how they contribute to the beauty of your life.
Don’t forget to leave a review for Naked in the Now, or, if you haven’t picked up a copy, get one now!
Smiles,
https://marijkemccandless.com
Kirkus Reviews endorses Naked in the Now!
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