2024 - Week 32 - My Practices - Part 2 - My M.A.P.

Why Struggle? Podcast w Barbara J. Faison

All the links: LINKTR.EE/BARBARAFAISON

My M.A.P.

In last week's episode, week 31, I mentioned that we make around 35,000 decisions a day. Listen, that’s a lot of picking and choosing. lol. We may decide what to eat, what to wear, how to spend our day, and more. Any way you look at it, a lot of decisions are being made…ALL DAY LONG.

If I don’t have certain things I do to manage my mind, I can easily begin to feel overwhelmed. Managing my mind is essential to staying grounded in my life. And I am so grateful that I started these practices a long time ago. Another one of my practices I call my M.A.P.: Includes meditations, affirmations and prayers. This excerpt from my book/audio/ebook, Why Struggle? Life is too short to wear tight shoes is My M.A.P. - Meditations.

My Spiritual Practices

Slowing down and paying attention to what is right in front of me has truly opened me up to more opportunities and grace. Silence, meditation, listening to music, walking, and forgiveness are some of my spiritual practices that help me stay grounded. It’s called a practice because it is doing something regularly or constantly as an ordinary part of your life. When I stray from my daily meditation, affirmation, and prayers, I immediately feel it. That’s why it is called a “daily” spiritual practice, not a “whenever I feel like doing it” practice.

Can you imagine your favorite sports team just showing up for the game without practicing first, and expecting to play well and win? Not at all, practice is part of the process. Over the years my spiritual practice has evolved based on what I have going on in my life. The key thing is to find what works for you as a practice and to PRACTICE.

My current practices are Meditations, Affirmations, and Prayers and whatever moves me at the time.

My M.A.P. – MEDITATIONS

Years of living alone conditioned me to enjoy quiet in the morning. I rarely turned on the television when I was getting dressed for the day. My meditations vary now based on what is happening in my world. There are times I sit and focus on specific areas of my life and visualize, sometimes I sit and enjoy the quiet of nature. I go with whatever flow I feel like that day. There are so many resources for meditation, these are some of my favorites.

Walking is one of my favorite types of meditations now. As Lacee and I walk, I am drawn to the beauty all around me from the trees, flowers, butterflies to the sun shining down on my skin. Lacee has become one of my daily teachers. Some days as we walk the neighborhood, she will slow down and sniff the grass or flowers she sees every day as if it is her first time seeing them. I listen to the birds as we walk the neighborhood and I feel the gentle touch of the wind on a crisp fall morning. When I see butterflies in my area I smile and say, “hi mom.” Witnessing God through birds, butterflies and other amazing creatures is its own meditation.

End of excerpt.

One of my favorite types of meditation is using a grounding practice. Enjoy this brief grounding practice I created earlier this year. It uses a combination of sound, breath, and visualization.

https://youtu.be/1DWXLQgyvXo?si=9KISExzXS5DMQKiV