Amy Hoppock's Blog, page 4

What Do I Need To Remove From My Life?

This question feels like a breath of fresh air. There is a subtle sense of relief that floods my body when I ask myself, “What do I need to remove from my life?” We spend so much time adding that sometimes it is good to think about subtracting.  Maybe you need to remove an activity? Maybe you need to remove a habit? Maybe you need to remove some stuff? Maybe you need to remove a person?  Sometimes removing is as easy as getting a trash bag and cleaning out your closet or the junk drawer where every-little-thing goes to die.  Sometimes removing is tricky, difficult, and may require honest conversations.  We do not have to do every activity that comes up. We do not have to be friends with every person that desires our friendship. We do not have to volunteer for every event our community, school, or church may have.  I find there are the “easy no’s.” Events, opportunities (or even people) that I know I’m not the right person for the task. Then there are the gray areas where I might be a little hesitant to commit from the very beginning, but I do it anyway, and then realize, this should have been a “no.” Removing can be hard, but sometimes it is the best option. Removing events or commitments can be difficult. Sometimes we have to realize that a certain relationship just wasn’t working. Maybe a friend places too many demands? Maybe the topics of conversation aren’t where you are anymore. Sometimes this means You have to have hard conversations and put the right boundaries into place. It’s hard to acknowledge that we can not be all things to all people. Yet, the result of this hard work can be needed peace. What do you need to remove from your life? My hunch is that one or two things popped up as soon as you read the question. How are you going to begin to remove that (commitment, habit, thing, person) from your life?  Start right now… Close your eyes and picture yourself six weeks from today. You have had the hard conversation, done the task, and removed something that is draining time and energy.  How do you feel? Does your life look any different? Do you have more time to focus on the things that matter to you? Did removing something give you space to add something that is bringing you joy? (Really, close your eyes and see and feel in as much detail as possible what that change feels like and what “removing” has given you back.) What two or three things can you do this week that will move you closer to that feeling of freedom in six weeks? (in other words, make a plan!) Remember the Elephant and the Rider? (see this post.) This is a fantastic tool to use. (In fact, we already started by visualizing how you will FEEL in six weeks when you make the change (Motivating the Elephant) and thinking about a Plan (Directing the Rider.)  “People tend to be generous when sharing their nonsense, fear, and ignorance. And while they seem quite eager to feed you their negativity, please remember that sometimes the diet we need to be on is a spiritual and emotional one. Be cautious with what you feed your mind and soul. Fuel yourself with positivity and let that fuel propel you into positive action.” ― Steve Maraboli, If you like these questions, please consider SUBSCRIBING to The Art of Powering Down; Questions to Recharge Your Soul… Every week there is a question that will gently challenge you, encourage you, or help you live your life with more intention, grace, and purpose. (Sharing these reflections and questions with friends is the greatest compliment!)

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Reflective Reading: Letting Go of Pretense

I love the following passage by David Benner in his book Presences & Encounter; The Sacramental Possibility of Everyday Life.   We all live under some sort of pretense.  With anything in life, what we can see and name holds less power.  We might not know how to address it, but sometimes that act of seeing is the first step. Pretense Defined pre·tense /ˈprēˌtens,prēˈtens/  noun an attempt to make something that is not the case appear true. Where in your life are you attempting to make something, that is not the case, appear true? Maybe it’s not the big thing, maybe it’s a small thing.  I want you to think I’m tidier, wiser, faster, humbler, better (in whatever way) than I really am.  It easier to own the “big” things that we aren’t rather than the little details that we wish we were, (but can’t quite manage.) Let these words speak to your heart and soul today.  What word or phrase stands out to you? What is the invitation for you, in your life from these words? Simple being is a deep sigh of relief that comes from letting go of pretense.  It is also the sigh that comes from releasing a heavy burden that results from creating and managing the false selves that are substitute centers for the truth of our being.   It is the sigh of release as we let go of preoccupations, inordinate attachments, and discorded passions. Things in the depths of our beings get aligned when we let go of these things.  Even if we pick them up again and try to put them back into place, their places in our souls will be different because we have consented to a first release of them, even if just for a moment. David Benner Ph.D.   Presence and Encounter: The Sacramental Possibilities of Everyday Presences Is there a place in your life that you need to let go of pretense? Is there a heavy burden you are being invited to set down? Are there preoccupations, inordinate attachments or, disordered passions that you can release? If you like these questions, please consider SUBSCRIBING to The Art of Powering Down; Questions to Recharge Your Soul… Every week there is a question that will gently challenge you, encourage you, or help you live your life with more intention, grace, and purpose. (Sharing these reflections and questions with friends is the greatest compliment!)

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Some {Short} Book Reviews

It seems like time for a reading update. June, July, and August were not good months when it came to reading. I finished just one or two books over the entire summer. I’ve been picking up my pace a little more in September, so hopefully, that dry spell is behind me now! You can follow me on Good Reads (if you want) that is where I keep track of all the books I’ve been reading. So, let’s get into it. Best Fiction books (so far) The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd I loved this book.  It’s the story of Ana, the wife of Jesus. (Yes, that Jesus.)  It’s fiction and the author doesn’t claim anything else.  I listened to this book on Audible several months ago, and I’m still thinking about Ana and her aunt Yaltha.  It’s beautiful, profound, thought-provoking, and a wonderfully written book. This book is about Ana, her marriage is important, but it’s not about that. It really is about longing, about calling, about courage. I’m so glad I read (listened to) it. (It was very well done on Audible, I would suggest listening to it!) “When I tell you all shall be well, I don’t mean that life won’t bring you tragedy. Life will be life. I only mean you will be well in spite of it. All shall be well, no matter what.”  Sue Monk Kidd, The Book of Longings A Single Swallow by Ling Zhang-  This is a book translated from Chinese.  I love a good novel about China.  The structure of the novel was a story told from the voice of ghosts.  An American soldier, American missionary, and Chinese man agreed to meet back in a Chinese village they spent part of WWII on the day the war ended when they all die.  It takes 80 years for the last ghost (man) to arrive.  I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about the book when I decided to read it.  I’m so glad I took the risk.  It was a beautiful story, written in an interesting and usual way.   “You were smart, but there were plenty of people in the world who were smarter than you, and cleverness is sometimes the biggest obstacle. Fortunately, you were also diligent and persistent. Diligence clips the wings of cleverness, allowing it to stay firmly on the ground. Persistence grinds away the sharp edges of cleverness, not allowing it to take shortcuts through things. Cleverness thus clipped can more fully penetrate the nature of things.” ― Ling Zhang, A Single Swallow The Heartbreaker by Susan Howatch-  This was the third and final novel in the St. Benet’s series.  It was an amazing and beautiful story of redemption. Susan Howatch has become one of my favorite authors this year.  I’m considering starting her Starbridge series again.  (I’ve started ordering used copies of all her books when I find them, I just want to have this series on my bookshelf.) I love these books because they look unflinchingly at the messiness of life and the power of reflection and honesty in healing. Fiction Books I’m still thinking about: These books weren’t necessarily favorites. I have mixed feelings about them. However, I’m still thinking about them and even if I didn’t love each one, I took something important from the story and each book has invited me to think about trees, Native Americans and nuns in more nuanced ways. The Overstory  by Richard Powers-  I’m still not sure how I feel about this book.  It was well structured, very engaging, and disturbing too.   It’s basically a collection of essays, some are better than others. They grow together, like branches of a tree to eventually form a cohesive story.  (The author has spoken about the structure of the book like a tree: roots, trunk, branches and it does do that.). This book was not a quick read, at times I wondered if it was too long, one set of essays in particular I was never able to understand how it fit with the rest of the story (in reading reviews I’m not the only one.) BUT I see trees differently because of this book. It caused me to consider issues of conservation and even back yards in a new way. This book is a journey, I’m glad I stuck with it. “The best arguments in the world won’t change a person’s mind. The only thing that can do that is a good story.” ― Richard Powers, The Overstory There There by Tommy Orange  I saw this book on a list with Braiding Sweetgrass and The Overstory, two books I have enjoyed, I thought I would give it a try. I am trying to be intentional about reading different perspectives and voices.  There, There is similar to The Overstory in that it’s written from the perspective of many people, and slowly as the book progresses the stories start to intertwine.  It (spoiler alert) had a violent ending and left most of the stories unresolved.   I haven’t read many books about the experience of Native Americans and I’m glad I read it for that reason.  There were a couple of “interlude” essays about Urban Indians, that were truly beautiful and introduced me to new ideas. I feel like this is a book worth reading if you understand there is violence and it’s written in a unique way. “When you hear stories from people like you, you feel less alone. When you feel less alone, and like you have a community of people behind you, alongside you, I believe you can live a better life.” ― Tommy Orange, There There Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy by Rumer Godden I really like Rumer Godden (I tend to like authors from the 80’s apparently Susan Howatch being the other 80’s author that I am devoted to) I’ve read the three books she wrote about nuns, religious callings, and monastic life.  Each story is completely different and very nuanced.   Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy was about one particular nun who started her vocation after she was released from prison, for being a madam that killed her boss. It’s raw and yet beautiful. The names are all French and a little bit hard to keep track of because of the titles used in the monastery.   Godden’s books are gentle, thoughtful, and point to the power of women who have chosen a religious vocation. I’m glad I discovered these older books. What books have you read recently? Are there any books I need to add to my list? “Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.” – Lemony Snicket If you like these questions, please consider SUBSCRIBING to The Art of Powering Down; Questions to Recharge Your Soul… Every week there is a question that will gently challenge you, encourage you, or help you live your life with more intention, grace, and purpose. (Sharing these reflections and questions with friends is the greatest compliment!)

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Have You Tried The Door?

A friend recently shared with me a story about a defining time in his life. His story ended with words that are still ringing and rattling around in my mind and heart. “Up to that point in my life, I had lived by a belief system that my future was decided by other people. I let other people’s priorities decide and define my future. I realized that I had lived believing the door (to my future) was locked, after (this event) I realized the door had been shut, but never locked. All I ever had to do was just push on the door and it would have opened. The door had never been locked, it had just been closed.”  Have you tried the door?   How many of us live with this unchallenged assumption that our life, our future, our choices are controlled and defined by other people?  We may shy away from stating it that clearly, but we live our lives believing we are passengers in a lifeboat, not the captain of the ship.  The image of a shut door that is just shut, not locked is so powerful. I can picture someone wasting away in a “locked” room, only to discover that had they just tried to open the door they would have been free. What tragedy that would be! Have you tried the door? What doors in your life are you just assuming are locked, that would open if you only just turned the doorknob? Where are you letting other people’s priorities dictate your future, your hopes, your choices?  I’ve been thinking and reading about what Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art calls Resistance. His book begins with these powerful words.  “Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.”  Steven Pressfield Resistance is a repelling, internal force that keeps us in the room, thinking the door is locked, believing the door is locked when we only need to try the door to realize that it is only shut. There is no key.  Have you tried the door?  What is your door?  I’m sure without much thought you know exactly what your door is. Maybe this month is the month to try the door, touch the handle and discover there is no lock.  “. . .any act that rejects immediate gratification in favor of long-term growth, health, or integrity. Or, expressed another way, any act that derives from our higher nature instead of our lower. Any of these will elicit Resistance.” -Steven Pressfield If you like these questions, please consider SUBSCRIBING to The Art of Powering Down; Questions to Recharge Your Soul… Every week there is a question that will gently challenge you, encourage you, or help you live your life with more intention, grace, and purpose. (Sharing these reflections and questions with friends is the greatest compliment!)

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What Is Working?

   What IS working? Sometimes I find it helpful to consider this question. What IS working? Are there patterns and habits that are working well for your personal health? What about in your family? What IS working in 2020?  What is working is a positive question.   This question invites us to survey the landscape of our lives and consider what habits and patterns create peace, flow, creativity, and positive results. It’s all too easy to focus on what isn’t working. But when was the last time you assessed your life looking for what is working for you? What actions are creating peace in your life? What habit is helping bring efficiency? What patterns cause your day/week/months to flow with ease?  When we have identified the patterns and habits that are working well for us, we can use that information to help with the things that might not be working well. It is easy to focus on what isn’t working, but when we focus on what is working we can learn just as much (if not more) about our preference. By focusing on what is positive we can learn where our best skills shine. If something isn’t working we can use the information we know about what works well to create a better solution. It’s all information.    What is working builds momentum? When we take a few minutes to see what IS working it creates positive energy and momentum. Humans are wired to focus on the negative, it’s a survival skill. I read once that it takes just a second or two for a negative thought to stick, and we must focus on a positive idea for 10-15 seconds to create a sticky connection in our brain. When we look around and think about the things that are really working, we can create sticky connections in the brain that can help us when we think about the things that aren’t really working. Use the wins in your life to create more wins.   Small counts. When surveying your life to see what is working, keep your eyes open for the little things that might not seem that important. Sometimes the things that are working we don’t even think about because they, not the pain points. A small win is still a win! What does that win tell you about how you work best? How can you use that information?     What IS working in your life? What can you learn from what IS working to leverage in the places that are not so smooth?  In order to carry a positive action, we must develop here a positive vision. – Dalai Lama XIV

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Reflective Reading: Soul Gifts

Reflective Reading has been a part of my practice for years. Frederick Buechner says: “Pay attention to the things that bring a tear to your eye or a lump in your throat because they are signs that the holy is drawing near.” Frederick Buechner These past few months have been overflowing with questions and anxiety, they are palpable in the air. (I’m not the only one who feels it right?!) As much as I love to read, over the past few months I’ve found it hard (at times) to even read a novel. However, finding small bits of wisdom, beauty, and thought-provoking material has been a consistent help.  Slowing down to really absorb the words brings new insights and helps things (in my experience) to stick.   I usually ask two questions:  What word or phrase stands out to me? What is the invitation from this passage?  The following passage is from Dancing Standing Still: Healing the World From A Place of Prayer by Richard Rohr. I recently finished this book and it’s one of my favorite books from Rohr.  As you slowly read the passage use the two questions as a guide. What stands out to you? Is there a word or phrase that gently catches your attention? Is there a new idea, grace, or invitation for you?   “But as we come to know our soul gift more clearly, we almost always have to let go of some other “gifts” so we can do our one or two things with integrity, instead of always being driven by what has been called “the tyranny of the urgent.” Soon urgency is a way of life, and things are not done contemplatively or peacefully from within. Do one or two things wholeheartedly in your life: that is all God expects, and all you can probably do well. Too much good work becomes a violence to yourself and, finally, to those around you.” Richard Rohr in Dancing Standing Still: Healing the World From A Place of Prayer Where to start with this passage right? The following words and phrases stood out to me: know our soul gift (Soul gift a new phrase for me. A gift is something given and received, not earned and created.) let go of some other “gifts” (It is interesting that “gifts” is in parathesis, does this mean that things I might consider gifts aren’t really gifts?) Soon urgency is a way of life, and things are not done contemplatively or peacefully from within. (I am familiar with this, you mean it’s not the way life has to be lived? Is this what 2020 has been about? How can I continue to find contemplative ways to live?) Do one or two things wholeheartedly in your life (Wait only one or two over the course of my life…there is a strange bit of freedom and permission in this phrase.) Too much good work becomes a violence to yourself (This seems like such a bold and provocative statement, and yet so much grace to consider as well.) What about you? What message does this passage have for you? OR what have you read recently that caught your attention. Read slowly and see what you may discover. More…{From Dancing Standing Still} Avoid all comparisons about better or lesser, more committed or less committed; those are all ego games. Richard Rohr Watch for the accusing spirit within yourself. Notice that, if there is any free-floating anxiety within you, you will always want to think negative thoughts about somebody else. In the spiritual life, we are always our own primary problem. Richard Rohr If we do no transfrom our pain, we will always transmit it. Richard Rohr P.S. This year has been filled with so many questions and challenges. October already promises it’s fair share. I’m challenging myself to post and add as much space for {Pause} {Beauty} and {Kindness} as I can this month, maybe you can find what that means in your life and make October a month of kindness and beauty too?! If you like these questions, please consider SUBSCRIBING to The Art of Powering Down; Questions to Recharge Your Soul… Every week there is a question that will gently challenge you, encourage you, or help you live your life with more intention, grace, and purpose. (Sharing these reflections and questions with friends is the greatest compliment!)

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What do you need to give your energy to?

What do you need to give your energy to? I jotted this question down from a podcast. It’s been in my notes for so long I am not sure what podcast or when. I love to notice the words and the structure of sentences. We can often find clues and new questions to ask, just by taking a little bit of time to ponder on the way something is phrased.  What do you need to give your energy to? Need is an interesting choice. The addition of the word need makes this question bold. And a bit more urgent.  We live in a world with so many options and opportunities. I find myself more often than I like choosing the path of least resistance. I make the choice that is easy and sometimes requires the least amount of energy. These choices c   This question asks us to be intentional and thoughtful about the choices that we make. It also reminds us that some things in life are needed. What do you need to give your energy to? A creative endeavor? Writing? Reading? Sitting in silence? Cooking? Going for a walk? Gardening? Family? More being, less doing? There are at least two levels to this question. There is a wide-angle view of this question. We can use this question as a way to clarify and prioritize the things that bring us joy and impart life-giving energy back to us.  There is a micro-level aspect to the question. We all have X amount of energy to give. How do we want to allocate the energy that we have? It is easy to become so reactive in the way that we live that we forget that we do have a choice about the investments we make with our energy. I define reactive living as stimulus/response. Something happens, and we respond. Living by reacting is the ultimate energy suck. We forgo control of our energy and let anything and everything dictate how we invest our lives.  What do you need to give your energy too? Considering how to invest our energy is a question of priority and intention. It’s a question that can help us present our best gifts to the world.   “Thus, when you wake up in the morning, called by God to be a self again, if you want to know who you are, watch your feet. Because where your feet take you, that is who you are.” ― Frederick Buechner, The Alphabet of Grace P.S. This year has been filled with so many questions and challenges. October already promises it’s fair share. I’m challenging myself to post and add as much space for {Pause} {Beauty} and {Kindness} as I can this month, maybe you can find what that means in your life and make October a month of kindness and beauty too?! If you like these questions, please consider SUBSCRIBING to The Art of Powering Down; Questions to Recharge Your Soul… Every week there is a question that will gently challenge you, encourage you, or help you live your life with more intention, grace, and purpose. (Sharing these reflections and questions with friends is the greatest compliment!)

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What is Necessary?

 What is necessary? Some questions are more practical than others. What is necessary is a practical question. Which is often overlooked in the hustle and confusion that our days often hold. When I find myself feeling stressed, the question of necessity helps me to find solid ground and identify my path forward.  Sometimes it is interesting to look up a word that feels common to gain a better understanding of the fullness a simple word holds.  Take the word necessary as an example. I define necessary as something that must be done.   The dictionary defines it as: required to be done, achieved, or present; needed; essential. Suddenly a common word has a bit more shape, definitions, and fuller meaning. I have more information to work with.  What is necessary is a question I wish I asked myself more. I usually only start to ask when I’m feeling overwhelmed with too many competing demands and not enough energy or time to handle everything.  What is required? What is needed? What is essential? What is necessary?  What is necessary is a clarity question. I find it is a reminder that while many things may feel required and needed, very few things are. When answering the question of what is necessary, it is helpful to take a minute to pause and take a literal or figurative look around. When everything feels urgent, it helps to take a pause to let the sand settle.   After an intentional pause, the situation often looks different. Someone once told me it’s not the length of the pause, it is the quality of the pause that matters.  The brief moment of reflection doesn’t have to last for a long time, but it had to be meaningful, thoughtful, and reflective. The pause is a moment to see the question in the full context. There is a context for everything. When we stop to see the context, we have better quality information to answer the question: What IS necessary? What is necessary is a telescoping question. It can be asked every hour when things feel stressful to help prioritize our actions. When used daily, it helps add structure to a day. When used to look at a week or a month, it can add clarity to the way our time is spent. On a larger scale, it can help with decision making and value clarification.   It’s a simple question. Most profound things are. Sometimes it’s the simple things that can help us the most. So…..What IS necessary for you today? “ When we pause, allow a gap, and breathe deeply, we can experience instant refreshment. Suddenly, we slow down, lookout, and there’s the world.” Pema Chodron If you like these questions, please consider SUBSCRIBING to The Art of Powering Down; Questions to Recharge Your Soul… Every week there is a question that will gently challenge you, encourage you, or help you live your life with more intention, grace, and purpose. (Sharing these reflections and questions with friends is the greatest compliment!) P.S. This year has been filled with so many questions and challenges. October already promises it’s fair share. I’m challenging myself to post and add as much space for {Pause} {Beauty} and {Kindness} as I can this month, maybe you can find what that means in your life and make October a month of kindness and beauty too?!

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Accounting of the Soul: Questions for Reflection

This is a repost (slightly updated.) It seems especially timely now. September 27, 2020 (Sunday)  is the beginning of Yom Kippur. A few years ago I heard a podcast featuring Rabbi Sharon Brous.  Her description of this Jewish High Holiday was captivating at the time and I’ve returned to listen to that episode several times over the years. Let’s be clear, my understanding of this holiday and celebration is equivalent to one grain of sand on a long stretch of beach. But, it’s worth some exploration especially for people curious about the power of questions from individual growth to healing our world. According to Rabbi Brous there is a progression of “accounting” that is moved through during the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, which is known as The Days of Awe.  The Days of Awe represent the beginning of a new year in the Jewish Calendar.  The year 5781 begins with these High Holy days.  So just as late December and early January is a time of reflection and “new years resolutions” in our western culture, the Days of Awe are preparation for the beginning of a new year.  The progression of accounting moves from individual to the world. In the podcast interview she puts it this way: (slightly edited for clarity)  “It’s really journey from Heshbon HaNefesh, which is an accounting of the soul of the individual to Heshbon Nefesh HaMishpaha, an accounting of the soul of our families. Heshbon Nefesh HaAm an accounting of the soul of the Jewish people. And ultimately, Heshbon Nefesh HaOlam, an accounting of the soul of the whole world. And, you know, our rabbis acknowledge that the way to transformation of the world starts with the self, it’s through the [individual action]. And so we have to…be truly attentive and sincerely attentive to really accounting for what’s happening in our own personal lives first. . . first and foremost. And so we do that. We. . . scrutinize what’s going on in our own lives. And, by the way, sometimes it’s hard to get there . . .[people] don’t want to look at their own lives. . .” FROM:  On Being with Krista Tippett interviewed Rabbi Sharon Brous on the Days of Awe (September 2010) (click to listen and read more) I found a list of questions several years ago after listening to Rabbi Brous talk.  Sadly, I can’t figure out where I found the list of questions however, the questions are worth sharing nonetheless.  This is a list of questions that can be used for the accounting of the individual soul part of the progression from individual to the world during the Days of Awe.  Accounting of the Soul: Who am I? Where am I in life? In what ways have I let my insecurities, my self-doubt stifle me? In what ways have I hardened my heart to people around me?  What relationships am I in that diminish my dignity? Have I let myself love? Have I let others love me? What pain have I caused? What potential do I have? Has my past year been marked more by longing or gratitude? Has my past year been marked more by brokenness or wholeness? Has my past year been marked more by distrust or faith? Over the past year, I’ve been learning about the power of liturgy and ritual in personal and community life.  The Days of Awe seem, from my outsider vantage point, as yet another example of how liturgy and ritual form us, challenge us, and refresh us. I plan to take some time in the next few days to think about my own accounting of the soul. Was there a question that jumped out to you in the list above?   Are there any additional questions that you would add to the list above? What do you think about the progression that she talks about from individual soul accounting to an accounting of the soul of the world?   If you like these questions, please consider SUBSCRIBING to The Art of Powering Down; Questions to Recharge Your Soul… Every week there is a question that will gently challenge you, encourage you, or help you live your life with more intention, grace, and purpose. (Sharing these reflections and questions with friends is the greatest compliment!)

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A Pause Practice {Haiku}

On Pause and The Practice of Haiku I believe in the power of a pause. When we pause our brain catches up with our words. We can take a deep, intentional breath. A pause helps us see what is really happening. It’s the quality of the pause, not necessarily the length of the pause that matters. When we intentionally pause we invite clarity and calm into the matter. Sometimes you need to press pause to let everything sink in. Sebastian Vettel Haiku is another kind of pause practice. Since Haiku is just seventeen syllables it forces brevity. It is a pause-full practice. Each word and syllable has a purpose and is used to convey not just meaning, but the essence. I usually write my Haikus from a phrase that stood out to me in something I was reading. Haiku has become an extension of Lectio Divina or Reflective Reading for me. As I read other texts I look for a phrase or word that stands out. If there is a phrase or word that catches my eye or sparkles up out of the text I use Haiku as a way to explore that idea more. I like to use Haiku because it forces me to find the meaning to get to the heart of what is speaking to me in just a few words. The whole process includes pauses to notice, to distill, and to edit. Septembers Haiku Group I’m always amazed at the synergy that comes from three different people, in three different places as we share our Haikus. The practice is we write Haiku through the month. We choose a Haiku and share it. I make postcards that I send out to Michael, Davin, and a whole list of people. (If you want to be on my Haiku mailing list, share your mailing address here! We each write a reflection as we receive the other Haikus. Then we have a zoom call once a month where we share our reflections. The pattern is the author reads their Haiku, the other two people read their response to the Haiku and the author shares their reflection. It is one of my favorite days of the month. I’ve learned so much through the process. How to write Haiku The confidence to share what I write Confidence to share my interpretation and reflection. I’m always amazed when our different reflections are so similar. We all seem to pick up the same undercurrents. (If you would like me to send you a Haiku, click this link to leave me your address!) Soul Light In the dim places We bring our soul light to shine Small actions shine bright Amy Hoppock Amy’s Reflections Soul Light is inspired by a quote from Joan Chittister “Our role in life is to bring the light of our soul to the dim places around us.”  Dim is such a descriptive word and not one that gets used a whole lot.  Dim feels more relatable than darkness, The Dark Night of the soul for example.   Dim not quite light, not quite fully dark.  It’s much more descriptive of how life really is.  We all have the dim places in our lives.  Those places that it’s not fully dark or unseen it is just hazy, unclear, a bit hard to see and to navigate.  Life is rarely black and white, it’s most often shades of grey- Dim.   In the dim light, it just takes a little light to change the lighting.   If you want to see the other Haiku’s this month, visit Michael’s excellent website, Profound Living. He shares the video and each of our Haiku postcards. If you like these questions, please consider SUBSCRIBING to The Art of Powering Down; Questions to Recharge Your Soul… Every week there is a question that will gently challenge you, encourage you, or help you live your life with more intention, grace, and purpose. (Sharing these reflections and questions with friends is the greatest compliment!)

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