#beingshellfish

Pasta with Lemon, Garlic, and Arugula Sauce, topped with Sauteed Shrimp. #foodie #ieatthereforeiam #meatlessmonday #beingshellfish https://www.instagram.com/p/CGjJ6yipKHJ/?igshid=efshnqmnlhmo

Do you like it best when there's a lot going on? Me too. . Sometimes I become a do-er, or what I call a 'doo-be-do-be-doo,' jam-packed with 'Human Doings,' to avoid my feelings. If I keep active I can stave off disappointment. Loss. Grief. Plus, our patriarchal culture loves action. You get rewarded for doing something. But sitting there, just feeling what you're feeling? Hmm... not so much. . #BeingShellfish = being with what's real. To cut through the noise of confusion. Distractions. It's the ability to reflect. Turn inward. Even if it's uncomfortable. Noticing those moments when they arise. Feeling the feelings, and then use the information you receive, from your heart and gut and body knowing, to keep going. It's brave. Courageous. Even if there's no big product at the end. . Thank you! for taking time to reflect. (at Port Gamble, Washington) https://www.instagram.com/heartsquest/p/BwtSAcVnC7P/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1a1usb2atgsap

How do you react when you totally fall off your game? . It depends, right? Sometimes I frown. Or scream. Or pout. Or whine. Or breathe....Ahhhh... . When you’re in a big Change, falling off your path is vital. 'Cause when you lose your way, the way itself ~ that feeling of flow, that you're making some incremental progress, working with your demons, finding your footsteps ~ it feels way more precious to you. You can notice how good it feels to get back on your way. . Like when your headache is gone, your cranium (which you mostly ignore) feels light and wonderful. . Part of #BeingShellfish is to honor your emotions. To trust that they are here for a reason. Emotions inform you. Communicate what's needed right now. A hug? A swift kick? A burst of new energy to get back up on that horse and ride into the sunset? . Only you can know. And you can only know if you pay attention. Listen to your heart, darlin' (or your gut or your body wisdom). It knows what's best. . Day 20/100 #100dayProject. Making a #visualbook: "Being Shellfish: The Courageous Art of Following your Heart.” Following this spiny #RockLobster on a big life change quest :) (at Costa Rica) https://www.instagram.com/heartsquest/p/BwqAjL_nxvi/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1sl4lty8s180

What brings you full alive? . Today I did not feel this way. Today I felt the press of gray upon my spirit. I found the feeling of life in the usual moments: Ahhh. But it took effort. I took myself to the water's edge, where I feel most alive. Among the midst of the gray, I asked my soul: what is this? Grief. Loss. Change. . I was comforted by a pair of loons. Looney Tunes. Diving deep. Resurfacing. Chasing each other. Skittering across the Salish Sea. Wings. Powerful. Peaceful. Solitary. . #BeingShellfish = discovering where you can reset your spirit. Going there. Reconnecting to your life force. Ahhhh... . Where do you feel most alive? https://www.instagram.com/heartsquest/p/BwoNi0Bnk0j/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ks518ushilcv

If there's something calling to your heart... what does it ask of you? . #BeingShellfish means you're willing to take your Heart's Desire seriously. To embrace adventure of all kinds. To step into mystery... uncertainty.... . Are you willing? https://www.instagram.com/heartsquest/p/BwoFMIan48L/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=xgwuewuvlh9f

What inspires you to grow? . Sharing this planet with plants. Consider. Your every breath depends on them. Their exhale is your next inhale. . Take in a big one. Ahhhh... Send the plant people some love. Show them respect and care. Notice and appreciate how they grow toward the light. With roots sunk deep in the dark earth of Mama Gaia. . #BeingShellfish is not being a lone ranger. It's to love this Earth... and to feel how you are interconnected with Life itself. That gives me hope! https://www.instagram.com/heartsquest/p/BwlbIDnHgq9/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ljqc39z820dn

How do you react when you get stuck? . Do you wriggle around? yank yourself out of it real fast? scream? sob silently? distract yourself? ask for help or a hug? shake it out with a dance party? lift one leg out, then the other? . #BeingShellfish means to be aware of how you're feeling, with gentleness and compassion, while you keep on keeping on. . Day 18/100 #100dayProject: making a #visualbook: "Being Shellfish: The Courageous Art of Following your Heart.” (at Tárcoles, Puntarenas, Costa Rica) https://www.instagram.com/heartsquest/p/BwlV6x3H-WG/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=8hdkym7zsb5b

Do you seek the light? Do you love the dark? #BeingShellfish is about unity among the light and dark. Not seeking the light and not avoiding the dark. Check out this lovely passage from the Sandōkai, an 8th century Zen poem: “Within light there is darkness, but do not try to understand that darkness; Within darkness there is light, but do not look for that light. Light and darkness are a pair, like the foot before and the foot behind, in walking. Each thing has its own intrinsic value and is related to everything else.” Nerd stuff: material originally found the Cantong qi, a 2nd century Taoist writing on inner alchemy :) (at Tárcoles, Puntarenas, Costa Rica) https://www.instagram.com/heartsquest/p/BwdTwVzHl7n/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1o32b0k4ahx3z