Being human,
it is hard to actualize my intentions
from the warmth of my bed in the morning . . .
I want to stay and solve a problem I’m having in a dream
or I want to bask for a few more minutes in dream-made pleasure.
But once I am out of bed
and awake to this world,
I am always ready to set my intentions for the day . . .
there are different requirements that I must meet,
and different intentions to fulfill.
My first,
and most sacred intention
is to be present to my life,
to pay attention,
that I listen,
that I find love for people in my heart,
and to forgive.
Then the other intentions crowd in,
and they are a sketchy lot . . .
if I don’t fulfill these intentions,
the bill collectors will knock on my door,
the oil and propane companies won’t come to fill my tanks,
the electricity will be turned off,
my phone will no longer work . . .
my medical providers will not accept me into their offices,
the pharmacy will refuse to dispense my medications,
and what a find mess I’d be in,
so they must be addressed
and added to my list of necessary intentions.
Then come the housekeeping intentions,
taking care of daily household tasks,
keeping clean home,
dishes, laundry,
washing floors,
sweeping, dusting, polishing windows.
These things
I can actually enjoy doing,
but I always use my first intention
to get the job done
The last,
and least fulfilled intention
is my creative side . . .
the things I do because they make me feel full and whole in spirit . . .
designing and creating my gardens
(three ticks this year already,
so beware),
refinishing an old shutter from the dump,
sewing something, doing things with my hands that creates,
listening to music,
maybe even singing and dancing a little,
writing, drawing , painting,
pen and ink,
transforming five cartons of egg shells
into a three dimensional piece of of wall art,
re-doing a wooden seed display from a flower nursery
into a very useful shelf to hold my paint pots and tubes,
I hunger to create.
These intentions often get minimalized
or left behind.
There is not enough time in the day,
and I often bemoan this fact,
but I realize too,
that I am getting older
and everything I do
takes a little more time,
which adds up.
These intentions often get minimalized
or left behind.
I struggle with this,
but am working very hard on it,
hoping to see a little improvement
soon.
Sparrow– I love your comment about housekeeping tasks:
“These things
I can actually enjoy doing,
but I always use my first intention
to get the job done”
Housekeeping is often what I let slide in order to make time for the things that really fill me up. I don’t know if this is good or bad. I generally feel OK having a not super clean house and my husband is OK with this too, but then when we are getting ready for guests I go into a panic trying to get the house clean for them. And I definitely am not comfortable with people just “dropping in” for that very reason.
I also want to clean up before people come over. In Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman (highly recommend) he writes about “scruffy housekeeping” and the friends who are so close that you can let them see you as you are. They visit for your company, not for your talent in dusting :). I try to keep this in mind.
Three ticks. What area of the U S do you reside dear Sparrow. Not quite tick season here. Not hot enough yet. My record was 7 one year checking ditches along the river and changing my water here behind the house among the cottonwoods. I do not know how many in my life but so far I have always felt the little parasitic devils and dispatched them before they feasted on me.
I live in upstate New York,
dear Joseph,
just south of Albany along the Hudson River.
Ticks have been bad here for four or five years,
but the population is said to be exploding this year,
as it did not get cold enough for long enough
for the last two years.
I’ve had a few ‘feastings’,
but no Lyme disease.
Praise the Powers that be. ♥
Oh yes,
dear Joseph,
you have made me smile.
As a 12 year old
I dreamed of crossing the Rockies on a horse,
on my own,
and read about Rocky Mountain spotted fever. 🙂
ps. Lyme disease is rampant where I live.
2
D
Drea
2 weeks ago
What is this eggshell art you describe? Tell me more please, that sounds so cool! I also am inspired by what you wrote here: My “first,
and most sacred intention
is to be present to my life,
to pay attention,
that I listen,
that I find love for people in my heart,
and to forgive.” … I’m inspired, too, to make being present a foundational intention. Thank you Sparrow.
The eggshell art
came about,
dear Drea . . .
we eat a lot of eggs,
and I had a bag of dried, crushed eggshells.
One day
I was inspired to glue them on a large piece of particle board,
spray paint them
and tip them in gold paste,
added some feathers and beads
and called it done . . .
it turned out surprisingly well.
I was just flying by the seat of my pants
and it all worked out together that time. 🙂
Setting an intention for each day is a good idea.
I have thought about doing that before, but I guess I forgot about it.
So I would set an intention in the morning,
and include that as part of my morning practice of answering the Daily Question. .
When I revisit the Daily Question in the evening,
I can revisit my intention and reflect on my day.
I think this will help me to be more present each day.
I will begin tomorrow morning. ☀️☀️☀️
Thank you for this question.
Thank you, Drea!
When I pair a new behavior with another that is already an established habit,
I have the best chance of turning the new behavior into a habit.
So I will give this a try. 🥰
I think writing an intention each day,
and then reflecting on the day each evening could be very helpful.
The challenge will be to hold the intention lightly.
and to be very accepting of the outcome of each day.
It should be my intention, to set an intention, every day. But, usually it’s when I’m stressed or overwhelmed that I remind myself that my only job is kindness.
When I set an intention for my day, it’s like it gives me purpose for that day. Regardless if my intention has to do with myself and/or others. My day begins with a sense of hope!
Setting an intention gives me a true north to return to as my day progresses. I’ll remember, at various times throughout the day, what my intention is, and adjust back towards that intention. I do have to be careful not to use that intention as a bludgeon or source of guilt. The other thing is I have to hold the intention lightly enough that if the day presents other possibilities and takes new shapes, I can change the intention. So for me, an intention is something to notice, but to also hold lightly.
Mary, I did contemplate a bit the idea of intentions in our performance metrics-based culture. An intention could easily warp into a performance metric in my mind, I think. So it’s the spirit with which the intention is sent out in to the world that must be most important, otherwise the ego could occupy the whole practice.
Setting an intention(s) is my touchstone for my day ahead. Setting this intention gives me clarity & direction on how I want my day to go. Having an intention is how I want to be in the world, how I show up.
This is my control in a world that is out of my control.
Peace & Love to All. 🕊️🩵
Intention gives my day direction. Sometimes I feel scatterbrained, and there are truly a million different things I want to do at once. By setting an intention, I give myself a clearer path to follow. I think I will start getting on here every morning instead of at night so I can set an intention to live every day gratefully and to be present in this life.
I have often found having an intention in my thoughts, and how I go about my day, helps to keep me focused. There was a stretch in time, my mantra was “my intention is to Trust.” I would repeat that especially when driving to break a bad habit of rushed driving. I leaned in to Trusting and knowing i Was right where I was supposed to be, in a long line of cars, or on the road with all green lights. It grew in Trusting the Divine’s direction in my life.
Happy Weekend all !
My intention is “Grateful Living” and I have this site and the love of this community to thank for teaching me that the intention to live gratefully helps me become a “presence” that brings meaning and purpose to the simplest tasks. Thomas Merton said, “You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith, and hope.” or as Br. David says in today’s quote: “Grateful living brings in place of greed: sharing; in place of oppression: respect; in place of violence: peace.” I share something I wrote back in 2014.
I was up very early one morning this week. I was still tired but since I couldn’t sleep, I brewed some hot tea and began chopping veggies for the salad I would eat later in the day. All the while my mind was racing; my inner-world pacing from the past to the future. Then, something in me cried, “Halt,” and the carrot in my hand seemed to speak, “If you’re going to peel and shred me into little pieces, the least you can be is present. Soon I’ll grace your salad bowl and provide you with nourishment. Could we just have a moment of at-one-ment?” My mind snapped to attention. I was totally present to that carrot, aware of its gift to me. I felt my weary body relax. I said, “Thank you, Mr. Carrot.”
Carol– I love how you are describing the intention of living gratefully – “helps me become a ‘presence’ that brings meaning and purpose to the simplest tasks”.
Before I answer today’s question, I wanted to thank all of the people who made kind comments about my husband’s poem yesterday. I plan to share your comments with him.
For me, “setting an intention” usually means writing out the top 4 priorities of my day, which often include at least one thing for self-care and balance like getting exercise. It definitely helps me to have a more focused and rich day when I take the time to do that. Some days I just rush into the hurly-burly of my life without writing out the priorities, and then I often end up getting out of balance. Knowing my top 4 priorities when I start my day helps me moment to moment to make choices like “This email doesn’t need to be responded to today, it is more important that I get some exercise today.” Of course, it also is important for me to hold the priorities somewhat loosely, so that if an emergency arises or an important in-the-moment chance to help someone, I can gracefully set those priorities aside.
Words are powerful. What we say to ourselves affects the chemistry of our minds and bodies. This actually came up twice for me yesterday – first in my Sutras zoom meeting and then again with a meditation teacher last night. Makes me think I might need to pay a little more attention to what I am saying to myself! I do like to say that today is going to be a good day… and I believe that for today 🙂
I got so caught up in “words” that I didn’t really answer the question. Sorry! Setting daily intentions, even if it’s just that I’m going to have a good day, energetically makes the day go well. I will get reminders from nature or the universe or my inner self throughout the day that will help me stay focused on having a.good day no matter what. But also, if I keep my words positive, I am helping myself in ways that naturally produce productivity, focus, and happiness regardless of what I am doing.
Give yourself the gift of free bi-monthly inspiration including uplifting articles, diverse stories, supportive practices, videos, and more, delivered with heart to your inbox.
This is something I need to work on. I listened to a mental health webinar on this today from work. Happy Mental Health Month!!
Perhaps my daily intention is just to be kind : )
Being human,
it is hard to actualize my intentions
from the warmth of my bed in the morning . . .
I want to stay and solve a problem I’m having in a dream
or I want to bask for a few more minutes in dream-made pleasure.
But once I am out of bed
and awake to this world,
I am always ready to set my intentions for the day . . .
there are different requirements that I must meet,
and different intentions to fulfill.
My first,
and most sacred intention
is to be present to my life,
to pay attention,
that I listen,
that I find love for people in my heart,
and to forgive.
Then the other intentions crowd in,
and they are a sketchy lot . . .
if I don’t fulfill these intentions,
the bill collectors will knock on my door,
the oil and propane companies won’t come to fill my tanks,
the electricity will be turned off,
my phone will no longer work . . .
my medical providers will not accept me into their offices,
the pharmacy will refuse to dispense my medications,
and what a find mess I’d be in,
so they must be addressed
and added to my list of necessary intentions.
Then come the housekeeping intentions,
taking care of daily household tasks,
keeping clean home,
dishes, laundry,
washing floors,
sweeping, dusting, polishing windows.
These things
I can actually enjoy doing,
but I always use my first intention
to get the job done
The last,
and least fulfilled intention
is my creative side . . .
the things I do because they make me feel full and whole in spirit . . .
designing and creating my gardens
(three ticks this year already,
so beware),
refinishing an old shutter from the dump,
sewing something, doing things with my hands that creates,
listening to music,
maybe even singing and dancing a little,
writing, drawing , painting,
pen and ink,
transforming five cartons of egg shells
into a three dimensional piece of of wall art,
re-doing a wooden seed display from a flower nursery
into a very useful shelf to hold my paint pots and tubes,
I hunger to create.
These intentions often get minimalized
or left behind.
There is not enough time in the day,
and I often bemoan this fact,
but I realize too,
that I am getting older
and everything I do
takes a little more time,
which adds up.
These intentions often get minimalized
or left behind.
I struggle with this,
but am working very hard on it,
hoping to see a little improvement
soon.
Sparrow– I love your comment about housekeeping tasks:
“These things
I can actually enjoy doing,
but I always use my first intention
to get the job done”
Housekeeping is often what I let slide in order to make time for the things that really fill me up. I don’t know if this is good or bad. I generally feel OK having a not super clean house and my husband is OK with this too, but then when we are getting ready for guests I go into a panic trying to get the house clean for them. And I definitely am not comfortable with people just “dropping in” for that very reason.
Same here,
dear Elizabeth,
although I hate to admit it. 🙂
I also want to clean up before people come over. In Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman (highly recommend) he writes about “scruffy housekeeping” and the friends who are so close that you can let them see you as you are. They visit for your company, not for your talent in dusting :). I try to keep this in mind.
Three ticks. What area of the U S do you reside dear Sparrow. Not quite tick season here. Not hot enough yet. My record was 7 one year checking ditches along the river and changing my water here behind the house among the cottonwoods. I do not know how many in my life but so far I have always felt the little parasitic devils and dispatched them before they feasted on me.
I live in upstate New York,
dear Joseph,
just south of Albany along the Hudson River.
Ticks have been bad here for four or five years,
but the population is said to be exploding this year,
as it did not get cold enough for long enough
for the last two years.
I’ve had a few ‘feastings’,
but no Lyme disease.
Praise the Powers that be. ♥
No Lyme disease here but they can cause Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
Oh yes,
dear Joseph,
you have made me smile.
As a 12 year old
I dreamed of crossing the Rockies on a horse,
on my own,
and read about Rocky Mountain spotted fever. 🙂
ps. Lyme disease is rampant where I live.
What is this eggshell art you describe? Tell me more please, that sounds so cool! I also am inspired by what you wrote here: My “first,
and most sacred intention
is to be present to my life,
to pay attention,
that I listen,
that I find love for people in my heart,
and to forgive.” … I’m inspired, too, to make being present a foundational intention. Thank you Sparrow.
The eggshell art
came about,
dear Drea . . .
we eat a lot of eggs,
and I had a bag of dried, crushed eggshells.
One day
I was inspired to glue them on a large piece of particle board,
spray paint them
and tip them in gold paste,
added some feathers and beads
and called it done . . .
it turned out surprisingly well.
I was just flying by the seat of my pants
and it all worked out together that time. 🙂
Setting an intention for each day is a good idea.
I have thought about doing that before, but I guess I forgot about it.
So I would set an intention in the morning,
and include that as part of my morning practice of answering the Daily Question. .
When I revisit the Daily Question in the evening,
I can revisit my intention and reflect on my day.
I think this will help me to be more present each day.
I will begin tomorrow morning. ☀️☀️☀️
Thank you for this question.
Mary, what a good idea for staying organized and accountable with an intention.
Thank you, Drea!
When I pair a new behavior with another that is already an established habit,
I have the best chance of turning the new behavior into a habit.
So I will give this a try. 🥰
I think writing an intention each day,
and then reflecting on the day each evening could be very helpful.
The challenge will be to hold the intention lightly.
and to be very accepting of the outcome of each day.
It should be my intention, to set an intention, every day. But, usually it’s when I’m stressed or overwhelmed that I remind myself that my only job is kindness.
Yes!
When I set an intention for my day, it’s like it gives me purpose for that day. Regardless if my intention has to do with myself and/or others. My day begins with a sense of hope!
That’s such a good observation, an intention does pair with hope. Thank you Amber.
Setting an intention sets my day in motion for success, peace and enrichment. Its keeps me on course to achieve those goals
Setting an intention gives me a true north to return to as my day progresses. I’ll remember, at various times throughout the day, what my intention is, and adjust back towards that intention. I do have to be careful not to use that intention as a bludgeon or source of guilt. The other thing is I have to hold the intention lightly enough that if the day presents other possibilities and takes new shapes, I can change the intention. So for me, an intention is something to notice, but to also hold lightly.
Yes, yes, yes, to everything you said.
Especially, to holding it lightly.
. . . especially
‘holding it lightly’. ♥
Mary, I did contemplate a bit the idea of intentions in our performance metrics-based culture. An intention could easily warp into a performance metric in my mind, I think. So it’s the spirit with which the intention is sent out in to the world that must be most important, otherwise the ego could occupy the whole practice.
You can practice,
dear Drea,
as we all do,
in keeping the ego out of it. ♥
Setting an intention(s) is my touchstone for my day ahead. Setting this intention gives me clarity & direction on how I want my day to go. Having an intention is how I want to be in the world, how I show up.
This is my control in a world that is out of my control.
Peace & Love to All. 🕊️🩵
“This (intention) is my control in a world that is out of my control.”
Well said,
dear PKR . . .
something important to remember. ♥
Intention gives my day direction. Sometimes I feel scatterbrained, and there are truly a million different things I want to do at once. By setting an intention, I give myself a clearer path to follow. I think I will start getting on here every morning instead of at night so I can set an intention to live every day gratefully and to be present in this life.
I have often found having an intention in my thoughts, and how I go about my day, helps to keep me focused. There was a stretch in time, my mantra was “my intention is to Trust.” I would repeat that especially when driving to break a bad habit of rushed driving. I leaned in to Trusting and knowing i Was right where I was supposed to be, in a long line of cars, or on the road with all green lights. It grew in Trusting the Divine’s direction in my life.
Happy Weekend all !
My intention is “Grateful Living” and I have this site and the love of this community to thank for teaching me that the intention to live gratefully helps me become a “presence” that brings meaning and purpose to the simplest tasks. Thomas Merton said, “You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith, and hope.” or as Br. David says in today’s quote: “Grateful living brings in place of greed: sharing; in place of oppression: respect; in place of violence: peace.” I share something I wrote back in 2014.
I was up very early one morning this week. I was still tired but since I couldn’t sleep, I brewed some hot tea and began chopping veggies for the salad I would eat later in the day. All the while my mind was racing; my inner-world pacing from the past to the future. Then, something in me cried, “Halt,” and the carrot in my hand seemed to speak, “If you’re going to peel and shred me into little pieces, the least you can be is present. Soon I’ll grace your salad bowl and provide you with nourishment. Could we just have a moment of at-one-ment?” My mind snapped to attention. I was totally present to that carrot, aware of its gift to me. I felt my weary body relax. I said, “Thank you, Mr. Carrot.”
❤️
🥕😇😊
Carol– I love how you are describing the intention of living gratefully – “helps me become a ‘presence’ that brings meaning and purpose to the simplest tasks”.
Before I answer today’s question, I wanted to thank all of the people who made kind comments about my husband’s poem yesterday. I plan to share your comments with him.
For me, “setting an intention” usually means writing out the top 4 priorities of my day, which often include at least one thing for self-care and balance like getting exercise. It definitely helps me to have a more focused and rich day when I take the time to do that. Some days I just rush into the hurly-burly of my life without writing out the priorities, and then I often end up getting out of balance. Knowing my top 4 priorities when I start my day helps me moment to moment to make choices like “This email doesn’t need to be responded to today, it is more important that I get some exercise today.” Of course, it also is important for me to hold the priorities somewhat loosely, so that if an emergency arises or an important in-the-moment chance to help someone, I can gracefully set those priorities aside.
Setting an intention helps me to stay focused. Knowing what must be done is helpful for me to stay on track. Happy Friday to our lovely community. 🌸
My Ngoc, I know when the task isn’t important, it’s easy to just go through the motions and get complacent.
Words are powerful. What we say to ourselves affects the chemistry of our minds and bodies. This actually came up twice for me yesterday – first in my Sutras zoom meeting and then again with a meditation teacher last night. Makes me think I might need to pay a little more attention to what I am saying to myself! I do like to say that today is going to be a good day… and I believe that for today 🙂
Thinking about words reminded me of this short video on the power of words – https://youtu.be/OqOzxZss5WA?si=ozVUEuxZNGXVlL77
Let’s all speak kindly to ourselves and others. Happy Friday!
Thank you
Thank you SunnyPatti for that link. So much to ponder from that short video. Namaste.
Wow that video brought tears! Thanks for sharing- very powerful!
That’s an important reminder for me.
I will watch the video.
Thank you SunnyPatti!
Thank you,
dear Sunnypatti,
for this poignant little video . . . ♥
I got so caught up in “words” that I didn’t really answer the question. Sorry! Setting daily intentions, even if it’s just that I’m going to have a good day, energetically makes the day go well. I will get reminders from nature or the universe or my inner self throughout the day that will help me stay focused on having a.good day no matter what. But also, if I keep my words positive, I am helping myself in ways that naturally produce productivity, focus, and happiness regardless of what I am doing.
Intention is everything to me. Sometimes, I can do a task with many intentions. It gives me purpose and clarrity.