I’ve mentioned many times the books by Olivier and Danielle Follmi that I read before my morning meditation each day.  They are a constant source of inspiration, with quotations from spiritual traditions coupled with spectacular photographs.  This morning, I revisited some of the pages that have inspired me over the year, and rediscovered the following quotation. 

It’s a Tibetan proverb that says, “Birds that live on a golden mountain reflect the colour of the gold.”  This proverb got me to thinking again about the impact and importance of the environment we create in our living, work and play spaces, where and with whom we spend time, and what activities we engage.

As we begin a new year, I invite you to take some time for a quiet review of the qualities you bring into your life that you then reflect in yourself and your being.  Notice where you create an environment and opportunities for feeling centered, solid, at ease, or comfortable in any of the ways that have meaning for you.   Notice the things that surround you, the objects, the sounds, the things that touch your senses.  Do they inspire you?  What would you need to change to nourish your capacity to be inspired and enriched simply through the experience of what surrounds you on a daily basis? 

I know I’ve mentioned before that both my home and office are filled with objects and pictures that remind me of what is meaningful in my life.  Whether plants, sacred objects, photographs or other art, and music, all reflect and nourish the state of mind and body that I seek to have and express in my life.  When I find that something enters my space that creates discomfort or disharmony, I give it away, passing it along to someone else where it may have a different effect.  When there’s something in my environment I can’t change, such as noise from outside or temporary disarray for some reason or another, I can turn to my inner environment and notice what I surround myself with there.  I can turn to mindfulness practice, or remind myself that life keeps changing and something that may bother me now is temporary and will eventually move along.

For this week’s experiment, take some time to review what’s working for you, in terms of creating an environment that allows you to experience and express those qualities that have meaning for you.  Also notice what you might want to change over time, if you can, that would further support a state of mind and body that enhances your sense of well-being.

As with all the experiments, there are no right or wrong answers.  There is only another opportunity to bring awareness to your life.  Remember that the things you can’t change are sometimes the most important teachers, as they require you to move deeper into your capacity to be resilient and flexible in the present moment with what is, as it is.