Drawing from last week’s experiment, I continue to laugh to myself when I imagine Chip, the squirrel, walking into my dental hygienist’s house, right behind her three cats, as if he belonged inside.  And, I also continue to ponder the power of relationship and trust – and that our relationship with the world is so extensive and multifaceted.  I also got to thinking about connections to others, and about how our connections aren’t limited to just people.  I’m reminded of how I experience birds, animals of all kinds, insects (when I’m not jumping away or screaming), and even trees and other growing things, as brothers and sisters.  Hearing about Chip and Duane helped me remember to be more conscious of that awareness in me – kind of like hearing the meditation bell that calls us back to ourselves when our minds wander. 

I don’t know about you, but I find that I feel much more connected and contented when I remember my experience of all the brothers and sisters in my immediate world, not to mention the world at large, and when I recall that I’m part of one, large family of living beings.  When I’m in this state of mind, moving through the world is a constant invitation to acknowledge these connections, as they’re everywhere, all the time.

This week’s experiment focuses on exploring your sense of connection – or not – to your world.  For most of us, the experience of being connected to something more than ourselves offers support and nourishment, and can bring comfort in times of need.  For others of us, a sense of connection may bring mixed feelings or is a challenge in some way.  If this is true for you, perhaps you can use the experiment to explore that experience, to become more aware of the source of your mixed feelings, and to invite that awareness to become part of your overall healing journey.  (By the way, I assume all of us are on a healing journey of some kind, all the time, whether we’re healing from big things or just the day-to-day catching up with ourselves and healing small moments of being out of tune with our flow.)

And so, for this week’s experiment, I invite you to pay attention to your experience of connection in your world.  The first question I would invite you to explore is:  Does a sense of connection to something more than yourself offer you nourishment?  To whom and what do you feel a sense of relationship?  With whom and what do you feel your heart open?  Are there possible connections you’ve overlooked in your environment, such as animals, birds, or plants that bring you a moment of pleasure when you notice them?  Remember, if these questions bring up mixed feelings, it’s important to know that a deeper awareness of your spontaneous responses is a significant gift and is at the core of playing with these experiments. 

As the week unfolds, notice the quality of your daily experience as you seek to be more aware of the connections in your everyday life – at home, at work, along the way.  Notice if you feel better being aware of connections or if some other experience emerges that turns out to be a gift of discovery for you.

As with all the experiments, it’s important to bring compassion and curiosity along as your constant companions.  Part of what makes deeper self-discovery both safe and fun is that you can take the journey without the burden of self-judgment and self-criticism.