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My Daily Practices in a Life of Serenity

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In the past, my life was riddled with active addictions, misunderstandings, and intense self-judgment. I had difficulty looking in the mirror without criticism, acknowledging what was enough, and coming to terms with the illusion of control. I turned to drinking, drugs and dudes to escape from the pain of Suffer. This only led to even greater Suffer.

Now, I enjoy the fruits of a well-examined extraordinary life of Serenity: sobriety from alcoholism, healthy assertive communication, and radical self-care. Here’s a peak at how I do it:

The three c’s create an extraordinary life of Serenity:

Connection

Communication

Contemplation

Connection is necessary for my top value: Serenity. Serenity is the opposite of addiction. Serenity is comfort in my skin, clarity in my mind, and calm in my heart. I make a daily practice to connect with a sense of ease. Recovery meetings, true friendships, heartfelt hugs with my beloveds. These all happen. Regularly. This is proper use of my will. Connection with truth and beauty happens with a flower outside.

Communication is essential for connection and Serenity. Even if I’m on a 10-day silent meditation retreat, my non-verbal communication reflects whether I’m calm in Serenity or caught in Suffer. The inner self-talk impacts my soul’s expression, so a look in the eyes is enough to tell you how I’m doing. The mirror meditation of each morning, rounding the corner and saying, “Hey Buddy” to myself is much easier when I do the first act of Serenity: Smile upon awakening, before feet kiss the earth.

Contemplation is the art of accurate self-examination through communicating with my higher powers. Prayer (yep, the Serenity Prayer is a daily practice), meditation (metta, maitri, lovingkindness) and writing. These all work. I get to use my will to allow space for them to happen.

Serenity Prayer

God grant me the Serenity

to Accept the things I cannot change

the Courage to change the things I can

and the Wisdom to know the difference

In conclusion, I want to offer a reminder about dialogue. One specific and powerful communicational tool called the Imago Intentional Dialogue helped. Today’s guest blog, from Shambhala Mountain Center (a favorite place of mine for meditation, now called Drala Mountain Center), highlights the power of the Imago Intentional Dialogue.

https://blog.shambhalamountain.org/stay-in-the-canoe-and-paddle/?utm_source=Dec+Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Dec+Newsletter

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how to spark transformation

writing
Aloha Dear One, 

If you’re anything like me, you want to evolve beyond your fears and elevate the space around you. Being an active participant in my healing journey to live an extraordinary life of everyday enlightenment requires daily practices. One of these is foundational to wellbeing: keeping a journal.

Noticing the story we tell ourselves, and being courageous enough to write a new ending to this chapter of life allow us to live a good life and be of maximum service to others.

We change in here to ignite out there.

We can spark transformation by cultivating a writing practice. 

Here’s a few highlights from an article called Journal Writing as a Powerful Adjunct to Therapy by Kathleen Adams. M.A., LPC to inspire us all to reimagine our relationship with writing:

10 Reasons Why (journal writing is a powerful adjunct to therapy)

One. Immediacy and Availability. A journal teaches containment, present-centeredness, and self-direction. The journal truly is “life’s companion.”

Two. Catharsis. It’s vitally important to have a place to scream, rant, rave, ventilate and express without fear of judgment or reprisal.

Three. Object Constancy. The relationship with the journal can become a living metaphor for the relationship with self, and from there, the relationship with others. 

Four. Repetition. One of the most important therapeutic tasks for people in pain is to break the silence and tell the story.

Five. Reality Check. It is true that writing it down makes it much more difficult to continue a pattern of denial.

Six. Self-Pacing. The self-pacing aspects of the journal can become a way of regulating and monitoring the life process, of learning balance and choice-making and natural consequences.

Seven. Communication. The journal becomes a forum, a testing ground for ideas, opinions, awarenesses, fears, and insights that are moving from the pre-verbal to the verbal realm.

Eight. Self-Esteem. The very act of journal writing, in which thought is put into tangible expression, is a life-affirming celebration of self: I write, therefore I am. I exist. I have a voice. It can be heard.

Nine. Clarity and Commitment. The process of reflective writing has a cumulative effect; after weeks or months of journaling, one may discover, I no longer have to be a victim.

Ten. A Witness to Healing. The journal is a wonderful witness, it provides an ongoing trail map and trip log of the journey of healing.

There is no right or wrong way to journal. Reply and tell me about your practice now.
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Labor of Love mini-retreat

openness

https://amy-elizabeth-gordon.mykajabi.com/offers/xzaa4tG8/checkout

Here’s what you can expect: 

  • High-quality & skillful guidance from me, Amy, your leader, in sacred time and space. 
  • Together, we strengthen our connection, tenderize our hearts, and feed our soul. 
  • Through simple and useful practices, we will foster a sense of embodiment, empowerment and empathy. 

Here’s the plan: 

  • Writing Prompts- 15 min
  • Yoga for Disease Resistance 20 min
  • Meditation:Peace is Within Me 5 min
  • Trauma Healing Practices: 20 min
  • Building the Altar of Awareness: 20 min

Some more information:

  • Attend live.
  • No recording afterword. 
  • Prepare by taking a 20 minute walk beforehand.
  • Wear comfy clothes in order to move. Turn off your phone.
  • Bring a journal.
  • Bring a sacred object. 
  • Hydrate wildly.  

90 minute gathering on Saturday the 4th

9:30am my time in Hawaii is

12:30pm Pacific Time

1:30pm Denver

2:30pm Iowa

3:30pm Atlanta

8:30 pm London

9:30 pm France

Again, the link to sign up here for $33

https://amy-elizabeth-gordon.mykajabi.com/offers/xzaa4tG8

If you can contribute additional funds toward this event, please do so here:

 https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/amyelizabethgordon If you cannot afford $33, please pay what you can at this link. 

I’m really looking forward to connecting with you in this intimate gathering.  Please invite your friend by forwarding this email. You will get a link for the Zoom Room after registering. 

Contact me with questions or concerns. 808-936-3733

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Daily Tender Job Description

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Appendix II from my transformational memoir

Moonshot: aim high, dive deep, live an extraordinary life

Daily Tender Job Description by Amy Elizabeth Gordon MA

Daily Tender is a simple position of ultimate and radical self-care. It’s a call to action in these unimaginable times. Here’s a quick list of the duties, responsibilities and privileges of this enlightened role.

  • Smile upon awakening.
  • Give thanks for this moment.
  • Stretch and massage. Make love, alone or with beloved.
  • Make the bed.
  • Relieve self of what is no longer needed by tapping into Source.
  • Brush teeth.
  • Dry skin brush and cold shower — most mornings.
  • Practice Yoga, daily.
  • Breathe, consciously, while the hot water in the tea kettle boils.
  • Meditate.
  • Consume yummy food and lots of love and hugs.
  • Tidy the kitchen.
  • Chore day Sunday.
  • Assemble hydration station every morning for tea, coffee, water.
  • Water garden (literally and figuratively).
  • Express thanks. Often.
  • Chant. Buddhist prayers, yoga prayers, Hawaiʻi prayers.
  • Sweep the floor, removing the dust of yesterday.
  • Exercise outdoors.
  • Exhibit discipline around tech. Adopt fairly strict media diet.
  • Write, create, make a mess.
  • Switch from the mentality of performance driven living of Do, Be, Have, to a new emphasis on ways of being with: Be, Do, Have.
  • Keep appointments with people. Be timely.
  • Coach and be coached.
  • Invest in wellbeing.
  • Cherish time with family.
  • Stop when triggered, drop what I’m doing, and breathe.
  • Deeply breathe.
  • Clean up my side of the street and set right wrongs I’ve made.
  • Allow space for grace to enter in a way that is indeed miraculous.
  • Express thanks. Yes, again.
  • Read inspiring words.
  • Play. Dance. Laugh: pepper these throughout the day.
  • Connect with friends on Wednesday, We-day, if not more often.
  • Surrender to what is.