Fallen Leaf

Breathe like a fallen leaf and think of nothing.  Just Breathe and let your heart and mind be carried, however briefly, by the spirit you can't quite see. ~Mark Nepo~

"I am floating softly in the air. The wind moves me left and right and I move in the direction of the wind. I know not where I will land, and so I enjoy the breeze, the sounds of the wind, and the glow of the sun. I was once a leaf on a tree branch strongly attached to the branch. Then one day the wind got a hold of me and no matter how hard I tried to hold on tightly, I had to let go. I let go but this time was different. You see, I have let go before in different versions but held on so tightly that rather than just swaying away and watching as to how and where I lay, I end up falling down with a thud.  Sometimes it hurts, sometimes it scrapes, sometimes I just don't know how to rise back up.  Maybe because I wanted to control the direction of where I go, rather than see where it takes me.  But this time was different. I found myself moving and enjoyed floating around. I realized that I didn't worry about how or where I would eventually land up, but what I did instead was pay attention to what was around me. I noticed the colors, I noticed birds I had never seen, I even saw trees that I never thought existed. I saw the squirrels play with each other, I saw children running around in playgrounds. And I watched the people around me.  I felt their emotions - so many different emotions all in the same moment.  I was in the moment and allowed myself to feel. Feelings are important.  If we don't allow ourselves to feel, we get stuck and then we can't move onward. Before I knew it, I was down on the ground by a beautiful pond surrounded by daffodils and sunflowers and butterflies. I landed softly, and felt okay. I had learned to let go and fly. "

Journal Prompt:  Imagine yourself a leaf and let your breathe take you away. Once you are done, do a five minute writing exercise on you being the leaf that has fallen. Or write whatever comes to your mind.

Happy Journaling!