“Our Each Individual, Wholehearted Way”
In response to a conversation last night with a dear, close-in friend:
""My friend, there still isn’t— and never will be — a one‑size‑fits‑all blueprint for living. Each of us is invited to walk a road that has never existed before: the very path our feet create as we move. The only “rule” is to show up with your whole self. As Brené Brown reminds us, “Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.”
“Our Each Individual, Wholehearted Way”
Give everything you have to the moment in front of you, do your honest best, and then loosen your grip on how things must turn out. Expectations shackle the present; wholehearted effort sets it free.
Place one foot in front of the other and answer whatever is calling for your attention right now—wash the dish, make the phone call, breathe through the knot of feeling. Perform each small task with 100 percent presence, then release it. Living this way means choosing—again and again—to inhabit the only time that ever truly exists: this instant, and then the next, and the next. When speculation about grand meanings creeps in, let action ground you; when worry about outcomes arises, let presence dissolve it.
Remember, too, that happiness is a choice available in every breath. Opting for joy isn’t a denial of pain; it’s an act of creative defiance, a decision to tune your inner frequency toward possibility. As Dr. Joe Dispenza puts it, “To be happy with yourself in the present moment while maintaining a dream of your future is a grand recipe for manifestation.”
From that brighter resonance, fresh insights, unexpected allies, and elegant solutions slip into view—options invisible when fear, anxiety, or judgment narrow the lens.
When the mind feels caged, step outside. “Indeed, the beauty of nature is often the wisest balm, for it gently relieves and releases the caged mind,” writes John O’Donohue.
The hush of trees, the hush of water, the slow breathing of mountains invite your own breath to settle and your heart to remember its original rhythm. In wild places, possibility expands like a sky after rain, and the soul is soothed enough to begin again.
And if regret whispers that you’ve mis‑lived your life, start exactly where you stand. Tend the next small task with diligence and goodwill. Jean Houston offers a compass for such moments: “Now is the time when we must renew ourselves and live as if we and all of life is sacred, and as if everything we do makes a difference.”
Each humble, wholehearted action—sweeping the floor, apologizing sincerely, offering help—becomes a stepping‑stone back to yourself. The way is always made the same way: one ordinary, wholehearted step at a time, free of demands about where it must lead.
So keep going. Keep showing up with everything you’ve got, keep choosing the next necessary thing, keep choosing happiness, and let nature’s quiet wisdom steady you when the world feels loud. With that blend of steady action and uplifted spirit, your unique path will reveal itself beneath your feet, and every stride will carry meaning. With warm regards and wholehearted faith in your journey, in our journey together.""
Brenda Littleton
( May 1, 2025)