You may remember that I chose awe as my #oneword2019.
As luck would have it, 2018 went out in an amazing blaze of glory;
check out this picture our daughter took near Waelder, TX.
Today I'm reflecting on our awe-inspiring trek to the Frozen Tundra last week. Walk with me through the winter wonderland.
We woke up in Wisconsin to this unmatched beauty;
crisp colors and long shadows lounging atop winter's warm blanket.
Nature's white powder instantly transported us to our happy place.
The breathtaking picture off of my parents' back porch ...
left us awe-struck as the sun said goodnight each evening.
The sound of the snow crunching beneath our cold feet
and the smell of these incredible animals on our family farm ...
etched a memory on my heart I don't want to soon forget.
Here now, a mindful moment to take you there,
so that you can experience the sights and sounds of calm.
SnOw much fun to unplug and plug in to nature's beauty.
While there, my head and heart were planning for the two mindfulness and self-care workshops I'd be leading when upon my return from this digital detox. The whirl of dad's windmill sparked an idea for a deep-breathing activity.
Using the Pinwheels For Peace template, I'd cut square pieces of white paper to color. We'd talk about how coloring generates wellness, quietness, and mindfulness because our brains experiences relief when we take them to a calm, meditative state. Other benefits of coloring? Stress and anxiety levels decrease, negative thoughts are overcome by positivity, it gets your creative juices flowing, it's easily available, portable, and basically one-size-fits-all.
In my sample, I wrote words that I like to think describe me; in the session, I'd just invite the counselors to enjoy the benefits of creating and coloring.
Once their pinwheel papers were colored, we'd gather the same corner on each of the quadrants to meet in the middle and pinned the pieces together, angling the straight pin slightly into the eraser of a pencil so that the point is stopped by the silver metal part and doesn't come through {safety first!}.
If I had purchased pencils without a design on them rather than just recycling what I had in drawers around the house, I'd have invited them to write their favorite mindfulness mantras on their pencil.
So in just a little time, we've got this super fun DIY
mindfulness breathing resource at our fingertips.
Try it at your next faculty meeting with staff or in your next small group
or morning meeting to promote mindfulness with your learners.
Breathe in calm, blow out chaos
and enjoy the sensation
as your worries whirl away
and serenity ripples out into your orbit.
How will you color your world with calm in 2019?
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