Blog · Page 2 of 348 · Ashley Barnes

Daily Bliss – January 13

Daily Bliss

Her view once obscured

Now coming into focus,

Like the glass she once gazed upon

For answers,

And the unspoiled stream

Which flows through

The foothills of her mind

©Ashley Castle Barnes

Sometimes the path looks pretty hazy.

The fog is thick and heavy and we can’t see much more than a few feet ahead, if that far.

And other times, it’s clear as a mountain spring.

I cherish these times of clarity, but I’m also learning to value the fog.

It’s uncomfortable, unsettling – liminal space.

And it has its own gifts.

Learning to find solid ground – or to become comfortable with instability.

Trusting yourself with only a bit of tangible clarity.

Enjoying the beauty and wisdom that comes with a different view.

Creating from ambiguity – or allowing for needed rest.

Today, the path is looking clearer. Tomorrow may be different.

How are you navigating the in-between today?

Daily Bliss – January 12

Daily Bliss

As the layers fall away

She breathes

She rests

She plays

As the river takes her home

She trusts

She floats

She roams

©Ashley Castle Barnes

I’m being reminded today that the healing process moves at its own pace.

I can choose to be frustrated and impatient.

Or I can choose to enjoy the ride.

To engage in nurturing behaviors.

To seek joy.

To not fight the flow.

What are you needing to remember today about healing?

Daily Bliss – January 11

Daily Bliss

She sees

How she’s been

An imposter

In her own skin,

Playing small,

Appealing to all

Who told her

That her right

Was actually wrong

©Ashley Castle Barnes

With this ADHD diagnosis, I’m working through the unmasking process.

Identifying where I knowingly or unknowingly covered up, changed, or otherwise altered some aspect of my true self in order to fit in, get through, and get along.

Like any healing journey, it’s not easy to look at the reality of how things have been and try to see them differently.

Not just see them differently, but live them differently.

But it’s not healing if there’s no shift.

And the shift is how we get back to our truth.

How are you shifting today?

Daily Bliss – January 10

Daily Bliss

The stirring of her great adventures

Ricochets

Against the voices in her head

Telling her to be safe

And make good choices,

As if the safe choices

Are always the best choices

For her free spirit

To soar

©Ashley Castle Barnes

I have teenagers and every time they go out the door I remind them to “be safe and make good choices.”

But even as I necessarily say that, I’m reminded that while I want safety and good choices for them, I also want them to try things and take some risks.

I want them to make mistakes and learn from them.

I want them to be realistic but also not to be afraid to live and to soar and to seek out adventures.

And I realize that there’s a fine balance between aiming to keep someone safe and inadvertently encouraging them not to try life.

Especially when they’re young.

I think about how much of my life has been filled with safe and appropriate choices.

I’ve had a great life so far, but also I wish I’d taken more risks and had more adventures.

Of course it’s better late than never!

What risks are you taking today?

Daily Bliss – January 9

Daily Bliss

What if living

And loving

Were woven into the fabric

Of how her life is unfolding,

Its messy sweetness,

And beautiful incompleteness,

What if living

And loving

Didn’t have to be so hard?

I’ve carried a limiting belief for many years that everything is hard.

I’ve carried it partly because that’s what we’re told from a young age.

“If you want to be successful, you have to work hard.”

“No pain, no gain”.

“Pay your dues”.

I’ve also carried it because many things actually were hard.

Some of this was because of life circumstances beyond my control, like the death of my mom at 27. Some of this was likely because of the inequities women still face in work and home life. Much of this was likely due to my undiagnosed ADHD.

Everyday life stuff is just harder with ADHD.

And though I created many workarounds & coping mechanisms in order to stay on track (who’s track??) and successful (who’s definition of success??), it’s actually exhausting (e.g., hard) to live like that all the time.

And then already hard stuff becomes even harder.

I’m grateful for the greater awareness and destigmatizing of ADHD in all people, especially women.

I’m grateful for all those who continue to strive for equity for all people in all aspects of life.

I’m grateful for all those who continue to redefine what success looks like for themselves and others.

I’m grateful for all of us demanding that life doesn’t have to be so hard.

Daily Bliss – January 6

Daily Bliss

What secrets are weaving

Through the wind,

Into her heart and mind,

What moments is she stealing

Through the night,

For only her eyes to find

At any given moment, we are receiving bits of information, wisdom, inner knowing.

Some may be able to access it very clearly and easily. Others may need a tool to access it.

For me, it’s writing.

My mind is so full of chatter that it’s often hard to discern the info coming through.

The physical act of writing gives me focus.

The emotional act of writing accesses feelings that otherwise would’ve stayed below the surface.

The spiritual act of writing moves stuck energy, offers healing for big and small traumas, and creates clarity around next steps – and even my bigger purpose.

We all use words – to communicate, to teach, to mentor, to coach, to lead, to share, to vent.

The thread of energy weaving through these common experiences is our connection to the secrets and whispers of our soul, our inner wisdom and knowing.

And when we’re in alignment with that thread, things just seem to fall into place.

Validation comes from surprising sources.

We find joy, ease, and inspiration where we didn’t before.

How are you following your energetic thread today?