Daily Bliss Archives · Ashley Barnes

Daily Bliss – December 2

Daily Bliss

Pushing through

And pulling back

She finds her way

Through the terrain

Of a scattered mind

Seeking its pieces

In all the places

Proper girls dare not look

I love all the talk lately about “professionalism” and what’s appropriate.

I love that the tide is turning to encompass more ways that people choose, can afford, and are able to show up.

To encompass the way more people naturally think, learn, and function.

I love that the status quo is being questioned at every turn.

Not that every norm needs to go in the trash.

But every norm needs to be examined to make sure it’s meeting the needs of every person affected by it.

And if it doesn’t, it needs to be changed.

And there’s a lot that needs to be changed.

How are you challenging the status quo today?

Daily Bliss – November 30

Daily Bliss

What if she doesn’t desire

To stand all alone

In the fire?

And what if she’s held

By generations

Gently yet firmly

Pressing against her back?

©Ashley Castle Barnes

It’s very easy to feel alone in this big world.

Not just physically alone, but alone in how we feel, how we see things, how we walk through life.

The internet and social media with its echo chambers doesn’t really relieve this feeling.

It seems to only truly be assuaged with deep connections.

Connections in the form of friends, family, even ancestors – anyone who we know has our back.

Not feeding us what we want to hear, but nourishing us with strength, honesty, and love.

Offering a gentle reminder that this is who we are, this is what we came here for.

Who are you connecting with today?

Daily Bliss – November 29

Daily Bliss

What will it take

To put down her stake

And claim

All that is calling her?

©Ashley Castle Barnes

Just because something feels like a calling, doesn’t mean it’s ours. Not until we claim it – root it into our bodies and embed it into our soul.

For those of us who thrive on flexibility and variety, this can be tough. Staking a claim can feel fixed and permanent.

And yet, I have to believe it can be done with the openness that getting there can look different ways. And those ways can evolve and change over time.

They should evolve and change, otherwise we do risk becoming fixed and permanent.

And then we no longer have a calling, just a thing we’re holding onto tightly.

The balance is in finding the in-between.

What are you claiming today?

Daily Bliss – November 28

Daily Bliss

Through all the wandering

And the wondering

She allows her heart to hear

The sweet, sweet sound

Of her thoughts

Sinking into her bones

And resting into her soul

©Ashley Castle Barnes

Events over the last year have me questioning some things.

Asking questions like, “Why am I doing this?” and “How does this serve?”

I’ve spent most of my adult life taking advice from others and trying to apply it to myself, which has left me mostly feeling like I’m living a life that isn’t my own.

And now that’s unraveling.

Unraveling isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it does put us into a liminal space of being in-between what was and what will be.

And that feels lost and it also feels like loss.

And it feels a bit exciting too.

There is a defiant excitement in even considering defying the norm.

F*ck the rules!, a little voice inside screams.

And I listen.

For that voice is wise and has always been there.

What are you listening for today?

Daily Bliss – November 23

Daily Bliss

In her, she feels the rising tide

And rides the wave

Of changing landscapes,

A vow to no longer escape

From what she knows is true

And real, and right, and imbued

With light,

A mountain she can longer avoid

Or fight

Something is shifting…do you feel it too?

It’s palpable, if not already visible.

It feels like a wave that no longer seems overpowering.

An inner knowing that no longer seems inconceivable.

A mountain that no longer seems insurmountable.

The mountain is moving…do you feel it too?

Daily Bliss – November 21

Daily Bliss

It’s time,

Her time to rise,

Out of the dreams

She imagines

And into the world

She envisions,

The energy

She’s creating,

The energy which is

Creating her

I find that I’m a thinker. Usually an overthinker.

I have an active, creative brain that’s always connecting the dots between ideas and dreaming up new ideas (which is also why sleep is so elusive).

And also, I can get stuck in this space. It’s a really lovely space to be in, after all.

But dreaming is only the first step. Dreaming alone doesn’t put anything into action.

It creates the energy but the action is up to us.

I struggle at time with getting started. With not knowing how to make things perfect the first time. With the possibility that no one else will want what I’m creating.

That’s why I love my communities of other visionary folks who help keep me accountable and motivated to take action, even if it’s messy or imperfect.

Who push me to step outside what’s comfortable in pursuit of what challenges the status quo.

Because there is a time to dream, and a time to rise into what we’re imagining and make it reality.

And maybe we can do it alone.

But why?

What are you stepping into today – and who is supporting you?