"There are hundreds of ways to kneel & kiss the ground"

This quote has been rolling around in my head for the past couple of weeks. A beautiful friend of mine created the above art herself. Lately I have had a ton of activities come into my life that have taken me from wishing there were certain things I could do to creating the life I have always wanted to have. I feel more alive, vibrant, and passionate now than ever. And these words "there are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground" showed up in my life at the perfect time. They humble me and arouse much emotion.

In them, there is a message for me that holds a piece to the puzzle of life.

I'm currently young and wild and free in all kinds of ways. I know this freedom doesn't exist everywhere because I have seen it first hand. I also know that this freedom brings a responsibility to do something big with my life. And therefore, the questions that continue to come are, "What am I doing here?" Am I doing enough? What am I meant to do?" I have a lot of friends whom are at all kinds of different stages in life. I know that this (somewhat peaceful / somewhat crazy) time that I have, right now, is not going to be forever. So the "what are we doing here?" questions can build up in me to the point where I can drive myself crazy.

I have also been on the road for work for two months. From Swift Current to Saskatoon to Brandon to Edmonton to Winnipeg to Lethbridge and home the weekends in between. I have said it before, but that can play with your mind a bit. You're in this hotel and that airport and this restaurant and that tradeshow. I love this part of my job because it gives me a chance to interact with all types of farmers and my "work family". Each advisor and province have unique things about them that make seeing it all in two months a truly awesome journey. But it also brings a sense of unrest and imbalance as I fall behind on emails and personal relationships and the simple daily activities that bring routine to my life.

So while all of these questions fly through my mind and I feel a bit off balance, I realize, in the midst of it all, "there are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground" every single day. I just started a new book that is changing my world (Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts. Read it. You won't regret it.) In the moments that I take for myself to read, with a hot cup of tea or green juice by my side, I stop and marvel at how content that moment can feel. That is kneeling and kissing the ground. That got me thinking about the other parts of my life that are indications that I'm finally stopping to really appreciate love and the life around me. I finally started drumming, and my djembe is bringing out much emotion in me. I bought a yoga pass at a new studio and dedicated myself to the mat. I signed up for a three day wildcrafting workshop. I got out to the hill and tried my best to stay upright on this silly thing called a snowboard. And my lovely friends and I have become somewhat enthralled with "activitieees." Painting nights. Canvas. Wood crafts. This is the year of creating. And creating is such a powerful way to stop, kneel, and kiss the ground.

Overall, I am extremely in love with life. I've counted my blessings on this blog before, but between my family, friends from all walks of life and my job (the big three I guess?) I am lucky. And through all of the questions and craziness that life brings, we can only try to have gratitude, plain and simple.

The puzzle isn't so hard if we can only remember to let the beauty of what we love be what we do, in every moment. Be here now, wherever here may be.