Sometimes the best moments happen when we stop planning and start allowing life to unfold. Recently, I traveled to Boston for my yearlong drum apprenticeship and discovered just how powerful it can be to leave space in the schedule. From crafting drums with horsehide, bison, and cowhide to sharing unhurried time with friends Carolyn and Willow, I experienced what it feels like to truly be in flow—creating, connecting, and noticing the magic that happens when we're not rushing to the next thing.
For much of my life, I've been known as the girl who gets it done. Productivity gave me purpose, but it also kept me tethered to constant motion. This trip reminded me that presence is just as valuable as progress. Whether it was seeing a bald eagle soar overhead or having a soulful, unplanned conversation with my teacher, every moment felt richer because I gave myself permission to slow down and breathe it all in.
On this Wise Walk, let's explore what it means to be present to what unfolds and create space to celebrate our accomplishments while resting in a feeling of completeness, and allowing life to reveal its quiet gifts.
- Have you created enough space in your day to let something magical unfold instead of rushing from one task to the next?
- When you look at your calendar, are you giving yourself room to breathe or are you packing your schedule with back-to-back commitments?
- How does it feel when your days are so full that there's little time to simply pause and be?
- What would it look like to be more intentional about creating openness in your life rather than filling every moment with doing?
- When was the last time you allowed yourself to just be present, noticing what surfaced naturally without trying to control the outcome?
- Can you hold space for yourself and others to connect more deeply simply by slowing down and being available in the moment?
- How often do you catch yourself wishing for more time, and what small changes could help you feel less rushed and more grounded?
- What does it feel like to sit with a sense of completeness and satisfaction before moving on to the next goal?
- Can you take time to appreciate what you've just accomplished without immediately planning what comes next?
- Where in your life could you allow more space for spontaneous conversations or experiences that might surprise and fulfill you in unexpected ways?
Whatever you have on your docket this week, whatever you have planned for the day, I hope that you create space for yourself to appreciate those accomplishments, to not worry or anticipate or feel anxiety about what's next, and to gently retreat more into yourself and into that magical experience of being present.
And be sure to tune in next week for another Wise Walk as we continue to explore ways to align with our heart and our True Stride.
In this episode:
- [03:20] Throughout my personal and professional life, I have been known as the girl who gets things done. This became part of my identity.
- [05:02] I also love that this past weekend, I was intentional about arriving early and having some time to play with my friend.
- [06:23] Holding space for each other and attending the workshop were both magical. A bald eagle even flew over us.
- [07:40] Reflecting back on the bald eagle coming towards us, I wonder how many times I miss what's coming right towards me.
- [09:15] At the end of our workshop, I was fully present because I wasn't worried about my next flight.
- [11:44] I also had time to hang out, and I had a lovely Soulful conversation with my teacher. This beautiful conversation just happened organically.
- [12:25] It was all about human-to-human connection.
- [14:08] Trying to orchestrate every moment prevents organic, fluid moments from unfolding. We can't have magic in the moment if we've already moved on to the next space.
- [16:13] As we were driving home, we were visited by another bald eagle. This reinforces the point of paying attention to what's in front of me and staying grounded in my current lane.
- [17:11] Focusing on what's coming next, interrupts the present. I want to stay in the current flow more, cherish whatever I accomplish, and receive the magic of the moment.
Memorable Quotes:
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- "There was just this natural unfolding without expectations, without this rigorous agenda of what we were going to accomplish that day" - Mary Tess
- "It was all about noticing and paying attention to who I was with, and paying attention to what would surface and what was literally coming towards me, and how I could appreciate that moment." - Mary Tess
- "I think a big lesson learned is that if we are busy designing, if we are busy trying to orchestrate our experience, and if we have things like, back to back, then what will naturally unfold can't be as fluid." - Mary Tess
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