Intro:
My dear friend Laura Lavigne is the founder of the Center for Happiness in Anacortes, Washington. I was extremely blessed to spend six weeks near the end of 2018 living with her in Anacortes and helping out in small ways at the Center. One of the first things Laura taught me was about Essence. You can learn more about Essence here.
While living in Washington, I often found myself and my friends declaring an Essence for the day like “playfulness” or “connection” or “adventure.” The idea of beginning a morning with an intention not of what I wanted to accomplish, but of the things I wanted to feel was new and exciting.
A mutual friend of Laura and I was chatting with us about Essences when he mentioned wanting to focus on an Essence each month of 2019. Enchanted with the idea, I asked Laura to share with me a list of Essences. These are my reflections.
Essence of September: Acceptance
Why aren’t I sitting down to write the September Essence blog? I asked myself on repeat as I continued to work around that task in my planner like a little kid eating their way around the vegetables on a dinner plate.
The night before, I had claimed “Peace” as my Essence for September for a lot of heavy and personal reasons. But every time I thought about writing it out, something felt a little off. Finally, after a bit of reflection, I realized maybe I wasn’t ready to write Peace. Maybe forcing something to fit a narrative wasn’t the right move.
I opened my “Essence of the Month” document and my eyes immediately fell to Acceptance. I did a quick search.
Acceptance is the action of consenting to receive or undertake something offered.
Bingo.
My summer was a beautiful mix of chaos and travel. As I settled into my friend’s home to dog sit for a couple weeks, I decided I would give myself intentional time to step back.
I wanted to be wholly and fully open to whatever the world had in store for me. I’m a firm believer that you can’t accept new gifts with your hands clutching the past. A dear friend taught me that.
The moment I read Acceptance, my heart felt at Peace. So maybe that is where this month should begin. I am open to receiving. I am listening to my heartbeat. I am ready to accept whatever is next in my journey.
Essence of January: Discernment
Essence of February: Trust
Essence of March: Expansiveness
Essence of April: Vision
Essence of May: Freedom
Essence of June: Connection
Essence of July: Creativity
Essence of August: Adventure
Essence of September: Acceptance