When Your Soul Prospers

My friend Betsy prays for prosperity every day. She asked me if I was trying to prosper through writing. I said “Yes,” like a reflex, because I knew she was talking about money. The truth is I don’t think about writing and money together. Instead, I focus on quiet and stillness and watching and listening. I need my whole head and heart for writing and a wide circle of calm. Therefore, I make a big effort to clear my mind and absorb life as it unfolds with the sun. I also count on the view beyond my desk, my beloved backyard.

I look outside and listen for a moment when I can bond with a feeling so true that writing about it becomes a blessing. Something spiritually or emotionally useful unfolds when my mind is an empty room. When I succeed my soul prospers in ways I could never have imagined.

A quiet life is a heavy chore, especially when temptation is literally at your finger tips. My cell phone sits inches from my laptop, a thin, black demon. I do just about everything on it. It’s an encyclopedia, a map finder, a banking link, and a multivariate shopping tool, to name a few. Google is like a drug. I’m constantly searching for solutions for symptoms and ideas for everything from skincare to gardening tips, none of which I really need. I want to drown my phone which I almost did recently when I dropped it in a restaurant toilet. I long for the phone of my teen years. It was attached to the wall with a cord that stretched around a corner for privacy. That phone had my back. I’ve been lobbying unsuccessfully for a wall mounted phone in our kitchen. Ironically, Amazon Sells Wall Phones.

After a long absence, I’m writing again. My son Matt keeps telling to write a memoir, but I’m not ready. I’ll continue to write reflections like this one because they are spiritual navigators. My soul prospers as I sit in the light and let my heart tell a story.

We sold our home four years ago, and I miss it as much now as I ever have. The photo of our backyard is almost as good as gazing from my desk because that peaceful feeling returns.