Coffunkly things

When you're in a funk due to a lack of coffee, you're in a coffunkle, having either run out of your favourite bean at home, or you haven't had your fill/fix for the day.

This means you get to go out to pick up the stash. Which holds the promise of finding a muse in a joint where other coffunkly things always seem to present themselves randomly.

Things such as a ton of conversations which underwrite a world of muchness, people watching, catching the aroma of the bean being roasted and prepared, and of course the muchness of hearty people you keep wanting to go back to again and again. 

The world of "the bean".

And for me, the world of the muse. 

I distinctly remember my first introduction to the bean. All I can say is a couple of espressos made a javaphile out of me. I went from instant coffee to beans in one swift tasting.

The ton of conversations and people watching that followed contributed to my discovery of a whole new world that suited my senses. The bean had started a community. One that understood the underwritten benefits of wallowing in such muchness.

You never leave empty. You always carry the aroma of joy unspeakable with you. 

People ask why this has become such a culture. The answer is simple - the bean mirrors something the world needs desperately: Belonging. To unconditionally be. To exhale.

Think about it. Isn't this how koinonia works? Fellowship in a belonging environment where you can exhale and unconditionally be.

And to think you can get all that from just being in a coffunkle. 

God will be waiting, because He's got you.

The Quiet

Having nothing to say is probably the weirdest, most wonderful place to be. 

That is, of course, if you are mostly an extrovert.

But extrovert people can also deliberately choose not to speak. The clever people call this 'reticent'. It's when we put ourselves in airplane mode. 

Sadly, this is often misinterpreted as an emotional reaction such as being upset or angry. 

The very reason an extrovert chooses to temporarily disconnect with the world, is proof of a deep and wise connection with self and the ability to tap into the spirit.         

This is the most rewarding act of consciousness. Of being aware. This is how extroverts solve problems, relay fears and gain acute discernment. This is where no fixing is needed and clarity is abundant.

To extroverts, disconnecting is essential. Inward connect heals outward life. So next time your extrovert person checks out, just wait. Because an extrovert with clarity is a beautiful thing!

Jeremiah actually wrote about the good things that come to those who wait. 

When we wait and hope for Him, this is how God has got this. All the time. Every time.

Letting go

Loss has many faces and forms. Depending on your perspective, loss can bury you or better you.

I choose better because I know loss can induce growth or healing, forge new relationships and scattter your path with undiscovered treasures you never would've imagined to find, had you not experienced the loss.

All you need to do is LET GO.

Letting go doesn't mean tearing off limbs and severing blood flow. Letting go is an act of wisdom your very own spirit knows how to do. But your mind needs to hand over the baton. Yes, it's that easy.

So let's try together.

Light a candle for Loss.

Hold in one hand a tiny square of paper on which you have written "My mind's Victim Mentality". And write in the other hand's palm," My spirit's Assuring Love".

Burn the square of paper in the candle's flame. Say goodbye. Do not repeat.

Then open the other hand and read the words Assuring Love out loud. 

Then give your spirit permission to be the Boss, to look for any and all reasons for joy, peace, focus and overcoming brilliance from this moment on.

Repeat every morning and every evening.

There. That was really easy. And in the coming days the ease with which you grow and heal will become your fuel and the treasures on your path ahead will light up your eyes to see wondrous things.

Allow the loss to become your Gloss in which you'll dust every day.

God's got this.

My Blom (apologies, this one has to be in Afrikaans)

          

Die ding met hartseer is daar is nie eintlik n goeie definisie of beskrywing daarvan wat pas nie. 

Ek glo dis omdat dit soveel vorme kan aanneem wat die woordeboekskrywers nie in woorde kon uitdruk nie.

Dit is gekoppel aan n baie intieme verhouding wat skielik nie meer is nie.

Mens se hele lyf trek saam op onverwagse oomblikke wanneer die lyf se amygdala en limbiese sisteem gekonfronteer word met emosies en herinneringe wat uit die dieptes van ons siel opkom.

Hartseer is n seer hart wat  mens van binne gryp wanneer jy dit die minste verwag. 

Dis n soort verlange wat eindeloos terugkom, soos 'n storie wat nie klaar vertel is nie.

Die gemis van die wese wat eens n asem in die huis was is dieselfde vir mens en dier. 

Soveel keer wou ek al gaan kyk waar my Blom is, net om te besef sy is nie meer daar nie. 

Elke tuiskomslag maak ek die binnedeur van die motorhuis oop met n verwagting dat my blom regstaan om te speel met n blaffie of grommetjie van louter plesier om my te sien.

Elke aand met slaaptyd wil ek seker maak sy kry nie koud nie, ek loop nog draaie om die kolle waar haar huisbeddens oral was, en moet soveel selfbeheersing aan die dag lê met oggend staptyd wanneer ek my 'buff' van die kapstok afhaal waar haar leiband eens was.

Vanoggend is die suiderkruis weg en stap ons in stilte terwyl drie satelliete in die hemelruim bokant ons verbygly. Ek wonder in my stilligheid watter ster my Blom s'n kan wees, maar kan nie een kies nie, want dan is dit permanent....

My Blom was die leë nes se engel wat saam gewag het dat die kinders kom kuier, saam weggehardloop het op die strand as die branders inrol en verwoed haar stem dik gemaak het as 'n duif of hadeda kom raas op die dak.

Lukas se woorde sal altyd weerklink:

God's got this too.

Long Time No Se(a)e

Watching the misty winter cloud spilling over the Outeniqua mountains into the bay is like watching ocean and heaven connect.

All suddenly becomes quiet as creation sighs a word of worship to its Creator. The water looks like its one with the rolling mist, creating a floating illusion.

That's the thing with the Ocean. No two days look the same, it changes constantly. That's why most people take a million pics, because no Ocean scene is static.

My ocean connection was always of the "long-time-no-see" kind. We would spend our year working inland, and visiting the coast duing holidays. 

For me, this long-time-no-see relationship consisted of longer times away from the ocean constituting a holiday filled with urgent ocean contact, void of the real rest and restoration that comes with developing my blue heart.

The Ocean has an unseen attraction to all people, even those who seem indifferent. The reason is simple. It's salty disposition is a near-perfect match to our plasma. Furthermore "deep calls unto deep" because we come from amniotic fluid with very similar salinity and ion content as seawater. 

So it is not surprising that when you give in to that call and immerse, balance is instant and overall regulation of body functions as well as organs seem to align. 

All the "apps" go into airplane mode, you are enveloped by the body of salt water, gently supporting your body as you release all control.

You become a part of ocean and heaven connecting, and find yourself sighing a word of worship to your Creator.

God's really got this.

Life pockets

Sometimes life seems fluid and easy and sometimes life seems to have pockets. Whether created by us or life itself, these pockets sometimes contain a jumblesale of many things and sometimes the pockets reveal something unexpected. 

Whatever you drift into, it can seriously challenge you in many ways. The trick is to absorb the initial shock of the challenge by pulling that fluidity and ease into the scenario. Some may call it denial, I call it ICE. It stands for Initial Change Equilibrium. It is a chemistry tool used to generate a reverse equilibrium reaction. 

Practically it means to temporarily reverse your reaction to that pocket's impact. 

Say for instance you have a stressful thing to sort out (jumblesale pocket) and normally you would have agonised about how to tackle it, decide to change your approach. See it in a different light, albeit it temporary. 

Decide to smile and wave when an unexpected pocket makes an entrance, in stead of gasping or venting at the unexplainable nature of it all. 

The moment you ICE it or reverse the reaction, your resilience will increase dramatically and create new ways to handle or cope with whatever has landed in your life path. 

That is called equilibrium (balance).... that intrinsic event when you give yourself permission to release yourself from the expected. 

God's got this.