The Dragonfly

For the last few years I have been drawn to the dragonfly. I have no idea why, especially since as a child I was extremely frightened by them. We used to call them "sewing needles" and I feared they would start to sew me up like a needle and thread through my skin. So I became surprised and intrigued when I noticed I was curious about them. I learned that they don't sting, and if I could relax about them, I would be able to actually appreciate their beauty. I'M NOT AFRAID OF THEM ANYMORE! So now I collect little dragonfly figurines and I  see them as a symbol of overcoming fear. I was even more thrilled when I read about the symbolisms of the dragonfly: maturity and a depth of character for one. In many parts of the world it symbolizes change and change in the perspective of self realization; and the kind of change that has its source in mental and emotional maturity and the understanding of the deeper meaning of life.  Its ability to scurry along water represents an act of going beyond what's on the surface and looking into the deeper aspects of life. It symbolizes power and poise. It can fly at 45 miles and hour and move in six different directions as well as hover like a helicopter and fly backwards like a hummingbird!
The dragonfly has an iridescence about it. It shows itself in different colors depending on how light falls on it. This property is believed as the end of one's self created illusions and a clearer vision of the realities of life. It doesn't have a long life span so it symbolizes the virtue of living in the moment and living life to the fullest.The eyes of a dragonfly can see 360 degress around it which symbolizes uninhibited vision of the mind and the ability to see beyond limitations of the self.


Now that's my kind of insect!!


What part of nature are you drawn to? Is there a particular animal or bird or plant or insect that just calls to you? If so, look up what it symbolizes! It just might connect with you more than you know!

Thriving or Surviving?

Thriving is all about feeling fully alive. A state of feeling wholeness, satisfaction, or a state of "rightness" and harmony. The power to create your life according to your values. It may be through meaningful work, fulfilling relationships with family and friends, a healthy and strong body, or a sense of connectedness to the universe. Or all of the above! Imagine living your life according to what you value most in life!

Surviving is all about hanging on. It's about barely dealing with life's challenges as they come along, and believing that if life could only be a certain way, then maybe you would be okay. It's a perspective that "someday in the future" my life will be good...but not today. Maybe never.

But you can start today to move from surviving to thriving. Think of the image of a wheel. Each spoke represents an area of your life. As you look at each area, rate your level of fulfillment on a scale of 1 to 10. Here are the spokes: Personal Growth and Spirituality, Mind-Body connection, Movement and Exercise, Nutrition, Physical Environment and finally Relationships. After you rate each area of your life, ask yourself "What would it take to be fulfilled?" Keep probing....try to get a glimpse of the future. It just might help you to figure out what it is you need to do to get there.

A Must Read

Love After Love

The time will come
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other's welcome,

and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you

all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,

the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life. 

Derek Walcott