Welcome back to The Way I See It, where I share my Life Lenses with a focus on Awareness, Attitude and Intuition. In this post, I plan to share a facet of my journaling practice that you may find intriguing. If you’re interested in journaling, or more specifically, bullet journaling, then you’re welcome to continue reading. In conjunction with my bullet journal practice, I will be touching on the Awareness Aspect to it, why it’s important, and why it matters to me.

Note: I decided to make this information available in the form of Episode 5 of The Way I See It Podcast titled, Music Mind, which you can listen to below! Please note that the text in this blog post doesn’t completely match with the audio version since the audio is a bit more spontaneous. :)

First, a bit of history. I have kept a longform written journal for 30+ years. Several years back after reading the book The Bullet Journal Method, I thought I would try my hand at using a bullet journal in addition to my longform written journal.

One of the benefits to keeping a bullet journal is keeping track of things that matter to you. In addition to the rapid log (basically daily list making) that you can create with each day's entry, there are also Collections that you can keep, which is basically a page in your bullet journal where you collect information that is relevant to you in one way or another.

One of the collections that I have been keeping in my bullet journal I have titled, Music Mind. In recent years I have become aware of the occurrence of music arising in my mind on a regular basis. I’m not referring to the situations where you hear a song in the car or in a store somewhere, and it gets stuck in your head and then plays on repeat. That sometimes happens to me but there are many other scenarios that trigger music arising in my mind outside of this particular example.

The fact that music arises in my mind on a regular basis was an instigator of great curiosity on my part, so I decided to start recording in my bullet journal the songs that would arise in my mind at any time. In so doing, I thought that it might help me to determine where the music was coming from, because I really wanted to know.

I find that when I wake up in the morning, music arises in my mind immediately. I find that music arises throughout the day. Some songs arise in my mind and stay there all day long. Some songs arise and then leave and another song arises and leaves. Every day is different. And I don’t think it’s an issue of what I’m exposed to necessarily. Although sometimes if I hear a song in a movie, especially during closing credits, or if I hear it in a store, it will arise at a later time or immediately afterwards.

So when I started this collection in my bullet journal, any time a song would arise in my mind, I would try to remember to write it down. When I would write the song down, I would try to remember if anything initiated the music to begin with. And if something did, I would write it down in parentheses.

I found the entire process of becoming more aware of when music arises in my mind, to writing it down in my bullet journal, to determining what might have triggered this music occurring, really started to give me a clearer picture of how my mind works .

There are various triggers that take place in my mind with some of the music that I notice. Sometimes a word or a phrase or a musical note might trigger a song arising. Sometimes a conversation I’m having with another person triggers a song. (And I often sing it aloud when that happens which can sometimes spark amusement, especially on my part, creating levity in that spontaneous moment!)

But, the times that are the most interesting to me are when the music that arises comes from my past, sometimes from childhood, sometimes from youth, and other times from later years. Especially with songs that really left a meaningful impact on me.

One of the things that I hope to do with this Music Mind Collection each month is that it will eventually reveal to me a pattern of music coming and going.

Sometimes I do notice when a song repeats itself on more than one day. Sometimes that can happen when the music comes from a movie I’ve been watching on repeat (especially when grandson keeps watching the same movie over and over again); but I also notice this without there being a contextual source to associate with that music, which is an ongoing curiosity for me. It begs me to ask the question, Where is it coming from, and why does it happen to begin with?

I think one of the greatest benefits to keeping this Music Mind Collection is that it automatically puts me in a state of Awareness when I hear the music arising. That state of Awareness immediately makes me more Present and slows me down. And, with the act of writing down the song, it naturally puts me in a state of pause for a moment. This pause can only benefit me because it forces me, as I slow down, to think very specifically about what is going on in my mind.

It gives me the opportunity to ask questions about where this music is coming from. In a sense, it helps me to honor the way my mind works, knowing that music is an essential part of who I am.

In some ways, the whole process I’ve described here is a mystery. It shows the many layers, if not worlds, that exist, not just in my mind, but in my heart and soul.

In other ways, it shows me what matters to me, how I think and how I communicate. I realize that some folks think in words, some in pictures, some in numbers. I think in music!

I have shared several images from three different months from my Music Mind Collections so that you can see what it actually looks like. Sometimes there’s a question mark (?) In the place of a title because all I hear is a melody or a few words, and I don’t recall the title of the song. I just know that there is a song arising and I’m not able to identify it right away or at all.

Sometimes I record the movie or place I heard it. Sometimes I’ll mark down the vocalist or group that sings it.

And if the song arises repeatedly, I sometimes look up the lyrics to the full song to see what meaning it may have for me right now.

Music will always have a special place in my life, and my Music Mind Collection is the perfect place to honor my Music Mind!

Here’s a journaling prompt for you:
How does your mind think? Are you pictorial or like a movie playing, or do words take center stage? Are numbers your game?

Give some thought (no pun intended!) with the primary way your mind works. Take a few days or a week or more and write down what arises in your mind naturally. See if any patterns emerge. Reflect on what those patterns may be speaking to you. By slowing down enough to experience this process, you honor how your mind works. Prepare to be fascinated!

Welcome back to The Way I See It with a focus on Awareness, Attitude and Intuition through my many Life Lenses. In this post, I’m sharing a new music video! As many of you know, I am an aspiring musician, learning to play my spiritual songs on the piano by ear, just over a year ago. I’ve been writing spiritual songs for about 4 years now, inspired by my Connection with Spirit, my meditative studies of sacred text, and journaling lyrics in my bullet journal. This process never fails to inspire me and put me in a creative flow. I then record a vocal to preserve the melody of the song. I, then, later choose a song to compose on the piano.

The following song is the one featured in the video clip on my YouTube Channel. It is titled, The Evidence. The general essence of the song focuses on how Trustworthy Spirit is because I’m always taken of, no matter my circumstances or challenges. The lyrics to this song are below, so when you listen, you can sing along if you’d like. My aim with sharing this spiritual song is to inspire you so your spirit may be lifted. Our world is in such a challenging time on so many fronts; perhaps remembering where we come from, The Source of Love, will encourage you.

My heart goes out to the many people suffering from the ravages of war, trauma and acute illness and other situations entirely out of their control. May you have strength, presence and love to carry you through the hardest of times. Peace to all!

The Evidence
by Dawn Herring

I see Your Light; It opens my heart
It assures me of my steps from the start
A true place of encouragement
A Place of Peace
A rest to my soul and a great release

You will provide for my soul
You will give all to me
I hear your voice in my heart
It rings true as Truth indeed

I never need to question your faithfulness to me
The evidence bears the verdict
I know I can trust
And believe without regret

My arms are open wide
For the love you give inside

I see your light; it open my heart
It assures me of my steps from the start

Music and Lyrics Copyright 2022 by Dawn Herring

Before I leave you today, I will would like to offer a journaling prompt for further reflection:
When you are in a difficult life situation, what is your first go to ground yourself and bring yourself back to center, back to HOME? Now, Make a list of the activities that revitalize you consistently. Describe the entire process from start to finish. Now, take note of how this process makes you feel and describe that in detail. Does it lift your spirit? Does it raise your body vibration? How does it benefit you in the short and long term? Now take action and do one of those activities Today. Taking care of yourself is KEY to aligned living. YOU deserve to feel good today!

Thank you so much for stopping by The Way I See It!
I so appreciate your interest in my musical journey and trust it has inspired you to tap into your own creative flow!
Let me know what you think of the video; because The Way YOU See It Matters…to me!

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Welcome back to The Way I See It, Where we talk about Awareness, Attitude and Intuition and how they aid toward more confident decision making and aligned living.
For this post, you will find Episode 4 of The Way I See It Podcast, available both on my YouTube Channel and on Spotify, for your listening pleasure.
Episode 4 is titled, Resistance or Flow. We will talk about how the key of awareness can bring us to a place of personal empowerment as we deliberately choose whether we will look through the lens of resistance or flow and how it impacts how we feel on a daily basis.

Below you will find the transcript to Episode 4 of The Way I See It Podcast:
Welcome to Episode 4 of The Way I See It Podcast!
Today I want to share a very important question that I sometimes ask my grandson and ask myself as well: Are you having a flow day or a resistance day?
Why would I ask such a question? Because it lends itself to an activating of awareness that we may not have had before. If we don’t ask the question, we often live on autopilot or simply by habit, not realizing the loss of power we can experience since we’re just letting life happen as it does. And often we’re not very happy, feeling depleted and even exhausted and not know exactly why.

We want to feel energized and aligned with each day we experience. But how do we do that? I think it’s a matter of being intentional about what kind of day we want to have. And every choice we make with our actions and attitude can really make all the difference in how we feel and experience life.

We all know what it feels like to be in flow: there is a specific ease in which we engage with our tasks, even mundane ones we deal with every day, such as washing dishes, vacuuming (!), folding laundry or taking out the trash. And we especially experience that state of flow when we are engaging with something we truly enjoy, such as something art or music based, or being out in our garden or in the woods.

But it’s the nitty gritty of daily life, such as answering the phone or choosing how we will respond in conversation, or what we will do next to check it off our to do list, where we can feel our choice the most.
I think it’s the attitude we choose to take on from moment to moment that can actually determine the energy in which we move, whether it’s based in angst, annoyance, or even anger, versus appreciation, gratitude, joy or even elation.

Our bodies feel the energy of the choice we make, whether it’s resistance or flow.
When we choose resistance, we can feel our shoulders tighten up, or our stomach clench, or a desire to block the flow of our heart chakra but folding our arms across our chest.
When we choose flow, we are open, our shoulders lift, we feel lighter and more buoyant, and we may even find ourselves laughing or engaging our sense of humor, just because it comes naturally in that state.

However, I do want to make a distinction concerning the varying situations we may be experiencing that impact how we can choose how we respond in our daily lives with either resistance or flow.

There are times when our intuition is saying, NO, to something; this is a gift of discernment we are given so we can protect ourselves from danger, harm or trouble up ahead. We should always pay very close attention during those times and not go against what our intuition is telling us to do.

I am also not referring to situations completly out of our control, such as dealing with the direct impact of war or acute trauma or severe illness. My heart and prayers go out to anyone who is experiencing such trauma or tragedy.

​That’s not what I’m talking about here.

I’m simply referring to those times when we choose resistance simply because we are not at peace with what is, with what we need to do in our every day lives.
For example, I must admit, I don’t like doing dishes. No matter how many times I try to get into flow with it, it’s a task I just want to get over with and be done. So I feel tired afterwards. Of course, I’m glad for an empty sink and dishes in the cupboard ready to be used. Yes. It’s nice to have an orderly environment. And I’ve trained myself to do them right away after a meal for ease of clean up. But I don’t want to do it.

I don’t feel the same resistance to folding laundry though. Maybe it’s because I’m appreciative to have nice clothes to wear or they feel soft and warm out of the dryer. (Of course, when grandson’s socks are inside out, that’s a whole other story! Ha! Or have you ever noticed that undergarments are often inside out when retrieved from the dryer? Why is that? Same question we ask about losing socks, right?)

Well, anyway, we all have things we don’t want to do, don’t we? But we can make the choice to be grateful to have them to do since that shows we are living, using things as they can be used.
We can choose that state of flow more often as we ask the question throughout the day, Is my day a day of flow or resistance? How Am I Choosing how I’m going to feel today?

When grandson asks me, “Why do I have to do that every day?” I then ask, are you going to have a day of resistance or flow? It gives him food for thought. How does he want to feel? Does it feel good to move from one task to another with more ease, or would he rather feel resistant, with leads to a less pleasurable day in the long run?

We can ask ourselves the same question: Would I rather feel energized and full of gratitude at the end of the day, or do I want to feel depleted, exhausted and unhappy?

Of course it helps to choose at least one activity in our day that lifts our spirit and puts us in flow naturally. Something easy and fun. Or maybe a bit more challenging, like, for me, learning a new song on the piano! That can make the mundane tasks less undesirable because at least we did something fun, don’t you think?

Here’s a journaling prompt for you: Make a list of tasks you have for today. Yes, it can be in the form of a to do list if that works for you. Now look carefully at the items or tasks and ask yourself, does that task make me feel resistant? If so, why? Detail your response in your journal. Then ask the question: How can I make this easier? Is there a better way to go about doing this task that will make it less stressful? Detail whatever comes to mind. You may just find an answer to a long standing dilemma. Just by giving voice to your angst can help relieve pressure or resistance just by knowing why. How’s that for empowering?

We all have a choice to make from each moment of our day. We can choose resistance to what is or what needs to be in order for us to get from Point A to Point B, or we can choose to enter a state of flow that leads to more ease, joy, gratitude and aligned living. And to me, that place is a state I want to be in as much as possible, because it increases our experience of personal power which enables us to leave our meaningful mark in the world. And we all need Your Meaningful Mark in the World.