He said eight hours should be devoted to work, eight hours to play and eight hours for rest. Most of you may have questions about the “play” hours – how on earth do you find, capture and enjoy eight hours of play?

And of course, it’s really yours to figure out – maybe the idea he shared is way out of proportion given your life-style and needs. The bottom line though, is it helps you to determine how much time you actually spend in “balance” vs. how your time may need to be divided to achieve what you consider to be balanced. Sometimes … often, we are the last person to recognize that we’re out of sync in the first place!

We spend so much time doing, doing, doing and very little of it being with ourselves, our families and our friends. And yes, to answer a common question, your house chores and cooking do fall under those precious play hours – they add to the love and enjoyment of your household.

Play with time … and see what comes up for you!

The clock’s ticking,

Mozella Perry Ademiluyi
poet writer speaker

We have all heard the clarion call to live in the moment, yes, this moment…This One! Yet, we often find ourselves overloaded and completely scattered. We’re driving, and our minds are miles away from where our car is. In the midst of having fun, we’re also concerned about waking up in time for tomorrow’s early morning meeting.

I laugh when I realize there are no lights at the stop sign, no cars and I’m free to go. I pay more attention to my driving and focus on the one place I am headed.

So, slow way down.

Do the breathing ‘they’ suggest – it works. Close your eyes and think of something you’re grateful for … utter a soft sigh and whisper a silent “thank you”. Start and end your day with a reflective or meditative practice that works for you.

Whatever it takes, slow down!

Sit and breathe,

Mozella Perry Ademiluyi
poet writer speaker

On the Kenya leg of this journey; I was also invited to talk with a diverse group of students at the United States International University (USIU) in Nairobi who responded positively to questions I asked them about ‘purpose’ – questions they found challenging, yet very engaging as they considered their individual and community lives and responsibilities.

I had in person conversations with a matron and her staff about the lives of motherless and abandoned children that have passed through their Lagos, Nigeria based facility over the last several decades. I’ve seen so much improvement, yet the underlying issues still appear so endless.

And finally, the news – locally and internationally – crime, war and devastation: constant reminders that all is not well and we’ve still a long way to go.

The combination and rapid succession of our own experiences and exposures poses some interesting questions for all of us. How do you interact with both the joy and the pain of those around you? What impact do these voices have on the tapestry of our individual lives? How do we stay connected and yet balanced in our attempt to ‘hold it all’?

One thing for sure; whatever the language spoken, beliefs or circumstances – I realized that most of these voices are seeking change and intentionally placing some form of prayer, hope, dreams and expectations into the ‘wind’ … and they all make us remember that there is a sameness even amidst our seemingly diverse concerns and needs.

Listening,

Mozella Perry Ademiluyi
poet writer speaker

I have been an avid reader all my life. As I read, I underline key passages that ‘speak’ to me – especially those that are instructional or inspirational, the ones I’d like to re-visit. Then, when I’m done reading the book, I go back and record, by hand, the most poignant of the phrases I have highlighted.

Over the past thirty years, these notes have filled many pages of journals and index cards. These notes remind me that everything I learn and experience; everything I do and have connects to who I am.

During periodic dips in my energy (we all have them!) or just when I have some great downtime; I pull out a journal full of wisdom from the many different books I’ve gone through and absorb bits and pieces of them all over again.

It’s a huge rejuvenating boost.

Read on … write on!

Mozella Perry Ademiluyi
poet writer speaker

Can you think of any single item that everyone, virtually all over the world wants more than what is represented in that one word: wealth?

In my travels in Kenya, this roadside sign speaks of education as wealth and refers to it as ‘light’. Whether in Nairobi’s slums at Kibera or its affluent suburbs of Runda, some form of wealth is usually at the forefront of most people’s desires and goals.

Can you think of any way that you can help, teach or encourage someone else to seek and find how to fulfill their wish for well being in their lives?

It’s a goal worth working for and a service worth giving.

Aligned with purpose,

Mozella Perry Ademiluyi
poet writer speaker

It doesn’t take much for us to realize that nature provides phenomenal examples that reflect the movement in our individual lives. We’re in constant flux even when we think we’re being still.

One of Love Is A Mountain’s seasonal retreats – Metamorphosis – takes a popular and mesmerizing example from the butterfly. The winter season wraps us up in a cocoon, that may appear to be in a state of inertia and then gently releases us into the new life we call spring.

Nature is so intriguing – make her the love of your life too!

Inspired by the moon,

Mozella Perry Ademiluyi
poet writer speaker

Nigerian poet and author Ben Okri says that stories are mighty and “…work with all the internal materials of the mind and self.” He states that “beneath the waters of consciousness” stories are altering our world.

In a recent Love Is A Mountain winter retreat, some wonderful women gathered to ponder, express, share and acknowledge the central roles our stories have held in our lives.
Each of us have stories that range from celebratory to deeply sad and painful – recognizing that although we cannot change what was, we can nevertheless claim the control we do have over our own thoughts to move us toward new, intentional chapters.

Seeing it in your mind first moves you more than half way there. Imagine waking up ‘actively’ realizing that each day is a new day both literally and metaphorically – that dreaming and envisioning are powerful tools you can use to help create change.

Dream and tell good stories,

Mozella Perry Ademiluyi
  poet   writer   speaker

I believe in magic and the expansive possibilities that flow directly from our Imaginations.

I also believe in fairies, elves and earth’s elemental beings … I really do.

And, it’s okay if you think I’m ‘crazy’ because, I probably am … and quite content being so!

We have entered the mystical, momentous year 2012 – who will you be during and by the end of it? What questions are you forming and holding … waiting for answers that are right and true for you?

Go on, be brave, – and dream – spin your words believing they are the magic that create gold.

Dreaming…

Mozella Perry Ademiluyi
  poet   writer   speaker

These last two weeks of 2011 have offered a wonderful Kenyan safari and adventure. As we hiked through the gorge, it was easy to forget that in someone’s mind, we were walking through ‘hell’. A beautiful blue sky met by magnificent architectural looking sheets of rock, mysterious looking passage ways and hot springs splashing from the depths of the earth’s belly were evidence of both beautiful and dramatic transformation.

Fast-forward a couple of hours later: we were literally being pulled by rope through the muddiest dirt roads, reminiscent of days gone by. Quick background – I attended a high school, Rift Valley Academy (RVA, Kijabe, Kenya) in the late sixties/early seventies, that was situated in the high hills overlooking the Great Rift Valley. Mt. Longonot provided a spectacular view everyday – so, in one sense, I was going home. Since we were so close, the goal was to get there before dark so that my son and niece could witness the hillsides upon which my sisters and I grew up as boarding students during our teenage years.

Picture this – our front wheel drive vehicle tied to a Landrover by too long a rope for my liking, slipping and sliding from one side of the road to another – it was supposed to be a ‘short-cut’ – are there really any short-cuts?

RVA was and is now a Christian missionary school surrounded by and overlooking nature’s wonders – you could call it heaven-like. However, the ride there felt like an accident waiting to happen – each hill and sharp turn threatened backsliding and failure – this piece of heaven was no easy path.

We made it through the now gated and transformed campus … and stopped at the home of my former classmate who had pulled us through one hell of a ride. As we munched on a light dinner, my heart sank as I watched darkness envelop the great outdoors. There was going to be no view of the RVA of long ago – the window was closed and the Promised Land had descended into darkness.

We eventually shared the shadows of our memories illumined only by artificial outdoor lighting.

The past was not present.

I invite you to take this thought into 2012 – names, descriptions and expectations can sometimes cause what we see to appear inside out or upside down. Look closely as we move into this new era of awakening and consider that as life unfolds we will indeed be the right way up.

Mozella Perry Ademiluyi
  poet   writer   speaker

Acknowledging the sacred beauty in nature is not often disputed. Acknowledging these same qualities in each other is less common and too often disputed.

During my participation in Sydney Frymire’s The Trek of Your Life™ to Nepal, I experienced and was deeply inspired by the richness of their culture. Their reverent greeting- Namaste- is a salute to the divinity in those they meet, whether friend or strangers. The people of Nepal are intricately aware and conscious of their connection to each other, their land and the sacred powers that hold the balance together.

Oh that we would at least silently recognize the threads that link
us to one another … even better if we take the opportunities to audibly honor those who walk across our paths.

Namaste,

Mozella Perry Ademiluyi
  poet   writer   speaker