Kerri On Down The Road

 The bar was set with 20 lbs more than I had expected to lift that morning—a full 60 lbs more than my body weight—and more than I had ever imagined or dreamed I could or would move. As I set my feet and gazed ahead of me, none of those thoughts entered my mind. Instead, I felt a calm descend over me, and the only thing I focused on was my intention to make this deadlift happen. Was it heavy? Hell yes.  Did my legs quake and quiver as I slowly inched the bar to the top of the movement? You bet.  Did I ever once consider dropping it or stopping? Not a chance.  Deep down, I knew that as long as I stuck with it, I would get to where I wanted to be. Afterward, the realization of what I had just done washed over me and I was left feeling changed.  I could feel myself walking a little taller, moving more assuredly, projecting confidence and groundedness.  What I also noticed was how I had been feeling in comparison to the past couple of months.  Instead of be...

Making progress is a funny thing.  The art of allowing ourselves to take steps back to create space to move ahead often feels counterintuitive and frustrating.  Life would be so much easier if progress were only linear in nature! Lately, I have been assessing the places in my life where I am having the hardest time letting go of control or believing that I can control the outcomes of my choices.  This is not my first time at this rodeo, and I realize it won't be my last.  Despite listening to all the podcasts, reading all the books, and doing all the meditations I still manage to hold onto a tiny shred of hope that I can perhaps sway the universe in some way if I exert just the tiniest bit of force here and there.  And as usual, I am reminded of the futility of this when I become frustrated, exhausted, and no further ahead in my journey. It was during a mediation this week that I was reminded of the importance of stepping out of the way to allow for events to un...

I personally believe that the Universe drops breadcrumbs for us to follow; it is up to us to be aware enough to notice them scattered ahead of us.  A similar phenomenon happens when we set an intention for ourselves, whether to purchase a new piece of clothing or start a new routine in our lives.  Suddenly we can't escape reminders or examples of that very thing.  A simple way to experiment with this would be to set an intention to look for heart-shaped objects in your day-to-day life for the next week or so.  I guarantee that before long you will start to see rocks, leaves, and other non-descript items appearing before you all in that familiar shape.   Why does this happen and how can we conjure more of this magic?  Setting intentions and becoming more aware of the present moment would be good places to start.  When we are clear with our direction, intentions, and needs we open ourselves up to discovering the tools and resources we require. ...

I remember when I was first learning to drive.  How excited and terrified was to be navigating a potentially deadly machine through the city streets.  The sense of freedom it gave me was kept in check by my deep sense of responsibility as I sat behind the wheel.  I remember feeling terribly nervous whenever I saw a sign indicating I needed to merge lanes with nearby drivers.  Merging lanes while driving requires trust -- you need to believe that the drivers you are merging with will allow you to slide into this new shared lane unscathed.  I am finding that this same type of exercise is taking place in other areas of my life lately. The merging that is taking place for me feels like an inside job.  It is a merging of old ideas and beliefs with newer, greener ones.  Instead of replacing the old or casting it off completely, I am working on finding ways to comingle these older ways of being with who I am becoming as I change and grow.  Perhaps this i...