Greetings and welcome to the Why Struggle Podcast.
I'm your host Barbara J.
Faison and my intention with this podcast is to offer ideas,
Insights,
And inspirations so you can live life better.
Greetings and welcome to 2025 Week 15,
Life Maintenance.
If you're new to the podcast,
Welcome,
And if you listen regularly,
Thank you.
This is a podcast about life maintenance.
Maintenance is essential to living.
One thing I've learned is that whatever is important to me has to be maintained.
Health,
Relationships,
Finances,
Home,
Car,
You get the picture.
The last few months I've cleaned out the refrigerator,
The freezer,
The pantry,
The cutlery drawer,
My office,
And more.
Sometimes I listen to a podcast as I'm cleaning or organizing.
Other times I just clear in the silence.
Going through what felt like a myriad of food storage containers is what inspired this podcast.
I asked myself questions like,
Do I need all of these containers?
Which one should go in the front of the cabinet?
Should I throw this one out?
What happened to my smaller containers?
Each time I straighten out this particular cabinet,
I do my best to make it even more efficient for me when I'm looking for something.
There's a part of me that thinks if I do that,
I won't have to straighten it again.
Right.
Maintenance is a required part of life.
At least it is for me.
The cabinet,
The car,
My relationships,
My finances,
You know,
All the things.
Life requires maintenance.
I also recently cleaned out my car and reorganized and released extra napkins,
Condiment packets,
And other stuff that I didn't need to keep in the car.
I'm very proud that I donated three boxes of books to the local library.
I admit I have a few things I just can't seem to release though,
Including a laminated map of Metro Atlanta.
Okay,
It's time for a maintenance check-in.
If you aren't driving,
Join me for a short life maintenance practice.
I'll ask a few questions and give you time to sit with your breath and notice what comes up for you.
If you want to grab a piece of paper to take notes later,
Feel free to do so.
I'll walk you through a simple mindfulness practice to give you time to get settled in.
As long as you are not driving or operating heavy equipment,
Take a moment to look around and notice what you see in front of you.
Breathe normally as we do this.
Now look to your right,
Then look up and down.
Look to your left.
Look up and down.
Return back to center.
Allow your eyes to close and take a deep breath through your nose with the left hand.
Take a deep breath in through your nose and let out a loud sigh like this.
What sounds do you hear?
Keep breathing.
Bring your hands to the center of your chest.
This is your energetic heart space.
Take a deep breath in through your nose and let out a loud sigh like this.
This is a cleansing breath.
Sit comfortably with your back straight if possible.
Place one hand in the center of your chest and one hand on your stomach as you continue to breathe.
If you feel comfortable,
Relax your gaze by lowering your eyes or closing them completely.
Just breathe.
Notice your breath.
Breathe in and out at your own pace.
Feel the air moving through your nose.
Keep breathing in and out.
When the thoughts come,
And they will come,
Smile and return to your breath.
Open your mind up to these questions.
What areas in your life would benefit from some gentle maintenance?
What would it be like if taking care of your life was simple?
What's one thing you can do right away that would move you forward in your life?
I'm going to leave you in silence for a few minutes.
Relax and keep breathing.
Just allow yourself to be open to possibilities of ease.
It's time to return back to this moment.
Notice how you feel.
If you can name that feeling,
Say it out loud.
The last thing I want you to do is to open your arms really wide,
Like you are about to give someone you haven't seen in a long time a big hug.
Now hug yourself like you would hug that person.
Smile as you hug yourself.
Keep hugging.
Keep hugging.
You may relax your arms.
How are you feeling?
Did anything come to mind for you?
If something came up,
Lovely.
If not,
Be open and receptive to ideas to come to you another time.
Thanks for joining me for this life maintenance practice.
What in your life might benefit from a little cleaning,
Clearing or maintenance?
My next area will be going through my file cabinets and clearing.
More old papers.
What's on your mind?
Feel free to leave a comment,
Reflection or observation where you're listening to this podcast.
