Who Is
The Fragrant Muse?

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Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, United States
I'm a Creative Soul and Happy Person. I have a passion for my Family, Aromatics, Fairy Gardens, Pugs, SoulCollage, Miniature Worlds, Visual Journals.

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Thursday, June 11, 2009

A Moment of Grace

Yesterday I had a massage "no-show", which is a client who simply doesn't show up. This almost never happens to me. After 12 years in practice, the majority of my clients are trusted regulars with fixed days each month. I also have a firm cancellation/no show policy that I enforce.

After a ten-minute wait, I remembered that my client was on vacation this month and I had forgotten to take her out of the June schedule. My next appointment was in four hours which meant I had some accidental downtime.

My mind jumped to all the things I could and should do with the lull: errands, phone calls, emails to answer, dishes, laundry. I could even do art or write a new blog post.

But I was feeling drained. I had pushed myself pretty hard on Tuesday creating the diffusion post. With all the writing, taking pictures then rearranging everything to fit the format (Blogger is a bear when it comes to combining pictures with text) I had spent way too much time with my eyes glued to the computer screen. The pull of the couch for a catnap was too strong to ignore.

So down I went. I slept for a good hour, and when I got up my mind felt clear and my body was rested, ready to go again. I decided to get out and away from house, phone, computer and studio.

We had no milk in the fridge, so I drove to a charming country grocery store run by Mennonites. I rarely shop there, just when I need one or two items.

The clerk at the register nearly floored me when she said, "Aren't you the lady that bought all the fairies for your garden?" About two months earlier I had gone in for milk (they must have magic milk) and noticed fairies on display that were marked down because they were a discontinued item. It was quite a find because they were perfect for my garden, and I bought one of each that day.

She told me that the owner of the store had found one we missed and put it aside in the event that I should return. I was touched, to say the least. This is one aspect of country living that I adore. She assured me there was no pressure to buy it but the sprite was mine if I liked her. And I liked her very much. The fairy was in repose and the synchronicity of my just having woken up from a good nap did not escape me.

It was then I was struck with a moment of grace. That's what I call it when I have a sudden awareness that everything that's happening in that moment, and everything that led up to it, is unfolding at exactly the right time and in the right order. A moment of grace fills me with a deep sense of gratitude and all-is-right-with-the world feeling. I know that I was only able to have this kind of awareness because I had given myself permission to rest and recharge which enabled me to fully experience the grace in that moment. In a tired state I might have just said thank you, paid for my items and rushed off.

As I mentioned earlier, I've never bought my fairies with the intention of keeping them inside. But I knew that this gal needed to stay in my massage room.

She will now be my visual reminder of this message:

Recognize the wisdom in knowing when to rest. Of doing nothing. Knowing when you've had enough and need to recharge. You don't always have to be doing something. When you give yourself permission to rest, you are more available for those delicious moments of grace.


Have you ever had a moment of grace?

16 comments:

Hit 40 said...

I have had several moments of grace... I will have to think up a good one if I can today while the students take their exams.

Liz Fulcher, The Fragrant Muse said...

Hit40: I'd love to read about it!

Amanda said...

Oh Oh Yes! And I am so glad to have a term to call it now. Unfortunately it doesn't happen often, but it does, isn't it wonderful?

I need to start being more aware.

McGillicutty said...

I think I am having one right now! :o)

Unknown said...

It's great when that happens, when you know everything has taken you to this very moment and that you are where you are supposed to be! Wish I had those more often, I'm forever wondering if I'm where I'm supposed to be, specially in the leading week to my birthday! The fairy is very sweet!

rxBambi said...

Ummm, I'm not sure. I'll have to try. I started not wearing my ipod when I walk the dogs in hopes of thinking deep thoughts. All I think about is poop bags. hmmm. Can I recharge with a glass of wine in hand?

Liz Fulcher, The Fragrant Muse said...

kjij: Thanks. What's with the download?

Amanda: The moments happen, it's the being aware of them that doesn't so much. Well, declaring that you want to start being more aware is a great start!

McGillicutty: Awwwwww

B: Why? Where else should you be? What are you going to do for this special birthday?

rxBambi: Good for you leaving the IPOD at home, although you could take it with you and just take the earplugs out once in a while to practice awareness. No need to go all crazy! Oh, and most definitely yes to the glass of wine!

Mari Mansourian said...

what a great post...
the fairy is beautiful, a great addition to your collection :)

Liz Fulcher, The Fragrant Muse said...

Thanks Mari. After I posted it I read it again and I thought it sounded kinda sappy. But, well, I'm kinda sappy sometimes!

Seaside Girl said...

I thought it was a lovely post and its really made me think. I love the fairy by the way.

Eliane Zimmermann said...

thanks for that graceful post.

Liz Fulcher, The Fragrant Muse said...

Seaside: Thank you! She's a pretty one and I'm keeping her on a window sill in my massage room.

Eliane: So glad you enjoyed it :-)

Unknown said...

Oh Muse! I am so priveleged to have found your site! I just love the way you speak to my soul... I am fortunate to have had moments like this. They are few and far between with three businesses to run, but they do come and God is so good to allow my tired sould to rest that deep rest that is soooooo restorative! (Found TWO diffusers BTW! And have really enjoyed getting my oils back out... Might need to email you for some details!)

Liz Fulcher, The Fragrant Muse said...

Stacey: One of my life mottos is "When the student is ready, the teacher appears". Don't you find that we seem to meet the right people at the right time? Thank you for your kind words and I'm SO excited that you are getting back into your oils! What are your diffusers like? Like you, I have three businesses and it's very easy to spread yourself so thin that nothing gets done well.

Feel free to email me with any questions:
thefragrantmuse@gmail.com

My WV: ponwood. hmmmm wonder if there is a Ponwood Oil???

julochka said...

moment of grace...those are where i got my blog name--because i call them moments of perfect clarity...thankfully, i've got a ton of them...of course, not everything i write on my blog is an MPC, but hey, you can't win them all. :-) funnily enough, scent is often the trigger of a memory of one of those moments. i'll bet that doesn't surprise you in the least. :-)

Liz Fulcher, The Fragrant Muse said...

Julochka: I see what you mean! In that moment of awareness we are graced with perfect clarity! Coooooool...
And yeah, the whole scent thing doesn't surprise me at all :-)