Joy Diet Week 3: Desire
Oh, desire. I honestly thought the desire week would be easy. What I forgot is how hard it is for me to express my true desires. Separating my true desires from my false desires was pretty hard. But by the end of the week, I found this exercise to be oh so helpful in allowing me to learn more about myself through desire. Here is a run down of my week with desire.
Day Two: The first thing that pops in my head when I think about my desires is sleep. This is most likely due to the fact that I haven't been getting much sleep. I decide that this is a true desire and set an intention to find ways to get more sleep. This includes creating a sleep routine and getting to be a little bit earlier every night.
Day Three: I decide to try and write out my desires during morning pages. Desire after desire spills out on the page. I try to narrow on one of these pebbles but find myself to distracted by all the multiple new desires appearing before me on the page. I wonder if I am getting closer to my true desires. I decide to just let the list be for the day and not make any additional intentions.
Day Four: I have a really difficult day and find it hard to get to my true desires. Every time I go through the questions related to a pebble, I realize that the desire is false. I finally stumble upon the last thing on my desire list for the day. The desire is to heal. It is a true desire. I want to set an intention but I feel as though it is too vague. I try to go deeper in to my desire to heal and what that means, but keep hitting roadblocks. I finally decide that to heal is enough for the day.
Day Five: My desires today are all physical. I wake up with a desire for some comfort food. In the past, I would have thought that a craving for comfort food was just the desire to have some good food. But upon analyzing this desire, I realized that my desire for comfort food was more related to my desire to feel comforted. I sit with this desire during meditation and set an intention to be more open with my support system about my need to be comforted.
Day Six: I admire the synchronicity of Mondo Beyondo and the desire chapter. I decide to use my Mondo Beyondo list as a way to write out all my current desires. I am incredibly surprised by all the desires that come flowing out of me when I do not censor myself. After initial panic about all the desires that I have written down, I become really excited about the life that I want to create and shape for myself.
Day Seven: A recurring pebble throughout the week has been education. I continually put it to the back burner because I am afraid of facing the reality of what making the decision about my education means. I finally decide to address my desire to do my Masters in Social Work. I sit with it for awhile and decide to set the intention to set up meetings with local social work departments. I make the appointments and feel like desire getting closer and closer to becoming a reality.
How was your week with desire?
23 comments:
I love the way you structure these posts and especially how you make the distinction between true and false desires. This so accurately tracks how I'd probably do this task (or atleast would like to do this task) and is similar to how I end up analyzing what I write during my morning pages. like trying to sift through the noisy words and getting to what one really means.
Love the post!
gemma says
Sitting quietly with my desires and asking "And then what"?
really helped me get to my true desires. Many good wishes on your pebble path.
Sara @Soulspackle says
Once again, watching how you go through each day of the week is so enlightening for me. The ups and downs, the honest way you confront your desires, and your commitment to pursuing the essence of them (such as getting more sleep, self-care). I realize I didn't really set an intentions during my week, I just marinated in the desire. Something to ponder.
Beverley Baird says
You have gotten into the spirit of the work involved with each chapter so well.
I tend to read it and think about it, and then make one response - rather than your way of doing the thinking daily!
I loved reading your daily thoughts.
May all your desires be fulfilled!
Lawendula says
I really like how you are doing this, how you are approaching the desire topic.
I really really know the desire to run away so well.
Thanks for sharing, LW
bubbly girl says
You really have a great concept for your posts! The seperation in days makes it fun to read, and easy to understand how you progressed during the week.I loved reading about finding your true desires in false ones.
KathrynAntyr says
At first glance exploring desire does sound like fun but as you and I both experienced, it really is harder to get to our *true desires*. Keep exploring!
Genie Sea says
I love the methodical and honest way you have worked with Desire throughout the week. That you are able to find the true from false desires is truly monumental! Spectacular even! Rare indeed!
May you find the path to realizing your true desires. :)
GraceGal says
I like the way you shared what you did each day :)
Dawn says
thank you for sharing, as always. you're just great. =)
sherry ♥ lee says
You really did your work on this chapter and being able to tie it in with another course you are taking seems to have been very helpful. I love that you were able to separate the false desires from the true desires and that once you stopped censoring yourself, the desires just flowing out of you. Censoring ourselves...our fear does that to us. And you have isolated "education" as the one thing that keeps repeating for you. May you step out, step up and take that risk for yourself!
Tisha says
I love, love, love hearing your process; it's so affirming and admirable! I can hear that you are truly honoring yourself with time, intention, and deep listening. Magical! Wishing you continued clarity as you work with these and many more desires to come!
Lucy Ladham-Dyment says
I liked reading what you did/desired every day.
Pink Heels says
Wow! I would never have guessed that desiring friendship would be a false desire. Interesting journey.
Art Visions says
Great introspective post. Loved the way you highlighted how you approached the chapter each day this week. Thanks for sharing!
theifswtich says
Beautifully expressed...each day unfolding in its own way to reveal a desire.
I too thought this would be a simple week!
Angie says
I love the way you think about desire daily and work through it on your journal, in one of last weeks posts I mentioned about starting a journal purely to write down my thoughts, internal dialogue, and I thank you for the inspiration, so thank you ellecubed for inspiring me to get my journal out and my thoughts down on paper! :)
stargardener says
Getting through to true and positive Desire has been like sitting on either end of a teeter-totter. Two "me's" teetering up and down as I attempt to find balance.
Balance, so as to keep from bumping my butt on the ground — jolting any sort of resolve I muster up!
This is a touchstone for me: "I continually put it to the back burner because I am afraid of facing the reality of what making the decision about my education means."
This, coupled with reading the progression of your day-to-day notations ... fuels the fire my resolve to tackle the teeter-totter of fear/desire within me.
Day by day ... \o/
kaileenelise says
I really love your day-by-day reviews. They help me realize that we are all working through this process in different ways. I like that you let some things be enough for that day. I am hoping to embrace that attitude as well. You continue to inspire me, I am very glad we have connected through this Joy Diet experience. xo, kaileenelise
Lisa @sacred circle says
Wow, it's so wonderful to catch a glimpse of how desire transformed and expanded and flourished as your week unfolded!
City Girl says
I really love how you structure your posts :) Here's to tackling true desires!
Jamie Ridler says
What a beautiful exploration. Reading your process it's clear this is a powerful practice. What great sensitivity and discernment you have. It's awesome the way you've distinguished between real and false desires. Here's to following the lead of our real desires.
Amy Jewell says
This is great! I love how you actually spent time each day with this. Sometimes it feels like my days get so busy, but what really can be more important than finding what you desire and moving toward it? Very inspiring. It is the weekend, so I am going to spend some time catching up with my book and taking a better look at my desires.