Where’s YOUR Chair?

by Minx Boren MCC

We each have special places, whether real or imagined, where we can envision ourselves comfortably hanging out for a while. These are places and spaces that might offer a certain energy, perhaps soothing or uplifting…or a certain mindset, perhaps inspiring or energizing or provocative.

Whether it’s spending time on the moon or in a favorite room or at a nearby or far away beach or forest or lake or even bathtub, there are settings we are drawn to at various times for all sorts of reasons. It might be that these spaces evoke wonderful memories or the anticipation of an adventure or perhaps wishful thinking about some future possibility. There is something about settling in and enjoying a particular view or being surrounded by a few gathered treasures or relishing the seclusion of a secret hideaway that calls to us.

Next question is what is the chair you are drawn to…and how might it vary depending on mood and mindset? One of the delights of conjuring up a Chair of Joy® that invites us to Sit. Breathe. Think. Feel. is that it can set the tone for the specific experience we hope to evoke. And one of my absolute favorite “chairs“ is actually a magic carpet where I can sit cross-legged and hold on while I am whisked away to some magical and out of the way place, freeing my imagination to take flight. This can be a great choice, especially when I want to shake off the doldrums and conjure up some future possibility. 

There are other times when my longtime favorite rosewood rocking chair is the perfect spot for remembering a tender or touching memory from my past, cozily wrapping myself up in the feelings of that time. Then there is my wicker storybook chair, overlooking the lake behind my current home, where over the years I have curled up with one friend or another to share the deepest whisperings of our hearts. 

Or the red leather storybook chair from my NYC days where my son and I would cuddle up and read together, available now only when I choose to conjure it up in my mind’s eye. And, of course, there are moments when I want to simply focus on just where I physically am in the moment in order to savor the absolutely delicious joy of a sweet or spectacular present experience.

I’ve asked other Chair of Joy® fans about their preferences and the selections run the gamut from Jenn’s swing on the moon to Sheryl’s chair at the BEAN in Chicago to Reggie’s playing guitar onstage in a band to Deb’s rocking chair where she read to her own boys and now to her grandchildren.

So what about you? If you could take a seat anywhere and settle in and evoke a past, present, or future event, where would you choose? Go there now. Sit down. Take a few really luscious replenishing breaths. Think about a moment in time when you felt joy or gratitude or delight or peace or ease. Paint a mental picture in as much detail as possible. Allow yourself to sigh or smile, laugh or luxuriate. Then let all the details fall away and simply notice how you feel – body, mind, heart, and spirit. Bring that feeling into your day.

“Never forget that you are hard-wired for joy.  Every cell in your body thrives on it. … Thought by thought, choice by choice, you have the power within you to shift from surviving to thriving.”

–Dr. Christiane Northrup



Decades of Gratitude, Gusto, Grit & Grace by Minx Boren

 

If you could take a seat anywhere and settle in and evoke a past, present, or future event, where would you choose? Go there now. Sit down. Take a few really luscious replenishing breaths. Think about a moment in time when you felt or might be drawn to feel joy or gratitude or delight or peace or ease. Paint a picture in your mind’s eye in as much detail as possible. Allow yourself to sigh or smile, laugh or luxuriate. Then let all the details fall away and simply notice how you feel – body, mind, and spirit. Bring that feeling into your day.



Unbridled Joy

 

unbridled joy 

unencumbered pleasure

unanticipated spontaneous love

unburdened ease

unclouded peace

unstifled creativity

uncanny miracles 

and serendipities

uncontainable 

undeniable

 immeasurable 

happiness

 

these are becoming

my guiding lights

twinkling all around me

the bright stars I look for

in my every day firmament

 

and what is mine to do

is turn again and again

in their direction

like a girasol gravitating

toward the sun

 

and there they are

sparkling ever so clearly

awaiting my attention

wanting to be acknowledged 

and named and claimed

embraced and savored

 

How simple. How profound.



from the heart, mind, and pen of Minx

©2024 Minx Boren. All rights reserved. PLEASE SHARE with attribution. 



We are all familiar with  a thousand chairs we have sat in during our lifetime in a thousand places. AND a chair is a chair is a chair is not always true. Taking time to discern the best choice of where oh where to SIT most JOYELY can jumpstart and enhance  a magical and meaningful experience.