Today . . . I am thinking about my pond.
I have a small pond that is the focal point of my back yard. It's a modest pond, home to 5 gold fish, 2 shubunkins, and 2 koi (Jack and Casper). It's a peaceful little pond where birds and deer come to drink and neighborhood cats come with high hopes. There are benches nearby for quiet reflection and the beauty of nature surrounds.
Not too long ago, the pond wasn't so
peaceful. We were in the middle of a heat wave in Virginia when I went out to feed my fish. Much to my surprise and alarm, all the fish were at the surface of the pond gulping for air. I could see they were in distress, though I didn't know why. Until . . . I dipped my hand into the pond and felt the temperature of the water. It was very warm.
I immediately flew into action mode and began pumping warm water out of the pond while simultaneously adding cold water to it. Within a couple of hours the water temperature had stabilized and my fish were back to swimming lazily around the pond.
Today, as I prepare to close up my pond for the winter I am reminded, once again, about the importance of creating just the right environment for the life we want to live. It's different for each of us. We know what that right environment is because in it we feel expansive and have plenty of room to explore and swim around. By contrast, when we are not in the right environment we are gulping for air, struggling just to survive.
What are some of the things you do to create the perfect environment for you to thrive in? What do you do to stabilize your environment when you find yourself gulping air?

I keep my perfect environment set up in a room so that all I have to do is enter it to feel centered. It includes a meditation area, plenty of spiritually-oriented books and music, incense, soft lighting, lots of my own art, vision boards, and pictures of my family. The main ingredient is a constant inflow of my best energy that I can instantly tap into. I feel great just thinking about it!
Posted by: Dana | September 26, 2007 at 11:32 AM
Yummmm . . . may I come and visit? Your room sounds wonderful -- I feel good just hearing about it! I think having one room in our homes, set aside just for us and our perfect environment, is a terrific way to create an instant perfect environment. This way, as you said, we can go there instantly to feel centered when we're a little off balance, and to be creative and flow energy when we want that. Thanks, Dana, for sharing your perfect environment with us!
Posted by: The original Accidental Pren-her | September 26, 2007 at 04:11 PM