Inspiration at Sedona

by Lisa Ferentz, LCSW-C, DAPA

I have spent the past few days in beautiful, warm, and sunny Arizona.  One of the highlights was a trip to the town of Sedona. When you look closely at the massive, towering red rocks of Sedona you begin to see them transform into castles, cathedrals, gatherings of people in flowing robes, and giant winged birds poised for flight.  Aside from this extraordinary beauty,  one of the major draws to Sedona are the “energy fields” that exist in the canyons and between the crevices of rock as you walk along the trails of soft red earth.

With such an emphasis on palpable energy,  I began thinking about how each day we wake up with a limited reserve of energy in our lives.  Some days, it’s a large reserve; we feel enthusiastic, ambitious, motivated, ready and willing to meet challenges head on.  On those days, we focus our energy pro-actively and productively, creating and embracing opportunities for growth.  There is a willingness to engage in safe risk taking behaviors, going beyond our usual comfort zone.  On days when our energy is much more limited, we take fewer risks, fatigue quickly, and feel more easily overwhelmed.

It occurs to me that everyday we need to consciously assess how much energy we have, and then a make conscious choice about how we want to expend that energy reserve.  We can choose to exert energy worrying or obsessing- usually about things we can’t actually control or change. We can choose to spend an entire day holding on to feelings of anger or resentment. We can stay stuck in an energy “vortex” of fear, creatively convincing ourselves that experiences will either turn out badly or we will not be able to handle whatever challenges confront us.  

Or, we can choose to focus on appreciating the many gifts in our lives. We can direct our energies towards things that really are within our power to impact or change.  We can choose to make a positive contribution to our community, or remember to tell someone close to us that we love them.  We can expend energy learning something new, or tapping into our own  creativity.  Having been inspired by the red rocks of Sedona, I invite you to make a conscious decision today, and everyday, about how you want to use your daily supply of energy!