Author: Ki McGraw

Whoever shopped yesterday may be on their way back to return items today. Whoever resisted shopping yesterday may allow some purchasing now that the traditional biggest consumption day of the year has passed. Whichever camp you belong to, I encourage your freedom to do what’s right for you as long as it’s not infringing upon anyone else.

I am not much of a consumer. My simple needs are easily met with wholesome organic plant based foods and drinks. Most of my clothing are hand-me-downs or thrift items with a few additional retail garments for weather wear.

How did you participate in Black Friday? Did you exercise your freedom to choose? Ki to Happiness chooses freedom and simplicity every day, whatever the color.

Before our vegan feast, Bob and I took our constitutional afternoon walk. While the trees on our street have lost their leaves, just a few blocks away some continue to blaze in glorious reds. Others right next to them are already bare.

The evergreens and I take note, without hastening those still dressed in their true colors or chastising those with naked limbs. I apply the lesson from their acceptance of right timing to us as we walk by a man in his wheelchair in front of his assisted living residence. I walk quickly with my hair free in the cool air then circle back to Bob, on his cane, bundled up in the mild sunshine.

Can you accept other’s timing when different from yours? Are you able to take lessons from nature? Ki to Happiness grows in wisdom with the serene Pines.

Happy Thanksgiving, 2022. Today as we observe this national holiday in our own ways, I give thanks for each one of you, dear readers. I am grateful for my life and this unusual way in which I might share it with you.

A Course in Miracles and teachings along the traditional spiritual paths offer lessons about energy. What we put out comes back to us in right timing. In this way, giving and receiving are one, so as I give thanks today and everyday, I open to receive…for which I am grateful.

What would you like to receive? How can you best give it? Ki to Happiness opens up to receive all the love I have given in gratitude for this life we share.

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, we have entered into the sun sign of Sagittarius. Today, the new moon is also in that sign. Together, the essential spirit aligns with emotions for a truly grateful holiday.

In sync with these energies, we can set our intentions for the upcoming festivities. Sagittarius is gregarious, philosophical, and adventurous. It’s perfect time to travel in our mind if not in our body, to gather with those whom we love, and to share our gratitude for our freedom to explore philosophies and values.

What are your intentions for the next month? How can you best prepare? Ki to Happiness is already ready for what may be the best holiday season yet!

Our two week dry spell has concluded with this morning’s gentle rain. My cats and I gaze out in wonder as we see the gentle blessing descending from above. In preparation I swept up the gorgeous orange and golden leaves, which continued to change color on the ground after they fell into soft pinks and deep crimsons.

The sound of the rain pitter pats like my cat’s paws on our bamboo floor. It softens my heart. I open up to receive the moment like the Earth does to let in the moisture as tears of gratitude fill my eyes.

What softens your heart? Can you feel it now? Ki to Happiness feels gratitude for the gentle blessing of the welcome rain.

We have just experienced the longest dry spell in November. Together with our longest heat spell, highest temperatures, and smokiest year, it has been a record year of records. I took advantage of the conditions with a long sunny dry walk.

I took in the beauty of the fall colors set against the evergreens. I saw snow capping the mountains to the east and west. I breathed in sweet clear air as I experienced myself as part of nature.

Are you spending enough time in nature? Can you take in the beauty and feel yourself part of it? Ki to Happiness climbs her own material to reach the summit of unity.

As life keeps coming at me, I am challenged to open up to it all. in my early life, I had a small sense of how life works. Over the decades, I have expanded my awareness to encompass all I perceive.

All of it. Without judgment. Aligning with the Greatest of the great, the Holiest of the holies, the One in All, I am humbled to take my place as witness of this immense unfolding of potential.

What are you witnessing? Can you release judgment and open up to it? Ki to Happiness aligns with that which is All Encompassing.

In between clients and classes yesterday I had a little time home alone with the cats as Bob ran a couple of errands for us. I put on some oldies music and got busy in the kitchen with Thanksgiving preparation. Soon I was singing, dancing and crying.

One expressive release led to another. I stirred it all into the ingredients for vegan delights: cranberry apple pandowdy, asparagus and mushroom quiche, and corn pudding. The recipes include no specific measurement of any of the ingredients.

What will you serve on Thanksgiving? Are there special ingredients that you’d like to add which cannot be measured? Ki to Happiness stirs in immeasurable gratitude for the ability to express and release her spirit in creative ways.

I was still a teenager when I left my first husband and his abusive criminal strategies. In my trauma, I bonded with two young women who could withstand my story. Now, in our 60s, the three of us continue to you remember our histories and celebrate our victories.

We shared a FaceTime video conference call for their birthdays. Scheduling it around work, family, surgeries and travel left us with a few golden moments of reconnection. Long after the traumas that once bound us, we continue to bond over our shared stories of survival and thrival.

Have you checked in with your old friends? When you’ve released your trauma bonds, what’s left? Ki to Happiness thrives on the golden relationships that once contributed to survival.

I was teaching last night with a focus on low back care. Wanting to save the young adults from the trajectory toward chronic issues, I emphasized maintaining a neutral spine in postures as I usually do. As we concluded class, I grounded the need for a neutral spine in our meditation practice as well as in our daily activities.

On our live streaming Hatha Yoga Center group page, an unknown member expressed his appreciation for my teaching. In checking out his profile, I see he is another brother on the path. My heart is touched with the awareness that many of us are working toward the same intention without ever having met.

Are you aware that others you’ve never met are working toward the same intention as you? Can you feel the support of our mutual efforts? Ki to Happiness senses the invisible web connecting all of us to the One path with over 8 billion hearts.