Before The Dirt Falls-Empty Yourself

It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live. ~Marcus Aurelius

My husband and I decided to take a walk a few weeks ago.  We came upon an historic cemetery.  This cemetery in Decatur is very beautifully landscaped and designed.  There are hills and valleys filled with tombstones, corpses, and flowers.  Many of the  tombstones were dated back to the 1800s.  I was captivated by the beauty of this place, but more curious of, how many dreams went unfulfilled.  How many people died and their purpose or assignment was never carried out?  How many people died never experiencing true love?  How many people had talents that were hidden?  How many people buried here, died full??

In this journey we call Life, there were certain assignments that we arrived with as we descended from the birth canal.  There was an assignment placed upon Your Life!!! Many people in their still moments, as a child or even as an adult hear a voice that informs them of their assignment(s)  and how to effectively fulfill them.  We get into the habit of allowing our daily routines, relationships, children, careers, and ourselves to overshadow and block our Purpose.

It was once said, "I expect to pass through this world but once, any good, therefore, that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, Let me do it Now.  Let me not defer it , nor neglect it.  For I shall not pass this way again."

We only have NOW!!  In the Keep It Movin Lifestyle, one of the steps is Execute (Execution).  Before the dirt falls, recognize your assignment and by any means necessary fulfill your purpose.  Leave everything on the stage.  LEAVE THIS WORLD AS AN EMPTY CORPSE!

#KeepItMovin

~Inga Harmon-Cunningham

Ecstasy

Experiencing Ecstasy

Standing still, staring into the blank space before her, while water drips from her hair, cascading down her back then legs.  She is very present in the moment.  Her intentions and desires embraces the space where she currently dwells.  Her body is enveloped by a warm invited mass from behind.  Her normal seemingly rigid posture falls into a pliable state.  Yielding to the arms that wrap her, to the hands that caress, and to the rhythmic breath that soothes and ignite simultaneously.  Their breath was in concert.  The tempo transitioned from Adagio to Allegro.  As he moved she moved.  As her body requested more he obliged.  This rhythmic exchange transcending time and normal consciousness.  

This experience is called Ecstasy.  To experience Ecstasy, one must be able to lose control.  Release expectation and feel your way through the experience while allowing the intentions and desires of your spirit to create Transcendence.

In the Keep It Movin Lifestyle, it is imperative to move beyond the everyday routine that is required on this journey we call Life.  If Ecstasy is allowed and experienced your creativity and spirit soars, and this Energy affects relationships, health, and careers.

#KeepItMovin

~Inga Harmon-Cunningham

CAN YOU HEAR ME!!! HELP!! GET ME OUT OF HERE!!

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get ran over if you just sit there" ~Will Rogers


I feel the Earth shifting beneath my finger tips...there is moisture and dry soil all around me....It's dark...so dark...I went in seeking what I thought was shelter....I lost my way...I can't stand up....There is no room...I felt the wall to my left to see if there is an opening....my right shoulder bumped into the wall on my right...inhale...exhale...heart beat is racing...inhale...exhale.

......Help!!!  Can You Hear Me!!!!  Anybody!!  I am in here!!!!

....Please Lord...Get Me Out of Here!!!! 

.....tears flow down my cheeks...seconds turn into minutes....hours...days...weeks...years...
....Spending my energy on screaming...scratching...crying...complaining

....Finally I stopped...silence surrounded me...then I heard...

..Don't turn around...Right knee...left hand...Left knee..Right hand.....KEEP Going!!

Keep crawling...Feel Your way through...you can try to go left....try right..Just Don't Stop!!!

I started crawling...my eyes adjusted to the darkness around me....I felt pain in my knees and hands but my eyes and mind were so fixated on what was before me that my mind compensated for the strength that my body was lacking.

I began  asking myself, "Why am I in here?" 

Keep Going!!! Right Knee...Left Hand...Left knee...Right hand...Don't Stop!!

There is light up ahead...I am feeling my way through...

The story illustrated above is the testament of the lives of so many...The walls may seem to be closing in around you...bills, challenges, delays and this journey we call Life may have you on your knees...Just remember to listen for the voice...feel your way through, and put one foot or one knee in front of the other...Keep growing stronger and more determined...The opening is in front of you....Navigate Through The Trenches.

#KeepItMovin

~Inga Harmon-Cunningham

Focused Energy

"We don't wait for the future to come to us.  We give birth to the future."
 ~Alain Yaovi M. Dagba

  Take a moment and revisit the thoughts and ideas that  flow through your mind and spirit during meditation and prayer...

....The same thoughts and ideas occupy a space in your subconscious, spirit, and even camp out on the surface and in the depths of your mind.

Many of us go into prayer and meditation requesting insight and solutions for our current state or circumstances...while having everything we need within or around us.

My friend, Ona Brown said it best..."We are sitting on a ham sandwich hungry!!!"  Every time I think of this statement I laugh, because it is such a great depiction of the state that many of us are in.  We have so many talents and ideas.... yet we continue to juggle our family while being under employed.....half swinging at our passions...barely staying above water trying to maintain our households and by the end of the month we have the white mouth, because we are still hungry.  Why?  We lack Focused Energy.

Focused Energy-Giving your full Attention, Investing Resources, and setting a clear well defined Intention towards a particular goal.

Make a commitment this week...I will revisit my passion...I will embrace my purpose...I will send all of my energy into one defined area for a period of time each day.....I will no longer sit on top of the Ham Sandwich Hungry!!!

#KeepItMovin

~Inga Harmon-Cunningham

Fighting Through The Pain

"We Have Two Options Medically and Emotionally: Give Up or Fight Like Hell" 

~Lance Armstrong

On this day I am remembering my friend.  As I stare into the picture above it is hard, to not become fixated on her eyes and her undeniable beauty.  I keep asking myself.....Phyllis what are you thinking?  How were you feeling at this moment?  When I reflect back over the conversations and life experiences that I had with her....I realize that I was not curious enough....I didn't take out enough time to really find out what is buried in the depths of her soul, what sadness and pain she experienced during her journey.....Don't get me wrong we had our girl talks, played tennis together from  young girls through our college years, experienced some 1st experiences together, and counseled each other on the phone.....But in the last moments leading up to her death and my last encounter with her face to face....I realized....I missed out on so much more of what Phyllis brought to the table.  

The day I finally got up enough courage to go down and visit....the car ride was a challenge...tears poured from my eyes...I pulled over several times because I could not quite get control of my emotions....just the thought of my friend being near death was overwhelming...I really did not know what to expect.  The reality is I have never seen the transformation of an extremely healthy person  to a person that is in the process of state of transition....and this person just happens to be one of my friends.  On this day...I learned more about the substance of Phyllis than any childhood...teenage....or woman conversation ever gave me.  I walked in fully ready....so I thought...to put on this strong facade and composed demeanor....then I heard her piercing voice from the back room....Inga is that you?  Give me a minute!!!  A nurse was getting her ready....oxygen machine making a beeping sound...and her mother was pacing back and forth checking on her progress.  I completely lost it again....Lack of understanding and the presence of the nurse sent me into a tail spin.  Finally, I could go back....there she was.. my loud friend....Hey Girl!!!...as only Phyllis could say it.  She was in the bed and smiling, oxygen on her nose, and a little drowsy from her pain meds.  I sat down and she immediately began asking me how was the trip, how was I doing and then..about 10 minutes later..she began going over the plans for her funeral....tears poured down my face...she said, "Grab a tissue so that we can go over it!".....Never complaining or giving her current circumstances much attention.  I tried to replay all of our conversations and I realized...she never complained...always giving God the Glory...always fighting for another day...but Never did she complain.   Never in my life have I witnessed a person Deep in the Valley of Life...smiling, fully aware of their circumstances, still praising God, and consciously instilling principles and life lessons into every person that she encountered.

Phyllis's fight with breast cancer, the way she carried herself throughout the entire process, and even how diligent and purposeful she handled the plans of her death....gave me a new definition and symbol of strength.  She defines for me, Fighting Through The Pain!  She taught me and of course I am still learning....that pain lies in the Valley...there will be ups and downs...the hills may seem hard to climb...but the sun is on the other side of the mountain...I must Keep Movin to get there...but even in the midst of being at the bottom...there must be Planning, Peace, and Perseverance. 

My friend taught me...in the valley...Plan, have Peace, and Persevere.

#KeepItMovin

Forever Loving You My Friend, Phyllis

~Inga Harmon-Cunningham

Transcending

"The Key to success is to focus our Conscious Mind on Things We Desire, not things we Fear."  ~Brian Tracy

In the KeepItMovin platform there is an important step.  O-Overcome....as stated in many books, speeches, seminars, and quotes the author is asking or trying to motivate the audience, to Overcome the obstacles or perceived obstacles that prohibit a certain action or the accomplishment of a goal.   I have found that there are many outside obstacles in life, that we may encounter...but within the KeepItMovin Lifestyle...yes....yes...I said Lifestyle....O is to Overcome Yourself.  You/We are our greatest obstacle!!!

This week we must move by Transcending.

According to Webster Dictionary...Transcend is to be or go beyond the range or limits of or surpass.

My husband asked me about the topic for this week, after noticing the photo above.  He immediately suggested that I use a different picture that would depict a person rising or climbing instead of using a skydiver....that eventually would come to the ground.  In my mind the journey of the skydiver is very significant, not the end result.  The picture above depicts many images that can be applied to all faucets of this Journey we call Life.  Transcending is about
1. Overcoming your initial fears
2. Jumping out into this bountiful world with Faith and Intention
3. Experiencing and being vulnerable to the many ebbs and flows
4. Looking around and enjoying the beautiful scenery while on top
5. Bracing for an inevitable fall
6. Perseverance, Resilience, and Endurance to dust yourself off and do it again.  

....Because if by chance You STOP...the many beautiful landscapes and experiences that you missed the first time will Slip Away.  
#KeepItMovin

~Inga Harmon-Cunningham

Showing Thanks In The Midst of Re-Building

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. 

My family and I had a very symbolic, reflective, and fun Turkey Day!  Many of us all traveled back to the home site of my maternal grandparents.  This site is now bare, moist dirt.  It was extremely strange not to see the worn down, yet memorable structure that I am accustomed to seeing in years past.   As I stared into the now blank space....I pictured my grandmother calling for me, as my cousins and I ran back and forth in the house....smelling homemade biscuits and fat back cooking in the morning.....watching and listening to my mom and aunts gossip and play cards...one of the most amazing things I remembered from the visits was the thought that my grandparents seem to be one of the prime center pieces of the city.  Through my eyes as a  child and the location of their house...made me feel surrounded by all that could possibly be happening in this small city.

As I stood there staring at the blank, wet Earth....everything seems empty at first.  As my aunts and cousins surround me...my perspective changes.  The roof, walls, flooring, and even the foundation of the house was torn down and removed.  Just as a glass crashes to the ground....the overall structure is broken....after cleanup the large pieces are collected...many of the small pieces are swept up during the cleaning process....but there are always fragments that remain.  I am immediately reminded that all of us standing here are remnants of my grandparents that passed and the demolished structure.

Its funny how many of us find comfort in having a fragment of something instead of rebuilding and releasing fragments of the past in order to gain something whole and viable.  Many of us would rather have a piece of a relationship, part time friends, a position that is no longer serving us or using our skill sets, a marriage with fleeting intimacy, sadly love ones whose lives are no longer viable, or structures that we can no longer occupy.

Look closely at the people, situations, job positions, careers, and material things that are being tore down or removed from your Life.  Be careful how you walk through the area that is being tore down, broken, and cleaned.  If you walk through unprepared you may pick up fragments, you may re-introduce yourself to the pain and complacency of what was broken.....Be prepared to step high, be focused, and by No Means Stop!!   Re-Build and express Thanks.  

Nothing in Life can be built or even renovated without something being torn down  ~Inga Harmon-Cunningham

#KeepItMovin

~Inga Harmon-Cunningham