Sofia Speaks

“The stresses and traumas of our lives can feel suffocating, constraining. Yet possibilities exist in each moment of our lives, even when we cannot easily see them. This stroll invites you to connect with your imagination and open yourself to these possibilities”. (McCaffrey, Ruth DNP, FAAN. “Strolls for Well-Being at Brookside Gardens.”, Brookside Gardens, 2006, p. 30).

PAUSE 1
These gardens were once farmland. Even now, the gardeners continue to create new landscapes and reimagine what these fifty acres can be. Each season brings fresh possibility from pink blossoms in spring to russet foliage in autumn. What would it be like to reimagine and recolor your life? (McCaffrey, Ruth DNP, FAAN. “Strolls for Well-Being at Brookside Gardens.”, Brookside Gardens, 2006, p. 30).

Journal Entry 1
The possibilities of new, community, no boundaries, limitless, inspiration a new me, being connected, grounded to my inner self.

PAUSE 2
Author and activist Marianne Williamson said, Nature is infinitely creative. It is always producing the possibility of new beginnings. Each blade of grass, leaf on a stem, and trunk of a tree was once only a possibility, and every inch of these gardens is alive with the potential for new beginnings. Ask yourself what new beginnings exist within you right now. (McCaffrey, Ruth DNP, FAAN. “Strolls for Well-Being at Brookside Gardens.”, Brookside Gardens, 2006, p. 30).

Journal Entry 2
New hopes, warmth.
Having new dreams, goals, living in the moment, doing things that make me feel alive. Focusing on my needs. What I ned to make sure I make myself happy. Turning off the noise and be present.

Update to Pause 2
Understanding that every new beginning starts small and can grow into something magnificent, strong, powerful, beautiful, and can last for decades. In my life, I looked for areas that I deemed noisy. In that exact moment, I thought about my phone and how I can disconnect from it more because it was a major distraction in my life. I figured I could buy an alarm clock instead of using my phone to wake me up in the morning. It took me close to a year to replace my alarm clock, but I eventually did. Also, at the time, I listened to a lot of negative content from radio shows, gossip YouTube videos, and music. Slowly over the year, I started cutting negative content and messaging from my daily routine. Reflecting to how I was then, I now realize that I was distracting myself with negativity to keep me from my current reality because I genuinely was unhappy, and at the time, I didn’t know how to find my happiness again.

PAUSE 3
Find your way to the water’s edge, where on your last stroll you practiced calming and stilling your mind like a serene body of water. The water here is so tranquil that soft green algae often grows on its surface. When your mind is calm and undisturbed by preconceptions or assumptions, what possibilities occur to you? (McCaffrey, Ruth DNP, FAAN. “Strolls for Well-Being at Brookside Gardens.”, Brookside Gardens, 2006, p. 31).

Journal Entry 3
I find the hope of new possibilities difficult to imagine in my current mindset. In the past, I found it easy to set goals and obtain them, but recently I’m finding that process difficult:
I want clarity.
I want peace.
I want honesty.
I want the truth.

In order for me to find my new possibilities, I have to cut the noise out of my life.

Update to Pause 3
Today, when my mind is calm and undisturbed by preconceptions or assumptions, possibilities are limitless, and I’m unstoppable. I now realize I have the power to control my outcomes before they become a reality by starting in my mind. If there is no noise in your presence, there’s nothing to interrupt your flow. Be like water.


PAUSE 4
Sometimes when the weather is gray, the sun appears suddenly from behind a cloud and plays with the landscape of this garden, dappling Gude Island and spreading light across the lawn. Contemplate the infinite ways, small and large, in which the sun might emerge for you, whether life is bright right now or not. (McCaffrey, Ruth DNP, FAAN. “Strolls for Well-Being at Brookside Gardens.”, Brookside Gardens, 2006, p. 31).

Journal Entry 4
No response

Update to Pause 4
The fact that I didn’t write anything for the last journal prompt is telling to me. I was really in a dark space at the time and felt a bit hopeless. Now, reflecting on the prompt, the sun emerges all the time. I’m happier now. I don’t wake up sleepy or go to bed anxious; my nights are no longer filled with worry and wonder. I’m at peace

PAUSE 5
As you take in the lush greenery around you, consider the nourishment from the earth that brought it to life. Think about how you can embrace and nourish possibilities in your own life to bring them to fruition. (McCaffrey, Ruth DNP, FAAN. “Strolls for Well-Being at Brookside Gardens.”, Brookside Gardens, 2006, p. 31).

Journal Entry 5
No response

Update to Pause 5
Today I nourish possibilities in my life and bring them into fruition by taking care of myself, being healthy, and focusing on the positive aspects of life.

PAUSE 6New Age thinker and author Deepak Chopra wrote, In every moment of our existence, we are in that field of all possibilities where we have access to an infinity of choices. Take in the rolling green hills around you and the openness of this terrain. At this moment, wide-open spaces exist for you, full of possibility. What choices will you make? (McCaffrey, Ruth DNP, FAAN. “Strolls for Well-Being at Brookside Gardens.”, Brookside Gardens, 2006, p. 31).

Journal Entry 6
No response

Update to Pause 6
I’m going to make green choices.