Finding Peace in the New Year
Posted by Robin Easton
Dear friends, I closed out the year by photographing a nearby river at sunset. It was quiet, and the waning light cast everything in silhouettes and gently muted tones. (SEE PHOTOS BELOW.) I’ve made a commitment to simplify my life in the New Year, so I am going to keep this post simple. As I welcome 2012 I want to thank each of you for the warmth, inspiration, and love you have brought into my life. You have had such a profound effect on me that you are now just part of who I am.
I wish you the same peace in the coming year that I experienced while sitting on the bank of this river. Although life can sometimes be extremely challenging there is nonetheless enormous beauty all around us. I’ve found that the simplest things usually, maybe always, hold the most meaning, peace, and love. So as we all continue to grow and embrace life, may you intimately know simplicity and peace. And may you receive the same warmth, inspiration, and love that you have shown me. I am deeply grateful that you are part of my life. Love, Robin
CONTEST WINNERS: The winners of the two recent photo caption contests are Jen Slayden, who won the “Create a Caption Contest” with the bug on the daisy. She wrote: “He loves me, he loves me not. Crossing my fingers he LOVES me.” And Mic Hudson, who won the “What Do You See? – Caption Contest” with the tire track and footprint in the sand. He wrote: “I bet they run out of gas before I run out of foot.” We sent all of the captions to several of our friends and asked them to pick their favorite caption. Jen’s and Mic’s came back the winners. Congratulations JEN and MIC!! Please send a postal address to: Robin@nakedineden.com so I can send your copy of “Naked in Eden”. Thank you and congratulations. I also want to thank all those who took the time to submit captions. If I’d had to pick the winner I doubt I could have. There we so many creative and insightful captions. You all did a first rate job. There will be more contests in the New Year, so stayed tuned. 
Love,
Robin
"...Alone in the dark forest, I felt safer and more myself than ever before. I wanted to lay my body upon the forest floor and sob until I dissolved into soft earth. The ancient life around me actually knew how to love, and was loving me as I sat on my rock and cried." (Excerpt: Naked in Eden)
"I was infinite within the infinite. I journeyed into worlds beyond this one, into dimensions I hadn’t known to exist. I swam in a deep immutable river where all life swam with me, so motivated by love and ecstasy that swimming was effortless. Life compelled, with no choice but to live . . . and live . . . and live." (Excerpt: Naked in Eden)
"The forest breathes with living spirits. Animals, plants, and rocks emanate eternal, brilliant intelligence. The life around me seemed so familiar; I felt I’d always known it and it had always known me. I’d merely forgotten my legacy of love, my connection to all things. In that moment of reacquaintance, I remembered what home felt like, or was it heaven? I decided they are one and the same." (Excerpt: Naked in Eden)
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~ “NAKED IN EDEN” ~ Available on Amazon
Did you Enjoy reading Naked in Eden? Would love a review from you, HERE. If you’ve not yet read my Australian adventure book and would like to, you can order it on Amazon HERE. “Naked in Eden” is a spirited true-life Australian adventure story, filled with personal transformation. It is wonderfully life altering for adults, teens and tweens, and makes a memorable gift. Enjoy!
Thank you!
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This Site: © Robin Easton Website: http://www.nakedineden.com Blog: http://nakedineden.com/nakedinedenblog/
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13 Comments so far...
OneStonedCrow Says:
2 January 2012 at 11:22 am.
Ahh … only this morning I sat with my feet in a river after a hike – what bliss … there’s nothing that soothes like water …
Greetings from Namibia and Best wishes for an outstanding year ahead for you Robin
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Michelle Says:
2 January 2012 at 11:35 am.
Happy New Year, Robin!
I was thinking of you when I was writing the last paragraphs of my “New Year’s” post. The big move had left me very ungrounded and so hubby and I visited Red Rock Canyon in Oklahoma. Getting my fingers stained ochre and seeing my first armadillo reconnected me with the soil of my new home.
Thanks for being an inspiration in 2011.
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Steve! Says:
2 January 2012 at 2:16 pm.
OH mannnnnn Rob-O! I LOVE these photos! The slow current, the icy eddy, the sunset…mmm!!
I”m with you —in the forest—breathing with the spirits! Like a bad prank phone call from Momma Earth herself! lol! YESSUH! Me loves! And you! SO MUCH love to you in this time! SO Much! That the planet would reflect RIGHT back to you–ALL of the generous spirit you bring to it! And us!
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dilip karkare Says:
2 January 2012 at 5:25 pm.
dear Robin,
I was a geologist & worked on assessing the lease areas(in India) thus had a chance to live in remote/beautiful places all over the country(for others they were ‘god forsaken’ but in reality they were ‘god-loved’) Even now we have a beautiful man-made forest on a hill in Nagpur where i am settled,i go there for my morning walk,then about4-5 trips we make to study centers of J.Krishnamurti foundation (we had been to their California (Ojai) & Brockwood, (UK) centers too.In these places we go for retreat,where nature is at its best.I have spent many hours in swimming in beautiful rivers,climbed mountains & spent months in solitude.Most of the thing you write about i have experienced but couldn’t express so beautifully like you.I love your blog, which i carry with me on a pendrive all the time,
love,
dilip
ps:I have retired in 2004 & now passing through the most heavenly years of my life.
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Ricky Ferdon Says:
2 January 2012 at 5:26 pm.
Thank YOU dear Robin for your contribution towards easing the suffering and increasing the happiness of all beings! And yes, it seems that “life” can get so busy and rushed and fills up schedules…”I’ve found that the simplest things usually, maybe always, hold the most meaning, peace, and love”. Yes, mam: simple is the key. How do we start this human voyage, each of us? What do we own? What schedule do we have? Ha, ha…none: we are born naked and with no-things. You KNOW that simplicity – you realized it in Australia, and continue to see it everywhere that it is. You provide a dear service to us, your readers, and to all mankind. Namaste! Om Shanti! ~ Ricky
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Jean Sampson Says:
2 January 2012 at 9:33 pm.
Hey Robin, thank you for the beautiful words from your heart and for those lovely, haunting pictures. I can feel how the earth feels in these. Have a wonderful New Year and keep on reminding us to keep it simple! Much love to you!
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Alex Blackwell | The BridgeMaker Says:
3 January 2012 at 3:56 am.
May peace be with you Robin, all year long.
Alex
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timethief Says:
9 January 2012 at 6:34 pm.
Dear Robin,
I’m amzed when I note that another year has come and gone. I have gained much insight and wisdom by reading your blog and want to wish you all the best in 2012. May your new year be both merry and bright.
Love you always,
TT
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Catrien Ross Says:
16 January 2012 at 6:57 pm.
Dearest Robin:
What a joy to visit here today after such a long time away – a journey into more than sixteen months of silence for me. And to be bathed in your warmth and exuberance once again! It feels wonderful. Thank you so much, Robin. Japan has been so battered, and the aftermath reverberates still. But my silence has shifted into a new sense of being and gratitude, and I look forward to thrumming in the joy you so generously share. Wishing you a wonderful year in 2012. Meantime, morning greetings from the foot of Mount Fuji. Catrien Ross.
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James Feudo Says:
20 January 2012 at 11:17 pm.
Robin,
Wow. The photos are beautiful and you can’t help but pause for a moment when you look at them to appreciate the wonders of nature. I always find nature inspiring. I used to drive by Walden Pond each day for over 2 years and each time, it remind me of my trips to the various national parks and how there was something about them that just help my mind work better. I don’t know if it’s the clean air, the tranquility or the majestic beauty or combination of it all, but I just feel better when I’m on a trail somewhere.
Thank you so much for reminding me about this,
James
http://blog.jvf.com
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Troy Says:
27 January 2012 at 5:55 pm.
What beautiful pictures. To experience unity, or whatever you want to call it, in such a place must be an unforgettable experience!
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Robin Easton Reply:
January 10th, 2012 at 11:07 am
NOTE:
MY DEAR FRIENDS:
I am SO touched by your incredibly kind words and insights here. They made my whole week. I deeply grateful for your generous hearts and friendship. I am VERY often moved to tears by your kindness and I know for certain that I am a better person for knowing you, for sharing with you, for hearing what you feel and see.
I really wish you SO much goodness this year. I sense in my bones that it is a time of GREAT change. And POSITIVE change. If we listen to our hearts, let go of all we are tightly clinging to (out of fear), if we can trust the process of Life, Life itself, and follow through on the things we have been putting off, we will truly rise to the New Year and the coming positive change. We will become the positive change.
What STEVE said is MAGNIFICENTLY true for us all when we really listen to our hearts and let go of fear (act in the face of fear): “…the planet would reflect RIGHT back to you–ALL of the generous spirit you bring to it!” I had to let Steve’s words really sink in as they are very powerful.
One of the things I saw from STEVE’S words was this. Earth naturally is in a state of abundance or fullness, so when we give to the planet and our fellow beings (all types of beings), we in essence giving to a vast being which is already full. And due to this fullness it can ONLY give back to (it overflows onto us when we pour into it), as it cannot contain anymore. So Earth, Life, The Creator is ALWAYS giving back to those who make a deep full-on commitment to Life. So yes, we always get back when we give. We may not get it from the same source, but when we give we receive.
And like DILIP KARKARE, MICHELLE, and ONE STONED CROW remind us: go outdoors and spend precious intimate time with nature. All things are possible in nature. We can be healed, soothed, nurtured, and loved. Nature can ground us when we are feeling “weird”, disconnected, anxious, uneasy, out of sorts, lonely, lost, and so on. Get your hands wet and your feet muddy. *Seriously* connect with Nature.
And as RICKY FERDON says: “simple is the key. How do we start this human voyage, each of us? What do we own? What schedule do we have? Ha, ha…none: we are born naked and with no-things.”
RICKY’S is a FABULOUSLY powerful reminder. We soooo easily forget this. We do not need things to be happy. Ricky’s comment also reminds us to QUESTION everything, and to not fall asleep at the wheel. And to not do things just because everyone else is doing them. We are much freer than we realize. Dare to be a free thinker, and act upon your heart’s dictates. Thank you, Ricky.
And JEAN, ALEX, DAVID, and TIME THIEF (And ALL of you): Bless you for all the overflowing love, guidance and beauty you have shared with me for so long.
TO ALL OF YOU: I send out my heart and love. You are so beautiful that I could do no less than love you. Thank you dear friends. Robin
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