Take a Leap this Leap Year Day

Feb 29, 2016by Nadim Jamal

Take a leap this leap year day

For the past three years, the month of February has been a quick, fast-paced 28 days short. This year, though, it’s 29 days, which means we get a bonus one. A gift.

As an avid Frasier fan I can’t help but think of the very funny Season 3 episode called “Look Before You Leap,” in which Frasier encourages his radio show listeners and his loved ones to take a leap on Leap Year Day! And in typical Frasier fashion, of course, everything goes horribly wrong for everyone.

Poor Daphne Moon took a leap and decided to do something different with her hairstyle.

Daphne Moon Leap Year Haircut Frasier

Haven't we all been here at some point? We feel you, Daphne.

(Photo Source: http://evanwaters.blogspot.ca/)

Well, if you’re so inclined, you might consider “taking a leap!” and going out to do something adventurous, maybe something you wouldn’t normally do, or trying something completely new! I originally thought that this post would be all about ideas for taking a leap to do something exciting and adventurous this Leap Year Day.

The past little while, though, I’ve been feeling a call toward taking an entirely different kind of leap – a leap into the quiet of my self. The world is so busy, and there’s a constant stream of information that’s really challenging to turn off. It feels like continual chatter. Things are always happening, work goes on and on, and sometimes it feels like there’s no end in sight.

But, that’s life, isn’t it?

And yet, we might sense, in the knowing places of our hearts, that there’s something beautiful and wondrous permeating this thing called life, something that holds it all together for us.

Leap Into the Quiet of Your Self, Tall Earth Image

For those of you who are nature-lovers, and I know that so many of our readers are, you might feel this knowing when you’re enjoying (In-Joy-ing!) nature. Nature allows us to take a leap into the quiet of our selves, a vantage point from which we get a glimpse of that something beautiful and wondrous that is very alive and present for all of us. Nature asks us to slow down and pay attention. It's a different kind of adventure, a different kind of leap.

To "take a leap into the quiet of self" this Leap Year Day...

Close your eyes and leap into noticing your breath.
Leap into music that you love and allow yourself to enjoy the vibrations.
Leap into your imagination and let it take you wherever it wants to.
Leap into your creativity and focus some time on that creative project you'd like to work on.
Leap into some magical time with loved ones and savour it with them.
Leap into the joy of a moment in nature.
Sit in stillness and take a leap into a relaxing meditation. (You can download a sample from Elena Brower’s healing guided meditations here. I highly recommend this.)

I hope to find the gift of some windows of time in which I’ll take a leap into the quiet of my self. And, whether you decide to take an exciting, daring leap to try something new, or a gentle, peaceful leap into the quiet and stillness of self, we hope you’ll tell us about it in the comments below… and enjoy the gift of a Leap Year Day!