Focus As A Choice

If somebody is kind to us ninety-nine times and then does one hurtful thing, we are likely to forget the ninety-nine good things and remember the one bad thing.  But if we can turn our attention away from that one act of unkindness and turn it to all the kindnesses we have received down the years, the incident will fall into its proper place."   Eknath Easwaran

As free will human beings, we have freedom in choice.  We are not always capable of taking action, but we are free to focus upon our choice.  We choose where our mind dwells.  Is it going to be bathed with repetitive negativity or is going to be nurtured with healthy self-talk?

There was a time in my life where rude people drew me into the drama of anger.  I would obsess over the rudeness as a personal slight.  This would use a lot of my energy, and very likely, it damaged my mood.  My singular focus and my angry thoughts led me to be a worse than the other person's initial rudeness.  We become what we judge or worse.

In time, fortunately, I learned to shift my response.  I learned to expand my focus to include how insult was stemming from some one's painful situation.  It was their bad day, and not mine.  I let them own their rudeness, and gave them kindness in return.  It was always entertaining to say to a frazzled clerk, "Wow, you must be having a lot of work to do today!"  By acknowledging their stress rather than absorbing it, allowed the other person to release.  To my response, they would usually take a deep breath and laugh, admitting they were being bombarded.  I was no longer being pulled into a negative situation.

So what we focus upon, whether positive or negative, is clearly our choice.  When we decide to harshly judge, we are stepping into the arena of negativity with the other person.  If we can step back and see the greater picture, we can remain in love and kindness.

Echoes of Wisdom

"A book is a garden, an orchard, a storehouse, a party,

a company by the way,

a counselor, a multitude of counselors."

Charles Baudelaire

Books were first introduced to us when we were children.  We may have been attracted to the pictures before we understood the letters formed on a page.  They were filled with flights of fancy or rhyming messages which remain in our memories today. 

Books are available to us when we are searching for tips on gardening, woodworking, parenting, or seeking any one of numerous subjects.  They cover all topics from geography to history to science and math; these being the basics.  From kindergarten through years of endless education, we learn from the written word.  

Whether we are advocates of fiction or non-fiction, books become  traveling companions.  They introduce us to new people, places, and things, and they comfort us privately.  When needed or when least expected, wisdom seems to slide through the open spaces planting seeds for future use or for instant enlightenment.  

In memoirs or fabricated drama, we absorb information from other humans to help us navigate through the darkness of challenge or instill courage to face the unknown.  We educate ourselves emotionally, physically, and spiritually through the printed word.  Voices of the past and present are echoes of wisdom offering support, experience, and opportunity to stretch and grow.

Prompted By Spirit

"If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet;

 how important you can be to the people you may never dream of.      There is 

something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person."

Fred Rogers

When we offer our lives to the Divine, we are randomly used as an instrument to deliver authentic messages to others.  Perhaps the person has asked for a sign.  Spirit then prompts us into an action releasing little seeds of support.  We may not even remember saying anything or we may walk away scratching our heads, wondering why we uttered such nonsense.  We are usually not aware of the investment we just made in the life of one other.

Rarely are we fully cognizant of the imprint we leave upon others.  An anonymous kindness, financial assistance, or a simple gesture may brighten a life hidden in darkness.  We may be delivering a reason to follow a dream, to have courage to face a problem, or to finally bring balance back into life.

There has been both strangers and dear friends who have unknowingly touched my life in a way that will never be forgotten.  Their presence or words of encouragement were gifts or roadsigns to help me move out of  the drama in my life.  I was open to receiving the voice of others when I could barely use my own.

Whenever we are prompted to speak up or take action, please do, as we are playing a part in a greater plan.  We are connecting dots that might not otherwise be joined together.  What we think of as random acts of kindness may be the prompting of Spirit, guiding us to help.

Holding Vigil

"Yes, I am a dreamer.   For a dreamer

is one who can only find his way 

by moonlight, and his punishment is  

that he sees the dawn before 

the rest of the world."

Oscar Wilde

A few weeks ago, many of us were watching the lunar eclipse and the magnificent shapes and colors of the moon.  It may have been a rare family activity or an individual space of solitude. The moon is very powerful, setting into motion vibrations not to be ignored.

Since childhood, observing the path of the moon has been a ritual of mine.   I dearly love the moon as it was often times an encouraging presence in my life.  It was a familiar constant I could turn to no matter where I happened to be.  

A dear friend once gifted me with her porch swing.  She had lived her life on this swing through 40 some foster kids and six of her own.  On many occasions we would sit on her swing, trying to solve the problems of our work.  When she retired, she had her husband install the white swing on my front porch.  It meant the world to me to come home and unexpectedly find it!

Many evenings, I would be on the porch with my journal. In between my lengthy entries, I would measure how far the moon had traveled across the sky.  By increments, the magnetizing moon floated through the stars.  Covered by an ancient quilt, I would sit in darkness on my swing.  The slow pace of the moon offered opportunity to ask endless questions and to share impossible dreams.

There were silent times, I truly felt as though I was receiving messages from the moon.  The information was not spoken nor was it heard, but internally felt. I imagined myself to be a human transmitter receiving vibrations or frequencies of energy.  

The moon shines brightly at night, as I look into the sky from my bedroom window.  Even when it is cloudy, deep in my heart I know it is there.  It waxes and wanes, following a cycle not so different from my own.  The moon is my  guiding light, an ageless mentor holding vigil in the night.

Jump In A Puddle

"Be aware of yourself

without thinking or looking

in the mirror."

 Bert McCoy

As a child, we easily focus on the moment.  Time doesn't restrain us from freedom to wander.  We closely inspect what is in front of us without judgment of the last minute or the next.  Just right now, in this moment, a child is enthralled.

Recapture the joy of jumping in a puddle, throwing the head back, and filling the world with spontaneous laughter.  Feel the wet grass under the feet as we run through the rotating sprinkler screaming with glee!  Close our eyes and feel the snowflake melting on our tongue. 

As children, our minds are not cluttered with pressures of conforming or perfection. We are wide open to possibility each second of our day.  There is an expansiveness to life as we breathe, experience, and day dream.  All things are limitless.

Our passion for the unknown, our drive for understanding, and our ability to embrace the simplest form, imprints our perception of existence.  All of our senses are open, absorbing life to the fullest.  Bring it back.  Recreate moments existing in simplicity.  Deeply appreciate the opening of a flower or the song of the bird.  Allow the child to unfold, once again, in this moment.

  

Too This or Not Enough That ...

"When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully,

everyone is blessed."

Maya Angelou

An adult once told me when I was young, to never let anyone know how I felt.  I must have been oozing with emotion for this to be said to me.  I was told by keeping your feelings private, it would give you the upper hand.  This really didn't make much sense to me at the time, but it did create an inaccurate need to hide how I felt.  

Once again I was chastised for expressing my feelings when I was a young married mother of two.    As a family, we were viewing a house for sale.  I loved everything about the house, but knew there were other offers on the table.  Without thinking, I told the owner how much I appreciated the house and how I would raise my children in love in this home.  She teared up and proceeded to tell me they were not leaving by choice.  Her husband had taken ill and they were forced to move to a larger city where medical assistance would be available.  I felt so sorry for her and acknowledged how difficult it would be to leave such a fine home.

Once outside, my father-in-law literally yelled at me for 'showing my hand' to the owner.  I was totally caught of guard and questioned what he was saying.  "They now know how you feel about their house and will push you to pay top dollar," he said.  I thought about this on the ride home.  It had been the only opportunity to share with the owner what a lovely home she had created.

We did make an offer on the house hoping our bid would beat the other offer.  The owner called us to accept our offer even though it was slightly lower than the other.  She said she chose us because of how much I loved her home.  Expressing my feelings had helped us, not hindered.

I still hesitate to share how I feel, concerned I am being too this or not enough that.  I have to consciously push myself to use my voice in spite of what had been ingrained in me at such an early age.  Ultimately, I am not a game player, and I want to be understood through my emotions and feelings.  Virginia's Voice ... we are all entitled to speak our truth.

Little Spaces of Time

"How lucky I am to have something

that makes saying goodbye so hard."

Winnie The Pooh

Morning activities can set the mood for the day.  If we are hurried along, feeling scattered, we may fall behind throughout the day.  If our schedule allows for us to leisurely prepare, our organized thoughts may carry us through a less stressful day.

Over a cup of coffee, our minds may take a few moments to open to the unknown.  With a blank slate, we may be in a perfect pose to be receptive to bits of wisdom seemingly floating in the air.  If we hold a place of stillness with a hot cup of tea, we may begin to see the sights usually unseen.  

We come to treasure captured moments as unexpected gifts.  Certain significance develops in these little spaces of time, allowing deeper meaning to the moment or to our personal space in time.  It is often difficult to say goodbye to these surprises in our day, but we can always look forward to the discovery of another in the midst of a new day.

Fading From The Stars

"I'M RESTLESS.

THINGS ARE CALLING

ME AWAY.  MY HAIR 

IS BEING PULLED BY 

THE STARS AGAIN."

Anais Nin

Time has moved forward, as spring begins to unfold.  There may be subtle changes, but our sensitivities feel the movement just the same.  It may be difficult to place our finger upon the sly movement in our vibrations or the differing steps in our cadence.  If we are distracted by things we may not be aware of the motion surrounding us.

As these subtle changes accumulate, curiosity  prevails and stillness is used to decipher exactly where this movement originates.  On a clear night, our eyes look up into the blackened sky, sighting one appearing star after the next.  A scant smile glides across our face as our eyes finally connect with the moon.  We strangely feel connected again as our heart vibrates with the pulse from the moon.

In the dark stillness, we are filled with a sense of peace, calm, and resilience.  It is as though we have been reminded of our origin and magnificence.   With a deep sigh, we are better prepared to turn and face our  life, once again fading from the stars.

Stick to Love

"I have decided to stick to love ...

Hate is too great a burden to bear."

Martin Luther King, Jr

A priest was conducting a question and answer session about unconditional love.  The audience was responding to various topics such as forgiveness, mindfulness, and boundaries.  An attractive woman in her forties politely raised her hand.

The well dressed woman commented, "I am so deeply wounded I cannot forgive."  She continued to describe how her ex-husband had hurt her.  She portrayed a lonely life she found unbearable especially since her husband remarried.  The priest allowed the drama to unfold until the woman was weeping.  He gently walked to her side and asked, "When did this happen?"

The woman took a deep breath and replied, "Ten years ago."  The gathered audience was silent.  The priest placed his hand on the weeping woman's shoulder and said, "Ah! He has moved along living his life very happily, but you are still allowing him to hurt you."

The point of course is no matter how badly we are hurt, we have the choice to release the pain or carry it along with us.  The way to releasing pain is through forgiveness.  When our love turns to hate, we do damage to ourselves physically.  Our wounds can turn our love to hate which creates a growing heaviness upon our body, mind, and spirit.  We make the choice to remain stuck.  We allow the pain to grow deeper and deeper impacting every aspect of our lives.  We have allowed someone else to determine how our life is unfolding.

We are love.  We are meant to love ourselves and others.  If our love towards someone is not accepted, then we choose to not judge, but seek opportunities to meet kindred spirits.  We maintain clear boundaries to protect our well being.

We prosper when we believe in ourselves and with integrity move forward.  When we forgive (not condone) the unkindness of one other, we can use the energy to rebuild our sense of balance.  As we focus on our personal strengths and gently self-nurture we will eventually heal.

Spring, Inside and Out

"Harness the energy of Spring

to clear your home and soul space."

Madisyn Taylor

Daily Om

Spring is known as time to clean ... to rid the home of cobwebs; to rake the dead leaves from the lawn; and to begin thinking of a new start.  Whether it is a new diet, work out program, or new garden design, the time has come to begin.  Do not overlook, however, that spring cleaning begins inside of our selves and out.

Sit in a place of comfort within your home.  Imagine light beaming in your heart.  Bring into your heart all the love you feel surrounded by thanksgiving and gratitude.  Let the light extend out from your heart and into all body parts, reaching down to your toes, and out above your head.  Breathe.

Let the light seep through your skin forming an aura around your entire body.  With your mind's eye, allow the radiant light to move throughout the room you are in.  From the floor to the ceiling, allow the light to brighten the space.  Then extend it to the next room , and the next, including hallways and bathrooms.  Let it flow outside of your home passing on out into your neighborhood.  Breathe

Your body and your living space have now been cleansed, a true spring cleaning.  Breathe in the bright light and begin anew.  Repeat as necessary.

Wisdom Without Distraction

"Guard well your spare moments.  They are like uncut diamonds.

Discard them and  their value will never be known.  Improve them 

and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life."

Emerson

In order to meet family or career obligations, we may not have an abundance of free time.  What is ear marked for down time is often absorbed for chores and errands.  At the end of the day, when we gently close our eyes for sleep, we probably ponder all that is left undone, and pencil it in on tomorrow's agenda.  

Why is it we can always find time to meet the needs of others, but neglect our own?  Even when we know balancing our energy keeps us healthy, we tend to minimize spaces for nurturing and replenishing. 

When we eventually crash from exhaustion, it is our body's way of saying, "Stop! I can't take any more!"  Whether it is a snow storm or migraine or twisted ankle, be assured the option to take care of our lovely selves has just been placed into hands other than our own.

Spare moments are precious and need to be reserved deliberately even if the intention is to do nothing.  In this intimate space, we entertain angels, ancestors, and even brilliance.  When ignoring all distractions, wisdom can surface and restore our body, mind, and spirit!

Individual Brush Strokes

"The canvas for your work of art is your every day life."

Eckhart Tolle

We are an artist creating impressions upon the canvas of life.  Too vibrant or fading into a pastel, we experiment with still life or an abstract painting.  It is tempting to glance at the work of others, but energy is to be used for personal unfolding. 

When we pay attention to authentic rhythm we create a cadence which can be applied to action, contemplation, and living.  We come into balance and discover a flow to carry us where we need to be.  If we remain aligned, we are more inclined to advance uninterrupted.  

Individual brush strokes are a reflection of experience, impression, and perspective.  At times colors can be blended, but with an artist's eye, we avoid muddying reflections and patiently wait for the paint to dry.

Each day offers a new template or a scene to view.  With careful assessment, we continuously move forward, sensing when we are done and when we need to begin anew.  We can do this only when we accept responsibility for what we create.

New Vision and Successful Progress

"Stay committed to your decisions,

but stay flexible in your approach."

Tony Robbins

We accumulate hours of preparation for our life, like gathering fabric for a quilt with patterns, needles and thread.  Single minded attention is given to detail and yet the beauty  can be discovered in the inconsistencies.   The intent for perfection is rarely met, and to our surprise, the ripping out of hard work is often the turning point of our greatness.

When we experience difficulty in putting pieces together, it doesn't mean we need to give entirely up. It does mean we will benefit if we would stand back and see things from a distance.  Maybe the end result is more appealing by switching a few colors around or adapting a pattern.

A dead end does not necessarily require the termination of an entire project.  It simply indicates there may be a better way.  Listening to our hearts or being called to start over, does not mean failure.  Creating a new strategy allows us to once again become a beginner with new vision and successful progress.  

  

Pleasures of the Journey

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do 

with your one wild and precious life?"

Mary Oliver

Life offers diverse opportunities.  We may change careers, locations, partners, or values and still wonder who or what we will be in this one lifetime.  When I was growing up, many families lived in the same home prior to children, raising children, and remaining into retirement.  Men seemed to be locked into their careers as though it was too great a risk to change midstream.  Family was first and stability a close second.  This does not seem to be true today.  

People, both young and old, tend to change jobs for a variety of reasons.  Relocating does not seem to be a reason to turn down an attractive chance to excel. Retirement for many is a time to try a second career or develop in depth hobbies or extensive travel.

So it would seem to be confining to believe we will have just one plan for our life.  We can set goals or intentions, but we can be very creative with our present moment.  With hindsight, we find some of our incidental activities along the way turn out to be important aspects of a future challenge. 

It is important to have a destination in mind, but this should not distract from the pleasures of the journey at hand.  No matter where we are, we need to enjoy the scenery.

Essence of Bravery and Courage

"The essence of bravery

is being without

self-deception."

Pema Chodron

Secured core values are assets in life.  They give us a sense of where we stand, how far we will bend, and lines we will not cross.  With a willingness to be open to other values, we are not holding our selves rigid or encapsulated in ignorance.  It is advantageous to know what other people hold dear whether we are in agreement or not.  

A sense of courage resides within us when we are certain about our truths.  With focus, we navigate more clearly through the challenges in life.  With accurate attention, we come to realize whether or not we are actually living as an example of our values.  Are we simply telling ourselves one thing while acting in a differing way?  If this is true, we need to adjust either our principles or misguided behaviors.  When we have both aligned, we live with integrity.

When we are honest with ourselves and others, practicing our core values, we face life with a sense of bravery.  Fear appears less frequently, and even when it does, our sense of wholeness guides us forward through illusions.  If we, however, deceive ourselves and others by only pretending to have a a code of honor, we will not have the courage nor the bravery to master our genuine talents or gifts life presents before us.

Decipher Appropriate Meaning

"Until we are about 7 our minds are like sponges

soaking up information about the world with no

filters to tell us what is appropriate and what is not.

To us it is just information and we record and store

every bit of it."  Gregg Braden

Viewing isolated segments of adult behavior, a child may think having sex is an act of aggression.  There is not a footnote explaining what they see is passion and not violence.  So consider what  is recorded in a child's mind as they listen from the other room just hearing, "I could kill you!"  Or imagine them playing in front of a television catching glimpses of people being mutilated or violent acts of nature without the tools to decipher appropriate meaning.

Unexplainable fears can usually be traced back to events in our earlier lives.  It may not have been a grand incident attracting attention.  It may have been a precise moment in time when we felt totally overwhelmed.  We may not remember the brief moment unless we begin to unearth our past.

These flashes of experience generally are repressed.  If the memory is triggered we may wonder why such a small thing would bother us.  When we slip into the child's mind without being able to censor the experience, we catch a glimpse of how damaging the occurrence may have been.

Our early experiences and observations create our foundation for reflection.  If domestic violence is common in our childhood, we may grow up believing it is normal.  The condescending words spoken to our mother may be creating a template of how women should be treated.  We do not have a sense of right or wrong, and believe the dysfunction to be normal.

If we are fortunate enough to have an adult witness to our experience, they can offer us explanations of what is right or wrong.  This does not work, however, if the adult tells the child something is wrong, but continue to exercise the habit themselves. It is not unusual to overhear a little child use a word of profanity with the exact element of intention and perfect connotation.  This is learned behavior.  Little children are like tape recorders constantly capturing instances both great and small to be duplicated later in life.

There are some of us who are determined not to be like our mother in certain areas.  Motherhood descends and in an awkward moment, we catch ourselves being exactly how we most not wanted to be.  We are a product of our environment ... the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Beginning of the End

  

"Just remember, every single moment you remain coiled in a ball of fear,

our world fractures just a little bit more because your heart is breaking,

aching to be acknowledged, by you."

Rebecca Lammersen

If women do not acknowledge their own value on a personal level, it is unlikely they will be mindful of their impact on the collective.  By nature, females maintain a high level of endurance that can be strengthening or crippling.  They have little tolerance for harm to others, but endure unlimited personal heartbreaks wrapped into a ball of fear.

It requires unlimited energy to stay small, to hide, or to be invisible, harming our health in the process.  If the same amount of energy were used to  break through our shell of protection, spread our wings, and take flight to higher ground, our healing would begin ... personally as well as earthly.

A dandelion pushes itself up through sidewalks and other unlikely places, reaching for the sun.  It is not content to succumb to the darkness, nor should we.  We are meant to trust our roots, nurture our kernel of worthiness, and then push our spirits toward the light.

The process of reaching through our barriers can be long and tedious, but if broken down into small exercises, we can gainfully move forward safely and successfully.  There are endless resources on line to assist us in our endeavors to strengthen our inner beauty.  When we let our false expectations fall to the wayside and listen to what our heart really wants to do, we begin a prosperous journey.

Our surroundings do not always support our growth.  If this is the case, reach outside of the immediate community for professional help or dwell in libraries excavating supportive works to assist in progress.  The need to withdraw must be counter balanced by the pull towards a more fulfilling life.

When we are awake, watching for healthy direction, with discretion we find our way.  Effort must be extended so that our energy can connect with what we need. This is not easy, and it is challenging.  If we remain wrapped in fear, we will attract nothing but more fear.  When we take action, it is the beginning of the end, propelling us into the new.

A Kiss In The Mist

"When the water moves along as a river," Suzuki said, "there is no problem."  But when the river becomes a waterfall, tiny drops of mist and streamlets split off, isolated from their source, each one alive and totally engaged in the activity of life.  The life of a tiny droplet falling such a great distance is filled with difficulty.  How lonely to be separated from the river.  "What a difficult experience for each drop to come down from the top of such a high mountain," Suzuki said.

Tim Burkett
nothing holy about it

When life becomes a waterfall, we individuate following personal paths.  Although this can be frightening and lonely, going it alone enhance our lives as they were meant to be.  The path is not a  joy ride, but with hindsight, we can see how the boulders we have surmounted carved our character into greater depth.  

In time, we begin to observe how water can take on all forms.  Like the Divine, water can be passionate waves or tiny trickles.  When we listen, we will hear the presence of the Divine even in small raindrops.  The unseen mist gently embraces our face like a kiss from Jesus the Christ, Mother Mary, Buddha or other Divine Spirits.  Hope  springs eternal.

Our paths eventually lead us back to the flow of the river or the top of the waterfall. We are united again until we choose another great fall from our source, to experience life again.

Adventure of Life

"Each day is an adventure 

in discovering 

the meaning of life."

Jack Canfield

All of life is an adventure, but we usually are more prepared for the well planned event than the sudden departure from our norm.  When this happens, breathe deeply and move forward slowly with an open mind and heart.  Without preconceived ideas, we can view the new landscape to see what we have been overlooking or what we need to learn.  

As we step outside of what is familiar, our body begins to respond in differing ways. We are moved out of our comfort zone so we do not have immediate well rehearsed responses.  Do not fear the unknown for surely if we step through illusion, there will be a gift on the other side.  We are all called to seek the unknown to enhance and deepen the meaning of life.

Pursue The Challenge ~ Benjamin Button

"For what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be.  There is no time limit, stop whenever you want.  You can change or stay the same, there are not rules to this thing.  We can make the best or the worst of it.  I hope you make the best of it."

Eric Roth, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Screenplay

Journals keep a perfect timeline depicting the challenges of life and how we choose to respond.  It is the proverbial 'one step forward, and two steps back'.  The options presented  may not be delightful or timely, but nevertheless, we must choose to continue forward.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button continues:  "I hope you see things that startle you.  I hope you feel things you never felt before.  I hope you meet people with a different point of view.  I hope you live a life you're proud of.  If you find that you're not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again."  

Life would be boring if we were never forced to experience change.  It pulls us out of our comfort zone just when we become most comfortable.  If we remain in one place too long, whether mental or physical, we can become stagnant.  Life is to be lived to the fullest which triggers spontaneity, diversity, flexibility, and trust.  When we pursue our challenge, results are usually life changing.

Life was not meant to be easy, I don't believe, nor was it meant to be monumentally difficult.  The longer we avoid our challenges, the more complex they become.  Ideally, we pursue small challenges on a regular basis so we are better prepared to creatively indulge the greater changes.

Colors In The Box

"When it comes to life, we spin our own yarn,

and where we end up is really, in fact, 

where we always intended to be."

Julia Glass

As the author of my life, I can use narrow vision or a broad perspective.  In one I can cast my lovely self as a victim of trauma, whereas in the other, I can be a brave crusader for surviving.  What role I play depends upon my moods, attitudes, and how life is unfolding around me.  The important thing is to accept responsibility for coloring my life with just one crayon or with all of the colors in the box.

As we neglect ownership of our process, we can wander near and far off the correct course.  Some where a long the path, however, we find ourselves back where we need to be.  This may be divine intervention or it may be the tiring of playing the role we have cast.

Playing a role and being an authentic spirit are vastly different.  When we are playing a role, we are projecting images for attention or recognition.  When we are living an authentic life, we are using inner guidance and intuition.  In the first, we are trusting others and in the second we are placing trust upon our selves.

In order to be fully present in our authentic lives, we must embrace self-worth.  We must believe we are valuable even with imperfection.  Our imperfection challenges us to become greater than our individual parts.  We learn to create using all of our parts together.  Acceptance depends upon the story we tell ourselves.

Our stories can either bolster our life experience or keep us stuck repeating the same lesson over and over.  We cannot wait for a knight on a white horse to swoop us to safety.  We must gather the tools we have and pave our own way.  Teachers will appear to assist, but the work remains our own.

Today, pick up the box of crayons and dump all of the colors out.  Begin to use each one to creatively design a happy life using personal strengths and guided intuition.

Join The Collective

"Believe with all your heart

that how you live your life

makes a difference."

Colin Beavan                                

Amazing people do wonderful things with their lives, and sometimes this very fact makes us feel insignificant.  Accomplishments of others may overshadow the tasks we have at hand.  It is only when we recognize the importance of every human being as an authentic part in joint effort to bring love into the world.  Each and every one of us is called to play a role, and no matter how minor the part, our diligence to create life to its fullest is imperative.

Up close and personal, we can micro manage our lives and question our effectiveness.  When we stand back without judgement, we begin to see the collective nature of life itself.  The size of our narrative is not as important as our delivery.  To discover our authentic self and to bring that energy into our world,  we join the collective.  When our accomplishments of human and spiritual growth is combined with the rest of individuals doing the same, love is triggered throughout the dimensions of our world. 

Through self-development, we not only create a good life for ourselves, but collectively for the world.  Who we are creates ripples extending out into humanity,  blending with the momentum of others.  Our work is important collectively as well as individually.  We can make a difference if we believe with all our heart.

Discover The Light In Others

"See the light in others,

and treat them as if

that is all you see."

Wayne Dyer

Whether it is a school board meeting, business seminar, or social gathering, we may find ourselves with individuals we would prefer not to be around.  Our resentment may grow, irritation flourish, and we miss any positive input.  There is a remedy for this and it is easy!

Instead of focusing and growing our own discomfort, look outside of ourselves, seeking the light in others.  Even if we are faced with the most annoying person in the world, we can silently observe them using our full attention.  We may be surprised how this individual shifts as he or she believes we are truly paying attention as though they were worthy.  As we search for the element of good, we may shift ourselves discovering parts of the personality never noticed before.  

When we set aside our prejudices and resentments, our attitude changes as we are no longer projecting our emotions on to someone else.  With these pushed aside, we may find the light in an other, as we all get to shine.  

What we discover about this other person may not be monumental, but we realize we are all messengers of truth.  We pause waiting to connect what is being offered to what we need to hear, see, or feel.  

Others push our triggers.  Whatever we dislike about someone else may be the exact thing we need to address within our own personality make up.  We may become aware of an old wound that has never healed properly or even a distaste based on faulty information we never realized we carried.  

We are all messengers, so we need to be looking for the light to shine upon what we need to learn from others.  This also creates a time for us to examine the quality of light we are shining outward. 

Force A Performance

"We do not grow absolutely, chronologically.  We grow

sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly.

We grow partially.  We are relative.  We are mature in one

realm, childish in another.  The past, present, and future mingle

and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present.  

We are made up of layers, cells, constellations."  

Anais Nin

Through most of our lives, our expectations are too high.  If we are forcing a performance with all of our energy, we may be overshadowing our authentic direction.  At times, we become so narrowly focused, we can feel like a victim.  It is through the discovery of options we fine tune our ability to choose.  To assert action, to learn new steps, life pulls us from our victim rolls.

We are destined to live life to the greatest of our natural abilities, not a false image to please others.  Time is required to slowly step into silence to intuit creative direction.  We follow our steps to discover our strengths and talents.  We learn to respect what resonates within our core and deliberately renounce unfulfilled illusions. 

Life is a dance swinging us from a graceful waltz to a gyrating jive.  When we are swift on our feet, we will be flexible to bend and relax into life as it presents.  It is easy to become aware when we are out of sync, but not as easy to change.  Listen to the music and trust our lovely selves  to sway into every shadow and sunbeam evolving as we dance.

Fear of Self-Discovery

"Your problem is how you are going to spend this one and precious life you have been issued.  Whether you're going to spend it trying to look good and creating the illusion that you have power over circumstances, or whether you are going to taste it, enjoy it and find out truth about who you are."

***Anne Lamott


Who are we really?  No, really ...  who are we behind our facade of creative masks and false projections?  Beneath our costumes are even more layers of stories we tell ourselves, and false histories warped by time.  We have spent endless hours, days, weeks, and years trying to create an acceptable image to ourselves and to others.

This is a worthless endeavor and we grow discontent with who we are not.  The fear of self-discovery becomes more palpable than the strife of pretending.  It is with relief we drop our created disguises and open our heart to compassionate acceptance of imperfection.

It is when we finally let go of our misguided intention to control we receive freedom to be comfortable allowing life to unfold.  Delightfully, we discover an inner guidance shedding the old and welcoming the truth.  We find the comfort to just be who we are ... a spirit experiencing human life form.

***Anne Lamott is one of my favorite authors.  She consistently reflects the truth of life as it is experienced in authentic ways.  She has shared her challenges and has been a beacon of hope.  She never sugar coats anything, and this is why she connects with her readers.  Through her expression of truth, her followers are not fed false glimpses of life nor encouraged with illusions.

Easter, A Creative Collage

And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around 

you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely

places.  Those who don't believe in magic will never find it. 

Roald Dahl

The information I had when I was a child about Easter was rather morbid.  The crucifixion of Christ was difficult for me to ponder.  The good news of course was Jesus Christ appearing after death.  In this stage of my life, I believed everything I was taught in the religious environment.  I didn't know about pagan practices, or cultural myths prior to the existence of Christianity that were patterned the same.  I had no knowledge of Goddesses or women vital in religious history who had been reduced to just one ... the Blessed Virgin Mary.  

I must confess my love for the stations of cross during Lent.  It was a personal sacred time for me in spite of not being catholic.  As a sensitive person, I wept many times during the weekend for all of the religiously historical people involved in this troubling painful weekend.

As an adult, having broader knowledge of history, I was still mindful of the Candle light Easter vigil. The church was always dark and everyone held candles.  It was a quiet time for me to examine, rearrange, and embrace the truths I now held for religion.

With the four children, I loved coloring Easter eggs with food coloring and waxy crayons.  This of course was followed by hiding the hard boiled eggs all over the house, hoping all would be found.  The trick was to hide some in challenging places to engage the eldest child and still leave some in obvious places for the youngest child.  There were baskets, family dinners, and church of course.  

Easter comes to me as creative collage.  As I gather various memories together, there is a colorful blend of love, pain, and spiritual development.  I rather think of religion as a noun and spirituality as a verb, and I have a tendency to prefer moving around in life, not sitting in one church.  My belief system embraces not only Easter and other holidays, but all days.   Every corner of earth and each day is sacred to me.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

A Blessing

"Silence, I discover, is something you can actually hear."

Haruki Murakami

Busy lives offer very little time for quietude.  Time alone requires a person to deliberately carve out space to just be.  It takes effort to experience solitude and it often times falls to the bottom of our list.

There are those who are on a constant run who are emotionally afraid to stop.  Fear of repressed emotions becoming unleashed can be paralyzing.  If time for solitude is allowed,  issues might arise when resolutions are no where on the horizon. Lacking acceptance or forgiveness we distract ourselves, avoid situations, and deny reality.  All of this requires energy better used to embrace what bothers us.

We can help ourselves gently release what we are hiding by simple writing.  Carry a small notebook and jot down phrases when the body tenses, headaches appear, or the temptation of any addiction presents itself.  Jotting down segments of information will eventually form a pattern.  They may begin to reflect a certain place, time or person triggering our anxiety.  If we can determine the source, we can put in place safety measures.  We can see the person less, change social patterns, or adjust our attitude with affirmations prior to facing the culprit.  

This is a simple beginning to build confidence.  Soon full pages will be filled with entire scenarios of how our body responds to people, places, and things.  We will have a treasure trove to use in creating a new pattern or routine.  Silence is a blessing, not something to avoid.  

Listen Inside and Out

The spirit that moves me

"Much as we long for external signs that point the way to the future, we must settle for inner signals that alert us to the proximity of new beginnings. The most important of these signals begins as a faint intimation of something different, a new theme in the music, a strange fragrance on the breeze. Because the signal is very subtle, it is difficult to perceive when other stimuli are strong - and that is why we naturally, if unconsciously, seek emptiness and quietness in times of life transition. This first hint may take the form either of an inner idea or of an external opportunity, its hallmark being not a logical sign of validity but the 'resonance' it sets up in us."

William Bridges 

Artwork by Daria Petrilli 

Transitioning is a process combining both external action and internal comprehension.  To make a transformation, a person succeeds when effort is equally used from the body, mind and spirit.  By using all that is available to us, we create new purpose and release old agendas.

As stated many times before, to be alert in the outer world helps us learn of opportunities; but, we must also be awake within our desires so a fulfilling alignment can be made.  When we are balanced with both inward and outward interests, we remain consistent and focused anticipating parts coming together.

If one happy day, we wish for one thing, and on a sad day request the opposite, our energy cannot gain momentum in either direction.  We must make certain what our spirit is yearning for and then anticipate the form it may manifest.  Leave room for imagination and surprise as we frequently end up with more than what has been asked for!