Give it Away

When I think about the following phrase, I feel GOOD: "What you want to experience yourself, give to others."

THAT makes sense to me. That makes me feel happy. That also sounds doable to me.

But, let's look at the opposite: When I am concerned about getting my fair share, worried about be taken advantage of, worried about my next move, worried where my next fortune will come from, etc......I just feel... EXHAUSTED.

Give away what you want to experience. Ahhhh........... I like that.

Doing Things My Way and Living in Balance

The internet is a great tool. However, I do feel many times when I need to step away from it. When I need to shut down and really focus on my REAL life. My IN-PERSON LIFE. The people around me right now, right here... not "out there" in cyberspace.

So, I am shutting down for a bit. Simplifying my life. Doing things my way. From weight loss to work, it doesn't all have to be SO HARD. I am needing to find that balance of thinking of myself and caring for myself, but not at the expense of thinking for others and caring for others. I get sick of thinking of myself. I get sick of looking at my problems. I just want to live.

How much "improving" can one person do in a lifetime?? And, why? Can't I just be me? Why must I reach some "ideal" form of existence? And "ideal" by WHOSE standards? By WHOSE definition??

I am just me. I don't feel like improving today.

"Thanks"

I read somewhere (I forget where) that "thanks" is the only prayer we ever need to pray. Or something like that. It's "the best" form of prayer. ??? Something along those lines!

I have a tendency to be negative. To right away see the bad. To right away feel bad. I am working on myself. I am better than I was before.

So, this morning, as I find myself getting that same old feeling of being "overwhelmed" I am going to stop. I am going to stop and be thankful. That's really ALL I have to "DO" today.

It's a perfect day. Perfect does not mean everything is going my way. Perfect means "perfect by design".... on track.... as it should be.

That relaxes me knowing that. Things are as they should be. What's the worry to improve? Just be. What's the stress to perform better? Just be. What's the pressure to be the best? I am the best me I can be.

I can't utter empty thanks, so the following are things I am feeling in my heart this morning. I know that one should feel thankful for all the big stuff in life... and I do.... but this morning what I am really feeling thankful for are:

~ I have a job that truly helps people. It is needed. People rely on me. Even though I complain, I wouldn't have it any other way.
~ I love my chubby, little furry pug. I am so thankful for Spanky's unconditional love and to feel him on my feet everywhere I go, all day long. His chunky little body is a definite bright spot in all my days.
~ I am thankful for a moment to sit down with a hot, steaming cup of coffee before all the kids get here.... I love this moment in the morning by myself.
~ I am thankful for music and today I plan on singing a lot!
~

The Law of Opposites

So, for the last few months I think I have been plagued with The Law of Opposites.

From Happier than God:
"The Law of Opposites is based on the fundamental and founding principle of all life: 'In the absense of that which you are not, that which you are is not.'"

I totally get that sentence, but two of my friends and my husband went, "Huh?????"

Yeah, they think I am C-R-A-Z-Y!!! LOL But, apparently many people get that sentence.. mostly people who study Eastern Philosophies and Eastern Religions. So I am not the only "crazy one" on Earth! ;)

Let's say I want to experience Peace.

If all I have is peace, how can I experience it???

You don't know *what* peace IS if it's all you have.

So, this is an example good for me, because I have been actively trying to experience Peace, Love and Joy since the New Year.

Let me tell ya! I GOT THE OPPOSITE BIG TIME!!!!

It wasn't until this weekend when I read Happier than God that I realized it.

Here is the exciting part: Opposites give opportunity!!

Wow!

We actually draw "dark", "negative" experiences into our lives so we can experience the opposite of what we seek. No one in my family will agree with this, this is why I have a blog. *I* totally get that. You get what you get. THIS is what I get! THIS resonates with me. This makes me go... "it all makes sense now."

So the trick is to not resist the opposite that you have created. That which you resist, PERSISTS. (um... yeah!!!!)

Why?

Because when you place negative attention on something, you continue to place it there. You cannot resist something that is NOT THERE. By resisting, you are PLACING IT THERE.

(again... I totally get that!!)

By focusing angry or frustrated energy on something, you actually give it more life.

"Do not OPpose... COMpose."

"Compose your original idea of how you want life to show up. And compose yourself while you are at it. Come from a place of relaxed assurance that life is functioning perfectly. Yet do not confuse relaxation with acceptance.
'Resist not evil' does not mean that you should not try to change what it is that you do not choose. Changing something is not resisting something, it is merely choosing again. Change is not resistence, but alteration. To modify is not to resist, but rather, to continue Personal Creation."

"Modification IS creation."

"Resistence is the END of creation in place."

"At every moment of difficulty and challenge in your life you have a choice: opposition or composition. To repeat: you can either oppose that which you are experiencing, or compose that which you chose."

"COMPOSE WHAT YOU CHOSE."

"Now, thanks fo the Law of Opposites, you have context within which to experience it. And that is the greatest thing the universe could ever give you."

So, I have been on the right path all along. Now I can stop opposing and start composing. ;)

Happier than God

I am reading a book by Neale Donald Walsch called Happier than God. Now, I need to try to LIVE it. Because I believe it all.

I especially believe in ONENESS. I DO believe if God is "omni-present" than he is in EVERYTHING.... including me and including YOU. That makes us all ONE. That realization has changed my life, but of course I still struggle. This book really can help me, if I just choose to live it now.

1. Bring an end to separation theology.
That one is easy for me. I do not believe heaven and God are "over there".... and I am "over here"... we are one. There is NOW. Only NOW. And we are all one. I get that. I have gotten that for a long time. I actually have gotten it my whole life, but I didn't know the terminology for it until recently.

2. Stay in touch with who you are.
I am not my body. I am a soul who has a body. An eternal soul.

3. Give others every experience you seek.
"Give people back to themselves." Personal Creation begins best with another. Focus on the other, always the other, never first on the self. What you bring to another you bring to yourself, ten-fold.

4. Be clear that nothing you see is real.
I am creating my experience.. all of it. What I am experiencing, I am CHOOSING to experience. What is happening is happening, but how you are experiencing what is happening is something you are making up.

5. Decide that you are not your "story."
"In order to experience what is happening in a way that preserves your happiness you will most likely have to drop your story." Happiness will never be found in your story, only in your newest and grandest decision about yourself and others.

6. Have only preferences.
"Many people make themselves unhappy simply by finding it impossible to accept life as it is presenting itself right here, right now."
This does not mean never to seek to change anything. It DOES mean not to base your happiness on whether or not that change occurs. This is about shifting from addictions to preferences.

There is always something to CELEBRATE so long as life is being lived.

7. See the perfection.
See everything for what it is: the perfect event perfectly timed to provide you with the perfect opportunity to express in the perfect way that which is Perfection Itself.

8. Bypass the drama.
Nothing has any meaning save the meaning you give it.

Nothing has any meaning save the meaning you give it.

Learn not to jump into reaction mode at the first appearance of negative energy.

Go to a place of gratitude as often as you can.

And don't be afraid to use humor to stay there.

9. Understand sadness.
There is a difference between sadness and unhappiness. Your sadness does not have to make you UNHAPPY. Sadness is also a gift... and when you embrace it you can move on.

Happiness is achieved through the simple process of embracing all of life exactly as it is.

10. Stop arguing with life.
Let go of judging EVERYTHING.
Judgement has no place in a loving heart.

Observation says "what's so"
Judgement says "so what?"

11. Drop all expectations.
Forget about how things SHOULD be. There is no such thing as "should" in the universe. There is more going on than meets the eye.

12. Have compassion for yourself.
If you saw yourself as God sees you, you would smile a lot.

13. Speak your truth as soon as you know it.
Seek to live authentically, seek to be fully you.

Tell your truth and then live your truth.


14. Watch the energies, catch the vibe.
You can see them, hear them and feel them.

Light, sound, feeling.

Only allow those that resonate with you to stay in your space. You may end up changing what you eat, watch, listen to, and who you hang out with....


15. Smile.
A smile actually changes the vibe of your body. It alters, physiologically, the chemistry of your being. It releases endorphins that have a health-giving effect.

16. Sing.
You cannot sing with a rotten disposition. Singing connects the mind with the heart adn the heart with the sould, so SING!

17. Know what to do when things are really bad.
Sometimes things ARE bad... no amount of "positive thinking" can change that. Things are what they are. You can't cover it up. You can't pretend, you can't make it something other than what it is.

First.. do not resisit what is occuring. What you resist, persists. Accept and receive the energy, because only then can you heal it. What you do not hold, you cannot heal.

So, you must hold your experience: embrace it, engage it with loving kindness, bless it... and THEN ... send it on its way.

Exterior conditions cannot create interior conditions.. EVER.

You are still in charge of your own experience.

"thank you god for helping me understand this problem has already been solved for me."

Always what I need to hear

So with all the impending changes I have coming into my life, I turned to Joyce Meyer's Daily Devotional and her husband's daily Life Lines to see what they have to share today.

Of course, it is always what I need to hear for comfort and peace!

God's waiting for you. COME AS YOU ARE, not as you're trying to become.
He'll make you what you are to be.

Only fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart;
for consider how great are the things He has done for you. —1 Samuel 12:24

I feel I have been needing to make a change for a long time, but NOW is the time. One cannot continually live with one foot on new ground and one foot on familiar ground. There comes a time to choose.

Yesterday I CHOSE.

And, that action... CHOOSING..... has already started to open other possibilities that were not there the day before when I sat in fear and indecision. It is truly amazing!

So, with faith in my heart I will fearlessly start to wander out on this new ground!

What would you do, if you couldn't fail?

I found a helpful article called "The Path to Purpose" by Erin Pavlina.

She shares an exercise to do to maybe help find your 'purpose.'

Ask yourself, what would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?

You ask yourself the following questions:

• What do you want to do? (desire)


• What can you do? (ability)


• What should you do? (purpose)


• What must you do? (need)

Then you see if there is a common thread amongst the four answers.

So, here is my try:

1. What do I want to do?

• I want to be in nature, kayaking, hiking, snowshoeing, etc.


• I want to help others (especially kids) enjoy and appreciate nature.


• I want to take pictures


• I want to explore spirituality


• I want to travel beautiful and exotic, quiet places (not tourist traps and nothing unsafe)


• I want to create inspirational things for others.


• I want to inspire others, motivate others, bring others UP

2. What can I do?

• I can kayak, hike, and snowshoe


• I can take beautiful pictures


• I can grasp spirituality, and help others understand it


• I can inspire others


• I can create videos, draw, paint, garden, think out of the box


• I can relate to kids and help them feel encouraged and inspired

3. What should I do?

• I should encourage others.


• I should empower others.


• I should inspire others.


• I should help others, love others

4. What must I do?

• I must be in nature often


• I must be my own boss


• I must be free to be creative


• I must make money to pay bills and enjoy financial freedom


• I must have freetime to be with family and friends and self

SO... now what? If I had all the money in the world what would I be doing??? I would be enjoying nature and helping others to enjoy nature and helping others to APPRECIATE nature. I would especially try to bring nature to CITY KIDS. This has been on my "goal sheet" for years and years. I have always wanted to start up a program for city kids to get out kayaking. And not on CITY LAKES.... but on REAL LAKES... far from the city. BUt I always think negatives soon after I get an idea... I would need insurance. No one will let ME do this without going through government agencies, getting a ton of impossible-to-get licenses, etc....

BUT.. I realize that is ME trying to CONTROL things.

This time I must let go and allow purpose to find me. Now that I am more aware, this will happen! I know it will. ;-)

My Quest: Figure Out What I Want

I have been focusing on a million things. I am going to slow things down and focus on ONE thing: WHAT do I want?

Until I know what I truly want, I cannot take action, seize opportunities, or do anything without distraction.

So, I am putting this out to Source: I intend to find my desire.

I will keep my mind open, my demands and ego at bay and just take what comes. I am at ease because I know anything is possible. I also know the answer will come to me. I just have to keep living purposefully, connected to God.

I will update my progress here.

Can't Rush the Rose

When we want to experience the beauty of the Rose, we plant a seed.

We nuture it, water it, fertilize it, and offer it sunlight.

Then... we let it be.

Breaking the seed open before it is ready, pulling at it, tugging at it to try to get it to bloom faster would only result in one thing: death. The rose would not bloom, it would die.

Patiently we await for the day it blooms....

When patience is looked at in this way, it is clear that it is not just a virtue.

It is essential for life.

Patience is not anxious.

Patience is not worried.

Patience is not restless.

Patience does not yell or cry.

And what patience is.... ultimately.... is trust.

A knowing that what will be, will be...

and not a moment too late.

Be Still

I need to truly practice "Being Still" this week.

I was starting to feel that anxious, panicky feeling again with underlying thoughts of, "What do I do next? What do I strive for next? What I am supposed to do today? Tomorrow? Next week? Next month?"

I meditated.

Then later I decided to take a nap.

To literally just SLOW DOWN my entire being... lay down and stop doing anything at all.

As I lay there, moments before I drifted to sleep I had a feeling of ease wash over me and I was reminded of some things Dr. Dyer spoke of in his Power of Intention Audio Book.

Our "life purpose" is not found in an occupation, in our belongings, in our possessions, in our bank statments.....

Our Life Purpose is to LIVE Purposefully.

You do that where you are, as you are.... in THIS moment. NOW.

Therfore, I don't have to STRIVE for answers. I don't have to STRIVE for "my calling." I don't have to STRIVE for this and that.

It will all come to me.... as I live purposefully moment to moment.

Do you know what grasping that notion does to an anxious, stressed and worried mind????

It offers instant peace. INSTANT PEACE.

Last week I was so stressed and worried and anxious.... it was an awful feeling. I am thankful for it now, because it reminded me how I do not want to live. I do not want to live full of that anxiety. That is not our normal state of being.

Our normal state of being is peace and joy. The world and society and often even those we love, want to argue that, though. Every moment someone is trying to bring you down. I won't be brought down.

My normal state of being is peace, joy and good health. I will remain there.

There is nothing I have to DO. I have to keep remembering this. There is NOTHING I need to DO.

Here's something better....

There is nothing I need to do..... UNTIL there is something I need to do.

In other words, I will know when there is something I need to do if I just TRUST GOD.

LET GO.... LET GOD.

I get it now.

Now... to LIVE IT.

I intend to have a spirit-filled week. I intend to LIVE PURPOSEFULLY (being of service as I am needed in EACH moment). In doing so I am trusting God to watch out for me and to show me my next move. Patiently, I will not worry or let anxiety take hold.... I will live purposefully in each moment and watch it all unfold.

Living in Gratitude

As we express our gratitude,
we must never forget that the
highest appreciation is not

to utter words,
but to live by them.

John F. Kennedy

This quote by JFK always sticks with me for some reason. I admit I have no clue about the context of the quote, or what was said before or after... it doesn't even matter. All I know is that phrase always finds me. And, lately I see a running "theme" going on in my life that totally points back to those words. I see and read things even when I am not "looking" for them, so I know I am just meant to truly digest this and live it.

I guess I always believed it, but recently I have more clarity about what it means to truly live with an appreciative demeanor. I have more clarity about how to do that, too.

Why does it always irk me when a smoker throws their cigarette butt out their car windows? Easy.... because to me that gesture is saying, "F U !!" to the world. To me. To society. To everyone. The smoker may not notice it or even fathom it, but that is clearly the gesture I get from it. To me it is as bad as someone just blatantly giving you the middle finger as you drive past them.

Is that living with gratitude?

Is it living with gratitude to leave your cart in the middle of the parking lot for "someone else" to deal with and put away properly?

Is it living with gratitude to hem and haw and tailgate people not going the exact same speed as you on the freeway?

Is it living with gratitude to make a clerk's life miserable because a mistake was made at a store? Or restaurant? Or anyplace?

Is it living in gratitude when we IGNORE each other on the streets? Afraid to make eye-contact. Afraid to utter a simple "hello." Or, maybe "afraid" is too strong a word. How about "too busy" or too "self involved." Everyone walks around talking in their phones and listening to their own music in their iPods... connecting with people all around the world, but not those right in front of their face.

Is it living in gratitude when we hoard every penny we make. Or when we won't help someone out unless there is money or gifts exchanged? Or when we hem and haw if we ever have to give a little extra of ourselves every once in awhile?

Yes, it is very clear. Being thankful is way more than uttering the word. We have so much to be thankful for.... look at our lives! When I want light, I FLIP a SWITCH. Are we supposed to take that awesome invention for granted just because it's been around for awhile? A divine thought came to life.... we created light for our dark nights. We don't know how it works... something about electricity and some atoms doing stuff???? I don't have to know how it works... but I expect it to work, just the same. I am thankful for this. How about our homes? Our cars? The sky? Water? Trees? Money? Clothes? Lightening? Snow? Rain? Births? Deaths? It is ALL meant to be appreciated. (Even if you think it is bad)

Being Kind = Being Thankful. Isn't that beautiful???

And what is even more beautiful is we don't have to make something up. We can just FIND opportunities to extend kindness staring at us. But, the key is... you have to have your eyes open so you can see it. You have to have your iPod muted so you can hear it. You have to have your heart prepared to do it. And your ego has to be tied and gagged in a dark room so it can't interfere. It will happen quickly. You can't afford Ego butting in and casting doubt on you.

When we extend acts of kindness, respect ourselves and others, respect nature and our communities and take care of each other; THEN we are living the appreciation instead of merely uttering those words.

"Thank You" is meaningless without the attitude and action.

Topic of the Week: Stress and Offense

I have been listening to Dr. Wayne Dyer speak on being stressed and offended.

I love how he puts it: "Why do YOU have "the right" to be stressed and offended?"

To succumb to stress and offense is basically to let your ego rule you.

What are we really saying when we say "I am stressed?"

"I am too special to have to deal with this."
"No one else has to do this."
"I am far too busy for this."
"I am far too important and have far too much to do."
"Why should *I* wait?"

Or what do we say when we are "offended?" Basically.. one thing... no matter the reason for being "offended" it boils down to one thing: "Everyone should think, do and say as *I* do."

So the feelings involved with being stressed and/or offended all point to the Ego being bent out of shape.

Letting our egos rule us basically mean we are held hostage by the ego.

Do we need to be Right, or do we need to be Kind?

I think the answer lies in how we FEEL after each.

Sure, the Ego may make us believe that we feel "good" after winning an argument, but that won't last long... the ego is always looking for ways to "win" and get ahead. And, usually.. if, after winning an arugument and unintentionally making someone else feel bad as a result of it, we will feel terrible afterwards.

But.... how do we feel after being KIND??? It is proven in scientific studies that seratonin levels are raised after acts of kindness. AND... NOT just by the one being kind. The one receiving kindness also has raised levels of seratonin. AND..... ANYONE OBSERVING THE KINDNESS also has raised levels of seratonin.

I find it interesting that there seems to be an increase in "depression" and the main ingredient in "anti-depressants" is a drug that helps raise seratonin levels. Along with diet, exercise and KINDNESS maybe we can, as a society, beat depresssion?

More Notes on Being Kind
When we are being kind we are actually showing our appreciation and gratitude. Not just to the person we are being kind to, but to LIFE. In my case, this is God. Maybe for someone else it is just society or life. Either way.... it works. :)

I also noticed this weekend that we don't need to WORK at being kind. It is no work at all. We don't have to fake it or create moments to be it. All we have to do is keep our eyes, hearts and minds open. Be observant. You will see a MILLION ways to "Be Kind." From picking up a piece of trash or putting away a wayward cart in the grocery store parking lot, to letting someone go ahead of you in line, to holding a door open for a stranger, to something as simple as just SMILING and saying "hello" to someone.

And, all the while... with NO EXPECTATIONS of favors being granted in return.

The FEELINGS I have observed within myself as I "practiced kindness" all weekend is that it feels WONDERFUL. There are no words to describe it, actually. Not that I have not been kind before this weekend. But, this weekend I chose to really FOCUS on it. To REALLY practice it. And in doing so, I realized there are a million ways to be kind that I hadn't done on a regular basis before. Doing it without the Ego is the key. To do it just because it needs to be done, not just because it is "convenient" and certainly not to lift your own ego's self-esteem.

The fact is we are rewarded when we practice true, genuine kindness. (not the forced, fake kind). We are rewarded EVERY TIME.

What is "true, genuine kindness?"
It's the kind that you do without your EGO being involved. It is the kind you do just because you see someone needs help, or something needs to be taken care of or done. You know it is true and genuine because you FEEL it. You can't explain it, you just FEEL IT. You don't do it to make yourself feel superior, or to make someone else feel helpless. You do it in a way that makes EVERYONE feel good. And, you don't care if you get recognition, and infact.... you would prefer you DIDN'T get recognition as that would take away from the genuineness of it.
When we practice kindness like that we win EVERY TIME. And, society WINS. EVERY TIME.