Pools of Light...My favorite time of day is just at dark when all thoughts of what must be done stop & small pools of light come alive on tired faces everywhere.
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”― Ralph Waldo Emerson
...This is a pretty small space to fit all the stuff I've been thinking lately, but it's also a pretty good reminder to get to the point. The Point
Eat, Pray, Love:
Liz: In the end, I've come to believe in something I call "The Physics of the Quest." A force in nature governed by laws as real as the laws of gravity. The rule of Quest Physics goes something like this: If you're brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting, which can be anything from your house to bitter, old resentments, and set out on a truth-seeking journey, either externally or internally, and if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher and if you are prepared, most of all, to face and forgive some very difficult realities about yourself, then the truth will not be withheld from you.
“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.”― Ernest Hemingway
remember this
You take my hand & say I want to feel what’s real & true with you & suddenly, I’m standing there
in eternity, as if I’d never left & to those of you who wonder if Love is something you’ll ever
trust again, I offer this: it is how we remember who we are.
dark garden
I once had a garden filled with flowers that grew only on dark thoughts but they need constant attention & one day I decided I had better things to do.
Tomorrowland
Casey: There are two wolves who are always fighting. One is darkness and despair. The other is light and hope. The question is: which wolf wins?
Nate Newton: The one you feed.
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Golden Year Brainstorming --Thoughts Part 2
Olmo and the Seagull
...synopsis...This portrait of the creative process invites us to question what is real, what is imagined, and what we celebrate and sacrifice in life.
...interview...thank you my sweet friend for being there...and for sharing....
...thanks to ALL who opened your hearts to me on this quest of... "thoughts" to keep and those to let go....
*****Good question! I think much of life is about having the right questions, and being able to genuinely seek and ask them.
First, let me preface by saying, for any readers out there, that I am a Christian. I consider myself a mystic and an ecumenical. This is the perspective I will be speaking from.
In regards to your question, I think it's important to ask what is at heart of thoughts. For example, I could be thinking about baking a loaf of bread for a friend. What kind of bread? What technique should I use, etc?
Now, in my thinking, perhaps it's motivated by a sort of frenetic worry. And in thinking about it, I get spiritually 'raveled', if you will. It's like being tied in knots the same way your muscles can be from too much tension.
On the other hand, perhaps I'm focused on all the mechanics of baking as before, but in my heart there is an overflowing of love and service for my friend, and a simple delight for baking itself.
So, if you follow me, it is not necessarily the thought, but the thought as a reflection of the heart. I would say the same thoughts in the context of worry are bad, while the ones genuinely motivated by a soul conquered by love to be good.
All thinking flows from being. I'm trying to not get too philosophical here. The famous quote 'I think, therefore I am' presupposes the existence of an 'I'. In other words, it presupposes self-existence, or being. Thinking flows from being. If I did not exist, I could not think. But because I exist, I think.
This is important if we're to talk of having a healthy thought life. A spiritual life is a healthy one. It's a movement towards fullness and wholeness, and away from partiality and binary. Spirituality is a movement to our core and the centrality of things. And expanding out from there. It is the process of refinement of being.
Because thinking flows from being, for our thoughts to be healthy, our hearts must be healthy. (I mean the heart as the seat of the soul. The colloquial usage, and not the physical organ). The heart is the center of our being.
This is reflected (I'm sure in other places as well) in Rumi's metaphysical hierarchy of the soul's progress. First, the 'nafs' or animalistic, compulsive side of us must be dominated by our intellect. The intellect must then be made subservient to the heart. The heart is the source of deepest knowledge and insight. The trick is, we have to polish the mirror of our heart, as the metaphor goes.
This process is, in Sufism, called the Greater Jihad. It is the war against the self so we can find our true self. In Christianity, we reference it as 'taking up one's cross', or dying to the 'old man'.
I'm realizing now that I'm going to be long winded. Bear with me please.
Another thing we must consider is awareness of our thought.
It has been my experience that Love and Truth are two facets of the same thing. Although I recognize a genuine goodness and desire for God that I've had the majority of my life, I grew up with a strong tendency towards judgementalism. For me, it was a response to feeling isolated. We all have our own hangups. It took me a very long time to realize that there was an inner voice of judgement that was disparaging and hateful towards others in me. It can be very subtle.
I don't know how to articulate it. I will simply say the truth of it. Pride is blind. All our high mindedness, it keeps us from seeing, and it keeps us miserable.
Love, on the other hand, enlightens our eyes to the truth. It has caused me to be able to see the truth beyond appearance, and move towards the heart of matters. In love, thinking of others as better than oneself comes naturally. It's only from this vantage point of lowliness that, spiritually, we become able to see. This counterintuitive truth of the world of spirit is encapsulated in much of the beauty of Christian wisdom. Christ teaches 'The greatest among you shall be the least.' When we humble ourselves, we will be exalted. And pride comes before a fall.
I would say it is the same as the Dao De Ching teaches. The Dao, normally translated as The Way, references not only a way of life, but in a more general sense the foundational reality of the universe that one can come to live in harmony with. It is likened to water, which always seeks the lowest place. It is this low place that is most stable and peaceful, as well as the most powerful.
I hope I don't sound divergent. I'm trying to keep things compact and bring it together.
I believe that self love is the foundation of all love. That's very important. You have to find love for yourself before you can give it to others. To put another Christian verse to it, "Love others as you love yourself". Well, now how can we love others if we don't love ourselves?
So, how do we find love? I know it sounds like 'soft' theology, and simple popular dumb thought, but love really is central and is the answer. The vast majority don't understand this, although they might repeat things such as "God is love". It's a glib statement. I'm speaking from my experience here, and it has led me to so much life. I just can't get away from talking about love.
I've prayed for love for most of my life. I always believed that it was the true heart of my religion, and that all that truly mattered was that I love.
When I was in college, which is when this prideful, judgemental spirit in me was revealed to me, I was touched by God's love in a very special, palpable way. I was devoted to my spiritual practice. I would walk around campus, always singing a song to God in my heart, just worshiping him and being in awe of the beauty around me. In my quiet times at night, God started pouring his love into me. That may sound very intangible and loose, but I assure you it was a very tangible experience. It was impossible to avoid. I would feel absolutely bursting with love, and I would end up having to find someone to text a very long and thoughtful and encouraging message to.
It changed how I saw myself. I found that I loved every single thing about me. I loved every aspect of my personality, my individuality, my body. All my 'me-ness' I loved.
That love opened my heart up to people, and caused me to see them differently too. I saw people for who they were on the outside in a much clearer way. This is normally the only kind of looking we employ. However, and this was in special circumstances, I also became aware of the person beyond everything outward about them. I was having inner visions of deity. I was literally seeing Christ in others. I could genuinely greet certain people with 'namaste'.
It didn't matter if this person was outwardly a worldly, selfish, un-spiritual person. Love caused me to see the good in them. When we give love like this, we are calling out that true identity of goodness. Moving beyond a simple binary of 'good' and 'evil', love has taught me how all things work together for good to those who love God. At the same time love sees evil for what it is, love calls goodness into being. It's inherently creative, redemptive, and transformative.
We're taught to rejoice when evil men suffer and die. One circumstance that I'm thinking of specifically was the assassination of Osama Bin Laden. I was disgusted by the amount of rejoicing that was going on. This is not how God sees things, and this is not how a spiritual life looks. I like to think that every 'bad' man or woman still has a loving mamma out there who would still take them in and cook for them and kiss them.
We put easy labels on people. We aren't open to seeing others or ourselves for who we really are. That's because we want to know with our mind, and we feel comfortable knowing. It's an aspect of our selfishness, and is at odds with love. We want to know with our minds so we can use our knowledge to put everything under our feet. We force life into categories and boxes that it wasn't made for that will always be artificial and fluid. This relates back to me talking about the importance of questions. How can you learn when you think you know? Un-know, that way you will be made fit to know. Find the mystery of life. Let there be in you a darkness of unknowing, so that the light of knowing can enlighten you.
I know this sounds really divergent at this point. What I'm getting at is love taught me what non-violence is. And, let me say this very clearly, Christianity is at heart a non-violent religion. Anyone who celebrates the death of an enemy, or resists an evil man, they have failed to live up to the teachings of Christ.
I'm not going to get into the nitty gritty. Remember, I'm also talking about an attitude of the heart. We need to get past surface issues of appearance. I am so often at a loss to describe how this all works. Seek the love of God, and he will show you. You will have an experience of truth.
Okay, I promise I'm drawing it together.
There is a spiritual equation between love and fire. It is significant that fire is a universal symbol for spirit. God is spirit. And the Bible describes him as 'a consuming fire'. This is very important in understanding what the spiritual world looks like. This is how softness can overcome hardness, to put it back into Daoistic terms.
Fire transforms what it comes into contact with. At the same time that it brings death and destroys, life and light springs from it. It's not discerning, either. If it burns, fire will burn it. There's no 'this stick of wood isn't good enough for me', or 'this stick scares me' etc.
This is how real change occurs in the world. The fire of God's love. When we are consumed by it, it changes us. It causes us to die at the same time it causes us to live, transforming us into light and life and truth itself, and sending forth a smoke which is to God the incense of his saints.
Now, your question is dealing with how to change your thought life. And I'm talking specifically about awareness. We are naturally afraid of or repel certain thoughts. In other words, we have a violent attitude towards ourselves. But, in the fire of love, we live in the transformative power of non-violence. Love sees itself for what it is. It is important for one to be able to accept the thoughts that come their way. Without the light of the fire of love that accepts all, we will continue to be in denial about who we are.
I say, let every thought that is in your heart, every single ambition all good and all bad, let them all come forth. Love will call them and reveal them. Commit them to the fire of a burning heart, and see how all that is un-whole is burnt away and transformed. This is how we have a fullness of being and life.
Don't get over concerned with your thoughts on a thought level. On the level of heart and being, if you correct that, then your thoughts will follow. If your thoughts disobey your heart, with time it's like swatting a fly. It's a simple matter of correcting them.
...synopsis...This portrait of the creative process invites us to question what is real, what is imagined, and what we celebrate and sacrifice in life.
...interview...thank you my sweet friend for being there...and for sharing....
...thanks to ALL who opened your hearts to me on this quest of... "thoughts" to keep and those to let go....
*****Good question! I think much of life is about having the right questions, and being able to genuinely seek and ask them.
First, let me preface by saying, for any readers out there, that I am a Christian. I consider myself a mystic and an ecumenical. This is the perspective I will be speaking from.
In regards to your question, I think it's important to ask what is at heart of thoughts. For example, I could be thinking about baking a loaf of bread for a friend. What kind of bread? What technique should I use, etc?
Now, in my thinking, perhaps it's motivated by a sort of frenetic worry. And in thinking about it, I get spiritually 'raveled', if you will. It's like being tied in knots the same way your muscles can be from too much tension.
On the other hand, perhaps I'm focused on all the mechanics of baking as before, but in my heart there is an overflowing of love and service for my friend, and a simple delight for baking itself.
So, if you follow me, it is not necessarily the thought, but the thought as a reflection of the heart. I would say the same thoughts in the context of worry are bad, while the ones genuinely motivated by a soul conquered by love to be good.
All thinking flows from being. I'm trying to not get too philosophical here. The famous quote 'I think, therefore I am' presupposes the existence of an 'I'. In other words, it presupposes self-existence, or being. Thinking flows from being. If I did not exist, I could not think. But because I exist, I think.
This is important if we're to talk of having a healthy thought life. A spiritual life is a healthy one. It's a movement towards fullness and wholeness, and away from partiality and binary. Spirituality is a movement to our core and the centrality of things. And expanding out from there. It is the process of refinement of being.
Because thinking flows from being, for our thoughts to be healthy, our hearts must be healthy. (I mean the heart as the seat of the soul. The colloquial usage, and not the physical organ). The heart is the center of our being.
This is reflected (I'm sure in other places as well) in Rumi's metaphysical hierarchy of the soul's progress. First, the 'nafs' or animalistic, compulsive side of us must be dominated by our intellect. The intellect must then be made subservient to the heart. The heart is the source of deepest knowledge and insight. The trick is, we have to polish the mirror of our heart, as the metaphor goes.
This process is, in Sufism, called the Greater Jihad. It is the war against the self so we can find our true self. In Christianity, we reference it as 'taking up one's cross', or dying to the 'old man'.
I'm realizing now that I'm going to be long winded. Bear with me please.
Another thing we must consider is awareness of our thought.
It has been my experience that Love and Truth are two facets of the same thing. Although I recognize a genuine goodness and desire for God that I've had the majority of my life, I grew up with a strong tendency towards judgementalism. For me, it was a response to feeling isolated. We all have our own hangups. It took me a very long time to realize that there was an inner voice of judgement that was disparaging and hateful towards others in me. It can be very subtle.
I don't know how to articulate it. I will simply say the truth of it. Pride is blind. All our high mindedness, it keeps us from seeing, and it keeps us miserable.
Love, on the other hand, enlightens our eyes to the truth. It has caused me to be able to see the truth beyond appearance, and move towards the heart of matters. In love, thinking of others as better than oneself comes naturally. It's only from this vantage point of lowliness that, spiritually, we become able to see. This counterintuitive truth of the world of spirit is encapsulated in much of the beauty of Christian wisdom. Christ teaches 'The greatest among you shall be the least.' When we humble ourselves, we will be exalted. And pride comes before a fall.
I would say it is the same as the Dao De Ching teaches. The Dao, normally translated as The Way, references not only a way of life, but in a more general sense the foundational reality of the universe that one can come to live in harmony with. It is likened to water, which always seeks the lowest place. It is this low place that is most stable and peaceful, as well as the most powerful.
I hope I don't sound divergent. I'm trying to keep things compact and bring it together.
I believe that self love is the foundation of all love. That's very important. You have to find love for yourself before you can give it to others. To put another Christian verse to it, "Love others as you love yourself". Well, now how can we love others if we don't love ourselves?
So, how do we find love? I know it sounds like 'soft' theology, and simple popular dumb thought, but love really is central and is the answer. The vast majority don't understand this, although they might repeat things such as "God is love". It's a glib statement. I'm speaking from my experience here, and it has led me to so much life. I just can't get away from talking about love.
I've prayed for love for most of my life. I always believed that it was the true heart of my religion, and that all that truly mattered was that I love.
When I was in college, which is when this prideful, judgemental spirit in me was revealed to me, I was touched by God's love in a very special, palpable way. I was devoted to my spiritual practice. I would walk around campus, always singing a song to God in my heart, just worshiping him and being in awe of the beauty around me. In my quiet times at night, God started pouring his love into me. That may sound very intangible and loose, but I assure you it was a very tangible experience. It was impossible to avoid. I would feel absolutely bursting with love, and I would end up having to find someone to text a very long and thoughtful and encouraging message to.
It changed how I saw myself. I found that I loved every single thing about me. I loved every aspect of my personality, my individuality, my body. All my 'me-ness' I loved.
That love opened my heart up to people, and caused me to see them differently too. I saw people for who they were on the outside in a much clearer way. This is normally the only kind of looking we employ. However, and this was in special circumstances, I also became aware of the person beyond everything outward about them. I was having inner visions of deity. I was literally seeing Christ in others. I could genuinely greet certain people with 'namaste'.
It didn't matter if this person was outwardly a worldly, selfish, un-spiritual person. Love caused me to see the good in them. When we give love like this, we are calling out that true identity of goodness. Moving beyond a simple binary of 'good' and 'evil', love has taught me how all things work together for good to those who love God. At the same time love sees evil for what it is, love calls goodness into being. It's inherently creative, redemptive, and transformative.
We're taught to rejoice when evil men suffer and die. One circumstance that I'm thinking of specifically was the assassination of Osama Bin Laden. I was disgusted by the amount of rejoicing that was going on. This is not how God sees things, and this is not how a spiritual life looks. I like to think that every 'bad' man or woman still has a loving mamma out there who would still take them in and cook for them and kiss them.
We put easy labels on people. We aren't open to seeing others or ourselves for who we really are. That's because we want to know with our mind, and we feel comfortable knowing. It's an aspect of our selfishness, and is at odds with love. We want to know with our minds so we can use our knowledge to put everything under our feet. We force life into categories and boxes that it wasn't made for that will always be artificial and fluid. This relates back to me talking about the importance of questions. How can you learn when you think you know? Un-know, that way you will be made fit to know. Find the mystery of life. Let there be in you a darkness of unknowing, so that the light of knowing can enlighten you.
I know this sounds really divergent at this point. What I'm getting at is love taught me what non-violence is. And, let me say this very clearly, Christianity is at heart a non-violent religion. Anyone who celebrates the death of an enemy, or resists an evil man, they have failed to live up to the teachings of Christ.
I'm not going to get into the nitty gritty. Remember, I'm also talking about an attitude of the heart. We need to get past surface issues of appearance. I am so often at a loss to describe how this all works. Seek the love of God, and he will show you. You will have an experience of truth.
Okay, I promise I'm drawing it together.
There is a spiritual equation between love and fire. It is significant that fire is a universal symbol for spirit. God is spirit. And the Bible describes him as 'a consuming fire'. This is very important in understanding what the spiritual world looks like. This is how softness can overcome hardness, to put it back into Daoistic terms.
Fire transforms what it comes into contact with. At the same time that it brings death and destroys, life and light springs from it. It's not discerning, either. If it burns, fire will burn it. There's no 'this stick of wood isn't good enough for me', or 'this stick scares me' etc.
This is how real change occurs in the world. The fire of God's love. When we are consumed by it, it changes us. It causes us to die at the same time it causes us to live, transforming us into light and life and truth itself, and sending forth a smoke which is to God the incense of his saints.
Now, your question is dealing with how to change your thought life. And I'm talking specifically about awareness. We are naturally afraid of or repel certain thoughts. In other words, we have a violent attitude towards ourselves. But, in the fire of love, we live in the transformative power of non-violence. Love sees itself for what it is. It is important for one to be able to accept the thoughts that come their way. Without the light of the fire of love that accepts all, we will continue to be in denial about who we are.
I say, let every thought that is in your heart, every single ambition all good and all bad, let them all come forth. Love will call them and reveal them. Commit them to the fire of a burning heart, and see how all that is un-whole is burnt away and transformed. This is how we have a fullness of being and life.
Don't get over concerned with your thoughts on a thought level. On the level of heart and being, if you correct that, then your thoughts will follow. If your thoughts disobey your heart, with time it's like swatting a fly. It's a simple matter of correcting them.
Monday, September 14, 2015
Golden Year Brainstorming--Thoughts Part 1
Here is the first post for part 1 of the Golden Year Brainstorming--THOUGHTS.
Merci beaucoup to ALL of the collective souls who found time to share.....
*****I would try to let go of all the hurt and anger that comes towards me for reasons I cannot figure out. I would indulge myself in the healing arts and learning more about how to heal and how to get myself in a "stable" or peaceful state of mind free from "I owe, I owe...." so that I can put my energies and those that come through me into healing others physically and mentally, and into healing situations between groups or individuals....
In the nursing care that I have been doing, it seems there is a world of time for reflections but at such a late date in life that most are not able to use the mind to reflect at all or are so caught up in failing health that they are either desperate to cling to life or are in so much pain that they pray for death as an out from physical pain.
*****Things off the top of my head...to keep:
Our Unit Manager came up the floor the other day and it was just a madhouse. Our Unit was nearly full, and we were short a Nurse, CNA, and Unit Secretary. She was very stressed, but asked how I was doing. I said "Well, I just keep reminding myself that my track record for making it through days like this is 100% so far!" Her eyes flew open wide. She said "I really need to start looking at it like that, don't I? You're so right!"
Keep positive self talk
A saying a friend posted one day rang SO true, and everyone needs to remember this, in my humble opinion:
"If you are helping someone and expecting something in return, you are doing business - not kindness" (TobyMac #speaklife)
Things to get rid of:
Leave the past in the past-
You don't live there anymore
*****I would want to leave behind a lot of the clutter and the idea that you need to constantly strive to get ahead, and that you have to be in a fast paced society.
I nurture the thoughts and memories of the good times that I have had with family and friends along with those things that I have accomplished through the years. A person needs to remember to take time for themselves and enjoy the simple things in life. Go for a walk in the woods and experience all of the good energy that surrounds you. Take time to look at the flowers and enjoy the beauty of the butterflies as they flutter from flower to flower. Listen to the sounds of nature as they fill the air. The birds, frogs, the hoot of an owl, the howl of the wolves and many more. These creatures only worry about the here and now, they don't fret over what has passed or what is going to come. If you only spend a little time each day observing nature you will gain more appreciation for the simple things in life.
"Objects are concealed from our view, not so much because they are out of the course of visual ray as because we do not bring our minds and eyes to bear on them." Henry David Thoreau
"Strange so few ever come to the woods to see how the pine lives and grows spires, lifting its evergreen arms to the light, -- to see its perfect success..." Henry David Thoreau
*****Nurture:
That your life has value in and of its self. Value beyond that which it gives to others from what you can do for them. You are worth taking care of for you, not so that you can continue to help or care for others. You are valuable and have worth just for you!
Leave behind:
Self doubt!!!
*****For your reflection....
Thoughts are stories that we convince ourselves are real. Become a lover of reality and move into balance.....now, let go of even THAT thought!
*****Regrets make you wish you could go back and change or relive those moments but for better or worse you cannot. Appreciate and be grateful for what you learned and try to put them behind you.
It took a therapist, not a friend, to make me see how agonizing over feelings you don't want to admit to does nothing to resolving the pain of them. When you are faced with an unpleasant fact about yourself it is better to own up to it. Whether we want to admit it or not most people want to be socially perfect but we all have little feelings or experiences that are not saintly and can make you feel unworthy of people you consider your friends. Life is hard enough without you knocking yourself down. You don't know everyone else's little regrets or embarrassments but know that they too feel those, as intensely as you feel yours. Once you realize that, we are all equal. Don't ever think you are the only one with doubts and insecurities. Everyone has them. Some folks are better at concealing them.
Personal growth happens everyday. We learn through many avenues. Human interaction is multi-dimensional, multi-sensual. A simple interaction in passing can produce profound feelings. I have witnessed this. You have no idea how strongly you can effect others. People are inherently kind and want to help. Never underestimate compassion.
*****Well I suppose what I've taken from life is really simple (not sure why we humans make life hard) but to live a purposeful life. In all we do have purpose & meaning no matter what the task at hand may be make it worth something! Hold value in everyday, love all & let yesterday go. What's the purpose of beating ourselves up?! We should forgive ourselves like we forgive others, or at least we should forgive others!
*****Thoughts to Leave Behind….
Desire to be liked
Desire to be accepted
Have expectations of others
Be perfect
Try to be what others expect
Thoughts to Nurture….
My relationship with others is not dependent on their relationship with me
Bloom Where you are Planted
Be a port in the storm. Avoid being the storm.
Be Brave
Ask for what you need or at the least, envision it in your life.
To be yourself is to be beautiful.
Expect of yourself only your own personal best.
Roll up your sleeves and dive in - work hard.
Ask for forgiveness and forgive.
Let go…hand it over. God will carry it.
There is only acceptance.
Offer respect.
…And the Truth Shall Make you Free.
Listen more, talk less.
You can only change your perspective by changing your view.
You can only control yourself, your own mind, your own emotions and your own choices.
Steer Clear of the FOG - Fear. Obligation. Guilt.
Having regrets is okay - it means you tried something, perhaps learned a lesson and changed your mind.
On that train of thought…it’s always ok to change your mind.
Keep moving. Dare Greatly.
Life IS fair. Fair does not mean equal.
Step out of yourself from time to time.
Merci beaucoup to ALL of the collective souls who found time to share.....
*****I would try to let go of all the hurt and anger that comes towards me for reasons I cannot figure out. I would indulge myself in the healing arts and learning more about how to heal and how to get myself in a "stable" or peaceful state of mind free from "I owe, I owe...." so that I can put my energies and those that come through me into healing others physically and mentally, and into healing situations between groups or individuals....
In the nursing care that I have been doing, it seems there is a world of time for reflections but at such a late date in life that most are not able to use the mind to reflect at all or are so caught up in failing health that they are either desperate to cling to life or are in so much pain that they pray for death as an out from physical pain.
*****Things off the top of my head...to keep:
Our Unit Manager came up the floor the other day and it was just a madhouse. Our Unit was nearly full, and we were short a Nurse, CNA, and Unit Secretary. She was very stressed, but asked how I was doing. I said "Well, I just keep reminding myself that my track record for making it through days like this is 100% so far!" Her eyes flew open wide. She said "I really need to start looking at it like that, don't I? You're so right!"
Keep positive self talk
A saying a friend posted one day rang SO true, and everyone needs to remember this, in my humble opinion:
"If you are helping someone and expecting something in return, you are doing business - not kindness" (TobyMac #speaklife)
Things to get rid of:
Leave the past in the past-
You don't live there anymore
*****I would want to leave behind a lot of the clutter and the idea that you need to constantly strive to get ahead, and that you have to be in a fast paced society.
I nurture the thoughts and memories of the good times that I have had with family and friends along with those things that I have accomplished through the years. A person needs to remember to take time for themselves and enjoy the simple things in life. Go for a walk in the woods and experience all of the good energy that surrounds you. Take time to look at the flowers and enjoy the beauty of the butterflies as they flutter from flower to flower. Listen to the sounds of nature as they fill the air. The birds, frogs, the hoot of an owl, the howl of the wolves and many more. These creatures only worry about the here and now, they don't fret over what has passed or what is going to come. If you only spend a little time each day observing nature you will gain more appreciation for the simple things in life.
"Objects are concealed from our view, not so much because they are out of the course of visual ray as because we do not bring our minds and eyes to bear on them." Henry David Thoreau
"Strange so few ever come to the woods to see how the pine lives and grows spires, lifting its evergreen arms to the light, -- to see its perfect success..." Henry David Thoreau
That your life has value in and of its self. Value beyond that which it gives to others from what you can do for them. You are worth taking care of for you, not so that you can continue to help or care for others. You are valuable and have worth just for you!
Leave behind:
Self doubt!!!
Thoughts are stories that we convince ourselves are real. Become a lover of reality and move into balance.....now, let go of even THAT thought!
It took a therapist, not a friend, to make me see how agonizing over feelings you don't want to admit to does nothing to resolving the pain of them. When you are faced with an unpleasant fact about yourself it is better to own up to it. Whether we want to admit it or not most people want to be socially perfect but we all have little feelings or experiences that are not saintly and can make you feel unworthy of people you consider your friends. Life is hard enough without you knocking yourself down. You don't know everyone else's little regrets or embarrassments but know that they too feel those, as intensely as you feel yours. Once you realize that, we are all equal. Don't ever think you are the only one with doubts and insecurities. Everyone has them. Some folks are better at concealing them.
Personal growth happens everyday. We learn through many avenues. Human interaction is multi-dimensional, multi-sensual. A simple interaction in passing can produce profound feelings. I have witnessed this. You have no idea how strongly you can effect others. People are inherently kind and want to help. Never underestimate compassion.
*****Well I suppose what I've taken from life is really simple (not sure why we humans make life hard) but to live a purposeful life. In all we do have purpose & meaning no matter what the task at hand may be make it worth something! Hold value in everyday, love all & let yesterday go. What's the purpose of beating ourselves up?! We should forgive ourselves like we forgive others, or at least we should forgive others!
*****Thoughts to Leave Behind….
Desire to be liked
Desire to be accepted
Have expectations of others
Be perfect
Try to be what others expect
Thoughts to Nurture….
My relationship with others is not dependent on their relationship with me
Bloom Where you are Planted
Be a port in the storm. Avoid being the storm.
Be Brave
Ask for what you need or at the least, envision it in your life.
To be yourself is to be beautiful.
Expect of yourself only your own personal best.
Roll up your sleeves and dive in - work hard.
Ask for forgiveness and forgive.
Let go…hand it over. God will carry it.
There is only acceptance.
Offer respect.
…And the Truth Shall Make you Free.
Listen more, talk less.
You can only change your perspective by changing your view.
You can only control yourself, your own mind, your own emotions and your own choices.
Steer Clear of the FOG - Fear. Obligation. Guilt.
Having regrets is okay - it means you tried something, perhaps learned a lesson and changed your mind.
On that train of thought…it’s always ok to change your mind.
Keep moving. Dare Greatly.
Life IS fair. Fair does not mean equal.
Step out of yourself from time to time.
*****I would leave behind all thoughts of self-loathing, insecurity and those that stem from self-doubt or even loathing.
Let's all carry forward the thoughts of what makes us special, wonderful, and uniquely ourselves. Because, unless we can love ourselves, we will never be free to love others.
Let's all carry forward the thoughts of what makes us special, wonderful, and uniquely ourselves. Because, unless we can love ourselves, we will never be free to love others.
*****From Pinterest:
10 things to give up
1. Trying to please, and be acceptable to others
2. The fear of making a mistake
3. The fear of change
4. The fear of the future
5. Guilt or shame that's tied to your past
6. Beating yourself up or putting yourself down
7. Over-thinking
8. Living by your feelings
9. The desire to get even with others
10. The tendency to procrastination
*****Seems like I need to re-watch 10 Things I Hate About You
*****Tell Your Daughter She's...:
1. A Warrior
2. Brave
3. A Leader
4. Curious
5. Kind Hearted
6. A Detective
7. Creative
8. Strong
9. Smart
10. Generous
...free spirited, faithful, a team player, a kind sibling, focused, determined, athletic, resourceful, confident, a teacher, a great friend...got it??
10 things to give up
1. Trying to please, and be acceptable to others
2. The fear of making a mistake
3. The fear of change
4. The fear of the future
5. Guilt or shame that's tied to your past
6. Beating yourself up or putting yourself down
7. Over-thinking
8. Living by your feelings
9. The desire to get even with others
10. The tendency to procrastination
*****Seems like I need to re-watch 10 Things I Hate About You
*****Tell Your Daughter She's...:
1. A Warrior
2. Brave
3. A Leader
4. Curious
5. Kind Hearted
6. A Detective
7. Creative
8. Strong
9. Smart
10. Generous
...free spirited, faithful, a team player, a kind sibling, focused, determined, athletic, resourceful, confident, a teacher, a great friend...got it??
Saturday, September 5, 2015
Remembering
Remembering birthday # 59....dropping out of society for the second time...September 2012...
Epiphany: She saw herself reflected in the store window & then the sun changed & she disappeared & all she could see was her eyes & she remembered thinking. I make a very nice floor lamp & that was the day she decided to quit her job.
...Today there is such stillness & gratitude for this life that pays no attention to what I think I want.....!!!!
Timeless to me...AAHHHH!!
...OMG!!...thank you sister...this fellow is a great suggestion!!....Matt Graham
...and the FARM tattoo...awaiting a little color...
Epiphany: She saw herself reflected in the store window & then the sun changed & she disappeared & all she could see was her eyes & she remembered thinking. I make a very nice floor lamp & that was the day she decided to quit her job.
...Camino 2012...
...Today there is such stillness & gratitude for this life that pays no attention to what I think I want.....!!!!
Timeless to me...AAHHHH!!
...OMG!!...thank you sister...this fellow is a great suggestion!!....Matt Graham
...and the FARM tattoo...awaiting a little color...
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