Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

I am grateful for:
Two hands to hug my children and husband,
Two feet to stand firmly on the ground,
Two eyes to see the beauty of the world,
A mouth to taste the bounty we receive and to nourish my body,
Two ears to hear beautiful music and laughter,
The ring on my left finger to know that I am connected in love,
Two strong hips, that even though I may have pain, they continue to carry my burdens gracefully,
Two shoulders to support the ones I love and care for,
Two arms to embrace those who need soothing and comfort,
A thinking brain to navigate through daily problems and to find my way home,
Ten painted fingernails to know that I can pamper myself and honor my femininity.
For these and more, I am blessed.

Letting go of working for your boss; work for yourself and what you value.

Yesterday at church I was spending time talking to my friend Roger about many various life experiences such as knitting, giving to others and on and on....  When you can mindfully (or holy) listen to one another great wisdom can come in daily interactions.

Roger works two jobs.  He was talking about one of his jobs in which he was working under an unreasonable manager.  As many of us have experienced or are currently experiencing, this manager valued micro-management.  Under these circumstances, work, as we all know, becomes quite stressful and we lose any sense of independence and validation as adults with abilities and value.  As Roger was trying to figure out a way to cope within this constraining environment that limits growth, he said he turned to the bible and got this piece of Wisdom from Colossians 3:23-24.  In essence, this bible verse teaches us to work with all that is within our heart (with love, compassion, grace and wisdom) as God/The Divine would want us live every day.  For it is God (The Universal Source, Our Higher Spirit, The Divine) who wants us to live in love with each moment; to let go of our attachments to others', expectations, experiences, people and things.  It is in trusting and having faith that God loves us and values us, not our bosses.  The Divine will provide of peace in everyday living.

In the work that I do with my clients, I focus on living a valued life.  When we don't live according to our values we will experience anxiety, depression, dependence and discontentment.  If you are feeling dissatisfaction in your work, try to figure out simple ways in which you can, with intention, acknowledge when your work (whether it be a task, or an interaction with a coworker) is from a place of love, grace, compassion or wisdom.  Know that you are working from a place of valued intention and not from expectation of worth or outcome.  The Divine will smile upon you and your heart will be filled with love.

Namaste

Playing For Change | Peace Through Music

Music is the language of the heart that connects the world.

Playing For Change | Peace Through Music

Emotions

Emotions are energy that is in motion in our bodies. We feel them in our chest, stomach, tension in our muscles etc.  Its fun to feel the positive emotions.  When I feel love I feel the warmth in my heart.  I can feel it expanding like my cup is overflowing.  I feel this when I see the people I care about.  I want this emotion to stay around.  I feel my body buzzing when I'm excited like when I'm swinging as high as I can at the park.


Emotions that are uncomfortable are emotions I want to escape from instantly, like putting my hand on a hot stove, I pull my hand away quickly to avoid the pain.  However, just as I feel the energy of love which is telling me to keep doing what I'm doing (staying present with the ones I love), the uncomfortable emotions (anger, guilt, fear etc) are also talking to me.  Those emotions are sending messages that if I listen closely tap into my Wise Mind and guide me to living a valued life.


Rumi put it beautifully in the following poem:

The Guest House

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

 

~ Rumi ~

Listening

Holy Listening/Mindful Listenting

• Take a deep breath, ground yourself to the moment
• Set aside your own agenda
• Look into the other person's eye with warmth and receptivity
• Listen with your heart and mind
• Remain aware of the divine presence in both of you

How often to you fully, I mean really fully listen to another person?  Suspend all inner commentary (thoughts, opinions, wondering what you are going to say next) and fully listen to the other person.  The other person may be your partner, child, friend, family member, or stranger.  Intimacy is the divine connection between two people that is only experienced through holy listening.

Challenge yourself this week.  When you find yourself engaged in a conversation this week, try to follow the guidelines above.  Even when you find yourself with a difference of opinion, listen without judgment.  If we all would practice this type of mindfulness, think of how much peace we would have in this world.

reference: "Exploring the Way.  An Introduction to the Spiritual Journey."

Rilke Quote

This is a quote that I have found helpful when I am impatient and pushing myself or someone else to give me the answer NOW.

“Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books written in a foreign language. Do not now look for the answers. They cannot now be given to you because you could not live them. It is a question of experiencing everything. At present you need to live the question. Perhaps you will gradually, without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day."

Rilke, "Letters to a Young Poet”

An inspiring poem

Our Deepest Fear
By Marianne Williamson

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness
That most frightens us.

We ask ourselves
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.

Your playing small
Does not serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking
So that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine,
As children do.
We were born to make manifest
The glory of God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us;
It's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we're liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.

Note: This short, inspirational poem about life is taken from Marianne Williamson's book A Return to Love.

SchoolTube - PS22 CHORUS 2009 "Viva La Vida" by COLDPLAY

SchoolTube - PS22 CHORUS 2009 "Viva La Vida" by COLDPLAY

This is awesome and inspiring. We need a dose of joyous children every day. I agree with Obama when he says we need to live up to the expectations of our children. How do you want to inspire others?

Tennis anyone?

I started playing tennis when I was pre-teen.  I really liked tennis.  I liked that I played with one other person and yet it was also a private game.  I played tennis with just about anyone who would play with me.  This is what I noticed.  When I played with someone at my skill level we spent a lot of time lobbing the ball around with an occasional, surprisingly skilled volley.  When that happened it was pretty exciting.  My partner and I would be so surprised that we would try to do better, yet ended up doing the same thing over and over again, lobbing, volley, lobbing, volley.   The challenge and learning were random.  When I played with someone not as skilled as me, the whole game was just running around the court chasing balls.  Not very fun nor challenging and at times very frustrating.  When I played with someone with more skills but not totally mastered (like a pro), I found myself pushing harder to learn and keep up the pace.  I was excited to see my skills growing as well as my self-confidence.

Now I ask you, who have you been playing the game of life with?  Are you surrounding yourself around positive, energizing people who will raised you up and challenge your skills?  Or are you playing with people who will bring you down or leave you in the game that will never change?  Who do you want to be?

New Thoughts

Instead of New Year resolutions about changing external things, let us focus changing internal thoughts that are negative, critical, and/or shaming.  Observe those judgmental thinking patterns that create neural ruts in our mind.  Choose to go down a different path and walk down it over and over and over again. CREATE A NEW RUT.   It is your choice to go down  the different path.  Remember, the walk of a thousand miles starts with the first step.  This is the first step.