Month: December 2020

There are many celebrations this month, of all flavors, colors, and for various reasons. I counted at least 46.  I’d like to touch on 4 with a common theme..|

We are celebrating the birth of the boy Jesus, the birth of the Christ Consciousness, carrier of the Light.
It was in December that a man by the name of Siddhartha Gautama experienced enlightenment and became the Buddha. 

The longest night of the year, also known as the Winter Solstice, is when the days, the light, start getting longer. 

Hanukkah – a celebration of the light, as the story goes, as there was enough oil for one night, the flame miraculously burned for 8 days.

See where I’m going here? Light. This is the season of light. I wonder why we can’t have light every season!  We can if we want to. Every day in fact!  It’s our attitude, and a way of thinking that leads to a way of being. 

Have you wondered how the people who walk in and light up a room think? Their natural way is to think of possibilities, inclusion, compassion.  They believe everyone can win. They see everything as great! And if we think that, we’ll act like that, and if we act like that we will experience that. What a great gift to give oneself and then we share that gift with the world. 

As we move together towards a more abundant, prosperous, compassionate life lived on purpose,
I wish for you and yours Hope, Peace, Love, and of course, Light,

Just Sayin’

I’d like to share a poem with you that was written by a high school senior named Chanie Gorkin.

Today was the absolute worst day ever
And don’t try to convince me that
There’s something good in every day
Because, when you take a closer look,
This world is a pretty evil place.
Even if 
Some goodness does shine through once in a while
Satisfaction and happiness don’t last. 
And it’s not true that 
It’s all in the mind and heart 
Because 
True happiness can be attained 
Only if one’s surroundings are good 
It’s not true that good exists
I’m sure you can agree that 
The reality 
Creates 
My attitude 
It’s all beyond my control 
And you’ll never in a million years hear me say
Today was a very good day 

There are many different ways to see the same thing. And as you may or may not be consciously aware, we all have our filters through which we view life. Did you ever ask two people about an event they both attended, and their experiences were so different you’re left wondering, did you guys go to the same show?

For instance, How are you looking at your quarantine situation? Do you see it as having to stay home, or do you see it as getting to stay home? 

Do you see the holidays as a joyous festive occasion, or are they drudgery that you can’t wait till they’re over? 

Is there another way to think about these? How would you rather think about them?

I believe that the way we look at things, and the way we think about them, has an awful lot to do with the way we experience them. 

Here’s a quote by Wayne Dyer, “if you change the way you look at things the things you look at change”. 

I’m going to read this poem again from a completely different perspective. I’m going to read the last line first, and read it backwards.

Today was a very good day 
And you’ll never in a million years hear me say 
It’s all beyond my control
My attitude
Creates 
The reality 
I’m sure you can agree that 
It’s not true that good exists 
Only if one’s surroundings are good.
True happiness can be attained 
Because
It’s all in the mind and heart
And it’s not true that 
Satisfaction and happiness don’t last.
Some goodness does shine through once in a while 
Even if 
This world is a pretty evil place.
Because, when you take a closer look, 
There’s something good in every day 
And don’t try to convince me that 
Today was the absolute worst day ever

Think about it.  How would you like to experience your world?

Just Sayin’

We’ve discussed, ok, well, I’ve done most of the talking, about things that we can’t control versus things that we can control. I’ve brought up inner peace leading to outer peace, and last week we did a short breathing meditation. By the way, how was that for you? Are you noticing an inner oasis of peace in the mishegas that is the world these days?  Today, I am thinking about another way to deal with all this. Ready?  Relax. How easy is that?  

What does relax mean to you? Really relaxing. Taking a little time off? Getting involved in an activity you’re passionate about? I used to think that relaxing is going somewhere, which is really not relaxing at all, considering the travel, the arrangements, and depending on where you go, there’s some sightseeing. I’m sure you’re familiar with the concept of needing a vacation from your vacation. 

Another way I used to think was relaxing is to stop. That generally happened when there was no energy left. “I think I’m just going to relax for a minute” That’s that ‘fall asleep in front of the TV kind of relaxing. This is ‘doing’ relaxing. I’m talking about being relaxed. 

Nature shows us a couple of great examples of relaxation.  A tree that bends -one that is in a perpetual state of relaxation- is one that weathers the storm. The ones that don’t bend, break.   

Ice is water in a non-relaxed form. You can break ice. But you can’t break water.  

They are now incorporating flexibility into the foundation of buildings.  Making them less rigid. Earthquake-proof. The foundation is relaxed so that when the earth moves, meaning when there is stress, there is no -or at least much less- damage to the buildings. 
 
Peacefulness and relaxing seem a lot alike, but there’s a subtle difference; peacefulness is about being free from external unwholesome events, as in not letting what we can’t control control us. And, relaxation is about being free from self-created unwholesome events, which are created by our reactions, thoughts, emotions, etc. Self-Created. This we can control. 

There are many things in our lives that are important, of course. When we accept what is, we allow it to just be. Then, like the river, it flows by.  And if it needs attention, we deal with it in a relaxed manner and respond, not react.

We’ve all seen pictures of the palm trees bent over in the hurricane. Use that vision as an example of extreme flexibility, and whatever hurricane comes your way. Let it be. It passes quickly. Be the palm tree. 

Relax!

Just sayin’

Here we are, early in the 2020 version of our Holiday Season, which will wander -if you can wander in a straight line- fairly quickly to the New Year. The New Year being kind of a ‘fake’ starting point for new ideas, new visions, new goals. Do you have visions, ideas, and goals? What kind of life would you like to create? How much control do you feel you have around that? 

There is a lot going on around here that we can’t control. California and most of the states are in various stages of shut down, again. People are in various stages of freaking out. Some are guaranteeing, some say they are but are still going out to some things, some are ignoring it completely. The shut down for the holiday season is getting folks a little crazy. And we are experiencing a second fire season, just to add a bit of excitement.

These are what we call ‘external’ events. These are things that are happening ‘out there’. We can’t control the events, just how we react to them.

Have you noticed that there can be tornadoes in Kansas, tsunamis in the Far East, fires in the mountains, but when sitting at the table with our families and sharing a meal, everything is at peace. Without minimizing what’s happening in the world, it’s what‘s ‘in here’ that our peace of mind resides. 

I’d like you to try something. It’ll take just a quick half-moment. Sit up straight, close your eyes, and breathe. In and out. As you are conscious of your breathing, count slowly to 30. Ready, go. 
How’s that feel? Thirty seconds of a quick meditation and the world slows down. All is good. Simple. Easy. How many places can you fit this in during your day? 

Here are a couple of ideas: As you get in your car, before you start the engine, just sit and breathe. Breathe in the quiet. Breathe in the peace.  As you sit down to eat. Breathe. Breathe in the gratitude for your food, the fact that there is someone to eat with. As you’re brushing your teeth, focus solely on that. I bet you can find other places for yourself as the day goes along. This is something we can control.

Embracing these moments helps us to be present. Being present and being at peace, especially in these crazy times, makes it easier to allow what is happening out there to stay out there and us not getting caught up in it. If there is something we can to help, we do that. We respond. We don’t react. And it is done peacefully, with awareness and on purpose. 

Take care of yourself. Find your peace. Share your peace. Be present. Enjoy your life. Every part of it. That’s what we can control.

Just sayin’