Peek-a-boo

What am I doing to avoid doing what I really should be doing?  Focusing on getting things perfect rather than getting it done. For example writing copy for a class that I am giving and focusing on the language when the really important thing is to just get my message out.  Hiding in this way looks as though I am accomplishing something, when I am really not. I am avoiding. I am grateful to a very kind colleague for pointing this out to me. Getting my message out is scary to be sure. That is however, what I want to do.   I will not allow the fear of getting my message out get in my way. I am preparing for a class on "Thoughtful Design" and can now move forward with my focus on my message rather than the specific language.  Feels so much more peaceful.

As you take two minutes to consider peace for our world today, think about how hiding prevents you from getting your message out.

Let's Be Silly!

No, I'm not being immature...I'm having fun.  You should try it.  Unknown Author    

Truth is, being ‘silly’ doesn’t always come naturally for me.  Somewhere along the road, I've gotten serious and forgotten that I was once a kid. Yep, when it comes to intentional and calculated portions of silliness I have to actually try. And I ‘try’ for a good reason – I know it’s healthy for myself and those around me when I am being silly.  Silliness induces laughter. Laughter is considered ‘nature’s medicine’.  So, what are some of the proven benefits?
•Laughter triggers the release of endorphins – the body’s natural ‘feel good’ hormones.
•Laughter relaxes the body and relieves tension.
•Laughter boosts the immune system by decreasing stress hormones and increasing immune cells and disease and infection-fighting antibodies.
•Laughter protects your heart by improving the function of blood vessels and increasing blood flow, both of which can help protect you from heart problems.

Tell jokes. My grandkids LOVE knock-knock jokes. They may tell me the same joke over and over, and it is funny every time. No matter how lame the joke may seem,  they usually laugh out loud and then of course so do I.

Being silly.  I love words and sometimes my granddaughters and I will make up words and the sillier they sound the more we laugh.

To me, having fun often means being more silly and childish than normal. I put aside how ridiculous I look or sound and I guess I regress to a "sillier" side of myself.  I always feel so good when I do this. At peace. Note to self...be silly more often.

As you take two minutes to consider peace for our world today, think about ways to be silly and increase your peace.

Attachment

What is attachment?  Some of the words the dictionary gives are fixation, adhesion, adherence  extension.  Or an enduring emotional bond.  A connectedness.  Attachment to me is not just a connection; it is also a desire for regular contact with that person and can at time have feelings of anxiety when I am away from that person. 

I was having an email conversation about attachment with my brother. This is what he said to me, "I am increasingly developing a state of non-identification. To myself and others. Perhaps similar to a disconnect but without the lost feeling. The other day my son asked me if I was afraid of dying. I said generally not. Of course I have the survival instinct we all have and would struggle to live in a life or death situation. However I don’t fear death. On the contrary I feel eager anticipation. Something like, “Oh boy, what next?” A part of this is that I am okay with leaving all those I love so dearly. I am also okay with an afterlife where I may have no recollection of them, or the myself of now. As if this life never was. Hopefully having gained from this life and now moved on. To some degree I feel that I have already moved on. Of course love my family as much or more than ever. Just the my part is becoming weaker. The love remains."   

This was my response, "Non-identification...detachment as the Buddha would say.  To me that seems an easier way to live.  Attachment can feel so heavy at times.  I have attachment to people that is very strong and my ego is in there as thick as ever.  You have quieted your ego.  Do you find it easier being in non-identification?  An example of my attachment...My daughter is moving to a city about two and a half hours away at the end of this month.  I have known this day was coming for probably the last year and a half. I have been so torn up about it...felt as though part of me was being ripped out. I have cried a lot of tears and recognized that I was grieving.  So I have allowed myself to grieve. I did not judge myself when I felt sad, when I felt loss, when I felt abandoned, when I questioned why.  Had I not done so I would be in a very bad place with my daughter's moving day being just around the corner.  I am now able to lovingly send her on her way without misgivings or feelings of "she's leaving me".  I will miss her like crazy, but it is now healthy.  I cannot begin to fathom the detachment you have achieved.  I am attached to the physical part as well as the spiritual part of the people in my life. Also, to the physical part of me. To not remember what I experienced  here, now in the physical;  after I have died, is an excruciating thought to me. See my attachment?  If you go back to my previous email, I am even attached to my haiku.  That's okay because that's where I am right now.  Perhaps I will get to non-attachment or perhaps not.  It feels very light when you talk about it."

I am at peace and comfortable with my attachments while at the same time I recognize that those attachments may change.  With some misgiving though.  I don't know how I would live if my attachments to my children was different than it is now. What if they deepened or softened or lessened?  My ego is doing its best to prevent change, so I will trust the universe to carry me as it always does.

As you take two minutes to consider peace for our world today, think about how attachment affects your inner peace.

                  

What Keeps Me Up At Night?

What keeps me up at night?  Sometimes it is as simple as being cold, so grabbing an extra blanket takes care of that lickety split.  Or it might be that I ate too late in the evening. Or perhaps I put on a pot of tea after dinner and now my bladder needs attention. Other times it is much bigger things. Like, what will my life be like as I get older?  Will I be healthy?  Will my kids keep in touch?  Will I have enough money to support myself?  Sometimes I contemplate world issues like poverty or the way patriarchy has dis-empowered women. I prefer to easily drift into sleep and wake up refreshed and ready to take on a new day. At times I feel the heaviness too much to sleep. I wrestle with this and feel as though I am doing something wrong that I cannot let go of it easily. When I look at this in the light of day, I have a different  perspective and realize that I am human and I am okay and not doing anything wrong when I cannot sleep. What I do then is spend extra time meditating to bring peace to my mind. And it comes beautifully.  Thank you universe!

As you take two minutes to consider peace for our world today, think about what you can do to bring yourself back to peace when there is too much heaviness.

For Today...

Some things to think about for today.

If your understanding of the divine made you kinder, more empathetic, and impelled you to express sympathy in concrete acts of loving-kindness, this was good theology. But if your notion of God made you unkind, belligerent, cruel, of self-righteous, or if it led you to kill in God's name, it was bad theology.

~Karen Armstrong

Never underestimate the difference YOU can make in the lives of others. Step forward, reach out and help. This week reach to someone that might need a lift.

~Pablo Valle

As you take two minutes to consider peace for our world today, think about how you can act in the world that will bring about inner peace for you and from there peace to the world.

 

Friends

It's been a fabulous day that ended by spending the evening with a friend that I have not seen for quite some time.  And we decided out of necessity that we would make time for each other by scheduling regular times for us to get together. Our friendship is so worth the time. I am thrilled and so blessed to have good friends. Thank you universe.

As you take two minutes to consider peace for our world today, think about what you might make time for to bring more peace into your life.

I know I know...Mother Nature

Spring flows with delight

I can feel it everywhere

Why Mother Nature

Yes, I am commenting on the abrupt change in our weather.  Nonetheless, I am staying centred and grateful. As much as I would have preferred to see the last of the snow for this winter, I am okay with it. I stayed on track by embracing the day instead of resisting what I cannot change anyway.  Thank you universe.

As you take two minutes to consider peace for our world today, think about how you can stay centered when you encounter a bump in the road.

 

Thoughts and Inner Peace...can there ever be harmony?

I remember when I first became aware of thoughts.  They were simple. "I want that toy".  "I want ice-cream not broccoli."  "I want to go outside to play".  "I want to wear my red dress today."  Those simple thoughts were all relevant and mattered to me. As I got older and my world got bigger, my mind became a storage depot for all sorts of things. They just started accumulating. As my experiences expanded so did my collection of thoughts. Unsolicited they came. It was as though my mind had become a spammer. It became like a whirlwind. Imagine climbing a ladder with four arms and four legs. Wouldn't work very smoothly would it? How would I ever sort through all my thoughts?  Should I be examining every thought?   Some thoughts were just too enticing not to follow. So down the rabbit hole I went. That answer I gave in science class really was stupid. And now everybody else knows that I really am stupid. I am stupid.  And before I know it, I absolutely believe that I am stupid.   This is a thought and a thought does not make it true.  Here's the kicker...I have a choice, I can believe this thought or not. I do have that choice.   

Thoughts are a fact of life. The question is how can I have thoughts and inner peace? Here's what I have discovered. Thoughts in and of themselves are not a bad or negative thing. Thoughts are a tool so I don't want to restrict or eliminate them. I have found that when I am aware of my thoughts (in other words I am in a conscious state), rather than allowing them to be a random thing, I can decide which thoughts I want to embrace and which thoughts I will let go of. Kind of like choosing to open an email or choosing to delete an email.  I don't need to stop my thoughts, but rather step out of them to maintain my inner peace. My body lovingly lets me know when I am out of awareness. My gut starts churning, and I know it is time to stop my thoughts and come back into awareness and I have my inner peace back. I have made the choice to live with peace.

As you take two minutes to consider peace for our world today, think about how you can become aware of your thoughts and step into inner peace.