TIME ALONE

      We all need time for ourselves and space free from others- even from those we love. Our need for this freedom is sometimes misconstrued as our being upset or indicating the presence of a problem, but that is not the case. It is not a rejection of the people we love when we need our solitude. It is, in fact, a way that we honor the relationship by taking responsibility for our own restoration and rejuvenation. It's ok to want to be with people, but it's also ok to want the time and space to be without them.

I take the alone time that I need so that I don't spill irritable, suffocated energy all over the world.

THIS AND THAT

     I am both social and anti-social. I love people, but I need my time alone. Interacting with others energizes and drains me both. I am filled up and depleted at the same time. I am a mix of criticism and compassion, encouragement and despair, love and indifference. I am small and large, all-knowing and utterly naive. I am young and old, strong and fragile, visionary and full of fog. I am simple and complex, agitated and serene, sensitive, and tough like nails. I am yin and yang and divided and whole. And I am ok with all of this. I am ok being me.

I embrace my contradictions and enjoy the variety in me that comes from being alive.

BALANCE

     Let's be grounded energy for those who are frazzled. Let's be loving for those who are bitter. Let's be inspiration to the uninspired, courage to the fearful, hope to the hopeless, and freedom to the caged. Let's pay attention and read the signs. Instead of giving based on how we feel, let's give based on what we encounter and who we face.

I seek balance, and create it in the world wherever I can.

DISSOLVING ASSUMPTIONS

     The only way to break through the blinding fog of our assumptions is to speak up. We assume that others feel a  certain way, that they will react in this manner, or that manner. We think we know what they can and cannot handle, but we don't know, not any of it, unless we ask.
     We assume their motivations. We build resentments based on suppositions and thoughts that pass through our heads. We do not express what we feel and what we fear and then we're angry with others because of it.
     Let's have the courage to speak up and dissolve our assumptions. Let's live in the light and clarity of open air.

I am willing to question my assumptions and to communicate to others the things that I think and feel.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

    We go to doctors seeking healing, but not all healing comes from them. And sometimes, rather than filling us with hope, doctors fill us with fear and dread. There is something lonely and impersonal about so much in the medical industry these days... So let's seek out doctors when we need them, but remember that they don't know everything and can't fix all that ails us. We are wounded on multiple levels and our healing has to come from all around, and from within. Wellness is a daily practice. Let's step up and take responsibility for our part in it.

I stop mistreating myself and practice good health as a way of life.

FLAGS

     There is wisdom in the movement of flags. When there is no wind, they rest, and when things pick up, so do they. Flags frequently change direction depending on the way the breezes shift. They are always in alignment. They register each change fluidly, and with grace. They turn and swivel and rise and fall as dictated, yet stand for something meaningful the whole time. They are colorful, and intriguing to watch.
     Flags show us the direction of the wind, and perhaps, if we are observant enough, they also show us the best way to move when we have to face whatever may blow our way.

I watch the movement of flags and learn from them.

THE JOY OF SIMPLICITY

     In the house I grew up in, my sister and I could play badminton in the front hall, and we did. The ceilings were fifteen feet high, and the dimensions grand. A circle of English Boxwood stood proudly in front of the house and bordered the path to the kitchen. There was a flagstone terrace, and a fireplace in almost every room. The house was on the registry of National Historic Places and quite a grand affair.
     And yet, it didn't make us happy or healthy. Everyone in my family struggled with fear and demons, including me. It was a beautiful set-up filled with tons of tension and way short on love.
     The dimensions of my life have changed since then, and the house of my childhood is long gone and far away. The structure and the trappings are no longer at the center of things. Now, the heart is, and honesty, and simple pleasures. And it's better that way. There's less pretense and alot more joy.

I do not long for fancy living. I am happy with things the way they are.