WHAT WE REALLY KNOW

"Instinct is untaught ability." 

~ Alexander Bain ~

Sometimes we know things, and sometimes we think we know things, but we really don't. Our intuition is a trustworthy guide, but it can be clouded with fears and desires, expectations, and false pride. I think if we quiet ourselves and ground ourselves then we know when we really know, and know when it's just fooling ourselves or wishful thinking. Let's make it a daily practice to tune in and turn on the truth.

I spend time in silence daily so that I can properly learn to hear my inner guide.

STOPPING WHEN WE'VE HAD ENOUGH

"Sitting downtown in a railway station

One toke over the line." 

~ Brewer & Shipley ~

Can we stop when we've had enough, or is there something in us that wants to push as far as we possibly can? To come up against the farthest limit, and see how much we can take?

     Let's learn to be reasonable, and sane. Thrill-seeking and strung-out living has its limitations and blocks us to the simple and readily accessible gifts of the day.

I embrace the sensibility of moderation.

SLEEP DEPRIVED NATION

"Sleep is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together." 

~ Thomas Dekker ~

If we're all so tired all the time, why don't we get more sleep? We could watch less television, make the decision not to do that final Facebook sweep, and honor the exhaustion that plagues us. We could get in bed earlier and feel less bedraggled when we wake up. It's our choice, and convincing ourselves somehow that it's not, that our being awake is so critical to the functioning of the world because we have so much to do, or that we need a certain amount of mindless activity in our lives to feel good doesn't really serve us. What serves us is more sleep.

I go to bed early and get enough sleep.

COMFORT IN THE UNKNOWN FUTURE

"Give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way." 

~ Native American Saying ~

Becoming comfortable with not knowing may be one of the greatest challenges we face. It seems to come so naturally to be afraid and to expect bad things rather than trusting without reservation that in the big picture all is well.

     Let's work on this. Let's catch ourselves being fearful, comfort ourselves with compassion, and turn in the direction of faith.

I am willing to welcome whatever comes.

LIVING GRATITUDE

"To live gratitude is to touch heaven." 

~ Johannes A. Gaertner ~

I am grateful for the ocean, the mountains, morning, noon, and midnight; for family gatherings and hard times that bring us together; for colors, textures, the smell of wood smoke, and laughing so hard it makes me cry. I am grateful for love, courage, optimism, resilience, renewal, and the rhythm of days to keep us keeping on.
     Life is good, even when it stretches us. Angels abound, and we always get what we need.

I recognize the good in my life and appreciate the challenges that make me grow.

THANKSGIVING QUESTION

"Let us remember that, as much as has been given to us, much will be expected of us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds." 

~ Theodore Roosevelt ~

Thanksgiving is a time to feel grateful for the harvest, and in our modern era, this may be less about bringing in crops and more about recognizing all that we have learned and gathered and accomplished since last year. Feeling grateful is always an opportunity to reflect, and we are blessed not only with things, but with intrinsic gifts- our intelligence, intuition, talents, and grace. So how we are actively appreciating these personal-to-us blessings by using them to make the world better in some way is an excellent Thanksgiving question, and one that we might all consider with honesty and care.

I use my gifts and talents to heal and improve the world. 

FAMILY DYNAMICS

"Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life!" 

~ Albert Einstein ~

Every family has its quirks, and if we stop wanting ours to be other than it is, we can actually learn to enjoy the special strangeness. We are all characters in our own way, and the mix we have by birth and marriage in our unique family situation is part of us, whether we want to deny it or embrace it. So why not embrace it, and keep our sense of humor, and enjoy the coming together this week of whoever may come?

I enjoy the characters in my family.

FOCAL POINT

"Sighs and groans are the language of faultfinders." 

~ James Lendall Basford ~

We spend too much time complaining. We complain about how tired we are, how much we have to do, how people irritate us, and all the things we disapprove of and that we have to endure. And if we don't complain out loud, we do it silently in our heads, where it reeks just as much havoc.
     What we focus on increases, so lets focus on the good stuff instead. There's plenty of it around if we will just pay attention and see.

I stop complaining and appreciate the goodness in my life.

STORY BOOK REALITY

"If you see the magic in a fairy tale, you can face the future." 

~ Danielle Steel ~

We talk about a story book wedding and a story book life, and believe this means picture-perfect, and yet, most stories tell the tale of overcoming hardship and they don't all end happily ever after. Our storybook instructs us while it entertains, and generally points to deeper truth than the one that is immediately apparent. Sometimes it's scary, and sometimes it's not what we expect, but a good story always has a moral, and our lives are no different than that.

I watch for lessons and know that every story has one. 

LIVING THE DREAM

"Go out there and do something remarkable." 

~ Wendy Wasserstein ~

Alive with ideas

Empty of fear

Using insight and ear

To steer clearly 

Proceed cheerily

Blast through doubt

And come out

Fulfilled

I live my dream. 

THE ERROR OF OUR ASSUMPTIONS

"How much has to be explored and discarded before reaching the naked truth of feeling." 

~ Claude Debussy ~

Let's stop telling people that we know how they feel. How can we possibly? We can relate what they're going through to something in our own lives, but lets not hijack their emotions as if they are par for the course and not unique to them. We all deserve the depth of feeling that comes along with the challenges of our lives.

I give people their dignity and don't think or pretend that I know how it is for them. I listen and send love instead. 

WHAT KEEPS US GOING

"I got the blues thinking about the future, so I left off and made some marmalade. It's amazing how it cheers one up to shred oranges and scrub the floor." 

~ DH Lawrence ~

Life is full of opportunity and there is no time for boredom or whining or despair. Thank God for our work, daily chores, and responsibilities. They keep us getting up in the morning and stepping into the day with a sense of purpose and the understanding that no matter what may or may not happen, life goes on.

The rhythm of life sustains me. 

BREAKING FREE OF LIMITS

"I wish that every human life might be pure transparent freedom." 

~ Simone de Beauvoir ~

Why do we limit ourselves with small thoughts? With our fears and insecurities and pain from the past? Let's break free of all of it and be the glorious, divine, heart-filled souls that we are.

I experience the lightness of being.

THE UNCERTAIN FUTURE

"The past can't see you, but the future is listening." 

~ Terri Guillemets ~

The future is uncertain because that's how it's supposed to be. If we knew what was coming from the hard side of life, we might not want to keep on, and from the blessed side of life we can't even conceive of the wonder of what may come until we've gone through all the hard stuff first. The answer is love for the process, and trust in the bigger picture, and understanding the need to do the best we can right right here and now.

I'm excited about the future and trust it to be good.

SUN MEDICINE

"What is more foolish, the child afraid of the dark or the man afraid of the light?" 

~ Maurice Freehill ~

Too much sun on our faces isn't good, but not enough may be equally detrimental. We need the warmth and the energy of it- the soothing, healing balm- especially early in the morning or late in the day this time of year when the air is chilly. We need sun-medicine for what ails us: delicious, sustaining, and full of spiritual nutrition.

For restoration and healing, I close my eyes for a moment and turn my face to the sun.

THE FLOW OF LIGHT

"Everything in the universe has rhythm. Everything dances." 

~ Maya Angelou ~

Let's be aware of the changing energy in us and in the world from morning to noon to midnight. Let's be aware of the changing light. Let's rise and shine with the sun, blaze through the day, and set quietly as evening envelopes us. Let's live as the revolving, natural, and spiritual beings that we are.

I rise and set like the sun.

THE LEARNING CURVE

"Sit down before fact as a little child, be prepared to give up every conceived notion, (and) follow humbly wherever and whatever abysses nature leads." 

~ Thomas Huxley ~

If we are willing to be patient, we can master most things, but it's not easy being a beginner and we tend to want to figure it all out in a flash. Ours is the culture of impatience and demand. We want it now, and the sooner the better. But our impatience works against us in a myriad of ways. It shuts down our curiosity and our problem solving inclinations and pushes our frustration buttons instead. And if we don't get it in an instant we are sure that we can't get it at all.
     Let's slow down and allow for the process of learning in anything new that we endeavor. It's a slow and steady climb up a long hill, but the view at the top makes every halting step worth it in the end.

I am willing to take my time learning new things. 

HONORING OUR FLESH AND BONES

"In the body, and the instincts of the body, there should be no shame, but rather a frank, joyous pride." 

~ Arnold Bennett ~

In January of 1999, my only sister took a bunch of pills and left her body lying on the floor by the wall in her apartment in Lander, Wyoming where the landlord found her three days later. She was 32 years old.
     When I saw her, she was frozen solid at the funeral home, and made-up just for my benefit. I washed the make-up off- she never wore any - and cleaned dried blood from her abdomen where they had performed the autopsy, and while I did that, I reveled in the beauty and mystique of her freshly abandoned physical form- the musculature of her, and her signature moles. The experience gave me a profound appreciation for bodies in general and hers in particular.
     In honor of all the bodies that have passed away, ashes to ashes and dust to dust, let's be sure to appreciate the ones we have, and treat them with the great care and compassion that they deserve.

I love and appreciate my body.

SHARING THE LOAD

"Those who need us give us a hold upon life." 

~ Marie Dubsky ~

We needn't suffer alone. The human journey is a shared one, and sharing it, we gain understanding. From understanding comes compassion, and from compassion, grace. That we survive at all and have the ability to bounce back from what we endure is miraculous, and our resilience and strength in the face of hardship is a beautiful thing.

We are better off when we stick together, and more alike than we may know.

WANTING TO BE THROUGH THINGS

"Patience has a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish." 

~ John Quincy Adams ~

Why is it so hard to be patient? To have to wait in traffic, or in a long line, or for answers to our inquiries or test results? We are so speed oriented and obsessed with knowing outcomes, but this doesn't make for much of a quality life- always rushing and pushing against whatever we're up against, wanting to be through it, past it, and in the clear. But the clear is fleeting at best, and having to wait for some of the time or much of the time while things unfold is a basic reality of life on earth.

I accept the stop and flow of daily life and find a way to appreciate it all.

SEE-THROUGH LIVING

"To give vent to his feelings, whether of pleasure or discontent, is a great ease to a man's heart." 

~ Francesco Guicciardini ~

We all need love, and maybe the grouchiest among us need the most love of all. We push away what scares us and lash out at those we care for the most. In this way, we live by opposition and it shows up in the wrinkles on our face.
     Let's come into alignment instead. Let's simply be real, be honest, and be exactly who we are and where we are- afraid, unsure, insecure, tired, sore- there's no need for disguise or blinders. All is always and ever as it should be, and our authenticity is the ticket to freedom.

I share my vulnerabilities and live free.

COMPETING FOR WHO HAS IT WORST

"Stress is nothing more than a socially acceptable form of mental illness." 

~ Richard Carlson ~

Life is sometimes urgent and impinging, with awaiting demands and so much to be kept together and managed. It's a challenge to maintain a sense of relaxation and calm, to be open and flowing and easy with ourselves and others. We compete for stress. Who works the hardest? Who's doing the most? Who's getting the least amount of sleep? What a hollow victory to win.
     Let's indulge in sleep instead, and slow down for real. Efficiency doesn't necessarily happen in a hurry. It happens instead with attention and great care.

I stop rushing and straining and relax into the day.