BEING FULLY ALIVE!

"Express yourself!"

~ Charles Wright and the Watts ~

When we are excited about something, I'm not sure where and how we learn that we should temper it and keep it constrained somewhat so as not to appear too bubbly. Why not? Our excitement excites others and spreads good feelings of possibility and hope.
     We are taught to dampen ourselves- that being exuberant is for children, and proper adult behavior is more serious than that. How dull! How droll! Let's consider the impact of years and years of squashing ourselves down- of being contained and constrained- and take back our right to authentic self-expression. Let's claim our right to be fully alive!

I increase my excitement and joy of being by sharing authentically with others. 

THE LIMITS OF NOT KNOWING

"Love what is." 

~ Byron Katie ~

We pretend without knowing that we are pretending, and act on our fears without knowing that we are afraid. Our not knowing keeps us shackled. But the moment we wake up and see - then the world becomes a playground, and each day becomes a blessing for being alive. The moment we start to pay attention, we can live honestly in each moment. We can stop making up stories and treating them as truth.

I stop creating endless meaning and let each moment be as it is.

LASER BEAM REALITY

"The struggle ends when the gratitude begins." 

~ Neale Donald Walsch ~

We complain more than we realize- about the way things are, about the circumstances in which we find ourselves, about our health, the weather, politics, and the state of the world. And by pointing out everything that's wrong, we see and experience more of what is wrong. But there's another choice, and it's simple: appreciation for the way things are, for the circumstances of our lives, for our health, the weather, politics, and the state of our world.
      We can focus on either. The good and the bad exist side by side.

I focus on what I want to experience.

WHO WE ARE

"A secret freedom opens through a crevice you can barely see." 

~ Rumi ~

Honest communication with everyone we encounter is the elixir of good living. In this way, we can connect with others at a level of authenticity that refreshes us both. It takes some courage, the willingness to be fully human, and the sincere acceptance of our own vulnerability. But the result of allowing ourselves to completely be who we are is more than worth it- it's genuine well-being, truth at the core level, and the experience of unconditional love.

I am totally real with people so they can be totally real with me.

RECIPROCITY

"My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand." 

~ Thich Nhat Hanh ~

Life is so reciprocal! When we help others become clear, we become clear ourselves, and when we create new possibilities for ourselves, we create new possibilities for everyone around us as well. And it works with negativity the same way. When we are angry, irritable, judgmental, or fearful, that's the energy we spread, and that's what it feels like to be in our company.

     So it really is true that what we send out comes back to us and what we contribute is returned. understanding this, let's be mindful of our inner space, our willingness to be open, and our intention to be free.

I am careful and conscious as I travel the road.

DELICIOUSNESS

"Science has never drummed up quite as effective a tranquilizing agent as a sunny spring day." 

~ W. Earl Hall ~

There are few things in this life as delicious to me as warm sun and a cool gentle breeze- cool enough to wear a jacket, warm enough to not need gloves. The sun, at such times, is a source of love no less than a smile, or a long enveloping hug.

I am grateful for the sunshine on still-crisp early spring days.

SECOND-GUESSING

"The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt." 

~ Sylvia Plath ~

I realized today how often I second guess myself. I do something and then I think I shouldn't have done it, or I should have done it differently. I fret over how it might be received- not always, thankfully, but often enough to impact my journey through the day.
     So next time I catch myself in the act, I'm going to stop myself and remember that what's done is done, what will be will be, and regret is a sorry waste of my time. The fresh and possibility rich future awaits.

I let the past be past and come into the purity and clarity of NOW. 

HEALING BEASTS

"I think I could turn and live with animals,

They are so placid and self contained." 

~ Walt Whitman ~

There is something centering and healing about interacting with animals. They bring us smack dab into the present moment with the sheen of their coats or feathers, the cock of their heads, the sound of their breathing, and the penetrating all-knowing gaze of their eyes.
     To be able to share this life on earth with the beauty and fascination and comfort of animals is an extraordinary blessing and an incontrovertible gift.

I appreciate the grace and authenticity of animals.

OUT AND IN

"Each of us is a being in himself and a being in society." 

~ Haniel Clark Long ~

Sharing our experience with others expands our experience, and taking time alone to process and absorb it anchors it within. There is a need in us for both- for communication as well as contemplation. We are all extroverts and all introverts in turn. We are individual and community. We are a part of, and complete as one.

I show up and share myself with others, and retreat to refresh and rejuvenate.

GETTING STRAIGHT

"When the time comes to let it go, let it go." 

~ Mary Oliver ~

Patterns of dysfunctional thinking and behaviors run our lives, the things we tell ourselves are often untrue, and the things we do often hurt us more than they help. Let's bring attention to our actions and words and be willing to leave some here and there along the wayside.

I let go of the thoughts and behaviors that are dragging me down.

JAM-PACKED LIVING

"Don't let the city steal your soul." 

~ Terri Guillemets ~

I sometimes try to fit just one more thing into a limited amount of time, and often, I successfully do just that, and feel a sense of victory for it. But then I find that it squeezes me elsewhere as well. It makes me rushed as I move into the next thing, and leaves a trail of high-intensity energy.
     And if I do that enough, it seriously affects my quality of life. Jam-packing my minutes  doesn't allow for space, and space is what's needed for appreciation. Everything I have to do will get done, whether I relax about it or create pressurized stress, so I'd do far better to choose relaxation as the option, and experience the benefits of life without constraints as the result.

I stop over-doing and allow for empty moments in my schedule and my life.

STANDING UP

"The time and place are mine when I am equal to the time and place." 

~ Muriel Strode ~

Confidence. It's important and impactful. Do we have it? Do we not? Is it possible for others to topple us over with a look or a word?
     It's not always easy to own our gifts and to stand for them. Critical voices in our heads from our past discount us and shrink us.
     Let's become aware of these voices and quiet them down. Let's rise up and stand up and be who we are. Let's wear ourselves with confidence and share ourselves boldly with the world. Let's believe deeply that we matter, and that what we have to offer counts.

I am confident in who I am.

LIVING BY CHOICE

"Life's real name is Choices." 

~ Terri Guillemets ~

Choosing has nothing to do with logic or reasoning or justification, though we may tell ourselves that it does. It has only to do with choice. We choose something as it is because we choose something as it is. There's no other way to choose it- not because we should, or because someone else wants us to, or because we think it will bring some particular result. All these conditions imply the past and the future, hopes, expectations, fears, and assumptions, and the choice happens NOW, in the moment.

     We don't have to explain our choice, not to ourselves or anyone else. We have only to make it.

I consciously choose my possibility moment by moment by moment.

THE FALLACY OF OUR THINKING

"The forceps of our minds are clumsy things and crush the truth... in the course of taking hold of it." 

~ HG Wells ~

Misunderstanding runs rampant in the world. We walk around telling ourselves made-up stories about why everyone around us is doing what they're doing, what it means, and how we should react. We experience the world through the filters of our foggy vision and our glasses du jour- not as things are, but as we interpret them.

     Let's catch ourselves creating meaning in our heads and allow for the possibility that we don't know what we don't know.

I stop thinking about what everything means and let people and situations simply be what they are.

AMPLE PREPARATION

"I could never make an impromptu speech without several hours to prepare it." 

~ Mark Twain ~

Preparation alleviates anticipatory anxiety. So does having a plan. If we control what we can and remain open to all possibility elsewhere, it doesn't take away the exuberance and little nerves in the gut, but it does allow for a steady background sense of calm.

I prepare well for each day.

THE NEED TO STOP

"Balance is the aim of all living creatures: it is our home." 

~ Rolf Gates ~

Sometimes we can have so much going on at once that it is dizzying and makes us feel flustered and overwhelmed. This is the time to stop and breathe, maybe take a walk. Multi-tasking in an ongoing way depletes us spiritually and wears us out for better things. We need a steady, prioritized, one-thing-at-a-time approach. We need common sense, and we won't find it in a ball of confusion. To find it, we have to step back.

When I am feeling overwhelmed by everything, I stop and take a break.

EASING UP

"We all go wrong by too strenuous a resolution to go right." 

~ Nathaniel Hawthorne ~

We can twist ourselves into knots trying to fix what disturbs us emotionally and figure out all the details, but if we can set a limit on it, then as soon as we let go, the situation often resolves itself. Time, distance, action, conversation- all of these things release and relax the pressure of life.

I trust in solutions beyond my own limited vision.

OLD HOUSES

"Time gives good advice." 

~ Spanish Proverb ~

New construction doesn't always feel like progress. Sometimes it just feels like more clutter on the beautiful earth- a kind of overwhelm and squelching.
     There's something refreshing and clean about newness, but it lacks the deep rootedness of what has been restored and loved over time.

I appreciate the longevity of old things, and take care of them so that the might continue to endure.

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT?

"I think in terms of the day's resolutions, not the years'." 

~ Henry Moore ~

Life can be flip-flopped at times. We make a big deal out of nothing and nothing out of a big deal. We shrug off what matters and lose our cool for days over insignificant inconveniences.
     Let's get better at getting it right.

I keep things in perspective and remain calm.

JUST ENOUGH

"You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." 

~ Mark Twain ~

It's fun to be creatively engaged in our lives, to be excited about future possibilities and full of innocence and hope, to be curious and willing to try things.
     Life is a dull roundabout unless we fill it with just enough challenge to keep us learning, just enough hope to keep us believing in our dreams and willing to work towards them, and just enough fear to keep us sharp.

I keep my life exciting by believing in what's possible and moving towards it.

THE EMPTY WELL

"Acceptance is the answer to all of my problems." 

~ Bill Wilson ~

There is no use talking sense to those whose reasoning is irrational, or trying to make someone see something that they can't possibly see, or hoping to get good customer service out of a poorly managed establishment with employees who don't care. It's better to cut bait, to let things and people be how they are, and go elsewhere.
     With reason, clarity, and good customer service, the interaction is simple, fresh, and rewarding, and without them, to do anything other than walk away is like waiting at an empty well for our cup to be filled.

Without anger or negative judgment, I accept the circumstances and people I encounter exactly as they are.