STAY THE COURSE

"Intuition is a spiritual faculty and does not explain, but simply points the way." 

~ Florence Scovel Shinn ~

Stay the course and keep the faith. I find this much easier said than done. From every side and every angle doubt and sabotage await- from inside, outside, family, strangers and friends. And to be our own kind of solidarity requires vigilance, and effort. But it's worth it. Allowing others or our own internal voice of fearful insecurity to dictate our path is a recipe for failure of the greatest kind.

I trust in my calling and attend to the business of realizing my dreams.

OVER PLANNING

"Surrender to the unseen force behind all life."

 ~ Gabriella Mistral ~

Too much planning creates a kind of energetic stalemate. Trying to figure out every detail and solve every potential problem in advance has us focused on all that could go wrong instead of all that could go right.
     Every day requires surrender to the world of possibility and trust in our ability to sense and to know and to be guided down the path. And, ultimately, we can rest secure in the knowledge that no matter what, we're going to be ok.

I let go of my desire to figure everything out in advance.

GROWING EVERY WHICH WAY

"The garden of love is green without limit and yields many fruit other than sorrow and joy." 

~ Rumi ~

When I walk up the Tesuke Canyon Trail I observe that things grow all kinds of ways: straight, crooked, sideways, half-dead. There's no right way in Nature, there's just growth. So why do we think it has to look some particular way for us? We seem to want linear, predictable evolution, but growth is generally so much messier than that. It has to adapt and adjust constantly to windstorms, diseases, crowding, seasonal sunlight, floods, droughts, and whatever else life serves up.
     It may not always be pretty, but growth happens, and keeps happening. It is the elemental drive and pathway of all living things.

I accept the uneven and unpredictable nature of personal growth.

THE INSTANT GARDEN

"Haste makes waste." 

~ Ben Franklin ~

In an effort to have a flower garden out here in New Mexico, I have planted pots of flowers I liked the look of from a local nursery, and transplanted all kinds of wild growing flowers as well. But the thing is, it takes time to establish plants. In my experience, annuals are better than perennials at being happy right off the bat, but I prefer perennials because they come back!
     So what I have now is a pretty sorry looking garden with lots of flowers in shock. And some of them may not make it, and others will go through a rough-looking phase and then take hold and start to do well, and next year, all that remains will be lovely and vibrant. That's how it is with gardens. They take time.
     And I do the same thing with the seeds I plant metaphorically all over my life. I want instant results. I want the lovely garden NOW. But it takes seasons and light and the sun. It takes patience and perseverance and care. And in the end, it's totally worth it. In gardens, as in life, there's no way to rush the process of evolution. It takes what it takes.

I am willing to put in the time and effort to build something of value.

THE HIDE-A-BUG LESSSON

"God has given you one face, and you make yourself another." 

~ William Shakespeare ~

Every morning when I take a walk I encounter these big black beetles on the trail. They don't seem particularly threatening. They just make their way and walk along. But if they feel threatened, which they often seem to, they put their heads to the ground as if to bury them. It's a rather pitiable sight to see them hiding themselves like this. Here they are, these big respect-inspiring creatures, afraid of everything. My husband and I have nick-named them hide-a-bugs.
     And don't we do that too? Pretend we are less capable than we are? Shy away from things and people when we feel overwhelmed or afraid? Pretend we're asleep, or not there when the phone rings? And threatened by all kinds of things and situations where the threat is all in our heads?
     Let's allow the Hide-a-bugs to be our reminder that even when we're hiding, in some way we're still in plain sight, and choose not to hide, but to stand tall and face up, and be our glorious inspiring selves!

I stand squarely on the earth and face what's in front of me.

BEING HOME

"Everything is restless until it comes home." 

~ John Bate ~

Home is without pressure unless it's self-induced. There's no need to take things at any pace other than the one we choose, congestion is at a minimum, food is in the fridge... everything we need is at hand. And yet, how often do we miss the gratitude for having a home, for the feeling of home, and for being at home?
     Let's take a look around when we're there and re-evaluate our blessings. Let's celebrate our space and our beloved things. Let's revel in the conveniences, thank God for family and pets who love us, and linger in the quietude, especially if we live alone. Home is where the heart is, that's true, and also where the restoration happens, and the nourishment, and the sense of totally being exactly who we are.

Being home is a glorious and wonderful thing for which I am most grateful.

HONORING SADNESS

"Happiness and sadness run parallel to each other. When one takes a rest, the other tends to take up the slack." 

~ Hazelmarie Eliott ~

Sadness is sometimes an underground affair. Lingering, lurking, whispering, whining, it masks itself as anger and frustration, or whatever it chooses- maybe fear- and yet, it's just sadness: quiet and grieving some loss, or nostalgic, or wistful about missed opportunities and the way things have turned out- a kind of sweet resignation, or acute sadness for human suffering- our own, and the suffering of those we love.
     It's not bad, not needing to be banished, only acknowledged and felt and possibly expressed to an appropriate other. Being human is hard, living life is challenging, and sadness is just a part of the mix.

I honor the reality of sadness in myself and others.

INNER PEACE

"Meditation is the antidote to all the poisons of your life." 

~ Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh ~ 

Sometimes, a kind of frantic panic takes over. Calm centered living goes on sabbatical for an hour, or a day, or a week... and everything feels urgent, even though it's not. This is uncomfortable space to be in, and oh so welcome is the peace of inner quiet when it returns to us again- sometimes by our own guidance and sometimes by the inexplicable grace of God.

I deeply appreciate the space and experience of inner peace.

WHEN THE WORLD IS STICKY

"An unwatched pot boils immediately." 

~ H.F. Ellis

Some days things just don't go as we hope. It's almost as if there's a stickiness in the universe. One attempt after another fails in execution and then we get jammed up in traffic. These are tension inducing experiences, and resistance to them, while instinctual, is ultimately the wrong response. Being fluid, relaxed, and easy in our skins is what makes for a pleasant ride no matter the track.

I stay out of resistance and surrender to the flow of each moment.

SEEING CLEARLY

"It is only the long and patient road that leads to anywhere." 

~ Muriel Strode ~

Sometimes I try to force things against my gut- to push against instinct with logic, and make things happen that don't feel quite clear and right, and the result is generally poor at best. It's a lesson I seem to need to learn over and over- to tune in, to pay attention, to stop pushing my will against the weight of the world, and, ultimately, to let go and get into whatever groove is offered up. Instead of negative judgement, not liking what's happening, irritability, blaming other people- all of which are a recipe for misery, I can stop and get clear on what needs to happen, and then move towards it, not with angst, but with trust, and a deep breath.

Letting go is a need that never dies.

SHARING POWER

"What saves a man is to take a step." 

~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery ~

Expressing what feels scary to express is liberating. Speaking the unspoken shines light on it and shrinks its power. When we hide our fears and dark thoughts in silence, they grow bigger and darker. When we let them out, when we give them away with words, there exists the possibility of transformation and release. So let's gather our courage and speak up. Let's free ourselves from our secrets and self-judgment.

I share my fears and insecurities as well as my hopes. 

THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT PAYOFF

"Kind deeds often come back to the givers in fairer shapes than they go. " 

~ Louisa May Alcott ~

Generosity and gratitude guarantee good times. We can't help but benefit from giving and appreciating- both acknowledgements- in the first case of being prosperous (we have enough to share!) and in the last of being blessed- with life, and beauty, and people, and love!

I am generous and grateful. 

DISCERNMENT

"You shall not look through my eyes either, nor take things from me. You shall listen to all sides and filter them from yourself." 

~ Walt Whitman ~

We need suggestions from others on occasion, and help as well. What we don't need is to completely hand over all of our decision making power, or to cow-tow, or shrink ourselves thinking we are lesser. The thing to do with ideas is to process them through our own value system, to filter them, consider them, see how they fit and feel, and then adapt them to us, not just recklessly take them on as our own without discernment.

     We are so quick to hand over our power. Let's not be. Let's ground ourselves and be centered and responsive rather than reactive, and considering rather than controlled.

I listen, absorb, consider, and choose before I act.

FIGHT OR FLIGHT

"Good instincts usually tell you what to do long before your head has figured it out." 

~ Michael Burke ~

The fight or flight question is an interesting one. When truly faced with a real threat, which is our instinct? Which do we choose? Do we flee the scene as quickly as possible to get out of harms way? Or do we run into it to see if we can help others or stand off the foe, whatever the foe may be?
     Like everything else in life, I can see merit and validity to both sides, so ultimately, I suppose, and as with all things, it depends on the situation, and what our gut tells us, and intervention from whoever we're with, and from above.

In a crises situation, I do whatever feels right.

WE THE PEOPLE

"Only from the heart can you touch the sky." 

~ Rumi ~

Meeting new people and making new friends is a pleasure and a delight. We each have so much to offer and to learn- so much life experience and the gift of our personal perspective.
     I like people. I like their vulnerability, their humor, their changing moods and faces, and the love in their hearts.

I celebrate the gift of people!

LIFE'S REQUIREMENT

"Courage is to feel the daily daggers of relentless steel and keep on living." 

~ Douglas Malloch ~

So much  of what makes us beautiful as human beings is our vulnerability, and our bravery in the face of all that we cannot control. Living, ultimately, is a courageous act, and it serves us well to acknowledge that, and to appreciate each other as we travel the road.

I celebrate courage in facing the unknown and honor the journey of each day.

LOVE AS STRATEGY

"Gamble everything for love, if you're a true human being. If not, leave this gathering." 

~ Rumi ~

Love is the ultimate power and by it's nature yielding rather than demanding, and gentle rather than hard. And I'm not sure about "tough love" which almost seems passive aggressive in a way- being certain of what's best even if it feels harsh and brutal...    
     We can be loving and set boundaries. We can be loving and say no. Love does not preclude self-care or doing what's right- it has to do with our intention, and the energy within us as we move through the world.

I am honest about the difference between actually being loving and using love as a cover story for manipulation and getting my way.

CONTROL ISSUES :)

"There's a way of breathing that's a shame and a suffocation and there's another way of expiring, a love breath, that lets you open infinitely." 

~ Rumi ~

When we stop trying to control what we can't control anyway, there is an experience of great relief and relaxation. To let go, to stop pushing and driving and "over-efforting" is a beautiful thing. And the paradox is that as soon as we stop, energy is often released that allows what we have been pushing for all along to happen at last.

I stop insisting and demanding and allow for grace to take over.

THINKING WE KNOW BEST

"Think not because the chrysalis struggles that it is in need of you. Oh! I pray you, stay your eager hands, lest you despoil its silver wings." 
~ Muriel Strode ~

What works for others may not work for us, and what works for us may not work for others. "One man's trash is another man's treasure," and "To each his own" both apply here. Plus, our believing that we know what's best often has a hidden agenda component, and may actually be rooted in a desire to control a situation in order to alleviate our fears surrounding it.
     But maybe we're just supposed to feel the fear- to acknowledge that it's there, reaffirm our faith, and then do what's in front of us. Maybe our wanting to fix others can be resolved as simply as that.

I stop thinking I can fix other people and love them as they are instead.

KNOWING WHO WE ARE FIRST

"I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do." 

~ Edward Everett Hale ~

We have to be somewhat clear on who we are and what we're all about before we go looking for advice. Others will readily tell us exactly what we should do, and how to go about it, and the more people we ask, the more instructions we can accumulate, so we need to know what guides us, and what matters- our values, and our non-negotiables.
     And it's better, perhaps, to enroll others in our idea and let them contribute theirs to it, than to show up without any idea whatsoever and let them steer our ship.

I invite people on board, but keep my hand on the tiller.

COMMUNITY BEAUTY

"One is a member of a country, a profession, a civilization, a religion. One is not just a man." 

~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery ~

We may be able to accomplish things of value without caring for others, but the value can't endure. It's impossible to thrive in total isolation on our own steam. We need others, and others need us. And what we can accomplish together is so much more beautiful than anything that results from the solo drive.

I engage others in my hopes and dreams.

EVERY-WHICH-WAY THINGS GROW

"I learn more about God

From weeds than from roses;

Resilience springing

Through the smallest chink of hope

in the absolute of concrete."

~Phillip Pulfrey ~

There are all kinds of ways to grow- up, down, sideways, around things. Half-dead trees and bushes grow, and so do choking vines, and seedlings in pots. So there's no right way- there's just growth.
     We can trim it, tame it, fertilize it, nurture it with love- whatever we do with the growth in our lives, that's our choice. The point is to recognize that there are no limits on it, and no particular way it has to look.

I am grateful to recognize that everything living is growing in its own way.

BEING THE NEW GUY

"It is clear that the way to heal society of its violence... and lack of love is to replace the pyramid of domination with the circle of equality and respect." 

~ Manitonquat ~

At a local dog park, where dogs are allowed off leash, our dog, Boss, was the unsuspecting victim of gang violence. That's what it felt like. A big greyhound was feeling territorial, and he kept messing with Boss, and then he attacked, and before Boss could defend himself, four or five other dogs joined in and were on top of him, one of them with his jaws clamped and no letting up. It was a terrible scene. Miraculously, Boss walked away without any injury other than soreness and pride- no blood, and nothing that required emergency care. But the emotional cost was high... for us as well.

     And it occurred to me that we do the same thing sometimes to the new guy. We gather together and judge and attack- not with a gripping bite perhaps, but with stinging words and whispers. And the new guy feels as traumatized as Boss did.

     Let's not start fights. Let's extend a hand. Let's be friendly and welcoming. Let's remember that we too were once the new guy...

I remember how hard it is to be new at things and am willing to be welcoming and kind.