PRIDE

"Pride goeth before the fall." 

~ Proverbs 16:18 ~

I've been super jacked-up lately- one part excited, and one part on edge and under pressure. I pride myself on hard work to where hard work has become my prison. I insist upon it, and there's a cost.

     Learning to release self-imposed tension is an art, and one I'd love to master. It requires awareness, and a certain commitment, willingness, honesty, and the surrender of letting go.

I practice the art of taking myself less seriously.

FULL ENGAGEMENT

"One way to meet new people is to listen more carefully to the people you see every day." 

~ Robert Brault ~

As a general rule, we're not good listeners. We troll people's commentary like we're speed reading a book- grabbing onto words for understanding and getting the gist, but being utterly unaware of the subtleties and the rich content.
     And we respond, not by actually responding, but by grandstanding all over the few words we've picked up. This all-too-popular style of communication rather misses the point of communication at all, and doesn't make for much of an exchange.

I listen with care, engage fully in the conversation, and respond from the heart.

DROP THE AGENDA

"Our job is not to male up anybody's mind, but to open minds..." 

~ Author Unknown ~

It's disconcerting to interact with someone who has a whole other agenda at play. I've been on both sides of this coin. The discomfort comes in trying to force, or in being forced, to have things show up in a particular way.
     They show up how they show up, and being relaxed and welcoming and loving and flexible will go much further towards insuring a good time than insisting on any kind of specific outcome.

I relax and invite whatever is happening to happen.

OUT OF THE MIST

"Opportunity is a parade. Even as one chance passes, the next is a fife and drum echoing in the distance." 

~ Robert Brault ~

Opportunities exist for us that we may not readily see, and we have to be open to receive them when they show up. Our striving can blind us to the broader view. We become so focused on a particular outcome that we lose our ability to create spontaneously. But that's where greatness lives- in the unformed mist of possibility.
     So let's keep our hearts and minds open, and allow for the unknown and unexpected option that may be just the one we need to take.

I believe in inspired opportunity that arrives unexpectedly like a flash in the night.

TRUSTING THE MOMENT

"Ultimately, there can be no complete healing until we have restored our primal trust in life." 

~ Georg Feuerstein ~

Why do we long for the past, for what we don't have, and for anything other than the moment we are in? The people in front of us are right where they're supposed to be and we are too- on time, and teaching us exactly what we need to learn. Or perhaps we are teaching them. It goes both ways.
     Trust in the moment is the essential thing, and in the path, and in the plan we cannot see.

I trust each moment to deliver me exactly what I need.

THE VALUE OF ART

"Life beats down and crushes the soul, and art reminds you that you have one." 

~ Stella Adler ~

I happen to believe that color and texture and art and design are a primal need. They certainly feel that way to me.
     Considering art in any way as secondary or disposable is to do a great dis-service to the human spirit. It is essential and primary that we express ourselves creatively on the one hand, and appreciate and honor our aesthetic sensibilities on the other.

I recognize the value of artistic expression wherever it shows up in my life.

CONSTRAINED BY THE STORY OF FEAR

"Fear insults courage."

~ Terri Guillemets ~

Our fear feels like old news. It's been around forever. We are afraid of looking bad, of screwing up, of being too good, of not being good enough, of being alone, of being with others, of being misunderstood, and of being in pain. And that's just the short list. Our fear is so limiting, like emotional handcuffs.
     Let's take the key of whatever we believe in and set ourselves free.

I let go of fear. 

THE POWER OF ACTION

"The shortest answer is doing." 

~ Lord Herbert ~

We spend so much time up in our heads trying to figure things out- how it will look, how it will feel, how it will be received or rejected. But our access to power is through action. By saying something out loud to others we create possibilities, and we learn, and by doing something, our next steps are revealed.

I stop trying to figure things out in my head and take action. 

WE THE PEOPLE

"Of every hue and cast am I,

Of every rank and religion." 

~Walt Whitman ~

People are so wonderful, so different from each other, and so much the same. We laugh and play and act silly. We cry and are sad. We comfort each other. We inspire each other. We come from different cultures and appreciate different things. We have so much to teach, so much to learn, and so much to share.

     And love is our birthright, and curiosity is our connector, and compassion is our greatest skill.

I celebrate people, and love them, and share with them this life on earth.

ACTION!

"Better the devil you know than the devil you don't." 

~ American Idiom ~

We shrink from taking action and all that it implies. The unknown is a bogey-man that haunts us at every turn. The status quo feels safer, and more certain, even when it may not be. We are so afraid, so unsure. We play so small.
     Let's not. There's a risk-reward formula that never fails to play out. When we become willing to step out of our comfort zone, we learn things. We expand, and grow. It's liberating and revitalizing. Fresh energy rises within us and we are born new.

Take a deep breath, and go for it!

CREATING OUR WORLD

"Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass." 

~ Anton Chekhov ~

Words have power, and we use them recklessly. What we create in language becomes our experience. If we say over and over that we are stressed out, overwhelmed, crazy-busy, tired, or in a funk, that's what we get.
     If we change our language, we can change the world. We can be excited, hopeful, blessed, and free; or thoughtfully considering our options, or taking our time. We can feel good, be grateful, love our routines, savor our meals, and live for the day.
     Our words define us. Let's use them with care.

I respectfully honor the way that language creates my reality.

RELEASING TENSION

"Take-it-easy and Live-long are brothers." 

~ German Proverb ~

Tension is caused by indecision, overdoing, and resistance to the way things are. Pressure builds, and we feel it building and push on, against it, hoping to resolve it by a force of our will.
     But the only thing that resolves tension ultimately is the act of letting go- letting go of "shoulds," letting go of attachment and aversion, letting go of straining effort, and letting go of holding on. Easier said than done perhaps.
     It starts with noticing that we are caught up, and then, choosing to stop, consider, breathe, and re-direct.

I feel tension building within me, and let go before it takes me over.

TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT

"Although every man believes that his decisions and resolutions involve the most multifarious factors, in reality they are mere oscillation between flight and longing." 

~ Herman Broch ~

We spend endless hours in life trying to figure things out. We ask what if this and what if that. What if we move forward? What if we don't move at all? And the effort is in search of certainty. We want to make the best possible choice, the right choice.
     But maybe there is no right choice. Maybe there's only choice itself, and where that leads us- onto the next choice, and the next one, and the next.

I accept that life is full of uncertainty and choose out of curiosity instead of self-induced stress.

THE RELIEF OF LETTING GO

"Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future." 

~ Paul Boese ~

Cacti don't need much water, and geraniums need lots.

Maybe it's the same with us.

Some of us require more than others, and in different ways.

Accepting ourselves and others as we are is a huge relief. 

I stop judging others and let them be who they are. 

THE POWER OF VIDEO

"The only way to truly change our world is through compassion." 

~ The Dalai Lama ~

Real compassion can't happen from a distance. We have to get close- to see and feel and share what the other is experiencing. It requires eye contact, and conversation, where those are possible, and touch, or some other kind of human connection, where they are not. It requires that we be involved at a level beyond the surface.
     This is the power of video, and movies. They give us the ability to be there and engage our senses, to see and feel as if we are a part of what's happening, even thought we're not.

I appreciate video for the way it enlarges my capacity for compassion.

BEING TEACHABLE

"Growth is the only evidence of life." 

~ John Henry Newman ~

I think it's possible to convince ourselves that we're "good' and we're "fine" even when we may not necessarily be, as if there is some merit in not needing anything further in life, or from it. We've got it. We're all set. We don't need any more self discovery or refinement. We've done all the work we need to do. We're above all that. Or are we?
     To my mind, life is a continuous journey and the exploration doesn't end until we do. I can always learn something more about myself, about how to become more present, raise consciousness, take integrity to a new level, and fine tune my ability to be forgiving and express love.
     When I first started encountering people who honestly seemed to feel that they were "good" through and through, I thought, "What's wrong with me then?" But what has followed is the realization that their position in itself seems to limit them in a way, and there may be a blindness and inauthenticity to it, a resistance to the reality and the necessity of the forward journey, and the ongoing dance.
 

I remain open to ever higher learning and developing self-knowledge every day that I live.

FALL FRESHNESS

"Autumn repays the earth the leaves which summer lent it." 

~ Georg Christoph Lichtenberg ~

The colors and feelings of fall fill my spirit with joy, even more so than the spring. The whole spectrum of reds, yellows, oranges, tans, and ochres light up the world around us as we are bathed in crisp invigorating air and smells of wood-smoke. There's nothing like it- let's be grateful for it: deliciousness through and through!

I love the fall! 

CONNECTED AT THE ROOTS

"It is essential for us, at times, to recall and contemplate the unity of mankind." 

~ Rose Terlin ~

There is a grove of Aspen Trees in Santa Fe that are all connected at the roots. They're the largest living organism on the planet, and impressive to behold. It's provocative, and a bit humbling, to see so many trees all seemingly separate, and yet, not.
     And, knowing that, it seems entirely possible that we, as humans, might very well be growing in the same way- the only difference being that our roots are not so easily visible, or accessible.

By the fact of my being human, I am connected to all others who are also human. 

HIGH INTEGRITY LIVING

"Integrity is choosing your thoughts and actions based on values rather than personal gain." 

~ Chris Karcher ~

Such a big part of integrity is care... caring enough to take our time, to proofread emails and texts, to spell people's names correctly, to be on time, and to take good care of ourselves and our things. It's a deep well- much deeper and with farther reach than we can possibly realize or understand with a quick glance.

I live with high-level integrity and maintain it because I care. 

HUMANIZE THE WORLD

"Whether thou be a kind or a peasant, I shall remember only that thou art a soul." 

~ Muriel Strode ~

We think we are so different from each other, and we certainly have our unique features, but at the root, we all have ways we can relate. We are sad for the death of loved ones, frustrated over the demands on our time, amused by our friends, inspired by great leaders, hungry, tired, satisfied, awake, and aware.
     The trick is to find our commonality, whatever it may be in any given circumstance, and to know that when we find it, we will be uplifted by our connection, and filled with the joy of being understood.

I seek out commonalities in the people I encounter, and celebrate all the ways we are the same! 

PRAGMATIC ACTION

"Between saying and doing many a pair of shoes is worn out." 

~ Italian Proverb ~

We can be so dramatic with ourselves and others that sometimes even the idea of action of any kind feels overwhelming and we can't handle it. We don't know what to do. We're so confused!
     And yet, if we can take a step back and take a deep breath and simply look at what's in front of us, more often than not, the next step is actually clear and apparent. We don't have to figure it all out at once or know how it's going to be in the long run. We have only to look, and act, and then look again and act again- pragmatically, systematically, and free from the melodrama in our heads.

I do the next right thing, over, and over, and over, and it makes for good living, and a good life.

RECOGNITION AND RESPECT

"Next to excellence is the appreciation of it." 

~ William Makepeace ~

Why do we care about recognition and respect? Why do we want these things, and what do they matter really?

     They matter a lot. They give us validation that we matter, that our being here makes a difference in the big picture somehow, and that our contribution counts. And just as we need it, crave it really, on a level deep in the gut, so too do others, so let's give it to them, trusting that as we give, so too shall we receive.

I recognize and celebrate contribution of all kinds.

NOT MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE

"'Men work together,' I told him from the heart,

'Whether they work together or apart.'"

~ Robert Frost ~

We all want to be recognized for our unique gifts and talents, our "specialness," and we also want to feel a part of the whole. And the good news is that we can be both. We are particularly ourselves, and we are also like everyone else- not mutually exclusive, not impossible, and not one or the other.
      Let's equally honor and celebrate individually and connectedness.

I am both special and unique, and also one of many.