MERCY

"The quality of mercy is not strained;

It droppeth as the gentle rain from Heaven 

Upon the place beneath."

~ William Shakespeare ~

Mercy, it seems to me, is a kind of undeserved blessing. It's goodness at the deepest level and the grace of God... How many of us have stories of being desperate, afraid, and unsure, and having had something or someone come to bless us? I imagine we all do, of one kind or another, and the beauty is that having been at the receiving end of mercy, we know how it feels, and if we keep an eye out, and wait for an opening, we can be the source of it too.

I am grateful for life's mercies.

GOOD COMPANY

"Sometimes Mother Nature has the answers when you do not even know the questions."

~ Keith Wynn ~

The mountains are good company, and so are old trees; 

and moss on the woods floor, 

and butterflies, 

and the sky.

I am graced by the natural world. 

WISDOM

"The years teach much which the days never knew."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

Wisdom happens when prior experience and lessons hard learned bubble up for testing, and we pass the test.

I have learned from my mistakes. 

GUILT

"Guilt is always hungry. Don't let it consume you."

~ Terri Guillemets ~

Self-recrimination and guilt are a waste of our effort. they do nothing to move life forward, and hold us in a sticking pattern of repetitive condemnation.
     If we did something wrong we can do something about it, and if we feel badly for being who we are, we can be sure that ours is a clouded view.

I let go of guilt. 

CROWDED BEACH

"In one drop of water are found all the secrets of the oceans."

~ Khalil Gibran ~

The beach, this time of year, is a mass of humanity looking for a good time, and seeking peace together. It's a community affair. We plop our towels and umbrellas down beside each other and become neighbors for a day.

I am one among many.

THE SACRED STILLNESS

"Silence is the universal refuge."

~ Henry David Thoreau ~

Everything rises out of the sacred stillness and returns to it. 

Listen for it, and you will hear. 

Look, and you will see.

     The stillness is in the world and also in us. 

It is creative and gestational and absolutely complete. 

I am one with the sacred stillness. 

BROAD EXPANSE

"Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness."

~ Seneca ~

Mean-ness is small-hearted and petty.

Let's live in the broad open expanse of kindness instead, and empathy, and good humor, and light.

I give of myself generously. 

BEING RICH

"After a visit to the beach, it's hard to believe that we live in a material world."

~ Pam Shaw ~

Money isn't the thing that makes us rich.

It's love and gratitude and present moment awareness.

I am here, now. 

INSTANT SATISFACTION

"Have patience, my friend, have patience;

For Rome wasnt't built in a day!

You wear yourself out for nothing

In many and many a way!

Why are you nervous and fretty

When things do not move along fast;

Why let yourself get excited

Over things that will soon be past?"

~ Gertrude Tooley Buckingham ~

Our capacity for patience as a culture has been seriously diminished by modern technology. We are so familiar with instantaneous google results, and the power of communication via text, that when we have to wait for anything, we get antsy and possibly indignant.
     Everything is as it is, and no matter how vehemently impatient we may feel, patience is still a virtue, and we need it, daily, for a quality life.

I am patient. 

THE CHOICE IS OURS

"Two prisoners looked out of prison bars. One saw the mud, and one saw the stars."

~ Dale Carnegie ~

Being in a position of dependency in any way, shape, or form, wakes up my ego. It wants to assert itself and try for power it cannot have, and it does this through righteous resistance to what is, as if saying, "I don't like this situation," will change the situation, when it won't.
     The change required for recovery of peace of mind is an internal one. It's acceptance, and grounding, and breathing, and more acceptance. It's in the recognition that I am forever independent in my mind, my attitude, and the experience I choose, so even when circumstances might make me feel trapped, the only real trap is in my mind.

I am free if I choose to be. 

SELLING OUT

"Instinct is untaught ability."

~ Alexander Bain ~

We can lose ourselves so easily following other people's plans, and trying to "get it right," whatever "it" is. This one said be sure about this, and that one said be sure about that, and we are so busy trying to cover all the bases, that we have no connection to our intuitive inner guide. We doubt ourselves in favor of trends and guarantees and those who claim to know.
     But when we can get quiet on the inside, when we can get present to the moment, then our knowing seeps through, and when it does, it's effortless, and beautiful, and just what was needed, and right on time.

I trust my intuitive knowing.

PICKING A DIRECTION

"To decide is to make peace within and let the chips fall where they may."

~ Lisa Tabak ~

Decisions commit us to action and give us something to stand for and represent. When we make a decision, we set a course for ourselves and head purposefully in the direction we want to go.

I create my life one decision at a time. 

THE LIMITS OF EXCUSES

"God has entrusted me with myself."

~ Epictetus ~

Excuses disempower us. They put the responsibility for what happens outside of ourselves, which means that we are acted upon rather than actors in our lives- pawns in the game- and that might make us innocent, but it also makes us ineffective.

I take responsibility for my life. 

WHAT'S RIGHT THERE

"Nature never did betray the heart that loved her."

~ William Wordsworth ~

Glorious gifts from God that make life paradisaical are all around us: trees, sunshine, wildflowers, birds- and too often we miss them, caught up as we too often are, in our heads.

I stop thinking and experience the blessings around me.  

THE LIGHTNESS OF BEING

"Those who play rarely become brittle in the face of stress or lose the healing capacity for humor."

~ Stuart Brown ~

Being overly serious is an ailment as sure as any flu-bug or cold, and it creates a weight in life that makes us pretty sorry company for others. We live on the edge of irritation with anyone and everyone who is less heavy than we are, and feel tragically self-important.
     Let's not be that person. Let's be light and playful and dance with the changing energies and often ridiculous nature of things as they are.

I catch myself being overly serious and lighten up.

RAPID AND STILL

"Variety is the spice of life."

~ American Proverb ~

A number of years back, when I went white water rafting, the rapids were my favorite part, and I found the floating bits along still water almost excruciatingly dull. From where I sit today, I can see how lopsided my perspective was, and how black and white my thinking.
     I appreciate the smooth water and the white water equally today, and understand the blessing in them both.

Everything that happens is its own particular kind of gift. 

THE TRAP

"It is not enough for a man to know how to ride; he must know how to fall."

~ Mexican Proverb ~

It's a trap to allow things of low importance to dominate our schedules, and yet, one we easily fall into; so much so, in fact, that life has to come along every so often with a tragedy or a shock to snap us back to our proper proportions.

I remember what matters.

SKEWED VIEW

"What if when you die they ask, 'How was heaven?'"

~ Author Unknown ~

We see things through the filter of our point-of-view, which colors everything. And the judgments we make affect those around us no less than ourselves.
     Bringing awareness to this, we can learn to look differently. We can look to see what's there instead of looking for what we expect to see. There's a difference between the two, and an important one. It's the difference between love and suffering, between curiosity and dismissal, and between faith and doubt.

I open my heart and see clearly.

COLLABORATION

"None of us is as smart as all of us."

~ Ken Blanchard ~

Two brains are better than one when it comes to creative solutions, and speaking out loud solves more problems than silent stalemate inside our heads. We spark ideas in each other, and discover what we didn't know we knew through language.

I share ideas with others which makes my ideas expand!

SIMPLE THINGS

"Happiness is an occasional brief glance into how simple it all can be."

~ Robert Brault ~

We don't have to make some big crashing impact on the world to have our lives be meaningful and our life purpose be met. Being loving, being kind, breathing deeply, and doing whatever is in front of us with appreciation and grace is enough. It's the simple things that fulfill us and make life worthwhile.

I appreciate my daily blessings. 

SPILLING THOUGHTS

"Clutter is found in so many shapes and sizes. We can find it on our kitchen tables, under our beds, in our cars, and in our heads."

~ Katrina Mayer ~

The "less is more" principle can have to do with kindness, particularly as it relates to our revelation of information to others. We don't necessarily need to spill out every thought in our head, and sometimes holding back the whole truth is the most loving and compassionate approach we can take.

I choose my words with care.

BOTH AND

"God turns you from one feeling to another and teaches by means of opposites, so that you will have two wings to fly, not one."

~ Rumi ~

We long for travel and adventure, and then we long to get back home. Both have their glory and place, their lessons and comforts.
     Life is always seeking balance, so whenever we start pushing a limit a bit too far one way, we are urged back in the opposite direction. It's a perfect design, and a plan that supports our well-roundedness and well-being.

I am grateful for life's variety.