SEEING BEAUTY

     If we look at the world with loving eyes, we can see that there's something beautiful in everyone. We have to be attentive and be willing to look, but it's there. I guarantee it. There are the things that are obviously beautiful in others- classic good looks, confidence, stature, long eyelashes, strength, femininity- whatever it is that we readily notice and appreciate. And then there are the things that not everyone can see- woundedness, a particular turn of the cheek, robust hips, a graceful way of moving, trembling speech, wisps of hair at the temple; subtleties of being- energy- something unspoken but sensed that inspires compassion in us.
     Multitudes of people are blocked to their own beauty as well as the beauty in others. They feel wretched, evil, undeserving... But it's there in us all. Even the dangerous are beautiful. Their beauty doesn't make them safe, but it exists in them nonetheless, somehow or other. Perhaps it's in the pain of their childhood story, or in the way they curl up in a ball at night when they are asleep.
     We see what we look for, so let's keep an eye out for beauty in unexpected places. Let's look for treasures in people instead of flaws; for gifts and talents instead of liabilities. If we see the beauty in others, perhaps we can truly learn to experience it in ourselves.

Beauty is a way of seeing. I see beauty everywhere I look!

THINKING BEFORE SPEAKING

     We must allow people their dignity. If we observe someone speaking in error, or doing something that we feel could use correction, we can take the time and consideration to choose our moment and our method to make a suggestion. We needn't call out everything we see. We needn't make people wrong. We can be subtle. We can be kind. We can consider the most loving approach to others and ask ourselves, "Does whatever I have to say need to be said? Does it need to be said by me? And does it need to be said by me right now?" These are useful questions.
     We can spare people embarrassment by pausing briefly to think before we speak and consider the consequences before we blurt out our opinion. Our opinion is not as important as we think it is. It's not as important as allowing another human being their dignity and self-respect.

I don't have to express everything I think. I consider thoughtfully before I open my mouth.

BALANCE AND THE THREE BEARS

     There's wisdom in the story of The Three Bears. I think we are all fundamentally like the Baby Bear. We want things to be "just right," and let's face it, they are best that way. A hot day is made pleasant by a breeze and rustling leaves. No breeze at all makes the heat oppressive, and too much blows things all over us and whips at our skin.
     Just so, too much change in our lives at one time is unsettling, but not enough feels stagnant; suffocating almost. We want just the right amount of challenge and evolution, just the right amount of growth. And just the right amount of solitude and togetherness as well; of activity and rest; of healthy foods and sweet treats. Just right is just right.
     The Little Bear is all about balance and the Middle Way; about finding comfort between the extremes. That is where satisfaction awaits us- not in excess and melodrama; not in everything to the max and pushing all limits- but somewhere centered and grounded and comfortable, somewhere balanced and in-between. We find our satisfaction in the place in the middle, that is just right... for us.

I seek balance in my life, and avoid the lopsided attraction of excess and all that is extreme.

WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK

     "I used to worry about what other people think about me, until I realized that they don't." I heard this expression years ago, and consider it often, but I still get caught up projecting onto other people. I imagine all kinds of negative thoughts they must surely be thinking about me.
     I easily accept that some individuals I encounter like me and genuinely wish me well, but there are a handful of people who I feel unsure about. I mistrust their motivations, and imagine that they have strong opinions about who I am and the way I do things. I build whole cases and conditions around a look they give me- that it means this, that, and the other thing. I think they don't like me. I think they're mad at something I said, or didn't say- that I did, or didn't do. I fret over imaginary issues and speculate all kinds of strategies to make things right.
     And then, something simple happens between us- a pleasant exchange of words, a smile, a demonstration of kindness, and I realize that my projections have been all wrong. There is no issue except for the one I've created in my mind. Which is not to say that some people don't have a problem with me. I'm sure they do. But it is never what I think, and never what I project.
     I want to remember this the next time I head off running with thoughts that someone is displeased with me, and make a decision to allow instead for the very real possibility that they are likely overwhelmed with their own life, and not actually thinking about me at all.

I resist the temptation to make assumptions about what other people think.

THINKING QUESTIONS

     What energy do we bring to the activities of our days? Do we rush through them? Are we visibly annoyed? Tired and dragging? Do we have enthusiasm? Do we smile? Do we scowl? Are we put-upon? Inflexible? Quick to anger? Do we welcome the morning and enjoy whatever happens? Or do we manufacture problems in our minds and project disasters all over our future and have a bad time? Do we experience life as hard? Are we willing to try new things? Do we complain about the status quo? Are we friendly? Cheerful? How do we approach our work, our home, our hours of daylight? Are we spending our minutes wisely? Without exception, they are non-refundable.
     Our attitude matters. Let's choose it with care.

I engage my energy with good intention and an open heart. I choose to have a pleasant day, no matter what happens.

MEMORIAL DAY

     Let us honor the fight for freedom today. Let us honor those who have fallen, and all those who have served. Let us honor the memory of our own life's battles as well, and the veteran that lives in all of us. Let us feel grateful for this day, and for courage and heroes and victory and surrender. Let us express our appreciation for the peace we so readily enjoy.

Happy Memorial Day!

PROSPERITY

      Perhaps prosperity is more of an internal state than an external one. We can have all the money we need, and everything material we could possibly want, and still feel deprived on the inside. Or we can live hand to mouth and feel abundantly blessed. Riches come in the form of good health, cozy cabins, appreciation of small pleasures, the experience of love, giving and receiving kindness, creativity, humor, friendship, and meaningful communication, as well as wopping numbers in our stock portfolios, and mansions, and memberships at private clubs.
     Fretting over money takes a lot of our time and effort. If we only had more, we think we would be happier. But happy is an inside job. Happy is a choice. Happy does not come from having more of anything in particular. It is the simple result of being kind, and being grateful. And that's fairly easy, seems to me.
     If we are alive, we have the ability to experience beauty and feelings and laughter and good smells and heat and cold and the ever-changing, cycling light. Prosperity is in the experience of life, in all of its variations. We won't find it in the bank.

Insofar as I am able to experience pleasure in being alive, I am prosperous.