THE REALITY OF OUR DREAMS

     When it comes to my dreams, I tend to be a bit of a magical thinker. I have always believed that if I want something badly enough, and pray for it, then surely it will turn up in my life. And occasionally, that's exactly what happens. But more often, I find myself waiting for the opportunities I long for to find me. I have some distorted and magical expectation that from out of the mist will appear some individual, or group of individuals, who will make my dreams happen for me. I am not out creating opportunities for myself, but waiting in the wings for them to come to me, and feeling discouraged and disappointed when they do not come.
     I'm only just now willing to admit to my innermost self that things don't really work the way I've always thought they did. There is not some dream fulfillment angel going to come and grant me my wish. I have to be my own advocate. I have to put myself out there in the path of my hopes and say here I am and this is what I have to offer. Who will be lucky enough to participate in my adventure?
     I didn't used to think it was up to me. I thought I was supposed to stand back humbly and wait to be discovered; leaving it up to the outside world to choose me, or not, and then to determine and establish my worth,. But it's actually the opposite. I'm starting to get it. It's for me to market myself and to create my own value. It's for me to choose who's right to help me fulfill my creative vision and not the other way around.
     In many ways, I am absolutely powerless, but in other ways, I have far more power than I have ever acknowledged. I need to step up if I want to follow my dreams. We all do. We need to emerge from the illusive safety of our shadows of fear and give ourselves a real chance. Let's be willing to make mistakes and face potential rejection and criticism and misunderstanding, but keep the faith, and stay the course, and trust in the journey. Surely, we have the dreams and inclinations that we have for a good reason. But they serve no purpose at all unless we have the courage and the perseverance to move steadily towards them.

I take some small action each day in the direction of my dreams. I understand that it is up to me to create opportunities for success in my life. I'm done waiting around to be magically discovered.

DIETARY MASTERY

     Freedom from out-of-control eating boils down to a fairly simple concept. We must be honest about what and how much we eat and why we might feel a desire to overeat. And then, we must honor our feelings and give them expression and compassion instead of pushing them away with food.
     And perhaps, as much as anything, our "weight" is the state of our minds. We can feel both full and hungry at the same time. We can be thin and feel fat, or be fat and feel thin.  "Light" and "heavy" are fundamentally spiritual concepts, after all, and how we feel, and how we feed ourselves, with either abusive excess or tender loving care, matters in the big picture. Everything is inter-related; our sense of well-being, our level of exhaustion, our food choices, our happiness, our levels of guilt and shame, out triggers, our indulgences, and our misunderstandings. If we want to feel healthy and happy in our bodies and our minds we must be honest about the motivations that drive us towards better health or away from it.
     Mastery of diet and body image is not a destination point. It's maintenence and ongoing honesty, steady improvement, heightened awareness, and ever-better self-care. It's a journey. We must embrace the shadow-side of ourselves. Food choice corrections that will sustain us are not about abstinence. To live sanely in a world of vast dietary choices, we must learn to honor the connections between our feelings and the desire to eat, and remain conscious of our ultimate goal of lean and hearty living in a body that feels great.

I bring awareness to my emotion-consumption connection, and I'm honest with myself about the reality of what and how I eat.

THE POWER WITHIN

     In some way our strength and endurance has less to do with the power of our will and our muscles, and more to do with our ability to gather and engage the primal energy inside us. It is an internal drawing up of breath and focus of intention. It is determined and unstoppable. It builds and strengthens as it moves, like a plow, and does not give out.
     While brute force is combative and striking, it is limited. It's like a hard slap. It does not have the staying power of our gathered-up inner strength. And yet, we spend most of our time using just this force; trying to push at things. We slap at life. We are unsure how to make good use of the unlimited supply of power within us. We "try" weakly at things and fail. We whimper and make excuses. We are full of "I can't" and "it's too hard," but we can, and it isn't! We are powerful beyond our wildest dreams!
     Let's engage our power when we need it. Let's gather breath and build it inside of us like fire. It starts low, like a soft and steady drumbeat, and builds, and builds and builds: louder, stronger, louder, stronger. Let's amp up and explode it forth. It's possible and it's fun... to experience even an inkling of the strength that we store in our depths. It's available to us always, and as close as our very breath.

I play with the power of my breath. I gather its energy within me and experience the tremendous rise and rush of my intention as I bring it forth. It gives me a glimmer of what's possible, and I remain open to all possibility. 

GOOD POSTURE

     There's are spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical components to good posture. It requires a strong core, and self-confidence; a positive outlook, and a right-sized view of our place in the world and in relation to our fellows and to God. We are not meant to crouch and hunch. We are meant to stand upright and be joyful.
     But as we perceive life happening to us, our shoulders cave in, as if we are actually carrying a heavy load and the weight of it is bending us over. We are victims of the metaphysical weight of our lives. We curl forward in a effort to protect ourselves, and then we curl forward out of habit. But we needn't. No matter how bowled over by life circumstances we have become, we can learn to straighten up. We can stand tall and lift our chests.
     Good posture is better for our sense of well-being, better for our bones and muscles, our necks and backs; better for opportunities in life and better for relief from pain. It's better for aesthetics, visceral health, and presentation of self to the world. We look more attractive and younger when we stand up, and we feel that way too.
     If we are used to slouching, it's an awkward change at first, and we have to re-train our minds as well as our bodies, but it's doable, and definitely worth it. We have only to bring awareness to our posture wherever we are, to check in with ourselves while driving, while working at a desk, while standing, walking, cooking etc. And then stand up when we catch ourselves; lengthen our abs and lift our chests. We can change our habit. We can habit ourselves to the benefits of good posture.

I catch myself slouching and stand up. I bring conscious awareness to ever-improving my posture. It feels good to stand tall, and I'm worth it.

THE GLORY OF OUR BONES

     I have been frustrated with my elbows lately. The protruding bones seem to catch and bump on everything, and I have, more than once, considered them rather poorly designed. And yet, they bend and straighten my arms! They allow for hugs and planks and dancing and writing and lifting things. How limited my range of motion and activity would be without them. My elbows are no less than miracles of design and engineering, and my ankles and knees and hips and wrists and fingers are no less: all of my moving parts are no less!
     Let's celebrate the wonder of our joints and stop sending them frustrated, negative thoughts. Perhaps they ache a bit... but do they function? Do they move us? Let's find our gratitude. Let's be grateful for our rotators and hinges, for the hardware of our bones, and for our muscles and tendons that move them. We are flippant with our bodies. We take them for granted. We abuse them with our choices and then gripe when they react. Let's not gripe today. Let's take a moment and appreciate them just the way they are. Our bodies are fantastic and miraculous in every way!

I catch myself feeling irritated with my body and make the decision to change my thoughts. I express my appreciation instead. I appreciate the miracle of all of my moving parts.

TOO SIMPLE TO BELIEVE

     We miss life's essential purpose and pleasure by being too busy. We are too busy in our minds as well as our activities. We work ourselves into mental and physical frenzies of exhaustion and despair with the dysfunction of too much. We think too much, eat too much, work too much, spend too much, and talk too much. We figure if a little bit is good, then more must necessarily be better. We strive for more success, more understanding, more money, more perfection, more happiness, and more peace. And in our striving we completely miss what we already are and what we already have, which is more than enough to bring us all of the happiness and joy that is possible on earth. Nothing external can do it for us, not in any kind of a lasting way, and yet externals are all that we push towards- the trappings of the ego and the false illusions of materialism that appear so real.
     Everything we need, we have within us. We are already perfect. We are whole and complete just the way we are. We spend so much time trying to figure it all out, and yet, the answer is simple; so simple it utterly eludes us. The purpose of life is to live it, and the reason for being is to be. And if we truly accept that, just as it is (don't over-complicate it!) then our satisfaction is so rich and so full that it brings tears to our eyes... and we want for nothing. We are full at last! We are full to the brim with joy and gratitude and love for our lives!

I stop doubting and pushing and wanting to be somewhere other than I am. I fully accept and rejoice in the gifts of the moment.

THE UNKNOWN FOR A REASON

     It's fairly miraculous the way we get through things in life; big things, little things, scary things, unexpected happiness. Peering into the unknown future can be bothersome. It's the "unknown" part of it that is disconcerting. We feel sure that if we only knew what was going to happen that we would feel better.
     But maybe we wouldn't. I can think of numerous instances where, if I had known what was coming, I might have opted out. Facts alone can be terrifying. But life is lived much deeper than facts alone. Each experience has levels of meaning and feeling and lessons and blessings. Plus, we can change our life experience at any time by changing our attitude about what's happening. A slight shift in perspective can turn hardship into opportunity. It's all how we look at it.
     No matter how bad things seem, we are never stuck, even if we feel stuck. We can move and shake things up. We can change. We have the power to change ourselves, if not our external world, but often that as well. And we are going to be ok one way or another. We don't have to be afraid of the unknown. We can welcome it with curiosity and excitement. We can get excited about being able to witness our journey as it unfolds.
     The unexpected doesn't have to freak us out. When faced with seemingly insurmountable situations, we can watch and wait and be amazed as everything works itself out the way it always does, and restores to balance yet again. We grow in spurts, and then we settle in. That's the rhythm and the stretch and the dance of life.

I am at peace with the unknown. I welcome the adventure of my future and know that no matter what happens, I'm going to be ok.