Love

All you need is love...something like that, so the song goes. We could get a little Gershwin in here too, 'seek and ye shall find.' For some reason, the last couple of weeks, I've been all love stricken. Well, maybe that's not the right term. Just thinking about it a bit more...the thought that I need to cast a line to catch some fish. You can't win the lotto unless you buy a ticket. I haven't been actively out there hitting the bar scene or whatever you're 'supposed' to do. So I am trying to come up with some creative ways to meet some nice boys/men. It's just been on my mind I guess...sometimes I wish someone was there at the house to share the movie with on a Thursday night or just sit and read with on the couch; of course, there's the activities of leaving the house and adventuring to various places. Nonetheless, I am independent and can do these things alone, but it's fun to share it too. For tonite, since it is time for sleep, I will Let it Be.

P.S. If you haven't seen 'Across the Universe', check it out...it's a bit of a mind trip, but good music.

Personal Mission Statement

So I've been reading/listening up on Covey. 7 Habits stuff. I'm actually listening to the book on CD...I know, exciting driving material...actually, I quite enjoy it. Plus, I'm learning his material at work as well. Habit 2 - Personal Vision - Begin with the end in mind. Imagine it's your funeral (3 years from today)...what do you want people to say...who were you? Who was I? From this, he says to create a personal mission statement based on being principle-centered. It feels so big and daunting...it's not...what's important to me? Who do I want to be in the roles in which I exist? Is it really that hard?
To be honest in all facets of my life
At work, to give high quality product
To strive to live from a place of presence
Okay, I think I may struggle a bit with this...I'm going to tool around with it a little...but what a message.
You think about what you'd want people to say about your character...what would I want my family, my friends, to say about me?

Life is to Live

"The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience."

Gratitude

Wayne Dyer in "The Power of Intention" mentions this word about 50 bazillion times. Sarah Ban Breathnach talked about a gratitude journal in her book, "Simple Abundance."
For us to manifest that which we want into our being, we must always remember to be thankful for what is.

I like the idea of a gratitude journal - 3 to 5 items a day. Sometimes it could be big things and other days it's just being grateful that I made it out of bed. I started one in high school...it made mention of getting ice cream with a friend after school or going to pick out a prom dress. Well, times have changed, and the journal reads a bit different now. I'm thankful for the friendships and the food still but also sometimes just for the starry sky on an early morning walk. It's a reminder of connection to people, to nature, to form but also to the formless.

On that note, thank YOU for taking the time to read this message today :)

Relationships

Today I struggled with relationships...

A friend experienced a crisis in another city, and there was nothing I could do about it from what I sat. I ached because I could not be there. I could not comfort or express anything...how I wished I could. I tried to reach out to my friend but he detached for whatever reason. How do I deal with this? As Eckhart Tolle stated, "All you can do is create a space...for grace and love to enter." I realized tonight that I must give him space...space to sort out his crisis. He knows that I am here if he needs me. That is all that I can do.


I also experienced a situation with a relative today. For years, I've put an expectation of how I thought our relationship should be. When it didn't fit this model, let's just say there's been resistance on both sides. We have our own distance between us, but I've been resisting our relationship as it is for years. How powerful this evening to realize that I need to accept the situation as it is...be willing to forgive myself for how we've lived and be willing to forgive her. I must stay true to who I am, and she must do the same. How did I not see this before?

It's about letting go...surrendering to this life. This doesn't mean inaction but rather acceptance of the situation as it IS. One of Eckhart's quotes on this is, "I have learned to offer no resistance to what is; I have learned to allow the present moment to be and accept the impermanent nature of all things and conditions. Thus I have found peace."

Our deepest fear

This quote is originally from Marianne Williamson and was adapted for the movie "Coach Carter."

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”


Everytime I see the scene in which this is spoken, I get chills and tear up. Fear of achieving all that I ever desired...the pressure that can come with that. However, I've been learning to see this in a new way. It's the fact that I am a whole person, connected to everyone. I think the reason this hits me so hard it that I have hid for so long...I want to shine and BE. I want others to feel comfortable just BE'ing and as it says, they will let their own light shine brighter. I have to learn to let go of 'things' as well, I just can't tell you how this quote gets me everytime.
Formless, spaciousness, bright...

A Couple Quotes

"Ideals are like stars; you will not succeed in touching them with your hands. But like seafaring men on the desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them until you will reach your destiny."
-Carl Schurz


"The darkest hour is just before dawn. We cannot always fathom why something happened, but faith and love drive us on."
-My dad

The Best Things in Life by Anonymous

Falling in Love. A Hot Shower. No lines at Wal-Mart [for me, it's Target]. Laughing so hard your face hurts. A special glance. Getting mail. Taking a drive on a pretty road. Hearing your favorite song on the radio. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside. Hot towels out of the dryer. Chocolate milkshakes. A long distance phone call. Laughing a yourself. A bubble bath. Giggling. A good conversation. Midnight phone calls that last for hours. Running through sprinklers. Laughing at an inside joke. Laughing for no reason at all. Friends. Falling in love for the first time. Your first kiss. Waking up & realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep. Making new friends & spending time with old ones. Playing with a new puppy. Hot chocolate. Late nite talks with your roommate [insert friend or significant other]. Sweet dreams. Having someone play with your hair. Road trips. Swinging on swings. Going to a really good concert. Watching a movie cuddled up with someone. Song lyrics printed inside your new cd. Getting butterflies in your stomach. Sunrises. Making eye contact with a cute stranger. Spending time with close friends. Holding hands. Some things never change. Love is unconditional and stronger than time. Homemade cookies. Love Love Love!

This was in a book that I kept during my college days, and I just thought it was a nice reminder of some of the simpler things in life.