I recently returned from presenting a workshop in Cincinnati, and when I pulled up to the parking attendant's booth at the airport, I handed him my ticket and he flashed me a huge grin and said, "Hello! That'll be $30.50."
"$30.50?" I echoed, incredulous. "I was only here for 24 hours. I just want to pay for parking-I don't want to buy the place!"
He laughed and said, "Yep, it's $30.50 for 24 hours' parking. So how was your trip? Did you have a good time?"
I was still in a bit of shock at the price, but he was being so friendly that any temptation I had to become frustrated started to fade away. I chatted with him a little about my trip, asked him about his day, and paid my bill, feeling a lot better than I probably would have if he hadn't been so nice.
Now, some people might say that this gentleman had a right to be unhappy and cranky, after all, his job probably isn't always very pleasant. He has to deal with grouchy people who resent paying $30.50 for 24 hours' parking, he has to work in a closed space without much opportunity to move around or get visual stimulation, and he probably doesn't make all that much money. Yet this fellow was giving value unconditionally, without an obvious or immediate payback for doing so.
What he understood, which I try to help others understand, is that the more value you offer unconditionally, the more abundance you'll enjoy. Giving with strings attached creates feelings of fear (What if I don't get a return on what I give?) and lack (I don't have enough to justify giving to others without a clear benefit to me). Giving unconditionally creates feelings of abundance.
People who feel wealthy and blessed and who bring value to their jobs regardless of their pay let the Universe know that they're ready to receive even more wealth. They may get a raise or an unexpected windfall, or they could attract the attention of someone who wants to hire them for a better job. As I drove away from that parking garage, I thought about how much value and enthusiasm that gentleman brings to his work if he is able to deal with grumpy customers all day long and by early evening still have joy to share with others. I thought, I would like to hire that fellow! I wouldn't be at all surprised if he gets a promotion, a raise, or a more lucrative position somewhere, and I imagine that he leads a rich and abundant life outside of his job.
When you give value unconditionally, you'll receive it in return-and the more you give, the more value and abundance you'll receive. People, who offer the minimal amount at their job, always rushing out the door at exactly 5 p.m. and never showing any initiative, are missing the opportunity to create abundance or value and reap the benefits.
There are many ways to offer value. My husband, son, and I live next to a golf course. At the end of the week, Michel will gather up all of the balls in our yard, put them in egg cartons, and sell them to golfers at a fraction of the cost of new ones. When he approaches a potential customer, he'll give them a free ball. Whether or not they decide to buy a dozen from him, this ball is theirs to keep. The golfers feel positive about him and are more inspired to buy a box from him, if not today, then sometime in the future.
You can offer value through creative ideas, suggestions for how to make your company work more efficiently, enthusiasm that inspires others, hard work, diligence and attention to detail, and going the extra mile in a crisis.
If you're thinking of finding different work, or you've been considering making a change for a long time but feel paralyzed and unsure of what to do next, start by creating positive feelings so that you can access your passion and creativity. You'll get clarity about what you want to do next and avoid making the kind of mistakes we commit when we operate from negative feelings such as fear and lack. You won't jump from one unrewarding job to the next; instead, you'll find new, better opportunities opening up for you in response to the feelings of abundance, enthusiasm, and worthiness you've created. You'll recognize your beneficial purpose, value it, and attract more resources and wealth by giving unconditionally, letting your abundance flow into the Universe, and opening yourself to receive.
Peggy McColl
Monday, October 17, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Steve Jobs' Love Story
Steve Jobs gave this as his second story of his Commencement Address at Stanford University on June 12, 2005.
Love and Loss
I was lucky. I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation - the Macintosh - a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started?
Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.
I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me - I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.
I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.
During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT.
I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.
I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple.It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers.
Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking.
Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.
Steve Jobs
Love and Loss
I was lucky. I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation - the Macintosh - a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started?
Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.
I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me - I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.
I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.
During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT.
I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.
I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple.It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers.
Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking.
Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.
Steve Jobs
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Inspirational Words for You
If you make mistakes, even serious ones,
there is always another chance for you.
What we call failure is not the falling down,
but the staying down. ~ Mary Pickford
If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant.
If we did not taste adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.
~ Anne Bradstreet
When you cease to dream you cease to live. ~ Malcolm Forbes
Most of the important things in the world have been
accomplished by people who have kept on trying
when there seemed to be no hope at all. ~ Dale Carnegie
Whether you think you can or you can't, either way you are right.
~Henry Ford
Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.
~ Helen Keller
The way that I see it.
If you want the rainbow, you have to put up with the rain.
~ Dolly Parton
It is never too late to be what you might have been. George Elliot
The whole point of being alive is to evolve into the
complete person you were intended to be. ~ Oprah Winfrey
It is not because things are difficult, that we do not dare.
It is because we do not dare, that they are difficult.
~ Seneca
Have a blessed day.
there is always another chance for you.
What we call failure is not the falling down,
but the staying down. ~ Mary Pickford
If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant.
If we did not taste adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.
~ Anne Bradstreet
When you cease to dream you cease to live. ~ Malcolm Forbes
Most of the important things in the world have been
accomplished by people who have kept on trying
when there seemed to be no hope at all. ~ Dale Carnegie
Whether you think you can or you can't, either way you are right.
~Henry Ford
Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.
~ Helen Keller
The way that I see it.
If you want the rainbow, you have to put up with the rain.
~ Dolly Parton
It is never too late to be what you might have been. George Elliot
The whole point of being alive is to evolve into the
complete person you were intended to be. ~ Oprah Winfrey
It is not because things are difficult, that we do not dare.
It is because we do not dare, that they are difficult.
~ Seneca
Have a blessed day.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Do We Fight or Do We Listen?
The train clanked and rattled through the suburbs of Tokyo on a drowsy spring afternoon. Our car was comparatively empty - a few housewives with their kids in tow, some old folks going shopping. I gazed absently at the drab houses and dusty hedgerows.
At one station the doors opened, and suddenly the afternoon quiet was shattered by a man bellowing violent, incomprehensible curses. The man staggered into our car. He wore laborer's clothing, and he was big, drunk, and dirty. Screaming, he swung at a woman holding a baby. The blow sent her spinning into the laps of an elderly couple. It was a miracle that she was unharmed.
Terrified, the couple jumped up and scrambled toward the other end of the car. The laborer aimed a kick at the retreating back of the old woman but missed as she scuttled to safety. This so enraged the drunk that he grabbed the metal pole in the center of the car and tried to wrench it out of its stanchion. I could see that one o f his hands was cut and bleeding. The train lurched ahead, the passengers frozen with fear. I stood up.
I was young then, some 20 years ago, and in pretty good shape. I'd been putting in a solid eight hours of aikido training nearly every day for the past three years. I like to throw and grapple. I thought I was tough. Trouble was, my martial skill was untested in actual combat. As students of aikido, we were not allowed to fight.
"Aikido," my teacher had said again and again, "is the art of reconciliation. Whoever has the mind to fight has broken his connection with the universe. If you try to dominate people, you are already defeated. We study how to resolve conflict, not how to start it."
I listened to his words. I tried hard. I even went so far as to cross the street to avoid the chimpira, the pinball punks who lounged around the train stations. My forbearance exalted me. I felt both tough and holy. In my heart, however, I wanted an absolutely legiti mate opportunity whereby I might save the innocent by destroying the guilty.
This is it! I said to myself, getting to my feet. People are in danger and if I don't do something fast, they will probably get hurt. Seeing me stand up, the drunk recognized a chance to focus his rage.
"Aha!" He roared. "A foreigner! You need a lesson in Japanese manners!"
I held on lightly to the commuter strap overhead and gave him a slow look of disgust and dismissal. I planned to take this turkey apart, but he had to make the first move. I wanted him mad, so I pursed my lips and blew him an insolent kiss.
"All right! He hollered. "You're gonna get a lesson." He gathered himself for a rush at me.
A split second before he could move, someone shouted "Hey!" It was earsplitting. I remember the strangely joyous, lilting quality of it - as though you and a friend had been searching diligently for something, and he suddenly stumbled upon it.
"Hey!" I wheeled t o my left; the drunk spun to his right. We both stared down at a little old Japanese man. He must have been well into his seventies, this tiny gentleman, sitting there immaculate in his kimono. He took no notice of me, but beamed delightedly at the laborer, as though he had a most important, most welcome secret to share.
"C'mere," the old man said in an easy vernacular, beckoning to the drunk. "C'mere and talk with me."
He waved his hand lightly. The big man followed, as if on a string. He planted his feet belligerently in front of the old gentleman, and roared above the clacking wheels,
"Why the hell should I talk to you?"
The drunk now had his back to me. If his elbow moved so much as a millimeter, I'd drop him in his socks. The old man continued to beam at the laborer.
"What'cha been drinkin'?" he asked, his eyes sparkling with interest.
"I been drinkin' sake," the laborer bellowed back, "and it's none of your business!" Flecks of spittle spattered the old man.
"Ok, that's wonderful," the old man said, "absolutely wonderful! You see, I love sake too. Every night, me and my wife (she's 76, you know), we warm up a little bottle of sake and take it out into the garden, and we sit on an old wooden bench. We watch the sun go down, and we look to see how our persimmon tree is doing."
He looked up at the laborer, eyes twinkling. As he struggled to follow the old man's conversation, the drunk's face began to soften. His fists slowly unclenched.
"Yeah," he said. "I love persimmons too." His voice trailed off.
"Yes," said the old man, smiling, "and I'm sure you have a wonderful wife."
"No," replied the laborer. "My wife died." Very gently, swaying with the motion of the train, the big man began to sob. "I don't got no wife, I don't got no home, I don't got no job. I am so ashamed of myself." Tears rolled down his cheeks; a spasm of despair rippled through his body.
Now it was my turn. Standing there in well-scrubbed youthful innocence, my make-this-world-safe-for-democracy righteousness, I suddenly felt dirtier than he was. Then the train arrived at my stop. As the doors opened, I heard the old man cluck sympathetically.
"My, my," he said, "that is a difficult predicament, indeed. Sit down here and tell me about it."
I turned my head for one last look. The laborer was sprawled on the seat, his head in the old man's lap. The old man was softly stroking the filthy, matted hair.
As the train pulled away, I sat down on a bench. What I had wanted to do with muscle had been accomplished with kind words. I had just seen aikido tried in combat, and the essence of it was love. I would have to practice the art with an entirely different spirit. It would be a long time before I could speak about the resolution of conflict.
Terry Dobson
At one station the doors opened, and suddenly the afternoon quiet was shattered by a man bellowing violent, incomprehensible curses. The man staggered into our car. He wore laborer's clothing, and he was big, drunk, and dirty. Screaming, he swung at a woman holding a baby. The blow sent her spinning into the laps of an elderly couple. It was a miracle that she was unharmed.
Terrified, the couple jumped up and scrambled toward the other end of the car. The laborer aimed a kick at the retreating back of the old woman but missed as she scuttled to safety. This so enraged the drunk that he grabbed the metal pole in the center of the car and tried to wrench it out of its stanchion. I could see that one o f his hands was cut and bleeding. The train lurched ahead, the passengers frozen with fear. I stood up.
I was young then, some 20 years ago, and in pretty good shape. I'd been putting in a solid eight hours of aikido training nearly every day for the past three years. I like to throw and grapple. I thought I was tough. Trouble was, my martial skill was untested in actual combat. As students of aikido, we were not allowed to fight.
"Aikido," my teacher had said again and again, "is the art of reconciliation. Whoever has the mind to fight has broken his connection with the universe. If you try to dominate people, you are already defeated. We study how to resolve conflict, not how to start it."
I listened to his words. I tried hard. I even went so far as to cross the street to avoid the chimpira, the pinball punks who lounged around the train stations. My forbearance exalted me. I felt both tough and holy. In my heart, however, I wanted an absolutely legiti mate opportunity whereby I might save the innocent by destroying the guilty.
This is it! I said to myself, getting to my feet. People are in danger and if I don't do something fast, they will probably get hurt. Seeing me stand up, the drunk recognized a chance to focus his rage.
"Aha!" He roared. "A foreigner! You need a lesson in Japanese manners!"
I held on lightly to the commuter strap overhead and gave him a slow look of disgust and dismissal. I planned to take this turkey apart, but he had to make the first move. I wanted him mad, so I pursed my lips and blew him an insolent kiss.
"All right! He hollered. "You're gonna get a lesson." He gathered himself for a rush at me.
A split second before he could move, someone shouted "Hey!" It was earsplitting. I remember the strangely joyous, lilting quality of it - as though you and a friend had been searching diligently for something, and he suddenly stumbled upon it.
"Hey!" I wheeled t o my left; the drunk spun to his right. We both stared down at a little old Japanese man. He must have been well into his seventies, this tiny gentleman, sitting there immaculate in his kimono. He took no notice of me, but beamed delightedly at the laborer, as though he had a most important, most welcome secret to share.
"C'mere," the old man said in an easy vernacular, beckoning to the drunk. "C'mere and talk with me."
He waved his hand lightly. The big man followed, as if on a string. He planted his feet belligerently in front of the old gentleman, and roared above the clacking wheels,
"Why the hell should I talk to you?"
The drunk now had his back to me. If his elbow moved so much as a millimeter, I'd drop him in his socks. The old man continued to beam at the laborer.
"What'cha been drinkin'?" he asked, his eyes sparkling with interest.
"I been drinkin' sake," the laborer bellowed back, "and it's none of your business!" Flecks of spittle spattered the old man.
"Ok, that's wonderful," the old man said, "absolutely wonderful! You see, I love sake too. Every night, me and my wife (she's 76, you know), we warm up a little bottle of sake and take it out into the garden, and we sit on an old wooden bench. We watch the sun go down, and we look to see how our persimmon tree is doing."
He looked up at the laborer, eyes twinkling. As he struggled to follow the old man's conversation, the drunk's face began to soften. His fists slowly unclenched.
"Yeah," he said. "I love persimmons too." His voice trailed off.
"Yes," said the old man, smiling, "and I'm sure you have a wonderful wife."
"No," replied the laborer. "My wife died." Very gently, swaying with the motion of the train, the big man began to sob. "I don't got no wife, I don't got no home, I don't got no job. I am so ashamed of myself." Tears rolled down his cheeks; a spasm of despair rippled through his body.
Now it was my turn. Standing there in well-scrubbed youthful innocence, my make-this-world-safe-for-democracy righteousness, I suddenly felt dirtier than he was. Then the train arrived at my stop. As the doors opened, I heard the old man cluck sympathetically.
"My, my," he said, "that is a difficult predicament, indeed. Sit down here and tell me about it."
I turned my head for one last look. The laborer was sprawled on the seat, his head in the old man's lap. The old man was softly stroking the filthy, matted hair.
As the train pulled away, I sat down on a bench. What I had wanted to do with muscle had been accomplished with kind words. I had just seen aikido tried in combat, and the essence of it was love. I would have to practice the art with an entirely different spirit. It would be a long time before I could speak about the resolution of conflict.
Terry Dobson
Monday, October 3, 2011
The Courage Prayer by Mother Teresa
There is a light that beckons you forward and it comes from within
you. Embrace it.
Don't try to hide in the shadow of fear it casts behind you.
For if you are committed to finding the courage to live with an open
heart, there is no greater way to love others, or to love yourself, than to
fulfill your unique potential, to express your unique greatness and to
become the unique leader you have it within you to become.
Finding the courage to be a leader and touch the lives of others in
ways that only you can do, is the most profound act of love, and
service, and significance.
Dare to want more from your life and to dig deeper into yourself to
experience its mystery, its richness, and its sacredness more fully.
For when you do so you will see with greater clarity just how
universal we all are.
And sensing that we are all part of a bigger whole, you will come to
know, perhaps for the first time, that your life is truly holy, and
that it is not just your responsibility to honor the sacred within
you, but your obligation.
This is the truth that speaks from my heart.
I invite you to open yours to receive it.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
you. Embrace it.
Don't try to hide in the shadow of fear it casts behind you.
For if you are committed to finding the courage to live with an open
heart, there is no greater way to love others, or to love yourself, than to
fulfill your unique potential, to express your unique greatness and to
become the unique leader you have it within you to become.
Finding the courage to be a leader and touch the lives of others in
ways that only you can do, is the most profound act of love, and
service, and significance.
Dare to want more from your life and to dig deeper into yourself to
experience its mystery, its richness, and its sacredness more fully.
For when you do so you will see with greater clarity just how
universal we all are.
And sensing that we are all part of a bigger whole, you will come to
know, perhaps for the first time, that your life is truly holy, and
that it is not just your responsibility to honor the sacred within
you, but your obligation.
This is the truth that speaks from my heart.
I invite you to open yours to receive it.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Don't Put Off Till Tomorrow.
"Five more minutes," I screamed at my mother as she always tried to awaken me from bed to go to school every morning.
It was a morning ritual. That "5 minutes" would inevitably turn into 10 minutes, which would then turn into 15, then . or, if one does not have a "willing, gullible mother" there's always the clock radio with the ever powerful snooze button. (Why do they have them anyway?)
It's a common habit for many, many people to always "push the snooze button," or more simply put, "procrastinate." I guess I learned the hard way that "procrastination is not the best way to do things and get them accomplished."
In high school I was always "putting things off" or procrastinating. It did not seem to matter, as I was always making great grades, but always pushing it to the limits. If I had a huge final, it did not matter as, apparently, "God would always watch out for me in high school" because I would always (barely, but always) get the work done. That's how I "preferred" it (I thought); I thought I was invincible; at least in regard to my procrastinating ways.
That method of studying seemed to work well as a freshman in college also, as well as the first semester of my sophomore year. I even procrastinated on one of my first semester sophomore finals, not taking exams until after the Christmas break. I did well and thought again: "Procrastination did not hurt me at all." However, very soon I learned life was not so easy, as two weeks after I took that "make up final" my entire life changed forever, as well as my desire to procrastinate.
I was seriously injured, suffering a traumatic brain injury. Most physicians and lay people did not believe I would survive, much less return to college, much less be a functioning member of society ever again. It was not easy. However, I have learned life is not supposed to be easy. Eighteen months after almost losing my life and spending those months in painful therapy I returned to college. Back at college I could now not "skip" my classes as I previously had. My traumatic brain injury obligated me to work hard in order to comprehend the material, and that meant attending all classes and lectures.
However, after four years back at college I graduated at the top of my class with many honors. Smiling and limping as I crossed the stage to accept my diploma from the dean, I realized that all my painful and difficult work was worth everything, as, again, I realized that "anything in life that's worth doing, rarely comes easily." As I accepted the diploma from the dean I chuckled inwardly as I asked myself, "What's procrastination?"
However, years later, I learned another lesson in regard to procrastination.
My family was going to my cousin's wedding in New York City in the late 1990s. Our hotel was directly across the street from the World Trade Towers. I thought about climbing all the stairs to the top (for exercise; to set a "goal"; and simply because I wanted to prove that I could do it). Looking from my hotel room at one of the "Towers" I thought, "It's already getting close to the time when we have to get ready for the wedding, plus, the "Towers" will be there when I return on another trip."
Little could I ever imagine what would happen on September 11, 2001, and that the Towers would NOT be there for a return trip.
Looking back, I realize what might happen when one "puts off for another day" what he can do today. Sometimes the tomorrows never come about. One should never put off until tomorrow what one can do today: climbing a skyscraper, saying you love someone, visiting friends in a hospital. They are all important. One never knows what the future holds in store for you. That is why if you look in the dictionary you will find a definition as "right now" for "present." No one knows what the future will be.
The present is a gift -- that is why it is called "present" -- it's a gift to you -- remember that and live life accordingly.
©2009 by Michael Jordan
It was a morning ritual. That "5 minutes" would inevitably turn into 10 minutes, which would then turn into 15, then . or, if one does not have a "willing, gullible mother" there's always the clock radio with the ever powerful snooze button. (Why do they have them anyway?)
It's a common habit for many, many people to always "push the snooze button," or more simply put, "procrastinate." I guess I learned the hard way that "procrastination is not the best way to do things and get them accomplished."
In high school I was always "putting things off" or procrastinating. It did not seem to matter, as I was always making great grades, but always pushing it to the limits. If I had a huge final, it did not matter as, apparently, "God would always watch out for me in high school" because I would always (barely, but always) get the work done. That's how I "preferred" it (I thought); I thought I was invincible; at least in regard to my procrastinating ways.
That method of studying seemed to work well as a freshman in college also, as well as the first semester of my sophomore year. I even procrastinated on one of my first semester sophomore finals, not taking exams until after the Christmas break. I did well and thought again: "Procrastination did not hurt me at all." However, very soon I learned life was not so easy, as two weeks after I took that "make up final" my entire life changed forever, as well as my desire to procrastinate.
I was seriously injured, suffering a traumatic brain injury. Most physicians and lay people did not believe I would survive, much less return to college, much less be a functioning member of society ever again. It was not easy. However, I have learned life is not supposed to be easy. Eighteen months after almost losing my life and spending those months in painful therapy I returned to college. Back at college I could now not "skip" my classes as I previously had. My traumatic brain injury obligated me to work hard in order to comprehend the material, and that meant attending all classes and lectures.
However, after four years back at college I graduated at the top of my class with many honors. Smiling and limping as I crossed the stage to accept my diploma from the dean, I realized that all my painful and difficult work was worth everything, as, again, I realized that "anything in life that's worth doing, rarely comes easily." As I accepted the diploma from the dean I chuckled inwardly as I asked myself, "What's procrastination?"
However, years later, I learned another lesson in regard to procrastination.
My family was going to my cousin's wedding in New York City in the late 1990s. Our hotel was directly across the street from the World Trade Towers. I thought about climbing all the stairs to the top (for exercise; to set a "goal"; and simply because I wanted to prove that I could do it). Looking from my hotel room at one of the "Towers" I thought, "It's already getting close to the time when we have to get ready for the wedding, plus, the "Towers" will be there when I return on another trip."
Little could I ever imagine what would happen on September 11, 2001, and that the Towers would NOT be there for a return trip.
Looking back, I realize what might happen when one "puts off for another day" what he can do today. Sometimes the tomorrows never come about. One should never put off until tomorrow what one can do today: climbing a skyscraper, saying you love someone, visiting friends in a hospital. They are all important. One never knows what the future holds in store for you. That is why if you look in the dictionary you will find a definition as "right now" for "present." No one knows what the future will be.
The present is a gift -- that is why it is called "present" -- it's a gift to you -- remember that and live life accordingly.
©2009 by Michael Jordan
Thursday, September 15, 2011
An Open Letter to Your Soul
What now, my friend?
You've come this far. Behind you, your victories have piled up. You did all those things that you once thought that you could not do. You found courage in the most intimidating of circumstances. And you found friends and encouragement in the most unlikely of places.
You've built what could not be built and you've traveled roads reserved only for you.
Treachery, humiliation, betrayal and defeat have dogged your path but today--you're still a warrior, still walking your path, and still noble to your creed.
Your adventures have taken you far. They've shaped and reshaped you over the long years. Sometimes it even seems that you've had many incarnations in your singular life.
But still, but still ...
It's waiting for you ...
That one special thing that you must do to become who you really feel you are inside.
I know it's been difficult, and you're weary.
But still, but still ...
Don't you see... it's there, deep inside of you, in the center of your feelings, in the heart of your heart. It's a small thing, a flicker of a hope, a tendril of desire. But it's you, and it wants to come into the world and be recognized.
I know you've done well. Your inner demons, for the most part, have been subdued. And the world that you've made around you and the relationships that you've forged and the career that you've molded and the learning that you've mastered make you much better than you've ever been before.
But still, but still ...
Perhaps you think it doesn't matter and that you don't have to liberate this secret dream that you've nourished in your heart despite all the logic for it existing.
Perhaps you think that the world doesn't really need it anyway.
But if you don't do it... and if you don't make it happen... and if you don't wake up today and seize the moment... something will always be missing.
The world needs your dream. You need your dream. Don't let it slip away.
Somebody somewhere is waiting for it to happen.
A whole chain of universal causation is waiting to unfold... but cannot, because you keep this secret hope locked so deep inside, so tightly sealed from the light of your own acknowledgement that sometimes you can even fool yourself into believing that it's not there.
But in the still small hours of the night, when all your distractions have fallen asleep... you'll find it waiting for you, as discontent as a child calling for its mother.
How long can you keep denying the power within?
The climate will never be hospitable. Your friends will never understand. And your resources will never be adequate. Yet, somehow, these are the most dangerous of dreams.
Listen ...
Once upon a time, Mahatma Gandhi, surrounded by the might of the British Empire, dared to dream of freedom.
Once upon a time, Martin Luther King, surrounded by historically-embedded racism, dared to dream of the equality of all beings regardless of their complexion.
And once upon a time, Nelson Mandela, sick and imprisoned, surrounded by nothing but oppression, dared to dream of a different world.
You, too, have greatness inside of you.
There is something inside you that is so magnificent that if you were to let it out, the entire world would stop and stare in awe. And from that moment on, everything would be different, the broad river of history, itself, would be altered and even the consciousness of humankind would be shifted.
How big is your dream? How magnificent is your soul?
Before you go to bed tonight, ask yourself this question:
What can one person do to change the world and make it better for all human kind?
How much longer will you endure the petty and the mundane? Is your dream worth so little to you that you would rather squander your whole life away rather than finding a way to make it happen? A magnificent soul is never intimidated by consensus reality.
The world needs your gift. Will you deny it?
by Saleem Rana
You've come this far. Behind you, your victories have piled up. You did all those things that you once thought that you could not do. You found courage in the most intimidating of circumstances. And you found friends and encouragement in the most unlikely of places.
You've built what could not be built and you've traveled roads reserved only for you.
Treachery, humiliation, betrayal and defeat have dogged your path but today--you're still a warrior, still walking your path, and still noble to your creed.
Your adventures have taken you far. They've shaped and reshaped you over the long years. Sometimes it even seems that you've had many incarnations in your singular life.
But still, but still ...
It's waiting for you ...
That one special thing that you must do to become who you really feel you are inside.
I know it's been difficult, and you're weary.
But still, but still ...
Don't you see... it's there, deep inside of you, in the center of your feelings, in the heart of your heart. It's a small thing, a flicker of a hope, a tendril of desire. But it's you, and it wants to come into the world and be recognized.
I know you've done well. Your inner demons, for the most part, have been subdued. And the world that you've made around you and the relationships that you've forged and the career that you've molded and the learning that you've mastered make you much better than you've ever been before.
But still, but still ...
Perhaps you think it doesn't matter and that you don't have to liberate this secret dream that you've nourished in your heart despite all the logic for it existing.
Perhaps you think that the world doesn't really need it anyway.
But if you don't do it... and if you don't make it happen... and if you don't wake up today and seize the moment... something will always be missing.
The world needs your dream. You need your dream. Don't let it slip away.
Somebody somewhere is waiting for it to happen.
A whole chain of universal causation is waiting to unfold... but cannot, because you keep this secret hope locked so deep inside, so tightly sealed from the light of your own acknowledgement that sometimes you can even fool yourself into believing that it's not there.
But in the still small hours of the night, when all your distractions have fallen asleep... you'll find it waiting for you, as discontent as a child calling for its mother.
How long can you keep denying the power within?
The climate will never be hospitable. Your friends will never understand. And your resources will never be adequate. Yet, somehow, these are the most dangerous of dreams.
Listen ...
Once upon a time, Mahatma Gandhi, surrounded by the might of the British Empire, dared to dream of freedom.
Once upon a time, Martin Luther King, surrounded by historically-embedded racism, dared to dream of the equality of all beings regardless of their complexion.
And once upon a time, Nelson Mandela, sick and imprisoned, surrounded by nothing but oppression, dared to dream of a different world.
You, too, have greatness inside of you.
There is something inside you that is so magnificent that if you were to let it out, the entire world would stop and stare in awe. And from that moment on, everything would be different, the broad river of history, itself, would be altered and even the consciousness of humankind would be shifted.
How big is your dream? How magnificent is your soul?
Before you go to bed tonight, ask yourself this question:
What can one person do to change the world and make it better for all human kind?
How much longer will you endure the petty and the mundane? Is your dream worth so little to you that you would rather squander your whole life away rather than finding a way to make it happen? A magnificent soul is never intimidated by consensus reality.
The world needs your gift. Will you deny it?
by Saleem Rana
Thursday, September 8, 2011
The Courage Prayer by Mother Teresa
There is a light that beckons you forward and it comes from within
you. Embrace it.
Don't try to hide in the shadow of fear it casts behind you.
For if you are committed to finding the courage to live with an open
heart, there is no greater way to love others, or to love yourself, than to
fulfill your unique potential, to express your unique greatness and to
become the unique leader you have it within you to become.
Finding the courage to be a leader and touch the lives of others in
ways that only you can do, is the most profound act of love, and
service, and significance.
Dare to want more from your life and to dig deeper into yourself to
experience its mystery, its richness, and its sacredness more fully.
For when you do so you will see with greater clarity just how
universal we all are.
And sensing that we are all part of a bigger whole, you will come to
know, perhaps for the first time, that your life is truly holy, and
that it is not just your responsibility to honor the sacred within
you, but your obligation.
This is the truth that speaks from my heart.
I invite you to open yours to receive it.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
you. Embrace it.
Don't try to hide in the shadow of fear it casts behind you.
For if you are committed to finding the courage to live with an open
heart, there is no greater way to love others, or to love yourself, than to
fulfill your unique potential, to express your unique greatness and to
become the unique leader you have it within you to become.
Finding the courage to be a leader and touch the lives of others in
ways that only you can do, is the most profound act of love, and
service, and significance.
Dare to want more from your life and to dig deeper into yourself to
experience its mystery, its richness, and its sacredness more fully.
For when you do so you will see with greater clarity just how
universal we all are.
And sensing that we are all part of a bigger whole, you will come to
know, perhaps for the first time, that your life is truly holy, and
that it is not just your responsibility to honor the sacred within
you, but your obligation.
This is the truth that speaks from my heart.
I invite you to open yours to receive it.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Remember The Love - The Power of Love
These last few days have been for me a dark night of the soul. Every belief I held, every truth I thought I knew and every answer I had, have all been shattered.
And even though I was surrounded by people, I felt alone, abandoned and afraid.
And yet, through all of it, I also felt higher, as though someone or something were carrying me, lifting me, loving me. And so this time instead of running from the pain, despair and confusion, I embraced it and what happened surprised me. The pain, despair and confusion became my doorway to freedom.
All sorts of insights and inspirations flooded into my consciousness. It was as though I had access to a different time and place and was able to see with new eyes.
I have been searching for the truth all of my life in so many places. I thought there was only one truth and that I came here to find that truth and that if I went to enough seminars and took enough courses and read enough books and did enough affirmations that somehow I would find it. Enough, enough, enough already! It was never enough. I was never enough. And now I have found myself in this place and I realized that ...
During this time, I thought often of Mother Teresa and what a powerful woman she was, yet without the arrogance that one often finds in powerful people. She was able to command large amounts of money from everywhere and yet she was so humble. She didn't need to be the best at anything, she just needed to BE. Simple and profound. She touched countless lives and changed the world one person at a time.
I have an act of kindness section on my website and for the last 7 years have been putting acts of kindness suggestions on one of my daily pages. This morning as I was thinking of Mother Teresa again, I sat down to my computer and these words flowed from my fingertips and onto the screen.
And then I knew that was the truth I was looking for. Remember the LOVE. Often in our quest for bigger and better things, we forget why we came here in the first place. When my father died and I was sitting on his doorstep outside waiting for the limo to arrive to take me to his funeral, this was never more apparent. There stood his beautiful house and car in silence. He would never walk up those stairs and open that door again or sit behind that wheel. But I could feel his presence. He was much bigger than all of those things. His love was there forever. It didn't die with him. The only thing we take with us when we leave this place is the love and it doesn't matter if we die with a slim body and a fat bank account. All that matters is the love.
In remembering this, I came to know my truth. Perhaps we don't come here to learn, perhaps we come here to teach. And the secret to success is in the love. Then I recalled a story I heard about a woman who hated her job and was living a joyless life of struggle. Her heart was closed in pain, anger and resentment. She was working as a cleaning lady. One day the old woman she worked for put on some music on the stereo. It was music that she and her late husband used to dance to. She was missing her mate terribly and longing for the gentle touch of another soul. The old woman asked the cleaning lady if she would dance with her. The cleaning lady was a bit taken aback at first but agreed to do so. And then something miraculous happened. In opening her arms to the old woman, she also opened her heart and the tears and the love began to flow. She let the love in and in that precious moment that love lifted her spirit and transformed her life. Right after this incident the cleaning lady's business started to take off, she got so many calls she had to hire a huge staff to accommodate everyone and her company grew by leaps and bounds. The struggle disappeared and everything that she had been trying to make happen came to her effortlessly, once her heart had been opened.
In remembering this story, I knew that I had found my truth. The secret to success and the secret to life is in the love. Once I knew that, I knew everything.
Veronica Hay
And even though I was surrounded by people, I felt alone, abandoned and afraid.
And yet, through all of it, I also felt higher, as though someone or something were carrying me, lifting me, loving me. And so this time instead of running from the pain, despair and confusion, I embraced it and what happened surprised me. The pain, despair and confusion became my doorway to freedom.
All sorts of insights and inspirations flooded into my consciousness. It was as though I had access to a different time and place and was able to see with new eyes.
I have been searching for the truth all of my life in so many places. I thought there was only one truth and that I came here to find that truth and that if I went to enough seminars and took enough courses and read enough books and did enough affirmations that somehow I would find it. Enough, enough, enough already! It was never enough. I was never enough. And now I have found myself in this place and I realized that ...
No one can tell you what your truth is or how to get there.
They can only soften the path a little.
But if you are awake and alive, there will come a time when
you will have to examine your own heart.
During this time, I thought often of Mother Teresa and what a powerful woman she was, yet without the arrogance that one often finds in powerful people. She was able to command large amounts of money from everywhere and yet she was so humble. She didn't need to be the best at anything, she just needed to BE. Simple and profound. She touched countless lives and changed the world one person at a time.
I have an act of kindness section on my website and for the last 7 years have been putting acts of kindness suggestions on one of my daily pages. This morning as I was thinking of Mother Teresa again, I sat down to my computer and these words flowed from my fingertips and onto the screen.
Whatever you do today, remember ONE thing.
That in the end, all that really matters is the LOVE!
Did you seek it? Did you find it?
But most importantly - DID YOU GIVE IT?
Remember the LOVE.
And then I knew that was the truth I was looking for. Remember the LOVE. Often in our quest for bigger and better things, we forget why we came here in the first place. When my father died and I was sitting on his doorstep outside waiting for the limo to arrive to take me to his funeral, this was never more apparent. There stood his beautiful house and car in silence. He would never walk up those stairs and open that door again or sit behind that wheel. But I could feel his presence. He was much bigger than all of those things. His love was there forever. It didn't die with him. The only thing we take with us when we leave this place is the love and it doesn't matter if we die with a slim body and a fat bank account. All that matters is the love.
In remembering this, I came to know my truth. Perhaps we don't come here to learn, perhaps we come here to teach. And the secret to success is in the love. Then I recalled a story I heard about a woman who hated her job and was living a joyless life of struggle. Her heart was closed in pain, anger and resentment. She was working as a cleaning lady. One day the old woman she worked for put on some music on the stereo. It was music that she and her late husband used to dance to. She was missing her mate terribly and longing for the gentle touch of another soul. The old woman asked the cleaning lady if she would dance with her. The cleaning lady was a bit taken aback at first but agreed to do so. And then something miraculous happened. In opening her arms to the old woman, she also opened her heart and the tears and the love began to flow. She let the love in and in that precious moment that love lifted her spirit and transformed her life. Right after this incident the cleaning lady's business started to take off, she got so many calls she had to hire a huge staff to accommodate everyone and her company grew by leaps and bounds. The struggle disappeared and everything that she had been trying to make happen came to her effortlessly, once her heart had been opened.
In remembering this story, I knew that I had found my truth. The secret to success and the secret to life is in the love. Once I knew that, I knew everything.
Veronica Hay
Friday, August 19, 2011
Today I Will Make A Difference
Today I will make a difference. I will begin by controlling my thoughts. A person is the product of his thoughts. I want to be happy and hopeful. Therefore, I will have thoughts that are happy and hopeful. I refuse to be victimized by my circumstances. I will not let petty inconveniences such as stoplights, long lines, and traffic jams be my masters. I will avoid negativism and gossip. Optimism will be my companion, and victory will be my hallmark. Today I will make a difference.
I will be grateful for the twenty-four hours that are before me. Time is a precious commodity. I refuse to allow what little time I have to be contaminated by self-pity, anxiety, or boredom. I will face this day with the joy of a child and the courage of a giant. I will drink each minute as though it is my last. When tomorrow comes, today will be gone forever. While it is here, I will use it for loving and giving. Today I will make a difference.
I will not let past failures haunt me. Even though my life is scarred with mistakes, I refuse to rummage through my trash heap of failures. I will admit them. I will correct them. I will press on. Victoriously. No failure is fatal. It's OK to stumble...I will get up. It's OK to fail...I will rise again. Today I will make a difference.
I will spend time with those I love. My spouse, my children, my family. A man can own the world but be poor for the lack of love. A man can own nothing and yet be wealthy in relationships. Today I will spend at least five minutes with the significant people in my world. Five quality minutes of talking or hugging or thanking or listening. Five undiluted minutes with my mate, children, and friends.
Today I will make a difference.
Max Lucado
I will be grateful for the twenty-four hours that are before me. Time is a precious commodity. I refuse to allow what little time I have to be contaminated by self-pity, anxiety, or boredom. I will face this day with the joy of a child and the courage of a giant. I will drink each minute as though it is my last. When tomorrow comes, today will be gone forever. While it is here, I will use it for loving and giving. Today I will make a difference.
I will not let past failures haunt me. Even though my life is scarred with mistakes, I refuse to rummage through my trash heap of failures. I will admit them. I will correct them. I will press on. Victoriously. No failure is fatal. It's OK to stumble...I will get up. It's OK to fail...I will rise again. Today I will make a difference.
I will spend time with those I love. My spouse, my children, my family. A man can own the world but be poor for the lack of love. A man can own nothing and yet be wealthy in relationships. Today I will spend at least five minutes with the significant people in my world. Five quality minutes of talking or hugging or thanking or listening. Five undiluted minutes with my mate, children, and friends.
Today I will make a difference.
Max Lucado
Monday, July 25, 2011
Your Everyday Thoughts... Are they empowering or disempowering your life?
By Veronica Hay
For for the past 10 days or so, I have been writing down any negative thoughts that I have, as soon as I become aware of them. I am surprised by how many seemingly insignificant, critical thoughts cross my mind each day. I have always considered myself to be a very positive person, and so I am amazed at how many negative little musings still sneak in.
As soon as I made a commitment to do this, I started really noticing them. LIttle things like, "what a gloomy looking day", or "that person isn't doing a very good job", or "what a terrible driver" etc. I suddenly became very conscious of what was going on in my head. I am also recording the positive thoughts and experiences as well, and in time, there will be much more positive than negative.
Most of us have these kinds of thoughts running through our minds constantly, all day long, but we are so used to them, that we don't even notice they are there. These are the things that keep our dreams and desires from manifesting.
I will give you another example of this. This morning, I suddenly started thinking of one of my relatives. I started to think of this person and of how thoughtless and inconsiderate he is and those thoughts made me feel very uncomfortable. I knew that I was having an unpleasant thought that would not serve me in any way, except to open me up to thinking even more damaging thoughts. What we focus on expands.
It does not do me any good to have those kinds of thoughts racing through my head. In fact, it actually stops my progress. I realized I was doing it right away, and this time, I stopped it right away. I even sat down and wrote some positive things that I remembered about this fellow over the years.
As for actions, what are the daily little choices we make that are really not in the direction of our goals and aspirations, eg. like not keeping our word to someone else or even ourselves, when we said that we would do something and we don't. Just little things like that, that don't seem so important at the time.
Well, guess what? In the big picture, all of these little things add up and keep us stuck!
It is all really about living your life in a very conscious way. This is hard to do in the beginning, but after a while, it will become much easier and you will begin to notice when you are off centre, so to speak.
The objective is to remain focused on ONLY those things that we desire by appreciating all that we already have. Staying in a really good feeling place fueled by positive thoughts and emotions. This is not to say that when we feel very sad and need to cry, that we should not. We should let that sadness move through us. Once we allow ourselves to really feel it, it will move very quickly and we will feel so much better for having experienced it.
That is why Eckhart Tolle, the author of the Power of Now, recommends that we try to BE in the moment. Because when we are fully present in the now, we are not having these kinds of thoughts. When you are totally absorbed in the beauty of a flower, noticing every detail of the stem and leaves, captivated by the exquisite colors and textures, intoxicated by the sweet fragrance and aroma, your mind is only there. You and the flower are one, in a kind of bliss state. I have done this with many flowers and they have spoken to me.
It can be the same for anything that we are doing, even folding the laundry. When we are so enthralled with that one experience, those negative thoughts really can't get in. The illusion of time no longer exists, it appears to stand still, and we seem to have forever.
For for the past 10 days or so, I have been writing down any negative thoughts that I have, as soon as I become aware of them. I am surprised by how many seemingly insignificant, critical thoughts cross my mind each day. I have always considered myself to be a very positive person, and so I am amazed at how many negative little musings still sneak in.
As soon as I made a commitment to do this, I started really noticing them. LIttle things like, "what a gloomy looking day", or "that person isn't doing a very good job", or "what a terrible driver" etc. I suddenly became very conscious of what was going on in my head. I am also recording the positive thoughts and experiences as well, and in time, there will be much more positive than negative.
Most of us have these kinds of thoughts running through our minds constantly, all day long, but we are so used to them, that we don't even notice they are there. These are the things that keep our dreams and desires from manifesting.
I will give you another example of this. This morning, I suddenly started thinking of one of my relatives. I started to think of this person and of how thoughtless and inconsiderate he is and those thoughts made me feel very uncomfortable. I knew that I was having an unpleasant thought that would not serve me in any way, except to open me up to thinking even more damaging thoughts. What we focus on expands.
It does not do me any good to have those kinds of thoughts racing through my head. In fact, it actually stops my progress. I realized I was doing it right away, and this time, I stopped it right away. I even sat down and wrote some positive things that I remembered about this fellow over the years.
As for actions, what are the daily little choices we make that are really not in the direction of our goals and aspirations, eg. like not keeping our word to someone else or even ourselves, when we said that we would do something and we don't. Just little things like that, that don't seem so important at the time.
Well, guess what? In the big picture, all of these little things add up and keep us stuck!
It is all really about living your life in a very conscious way. This is hard to do in the beginning, but after a while, it will become much easier and you will begin to notice when you are off centre, so to speak.
The objective is to remain focused on ONLY those things that we desire by appreciating all that we already have. Staying in a really good feeling place fueled by positive thoughts and emotions. This is not to say that when we feel very sad and need to cry, that we should not. We should let that sadness move through us. Once we allow ourselves to really feel it, it will move very quickly and we will feel so much better for having experienced it.
That is why Eckhart Tolle, the author of the Power of Now, recommends that we try to BE in the moment. Because when we are fully present in the now, we are not having these kinds of thoughts. When you are totally absorbed in the beauty of a flower, noticing every detail of the stem and leaves, captivated by the exquisite colors and textures, intoxicated by the sweet fragrance and aroma, your mind is only there. You and the flower are one, in a kind of bliss state. I have done this with many flowers and they have spoken to me.
It can be the same for anything that we are doing, even folding the laundry. When we are so enthralled with that one experience, those negative thoughts really can't get in. The illusion of time no longer exists, it appears to stand still, and we seem to have forever.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Judgement Day
Court Date:
After living what I felt was a 'decent' life, my time on earth came to the end.
The first thing I remember is sitting on a bench in the waiting
room of what I thought to be a court house.
The doors opened and I was instructed to come in and have a seat by the defense table.
As i looked around i saw the prosecutor
He was a villainous looking gent who snarled as he stared at me.
He definitely was the most evil person I have ever seen.
I sat down and looked to my left and there sat My Attorney,
a kind and gentle looking man whose appearance seemed
so familiar to me,
I felt I knew Him.
The corner door
flew open
and there appeared the Judge in full
flowing robes.
He commanded an awesome presence as He moved across the room, I couldn't take my eyes off of Him.
As He took His seat behind the bench, He said, 'Let us begin.'
The prosecutor rose and said,
'My name is Satan and I am here to show you why this person
belongs in hell.'
He proceeded to tell of lies that I told, things that I stole, and in the past when I cheated others, Satan told of other horrible
Perversions that were once in my life and the more he spoke, the
further down in my seat I sank.
I was so embarrassed that I couldn't look at anyone, even my own Attorney, as the Devil told of sins that even I had completely
forgotten about.
As upset as I was at Satan for telling all these things about me, I was equally upset at My Attorney who sat there silently not Offering any form of defense at all.
I know I had been guilty of those things, but I had done some good in my life - couldn't that at least equal out part of the harm I'd done?
Satan finished with a fury and said, 'This person belongs in hell,
is guilty of all that I have charged and there is not a person
who can prove otherwise.'
When it was His turn, My Attorney first asked if He might approach the bench.
The Judge allowed this over the strong objection of Satan,
and beckoned Him to come forward.
As He got up and started walking, I was able to see Him in
His full splendor and majesty.
I realized why He seemed so familiar; this was Jesus representing me,
my Lord and my Savior.
He stopped at the bench and softly said to the Judge, 'Hi,
Dad,' and then He turned to address the court.
'Satan was correct in saying that this person has sinned, I won't deny any of these allegations.
And, yes, the wage of sin is death, and this person deserves to be
punished.
Jesus took a deep breath and turned to His Father with
outstretched arms and proclaimed, 'However, I died on the cross so
that this person might have eternal life and
has accepted Me as Savior, so this person is Mine.'
My Lord continued with, 'This person's name is written in the Book of Life, and no one can snatch this one from Me.
Satan still does not understand yet. This person is not to be given justice, but rather mercy.'
As Jesus sat down,
He quietly paused, looked at His Father and said, 'There is nothing else that needs to be done.'
'I've done it all.'
The Judge lifted His mighty hand and slammed the gavel down.
The following words bellowed from His lips..
'This person is free.'
'The penalty has already been paid in full.'
'Case dismissed.'
As my Lord led me away, I could hear Satan ranting and raving,
'I won't give up, I will win the next one.'
I asked Jesus
as He gave me
my instructions where to go next, 'Have you ever lost a case?'
Christ lovingly smiled and said,
'Everyone that has come to Me and asked Me to represent them has received the same verdict as you,
~Paid In Full~'
If you do not pass this along to 15 people immediately,
absolutely nothing will happen.
Passing this on to anyone you consider a friend,
(as I have done here), GOD will bless you both.
'Stop telling GOD how big your storm is.
Instead, tell the storm how big your GOD is!'
After living what I felt was a 'decent' life, my time on earth came to the end.
The first thing I remember is sitting on a bench in the waiting
room of what I thought to be a court house.
The doors opened and I was instructed to come in and have a seat by the defense table.
As i looked around i saw the prosecutor
He was a villainous looking gent who snarled as he stared at me.
He definitely was the most evil person I have ever seen.
I sat down and looked to my left and there sat My Attorney,
a kind and gentle looking man whose appearance seemed
so familiar to me,
I felt I knew Him.
The corner door
flew open
and there appeared the Judge in full
flowing robes.
He commanded an awesome presence as He moved across the room, I couldn't take my eyes off of Him.
As He took His seat behind the bench, He said, 'Let us begin.'
The prosecutor rose and said,
'My name is Satan and I am here to show you why this person
belongs in hell.'
He proceeded to tell of lies that I told, things that I stole, and in the past when I cheated others, Satan told of other horrible
Perversions that were once in my life and the more he spoke, the
further down in my seat I sank.
I was so embarrassed that I couldn't look at anyone, even my own Attorney, as the Devil told of sins that even I had completely
forgotten about.
As upset as I was at Satan for telling all these things about me, I was equally upset at My Attorney who sat there silently not Offering any form of defense at all.
I know I had been guilty of those things, but I had done some good in my life - couldn't that at least equal out part of the harm I'd done?
Satan finished with a fury and said, 'This person belongs in hell,
is guilty of all that I have charged and there is not a person
who can prove otherwise.'
When it was His turn, My Attorney first asked if He might approach the bench.
The Judge allowed this over the strong objection of Satan,
and beckoned Him to come forward.
As He got up and started walking, I was able to see Him in
His full splendor and majesty.
I realized why He seemed so familiar; this was Jesus representing me,
my Lord and my Savior.
He stopped at the bench and softly said to the Judge, 'Hi,
Dad,' and then He turned to address the court.
'Satan was correct in saying that this person has sinned, I won't deny any of these allegations.
And, yes, the wage of sin is death, and this person deserves to be
punished.
Jesus took a deep breath and turned to His Father with
outstretched arms and proclaimed, 'However, I died on the cross so
that this person might have eternal life and
has accepted Me as Savior, so this person is Mine.'
My Lord continued with, 'This person's name is written in the Book of Life, and no one can snatch this one from Me.
Satan still does not understand yet. This person is not to be given justice, but rather mercy.'
As Jesus sat down,
He quietly paused, looked at His Father and said, 'There is nothing else that needs to be done.'
'I've done it all.'
The Judge lifted His mighty hand and slammed the gavel down.
The following words bellowed from His lips..
'This person is free.'
'The penalty has already been paid in full.'
'Case dismissed.'
As my Lord led me away, I could hear Satan ranting and raving,
'I won't give up, I will win the next one.'
I asked Jesus
as He gave me
my instructions where to go next, 'Have you ever lost a case?'
Christ lovingly smiled and said,
'Everyone that has come to Me and asked Me to represent them has received the same verdict as you,
~Paid In Full~'
If you do not pass this along to 15 people immediately,
absolutely nothing will happen.
Passing this on to anyone you consider a friend,
(as I have done here), GOD will bless you both.
'Stop telling GOD how big your storm is.
Instead, tell the storm how big your GOD is!'
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Two Kinds of Legacy
When you die, your possessions will be distributed according to a will in which you allocated property to specific people. Objects left in a will are called a legacy.
But "legacy" also has a much deeper meaning.
In Jewish tradition, people write "ethical wills" in which they pass on to the next generation, especially their children, the gift of wisdom and good wishes. This legacy is far more profound and permanent than bequests of property.
An ethical will is often a personal letter to the most important people in our lives. It conveys our values, convictions and hopes. An ethical will is also an autobiography - not of events and dates, but of the insights and intuitions that define who we are and tell the world what we stand for and what we think is important.
These documents provide a priceless and prized source of loving advice and can become treasured family heirlooms. Because they are about ethics, they also can become a moral compass that helps loved ones navigate their way to worthy and happy lives.
Yet no matter how highly cherished these letters can be for those who receive them, the process of writing them can change your perspective and cause you to readjust your own priorities.
What would you put in your ethical will? When you can, begin writing down everything you might want to pass on to the people you love. But know this: Once you start, it will be hard to stop as you'll experience a surge of thoughts that will engulf you with all the subconscious beliefs that make you who you are and what you will be.
According to Socrates, the touchstone of wisdom is to first know thyself. Try it, and you'll see why.
Michael Josephson
But "legacy" also has a much deeper meaning.
In Jewish tradition, people write "ethical wills" in which they pass on to the next generation, especially their children, the gift of wisdom and good wishes. This legacy is far more profound and permanent than bequests of property.
An ethical will is often a personal letter to the most important people in our lives. It conveys our values, convictions and hopes. An ethical will is also an autobiography - not of events and dates, but of the insights and intuitions that define who we are and tell the world what we stand for and what we think is important.
These documents provide a priceless and prized source of loving advice and can become treasured family heirlooms. Because they are about ethics, they also can become a moral compass that helps loved ones navigate their way to worthy and happy lives.
Yet no matter how highly cherished these letters can be for those who receive them, the process of writing them can change your perspective and cause you to readjust your own priorities.
What would you put in your ethical will? When you can, begin writing down everything you might want to pass on to the people you love. But know this: Once you start, it will be hard to stop as you'll experience a surge of thoughts that will engulf you with all the subconscious beliefs that make you who you are and what you will be.
According to Socrates, the touchstone of wisdom is to first know thyself. Try it, and you'll see why.
Michael Josephson
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Living In Grace
Part 4
The body-mind is the dance of the universe, and the more you dance with the universe, the more joy, vitality, energy, creativity, synchronicity, and harmony you will experience. You can stay in tune with your body by being aware of how you dance with the universe. If you pay attention to the rhythms and cycles of your body-mind, and if you become a little familiar with cosmic rhythms, you'll see that you can synchronize your body's rhythms with the rhythms of the universe. You don't have to be an expert, just pay a little attention to this. Notice how you feel at different times of the day and at different times of the month depending on the lunar cycle. Look at the sky, and observe the cycles of the moon. If you look at a newspaper, check the high tide and low tide. Feel your body and see how it relates to each of the seasons. Understanding these rhythms can really help you, but the following information is all you need to remember.
Between six and ten in the morning and between six and ten in the evening is when your body is hypometabolic, or at its lowest phase of metabolism. Try to spend time in silence around six in the morning and six in the evening. Ideally speaking, it's best to meditate in the early part of this phase, and to exercise in the middle of this phase - especially if you're doing it to lose weight.
Between ten in the morning and two in the afternoon is when metabolic fire is at its highest. This is the time to have your biggest meal, because your body will metabolize the food much better. Between two and six in the afternoon is a good time to be active, to learn new mental skills, or to engage in physical activities. Between two and six in the morning is a good time to dream.
Around six in the evening, and preferably before sunset, is a good time to have dinner. It's best to make dinner a lighter meal, and to have at least a two- to three-hour interval between dinner and sleep. Then try to get to bed by ten or ten-thirty at night, and you'll have ideal sleep and great dreams.
These are very basic suggestions, but once we start to synchronize our rhythms with the cosmic rhythms, the body feels quite different. It feels vital; it doesn't get fatigued. We feel more energy subjectively. We begin to experience that state of consciousness where everything in our life is flowing with ease. Vibrant health is not just the absence of disease; it's a joyfulness that should be inside us all the time. It's a state of positive well-being, which is not only physical but emotional, psychological, and ultimately even spiritual. Technology won't make us healthy. What will make us healthy is to be aligned with the forces of the universe, to feel that our body is part of the body of nature, to commune with nature, to commune with our soul by spending time in silence and solitude.
The Indian poet, Rabindranath Tagore, summarizes the miracle of life more beautifully than science can explain it. He says, "The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures. It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth in numberless blades of grass, and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers. It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean-cradle of birth and of death, in ebb and in flow. I feel my limbs are made glorious by the touch of this world of life. And my pride is from the life-throb of ages dancing in my blood this moment."
The oceans and rivers of this biosphere are the lifeblood that circulates in our heart and in our body. The air is the sacred breath of life that gives energy to every cell in our body, so that it may live and breathe and participate in the dance of the cosmos. To have the experience of "the life-throb of ages dancing in our blood this moment" is to have the experience of joy, the experience of connectedness to the cosmos. This is the healing experience; it is the experience of being whole. And to be whole is to live in grace.
by Deepak Chopra
The body-mind is the dance of the universe, and the more you dance with the universe, the more joy, vitality, energy, creativity, synchronicity, and harmony you will experience. You can stay in tune with your body by being aware of how you dance with the universe. If you pay attention to the rhythms and cycles of your body-mind, and if you become a little familiar with cosmic rhythms, you'll see that you can synchronize your body's rhythms with the rhythms of the universe. You don't have to be an expert, just pay a little attention to this. Notice how you feel at different times of the day and at different times of the month depending on the lunar cycle. Look at the sky, and observe the cycles of the moon. If you look at a newspaper, check the high tide and low tide. Feel your body and see how it relates to each of the seasons. Understanding these rhythms can really help you, but the following information is all you need to remember.
Between six and ten in the morning and between six and ten in the evening is when your body is hypometabolic, or at its lowest phase of metabolism. Try to spend time in silence around six in the morning and six in the evening. Ideally speaking, it's best to meditate in the early part of this phase, and to exercise in the middle of this phase - especially if you're doing it to lose weight.
Between ten in the morning and two in the afternoon is when metabolic fire is at its highest. This is the time to have your biggest meal, because your body will metabolize the food much better. Between two and six in the afternoon is a good time to be active, to learn new mental skills, or to engage in physical activities. Between two and six in the morning is a good time to dream.
Around six in the evening, and preferably before sunset, is a good time to have dinner. It's best to make dinner a lighter meal, and to have at least a two- to three-hour interval between dinner and sleep. Then try to get to bed by ten or ten-thirty at night, and you'll have ideal sleep and great dreams.
These are very basic suggestions, but once we start to synchronize our rhythms with the cosmic rhythms, the body feels quite different. It feels vital; it doesn't get fatigued. We feel more energy subjectively. We begin to experience that state of consciousness where everything in our life is flowing with ease. Vibrant health is not just the absence of disease; it's a joyfulness that should be inside us all the time. It's a state of positive well-being, which is not only physical but emotional, psychological, and ultimately even spiritual. Technology won't make us healthy. What will make us healthy is to be aligned with the forces of the universe, to feel that our body is part of the body of nature, to commune with nature, to commune with our soul by spending time in silence and solitude.
The Indian poet, Rabindranath Tagore, summarizes the miracle of life more beautifully than science can explain it. He says, "The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures. It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth in numberless blades of grass, and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers. It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean-cradle of birth and of death, in ebb and in flow. I feel my limbs are made glorious by the touch of this world of life. And my pride is from the life-throb of ages dancing in my blood this moment."
The oceans and rivers of this biosphere are the lifeblood that circulates in our heart and in our body. The air is the sacred breath of life that gives energy to every cell in our body, so that it may live and breathe and participate in the dance of the cosmos. To have the experience of "the life-throb of ages dancing in our blood this moment" is to have the experience of joy, the experience of connectedness to the cosmos. This is the healing experience; it is the experience of being whole. And to be whole is to live in grace.
by Deepak Chopra
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Living In Grace
Part 3
How do we interfere with nature's intelligence? In spiritual terms, we can say that we interfere when we identify with our self-image and lose our inner self; when we lose our sense of connection with our soul, our source. In more common terms, we can say that we interfere when we start worrying, when we start anticipating problems, when we start thinking, What can go wrong? When we try to control everything, when we are afraid, when we feel isolated - all these things interfere with the flow of nature's intelligence. Anytime we feel resistance, anytime things are going wrong, anytime we feel frustration, anytime there is too much effort, then we are not connecting with our source, the field of pure consciousness that manifests as the infinite diversity of the universe. The state of fear is the state of separation; it is resistance to what is. If we don't have resistance, then it's all spontaneous, effortless ease.
Our body is constantly speaking to us through signals of comfort and discomfort, pleasure and pain, attraction and repulsion. When we listen to the subtle nuances of sensation in our body, we are accessing intuitive intelligence. This intelligence is contextual, relational, nurturing, holistic, and wise. Intuitive intelligence is more accurate and precise than anything that exists in the realm of rational thought. Intuition is not a thought; it is the nonlocal cosmic field of information that whispers to us in the silence between our thoughts. So when we listen to the inner intelligence of our body, which is the ultimate and supreme genius, we are eavesdropping on the universe and accessing information that most people don't normally access.
When we listen to our body's wisdom, when we become aware of the sensations in our body, we will know the whole cosmos, because the whole cosmos is experienced as sensations in our body. If we are out of harmony with universal rhythms, the signal that comes to us is a sense of discomfort, whether it's physical, mental, or emotional. When we are flowing in harmony with the universe, the signal that comes to us is a sense of comfort, ease, or joy. In reality, these sensations are the voice of spirit, which speaks to us at the finest level of feeling in our body. When we offer our body our deep listening, we will hear the voice of spirit, because our body is a biocomputer that is constantly plugged into the cosmic psyche. Our body has a computing ability that can instantly take into account the infinity of details that create every event in our life.
Knowing all this, why not treat your body with reverence and take care of it? Nurture your body with your loving attention. Nourish your body with healthy food and fresh water. Feed your body with the freshness of the earth, and the colors of the rainbow that the earth offers in the form of fruits and vegetables. Drink deeply of the Earth's waters so that you open the lines of communication and intelligence that course through your tissues and blood vessels. Breathe deeply so that your lungs are fully expanded with air.
Let go of all constriction and tightness in your consciousness so that your body can relax into the rhythms of the universe. Move your body, exercise your body, and keep it moving. Make a commitment to keep your body free of toxins, both physical and emotional. Don't contaminate your body with dead food and drink, toxic chemicals, toxic relationships, or toxic emotions in the form of anger, fear, or guilt. Make sure that you nurture healthy relationships, and that you do not harbor resentments or grievances. The health of every cell directly contributes to your state of well-being, because every cell is a point of awareness within the field of awareness that is you.
How do we interfere with nature's intelligence? In spiritual terms, we can say that we interfere when we identify with our self-image and lose our inner self; when we lose our sense of connection with our soul, our source. In more common terms, we can say that we interfere when we start worrying, when we start anticipating problems, when we start thinking, What can go wrong? When we try to control everything, when we are afraid, when we feel isolated - all these things interfere with the flow of nature's intelligence. Anytime we feel resistance, anytime things are going wrong, anytime we feel frustration, anytime there is too much effort, then we are not connecting with our source, the field of pure consciousness that manifests as the infinite diversity of the universe. The state of fear is the state of separation; it is resistance to what is. If we don't have resistance, then it's all spontaneous, effortless ease.
Our body is constantly speaking to us through signals of comfort and discomfort, pleasure and pain, attraction and repulsion. When we listen to the subtle nuances of sensation in our body, we are accessing intuitive intelligence. This intelligence is contextual, relational, nurturing, holistic, and wise. Intuitive intelligence is more accurate and precise than anything that exists in the realm of rational thought. Intuition is not a thought; it is the nonlocal cosmic field of information that whispers to us in the silence between our thoughts. So when we listen to the inner intelligence of our body, which is the ultimate and supreme genius, we are eavesdropping on the universe and accessing information that most people don't normally access.
When we listen to our body's wisdom, when we become aware of the sensations in our body, we will know the whole cosmos, because the whole cosmos is experienced as sensations in our body. If we are out of harmony with universal rhythms, the signal that comes to us is a sense of discomfort, whether it's physical, mental, or emotional. When we are flowing in harmony with the universe, the signal that comes to us is a sense of comfort, ease, or joy. In reality, these sensations are the voice of spirit, which speaks to us at the finest level of feeling in our body. When we offer our body our deep listening, we will hear the voice of spirit, because our body is a biocomputer that is constantly plugged into the cosmic psyche. Our body has a computing ability that can instantly take into account the infinity of details that create every event in our life.
Knowing all this, why not treat your body with reverence and take care of it? Nurture your body with your loving attention. Nourish your body with healthy food and fresh water. Feed your body with the freshness of the earth, and the colors of the rainbow that the earth offers in the form of fruits and vegetables. Drink deeply of the Earth's waters so that you open the lines of communication and intelligence that course through your tissues and blood vessels. Breathe deeply so that your lungs are fully expanded with air.
Let go of all constriction and tightness in your consciousness so that your body can relax into the rhythms of the universe. Move your body, exercise your body, and keep it moving. Make a commitment to keep your body free of toxins, both physical and emotional. Don't contaminate your body with dead food and drink, toxic chemicals, toxic relationships, or toxic emotions in the form of anger, fear, or guilt. Make sure that you nurture healthy relationships, and that you do not harbor resentments or grievances. The health of every cell directly contributes to your state of well-being, because every cell is a point of awareness within the field of awareness that is you.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Living In Grace
Part 2
The Earth tilts on its axis in the spring, and flowers bloom, groundhogs come out of the ground, birds migrate, fish return to their spawning grounds, and mating rituals begin. People are moved to write poetry, lovers sing songs, and young and old hearts fall in love. Seasonal rhythms affect us biologically, mentally, emotionally, and it all has to do with the relationship of the Earth to the sun.
There are other cycles and rhythms that oscillate for just a few seconds, including electrocardiogram and brain waves, and there are rhythms that last anywhere from thirty minutes to twenty-eight hours called ultradian rhythms. There are cycles within cycles, and it gets very complicated, but it's all one symphony. All of these rhythms create the symphony of the universe, and the body-mind is always trying to synchronize its rhythms with universal rhythms.
To separate the body-mind from the rest of the cosmos is to misperceive things as they really are. The body-mind is part of a larger mind, it's part of the cosmos, and cosmic rhythms result in profound changes in our physiology. The universe is truly a symphony of the stars. And when our body-mind is in synch with this symphony, everything is spontaneous and effortless, and the exuberance of the universe flows through us in joyful ecstasy.
When the rhythms of our body-mind are in synch with nature's rhythms, when we are living in harmony with life, we are living in the state of grace. To live in grace is to experience that state of consciousness where things flow effortlessly and our desires are easily fulfilled. Grace is magical, synchronistic, coincidental, joyful. It's that good-luck factor. But to live in grace we have to allow nature's intelligence to flow through us without interfering.
Theoretically, if we were totally aligned with the cosmos, if we were totally in harmony with its rhythms, and if we had zero stress, then there would be very little entropy in our body. Our body wouldn't age if we were totally synchronized with the cycles of the universe. If it did undergo entropy, it would be on the scale of the universe, which is cosmic cycles or eons of time. But our body-mind is not totally aligned with the rhythms of the universe, and why isn't it? Stress. You see, as soon as we have a thought, any thought, it interferes with the innate tendency of the biological rhythms to synchronize with the universal rhythms.
The Earth tilts on its axis in the spring, and flowers bloom, groundhogs come out of the ground, birds migrate, fish return to their spawning grounds, and mating rituals begin. People are moved to write poetry, lovers sing songs, and young and old hearts fall in love. Seasonal rhythms affect us biologically, mentally, emotionally, and it all has to do with the relationship of the Earth to the sun.
There are other cycles and rhythms that oscillate for just a few seconds, including electrocardiogram and brain waves, and there are rhythms that last anywhere from thirty minutes to twenty-eight hours called ultradian rhythms. There are cycles within cycles, and it gets very complicated, but it's all one symphony. All of these rhythms create the symphony of the universe, and the body-mind is always trying to synchronize its rhythms with universal rhythms.
To separate the body-mind from the rest of the cosmos is to misperceive things as they really are. The body-mind is part of a larger mind, it's part of the cosmos, and cosmic rhythms result in profound changes in our physiology. The universe is truly a symphony of the stars. And when our body-mind is in synch with this symphony, everything is spontaneous and effortless, and the exuberance of the universe flows through us in joyful ecstasy.
When the rhythms of our body-mind are in synch with nature's rhythms, when we are living in harmony with life, we are living in the state of grace. To live in grace is to experience that state of consciousness where things flow effortlessly and our desires are easily fulfilled. Grace is magical, synchronistic, coincidental, joyful. It's that good-luck factor. But to live in grace we have to allow nature's intelligence to flow through us without interfering.
Theoretically, if we were totally aligned with the cosmos, if we were totally in harmony with its rhythms, and if we had zero stress, then there would be very little entropy in our body. Our body wouldn't age if we were totally synchronized with the cycles of the universe. If it did undergo entropy, it would be on the scale of the universe, which is cosmic cycles or eons of time. But our body-mind is not totally aligned with the rhythms of the universe, and why isn't it? Stress. You see, as soon as we have a thought, any thought, it interferes with the innate tendency of the biological rhythms to synchronize with the universal rhythms.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Living In Grace
Part 1
Our body, our mind, our emotions - everything in our physiology is changing moment to moment, depending on the time of the day, the cycles of the moon, the seasons, and even the tides. Our body is part of the universe, and everything that happens in the universe ultimately affects the physiology of our body. Biological rhythms are an expression of the rhythms of the Earth in relationship to the entire cosmos, and just four rhythms - daily rhythms, tidal rhythms, monthly or lunar rhythms, and annual or seasonal rhythms - are the basis of all of the other rhythms in our body.
As the Earth spins on its axis, we experience a twenty-four-hour cycle of night and day that we call the circadian rhythm.
This rhythm is based on the spinning of the Earth, and everything in our body, being part of the Earth, is also spinning and following the rhythm of the Earth. When this biological rhythm is disrupted by long-distance travel, for example, we experience jet lag. Or if we work a night shift, we don't feel quite right even if we rest during the day, because our biological rhythms are out of tune with the cosmic rhythms.
Scientific data shows that if we give an animal a certain dose of radiation at one time of the day, it may have a beneficial effect. If we give the same dose of radiation twelve hours later, the animal may die. Why? Because its physiology has changed completely in that twelve-hour period. Even a little bit of subjective experience tells us that at certain times of the day we feel hungry, while at other times of the day we feel sleepy. We know that we tend to feel one way at four o'clock in the afternoon, and another way at four o'clock in the morning.
Tidal rhythms also have an effect on our physiology. These rhythms are the result of the gravitational effect of the sun, the moon, and the stars in the distant galaxies on the oceans of planet Earth. We have an ocean within us that is similar to the oceans of our planet. More than 60 percent of our body is water, and more than 60 percent of our planet is water. So we experience a low tide and a high tide, and the tides ebb and flow in our own physiology. When we feel out of sorts, our body is out of synch with the body of the universe. Spending time near the ocean, or anywhere in nature, can help us to synchronize our rhythms with nature's rhythms.
The lunar rhythm is a twenty-eight-day cycle that occurs as a result of the movement of the Earth, the sun, and the moon in relationship to one another. This rhythm is evident in the waxing and waning of the moon. We see the full moon, the half moon, no moon, and then the cycle starts all over again. Human fertility and menstruation are good examples of lunar rhythms, and there are many other twenty-eight-day cycles. When I worked as a physician in an emergency room, we would frequently expect to see patients with certain types of problems depending on the time of day and the cycles of the moon.
As the Earth moves around the sun, we experience seasonal rhythms as distinct biochemical changes in the body-mind. So we are more likely to fall in love in spring or get depressed in winter. People with a condition known as seasonal affective disorder get depressed in winter but feel better when you expose them to sunlight. Seasonal changes affect not only the biochemistry of the human body; they affect the biochemistry of trees, flowers, butterflies, bacteria, and everything throughout nature.
Living In Grace
Our body, our mind, our emotions - everything in our physiology is changing moment to moment, depending on the time of the day, the cycles of the moon, the seasons, and even the tides. Our body is part of the universe, and everything that happens in the universe ultimately affects the physiology of our body. Biological rhythms are an expression of the rhythms of the Earth in relationship to the entire cosmos, and just four rhythms - daily rhythms, tidal rhythms, monthly or lunar rhythms, and annual or seasonal rhythms - are the basis of all of the other rhythms in our body.
As the Earth spins on its axis, we experience a twenty-four-hour cycle of night and day that we call the circadian rhythm.
This rhythm is based on the spinning of the Earth, and everything in our body, being part of the Earth, is also spinning and following the rhythm of the Earth. When this biological rhythm is disrupted by long-distance travel, for example, we experience jet lag. Or if we work a night shift, we don't feel quite right even if we rest during the day, because our biological rhythms are out of tune with the cosmic rhythms.
Scientific data shows that if we give an animal a certain dose of radiation at one time of the day, it may have a beneficial effect. If we give the same dose of radiation twelve hours later, the animal may die. Why? Because its physiology has changed completely in that twelve-hour period. Even a little bit of subjective experience tells us that at certain times of the day we feel hungry, while at other times of the day we feel sleepy. We know that we tend to feel one way at four o'clock in the afternoon, and another way at four o'clock in the morning.
Tidal rhythms also have an effect on our physiology. These rhythms are the result of the gravitational effect of the sun, the moon, and the stars in the distant galaxies on the oceans of planet Earth. We have an ocean within us that is similar to the oceans of our planet. More than 60 percent of our body is water, and more than 60 percent of our planet is water. So we experience a low tide and a high tide, and the tides ebb and flow in our own physiology. When we feel out of sorts, our body is out of synch with the body of the universe. Spending time near the ocean, or anywhere in nature, can help us to synchronize our rhythms with nature's rhythms.
The lunar rhythm is a twenty-eight-day cycle that occurs as a result of the movement of the Earth, the sun, and the moon in relationship to one another. This rhythm is evident in the waxing and waning of the moon. We see the full moon, the half moon, no moon, and then the cycle starts all over again. Human fertility and menstruation are good examples of lunar rhythms, and there are many other twenty-eight-day cycles. When I worked as a physician in an emergency room, we would frequently expect to see patients with certain types of problems depending on the time of day and the cycles of the moon.
As the Earth moves around the sun, we experience seasonal rhythms as distinct biochemical changes in the body-mind. So we are more likely to fall in love in spring or get depressed in winter. People with a condition known as seasonal affective disorder get depressed in winter but feel better when you expose them to sunlight. Seasonal changes affect not only the biochemistry of the human body; they affect the biochemistry of trees, flowers, butterflies, bacteria, and everything throughout nature.
Living In Grace
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
What Really Matters in Life?
A vacationing American businessman standing on the pier of a quaint coastal fishing village in southern Mexico watched as a small boat with just one young Mexican fisherman pulled into the dock. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. Enjoying the warmth of the early afternoon sun, the American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish.
"How long did it take you to catch them?" the American casually asked.
"Oh, a few hours," the Mexican fisherman replied.
"Why don't you stay out longer and catch more fish?" the American businessman then asked.
The Mexican warmly replied, "With this I have more than enough to support my family's needs."
The businessman then became serious, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"
Responding with a smile, the Mexican fisherman answered, "I sleep late, play with my children, watch ballgames, and take siesta with my wife. Sometimes in the evenings I take a stroll into the village to see my friends, play the guitar, sing a few songs..."
The American businessman impatiently interrupted, "Look, I have an MBA from Harvard, and I can help you to be more profitable. You can start by fishing several hours longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra money, you can buy a bigger boat. With the additional income that larger boat will bring, before long you can buy a second boat, then a third one, and so on, until you have an entire fleet of fishing boats."
Proud of his own sharp thinking, he excitedly elaborated a grand scheme which could bring even bigger profits, "Then, instead of selling your catch to a middleman you'll be able to sell your fish directly to the processor, or even open your own cannery. Eventually, you could control the product, processing and distribution. You could leave this tiny coastal village and move to Mexico City, or possibly even Los Angeles or New York City, where you could even further expand your enterprise."
Having never thought of such things, the Mexican fisherman asked, "But how long will all this take?"
After a rapid mental calculation, the Harvard MBA pronounced, "Probably about 15-20 years, maybe less if you work really hard."
"And then what, señor?" asked the fisherman.
"Why, that's the best part!" answered the businessman with a laugh. "When the time is right, you would sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions."
"Millions? Really? What would I do with it all?" asked the young fisherman in disbelief.
The businessman boasted, "Then you could happily retire with all the money you've made. You could move to a quaint coastal fishing village where you could sleep late, play with your grandchildren, watch ballgames, and take siesta with your wife. You could stroll to the village in the evenings where you could play the guitar and sing with your friends all you want."
The moral of the story is: Know what really matters in life, and you may find that it is already much closer than you think.
"How long did it take you to catch them?" the American casually asked.
"Oh, a few hours," the Mexican fisherman replied.
"Why don't you stay out longer and catch more fish?" the American businessman then asked.
The Mexican warmly replied, "With this I have more than enough to support my family's needs."
The businessman then became serious, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"
Responding with a smile, the Mexican fisherman answered, "I sleep late, play with my children, watch ballgames, and take siesta with my wife. Sometimes in the evenings I take a stroll into the village to see my friends, play the guitar, sing a few songs..."
The American businessman impatiently interrupted, "Look, I have an MBA from Harvard, and I can help you to be more profitable. You can start by fishing several hours longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra money, you can buy a bigger boat. With the additional income that larger boat will bring, before long you can buy a second boat, then a third one, and so on, until you have an entire fleet of fishing boats."
Proud of his own sharp thinking, he excitedly elaborated a grand scheme which could bring even bigger profits, "Then, instead of selling your catch to a middleman you'll be able to sell your fish directly to the processor, or even open your own cannery. Eventually, you could control the product, processing and distribution. You could leave this tiny coastal village and move to Mexico City, or possibly even Los Angeles or New York City, where you could even further expand your enterprise."
Having never thought of such things, the Mexican fisherman asked, "But how long will all this take?"
After a rapid mental calculation, the Harvard MBA pronounced, "Probably about 15-20 years, maybe less if you work really hard."
"And then what, señor?" asked the fisherman.
"Why, that's the best part!" answered the businessman with a laugh. "When the time is right, you would sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions."
"Millions? Really? What would I do with it all?" asked the young fisherman in disbelief.
The businessman boasted, "Then you could happily retire with all the money you've made. You could move to a quaint coastal fishing village where you could sleep late, play with your grandchildren, watch ballgames, and take siesta with your wife. You could stroll to the village in the evenings where you could play the guitar and sing with your friends all you want."
The moral of the story is: Know what really matters in life, and you may find that it is already much closer than you think.
Monday, June 27, 2011
The Near-Death Experience Story of Mellen-Thomas Benedict
In 1982, I died from terminal cancer. My condition was non-operable. I chose not to have chemotherapy. I was given six to eight months to live. Before this time, I had become increasingly despondent over the nuclear crisis, the ecology crisis, and so forth. I came to believe that nature had made a mistake – that we were probably a cancerous organism on the planet. And that is what eventually killed me.
Before my near-death experience, I tried all sorts of alternative healing methods. None helped. So I determined that this was between me and God. I had never really considered God. Neither was I into any kind of spirituality. But my approaching death sent me on a quest for more information about spirituality and alternative healing. I read various religions and philosophies. They gave hope that there was something on the other side.
I had no medical insurance, so my life savings went overnight on tests. Unwilling to drag my family into this, I determined to handle this myself. I ended up in hospice care and was blessed with an angel for my hospice caretaker, whom I will call "Anne." She stayed with me through all that was to follow.
Into the Light
I woke up about 4:30 am and I knew that this was it. I was going to die. I called a few friends and said good-bye. I woke up Anne and made her promise that my dead body would remain undisturbed for six hours, since I had read that all kinds of interesting things happen when you die. I went back to sleep. The next thing I remember, I was fully aware and standing up. Yet my body was lying in the bed. I seemed to be surrounded by darkness, yet I could see every room in the house, and the roof, and even under the house.
A Light shone. I turned toward it, and was aware of its similarity to what others have described in near-death experiences. It was magnificent and tangible, alluring. I wanted to go towards that Light like I might want to go into my ideal mother's or father's arms. As I moved towards the Light, I knew that if I went into the Light, I would be dead. So I said/felt, "Please wait. I would like to talk to you before I go."
The entire experience halted. I discovered that I was in control of the experience. My request was honored. I had conversations with the Light. That's the best way I can describe it. The Light changed into different figures, like Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, archetypal images and signs. I asked in a kind of telepathy, "What is going on here?"
The information transmitted was that our beliefs shape the kind of feedback we receive. If you are a Buddhist or Catholic or Fundamentalist, you get a feedback loop of your own images. I became aware of a Higher Self matrix, a conduit to the Source. We all have a Higher Self, or an oversoul part of our being, a conduit. All Higher Selves are connected as one being. All humans are connected as one being.
It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. It was like all the love you've ever wanted, and it was the kind of love that cures, heals, regenerates. I was ready to go at that time. I said "I am ready, take me." Then the Light turned into the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen: a mandala of human souls on this planet. I saw that we are the most beautiful creations – elegant, exotic ... everything.
I just cannot say enough about how it changed my opinion of human beings in an instant. I said/thought/felt, "Oh, God, I didn't realize." I was astonished to find that there was no evil in any soul. People may do terrible things out of ignorance and lack, but no soul is evil. "What all people seek – what sustains them – is love," the Light told me. "What distorts people is a lack of love."
The revelations went on and on. I asked, "Does this mean that Humankind will be saved?" Like a trumpet blast with a shower of spiraling lights, the Light "spoke," saying, "You save, redeem and heal yourself. You always have and always will. You were created with the power to do so from before the beginning of the world." In that instant I realized that we have already been saved.
I thanked the Light of God with all my heart. The best thing I could come up with was: "Oh dear God, dear Universe, dear Great Self, I love my Life." The Light seemed to breathe me in even more deeply, absorbing me. I entered into another realm more profound than the last, and was aware of an enormous stream of Light, vast and full, deep. I asked what it was. The Light answered, "This is the River of Life. Drink of this manna water to your heart's content." I drank deeply, in ecstasy.
The Void of Nothingness
Suddenly I seemed to be rocketing away from the planet on this stream of Life. I saw the earth fly away. The solar system whizzed by and disappeared. I flew through the center of the galaxy, absorbing more knowledge as I went. I learned that this galaxy – and the entire Universe – is bursting with many different varieties of life. I saw many worlds. We are not alone in this Universe. It seemed as if all the creations in the Universe soared past me and vanished in a speck of Light.
Then a second Light appeared. As I passed into the second Light, I could perceive forever, beyond Infinity. I was in the Void, pre-Creation, the beginning of time, the first Word or vibration. I rested in the Eye of Creation and it seemed that I touched the Face of God. It was not a religious feeling. I was simply at One with Absolute Life and Consciousness.
I rode the stream directly into the center of the Light. I felt embraced by the Light as it took me in with its breath again. And the truth was obvious that there is no death; that nothing is born and nothing dies; that we are immortal beings, part of a natural living system that recycles itself endlessly.
It would take me years to assimilate the Void experience. It was less than nothing, yet greater than anything. Creation is God exploring God's Self through every way imaginable. Through every piece of hair on your head, through every leaf on every tree, through every atom. God is exploring God's Self. I saw everything as the Self of all. God is here. That's what it is all about. Everything is made of light; everything is alive.
The Light of Love
I was never told that I had to come back. I just knew that I would. It was only natural, from what I had seen. As I began my return to the life cycle, it never crossed my mind, nor was I told, that I would return to the same body. It did not matter. I had complete trust in the Light and the Life process.
As the stream merged with the great Light, I asked never to forget the revelations and the feelings of what I had learned on the other side. I thought of myself as a human again and I was happy to be that. From what I have seen, I would be happy to be an atom in this universe. An atom. So to be the human part of God ... this is the most fantastic blessing. It is a blessing beyond our wildest imagination of what a blessing can be.
For each and every one of us to be the human part of this experience is awesome, and magnificent. Each and every one of us, no matter where we are, screwed up or not, is a blessing to the planet, right where we are. So I went through the reincarnation process expecting to be a baby somewhere.
But I reincarnated back into this body. I was so surprised when I opened my eyes, to be back in this body, back in my room with someone looking over me, crying her eyes out. It was Anne, my hospice caretaker. She had found me dead thirty minutes before. We do not know how long I was dead, only that she found me thirty minutes before. She had honored my wish to have my newly-dead body left alone. She can verify that I really was dead.
It was not a near-death experience. I believe I probably experienced death itself for at least an hour and a half. When I awakened and saw the light outside, confused, I tried to get up to go to it, but I fell out of the bed. She heard a loud "clunk", ran in, and found me on the floor. When I recovered, I was surprised and awed about what had happened. I had no memory at first of the experience. I kept slipping out of this world and kept asking, "Am I alive?" This world seemed more like a dream than that one.
Within three days, I was feeling normal again, clearer, yet different than ever before. My memories of the journey came back later. But from my return I could find nothing wrong with any human being I had ever seen. Previous to my death I was judgmental, believing that people were really screwed up. Everyone but me.
About three months later a friend said I should get tested for the cancer. So I got the scans and so forth. I felt healthy. I still remember the doctor at the clinic looking at the "before" and "after" scans. He said, "I can find no sign of cancer now." "A miracle?" I asked. "No," he answered. "These things happen ... spontaneous remission." He seemed unimpressed. But I was impressed. I knew it was a miracle.
Lessons Learned
I asked God: "What is the best religion on the planet? Which one is right?" God said with great love: "It doesn't matter." What an incredible grace. It does not matter what religion we are. Religions come and they go. They change. Buddhism has not been here forever, Catholicism has not been here forever, and they are all about to become more enlightened. More light is coming into all systems now. Many will resist and fight about it, one religion against the next, believing that only they are right.
When God said, "It doesn't matter," I understood that it is for us to care about, because we are the caring beings. The Source does not care if you are Protestant, Buddhist, or Jew. Each is a reflection, a facet of the whole. I wish that all religions would realize it and let each other be. It is not the end of separate religions, but live and let live. Each has a different view, and it all adds up to the big picture.
I went over to the other side with a lot of fears about toxic waste, nuclear missiles, the population explosion, the rain forest. I came back loving every single problem. I love nuclear waste. I love the mushroom cloud; this is the holiest mandala that we have manifested to date, as an archetype. More than any religion or philosophy on Earth, that terrible, wonderful cloud brought us together all of a sudden, to a new level of consciousness.
Knowing that maybe we can blow up the planet fifty times, or 500 times, we finally realize that maybe we are all here together now. For a period they had to keep setting off more bombs to get it into us. Then we started saying, "we do not need this any more." Now we are actually in a safer world than we have ever been in, and it is going to get safer.
So I came back loving toxic waste, because it brought us together. These things are so big. Clearing of the rain forest will slow down, and in fifty years there will be more trees on the planet than in a long time. If you are into ecology, go for it; you are that part of the system that is becoming aware. Go for it with all your might, but do not be depressed or disheartened. Earth is in the process of domesticating itself, and we are cells on that Body. Population increase is getting very close to the optimal range of energy to cause a shift in consciousness. That shift in consciousness will change politics, money, energy.
The Great Mystery of life has little to do with intelligence. The Universe is not an intellectual process. The intellect is helpful; but our hearts are the wiser part of ourselves. Since my return I have experienced the Light spontaneously. I have learned how to get to that space almost any time in my meditation. You can also do this. You don't have to die first. You are wired for it already. The body is the most magnificent Light being there is. The body is a universe of incredible Light. We don't need to commune with God; God is already communing with us in every moment!
Before my near-death experience, I tried all sorts of alternative healing methods. None helped. So I determined that this was between me and God. I had never really considered God. Neither was I into any kind of spirituality. But my approaching death sent me on a quest for more information about spirituality and alternative healing. I read various religions and philosophies. They gave hope that there was something on the other side.
I had no medical insurance, so my life savings went overnight on tests. Unwilling to drag my family into this, I determined to handle this myself. I ended up in hospice care and was blessed with an angel for my hospice caretaker, whom I will call "Anne." She stayed with me through all that was to follow.
Into the Light
I woke up about 4:30 am and I knew that this was it. I was going to die. I called a few friends and said good-bye. I woke up Anne and made her promise that my dead body would remain undisturbed for six hours, since I had read that all kinds of interesting things happen when you die. I went back to sleep. The next thing I remember, I was fully aware and standing up. Yet my body was lying in the bed. I seemed to be surrounded by darkness, yet I could see every room in the house, and the roof, and even under the house.
A Light shone. I turned toward it, and was aware of its similarity to what others have described in near-death experiences. It was magnificent and tangible, alluring. I wanted to go towards that Light like I might want to go into my ideal mother's or father's arms. As I moved towards the Light, I knew that if I went into the Light, I would be dead. So I said/felt, "Please wait. I would like to talk to you before I go."
The entire experience halted. I discovered that I was in control of the experience. My request was honored. I had conversations with the Light. That's the best way I can describe it. The Light changed into different figures, like Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, archetypal images and signs. I asked in a kind of telepathy, "What is going on here?"
The information transmitted was that our beliefs shape the kind of feedback we receive. If you are a Buddhist or Catholic or Fundamentalist, you get a feedback loop of your own images. I became aware of a Higher Self matrix, a conduit to the Source. We all have a Higher Self, or an oversoul part of our being, a conduit. All Higher Selves are connected as one being. All humans are connected as one being.
It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. It was like all the love you've ever wanted, and it was the kind of love that cures, heals, regenerates. I was ready to go at that time. I said "I am ready, take me." Then the Light turned into the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen: a mandala of human souls on this planet. I saw that we are the most beautiful creations – elegant, exotic ... everything.
I just cannot say enough about how it changed my opinion of human beings in an instant. I said/thought/felt, "Oh, God, I didn't realize." I was astonished to find that there was no evil in any soul. People may do terrible things out of ignorance and lack, but no soul is evil. "What all people seek – what sustains them – is love," the Light told me. "What distorts people is a lack of love."
The revelations went on and on. I asked, "Does this mean that Humankind will be saved?" Like a trumpet blast with a shower of spiraling lights, the Light "spoke," saying, "You save, redeem and heal yourself. You always have and always will. You were created with the power to do so from before the beginning of the world." In that instant I realized that we have already been saved.
I thanked the Light of God with all my heart. The best thing I could come up with was: "Oh dear God, dear Universe, dear Great Self, I love my Life." The Light seemed to breathe me in even more deeply, absorbing me. I entered into another realm more profound than the last, and was aware of an enormous stream of Light, vast and full, deep. I asked what it was. The Light answered, "This is the River of Life. Drink of this manna water to your heart's content." I drank deeply, in ecstasy.
The Void of Nothingness
Suddenly I seemed to be rocketing away from the planet on this stream of Life. I saw the earth fly away. The solar system whizzed by and disappeared. I flew through the center of the galaxy, absorbing more knowledge as I went. I learned that this galaxy – and the entire Universe – is bursting with many different varieties of life. I saw many worlds. We are not alone in this Universe. It seemed as if all the creations in the Universe soared past me and vanished in a speck of Light.
Then a second Light appeared. As I passed into the second Light, I could perceive forever, beyond Infinity. I was in the Void, pre-Creation, the beginning of time, the first Word or vibration. I rested in the Eye of Creation and it seemed that I touched the Face of God. It was not a religious feeling. I was simply at One with Absolute Life and Consciousness.
I rode the stream directly into the center of the Light. I felt embraced by the Light as it took me in with its breath again. And the truth was obvious that there is no death; that nothing is born and nothing dies; that we are immortal beings, part of a natural living system that recycles itself endlessly.
It would take me years to assimilate the Void experience. It was less than nothing, yet greater than anything. Creation is God exploring God's Self through every way imaginable. Through every piece of hair on your head, through every leaf on every tree, through every atom. God is exploring God's Self. I saw everything as the Self of all. God is here. That's what it is all about. Everything is made of light; everything is alive.
The Light of Love
I was never told that I had to come back. I just knew that I would. It was only natural, from what I had seen. As I began my return to the life cycle, it never crossed my mind, nor was I told, that I would return to the same body. It did not matter. I had complete trust in the Light and the Life process.
As the stream merged with the great Light, I asked never to forget the revelations and the feelings of what I had learned on the other side. I thought of myself as a human again and I was happy to be that. From what I have seen, I would be happy to be an atom in this universe. An atom. So to be the human part of God ... this is the most fantastic blessing. It is a blessing beyond our wildest imagination of what a blessing can be.
For each and every one of us to be the human part of this experience is awesome, and magnificent. Each and every one of us, no matter where we are, screwed up or not, is a blessing to the planet, right where we are. So I went through the reincarnation process expecting to be a baby somewhere.
But I reincarnated back into this body. I was so surprised when I opened my eyes, to be back in this body, back in my room with someone looking over me, crying her eyes out. It was Anne, my hospice caretaker. She had found me dead thirty minutes before. We do not know how long I was dead, only that she found me thirty minutes before. She had honored my wish to have my newly-dead body left alone. She can verify that I really was dead.
It was not a near-death experience. I believe I probably experienced death itself for at least an hour and a half. When I awakened and saw the light outside, confused, I tried to get up to go to it, but I fell out of the bed. She heard a loud "clunk", ran in, and found me on the floor. When I recovered, I was surprised and awed about what had happened. I had no memory at first of the experience. I kept slipping out of this world and kept asking, "Am I alive?" This world seemed more like a dream than that one.
Within three days, I was feeling normal again, clearer, yet different than ever before. My memories of the journey came back later. But from my return I could find nothing wrong with any human being I had ever seen. Previous to my death I was judgmental, believing that people were really screwed up. Everyone but me.
About three months later a friend said I should get tested for the cancer. So I got the scans and so forth. I felt healthy. I still remember the doctor at the clinic looking at the "before" and "after" scans. He said, "I can find no sign of cancer now." "A miracle?" I asked. "No," he answered. "These things happen ... spontaneous remission." He seemed unimpressed. But I was impressed. I knew it was a miracle.
Lessons Learned
I asked God: "What is the best religion on the planet? Which one is right?" God said with great love: "It doesn't matter." What an incredible grace. It does not matter what religion we are. Religions come and they go. They change. Buddhism has not been here forever, Catholicism has not been here forever, and they are all about to become more enlightened. More light is coming into all systems now. Many will resist and fight about it, one religion against the next, believing that only they are right.
When God said, "It doesn't matter," I understood that it is for us to care about, because we are the caring beings. The Source does not care if you are Protestant, Buddhist, or Jew. Each is a reflection, a facet of the whole. I wish that all religions would realize it and let each other be. It is not the end of separate religions, but live and let live. Each has a different view, and it all adds up to the big picture.
I went over to the other side with a lot of fears about toxic waste, nuclear missiles, the population explosion, the rain forest. I came back loving every single problem. I love nuclear waste. I love the mushroom cloud; this is the holiest mandala that we have manifested to date, as an archetype. More than any religion or philosophy on Earth, that terrible, wonderful cloud brought us together all of a sudden, to a new level of consciousness.
Knowing that maybe we can blow up the planet fifty times, or 500 times, we finally realize that maybe we are all here together now. For a period they had to keep setting off more bombs to get it into us. Then we started saying, "we do not need this any more." Now we are actually in a safer world than we have ever been in, and it is going to get safer.
So I came back loving toxic waste, because it brought us together. These things are so big. Clearing of the rain forest will slow down, and in fifty years there will be more trees on the planet than in a long time. If you are into ecology, go for it; you are that part of the system that is becoming aware. Go for it with all your might, but do not be depressed or disheartened. Earth is in the process of domesticating itself, and we are cells on that Body. Population increase is getting very close to the optimal range of energy to cause a shift in consciousness. That shift in consciousness will change politics, money, energy.
The Great Mystery of life has little to do with intelligence. The Universe is not an intellectual process. The intellect is helpful; but our hearts are the wiser part of ourselves. Since my return I have experienced the Light spontaneously. I have learned how to get to that space almost any time in my meditation. You can also do this. You don't have to die first. You are wired for it already. The body is the most magnificent Light being there is. The body is a universe of incredible Light. We don't need to commune with God; God is already communing with us in every moment!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
DETERMINATON
In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However bridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea. It just could not be done. It was not practical. It had never been done before.
Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.
Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, and the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.
The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.
"We told them so."
"Crazy men and their crazy dreams."
"It`s foolish to chase wild visions."
Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever.
He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment.
It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.
He touched his wife's arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.
For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man's indomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances. It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a man who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do.
Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical handicap and achieves an impossible goal.
Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face. The Brooklyn bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realized with determination and persistence, no matter what the odds are.
Even the most distant dream can be realized with determination and persistence.
Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.
Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, and the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.
The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.
"We told them so."
"Crazy men and their crazy dreams."
"It`s foolish to chase wild visions."
Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever.
He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment.
It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.
He touched his wife's arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.
For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man's indomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances. It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a man who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do.
Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical handicap and achieves an impossible goal.
Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face. The Brooklyn bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realized with determination and persistence, no matter what the odds are.
Even the most distant dream can be realized with determination and persistence.
Friday, June 24, 2011
The Littlest Firefighter
The 26-year-old mother stared down at her son who was dying of terminal leukemia. Although her heart was filled with sadness, she also had a strong feeling of determination. Like any parent she wanted her son to grow up and fulfill all his dreams. Now that was no longer possible. The leukemia would see to that.
But she still wanted her son's dreams to come true. She took her son's hand and asked, "Bopsy, did you ever think about what you wanted to be once you grew up? Did you ever dream and wish what you would do with your life?"
"Mommy, I always wanted to be a fireman when I grew up." Mom smiled back and said, "Let's see if we can make your wish come true."
Later that day she went to her local fire department in Phoenix, Arizona, where she met Fireman Bob, who had a heart as big as Phoenix. She explained her son's final wish and asked if it might be possible to give her six-year-old son a ride around the block on a fire engine.
Fireman Bob said, "Look, we can do better than that. If you'll have your son ready at seven o'clock Wednesday morning, we'll make him an honorary fireman for the whole day. He can come down to the fire station, eat with us, go out on all the fire calls, the whole nine yards! "And if you'll give us his sizes, we'll get a real fire uniform for him, with a real fire hat -- not a toy one -- with the emblem of the Phoenix Fire Department on it, a yellow slicker like we wear and rubber boots. They're all manufactured right here in Phoenix, so we can get them fast."
Three days later Fireman Bob picked up Bopsy, dressed him in his fire uniform and escorted him from his hospital bed to the waiting hook and ladder truck. Bopsy got to sit on the back of the truck and help steer it back to the fire station. He was in heaven.
There were three fire calls in Phoenix that day and Bopsy got to go out on all three calls. He rode in the different fire engines, the paramedic's van, and even the fire chief's car. He was also videotaped for the local news program.
Having his dream come true, with all the love and attention that was lavished upon him, so deeply touched Bopsy that he lived three months longer than any doctor thought possible.
One night all of his vital signs began to drop dramatically and the head nurse, who believed in the hospice concept that no one should die alone, began to call the family members to the hospital. Then she remembered the day Bopsy had spent as a fireman, so she called the Fire Chief and asked if it would be possible to send a fireman in uniform to the hospital to be with Bopsy as he made his transition.
The chief replied, "We can do better than that. We'll be there in five minutes. Will you please do me a favor? When you hear the sirens screaming and see the lights flashing, will you announce over the PA system that there is not a fire? It's just the fire department coming to see one of its finest members one more time. And will you open the window to his room?"
About five minutes later a hook and ladder truck arrived at the hospital, extended its ladder up to Bopsy's third floor open window and five firefighters climbed up the ladder into Bopsy's room. With his mother's permission, they hugged him and held him and told him how much they loved him. With his dying breath, Bopsy looked up at the fire chief and said, "Chief, am I really a fireman now?" "Yes, Bopsy, you are a fireman now," the chief said. With those words, Bopsy smiled and closed his eyes one last time. He passed away later that evening.
But she still wanted her son's dreams to come true. She took her son's hand and asked, "Bopsy, did you ever think about what you wanted to be once you grew up? Did you ever dream and wish what you would do with your life?"
"Mommy, I always wanted to be a fireman when I grew up." Mom smiled back and said, "Let's see if we can make your wish come true."
Later that day she went to her local fire department in Phoenix, Arizona, where she met Fireman Bob, who had a heart as big as Phoenix. She explained her son's final wish and asked if it might be possible to give her six-year-old son a ride around the block on a fire engine.
Fireman Bob said, "Look, we can do better than that. If you'll have your son ready at seven o'clock Wednesday morning, we'll make him an honorary fireman for the whole day. He can come down to the fire station, eat with us, go out on all the fire calls, the whole nine yards! "And if you'll give us his sizes, we'll get a real fire uniform for him, with a real fire hat -- not a toy one -- with the emblem of the Phoenix Fire Department on it, a yellow slicker like we wear and rubber boots. They're all manufactured right here in Phoenix, so we can get them fast."
Three days later Fireman Bob picked up Bopsy, dressed him in his fire uniform and escorted him from his hospital bed to the waiting hook and ladder truck. Bopsy got to sit on the back of the truck and help steer it back to the fire station. He was in heaven.
There were three fire calls in Phoenix that day and Bopsy got to go out on all three calls. He rode in the different fire engines, the paramedic's van, and even the fire chief's car. He was also videotaped for the local news program.
Having his dream come true, with all the love and attention that was lavished upon him, so deeply touched Bopsy that he lived three months longer than any doctor thought possible.
One night all of his vital signs began to drop dramatically and the head nurse, who believed in the hospice concept that no one should die alone, began to call the family members to the hospital. Then she remembered the day Bopsy had spent as a fireman, so she called the Fire Chief and asked if it would be possible to send a fireman in uniform to the hospital to be with Bopsy as he made his transition.
The chief replied, "We can do better than that. We'll be there in five minutes. Will you please do me a favor? When you hear the sirens screaming and see the lights flashing, will you announce over the PA system that there is not a fire? It's just the fire department coming to see one of its finest members one more time. And will you open the window to his room?"
About five minutes later a hook and ladder truck arrived at the hospital, extended its ladder up to Bopsy's third floor open window and five firefighters climbed up the ladder into Bopsy's room. With his mother's permission, they hugged him and held him and told him how much they loved him. With his dying breath, Bopsy looked up at the fire chief and said, "Chief, am I really a fireman now?" "Yes, Bopsy, you are a fireman now," the chief said. With those words, Bopsy smiled and closed his eyes one last time. He passed away later that evening.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Happiness is a Choice
"There are two things to aim at in life: first, to get what you want; and after that, to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind achieve the second." ~ Logan Pearsall Smith
I recently overheard something that surprised me. I heard that people who win the lottery are happy for about 3 weeks. Yes! Only 3 weeks, and then they go back to their previous state of being, before they won the money. This really did surprise me. I thought that they would have been happy about something so amazing for much longer than 3 weeks.
Did you know that 90% of all people who win the lottery are broke within one year, and that most of those wish they had never won it in the first place?
I think the reason for this is, that anytime we try to change how we feel by using something outside of ourselves, like winning the lottery, or getting a new car or house, it never works. The resulting feelings of euphoria are often only fleeting. We cannot sustain them for very long. Perhaps, in some way, that is a good thing. It reminds us that happiness really does come from within and is available to us at any moment. True happiness has very little to do with what is happening on the outside, it is an inside job. Happiness is a choice. It is a state of BEING.
We can make the decision to BE happy for one day, when we wake up in the morning, every morning. We can find something that brings us great pleasure, like sitting outside in the garden under an old tree and listening to the birds sing, or watching the dog or cat play, and just savoring the moment. Happiness is always available to us. It is our natural state and we need only allow it in. At any moment, we can stop, take a deep breath, and remember who we really are, and why we came here, and that truly is to experience joy and the aliveness of being.
"Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." ~Nathaniel Hawthorne
So, dear heart, today, no matter what is going on in your life, take a few moments to breathe deeply and just decide to BE happy, whatever that means to you.
Veronica Hay
I recently overheard something that surprised me. I heard that people who win the lottery are happy for about 3 weeks. Yes! Only 3 weeks, and then they go back to their previous state of being, before they won the money. This really did surprise me. I thought that they would have been happy about something so amazing for much longer than 3 weeks.
Did you know that 90% of all people who win the lottery are broke within one year, and that most of those wish they had never won it in the first place?
I think the reason for this is, that anytime we try to change how we feel by using something outside of ourselves, like winning the lottery, or getting a new car or house, it never works. The resulting feelings of euphoria are often only fleeting. We cannot sustain them for very long. Perhaps, in some way, that is a good thing. It reminds us that happiness really does come from within and is available to us at any moment. True happiness has very little to do with what is happening on the outside, it is an inside job. Happiness is a choice. It is a state of BEING.
We can make the decision to BE happy for one day, when we wake up in the morning, every morning. We can find something that brings us great pleasure, like sitting outside in the garden under an old tree and listening to the birds sing, or watching the dog or cat play, and just savoring the moment. Happiness is always available to us. It is our natural state and we need only allow it in. At any moment, we can stop, take a deep breath, and remember who we really are, and why we came here, and that truly is to experience joy and the aliveness of being.
"Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." ~Nathaniel Hawthorne
So, dear heart, today, no matter what is going on in your life, take a few moments to breathe deeply and just decide to BE happy, whatever that means to you.
Veronica Hay
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Are you a habitual "waiter"
Are you a habitual "waiter"? How much of your life do you spend waiting? What I call "small-scale waiting" is waiting in line at the post office, in a traffic jam, at the airport, or waiting for someone to arrive, to finish work, and so on. "Large-scale waiting" is waiting for the next vacation, for a better job, for the children to grow up, for a truly meaningful relationship, for success, to make money, to be important, to become enlightened. It is not uncommon for people to spend their whole life waiting to start living.
Waiting is a state of mind. Basically, it means that you want the future; you don't want the present. You don't want what you've got, and you want what you haven't got. With every kind of waiting, you unconsciously create inner conflict between your here and now, where you don't want to be, and the projected future, where you want to be. This greatly reduces the quality of your life by making you lose the present.
Give up waiting as a state of mind. When you catch yourself slipping into waiting...snap out of it. Come into the present moment. Just be and enjoy being. If you are present, there is never any need for you to wait for anything.
Eckhart Tolle from the Power of Now
Waiting is a state of mind. Basically, it means that you want the future; you don't want the present. You don't want what you've got, and you want what you haven't got. With every kind of waiting, you unconsciously create inner conflict between your here and now, where you don't want to be, and the projected future, where you want to be. This greatly reduces the quality of your life by making you lose the present.
Give up waiting as a state of mind. When you catch yourself slipping into waiting...snap out of it. Come into the present moment. Just be and enjoy being. If you are present, there is never any need for you to wait for anything.
Eckhart Tolle from the Power of Now
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Five Birds and Good Intentions
Five birds are sitting on a telephone wire. Two decide to fly south. How many are left? Most people would say three. Actually, all five are left. You see, deciding to fly isn't the same as doing it.
If a bird really wants to go somewhere, it's got to point itself in the right direction, jump off the wire, flap its wings, and keep flapping until it gets there.
So it is with most things. Good intentions aren't enough. It's not what we want, say, or think that makes things happen; it's what we do.
I frequently think of writing thank-you, birthday, and congratulatory notes. Unfortunately, only a sad few of these good sentiments ever make it to paper. Still, if I don't look too closely, I can delude myself into thinking that based on my good thoughts I'm a gracious and grateful person. A truer and less admirable picture of my character is drawn by my actions.
In the end, we either do or don't do. We either make the time to do the things we want to and should do or we make excuses. As Alfred Adler said, "Life happens at the level of events, not of words. Trust movement."
What do you want to do? Do you want to take a course, change your job, lose weight, make new friends, or spend more time with and appreciate more the ones you have?
What's stopping you from jumping off the wire and flapping your wings?
Michael Josephson
If a bird really wants to go somewhere, it's got to point itself in the right direction, jump off the wire, flap its wings, and keep flapping until it gets there.
So it is with most things. Good intentions aren't enough. It's not what we want, say, or think that makes things happen; it's what we do.
I frequently think of writing thank-you, birthday, and congratulatory notes. Unfortunately, only a sad few of these good sentiments ever make it to paper. Still, if I don't look too closely, I can delude myself into thinking that based on my good thoughts I'm a gracious and grateful person. A truer and less admirable picture of my character is drawn by my actions.
In the end, we either do or don't do. We either make the time to do the things we want to and should do or we make excuses. As Alfred Adler said, "Life happens at the level of events, not of words. Trust movement."
What do you want to do? Do you want to take a course, change your job, lose weight, make new friends, or spend more time with and appreciate more the ones you have?
What's stopping you from jumping off the wire and flapping your wings?
Michael Josephson
Monday, June 20, 2011
Strongest Dad in the World
I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay for their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots.
But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.
Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars – all in the same day.
Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. on a bike. Makes taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?
And what has Rick done for his father? Not much – except save his life.
This love story began in Winchester, Mass., 43 years ago, when Rick was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.
"He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life," Dick says doctors told him and his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. "Put him in an institution."
But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was anything to help the boy communicate. "No way," Dick says he was told. "There's nothing going on in his brain."
"Tell him a joke," Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a lot was going on in his brain.
Rigged up with a computer that allowed him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? "Go Bruins!" And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the school organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, "Dad, I want to do that."
Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described "porker" who never ran more than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he tried. "Then it was me who was handicapped," Dick says. "I was sore for two weeks."
That day changed Rick's life. "Dad," he typed, "when we were running, it felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!"
And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.
"No way," Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway. Then they found a way to get into the race officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the qualifying time for Boston the following year.
Then somebody said, "Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?"
How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick tried.
Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii. It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you think?
Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? "No way," he says. Dick does it purely for "the awesome feeling" he gets seeing Rick with a cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.
This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992 – only 35 minutes off the world record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the time.
"No question about it," Rick types. "My dad is the Father of the Century."
And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries was 95% clogged. "If you hadn't been in such great shape," one doctor told him, "you probably would've died 15 years ago."
So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life.
Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass., always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father's Day.
That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy. "The thing I'd most like," Rick types, "is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once."
Rick Reilly for Sports Illustrated
But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.
Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars – all in the same day.
Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. on a bike. Makes taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?
And what has Rick done for his father? Not much – except save his life.
This love story began in Winchester, Mass., 43 years ago, when Rick was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.
"He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life," Dick says doctors told him and his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. "Put him in an institution."
But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was anything to help the boy communicate. "No way," Dick says he was told. "There's nothing going on in his brain."
"Tell him a joke," Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a lot was going on in his brain.
Rigged up with a computer that allowed him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? "Go Bruins!" And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the school organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, "Dad, I want to do that."
Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described "porker" who never ran more than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he tried. "Then it was me who was handicapped," Dick says. "I was sore for two weeks."
That day changed Rick's life. "Dad," he typed, "when we were running, it felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!"
And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.
"No way," Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway. Then they found a way to get into the race officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the qualifying time for Boston the following year.
Then somebody said, "Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?"
How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick tried.
Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii. It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you think?
Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? "No way," he says. Dick does it purely for "the awesome feeling" he gets seeing Rick with a cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.
This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992 – only 35 minutes off the world record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the time.
"No question about it," Rick types. "My dad is the Father of the Century."
And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries was 95% clogged. "If you hadn't been in such great shape," one doctor told him, "you probably would've died 15 years ago."
So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life.
Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass., always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father's Day.
That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy. "The thing I'd most like," Rick types, "is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once."
Rick Reilly for Sports Illustrated
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Broken Wing - Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover
Some people are just doomed to be failures. That's the way some adults look at troubled kids. Maybe you've heard the saying, "A bird with a broken wing will never fly as high." I'm sure that T. J. Ware was made to feel this way almost every day in school.
By high school, T. J. was the most celebrated troublemaker in his town. Teachers literally cringed when they saw his name posted on their classroom lists for the next semester. He wasn't very talkative, didn't answer questions and got into lots of fights. He had flunked almost every class by the time he entered his senior year, yet was being passed on each year to a higher grade level. Teachers didn't want to have him again the following year. T. J. was moving on, but definitely not moving up.
I met T. J. for the first time at a weekend leadership retreat. All the students at school had been invited to sign up for ACE training, a program designed to have students become more involved in their communities. T. J. was one of 405 students who signed up. When I showed up to lead their first retreat, the community leaders gave me this overview of the attending students: "We have a total spectrum represented today, from the student body president to T. J. Ware, the boy with the longest arrest record in the history of town." Somehow, I knew that I wasn't the first to hear about T. J.'s darker side as the first words of introduction.
At the start of the retreat, T. J. was literally standing outside the circle of students, against the back wall, with that "go ahead, impress me" look on his face. He didn't readily join the discussion groups, didn't seem to have much to say. But slowly, the interactive games drew him in. The ice really melted when the groups started building a list of positive and negative things that had occurred at school that year. T. J. had some definite thoughts on those situations. The other students in T. J.'s group welcomed his comments. All of a sudden T. J. felt like a part of the group, and before long he was being treated like a leader. He was saying things that made a lot of sense, and everyone was listening. T. J. was a smart guy, and he had some great ideas.
The next day, T. J. was very active in all the sessions. By the end of the retreat, he had joined the Homeless Project team. He knew something about poverty, hunger and hopelessness. The other students on the team were impressed with his passionate concern and ideas. They elected T. J. co-chairman of the team. The student council president would be taking his instruction from T. J. Ware.
When T. J. showed up at school on Monday morning, he arrived to a firestorm. A group of teachers were protesting to the school principal about his being elected co-chairman. The very first communitywide service project was to be a giant food drive, organized by the Homeless Project team. These teachers couldn't believe that the principal would allow this crucial beginning to a prestigious, three-year action plan to stay in the incapable hands of T. J. Ware.
They reminded the principal, "He has an arrest record as long as your arm. He'll probably steal half the food." Mr. Coggshall reminded them that the purpose of the ACE program was to uncover any positive passion that a student had and reinforce its practice until true change can take place. The teachers left the meeting shaking their heads in disgust, firmly convinced that failure was imminent.
Two weeks later, T. J. and his friends led a group of 70 students in a drive to collect food. They collected a school record: 2,854 cans of food in just two hours. It was enough to fill the empty shelves in two neighborhood centers, and the food took care of needy families in the area for 75 days. The local newspaper covered the event with a full-page article the next day. That newspaper story was posted on the main bulletin board at school, where everyone could see it. T. J.'s picture was up there for doing something great, for leading a record-setting food drive. Every day he was reminded about what he did. He was being acknowledged as leadership material.
T. J. started showing up at school every day and answered questions from teachers for the first time. He led a second project, collecting 300 blankets and 1,000 pairs of shoes for the homeless shelter. The event he started now yields 9,000 cans of food in one day, taking care of 70 percent of the need for food for one year. T. J. reminds us that a bird with a broken wing only needs mending. But once it has healed, it can fly higher than the rest. T. J. got a job. He became productive. He is flying quite nicely these days.
By Jim Hullihan
By high school, T. J. was the most celebrated troublemaker in his town. Teachers literally cringed when they saw his name posted on their classroom lists for the next semester. He wasn't very talkative, didn't answer questions and got into lots of fights. He had flunked almost every class by the time he entered his senior year, yet was being passed on each year to a higher grade level. Teachers didn't want to have him again the following year. T. J. was moving on, but definitely not moving up.
I met T. J. for the first time at a weekend leadership retreat. All the students at school had been invited to sign up for ACE training, a program designed to have students become more involved in their communities. T. J. was one of 405 students who signed up. When I showed up to lead their first retreat, the community leaders gave me this overview of the attending students: "We have a total spectrum represented today, from the student body president to T. J. Ware, the boy with the longest arrest record in the history of town." Somehow, I knew that I wasn't the first to hear about T. J.'s darker side as the first words of introduction.
At the start of the retreat, T. J. was literally standing outside the circle of students, against the back wall, with that "go ahead, impress me" look on his face. He didn't readily join the discussion groups, didn't seem to have much to say. But slowly, the interactive games drew him in. The ice really melted when the groups started building a list of positive and negative things that had occurred at school that year. T. J. had some definite thoughts on those situations. The other students in T. J.'s group welcomed his comments. All of a sudden T. J. felt like a part of the group, and before long he was being treated like a leader. He was saying things that made a lot of sense, and everyone was listening. T. J. was a smart guy, and he had some great ideas.
The next day, T. J. was very active in all the sessions. By the end of the retreat, he had joined the Homeless Project team. He knew something about poverty, hunger and hopelessness. The other students on the team were impressed with his passionate concern and ideas. They elected T. J. co-chairman of the team. The student council president would be taking his instruction from T. J. Ware.
When T. J. showed up at school on Monday morning, he arrived to a firestorm. A group of teachers were protesting to the school principal about his being elected co-chairman. The very first communitywide service project was to be a giant food drive, organized by the Homeless Project team. These teachers couldn't believe that the principal would allow this crucial beginning to a prestigious, three-year action plan to stay in the incapable hands of T. J. Ware.
They reminded the principal, "He has an arrest record as long as your arm. He'll probably steal half the food." Mr. Coggshall reminded them that the purpose of the ACE program was to uncover any positive passion that a student had and reinforce its practice until true change can take place. The teachers left the meeting shaking their heads in disgust, firmly convinced that failure was imminent.
Two weeks later, T. J. and his friends led a group of 70 students in a drive to collect food. They collected a school record: 2,854 cans of food in just two hours. It was enough to fill the empty shelves in two neighborhood centers, and the food took care of needy families in the area for 75 days. The local newspaper covered the event with a full-page article the next day. That newspaper story was posted on the main bulletin board at school, where everyone could see it. T. J.'s picture was up there for doing something great, for leading a record-setting food drive. Every day he was reminded about what he did. He was being acknowledged as leadership material.
T. J. started showing up at school every day and answered questions from teachers for the first time. He led a second project, collecting 300 blankets and 1,000 pairs of shoes for the homeless shelter. The event he started now yields 9,000 cans of food in one day, taking care of 70 percent of the need for food for one year. T. J. reminds us that a bird with a broken wing only needs mending. But once it has healed, it can fly higher than the rest. T. J. got a job. He became productive. He is flying quite nicely these days.
By Jim Hullihan
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Simple Keys to a Fuller Life
Four Simple Keys to Transform Your Life
Love and Empowerment
Let me start with myself. I will do my best to love and empower myself to be the best I can be every day of my life. By making this commitment to yourself, it becomes easier to love and empower those around you. But do you really want to give this gift to all other people? What if you really don’t like someone? In this case, you can remind yourself that it is usually a person's personality that you don’t like—the mask or dark clouds blocking their deeper essence. Remember that beneath the mask is a shining divine essence. While acknowledging those parts you don’t like, do your best to empower the shining being hidden beneath the mask or personality that you don’t like. You can choose to love and empower the divine spark within all.
Negative Judgment. Judging someone to be bad as a person does not empower or inspire anyone to be a better person. When you find yourself feeling negative judgment, first acknowledge the part of you that wants to judge—the part that wants to be right or better than others. Then do your best to learn from your judgment and let it go. Open to finding first acceptance, and then understanding and love both for you and for the person you judged. Choose to let your last thought always be that of love.
Stopping harm. What if someone does something that is clearly wrong or causes harm? In this case, be firm and take whatever action you feel is best to stop harm. Enforcing a serious consequence with someone who has acted out of extreme self-interest may be the most loving, empowering action you can take. Yet even as you take action, open to seeing the inner turmoil that causes people to do harm. You can act from a place of love and support, even while firmly stopping someone from doing wrong or causing harm. Through choosing to see beneath all of the pain, suffering, and hatred, and to recognize and connect with the divine essence within even those who would do us harm, not only do we heal the world, we heal ourselves.
Imagine… Imagine for a moment a world where all people truly did their best to love and empower each other. Imagine if a significant number of the people on this planet truly did their best to live by these simple keys. You can choose to become one of those people right now. You can choose to make your life and our world a better place. It is fully possible. There are people of all races, religions, and beliefs around the globe already committed to living by these or similar ideals. Let us then choose with an open mind and heart to add to their numbers. Let us choose every day of our lives to do what's best for all, to open to divine guidance, to accept and understand, and to love and empower ourselves and all around us to be the best that we can be.
Love and Empowerment
Let me start with myself. I will do my best to love and empower myself to be the best I can be every day of my life. By making this commitment to yourself, it becomes easier to love and empower those around you. But do you really want to give this gift to all other people? What if you really don’t like someone? In this case, you can remind yourself that it is usually a person's personality that you don’t like—the mask or dark clouds blocking their deeper essence. Remember that beneath the mask is a shining divine essence. While acknowledging those parts you don’t like, do your best to empower the shining being hidden beneath the mask or personality that you don’t like. You can choose to love and empower the divine spark within all.
Negative Judgment. Judging someone to be bad as a person does not empower or inspire anyone to be a better person. When you find yourself feeling negative judgment, first acknowledge the part of you that wants to judge—the part that wants to be right or better than others. Then do your best to learn from your judgment and let it go. Open to finding first acceptance, and then understanding and love both for you and for the person you judged. Choose to let your last thought always be that of love.
Stopping harm. What if someone does something that is clearly wrong or causes harm? In this case, be firm and take whatever action you feel is best to stop harm. Enforcing a serious consequence with someone who has acted out of extreme self-interest may be the most loving, empowering action you can take. Yet even as you take action, open to seeing the inner turmoil that causes people to do harm. You can act from a place of love and support, even while firmly stopping someone from doing wrong or causing harm. Through choosing to see beneath all of the pain, suffering, and hatred, and to recognize and connect with the divine essence within even those who would do us harm, not only do we heal the world, we heal ourselves.
Imagine… Imagine for a moment a world where all people truly did their best to love and empower each other. Imagine if a significant number of the people on this planet truly did their best to live by these simple keys. You can choose to become one of those people right now. You can choose to make your life and our world a better place. It is fully possible. There are people of all races, religions, and beliefs around the globe already committed to living by these or similar ideals. Let us then choose with an open mind and heart to add to their numbers. Let us choose every day of our lives to do what's best for all, to open to divine guidance, to accept and understand, and to love and empower ourselves and all around us to be the best that we can be.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Simple Keys to a Fuller Life
Four Simple Keys to Transform Your Life
Part III: Acceptance and Understanding
Our Core Essence. Deep down we are all beautiful beings worthy of love and support. The sweet innocence of babies and young children is a clear example of this. Yet for most of us, the shining essence with which we came into this life became obscured over the years as our family and others were unable to give us the kind of unconditional love and support we so craved. As children, when we were repeatedly told that we were not good enough or were punished just for being who we are, thick layers of confusion and doubt developed, clouding our divine essence. Layers of fear and insecurity were woven into our personalities.
The Mask. By the time we are grown, most of us have developed a protective mask or persona to hide these layers of fear and insecurity from others, and at times even from ourselves. Outwardly we might appear happy or content, yet on the inside most of us to varying degrees feel unhappy with who we are. Yet beneath it all, that shining essence is still there. No matter how much we may have forgotten, no matter how thick those overshadowing layers may be, our beautiful core essence is and has always been there.
Accepting and Understanding Myself. By choosing to accept and understand all of who you are—both your deep shining essence and the layers of dark clouds within—you can invite that beautiful inner essence to shine through the clouds and to shine again in your life. When fears, dark thoughts, or difficult emotions arise, first choose to accept that they are there. Then work towards understanding these dark clouds and where they came from. Ask for divine guidance as you explore and transform these dark places.
Courage. It takes courage to accept and work to understand our fears and weaknesses. Yet by doing our best to be fully ourselves in all our strengths and weaknesses, our relationships can grow richer, deeper, and more meaningful. This may be challenging, as some people are unable or unwilling to accept certain parts of us. Yet as those around us see us becoming more real and honest with them, many will also be inspired to be more real and honest with us. Thus, instead of continually avoiding or denying those clouds or dark layers in both ourselves and others, we open to a deeper, more authentic way of living and of relating to others.
Accepting and Understanding Others. As you develop greater acceptance and understanding of yourself, you will notice that others, too, have lost touch with their shining core essence. As you work to accept and understand yourself, it is most important that you choose also to give this gift to those around you. Acceptance of what is, coupled with understanding of what we can change and what we cannot, allows us to find the courage to be all that we can be, and to empower others in doing the same.
Part III: Acceptance and Understanding
Our Core Essence. Deep down we are all beautiful beings worthy of love and support. The sweet innocence of babies and young children is a clear example of this. Yet for most of us, the shining essence with which we came into this life became obscured over the years as our family and others were unable to give us the kind of unconditional love and support we so craved. As children, when we were repeatedly told that we were not good enough or were punished just for being who we are, thick layers of confusion and doubt developed, clouding our divine essence. Layers of fear and insecurity were woven into our personalities.
The Mask. By the time we are grown, most of us have developed a protective mask or persona to hide these layers of fear and insecurity from others, and at times even from ourselves. Outwardly we might appear happy or content, yet on the inside most of us to varying degrees feel unhappy with who we are. Yet beneath it all, that shining essence is still there. No matter how much we may have forgotten, no matter how thick those overshadowing layers may be, our beautiful core essence is and has always been there.
Accepting and Understanding Myself. By choosing to accept and understand all of who you are—both your deep shining essence and the layers of dark clouds within—you can invite that beautiful inner essence to shine through the clouds and to shine again in your life. When fears, dark thoughts, or difficult emotions arise, first choose to accept that they are there. Then work towards understanding these dark clouds and where they came from. Ask for divine guidance as you explore and transform these dark places.
Courage. It takes courage to accept and work to understand our fears and weaknesses. Yet by doing our best to be fully ourselves in all our strengths and weaknesses, our relationships can grow richer, deeper, and more meaningful. This may be challenging, as some people are unable or unwilling to accept certain parts of us. Yet as those around us see us becoming more real and honest with them, many will also be inspired to be more real and honest with us. Thus, instead of continually avoiding or denying those clouds or dark layers in both ourselves and others, we open to a deeper, more authentic way of living and of relating to others.
Accepting and Understanding Others. As you develop greater acceptance and understanding of yourself, you will notice that others, too, have lost touch with their shining core essence. As you work to accept and understand yourself, it is most important that you choose also to give this gift to those around you. Acceptance of what is, coupled with understanding of what we can change and what we cannot, allows us to find the courage to be all that we can be, and to empower others in doing the same.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Simple Keys to a Fuller Life
Four Simple Keys to Transform Your Life
Part II:Divine Guidance
Many Meanings for Divine. Guidance can come from many sources. Yet by opening to guidance from the divine, we open to the support of powerful forces greater than ourselves. The divine has different meanings for different people, whether it be God, Creator, Jehovah, Allah, or Great Spirit. Yet even if you don’t believe in any of these, consider the possibility that there is a very wise part of yourself—a higher self or a deeper self—which can provide you with guidance. What is important is that we open to this presence, however we choose to define the divine, and that we consciously invite this powerful guidance into our daily lives.
All Requests Only if it’s Best. When seeking divine guidance with a specific result, be sure to end with “only if this is what’s best for all.” There are times when what’s best is not what’s easiest or most enjoyable. Sometimes unwanted or unexpected challenges, difficult situations, and even pain can teach us important lessons that in the long run help us to enjoy life more fully. When we choose to see all experiences as gifts from the divine and opportunities for growth and understanding, we open to a deeper level of divine guidance.
Part II:Divine Guidance
Many Meanings for Divine. Guidance can come from many sources. Yet by opening to guidance from the divine, we open to the support of powerful forces greater than ourselves. The divine has different meanings for different people, whether it be God, Creator, Jehovah, Allah, or Great Spirit. Yet even if you don’t believe in any of these, consider the possibility that there is a very wise part of yourself—a higher self or a deeper self—which can provide you with guidance. What is important is that we open to this presence, however we choose to define the divine, and that we consciously invite this powerful guidance into our daily lives.
All Requests Only if it’s Best. When seeking divine guidance with a specific result, be sure to end with “only if this is what’s best for all.” There are times when what’s best is not what’s easiest or most enjoyable. Sometimes unwanted or unexpected challenges, difficult situations, and even pain can teach us important lessons that in the long run help us to enjoy life more fully. When we choose to see all experiences as gifts from the divine and opportunities for growth and understanding, we open to a deeper level of divine guidance.
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