Wednesday, June 9, 2010

No Regrets

Sitting on my deck, the sun going down, the birds singing their last sweet songs for the day. So peaceful and quiet. I love this time of day they call "dusk", even the name sounds hushed and perfect. In the movie business they call it "magic hour" because everything is bathed in a rosy-golden glow. Wind chimes ring softly like temple bells in the evening breeze. The peaceful end to another good day on earth, and I'm so grateful.

I feel at peace too. I know I have done everything to the best of my ability today. I worked hard and accomplished a lot. I feel pleased and satisfied with the results. I tried to extend myself in love wherever possible. I didn't always succeed as much as I'd have liked, but I see the opportunities where I could've been kinder, more patient and I resolve to do even better tomorrow.

This is pretty much the way I feel about my life in general, at what I hope is just the mid-point. No regrets. I've definitely made my share of mistakes, but what matters is I learned from them. That's what life is for after all, to experiment, experience, and learn. Most importantly, I've kept my heart open, even when others closed theirs. Instead of toughening me, I've managed to let those difficult times soften me, so I can be more open, more compassionate, more loving the next time. In a recent entry I compared life to a river of energy which we are all adrift in. Yes we get bumped and scraped against the rocks sometimes, but I think that's the process that smooths our rough edges. At the end of the ride I hope to be a beautiful, smooth stone, polished to my highest potential by life and time.

Sending you love and light.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Reality is Subjective, Choose Heaven.

Some of my best ideas come while I'm sleeping. It seems that my brain doesn't completely shut off at night, the creative juices keep flowing. Last night after writing the previous post, my mind continued to work over those ideas, and I found something more I wanted to say.

Our perception creates our reality. It's common knowledge that our thoughts do help shape our experiences. How ever I choose to perceive a situation will create the reality of that situation, for me. Let's face it, the glass is rarely completely filled. But I get to choose whether I see it as half full, or half empty. Am I going to choose to focus on what I have, or what's missing? Because one will make me feel grateful and happy, the other miserable and angry. Yes it's true that the world has it's share of pain and bad things do happen, but it also has good things, beauty and love, so which am I going to choose to focus on? Maybe some people actually enjoy being miserable, but I think it's more likely their viewpoint has been shaped by the influence of others, and they don't know how to break the cycle, or even realize they have a choice.
I believe heaven and hell are here on earth, and we get to choose which one we live in. As I wrote in the previous post, I choose to view the universe as a loving and benevolent place, bringing me experiences that while admittedly sometimes painful and unpleasant, are ultimately for my growth and learning. Because I believe this, I constantly find evidence to support it in my life, so it becomes my reality. This is heaven. If I choose to believe the opposite, I'm sure I could find plenty to support that too, but my reality would be tortured and filled with pain. This is the meaning of hell.

Which one are you choosing to live in?

Sending you love and light.

Monday, June 7, 2010

What Keeps Me Going

Someone asked me recently how I am always able to find the positive in things, no matter the circumstances. I wasn't really sure how to answer except to say that it has to do with my deepest belief that everything happens for a reason, and for the best, whether we can see it or not. As I've said before, I believe the universe is a kind and benevolent energy source. It supplies everything necessary for every living thing to flourish and grow. Flowers, weeds, trees, animals, fish, insects, reptiles AND human beings. It's a matter of trusting and allowing. Having faith and letting go.

Often it's the things that are most important to us that are the most difficult to surrender. I realized this to be very true in my own life. For example, when I needed a new place to live, I would set my intentions, visualize what I wanted, and trust the universe to provide. Of course, I still had to get on the Internet and pound the pavement, but invariably in short order I would find something even better than I had imagined. I did the same thing with finding new jobs, with the same results. I wasn't even aware that I was doing this until a friend of mine said "You always find the coolest places to live, and the best jobs. You must be really good at manifesting things!" She was right, I had learned to surrender those two areas. However, my love life was another story. This was THE most important area of my life to me, so of course I was desperately trying to control it, with little or no success. Finally, after all these years I was able to truly surrender this area, to say "If it's meant to be, so be it. If not, I know I'll be OK." I found such peace, like a burden had been lifted that was far too heavy for me to carry alone. Naturally that's exactly when big, true, soul-mate type love walked in the door and rocked my world.

I believe life is like a big roaring river of energy, and we are all deep in it, part of it, whether we know it or not. Some of us cling to the reeds at the bottom, terrified to let go and see where the current takes us, afraid we'll be smashed to bits against the rocks. Others are kicking, screaming, fighting and panicking, afraid we will drown. But I've found if you can just relax and allow the river to flow, you will find you can float, and even swim along with the current. And although there might be rapids from time to time, or even some falls to circumnavigate, if you allow it, the river will carry you safely to a peaceful, deep, safe harbor, where you were meant to be all along.

This belief is what keeps me going when life gets tough, what gives me faith in the bad times. Life isn't always easy, but it's a great ride if you can let go and enjoy it!

Sending you love, light and peaceful waters.