Remember To Be Silent

When life throws a curve ball

And you don’t know what to do

Remember to be silent

 

When life is full of joy

And you laugh and smile

Remember to be silent

 

When tears stream down your face

And you are filled with despair

Remember to be silent

 

When life is busy with families and work

And you have no time to turn around

Remember to be silent

 

When the sun rises over the mountains

And the sky is filled with light

Remember to be silent

 

When a fragrant rose opens its silky petals

And morning dew hangs on its leaves

Remember to be silent

 

When the stars twinkle in the night

And comets streak across the sky

Remember to be silent

 

No matter what happens in this life

Remember to be silent

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Live for Today for Tomorrow You May Die

Are we living our lives as if today were our last day on this earth? I had a conversation with a friend the other day about aging and death. I’m the kind of person who lives for today but also plans for the future. In my opinion, both are healthy and necessary. Living in the present moment allows us to live fully from our hearts instead of being controlled by our thoughts and emotions. Yet, it’s also good to plan for the future, to save for retirement, to plan a vacation, and to inform family members of our wishes when it’s time to leave this earth.

It seems to me that talking about the future is healthy as long as we don’t bring our egos into the conversation, that is to say as long as we don’t attach negative thoughts and emotions to the topic. For example, death is a topic that many people avoid, yet it is a part of our future whether we like it or not. If we are afraid of death, the topic can create negative emotions within us. If we know someone who is near death, do we avoid visiting the person or do we do what we can to bring a ray of sunshine into his or her life? If we accept death as a natural part of life, we can more easily discuss funeral arrangements and estate documents without negativity. And even when we are discussing the future, we can still live in the present moment by being aware of our thoughts and emotions.

So can we live each day as if it is the last day we will live? How would our lives change? Would we be kinder, more loving, or move giving? Would we still feel the need to carry around those negative feelings of anxiety and fear?

Namaste

The Ego on Vacation

Have you ever thought about a vacation and why it is you can relax and totally let go? It may take a few days or even a week to rid our self of the busy mind – the thoughts that stay focused on our job or our family or our problems. As the days pass, we come to a point when we can sit on the beach, look out over the ocean and simply appreciate the waves rolling in and the clouds floating by. We begin to enjoy the light breeze on our skin, feel the warmth of the shining sun. We notice the deliciousness of the food we eat. We smile more. We become present to life and let go of the past and the future. We simply live in our beingness and let go of some portion of our ego.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could stay this relaxed and peaceful when our vacation is over and we return to our normal routine? It is possible – with awareness. It’s a practice. It’s learning to be aware of each moment instead of getting caught in a replay of your thoughts. How is this possible when our lives are so filled with work, family, friends, and care giving?

Are we willing to practice single-tasking? Doing one thing at a time with all our concentration – the opposite of multi-tasking where we try to juggle several things at once. When we cook a meal, focus on cooking the meal. Take in the smells of the food, set the table, and eat the meal with full awareness. Can we stop watching TV, talking on the cell phone, or working on the computer while we eat? If you are at work, concentrate on the task at hand and try not to think about what is going to happen an hour from now or this evening. If we are visiting a friend, be present in the conversation and turn off the disruption of the cell phone.

Are you willing to try single-tasking? Are you willing to be present? Are we willing to keep our ego on vacation?

Namaste

Awareness of a Tree

I walked around the neighborhood today along the same path I took many times before, yet today I walked with awareness. No ear buds in my ears, no friends at my side sharing stories of how our lives are unfolding.

As I passed the park, I paused and noticed this pine tree. I took a few moments to savor what stood before me. This tree has been in this spot for many years, maybe even longer than the years I’ve roamed this earth. I didn’t estimate its height or diameter. I just stood there and appreciated its size, the rough texture of its bark, the hundreds of branches and pinecones, the thousands of pine needles. I noticed the deep blue sky in the spaces between the branches, the mild breeze that brought the branches to life. I noticed the deep pine green color of the needles and the smoky gray bark.

This is a living thing, like millions upon millions of other living things that grow upon this Earth. How is it that sometimes we become blind to the wonder of life all around us? How many times do we need to walk past a tree before we can see it? What does it take to be aware of our surroundings and aware of every moment in our lives? Maybe all it takes is one moment. This moment.

Namaste

Become A Smile Millionaire

How often do we smile? Smiling is an outward expression of inner joy and happiness. We tend to smile when we see the innocence of a baby or when we see or hear something funny, but true happiness comes from within. It’s the energy in the second chakra just below the navel. So what makes us happy? Many of us look to external desires to make us happy. We want more money, better health, expensive vacations. But fulfilling external desires are fleeting. Once we obtain those desires, we are hungry again for other external desires. So why do we waste our time and effort on fleeting happiness? It’s our unruly egos. Our ego makes us think that these external desires will bring us happiness. We smile for a while then noticed that we are once again not satisfied. We want more.

So does that mean that all desires are bad or fleeting? No. Spiritual desires, like a desire to know Spirit more deeply through meditation is a desire that comes from a yearning for inner joy and happiness. When the mind and ego are quiet, we begin to feel that sense of inner joy and happiness. Then without effort, we notice ourselves smiling more frequently. And when we smile, we notice others smiling back. We become more attractive when we smile. Our stress level decreases. When we smile, we notice ourselves laughing more which boosts our immune system. Smiling just feels good. So what are we waiting for? Let’s all become Smile Millionaires.

Namaste

Crisis and Awareness

Have you experienced a major crisis in your life? Many of us have – the loss of a loved one, a major illness, a breakup or divorce, the collapse of a business or some other situation that makes us feel powerless.

Gary Zukov in his book “The Seat of the Soul,” writes “Awareness first enters into an unaware personality through crisis. When the personality is not attached to, or is apart from, clear soul energy, it becomes seduced into the physical matterness of life. That always results in a personality crisis because the necessary strength and guidance that are meant to flow into the personality have been cut off. The personality that is unaware of, or denies the existence of, its higher sources of wisdom cannot draw upon its guidance, its intuition, or any of the guiding mechanisms of our species. Therefore, crisis results.”

As we look back on our lives, can we recall that personal crisis and remember how we reacted? Were we identified with our personality or ego-self? Did we suffer physical or emotional pain? That’s being identified with the ego. Or, did we go within to our higher self and accept the crisis as part of the grand plan of the Divine? Acceptance at these times is tough, yet that is when we are connected with our Soul.

I’ve had several crises in my life and with each one, I learned more and more about my True Self. I learned that I am not alone when faced with major life challenges. I learned that the crisis was not all about me it was an opportunity to learn how to be a better human being, an opportunity to be more loving, more accepting, more giving. I’m not saying that once we get in touch with our True Self we no longer have crises. On the contrary, crises continue throughout life. What I am finding is that when these times come, I can face the challenges with more calm, grace and acceptance. I can step back and look at the situation without the drama and thereby make rational decisions on how to manage the crisis. And this calmness comes through meditation.

So take a look at the crises in your life. Do you struggle through them with emotional and physical upset or do you take the opportunity to learn from them, to become more aware of your True Self.

Namaste

Earth School

I’m currently reading Gary Zukov’s “The Seat of the Soul.” I’ve had several Ah-ha moments while reading. This one struck a cord today. “From the perception of the multisensory human (one who lives consciously), the physical world is a learning environment that is created jointly by the souls that share it, and everything that occurs within it serves their learning.”

In recent years I’ve been very aware that our learning in not confined to the classrooms of elementary, high school, and college. We continue to learn our entire lives. However, the content of that learning changes over time. There’s book learning and then there’s soul learning – our spiritual progress.

How we go about our spiritual progress is different for everyone, but spiritual progress is really about overcoming temptations and addictions of the senses in order to live from the heart. Can we use our willpower to overcome material desire and not be attached to persons, places, and things? Can we let go of anger and hate and be more loving? Can we change from being dishonest, mean or destructive and learn to be good, honest and giving? Can we stop eating unhealthy foods and develop healthy eating habits? Can we let go of judging others and ourselves and be more accepting? Can we let go of laziness and be more active for our good and the good of others? Can we remember the importance of connecting with our Higher Self and develop a habit of regular meditation?

We were all born on this Earth for a purpose. Our life purpose might seem to be related to a particular career but digging deeper, our souls want to grow. Our soul has a purpose on this Earth. So how are we cultivating that growth? Are we paying attention and doing our best to overcome temptations and addictions of our senses? Are we living consciously from the heart?

Namaste

Choose Happiness

Everyone has one of those days. We wake up feeling less than bubbly. What do we do? We have a choice – a choice to walk around moping or complaining about the day or walking around being happy. So how do we get past the negativity and choose happiness? I tend to have my own bag of tricks, but what makes one person happy may not be what makes another person smile. So here are some activities that elevate my happiness.

*     Meditate. Even 10-15 minutes of focusing on the breath brings happiness and relaxation.

*     Enjoy a cup of tea or coffee. Really be aware of the taste and relaxation it brings.

*    Listen to upbeat music. It doesn’t need to be any particular genre, just something to get our toe tapping or put a smile on our face.

*     Exercise. Again, it doesn’t matter what kind of exercise. Just move. Walk, run, dance, swim, or lift weights. Get those endorphins moving.

*     Smile. Smile at yourself in the mirror and smile at everyone on the street.

*     Do something that brings joy to the heart. Got a hobby? Spend a few minutes or a few hours a day doing something just for the fun of it.

*     Write. Journaling can be cathartic. Sometimes we just need to get the negativity out of our system before we can think more positively.

So what elevates your happiness?

Namaste

Trust

What does it mean to trust?

Today I decided to let go of one of my fears and trust. By some standards, it was not a big thing, but for me it was big. Today I decided to trust the airline with my luggage. About 30 years ago I took a trip and my luggage was lost. I never recovered my bag and I recall that I had some sentimental jewelry that was gone forever

Since then I’ve always taken carry-on. But I’m through with that fear. Maybe I no longer have the same attachment to my physical possessions or maybe I’m just getting older and no longer want to roll my suitcase around the airport. In any case, I’m letting go of the need to control. I’m putting my trust in the baggage handlers and airline employees.

Ah. What a relief. I feel a weight lifted off my shoulders. I don’t need to do everything myself.

So, is there some fears in your life?  Are you ready to let them go?  It’s as simple as a five-letter word.

TRUST

Namaste

Contentment

By contentment, supreme joy is gained. Those are the words that describe Samtosha, one of the Niyamas in the Yoga Sutras. I like contentment. It means to be happy with things as they are and not look to persons, places or things outside of use to be happy. Who wouldn’t want supreme joy? And yet, the ego has a way of sneaking into our minds.

Wouldn’t it be great to have a wonderful relationship with that special someone? I would be so happy if only… My friends are going on vacation to the desert. They invited me to come along, but I have this other commitment. Maybe I should change my plans. If I don’t go now, when will I get another chance like this? We would have so much fun… I’ve always wanted a brand new Jaguar and I can’t believe my eyes. I just inherited $50,000. I’m behind in my rent and have tons of bills. This inheritance can get me out of debt and back on my feet. Screw it. Jaguar here I come…

I’m not suggesting that we can’t enjoy the finer things in life. But contentment tells us to go within. Find what makes us happy on the inside. And, be okay if we find that special someone, have the opportunity for a desert vacation, or buy a new car. But also, find that happiness inside even if we just broke up with that special someone, have to cancel that long awaited vacation, or have to ride a used bicycle for transportation. What happens on the outside doesn’t affect our happiness.

So how can we find that even keel of contentment? Ester Hicks has a couple of beautiful quote that might point the way.

“Let your alignment (with Well-Being) be first and foremost, and let everything else be secondary. And not only will you have an eternally joyous journey, but everything you have ever imagined will flow effortlessly into your experience. There is nothing you cannot be or do or have—but your dominant intent is to be joyful. The doing and the having will come into alignment once you get that one down.”

“While it does, and should, feel good to be appreciated by another person, if you are dependent upon their appreciation to feel good, you will not be able to consistently feel good, because no other person has the ability, or a responsibility, to hold you as their singular, positive object of attention. Your Inner Being, however, the Source within you, always holds you, with no exceptions, as a constant object of appreciation. So if you will tune your thoughts and actions to that consistent Vibration of Well-Being flowing forth from your Inner Being—you will thrive under any and all conditions.”

So go within. Think positively about your circumstances, whatever they are. Be grateful and appreciative for what you have and for what you don’t have.

Namaste