Life Renovations

30 Days: 17

Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero!
(Seize the day, put no trust in tomorrow)
                                                            -Horace

   This is perfect for today..happy leap year!  We are all familiar with the idea of  "carpe diem", but I love the latter part of this quote as well, "Put no trust in tomorrow".   Somehow, leap year is such a reminder of this to me.  This odd day tucked in every four year like the universe's gift of spotaneity for us.  A drop of uncertainty.  A modicum of the unpredictability of life.

What is the best way to spend this precious gift?

     I love thinking about doing something differently on this day.  When I was a teacher I would give students an unusual assignment this time of year.  For one week, they had to do something they had never done before in their life every day.  It could be big  or small.  Students were walking the hall in zig zag formations, taking a day of silence, cleaning up without being asked repeatedly, or talking to a new person.  One year it happened to be a grandparents' visiting day at school.  As we went around and shared our "different thing" for that particular day, a junior boy revealed that he was wearing his boxer shorts backwards and that he had learned how inconvenient that was.  It still makes me chuckle (much to the chagrin of the grandparents!)

So celebrate today, this unique bonus day of life and do something different, whether it be wild, quiet, spontaneous, or wearing your underwear backwards.  Have fun and carpe diem!

30 Days :16

The best things in life are nearest:  Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you.  Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life.
     ~Robert Louis Stevenson

   Just before I sat down to write this entry, I made a phone call.  It was on this call that I made the decision to decline an offer to participate in a "once in a lifetime" opportunity.  What was truly amazing is that I hung up the phone at peace rather than feeling regretful.  How was it possible to give up such an opportunity and feel so good about it?
   Some opportunities appear so marvelous that it seems unthinkable to refuse.   We convince ourselves "I will regret it if I don't do it".  This line of thinking is based on avoiding potential future regret rather than the idea of "This is the right time, the right idea, and I am in the right place".   What happens when we tug and pull at an opportunity to make it fit?  We are making a fear-based decision, rather than one that reflects the values of what we believe is actually right for us at this moment in our lives.  Consequently, we are missing the life we are living right now for one we might live instead.

   I believe firmly that our inner self knows the right act for each of us to follow.  It is like following the V in the river when canoeing.  One must read the waters ahead and steer into the path that is opening before you rather than trying to force a different channel.   All we need to do is to be present so that we can listen to where our intuitive voice is guiding us. 
    I like this quote not because I don't believe in reaching for the stars, but because today is one of those days that I value the simple things in life, making a meal, phoning a friend, or taking a walk.  What I realized is that by closing one door, I opened another.   Even the simplest of life's events is the opportunity of a lifetime and we get to live these moments every day of our lives. 
    

30 Days: 15

Your work is to discover your work
And then with all our heart
To give yourself to it.

 -- Ascribed to The Buddha from the  Dhammapada, as rendered by Thomas Byrom

 

    This fits well something I have been thinking about. Lately,  I have been hearing a lot of people say, "We are really busy right now " or "This is a super hectic time for me" or "Once we get past this hiccup, then everything will be smooth sailing."      I have started to notice that after the experience deemed a "hiccup" then there arises a "snag " or a "glitch" in people's plans.  All of these unexpected events stop us  from living the life we want. 
  So recently, I have been thinking a lot about the idea that Life is work.  I know it is a very simple idea, yet take a second and think about it.  What happens if we accept the notion that everyday we are going to be dealt a new challenge?  And this challenge can, if we are willing, serve to help us grow and re-envision our lives.  What I am proposing is that instead of being blind-sided every time a crisis comes our way, we accept that life is challenging and so we seek to gain what we can from every new experience whether it is a perceived "glitch" or an enjoyable situation. 
   This quote makes me realize how much our lives are spent designing the lives we want to lead.  It is not a one time event, but a continuous journey finding our path and wholly dedicating ourselves  to the experience of learning, discovering, and transforming that which we find difficult into that which makes us more confident and powerful.   
   How do we begin to find our path or our work?  The first step is to start taking notes of what energizes us or makes us feel most alive.  As we begin to observe what it is that is making us thrive, we can seek to add more and more of that in our lives.  Naturally, that which drains us will slowly begin to fall away as we continue to bring into our lives activities, people, and experiences that bring out our best.
   It is in this way, that we are better equipped to take the negative energy of a "snag" in our plans and transform it into a growing experience.  Once we accept that we are here to work and love our work of being here, we can grab a shovel and dig in.

30 Days :14

    "We are happy
     We are healthy
     We are F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!"

                       -Chant ending a laughter yoga class


    Okay, so I know I have already talked about laughter yoga, but this chant kept running through my head today as I drove home.  It is said in unison at the end of class in a very boisterous voice.  Never mind that it is said after you have been laughing your head off for the last hour, it really gets you  feeling great.  I love it because it is the antithesis of all the negative voices we let run through our heads (and hearts).  So often we allow our inner critics, editors, and gremlins to badger us and prevent us from seeing our talent and our accomplishments.  While some might say they thrive on such battery,  I think more often than not, it leaves us feeling drained, hopeless, and overwhelmed.

   What happens when we transform those voices into a positive message? 

   Our energy shifts immediately from challenge to delight.  What lies ahead feels more possible and we feel more equipped and capable.  Also, a key part of that transformation is that we are helping move doubt into joy.  And by experiencing joy we can connect better with our inner voice and what we know to be true for ourselves.  And our own true answers lie in this place within us that feels connected and full of possibility. 
    Rosamund and Ben Zander share in their book,  The Art of Possibility , the idea of Rule Number 6.  Have you heard of it?  I love it! Rule number 6 is to not take ourselves so seriously and to lighten up!  Wow, what would happen if we chose to take everything a little less seriously and instead find the humor or joy in the situation?  What if we stopped beating ourselves up and instead celebrated how wonderful we are?
    I bet everything would feel better, taste sweeter, and be a whole lot more enjoyable.  So go ahead, laugh silently  to yourself and tell yourself, "I am happy, I am healthy, I am fabulous!"...and feel the love.

30 Days:13

        i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

                                             --e.e.cummings

    Yes...this quote captures well the idea of life as both delicate and enduring, fragile and powerful.  I love the immense gratitude the speaker has for simply being here now.  It is like he is drinking up each and every moment as it appears before him.  How fabulous!  And  rare at the same time.

  What would life be like if every day we drank in our experience and lived such divine thankfulness for being here?

   Last month I found in an old note I had written on scrap of paper years ago.  Now, it resides above my desk.  It reads,  "Ask the NOW question.  Live today's life."  How often do we live moments besides what we are actually experiencing?  Or ask questions that really don't have relevance to what is occurring now but instead what "might" occur someday?  It is that projection to a future moment that paralyzes us; the fears, the what ifs, the maybes and of course, the "I shoulds". 

  When we really engage with the present moment, none of these doubts can survive.   Our intuition, the wise, calm voice within us  is grounded firmly in the present moment.  It has the ability to connect us with being alive and feeling alive.  All we have to do is to pause, breathe, and let the moment we are experiencing to soak into us.  By doing so, our intuitive voice can finally  emerge  and guide us steadily along on our journey.  Being guided by our inner wisdom and knowing,  the next step we take is much more grounded, confident and strong.  It is in this space that we can let gratitude emerge.  And by being grateful for all that is transpiring at this very moment, we open the doors  to an abundance of these moments and a feeling of divine connectedness.   

30 Days:12

"If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to preside over the christening of all children, I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life."
                                                        --Rachel Carson


 Being in wonder...I think it is a powerful way we can live our lives yet somehow it seems to slip through the cracks letting responsibilities,  obligations, and routines to remain.  The "shoulds" (I should, I have to...) seem to have more clout than the idea of marveling at the world around us and at this moment we are living.  I even think that somehow in our society, we dismiss wonder as being naive.   Almost as if,  we gain more respect by being dubious, cynical, or  pessimistic.  Isn't that odd?
     What can wonder do for us?  By having new eyes, as Proust says, we are able to drink in our experience like a traveler journeying through new landscapes.   I love this idea and it became my inspiration one year for my week long vacation.  Every year as springtime starts to emerge, I get an undeniable urge to travel.  One year, time and money constraints seem to make indulging this desire impossible.  So the morning that my vacation began, I woke up with the intent of being a "Zen Traveler".  A Zen traveler, I decided, is one who travels without leaving their environs.  I made it my goal that for one week, I would go to all new places, meet new people and engage in as many new experiences as I would as if I was traveling afar.  I explored hole- in-the wall diners I never knew existed, went dancing with people I had recently met, explored the city's untapped green spaces, and  wrote in my journal in the middle of a loud and popular bar.  To say the least, the journey was exhilarating.  In f act, years later, I still think of that week as one of my best vacations of my entire life.

    This quote makes me wish, like Rachel Carson, that a good fairy would sprinkle wonder dust over everyone so that each day can be lived with such delight and newness.  She also says, "One way to open your eyes is to ask yourself, 'What if I had never seen this before?  What if I knew I would not see it again?'"  I think that by asking ourselves those questions, we would foster a deep feeling of love and curiosity for living our lives.  So today,  join me if you will.  Be a Zen Traveler.  Explore your world.  Delight in the life surrounding you. 

30 Days:11

"I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day."
                                         --Johnny Nash

  You know how there are some songs that are a part of your life's soundtrack? This one is like that for me;  it has made its appearance during unsuspecting moments in my life, almost as if the unseen audience has a clearer picture than I do that I have just crossed over some line marking an upcoming shift in the events of my life.   This song  has been there driving across country, sailing away from a mooring in the Caribbean, and on a walk at sunrise.  What I like about it so much is that the author says that he can see clearly now and in his path are obstacles.  When you listen to the song, he does not sound dismayed that there are obstacles in his way.  Instead, his voice seems filled with gratitude that at least now, he can see the path before him.

     I love this because I think all too often we jump ahead of ourselves wanting to see the  path before us AND have cleared it of all obstacles.  What about telling ourselves good job just for finding the path at all?   It is a lot of work to figure out where we want to go, how we want to live, and what we are meant to do or be.  I think it is valuable to take note and acknowledge the small steps we take on a daily basis that get us closer to living our dreams.

   Also, what if obstacles aren't all that bad?  What I mean is that perhaps obstacles serve a very useful purpose in the process of becoming.  I think of the obstacles as helping us hone our vision, our desire, and our skills as we move closer to what it is we want.  By thinking of obstacles as stepping stones or launching points they become more useful to us energetically.  And in doing so, walking down our path is not a mine field, but instead a celebration that we are there in the first place, we can see the obstacles before us, and that after all, it is a bright, bright, sunshiny day.

30 Days:10

  Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: That the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. all sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. a whole stream of events issues from the decision raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way.
                       -W.H. Murray

   I woke up thinking about commitment.  It can be such a weighty word.  We hear all the time, "I have commitment issues" or "I am afraid to commit".  What does this mean?  What makes us so reluctant to commit?  Here is my hunch.  We see commitment as a daunting challenge just waiting for us to fail.  It is like that nasty inner voice that says, "Oh, yeah, just give it a try and you will probably A. Fail B. Succeed and then what would that mean? C. Be tied down so that you can not explore all the other  options in your life. "   I work with a lot of brilliant people, who are hesitating  because that voice comes across as real and convincing.
   What would it be like if commitment was not on our "fear" list, but instead on our "core value" list.   Instead of feeling like commitment is holding us back or is a declaration proclaiming our imminent failure, what if commitment is a value that helps guide our lives in a positive way like an ally.  Seeing it this way means that the idea of commitment is an exploration of possibility and the opportunity to dive in.   
    And by diving in, we get to receive all the benefits that come when we allow ourselves to enjoy, experience, and explore a new element/vision entering our lives.  What would happen if we trusted that upon committing to our vision, providence would then open up doors in our lives that we could have never imagined would be before us?   Wow, what could possibly stop us from leaping if we knew we could not fail? 

 

 

30 Days:9

"We have to laugh. Because laughter, we already know, is the first evidence of freedom."

                                       -Rosario Castellanos

   Recently, my son became ill which meant that we needed to stay awake all night in order to  keep him completely upright. The first couple nights went smoothly, but by the fourth night of getting insanely little sleep, I had to try different tricks for staying awake.  Somewhere in the wee hours, I remembered something I had been told at a Laughter Yoga class.  If you need a pick me up, try laughing silently to yourself.  Right, I thought, struggling to keep my eyelids open, that is special.  But in that still early morning hour, I decided to give it a whirl- I mean, really, what else was I going to do?  I sat there rocking back and forth in our glider with my son on my chest and began to crack up quietly to myself. 
   I started by saying, "Ha, Ha, Ha" deliberately until the words blended into a tiny chuckle which grew silently into a deeper and deeper laugh.  Slowly, the desperate exhaustion began to melt away along with the fears of my child's health.  Instead,  there in that pre-dawn hour was the light from my own silent laughter erupting from my chest.   It was a  laughter where tears come immediately to your eyes and cheeks hurt within seconds from such a wide and steadfast grin.  I think I may have even woken my son up from laughing so hard.
    Just thinking of that moment makes me feel freer and more open.  I like this quote because it is so confident in its statement, "We have to laugh".  It fully acknowledges that laughter and mirth are intrinsic part of our lives and our well being.  I couldn't agree more that in that moment when laughter becomes real and true in our hearts, we begin to feel unencumbered and confident that everything will be well and is well already.  This liberation is key for getting us to the place we envision for ourselves and our lives.  It is this sense of freedom that helps propel us forward.
   Go ahead and give it a try... seriously!  Open your mouth and laugh silently.  Remind yourself not to take it all too seriously.  This moment is the only moment that exists. Have fun, make a fool of yourself, and Laugh, Laugh, Laugh.  And let your freedom begin now.

30 Days: 8

"You've got to peace out beansprout, because we are all in this together."
   --sign at the Stockyard Cafe in Bozeman, MT

   For anyone that knows me, this saying has come with me wherever I've gone over the last ten years or so.  Even my old Toyota truck was blessed with the name beansprout.  Like everything, this quote has a story to it.  I was living in Montana by myself having moved out there on a whim from Maine.  I had taken a job, learned to ski, quit the job, and made skiing my job (gotta love your twenties!)  All this, and I was totally alone knowing no one out there.  Sometimes there is freedom in being so alone, so at the edge of what we know.  It was a time period of uncertainty and excitement. 
   I was driving one day with cheeks burning from a windy day on the mountain, and I took a road I had never driven on as I wound my way back into town at dusk.  Quickly, the road went from paved, to dirt, to quite bumpy and seemingly unchartered.  Then suddenly out of nowhere I came upon an old mill.  Dingy yet still dignified.  Peeling paint, an old screen door and a sign were what welcomed me inside a small building nearby.  Interestingly, two signs indicated a name.  Propped up against the edge of the building in scrawled painted letters were the words, "the FIND it Cafe".  Quite fitting, I thought.  Yet as I crossed through the portal to this other world, I saw the other sign which read, "The Stockyard Cafe"- this was how the locals spoke of it.
   Anyway,  inside it was a world of warmth, clanging dishes, and an odd sense of familiarity.  I had never been in a restaurant that had a list of rules.  I remember one of the first listed was ,"If you are going to become a regular, introduce yourself to us and it listed the owners names."  Another rule was if your neighbor needs a cup of coffee, the carafe is located behind the counter, help yourself and help your neighbor."  The list went on.  It was a declaration of they way we were to behave while in the space, but even more it was their decree of what kind of community was to be fostered in this sacred place.

     At the end of the long list was a simple one line closing statement.  Yep, it was the quote I wrote.  And it has been a reminder ever since that no matter what our backgrounds, our politics, or our opinions, we are all in this grand scheme of living together.  And I find so much solace in that vision of solidarity.  So...peace out beansprouts.