December 2011
1 post
November 2011
4 posts
Perception
It is not a person, place, thing, or situation that is “horrible” or “awful” but rather my perception of it. I find that my perceptions can color life. When I am in a place of gratitude and acceptance the filter through which I see life is one where I can experience the feeling of serenity. When I am in the process of acceptance, weather it be of my circumstances in life...
October 2011
1 post
Siphon
The gifts of recovery can get in the way of recovery and when this happens I find myself in old and familiar territory. The simple abstinence from chemicals is not enough for me to experience the happiness and joy available in the moments. I realize that I have been one of the people that used recovery to my own benefit and then checked out. Yes life is amazing and exponentially better than it...
September 2011
1 post
Complacency
It is easy to rest on my laurels; however, this is a dangerous place to reside especially if spiritual growth is my goal. I can and do become stagnant, slipping subtly back into the old ways of reacting. I see the world through old glasses and old behaviors follow. When I am spiritually inactive and complacent I do not grow. When I am not growing it is impossible for me to be of maximum...
February 2011
1 post
Gratitude
The antidote to fear, anxiety, uncertainty, anger, resentment, and a whole host of other responses that take me out of the sunlight of the spirit, is Gratitude. When I take time to pause, relax, take it easy and reflect upon what I have to be Grateful for there is no room for anything other than a deep sense of security and comfort. Today life is life and when I add judgments like...
January 2011
1 post
December 2010
12 posts
But for the Grace of God there go I
It seems to be much easier to look around and notice what I think is wrong. The shortcomings that I am so willing to point out because I think I know how circumstances should be seem to be so apparent. Today it is with gratitude that I reflect upon the what it was like part of my story. I was stuck in a bitter morass of self pity with seemingly nowhere to go. The solution to this misery was...
“Word Origin & History
grace
late 12c., “God’s favor or...”
Attachment and Suffering
The concept of attachment and suffering has been acutely present in my life. It is through experiencing emotional pain, loss, and ultimately acceptance I have begun to regain a sense of peace and ease. Acceptance is remarkably similar in principle and effect to letting go of attachment. I find when I let go of attachment to a specific person, place, thing, situation, or outcome I then become...
Reliance and Trust
It is so easy to rely on the Spirit of the Universe and trust the process when things are going well, easy, or as I think they should. It is a true test of my ability to practice the principles in all of my affairs when life does not go in a pleasant manner or events do not transpire as I think they should. I can pause, relax, and take it easy in the moments of distress because it is here that I...
“Look to this day,
For it is life,
The very life of life.
In its brief course...”
– Sanskrit proverb
by Kalidasa,
Indian poet and playwright,
Fifth century A.D.
Self Pity
Being stuck in self pity makes it easy to view the world as a negative place. It is so easy to look around and notice what it wrong and reinforce a negative view. When I am stuck in Self Pity gratitude feels out of reach and I can find no peace until I take some action that is based outside of myself. Wallowing in the bitter morass of self pity leads to further disconnection from self, others,...
Balance
Life is never an all or nothing proposition, yet, often I find myself at one extreme or the other. The idea of middle ground for anything is foreign and at the same time when I am not at one extreme end of the spectrum or the other life has a peaceful sense of ease and flow. This peace and ease has yet to be long lasting and typically gets over shadowed by some person, place, thing, or situation...
Life is in the Moments
If I allow my happiness to be contingent upon the ups and downs of life it becomes an illusion that, much like an addictive drug, is chased but never caught. Life is in the moments and I have the opportunity to re commit to life with each breath. When I find that I am in the future or past coming back to the moment can be as simple (not easy) as following my breath. When I am disturbed,...
November 2010
2 posts
“What I want is what I’ve not got, What I need is all around me”
–
Jimi Thing
Dave Matthews Band
Being
I have been swept away from this blog for a considerable period of time and I had long ago forgotten what my last post was about. It is apparent that the last month or so has been about the same life lesson. It took a lot of misery labeled as “stress” to get me to really pay attention to the life lessons that are all around me. I have been participating in a Mindfulness Based Stress...
October 2010
3 posts
Human Doing vs. Being
I have not been on this blog lately and it is because life has crowded out the pleasurable activity of slowing down to express my thoughts and experiences. I feel as if I have gotten sucked into a stream of life that is rushing forward at flood stage. It seems that the activities that nourish my soul are the ones that get crowded out first and this has an insidious effect on the rest of my...
“Now, anybody who thinks that we can move this economy forward with just a few...”
–
Barack Obama
September 2010
11 posts
“I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time...”
– Letters of E.B. White, E.B. White (via [huzzah]literaryquotes) (via marymarywhyyabugging) (via growthchart) (via margaretsmusings) (via my-ear-trumpet) (via whisperinglion) (via heartmindspirit)
“How to be at peace now? By making peace with the present moment. The present...”
– Eckhart Tolle (via oceanofmind)
Fear
Fear of anything makes me want what I don’t have and feel like everything will be ok if I just get whatever it is that I think I need. When I am connected to the Power in the Universe I am at peace and ease, realizing that all I need is around me. In times of the “I wants” I am blocked from the peaceful solution that lies within and I am looking for external means to develop a...
“What I want is what I’ve not got. What I need is all around me.”
–
Dave Matthews Band
Letting Go of the Illusion
The illusion of control is insidious. Many times a day I can find myself engaged in thinking about the future or private logic about the way things should be or can be if I engage in certain actions. Letting go of this illusion sets me free to be. To just go with the stream of life, without judgment and without feeling the need to exert any type of force upon life. This is a process, not an...
“When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live...”
–
Peace Pilgrim
“All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have...”
– Walt Disney (via quote-book) (via 13acres)
Serenity and Expectations.
There is a relationship between my expectations and my level of peace and serenity which is tied directly into acceptance. My serenity is inversely proportional to my expectations and directly proportional to my level of acceptance. Today I am faced with opportunities to walk in the process of acceptance. It is by accepting that I have no real control over anything but my attitude that I can...
“Whenever you’re in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can...”
–
William James
August 2010
12 posts
“When you meet anyone, remember it is a holy encounter. As you see him, you will...”
– A Course in Miracles (via oceanofmind)
Selfishness
I am told by the Big Book that selfishness and self centeredness are the root of my problems. I am also told these characteristics are driven by 100 forms of fear. I recently have had a situation where I was asked for help and because of my selfishness I was of minimum not maximum service. I gave what was asked but really did not have the unselfish spirit of service behind my actions. I will...
“A man is called selfish not for pursuing his own good, but for neglecting his...”
–
~Richard Whately
“I don’t need a lot. All I need I’ve got right now. A little is...”
–
New Potato Caboose
Back from the woods
Today is the first in over 2 weeks that I am sitting with all of my modern comforts: electricity, running water, and yes internet. The last 2 weeks in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee have allowed me to reconnect to my spirit and the healing power of nature. It was much needed and has given me gratitude as well as a hunger for a much simpler life. I realize that I don’t need much and...
Keeping My Side of the Street Clean
It is important for me to realize that by keeping my side of the street clean I can have a profound impact upon the rest of the world. I can not give away what I don’t have and it is important for me to attend to the things that are within my sphere of influence. I can be kind, patient, loving, and tolerant. In doing this it is possible for me to have a positive impact upon those I come...
“Think Global act Local”
–
Random Bumpersticker
speakingoffaith:
History Tends to Surprise Us
by...
Heart Spirit Mind: Some notes on change ... →
Learn how to come apart (de-construct) as well as you have learned how to construct. Does the thought of coming apart bring up fear of losing control? Reframe it as the natural process necessary to clear the slate of what is no longer serving you. It is the flip side of the coin of…
Emotional Arousal
Over the last two weeks I have been moving between one state of emotional arousal to the next. There have been peaks and valleys without much rest in between. The value of spiritual, emotional, and physical self care has become quite clear. In the peaks and valleys I experienced emotional arousal that has produced valuable insights into opportunities for personal growth. I am grateful today...
July 2010
44 posts
Bug on the Windshield
I can’t rest on my laurels and expect that things won’t eventually erode. My spiritual condition is based upon the actions I take to maintain and grow it. I have not been consistently engaged in the type of action that delivered me initially to a place of happiness and freedom. Lately I have been prey to my emotions, overly sensitive to stress, having difficulty sleeping, and...