Sometimes the greatest inspiration comes not from the gurus but from those who we let inside our hearts…

Hello dear wonderful friends and hello dear beautiful Universe! It is easy to feel awe-inspired by the teachings of the great prophets and philosophers of our species…but perhaps (as Dorothy discovered) there are equally profound–albeit more subtle– sparks of genius in Kansas as there are in Oz.

…It is the ability of the “little people” in the world— our friends, our family, our loved ones, the random stranger— to impact us suddenly and profoundly that can inspire us to become all that we truly yearn to be and all that we ultimately are… it is the smile that comes at just the right moment… or the song that seems to speak to the question within… It is the touch that seems to soothe all sorrow… or the hug that says “yes, you can!”…! It is sometimes only the simple fact that our children believe that we can accomplish the “impossible” that we actually do….!

Our lives and experiences are sculpted by the hands of those champions that surround us–big AND small…those special people who allow us to reveal the hidden magic within ourselves…

Today, instead of waiting for a new door to open, I celebrate the beauty of my own back yard…each and every flower…each singing bird…each blade of grass…each whisper of the wind… today, I celebrate the fellow humans that have helped transform what could have been a rock into a gem…those who have inspired me to see that hope is limitless and that imagination is eternal…. that love is infinite and that Life is ever more….(and more and more and more…)!

Today, I celebrate my family….my children…my oldest daughter as she approaches the glorious age of 23… as I look at the beauty within her face…as I stand aghast in awe at the brilliance, love and kindness that she radiates, I am reminded that sometimes the greatest inspiration comes not from those that we put on a pedestal but from those that we allow into our hearts…. in their richness, our souls can build that which we would call “home”…..!

Once Upon Our Time…..

To my dear darling sweet planet…. I am not part of your beginning and I am not part of your end (if there is indeed such a thing), but thank you for allowing me the glimpse at the perfection that we call life~~~ wow, how short and sweet a mere hundred years can seem when there is a planet brimming with such beauty, such insight and such love… each moment stands still when basking in the brilliance of even the most trivial of your realities… so let there be life and let there be imagination for in our imagination grows the seeds of eternity…kiss me with your sunsets and push me forward with my “defeats” … bless me with the ability to grow…and in my growth, let me understand that change is the wonder from which all infinity blossoms… and in the meantime, I watch the turtle persevere to the next pond. I watch the roses unfold into their full bloom. I listen to my children navigate to new frontiers with glee and exquisite confidence. I listen to my own heart dance and play at the possibilities. This is life. This is bliss. THIS, my dear ones, is a look into the soul of our most eternal and sacred being-ness. This is the opportunity to throw the acorns back up to the sky. This is the opportunity to smile with the pure unadulterated smile of the “can be”.  This is about beauty and wisdom and about all that we can’t perhaps yet explain. This is about the silence and the awe that we feel under the moon and the stars when all of the rest of the world is trying to make us believe that this magnificent planet is somehow broken…. This is about the unfinished and about the exquisitely unfolding… This is about pure life—pure breath—and ultimately about pure and sublime NOW….. Being wholly and fully ALIVE could not possibly hold any more rich meaning than the gift of each reverent breath of evolution…..Dive in and revel in the opportunity to mold your own clay of dreams….the lusciousness of existence simply waits for your decision to harvest it….

And so, dear world, as I force myself to say goodnight to another day of promise and adventure, I gaze at your moon….I taste your breeze….and I inhale the awe of how much beauty has come before me and how much mystery is yet to come….Life is not about the “must do’s”…. Life is about the forgotten moments that shape all that we are yet to become… Life is our own personal fairy tale…and OH! To behold the magic!!!!!

 

 

 

Celebrate the Genius of this Uncompleted Journey!

Hello, hello dear wonderful friends! Wow, can you imagine a more phenomenal Sunday? The brilliant blue sky and poofy white clouds are so fresh and alive that it almost feels like the first day on Earth! The air is vibrant… the breeze caresses and teases… it is a day of promise and potential… it is the start to more “becoming”…more blossoming… more understanding…. the opportunity to be yet more of all that we are and all that we are yet to BE….

So, today, as we behold our surroundings with the eyes of a new day, let’s take a deep luxurious breath….soak in the moment….celebrate not only the luscious components of our “now”, but let’s look back with our “ener-joy” eyes and appreciate how truly far, far, far we each have come!

We began as babes….raw potential….little balls of hope, joy, enthusiasm and imagination….as we grew and observed, as we experienced the peaks and the plunges of our experience, we developed beliefs about the world….beliefs about our “progress”…. beliefs about everything from our own worthiness to our own “reality”. Perhaps in an intent to “protect” us or an intent to “point us in the right direction”, we were given guidelines for what constituted “success”… we were often lead to believe that “how far we have yet to go” far outweighs “how far we have come”… we have been trained to seek those peak moments in order to feel true self-worth… moments when we can proudly display the perfect credit rating, the perfectly decorated home, the Olympic gold medal, the ultimate promotion…the perfect this…the perfect that….a focus on the destination that can inadvertently rob us of the joy in the process….the beauty of the journey… the awe of our unfolding…..and the MAGNIFICENCE of this human being (YOU) who has created this wonderful work in progress….!

Yes, it can be true…our “well trained” minds can lead us along a path that can make us feel flawed…like the glass half empty….all too often when we think about how far we have come, we think about the steps along the way that “we should have done differently”….the dreams that still haven’t come to pass…in this fleeting moment of potential, rather than revel in our great leaps forward (and they are AMAZING LEAPS if you look at them), we can sometimes obsess instead with HOW MUCH FURTHER we “have” to go before we can “finally” allow ourselves license to be happy… all too often our minds can become the theater that plays the same saga on infinite repeat… a broken record reliving all those most intense times that we have endured, the betrayals, the disillusionments, the heartache, the “failures”…..

Yes, we can get on a mental roll that doesn’t lend power to our day, BUT……before we beat ourselves up TOO much for that silly ingrained habit, let’s rejoice in the fact that even this “non-serving” behavior is part of the miracle of our own creative process…!

Isn’t it true that when we REALLY fuss, we REALLY look for a way to find that happiness that we think that we are missing? We may yell and kick and scream and feel sorry for ourselves, but eventually, we start looking for solutions. Somehow these yucky feelings point the way and we start moving again…we start thinking…we start questing… we start opening up to new possibilities in our world….

Wasn’t it someone’s impatience with travel that lead to the genius strides forward in our transportation? Wasn’t it someone’s vision of a better way to access information that has given birth to these computers that we now access? Wasn’t it someone’s appreciation for generosity and greatness that lead to the creation of the Nobel Prize?

So, yes, dear friends, today let’s not only celebrate how far we have come, and the unequaled BEAUTY of where we ARE but let’s celebrate the genius of the “uncompleted journey”! As I sit here at my desk with the sound of my sweetheart listening to the news, I am in awe of the beauty of this journey. Here I sit with my world so different than what it was even one tiny year ago. The weeks fly by…new ideas…new wishes…new wonders…new things to reach for….with each challenge comes a possibility….Sometimes I confess I yearn for a bit more ease…sometimes more clarity… sometimes the things that I think that I want seem so far away…almost impossible to reach…. sometimes I feel fear and frustration… and yet, often…as I glide through those tumultuous oceans, I find the light house…the idea that guides me through my inner storm…I grow and I create and I BECOME something even bigger than I had been a moment before….

We are joyously AND PERFECTLY works in progress! That joyous enthusiasm….that breathless sense of invincibility that we experienced as a child…. that sense of thrill and “all-is-well-ness” that pours through us in those moments of success….ALL are waiting in the wings for us to access at any moment…! True, we are not who we were when we were young: WE ARE MORE! We are MORE knowledge, MORE wisdom, MORE aware of our loves and our preferences, MORE stimulated to BE who we have the potential to be, MORE packed with potential—thanks to ALL of the life that we have oh-so-deeply LIVED.

YES, there has been sublime joy! (Remember it!) Yes, there have been moments of anguish, but those are the rocket power to your desire to grow. Today, I urge you to join with me in celebrating the “small stuff”….the wonderful joy that I always feel in the morning when I am the recipient of the happy dance from my pups…. the strength in my body…the growth in my soul…. the PERFECT time of year when the weather is just so right… the sparkle in my lover’s eye…the memory of a compliment or a special joke…the feeling of family…. the exhilaration as I master a descent…the calmness when I used to panic…the faith that comes out of nowhere…the sweet feeling of success when I totally achieve….

Yes, let’s remember to revel in the power of celebration! Let’s give ourselves the license to laugh more, dance more, play more and bask in the feeling of bliss! Let’s remember to focus on the moment without the distraction of the destination…. Let’s smile at ourselves in the midst of our becoming and savor and enjoy…. We are “NOT DONE” yet, but “OH, THE PLACES WE WILL GO!” (Thank you, Dr. Suess!)

So….. tuck away that GPS for now, and dive deliciously and whole-heartedly into your journey knowing that you have your own INNER COMPASS and it is steering you WELL! Go forth and explore! Today is a frontier worth claiming as YOUR OWN! Happy Sunday, dear friends!!!

To Infinity and Beyond….!

Well, dear friends! Greetings from the delicious whirlwind! Isn’t it amazing to be able to feel so exquisitely alive? With every breath and yes, even in the midst of those blasted “challenges” that fine tune the machine, we are moving/flowing/blossoming into an even richer brilliance! Can you feel the pulse of this amazing planet? Can you feel the goodness and the promise that is taking hold? How lucky are our children to be born now when our beliefs truly seem to be shifting? How lucky are we to have the chance to ask and to dream and to choose to move forward?! I do believe that the odds are stacked in our favor and it’s hard not to become positively giddy when the world grants us a quick sneak peek of the greatness that is yet to become. If we look at all of the dazzling brilliant minds and spirits that have created such amazing things on our planet, it becomes truly awe inspiring….so imagine how this level of “awesomeness” will only increase as more and more of us learn to discard the beliefs that no longer serve us and replace them with ideas that destine us to thrive and “blissify”…! Yes, tonight I am grateful to be part of this amazing dance called life.

…. And so, my dear friends, as I listen to the frogs crooning their love songs to the moon…as my three furry friends congratulate themselves on having domesticated me into such a perfect pet…as my children dream of making their mark on the world…as I write the pages of my life into my grand story book, I rejoice at the honor of being able to simply explore my “ME-ness”…. And isn’t it a luscious revelation that as we each discover our own “ME-ness” that we begin to understand that we can freely allow others to manifest their own “ME-ness” —and that this eternal “Easter Egg” hunt for our infinite collection of inner light is precisely the ingredient that gives our species its mightiest treasure…???!

As we twist and turn sometimes in joy, sometimes in challenge, we create and create and create….and that is what in my opinion transforms life from a black and white experience to pure blue ray 3D high def technicolor! Yowie! Zowie! I’m not “there” yet (wherever “there” might be), but I am grateful for this opportunity to live and love and explore (and even occasionally panic) and savour….thank you dear friends for being the positive souls that you are….thank you for spreading the bliss and the hope and the spiritual curiosity…it is a wonderful time to be alive…we are indeed blessed yet I can’t help but feel like the best is yet to come…. So venture on…run, dance, play and even stumble, but venture on and on and on….for THIS is still the world that we saw through the eyes of our childhood… a mighty planet waiting to move forward together as one into eternity…..!

You had me at “Mambo”!

Hello dear wonderful friends!!! Today let’s stand in awe of the powerful momentum behind Life! Today, let’s revel and appreciate Life’s desire to wrap us in the arms of eternity and whisk us onto this magnificent dance floor! It is no wonder that our planet is in this infinite orbit! Our energy is HUGE!

Wherever we look, Nature is moving….! The earth is spinning… the waves are caressing the shores… even the wind is creating new masterpieces among the mountainous sculptures around the globe with its persistent gales. The healthiest waters come from the moving streams…. with motion, we THRIVE! And YES, we are MOVING!!! Onward we go…onward, we FLOW!

Our world is not about the walls. It is about the doorways! It is the windows….the nooks…the crannies…the tunnels toward the light….life is about the secret pathways that we create in and amongst the impossibilities. Life is about learning to believe yes when we think that “reality” says no. Life tickles…Life teases…Life coaxes and teaches….begging us forward…asking us to dance….Life is our Mother…Life is our Father…Life is our inner child…and yes, Life is the ultimate lover, mentor and “with you to the last breath” soul mate….

This is not a world that is intended to stand still. Our world is round like a ball so that it can always move forward.

…So YES…. let us not be content to seek consistency…let us not fear change or worry about the power of the wind at our back…we are born believing that “we can”… we are born with a joie de vivre and a spirit of carpe diem…. let us reclaim our momentum and dive into the glory of the biggest dream that our imaginations can muster!

Let us pack away the beliefs that no longer serve us….let us move beyond the limitations that had us temporarily fooled…. let us greet our day with new words of success…or as they say in Swahili, “Mambo!” Yes, THAT is their hello…so why not herald your own new days with a resounding call to motion?

Kick up your heels! Let loose! Leap as far as you dare–and then leap perhaps a wee bit further! Live, laugh, dance! Burst through those stagnating boundaries and focus your own creative genius into your own blissful Life-resounding quest!

Life can be AMAZING in its ability to teach us subtle truths. Life can also have a spectacular sense of humor when we least expect it. And sometimes, we can gain insight into the pursuit of happiness just by those simple words that we weave innocently into our languages….

So grab your keys, embrace your quirky but wonderful humanity and above all, get out there into that crazy spinning world and show them your never ending desire to–YES—-MAMBO, dear world!!!! Life is short…so fill up that dance card!

Lessons from an eternal planet….

Hello, dear global friends! How is it possible for one tiny planet to humble me so…? Today the wild flowers that grew on the side of the road were so purple and perfect that they should have stopped traffic. The clouds were so buoyant and full as they nestled against the perfect blue sky that the planet seemed to suspend its orbit in order to support the vastness of its beauty. A cluster of four young calves nestled in the cool grass with an air of excitement and newness that almost took my breath away. A European couple asked me to take their photo and it was as if we had known each other for years almost instantly. This is a world that gives me an infinite array of berries (and that has inspired humanity to invent blenders so that I can turn those berries into a succulent array of smoothies)…grocery stores brimming with foods for all tastes and preferences…colors, textures, sights and sounds… this is a world where I can play in spin class at the age of 51 or dance to Shakira when no one is looking~~ this is a world of waterfalls, mountains, oceans and even coffee shops~~ This is a world where I can fall in love when a moment earlier, I was feeling swallowed up in solitude~~~ what a crazy blissful and DELICIOUS mixture! This is a world where we get to experience all variations of joy and, yes, heartache (which often then pushes us closer to “better” love). This is a world of eternal discovery and invention. This is a world where true smiles always seem to give us butterflies. It’s a world where thousands of strangers can unite to cheer on a sports team. It’s a world where someone who moments earlier truly doubted their own worth can be inspired to heroism and to charity when the moment of need calls. It’s a world where the smile of a baby or the wag of a tail from one’s family dog can make all of the stresses of the world seem suddenly trivial and totally surmountable. It’s a world where we are given the privilege of discovering who we are and in the process we perhaps discover who we wish to become. It’s a world of magic where coincidences and serendipity encourage us to spread our wings and to “believe” in the impossible. It’s a world that kindly encourages us to grow and to design and to create. On one tiny planet we evolve into something that surpasses anything that could previously have been imagined.  So, my prayer for this planet, is that we revel in the genius of this playground. Like an itch that must be scratched, with each problem that we perceive is birthed this delicious calling to move further and to create! My prayer is that we rejoice in the perfection of this planet. My prayer is that we delight in the possibility of all that we have yet to create! My prayer is that in spite of the challenges that are so publicized that we will see the magnificence of our Mother Earth. We are so blessed and if we relax our eyes into appreciating the beauty of each day, we suddenly see even the tiny spider webs that are woven between the blades of grass with each mornings’ dew. And in this perfection, there is suddenly nothing that isn’t possible on such a magnificent planet…..! What a gift it is to be a part of this unfolding….! Wishing you the gift of beholding your own exquisiteness, my friends!

Living Life as a Champion!

Hello dear wonderful world! Hello my dear wonderful friends of the planet! Let today be about learning to be a champion~~ champion to one’s loved ones~~ champions to one’s colleagues ~~ champions to our planet and champions to our own souls~~ champions to the “strangers” we pass on the street~~ let us delight in showering them with random aren’t-you-magnificent smiles and watch them sparkle! Let us delight as they then sprinkle that joyous fairy dust of unconditional, “unearned” love to other “strangers” along their voyage.

Like a galaxy of dandelion seedlings, let us spread our joy and love and positive belief across our magical little planet so that they may take hold and bloom. We may be wildflowers, but beautiful and hearty are we! Courageous and ever blooming—unconditional in our choice of soil, be it garden or roadway~~ ever and always heading upward toward the sun and the Heavens.

My belief is that before those who we consider the mightiest discovered their own strength, SOMEONE believed in them~~~ someone was their champion. Someone helped them to unearth all that they could be—no matter the number of stumbles. The belief and KNOWING of this champion was so complete that before long the mighty one began to see and BELIEVE their own mightiness~~ and in believing in their own mightiness, they soared and soared AND SOARED~~ and in their soaring, they inspired more “mere mortals” to new heights and the world grew and grew and GREW.

So let us all be champions for each other and for ourselves. And as we thrive in our believing, imagine the GREAT HEIGHTS of humanity that we will see~~ all the “miracles” that we can evoke! As we draw out the best in ourselves and in each other~ as we learn to expect from our planet all that we would have it be, surely we will find that we indeed are walking the fields of heaven ~~ complete blissful harmony between humanity and Mother Earth ~~ that is my dream ~~ that is my wish ~~ that is my focus. How joyous to think that this vision begins with just one~~ let us each be that one champion that starts the unfolding! Happy Spring, dear ones!

“Shine On You Crazy Diamond”

Hello my dear, dear global friends~~ savor this sweet, sweet moment in all of our lives ~~ we are vibrant, we are alive and we are questing ~~ we are all that life is about ~~ we are each and every molecule! In our challenges, in our frustrations, we are the Universal heartbeat. We are magnificence at its most radiant and supreme. Life is not about “getting it right”, but rather about letting its life-giving energy pulse through our hearts, pulse through our veins, pulse through our dreams ~~ WE CREATE ETERNITY simply by the fact that we will never let “it” end. We yearn, we desire, we plead, we even cry…. but were it not for these tears, there would be no need for tomorrow. Were it not for our ideas and creativity, there would be no future….We are on a magnificent voyage together ~~ we are artists ~~ we are dancers ~~ we are great explorers ~~ we shape the future as we savor our way through the present ~~ we are anything but alone ~~ we are human and THAT is the greatest gift that we can have inherited ~~ to see the world not through the eyes of perfection, but through the eyes of possibility, that is not only my dream, but my vision ~~  This is our moment and oh, is it ever worth the birthing!!!” Be kind to yourself. Be kind to your soul. And love this planet because there is genius in even the most frustrating of moments. We are jewels in a magnificent crown ~~ so bask in your beauty and let your sparkle shine! And shine and shine and shine! We truly already live in “Heaven”— even if we fondly call this little planet simply Earth~~ xxxxx

(title courtesy of Pink Floyd…. wink!)

Kicking off the ruby red slippers for a moment to feel the grass between my toes….!

Hello, dear superb friends! Just couldn’t resist taking another moment to bask in the genius of our sweet wonderful planet! Why is it that many of my best “moments of oneness” with the wonder of it all are inspired by the eyes of a dog or a child—even if that child is my own inner child?? Wink!

So today, it was just another innocent moment…I thought that I was merely taking my 3 handsome furry friends on a walk, but it became a journey into bliss…the sun was shining oh-so-perfectly—big beautiful poofy white clouds graced our global canopy…the perfect breeeze…next to my house the azaleas were overflowing with masses of bright fuchsia blossoms framed by an exquisite façade of the most delicate purple wildflowers in the meadow next to my house that you ever have seen…a duck “couple” was floating leisurely on the pond across the way…the neighborhood owl swooped across in the distance as if to say hello…as we approached the pond up the street, one of our alligator friends struck a GQ gator pose while soaking in the last remnants of the sun as three determined turtles squeezed their way onto a log and craned their necks in worship of the sun…(do turtles really need a tan?)….And then on the surface of the pond were these tiny little flashes of “circledom”…apparently even the insects are dancing in delight….

Overhead, is a small plane…someone is learning to fly… I giggle because the last thing that I yearn to do is to get into an airplane and suspend myself yet, to that person up there, this must be heaven…and how incredible that not too long ago, this was just a fantasy…did my grandparents look up into the sky and see a novice pilot gaining their wings?…yet, today, it fits into the harmony of the moment…meanwhile the “boys” are sniffing every blade of grass as if each scent holds the hidden treasure of eternity…each blade captivates them and I smile in awe of their passion… as they roll on their backs and deliciously rub the deepest of those scents into their fur, I am embraced in this grand tapestry of perfection.

I look up and see the trees and I smell the distant orange blossoms… I marvel in the knowledge that the Universe does indeed seem to have our backs…here are these “tiny things”…free for the taking…yet definite food for the soul…these are the gems in life…the things that make us say “ahhhhh” if we remember to see them….these are the “priceless” gifts that the planet offers without a fee…free for all—“rich” or “poor”….the world adapts and shifts and changes, but it finds a way to deliver beauty…and in that beauty is the promise of ease and all-is-wellness….we savored our wonderful walk and used it to put the pressures of the day on hold for a moment…when I walked inside the house, the phone rang  and “the sound of” my daughter’s smile across the miles seemed that much more magnificent…the warmth of all the love in my heart seemed all the more encompassing…I was gratified with the knowing that life is indeed exquisite and that we have such a magnificent treasure chest of wonder before us….wishing you each the true kiss of the Universe upon your foreheads and as human as we may be, it’s all deliciously “perfect” and eternal….thank you for inspiring me so upon my own little journey…!

May your day be filled with hand-made clover crowns and may we each take a moment to kick off those ruby red slippers so that we can feel the grass between our toes! Wink (again)!

ONWARD AND (no offense to down, but….) UPWARD….!

Hello dear beautiful world and hello dear beautiful friends! Today the clouds just couldn’t be any more perfect and the weather absolutely sings to my soul! The Canine Tenors are out in the backyard singing to the squirrels, singing to the neighbors and just generally singing to life and to anyone else who will listen!

Oh yes, there were problems to solve and ok….SOME aggravations….some mysteries that are still elusive and yes, GOSH it was hard to work when it feels so much like true “make-your-heart-dance” SPRING!

And yet….I can SEE the progress all around me….! Yes, believing IS seeing and (in spite of my “old mind”s” attempt to keep me in check…wink!) my new beliefs seem to be creating things that definitely resemble a light at the end of the tunnel!

Ok, ok…. I KNOW that we have sometimes been told that in order to be effective and to properly “deal” with reality, we have to “get to the bottom” of the issue….roll up our sleeves…”dig deep”…dissect those tender spots and really wrestle those demons to the ground…… (and this was said to a child who found the Roadrunner and the Three Stooges too violent….no wonder, the very thought of that had me hyperventilating, but I did try…..!)

Yes, I tried to follow the directions on the package called “life” and I trained my brain to go over and over and over AND OVER those irritating, unfulfilling, “knock me to my knees and leave me crying” moments…. I kept thinking that if I looked at the problem from enough angles, I would somehow (magically?) wake up one day and be purged of the pain that had left me breathless and angry or hurt….

Well, my dear darling friends, as I awoke one day to find myself in a relationship filled with terror, anger and addiction, I decided that (respectfully) this approach of trying to relive these moments in hopes of finding the missing link just wasn’t working…. Yes, living through them once was quite enough… I was at the point where my anxiety was at such a level that I couldn’t even drive on the highway. My stress was already so high that just the addition of basic “highway sensitivity” tossed me into an anxiety attack. I was shocked to find myself in that position, but there I was….

Yes, I did try to undo the effects of my scenario by “putting on a happy face” and pretending that all was well, but those results were equally ineffective. My brain knew how I truly felt and it wasn’t warm and fuzzy…. Any affirmations that I made only made my attempts at feeling that fuzziness seem like sandpaper. My brain just rolled its eyes and told me that we weren’t quite “there” yet….!

So how to undo the stalemate?

I began to play….yes, play…..I discovered a book called “Ask and It is Given” (by Jerry and Esther Hicks) that literally fell on the floor at my feet as I was walking through a different section of the book store. And as the old saying goes, “And the rest is history…”

Learning to play wasn’t easy, because I had bought into the idea that play is the opposite of work. I assure you it is not–wink–and for me, play can be infinitely more PRODUCTIVE than work. At the risk of being cliche, I can’t help but quote James Matthew Barrie from Peter Pan (after all this IS the Tinkerbell Project….wink again…)

“It is not real work unless you would rather be doing something else.”

Allow me to add my own Tinkerbell wisdom to the quote and to say, “….so if you love what you do then you will never work a day in your life….”

Yes, I began to use deliberate play….”mind games” that my mind would accept because I called them “games”. I would imagine and envision great outcomes….great dreams….great loving conversations and great feelings….I began to play to identify the feelings that I wanted to feel…the essence of what I was wishing for…. I spent more mind time at the “top” of my game than at the “bottom of it all”. (Because—as Esther Hicks/Abraham has said— THERE IS NO BOTTOM…..) And if it’s “play”, what can be the harm in it? It certainly felt better than the infinite repeat of angst and drama….

And guess what…..things began to change…..”for no logical reason”, my “luck” seemed to be improving…. I could feel a big huge sigh and I began to rewire my own inner machine and I began the process of learning to empower myself—versus my habit of just “dealing with” whatever came my way….

Part of the “play” was to find joy in my day….in my work…in my chores…even in the most crotchedly, complainy and thorn in my side folks who happened to come my way….

After all, was I really obligated to play by the rules….? Rules that said that conditions had to be a certain way for me to be “entitled” to be happy….? Hmnnnn…..now THAT was an interesting concept….because then I was no longer obligated to be a victim….because a victim has to FEEL like a victim in order to be one….don’t they…..(can you feel me smile….nothing wrong with a cheshire cat in the middle of a Peter Pan story….)

And so the story continues for several years….it started with baby steps until my entire world and my entire perception of my world began to shift….

Yes, I have become a bit of a rebel. I DO identify what I don’t like, but I don’t program it into my viewing favorites.

These days, I play the game of how many times can I get to the TOP OF IT….(forget the bottom of it….)? How many new ideas can I sift from the challenge…. Where’s the hidden brainstorm in that particular problem? And how many wonderful “mundane” things can I actually feel GRATEFUL for?

And in the process, how many times during the day can I remember to stop and simply BASK IN THIS PROCESS??

We are alive and we are living in a super exciting time on this planet! Our fellow humans are brimming with wonderful ideas and innovations. AS ARE WE! There are opportunities that our ancestors never dreamed of. We have more freedom to learn and to choose and to pass joyous knowledge on to our children. We are living in a world where there is more encouragement to truly share our uniqueness. We are the pioneers in a new unfolding….

Sooooo….as I wind down this particular day, I send out my smiles and my very best wishes and I say let’s reinvent the rules….let’s dump the game of “what’s wrong with this picture” and replace it with our revised version of “what’s RIGHT with this picture….?” Let’s tuck those troubles into bed and thank them for the great ideas that they spawn, but let’s rise to the top and then soar and soar and soar……

Time to leave our cocoons and “rise” to the occasion! Have a blissful evening, dear friends!! What a great time it is to be alive….Onwards and (yes) UPWARD!!!!