tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49238401657484851092024-03-08T15:38:58.539-08:00breaths in lifeRandy Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18418685001842353584noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923840165748485109.post-10620230163912215012015-03-29T12:56:00.000-07:002015-03-29T12:56:58.763-07:00streams of thought.... march 29th, 2015
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thoughts on this Sunday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">They say that “silence is golden”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We are also told “never say never”.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We are told that we are limited by
the size of our dreams; therefore, dream huge colorful dreams. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I say that sometimes silence is not
golden at all. That there are times when we have to express meaningful and thoughtful
words that may challenge the emotive balance of another person or group of
individuals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think there are times
that saying “never” is exactly what needs to be said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe that there are some actions,
policies, and thoughts that need to be challenged. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, yes, I would agree that we are
limited by the dreams that we hold or believe inside. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Recently, we have seen events that have
rippled through the internet in a matter of seconds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With these events, we have been openly
questioned as to what we believe and who do we protect as a society. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was not the first time, nor will it be
the last, that “man” has been presented with the opportunity to defend and
speak out for the well-being of another. In the 1930’s, Germany had a community
of evil chose one segment of society at a time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They chose them not to exalt but to exterminate. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the 1800’s, America had a community of evil
that held societal and political power late into the 60’s and 70’s (some would
even say to this day) that declared that race was a determining factor of not
just how to live but whether or not you lived. In the other countries, such as
India, Afghanistan, and Iran, a person’s sexual identity controls their destiny
of safety and progression in life even to this day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is not a matter of whether we
openly accept a person for how they naturally live out their lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Honestly, it comes down to whether or not we respect
and value the freedom to choose to live an authentic life. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly, in the 50’s some people would have defended
the denial of a Negro eating at the counter in a Woolworth’s store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thankfully, there were some that stood up and
said that this denial was not just a denial of one group of people but the
denial of all. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today some have said it is within
the legal right of a company or a business owner to not serve a gay or lesbian
person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have a question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which side would you have stood with in Germany
during the 30’s?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Would you have said
that society should not protect the rights of a gypsy or a minority, or a mentally
handicapped person or a gay or a Jew? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Discrimination is discrimination no
matter the time or the place or the person. We all have to ask ourselves these
questions: what are we afraid of? Are we afraid of the color of a person’s
skin?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are we afraid of the clothes that a
person may wear? Are we afraid of not the sexual choice of another person but
the fact that they are attracted to the same sexual person? Are we afraid of
someone that thinks differently than we do? Are we afraid of someone that worships
differently than we do? Are we afraid or just uncomfortable? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Many of those that have spoken out
in favor of a recent legal decision, which will lead to discrimination, have used
their faith beliefs as an argument against the rights of another person. Some
are using their beliefs as a mallet beating down the rights of another person. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In that person’s defense, they say that they have
rights too and yes they do; however, do those rights supersede the rights of
another person?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be honest, those that
oppose just want conformity. They want a society that adheres to their
standards of “choice”… oddly enough it sounds like another modern religious
group that we find appalling in actions as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now, before someone says that this
in defense of one demographic group, these thoughts presented here are the same
for the Arab, the Jew, the mentally handicapped, the rich, the poor, the
Protestant, the Catholic, the Muslim, the gay, and the straight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This belief of defending the rights of others
is for the young and the old, male or female, the Hispanic and the Asian, or
for anyone who does not feel like they are a part of any societal community. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, I ask myself this as much as I
am asking you… Do my actions promote discrimination? Am I promoting dividedness
in my silence? Do my actions defend the rights of others? Am I living life
based on my interpretation or is it based on the loving actions of Christ? Just
as He welcomed others, am I doing the same? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
Randy Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18418685001842353584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923840165748485109.post-80461440509505362382014-10-26T09:03:00.001-07:002014-10-26T09:03:31.294-07:00new beginnings....october 26th, 2014
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ideas. I am sure that we all have
come across an awareness that seemingly changes our perspective and how we move
through life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had such an idea come to
me a couple of weeks ago while preparing to do a group facilitation in nearby
Boulder, Colorado.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Prior to the meeting,
I was thinking about how I could best help these individuals as they searched for
what they wanted to accomplish in the next year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now each facilitations is different from each
other; so while I was thinking about this activity, I was drawn to its purpose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the more I thought about the purpose I
became more absorbed with the planning on how the event was going to transpire;
which led me to feel like I really had nothing to offer them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On my drive to the location, I had a concept
come to me; so, I presented it to them and it would eventually set the tone for
the event. I asked them not to think, “What are we going to do to accomplish
our mission?” but to think of the more basic question of “Why is our mission
important?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The concept of “why” over “what” is
a simple one if we take the time to consider the difference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh sure, “what” is an action word that means
that we are busy doing “something”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
may have started <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">doing</i></b> something based on a desire to accomplish a goal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But how many times do we continually do the
same thing over and over again without reflecting on why we are doing it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I think about the meeting with the group
from Boulder, I remember not sensing that I left them with the best of feelings
and now I know why. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could feel that there
was a sense of frustration over their final collective decision and that was because
the action plan that they had chosen was the same one that they had chosen the
year before. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My mistake was that I did
not reflect on the comment that I started the meeting off with. Instead of
allowing them to “sit” in their frustration, I should have asked them why this
act was so important to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I should
have asked that they consider not “what” or “how” but to ask themselves “why”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The “why” will reflect their passion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The “why” will develop their truest identity.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
concept of “why”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Individually we ask ourselves, why
do we want to get a better education… or to be successful in business… or to be
faithful in our relationships… or to stand up for social justice? Is it just
because we know it is the right thing to do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Well, we know that telling the truth is the right thing to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We know that obeying the laws is the right
thing to do. We know a lot of “right thing” to do’s but yet we still don’t
always do them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now this is where the story becomes
a little more personal. I have asked myself the very same thing. Why do I write…
why is it so important for me to study how to be a counselor… why do I eat
healthy… why do I choose to work out the way that I do… why do I have the faith
system that I have? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So let me offer this as a
suggestions, when we are about to start a new phase of life or set a new goal, lets
first ask ourselves why we want to do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I believe that once we personally know the answer to “why” it will
become a lot easier to discover “what” we want to do and “how” we should do it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Randy Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18418685001842353584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923840165748485109.post-73426732669521613252014-09-30T09:16:00.001-07:002014-09-30T09:16:49.695-07:00streams of thought....september 30th, 2014<em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is the last day of September… how do I choose to walk
in it? A day… a moment… a casual meeting… a commute from one place to another…
each tick of the clock is a gift.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before
I walk into the world of academia I want to put onto paper some thoughts from
the creative<o:p></o:p></span></em><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Do you remember having an encounter that seems to capture
you but yet releases you? It is difficult to describe actually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I tried explaining it to myself I
thought of the replacement of the wolves in Yellowstone Park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A beautiful creature is moved from a place of
danger from its environment as well as a danger to its environment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are captured and then take to a safer
place… captured yet release into a place that provides and protects. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What are some of the words that capture you today?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are they words that release you or are they
words that restrict you? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here are some that have been in my thoughts this morning… <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">happiness, sadness, hope, fear, trust,
peace, stillness, contentment, and perception.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Each have separate meaning yet many of them seem to be
intertwined with each other. Sometimes they seem so desperate for meaning, as
if they are too limiting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, here
is where I presently reside with each of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Happiness and sadness – emotions that are attached to the
present. They are based on how we feel at the moment based on our interpretation
of the current environment we find ourselves in… <o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Hope and fear –
emotions that connect with the future. They are dependent upon our perspective
view of life and potential events. Our perspective view is going to determine
which one of these is going to be the dominant emotion. It is the farthest away
from our present situation yet it seems to be one that dictates how we live
with the present emotion.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Trust - an emotion
that sees the living around us and either causes us to hold on tightly to what
we have held on to for so long or causes us to let go to explore the
possibility. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Peace – it is the
undercurrent that holds up our present emotion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When our peace becomes thin the more turbulent the “waters of our soul”
becomes and allows us to drift to the more unsettling perceptions. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Stillness and
contentment – the bonds that create trust. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we encounter someone that personifies
these two traits alone there is something within us that says that we can dwell
in trust. These are the two arms that hold us as we let go of our present
emotion of self-doubt.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Perception – the hand
that holds the key to our freedom of being or locks us in a cage of negativity.
This is the emotion that determines which one of the present time and future
time emotions that we will choose from. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">John O’Donohue writes in his book <u>Eternal Echoes, </u>the
following:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<strong><em><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“One of our sacred duties is to be open and faithful to
the subtle voices of the universe which come alive in our longing.” <o:p></o:p></span></em></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">No matter our faith or non-faith… our age, race, or gender… our
economic status of having or wanting… the words that we choose to reside with
this morning will determine the perception that we have throughout the rest of
the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And what word we choose to
reside with is determined by the perception that we have at this moment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Namaste…… shalom…. Peace and Light…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Randy Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18418685001842353584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923840165748485109.post-66965320115067873712014-09-14T08:29:00.001-07:002014-09-14T08:48:03.231-07:00streams of thought....september 14th, 2014<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, where do we go from here?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel as if I am on a pier looking at the
different schooners coming and going into the harbor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each carrying a person that is destined to go
this way or that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some to never been
seen again and others to causally meet all over again when Destiny should
allow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have my rain gear in my knapsack. No Map other than the
one that speaks to my heart. My mind is full of visions and dreams. Along with
Robert Kennedy, I look into the new horizon and see what is and ask “why” and
see what isn’t and ask “why not”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Why not me?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wonder
to myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have met people who have
encouraged me to step off the pier and onto a schooner to go explore and
reinvent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Why, do I not believe what others have seen and told
me?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is as if they have gone to
foreign land within me and have come back to tell me all that they have seen
and a lot of it has been good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I look to my means and say that there is no way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I wonder how many of us give up the richness of who we are
because we see the poverty of where we reside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I wonder how many see a box of crayons and only take out a few because
we are fearful to empty out the box. We are… afraid<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Afraid of what?” my Companion of Possibilities asks… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Are you afraid to fail?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yet, you fail at the mere rejection of practicing who you are. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Are you afraid to be seen?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yet you are seen and have been seen every day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Are you afraid of succeeding? Yet you succeed at not taking
the next step every time you say “no”. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am not sure what I think about the saying “That life is
like an oyster”. That metaphor is so confining.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Oh, I get it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, a bit of Life’s
grain of sand somehow gets into this nasty looking shell; which by the way is
how we have allowed our perspective and heart to appear in life some
times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over time we allow the
environment to toss us and constantly wash over us in such a way that we develop
a harden exterior; yet all the while inside we strive to be pliable, strong,
and resilient. Yet in the midst of all this external violence that develops a
crusty old shell there drops a grain of sand. The shell holds that grain of
sand and somehow miraculously it turns into a pearl. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What if….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What if that clam did not open itself up to its elements?
Well, simply stated, it would no longer live because it would not be able to
take in what sustains it’s life… also, it would not be open to creating a pearl,
a beautiful development of being. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We, like the clam, allow the externalities of life to beat
against us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We feel the tides of time
wash over us and yet we are afraid to open ourselves up to that same movement.
If we are no longer are open to nourishment, we will die inside ourselves. Yes
to be open to life and possibilities makes us vulnerable. However, in our
vulnerability we become open to making something beautiful and to offer that
beauty as a gift to others. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, where do we go from here?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We know in our mind’s eye what is behind us so there is no
need to turn around to see it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The past
is yet a reference book to help us to understand and possibly write what is
before us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The voices of the past either encouraged or discouraged us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The new voices of encouragement are from those that have
seen our potential and are here to remind that we have a greater story that is yet
to be written. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, there will be voices
that may discourage us so let them be considered as reminders of lessons that
need to be learned. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We also know that there will be moments of silence. Silence
has its own voice. Be open to the solitude of it. The sound of time’s movement
will be all that we hear just like in the silence of the ocean’s bed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all need the sounds of silence so that our
bodies can take a moment to rest. A segment of time that allows our body, mind,
and spirit to catch up with each other. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As I step on to the schooner of choice this morning, there
is the rocking of the vessel… maybe a creaking of soul’s bones… the flexibility
of water allows the boat to move as I step into it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This movement reminds me that life will have
its ups and downs; however, it will carry me farther than if I stood on the
pier wondering… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“what if”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Randy Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18418685001842353584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923840165748485109.post-49067585055058769132014-08-31T10:53:00.000-07:002014-08-31T11:05:40.612-07:00steams of thought...august 31st, 2014This year we have had a relatively pleasant summer. It has been a nice blend of intense heat along with what was seemingly a much wetter season than we are accustomed to having in this high plains desert city. Well, that’s been my perception.<br />
<em></em><br />
<em>Perception... the act of perceiving. </em>Ah, there is that word... "act". Everyone knows that I love looking at words (and it drives a lot people crazy when I do). Yet, when I think of “act”, I am instantly thinking of a person in movement that displays on some level their sense of identity.<br />
<br />
And if I am correct then I have some questions for each of us…<br />
<br />
Have our perceptions changed over time? Have we lived a life that challenges those previous perceptions that we may have held... no carried... and guided us from the distant past?<br />
<br />
I dare to say that if our perceptions that we had twenty years.... perhaps maybe even twenty months... yes, even twenty days ago have not changed or fluidly adapted then we have not truly lived life. Think about this for a moment. If we have not grown emotionally, physically, mentally, or spiritually then we have become nothing more than a “garden gnome” in life. We will have sat or stood in "life's yard" watching cars... people... pets... rabbits and squirrels go by without a mere reflection or awareness of what is all around us.<br />
<br />
Do you know who you are? Do you know what you have become or have the ability to become? Do you have a dream so vivid that you can feel the emotions within you rise up when you see the life that you desire?<br />
<br />
What are you passionate about?<br />
<br />
Some of us are thinking about the “end of life” issues; while others are thinking about living a life.<br />
<br />
While being aware of the former, I prefer the latter. Also, I deeply believe that we live, feel, and think in tune with the seasons of time.<br />
<br />
This is the season of summer, a time of action, and it doesn’t feel conducive to deep reflection. No, this is the time of year that we go to the parks or take a vacation or have family reunions. It is the season for bombastic celebrations. When like the "Fourth of July" fireworks, we seemingly just want to announce to the world.... HEY, I AM HERE!!!!!!!<br />
<br />
This is a season when we externally search for something new; even if we go to the same beach house or camp site, we celebrate the moments when we discover a "jewel".<br />
<br />
The season of summer... a time when we celebrate life and a time when death seems to have been suspended. Sure, we will grief over the losses that we had this summer when the leaves start to fall and we begin to move back inside ourselves to look a bit longer into the mirror.<br />
<br />
Seasons. Movement of time. Life is all about cycles.<br />
<br />
So again I ask…<br />
<br />
What is that you dream about? Is it playing on the beaches of the world? Is it to hold your grandchild until they fall asleep in your arms? Have you ever dreamt about living at peace in your community? Have you dreamt of waking up next to someone that you are passionately connected with so much that you think more about how their soul feels than you do about having sex with them? Have you ever dreamt of climbing a mountain peak? Have you dreamt about writing a book or a song? Have you dreamt about the deeper reward of finishing a marathon, triathlon, or maybe even running around the block?<br />
<br />
Here is my next question… when will you do them? Does your mental apparitions reflect your values? If they bring you peaceful contentment and celebration for your “inner greater angel”, then just simply make them reality.<br />
<br />
Dreams are for those that sleep. Let your "inner sense of being" awake and let your mind, spirit, and body transition as one fluid movement.<br />
<br />
We are greater than the soulful slumber that has visions. Yes, I will say this because I know that we all are thinking it… we are limited. I get it.<br />
<br />
I remember when Carlos, my CNA, came into my room and told me that I was going to take my first walk and it was to a chair in the room. I remember the day that I could not even walk around the block without having to stop at every corner to rest and catch my breath. I remember the day that the doctors finally said that I could go for a jog not a walk. I remember telling myself on my first day of jogging that I would "jog a block / walk a block". I remember.... yet, I am here.<br />
<br />
We allow our perceived limitations to become bigger than the vision that we see for ourselves. Guess what. Those limitations are nothing more than exercises for our soul. When we overcome one then we feel empowered to take on the next. We will not accomplish "greatness" with one step but we become better with each step that we take to accomplish the greatest challenge of all. That challenge is to live a life in the most meaningful way that reflects the truest spirit of who we can become. <br />
<br />
Our life is present whether we are or not.Randy Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18418685001842353584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923840165748485109.post-69445257274087812512014-07-27T15:35:00.001-07:002014-07-27T15:35:25.311-07:00streams of thought...july, 27th, 2014
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The summertime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A hot
muggy season that seems to entice so many of us with offerings that only this
time of the year can afford. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A movement from indoors to the outdoors. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We do know that It is just a season right? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We will not have any control over this movement of time but
we do have control over how we spend it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have a few friends that love the summer season. They love
sitting out at the beach or at the park or on their patios soaking in all the
vitamin D that their body eagerly consumes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Others can found at the local park playing volleyball or taking their children
to the playground. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During this season,
there will be swimsuit clad males and females at the waterpark or at the pools
splashing around while swimming or simply having a great time. There will also
be some that will spend the day in front of an air conditioner trying to keep
cool and avoiding the heat all together. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We all make choices and have preferences. We all make
decisions on what will make our present day the best that it can be… or maybe
we won’t. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For me one of the best parts of the summer is seeing the
dark clouds rolling in over the Rocky Mountains. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today, while driving over the crest of a hill looking down
into the Boulder Valley, I saw the Flatirons being engulfed with clouds and to
me that is one of the most awe inspiring views that I can imagine. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What inspires our imagination or willingness to act is many
times forgotten until… well, until we encounter it again. It seems that we move
through life so focused on the event right in front of us that we miss a small
whisper of a notion that resides within almost every encounter. The simple fact
that we have the ability to take another breath should be a moment of
inspiration. Many times we look for a grand event, sign, or thought to light an
emotional kindling that will launch us into an act that will give us an
internal fire that generates enough energy to move us beyond our imaginations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, it is not always the grandiose signs
but often times it is the simplest and the most silent of all that moves us to
travel on a path that we would have never gone down before. It could be…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">the laughter of a child…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">the sound of silence moving through the aspen leaves…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">a photo or a painting…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">a word spoken in a conversation…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If we are open to the possibilities and recognize our own
capabilities, we can be inspired by almost anything. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Can I share a secret with you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am blended introvert. Some of you who know
me well are just smiling at something that you already have known for quite
awhile. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Rarely, will I ever get inspired by some huge rally where
some dynamic speaker will get up before thousands of people to espouse their
insight in how to live… to sell… to promote yourself better than anyone
else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, I will definitely react
the opposite way that they will want me to act. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My sense of identity is totally contrary to
the bombastic experience that this type of episode offers to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In other words, I find my inspiration in the smallest of
things… a line in a book… a drop of a beat in a song… a quiet walk at Chataugua…
or perhaps that presence of another person who seeks to do more than just live.
They really don’t have to say anything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No, it is something about their presence that tells me to act on all the
gifts that I have been given. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Jung once used the phrase “the birthing of death”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was referring to his perception that we
will hit an apex of life when we will be birthing on how we will be known after
we die.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simply stated, we begin creating
our own legacy. I agree with him to a point but I disagree with his conclusion
that all people will die.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh, I know
that none of will escape the inevitable but yet how we interact with others
will determine how will be remembered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yes, we will all eventually leave this earthly vessel called our body
but we will never leave the memory of another person. It is our life
reconstituted in the spiritual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a
non-physical yet always constant presence of how we are remembered. So, how we
choose to live this life… to inspire others… to interact and act upon the
behalf of others are decisions that we encounter with each breath of physical
life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We know our weaknesses all too well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We live in the winter of our souls when we
seclude ourselves from others. A spiritual and emotional hibernation… even in
the heat of the summer we can isolate ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our spirit needs the warmth of
inspiration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It requires the water of
walking fluidly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We allow the fear of
drowning emotionally to take away the joy of living. So, find someone that will
support you as you venture out into the “swimming pool” of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let them be your “floaties”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Enjoy life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Enjoy the
heat of the season that we move through it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Explore your own desire. Challenge yourself and in turn you will empower
others to be challenged. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Randy Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18418685001842353584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923840165748485109.post-75536929127776853952014-06-02T10:48:00.000-07:002014-06-03T08:29:59.906-07:00streams of thought....june 2nd, 2014<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-effects-shadow-align: topleft; mso-effects-shadow-alpha: 40.0%; mso-effects-shadow-angledirection: 2700000; mso-effects-shadow-anglekx: 0; mso-effects-shadow-angleky: 0; mso-effects-shadow-color: black; mso-effects-shadow-dpidistance: 1.5pt; mso-effects-shadow-dpiradius: 3.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-pctsx: 100.0%; mso-effects-shadow-pctsy: 100.0%; mso-effects-shadow-themecolor: dark1; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-align: center; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-compound: simple; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dash: solid; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dpiwidth: 0pt; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-join: round; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-linecap: flat; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-pctmiterlimit: 0%; mso-style-textoutline-type: none; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Watch,
Lord, with those who wake or weep tonight. Give the angels and saints charge
over those who sleep. O Lord Jesus Christ, tend your sick ones, rest Your weary
ones, bless Your dying ones, soothe the suffering ones, pity all the afflicted
ones, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">shield the joyful ones</b>, and
all for Your love’s sake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amen” – Saint Augustine<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-effects-shadow-align: topleft; mso-effects-shadow-alpha: 40.0%; mso-effects-shadow-angledirection: 2700000; mso-effects-shadow-anglekx: 0; mso-effects-shadow-angleky: 0; mso-effects-shadow-color: black; mso-effects-shadow-dpidistance: 1.5pt; mso-effects-shadow-dpiradius: 3.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-pctsx: 100.0%; mso-effects-shadow-pctsy: 100.0%; mso-effects-shadow-themecolor: dark1; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-align: center; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-compound: simple; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dash: solid; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dpiwidth: 0pt; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-join: round; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-linecap: flat; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-pctmiterlimit: 0%; mso-style-textoutline-type: none; mso-themecolor: text1;">I started a book the other day titled, <u>Exuberance:
the passion for life. </u>It has been a joy to read. The author is Kay Redfield
Jamison, who is a psychologist and well known writer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She begins the book with a line from the
Augustine prayer… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-effects-shadow-align: topleft; mso-effects-shadow-alpha: 40.0%; mso-effects-shadow-angledirection: 2700000; mso-effects-shadow-anglekx: 0; mso-effects-shadow-angleky: 0; mso-effects-shadow-color: black; mso-effects-shadow-dpidistance: 1.5pt; mso-effects-shadow-dpiradius: 3.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-pctsx: 100.0%; mso-effects-shadow-pctsy: 100.0%; mso-effects-shadow-themecolor: dark1; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-align: center; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-compound: simple; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dash: solid; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dpiwidth: 0pt; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-join: round; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-linecap: flat; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-pctmiterlimit: 0%; mso-style-textoutline-type: none; mso-themecolor: text1;">“…<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">shield
the joyful ones</i>…” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-effects-shadow-align: topleft; mso-effects-shadow-alpha: 40.0%; mso-effects-shadow-angledirection: 2700000; mso-effects-shadow-anglekx: 0; mso-effects-shadow-angleky: 0; mso-effects-shadow-color: black; mso-effects-shadow-dpidistance: 1.5pt; mso-effects-shadow-dpiradius: 3.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-pctsx: 100.0%; mso-effects-shadow-pctsy: 100.0%; mso-effects-shadow-themecolor: dark1; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-align: center; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-compound: simple; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dash: solid; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dpiwidth: 0pt; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-join: round; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-linecap: flat; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-pctmiterlimit: 0%; mso-style-textoutline-type: none; mso-themecolor: text1;">I stopped as soon as I read that simple set of
words. It is not really an easy concept to wrap my mind around actually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean that I agree with the author’s
presentation of the fact that we often think thoughts of protection for those
that are suffering. We furrow our brows like a farmer tilling the soil when we
hear of a tragedy or saddening situation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We lament over the losses of those in and around our lives. We pour the
emotional “alcohol” to numb us to the painful present. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-effects-shadow-align: topleft; mso-effects-shadow-alpha: 40.0%; mso-effects-shadow-angledirection: 2700000; mso-effects-shadow-anglekx: 0; mso-effects-shadow-angleky: 0; mso-effects-shadow-color: black; mso-effects-shadow-dpidistance: 1.5pt; mso-effects-shadow-dpiradius: 3.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-pctsx: 100.0%; mso-effects-shadow-pctsy: 100.0%; mso-effects-shadow-themecolor: dark1; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-align: center; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-compound: simple; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dash: solid; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dpiwidth: 0pt; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-join: round; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-linecap: flat; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-pctmiterlimit: 0%; mso-style-textoutline-type: none; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>However….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-effects-shadow-align: topleft; mso-effects-shadow-alpha: 40.0%; mso-effects-shadow-angledirection: 2700000; mso-effects-shadow-anglekx: 0; mso-effects-shadow-angleky: 0; mso-effects-shadow-color: black; mso-effects-shadow-dpidistance: 1.5pt; mso-effects-shadow-dpiradius: 3.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-pctsx: 100.0%; mso-effects-shadow-pctsy: 100.0%; mso-effects-shadow-themecolor: dark1; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-align: center; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-compound: simple; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dash: solid; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dpiwidth: 0pt; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-join: round; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-linecap: flat; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-pctmiterlimit: 0%; mso-style-textoutline-type: none; mso-themecolor: text1;">How many times do we seek to protect the joyful
moments and those within them? Oh, we share in the gratefulness of the greater
moments while trying to shelter those in the lesser. We speak the goodness of
Creator of joy… all the while never thinking that both… joy and grief are many
times brought together in the union of the universe. We will walk along the
shorelines of sadness while wondering if the waters will ever calm down. We
look to the rocky soil that our feet trod upon while in contemplation over the
heaviness of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ruminate over the
misfortune… yet discard the joyful moments almost as if we already know in the
soil of our soul that the seeds of negativity still lie dormant deep within. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-effects-shadow-align: topleft; mso-effects-shadow-alpha: 40.0%; mso-effects-shadow-angledirection: 2700000; mso-effects-shadow-anglekx: 0; mso-effects-shadow-angleky: 0; mso-effects-shadow-color: black; mso-effects-shadow-dpidistance: 1.5pt; mso-effects-shadow-dpiradius: 3.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-pctsx: 100.0%; mso-effects-shadow-pctsy: 100.0%; mso-effects-shadow-themecolor: dark1; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-align: center; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-compound: simple; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dash: solid; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dpiwidth: 0pt; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-join: round; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-linecap: flat; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-pctmiterlimit: 0%; mso-style-textoutline-type: none; mso-themecolor: text1;">The “joyful ones” is not just a place or only a
seasonal moment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-effects-shadow-align: topleft; mso-effects-shadow-alpha: 40.0%; mso-effects-shadow-angledirection: 2700000; mso-effects-shadow-anglekx: 0; mso-effects-shadow-angleky: 0; mso-effects-shadow-color: black; mso-effects-shadow-dpidistance: 1.5pt; mso-effects-shadow-dpiradius: 3.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-pctsx: 100.0%; mso-effects-shadow-pctsy: 100.0%; mso-effects-shadow-themecolor: dark1; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-align: center; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-compound: simple; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dash: solid; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dpiwidth: 0pt; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-join: round; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-linecap: flat; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-pctmiterlimit: 0%; mso-style-textoutline-type: none; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-align: topleft; mso-effects-shadow-alpha: 40.0%; mso-effects-shadow-angledirection: 2700000; mso-effects-shadow-anglekx: 0; mso-effects-shadow-angleky: 0; mso-effects-shadow-color: black; mso-effects-shadow-dpidistance: 1.5pt; mso-effects-shadow-dpiradius: 3.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-pctsx: 100.0%; mso-effects-shadow-pctsy: 100.0%; mso-effects-shadow-themecolor: dark1; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-align: center; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-compound: simple; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dash: solid; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dpiwidth: 0pt; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-join: round; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-linecap: flat; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-pctmiterlimit: 0%; mso-style-textoutline-type: none; mso-themecolor: text1;">“</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">He who has not looked on Sorrow will never see Joy.” –
Kahlil Gibran<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">Could it perhaps be that we
look at the weight of sorrow and look lightly at the spirit of joy? We talk
about “sorrow" being for a moment yet we look at joy as an
experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are both experiences
that we will all have through this circle of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will see the beauty and joy of birth while
feeling the pain of loss in death. We see the hope of joy in the movement of a
love; while blinded in a transition of grief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Neither joy nor grief truly occur without the other. Someone once said
that for we know “joy” because we have experience “sadness”. Gibran encourages
us to not just glance on sorrow like we do an open wound but to look into it;
so, that we will understand the future of healing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">Yes, Saint Augustine was
wise to ask that there be a shield around those that know joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For it is in joy that the darkness of sorrow
is given space and healing. It is the strength of joy that lifts the weakest of
those in pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thich Nhat Hanh, speaks
of the garden of our soil when he shares with us that when a lesser seed of
negativity is germinated we need to be mindful of love so that we not become
chocked by the weed of hatred.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is in
the act of metta that we give ourselves and those around us the air of freedom
to not be down-casted but to be uplifted<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">We are meant to dance as
well as mourn. We have a spirit that lives within us that longs to be laughing
at the simplest of things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all have
this inner child that dares to dance to music within and it is so wanting to
just get out of the chair that we have many times confined it to. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have an inner adolescent that wants to know
that it is ok to be embraced with sadness while still having the freedom to
joyfully explore its own identity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
many ways, it could be that the lack of freedom is where we get the shackles of self-restraint; so, that the desired joy of self-acceptance is denied. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">Would we not be angry if we
discovered that a missing child had been entrapped and placed into slavery?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">Would we not be infuriated
over the knowledge of run-away teenager being abused?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">Would we not grieve over the
loss that a person has to accept when they are confronted with a death or
illness?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">That child… that teenager…
they all represent something to us. They represent the innocence of joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The promise of hope. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are the dream-makers in our lives. They
represent the daring ability to try something that adults rationalize as being inconvenient…
reckless… radical… promising.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">The confrontation of death
and illness symbolizes something fundamental to all of us. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They tell us that life is dangerous… fleeting…
mortal… loss of freedom… it steals our dreams.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">Yes, shield the joyful
ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Protect those that have hearts
that send us light into a darken present. Provide a music within them to sing
to us so that we have the opportunity to dance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">We need those that have a
joy to be free to reach their hands out to those that are lying down in the
gutter of despair; so that in the union of connection the strength of the joyful
draws those that are weak to be stronger. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">If you are joyful, dance
with life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">If you are joyful, speak
with words of encouragement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">If you are joyful, reach out
to those that are weaken.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">If you are joyful, do not
consider this a fleeting a moment for self-pleasure but a time to share in the
journey of those that need you the most. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">breaking script…. Namaste<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Randy Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18418685001842353584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923840165748485109.post-86982381965625470842014-05-14T09:50:00.000-07:002014-05-14T09:50:02.654-07:00streams of thought...may 14th, 2014
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">”<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">In those moments I sometimes
catch a glimpse of my true life, a life hidden like the river beneath the ice.”
– Parker Palmer from <u>Let Your Life Speak<o:p></o:p></u></i></b></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Have you ever found a writer, a performer, a thinker of all
times, or perhaps just another person that makes both your face and soul smile
at the same time?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It may be in the way they live their lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It may be in some act of kindness that they
have done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It may be in what they have
written.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or it may be just because they
sang something that just reached inside you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Parker Palmer is one of those individuals for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He speaks with such depth and clarity, yet
with the simplest of ways. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In moments that I need to re-find my way, I go to some of
the writing sources that always seem to inspire me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, I find refuge in the Jewish
Proverbs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I find meaning in the writings
of Thich Nhat Hanh. I revisit my calling in the writings of Parker Palmer and Henri
Nouwen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We just left a winter season of introspection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That period of time when we can pause to
discover how we can live life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I think that we take the seasons for granted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In winter, we move through them mindlessly
and always looking for the warmer seasons to come. In the spring, we seem to be
thinking about the family “vacations” that need to be planned out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the summer, we are outdoors and moving
about going from one event to another, all the while making plans for the fall
events and holiday seasons. We just do not seem to give the seasons a place where
they can guide us in looking at ourselves. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Hopefully, during this winter season of reflection, we had the
opportunity to glimpse through the icy cold exterior of the day to day into a warmed
life that flows inside of us. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just as the
trees had shed their leaves… a symbol of their external beauty… its life moved
inside of itself to develop a greater strength in the roots, which anchor the
tree into the soil of the earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We,
too, have gone through a season of moving inside of our own souls to take a
moment from the busyness of life to develop the roots inside of ourselves to
anchor us for the impending seasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now in the spring season, we move into a period of renewal
and rebirth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just as we see the flowers
and the buds on the trees start to peek their colorful heads from the dark
depth of their birthing place of protection, we, too, are moving into a new season
of life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If we have caught a “glimpse of (our) true life” during the
season of introspection, we have discovered what path we are designed to travel
on. Hopefully, we have looked at our sense of being a little differently than
before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many times we get caught up into
a cultural movement which pushes us into competing more… into earning more… into
consuming more… and yet our life, that is uniquely individual, yearns for more
than just moving in the same direction as everyone else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are reluctant… dare we say… afraid… to
step outside of our environment that we live in to be different. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have learned to live from the outside in
and then wonder why we are never satisfied.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Instead, we need to pause long enough not to say how we want to live
life but to listen long enough for our life to tell us how we should live
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are becoming deaf to the beating
of our soul because the noise of the world has been turned up too loudly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Nature has a way of teaching us so much more on how we
should walk in our own present life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
have become the consumers of the earth more than the caretakers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A caretaker will do just that…. “take care”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They will know the dangers and the
possibilities in the land and the creatures that reside in the habitat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It may be possible that we no longer listen
to our own inner self because we are just thinking about how we can consume
life not care for it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Parker Palmer writes, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Before
you tell your life what you intend to do with it, listen for what it intends to
do with you. Before you tell your life what truths and values you decided to
live up to, let your life tell you what truths you embody, what values you
represent.” <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We all go through a season of what is seemingly lost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it possible that the loss is not really a
loss but a lesson?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it possible that
the lesson is meant to be a positive teaching of how to live and love?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps the loss is showing us what we truly
value and therefore giving us a chance to live those values out in a richer
sense. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We see the streams of water… the current is flowing and
carrying with it what needs to be taken away… perhaps the only thing the separates
us from that Living Water is the icy barrier of being something that we are
truly not meant to be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Breaking script… Namaste<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Randy Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18418685001842353584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923840165748485109.post-28227910654380056502014-05-09T12:01:00.003-07:002014-05-09T12:22:10.903-07:00streams of thought....may 9th, 2014<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A season of another transition is here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We have gone through the season of winter, a time of
introspection. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We have entered into the season of spring that elicits our
sense of rebirth and renewal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Soon, we will be going into the heat of summer, a time when
we get out and play even past the setting of the sun. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Many of us are aware of the fact that we are going through a
chronological transition, as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some
of us are going to be spending the last summer time together with a son or a
daughter, who will be heading off to college or maybe they are already
preparing to go on their first adventure. Many of us are transitioning from one
location to another in search of a new life… a new love… a new sense of
meaning. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I remember graduation time at my small local high school in Illinois.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was an intimate affair and of course we
had the graduation parties afterwards. Many of us talked about getting into
college while others talked about getting jobs. We had dreams of doing something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think that if I had the opportunity to ask
every one of my classmate what their lives would look like decades later; no
one could really imagine how it would look today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every one of us had successes and losses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A number of us have had the challenges of
health and the turmoil of ruptured relationships; while hopefully most of us have
lived challenging but yet very fulfilling lives <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A few days after my graduation, I got into my Buick Century
(two door of course) and drove off to a place south of Gallup, New Mexico.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Prior to this time, I had never driven past
St. Louis before and even then that was with some friends; however, here I was
getting ready to drive to a place where I had never been to before and to be
honest was just a dot on a map.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now,
keep in mind this was before cell phones, GPS, and the internet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, I literally was driving alone. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After three days, I arrived to the road that was supposed to
take me to my destination. I drove past a building that said “Vanderwagen” a
number of times before I pulled in; so that I could ask for directions. As I walked into
the building, I was mesmerized by all of the First American artifacts and the
presence of being near the Zuni and Navajo reservations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The gentleman behind the counter was very
welcoming and asked me what he could do to help me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, I told him that I was looking for a camp
for Navajo children that I was going to work at for the summer. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pulled out my letter that told me the name
of the town was called Vanderwagen and I wondered if he could give me some
directions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He smiled and said, “Well,
you found Vanderwagen.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I looked at him
rather puzzled and asked him what he meant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I soon discovered that this location that I was standing in was a
mailstop and… it was Vanderwagen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He did
give me some additional information as how to get to the camp and I left with
mixed emotions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As I walked out to my car, I realized that I had one of two
options. I could travel down a dirt road and search for the place I was
expected to be at for the summer or I could get in my car and drive back to my
home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I chose to drive down the dirt road. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We all face transitions and opportunities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I had not gone to New Mexico, I would have
never had the experience of being immersed in my first cultural experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was that experience that eventually led me
to the field of social justice and counseling. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I had not driven down that dirt road, I
would have driven away from an experience that has had a lifelong impact in my
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yes, the road was dusty… bumpy… and winding but it was
necessary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to go down that road to
get to where I learned a lot about myself and others. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We all have opportunities that pull us down a road that is
unknown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a sense of a calling or a
direct action caused by a passion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
may resist it or even consider going in another direction altogether. We may
even go down the road and get to the destination; however, because it does not
appear as we thought it would we may both dismiss it and possibly even miss out
on a life changing experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life is never a clean
map.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It all has to do with that thing
that we call “tomorrow”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have no idea
what tomorrow looks like and in the cycle of life we may even become unaware of
what is possible. We look at today and miss its engagement because we are so
enamored by the possible gift of the next day. We also live in a mindset that
is linear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After accomplishing our goals,
we are many times lost because we are looking for the next one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We live in a natural world that moves in tides. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think that this natural state of being is one
reason we find the sound of the ocean so peaceful. We lay in the sand or sit on
an outgrowth of land while listening to the water come in and the move out. We
see the effects of the evening tides on the sandcastles that we make and we
give no thought to building another one. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have read recently that the better life is one where we
are being pulled into it as opposed to being pushed into it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having the choice to say “yes” to a calling
or a direction gives us a sense of freedom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, for us to say “yes” we also had to say “no” to another option.
For me to get into my car that day and drive to the camp, I had to say “no” to
going back home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, we are in a season of change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We should take the time to know more about
ourselves and what truly pulls us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will
then have the opportunity to grow in a new way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We all have this season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We all have an inner flame that is silently burning within
our soul’s threshold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This inner fire is
either going to grow more intensely or… it is about to go out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A fire needs only a few things but the one
thing that it does need to keep going and to grow is air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, breathe in the moment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We need to find a way to not let the light within to go out…
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">because if we do… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 1in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">it will be a dark
and cold world. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Randy Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18418685001842353584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923840165748485109.post-54246398597052387872014-04-24T10:30:00.000-07:002014-04-24T14:33:49.141-07:00Streams of thought....april 24th, 2014<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">“It is the passion that
is in a kiss that gives to it its sweetness; it is the affection in a kiss that
sanctifies it.” </span></i></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">–
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Christian Nevell Bovee<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is early
in the morning and the aroma of my freshly brewed cup coffee is still filling
the air… the sun is beginning to shine through the venetian slats… the warmth
of the sun filtering through the window glass is creeping along my desk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sounds of the day are awaken as is my
own spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is a new
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One that is filled with no
deadlines of classes or papers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yesterday, I sat in my chair after a moment of mediation and wondered
aloud to my cat, Tigre, “what will we do today?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her empty glance at me looked as if the words
fell into her ears and her look told me all that I expected to hear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She looked towards me flipping her tail as if
to say that it was my issue to deal with and then she looked away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We find
ourselves many times moving from one busy schedule to another like high flying
artist that glide from one high swing to the next.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our only safety net is the one that we have
created in our own minds. We move from one event to another… always… expecting...
another… event… to be there for us… to… grasp. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was wondering
a few weeks ago about this issue of “passion”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was in the
midst of a therapeutic shift that unbeknownst to me was already in place, much
like a hidden treasure in the kitchen cupboards of your grandparent’s home. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This shift that I was going through was like
finding a part of me that I had never recognized before and all I could do was
smile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact after I had become aware
of this shift, I sat with my therapist relating to her my discovery and she
gave me that same smile; as if to say, that she was glad that I finally found
it too. In the midst of this shift, I came to some important life questions and
one of them was about the detection of “meaning”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, I
started to ask myself, “What do I feel pulled to?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I moved through this transition from one
phase to another, I sat down one morning to do some of my writings and I came
across this idea of “passion”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I began
to wonder more about what “passion” looks like and how does it make me feel to
have it in a healthy fashion this time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">See, I had
fought for so long against the unhealthiness of my body that I had almost
forgot what it is that I am passionate about… other than survival.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It has not
been that long ago when I would wake up and the first thing on my mind would be
whether or not my body was going to be consumed with an infection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At that time, my day consisted of trying to
get back to a “normal” life while giving myself daily injections of antibiotics
through my “pic-line”? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My passion during
that time was just to get healthy; so, that I could get back to a normal life…
a different life than before… but a normal life. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now, I sit
here at my desk typing out a few words and not wondering what life will look
like but more about how will I act it out. This the life that I have chosen and I find meaning in it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had never really expected it to look like
this when I was younger. The sounds of wind chimes in the background… the smell
of hot dark coffee blending with the warmth of the sunlight on a solitude
morning… me with my thoughts playing as the wind chimes in my soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What is
passion?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In many ways it is our alarm
clock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is our sunlight peeking
through the venetian blinds of our imagination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is the companion when the fears and the successes of life have faded
away to only come out again on “special” events.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It pulls us into the direction that our sense
of being longs to go in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Passion is the
act of being who we truly are meant to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The quote above says much more than we may see at a first glance.
Passion is the act of the kiss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
the movement of the artist that glides his hands… or her voice… or their feet…
that reflect a heart of intimacy in displaying who they are within themselves.
And the kiss is not an act of function but of celebration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, it is the love or affection that we
have for what we are passionate that sanctifies it… or in other words sets it
apart from all others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes we meet
some individuals with the kiss of greeting… a small sign of more than just
acknowledgement of handshake. With passion we kiss someone that we know much
more intimately. When we know a person with intimacy…someone that we have a
deep abiding, almost bubbling, affection for the kiss becomes much more than
just an act.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a sign of what they
mean to us. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Passion is
much more than an act of writing a check to an organization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Passion is much more than saying that we
support a group of individuals. A deep affective passion moves us from our
slumber and pulls us to an intimate act of setting apart a space of our being
so that we can reflect a deeper better part of who we truly are in this
movement of time. It is the willingness to be almost consumed with the thought
how do I do this well and how does this give me a sense of meaning that soothes
my own soul. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We all have
a something or someone that we believe in and we believe in it so much that we
tell others from time to time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all
have a sports team or a politician or a band or a movement that we claim as our
own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We wear the caps and t-shirts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We put the bumper stickers on our cars. We go
to rally events so that we can be in a community of supporters. However, do
they make us want to get out of bed so we can find a way to engage with
them?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Passion will do that. Passion will
pull us not push us. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We detect the
greater sense of passion and we cannot escape it gravitational yearning for us
to engage with it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rebecca West, an English writer, wrote these
words, <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">“It is the soul’s duty to be loyal to
its own desires. It must abandon itself to its master passion.” </span></i><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We wake up
every morning with one of two feelings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We either wake up with emptiness in
our souls that we spend all day trying to fill<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Or<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We wake up with an immense passion that
we cannot wait to act out and share with all that we meet.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is the
search for and the embracing of our soul’s passion that defines not just who we
are but who people remember us to be. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">breaking script….Namaste<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
Randy Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18418685001842353584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923840165748485109.post-18635386640778636162014-04-08T18:58:00.002-07:002014-04-08T19:15:31.348-07:00streams of thought....april 8th, 2014<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“To accomplish great things we must not only act, but also dream; not
only plan, but also believe.”</i> –</b> Anatole France<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As a child, we all seemed to have had dreams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We all played games of adventure and fantasy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I was young boy, we would many times grow up wanting to
be the noble character of a fireman, or a sports figure, or a doctor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a time when many of us simply may have
wanted to be what our father’s had been… a farmer… a salesman… a person that
went off to do whatever it was that they did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>During that same era, the young girls wanted to be teachers… or nurses…
or to be doctors as well…. or they, too, simply may have wanted to be whatever
their mothers might have been.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Growing up in the Midwest during that time was just simpler actually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was simple… somewhat satisfying… yet…
there was something within us that wanted more. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I remember dreaming of becoming a park ranger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I liked the outdoors… the chance to live near
the mountains… In fact, I vaguely remember a television show that was about
being a national park ranger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
exciting… you lived in some amazing places… and did exciting things… and you
got to rescue people because it seemed like every week there was somebody that
needed rescuing. Then I realized that a park ranger in the mountains had to
climb a lot of things; so, I quickly crossed that dream off my list because I
had this fear of heights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We all have dreams; even now at this very moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We have things that we want to accomplish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have weaknesses that we want to
overcome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We may be facing an illness
that we are working to not only move on from but to regain a life that we once
had or thought that we wanted back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
may be struggling with a break in a relationship that seems entangled in our
hearts and souls. We may dream of retiring to that beach front cottage or to
travel the globe experiencing the richness of life that we have worked so hard
to develop. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">To dream is the life of the inner child within us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the simplicity of that child that is willing
to dare the impossible because, as a child, there aren’t any impossibilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The child within us wants to be courageous
and to do that which is considered risky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Many times the most colorful of ideas come from the child within
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, a child needs something to empower
them to act out their fantasy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It needs
security. It needs reassurance. It needs to feel that no matter what happens
tomorrow will be another opportunity to act the dream all over again. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It needs an adult. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The adult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all
know this part of us all too well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
adult is the one that says that there needs to be order and tells the child all
the time that its fantasy is silly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
adult in us counts the cost that says it is too risky to do some of the things
that the inner child wants to attempt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
tells the inner child in the back of our minds to sit down and to buckle up.
The adult…. It is the one that disciplines us sometimes because the mischievous
child acts out a dream on their own. It is the one that sets the boundaries too
tightly because…. Well, it doesn’t want the child to be hurt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our adult personae tells us to be rational in
an irrational world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the while, the
adult part of us wants to have freedom to have fun… but we have stifled the
child so much that we lost sight of it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Then there is the adolescent within us that has the energy
to act upon the dreams of the inner child but still needs the guidance of the
inner parent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The inner teenager says
that they know that it can do what the inner child wants to do… and do it even
bigger. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the “older sibling” that
is not willing to listen to the parent because it is still deeply connected
with the younger child but won’t admit it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is the part of us that wants to discover who we are by trying to do
all that we can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the energy
storehouse of all the inner passion… healthy and unhealthy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the reckless one that doesn’t mean to
be careless but they are still trying to find their own meaning in life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The inner adolescent is the one that looks in
the mirror every day and says “what can I accomplish today because I am
invincible enough to overcome anything”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The only problem is that sometimes that internal mirror is a distorted
reflective object that can create some unhealthy imagination. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We all have dreams…. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We all have the ability to release the inner child into the
playground of possibilities. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We all have the inner teenager that says that I can do
anything… I just don’t know what it is that I want to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We all have the adult that has learned over time how to
protect itself and to plan out a contingency when things go awry. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sometimes we forget about that inner child and lose sight of
our dreams of desires.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Many times the inner adolescent shows up as our insecurities
of just not knowing what we want to do and questions sometimes if the dream
that we dare to “dance” with will say yes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Life is filled with risks and dares us to dream… when the
inner part of who we truly are becomes present that is when we can live this
life with the richness of meaning. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Breaking Script… Namaste.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Randy Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18418685001842353584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923840165748485109.post-92201908551943594342014-03-21T09:11:00.000-07:002014-03-21T09:11:28.857-07:00streams of thought....march 21st, 2014
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The real voyage of
discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” –</i>
Marcel Proust<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">How many times has this happen to each of us?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No matter how many times we look at a
situation… or a neighborhood… or a relationship… or a favorite book we will see
something that we feel that we have never seen before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A patient was sitting on the end of the examining table in a
surgeon’s office; where they wondered what is going to happen next.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few months earlier, they had survived a
major surgery that eradicated a cancerous growth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now as the patient was sitting in the office, they reflect
about the subsequent procedures that they had to go through in the past few
months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The body was slowing and
effectively losing weight… denying them of a life that they had known before… while
their re-occurring infections had become a way of life. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one really knows how to move while living a
life that is always in question. Their body betraying them over and over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet the surgeon said that there wasn’t a
serious infection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can this be the
patient thinks to themselves?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can it
be that the weekly packing of wounds is nothing more than a minor event? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We look at life differently at different stages of our
lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We come into our adolescence with
a reckless abandon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are no longer “young
children” with limitations. We are now teenagers with developing dreams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We begin the pilgrimage of discovery. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We get our first job and there is a sense of accomplishments
when we receive that first paycheck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
head out to spend it because now we have freedom to choose what we want to buy
because after all it is our money.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We fall in love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
dream of a life with another person for perhaps the first time. We wonder what
life will be like and what kind of home we will have together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We see them in our thoughts and carry them in
our hearts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We hold our first born.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We wonder if we will be the best parent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We wonder if people will write books about our parenting skills or maybe
we will do parenting seminars on how amazing we were as the mentors and guides
in this brand new life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We lose the first person that we ever felt close to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We may have lost them through a variety of
circumstances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They may have left
because of divorce… or separation… or an illness…. or perhaps even through
death. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pain is too great to carry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We write our first blog or article. We wonder if anyone will
read it. We wonder if anyone will laugh at the humor in it or be provoked to
reflect on an inner aspect that had been hidden away. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We get the difficult news that we have cancer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one wants to hear the “C” word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is almost as if people will look at you
with some level of pity; while all the while they are thinking that you are
going to die. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Life is about discoveries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We can sit on our comfy couch and watch Netflix or the Discovery Channel
thinking that we are becoming enlighten. Or we can get out of the four walls
that we call a home and immerse ourselves into life itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life is more than just walking, sleeping,
eating, crapping, pissing, and/or dreaming of something better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dreaming without action is nothing more than
a fantasy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is when we engage and act
upon those dreams that it actually becomes life… moments of reality. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Rollo May writes, “…keep in mind that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">being </i>is a participle, a verb form implying that someone is in the
process…” (1983, p. 97)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nature by its very
own essence is in a state of process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
celebrate seasons of change because the earth is constantly evolving. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is when we stop discovering something new
is when we are in danger of not living or at least not living in a dynamic way.
This is a beautiful life that we have the opportunity to live.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am reminded that a rabbi once said that we
all have a phenomenal gift and it is when we do not exercise that gift will the
world become a poorer place. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We will come face to face with chances to learn something
new about ourselves, others, or the world in which we live in. We will
encounter the uncertainty of the next moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is an inevitable event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What will we do with it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What will we need to do so that we discover more deeply the
person that we truly are meant and desire become?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What is the one thing that we have conveniently ignored? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I pulled my car over the other day and walked around a neighborhood
that I had driven through many times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
soon noticed yards… porches… backyards… people in ways that I had never seen
them before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was not that the
landscape had changed but what changed was my own perspective. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe, like the surgeon, we need to stop
looking at the malady with the same perception as we had been looking at it for
the past few months or years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe we
need to not get upset with the person who almost ran us over as we crossed the
intersection while we were jogging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps,
we need to stop and try to tell the other person’s story with the emotions and
vision that they have about the subject; so, that we can have a better dialogue
instead of an argument. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Life is not a static adventure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is an organic movement that demands our
interaction for us to fully be present. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Breaking script….Namaste <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Randy Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18418685001842353584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923840165748485109.post-62450028905524054172014-03-14T07:07:00.000-07:002014-03-14T07:09:09.546-07:00streams of thought....march 14th, 2014<em>“And you? When will you begin that long journey into yourself?” – Rumi</em><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">I remember
the first time I went to Chautauqua Park in Boulder, Colorado.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At first, I wasn’t sure what Molly, my two
year old puppy, and I would find once we got there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a hot summer’s day and the crowded
parking lot told me that we were not about to do this hike alone. Molly, ever
the one that wanted to run off to see what could be found, was a handful to
contain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The park is a vast playground
for dogs and humans alike. As we started off, we soon found that we had a
choice of trails to take and I liked the one that seemed to be the less
traveled. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Quickly we discovered why it
was less travelled. The beginning stretch was long… baking in the sun… and all
up hill. Somewhere near the end my four legged friend turned to look at me as
she was asking me what was I thinking. All I could do was just keep moving. As
we continued on, finding some shade thankfully, I turned around to see a sight
that simply made me stop in amazement. It wasn’t just the view of the valley from
another perspective but it was the silence of solitude, on this lesser
travelled path, that made the difficult effort worth it all. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">John O’Donohue,
in his book <u>Eternal Echoes</u>, writes, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">When you open your heart to discovery, you
will be called to step outside the comfort barriers within which you have
fortified your life. You will be called to risk old views and thoughts and to
step off the circle of routine and image. This will often bring turbulence.”</i>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Many times
we sit in a coffee shop or in the solitude of our homes pondering over what our
lives have been like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of us have
had amazing lives… we have travelled to faraway lands… we have held in our arms
the warmth of a small baby… we have been present when a child has read their
very first sentence. Yet, we still search for more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe it because our souls are used to change
and daring to risk the experience of the unknown. There are others of us that
look back and wonder what if we had taken a step that seemed out of character
because our character has always been used to playing it safely with life. However,
I think that our world needs both but we need more. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">The great mystic, Rumi, asks us a very
poignant question. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">“When will we begin that long journey of discovering ourselves</span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">This
simple question elicits many thoughts and emotions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is ok to be fearful in beginning the
search for who we are and what we want to do in this gift called life. It is ok
to get angry when life seems to be a struggle or even going very well when we
get a notice from the doctor with bad news. It is ok to have sweaty palms
before you walk down the aisle or to make a life commitment with another
person. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">And…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">It is ok
to smile and to receive the gift of recognition. It is ok to fall in love. It
is ok to stop every once in a while to look back at the path that has helped
you to see where you have come from and in the process grown as a person. It is
ok to feel the exhilaration of daring to go somewhere or to do something that
you would have never imagine going to or doing. It is ok to shed a tear of
happiness over the joys of life… or to laugh so hard that your sides hurt. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">We often
times dare not because we are afraid of failing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, when we fail to act we fail to discover
a part of ourselves that is hidden away in a place that can only be unlocked by
the key of risk. Other times we dare not because we want the instant sense of
accomplishment. I think that Rumi used the word “long” for a purpose. Many
times the effort takes longer than the act itself. How many times have we
prepared for a major event then when the event gets here we discover that the
moment went faster than we had hoped it would. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Sometimes,
we are reluctant to seek out our inner self because we are afraid of change. Change
is hard work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Change is painful and not
always enjoyable. If change came easily or without turbulence, then we have to
question whether or not it was change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If we go to the gym and never get sore nor do we ever sweat, we will not
see the changes that we truly want. For a cell to grow it must be divided. So,
maybe we struggle with growth because we are attached to people that do not
want change. Maybe we are addicted to a lifestyle that wraps the metal shackle
around our spirit that yearns to be free from a slavery of an unhealthy life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">John O’Donohue continues to write.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">“But your soul loves the danger of growth”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">As I
ascended to the top of a Flatiron, I faced my fear of heights. It was at this
point that I had to let go of Molly for the first time and little did I know at
that time that facing an even greater fear later the next year I would have to
let her go again but for the last time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Many times
we look at life and see the opportunities to change right in front of our “faces”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We cling to a rock’s stony flesh and fear
that we will fall. We walk the precipice’s precarious edge wonder if we can
keep our balance. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is then as we take
the next step we discover something new… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">What are
some of the dreams that we hold on to so tightly that we are afraid to let it
go and let them have their freedom to become a reality?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do we meet the face of those in need and wish
we could do more? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do we know deep within
ourselves that we have a gift but we are afraid to unwrap it because of the
fear it may get broken while we use it? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">We all have the opportunity to live a
life that dares us to do more and as Ralph Ellison writes,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">When I discover who I am,
I’ll be free</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Breaking script… Namaste</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Randy Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18418685001842353584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923840165748485109.post-23235606904504015632014-03-10T13:30:00.001-07:002014-03-10T13:32:49.441-07:00Streams of thought....march 10th, 2014<b><i>“Three Rules of work: out of clutter find simplicity, from discord find harmony, and in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” – </i>Albert Einstein</b><br />
<br />
A smiling old man… a laughter of a young child… a polite beeping of a horn… the sounds of birds in the morning. These are some of the sights and sounds of Nicaragua for me.<br />
<br />
It has been less than twenty-four hours since I have arrived back to my home here, in Denver, from Managua, Nicaragua. I have been asked a number of times about how my trip went and so far I am not really comfortable in knowing how to respond. There are so many different adjectives that I could possibly use to describe my experience; so, I am always searching for the right ones to use with the person who has inquired about my time there.<br />
<br />
As I was driving home this morning from an appointment, I was presented with an inner question. <br />
<br />
That question is this:<br />
<div align="center">
<i>How will I live life going forward?</i></div>
<br />
Will I slowly drift backwards into the life that I once lived?<br />
<br />
Will I still seek to be challenged as I was this past week?<br />
<br />
How do I value the spending of a dollar when there is a country only a few hours away, by flight, where people exist on less than five dollars a day?<br />
<br />
I am not seeing this inner journey of self-reflection as a judgment against or for one society over another. I am not writing this to criticize a system while comparing it to another. However, what I am doing is measuring my own sense of responsibility in response to the need of another person.<br />
Do I desire what the Nicaraguan culture has? I saw some things that deeply influenced me. There were some experiences that made me uncomfortable. There were some experiences that challenged old perceptions and concepts. There were also some scenes that inspired me… and that is why I am at this place in my own processing of this past week. It is the smile of the old man that welcomed me to the life of living with fear and insecurity; yet living a life that reflects a sense of gratitude for all that is given not in a life time nor in a year’s time but on a daily breath by breath moment.<br />
<br />
I am not comfortable in answering how this past week in Nicaragua was… but then again change is never supposed to be comfortable. It is a personal season where, as Sharif Abdulhamid, told me that the “lens gets smudged”. Your spiritual muscles get torn and ripped apart so that new muscle cells of our conscience can grow. We become stronger as a society when we take change and learn from it.<br />
I cannot label this with simple adjectives… no single emotion can embrace what my heart can hold.<br />
<br />
Albert Einstein was an amazing man and it was not just in the realm of mathematics and physics. I learn more about him as a person when I read his thoughts on social justice issues, so his comments above are great guides in not just in the aspect of work but also in life itself.<br />
<ul>
<li>“…<i>out of clutter find simplicity…”</i> Life many times is completely messy. We get entangled in the busyness of life so much that we lose the beauty of simple things</li>
<li>“<i>…from discord find harmony…” </i> We all have multiple opportunities to be in community. These communities will inevitably have discord. It is a fact of nature that we will either have our own or will encounter someone that has a misconceived perception. These ill designed sensitivities will cause disunity. So, within the wind swept mountain side we many times need to find a common place of refuge so that all can find shelter.</li>
<li><i>“…in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” </i>It is in the middle of difficulty that we are going to discover the most valuable opportunity. It is in the midst of pain we will search for relief and an answer. In the midst of illness, we search for a cure. The marginal challenges already have an answer built within them; so it is in the depth of conflict that we many times begin to look for the greatest opportunity. </li>
</ul>
I heard once from a rabbi that we all have been embodied with the capacity to do something phenomenal… a greater purpose. It is when we do not search for or act upon that greater good that society becomes the poorer for it. <br />
<br />
breaking script…NamasteRandy Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18418685001842353584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923840165748485109.post-6733117040096178172014-02-20T07:34:00.000-08:002014-02-20T07:34:05.480-08:00streams of thought...february 20th, 2014
<br />
<em><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">"Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you,
they're supposed to help you discover who you are." Bernice Johnson
Reagon.</span></b></em><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">I am learning an interesting lesson here in Denver. The lesson
is this. I should never expect to know what the weather is going to be like
within the same day let alone one day to the next. We had beautiful sunny 60
degree weather throughout the day yesterday; however, around 8 pm it
started to snow. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Learning the art of never really knowing what to expect seems to
fit in all other areas of life, too. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">So, let me ask this question. How are our beginning of the year
commitments coming along? <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">We all know that they were difficult. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For those that have kept up with those
commitments, we applaud you for your efforts and successes. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Some of us remember the commitments and realize that we let them
go a few weeks ago. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Some of us are still hanging on to them; however, it has become
a battle to keep them going and only do it on a sporadic basis. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Keeping those commitments is a battle. If it wasn't a
battle, we might be either guilty of setting the "bar" too low or we
may be wondering why we didn't do them earlier. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Well, we are near the end of the second month of this New Year.
The feeling of spring is starting to set in with the arrival of March.
Oh, we know that we will still face some winter moments in the next month or
two; however, inwardly we know that spring is almost here. The season of
natural introspection is about to blossom into the season of new energy. It is
during this time of the year that we find a new breath. We get new energy. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Unfortunately, I believe that we miss the spiritual seasonality
of life. We get so tired of the cold... and the snow... and the bitter wind. We
miss this seasonal opportunity to drawn within so that we can assess who we are
becoming. We get distracted from asking ourselves, “Are we
being true to who we are designed to be as a person?” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">No, I don't mean that we ask the question that we seem to ask
ourselves often... "Am I working at the right place?" No, it is
deeper than that. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Do we ask ourselves? <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">If I have the heart of an
artist, am I developing and utilizing those skills that speak from my
heart? <o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">If I have the capability of
being a leader, am I giving myself the opportunity leading a class or a project
or a movement? <o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">If I am a thinker, am I
developing this gift by reading great books or developing ideas that could
change the world?<o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">If I am a listener, am I
giving the gift of my presence to someone who needs to be heard?<o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">It is in this season of winter that all external signs of
nature's life seems to disappear. The leaves on the trees have
fallen. The flowers are still yet a seed in the soil of the earth. The
warm air may briefly appear like it did yesterday but can quickly escape
because it lacks something that we create within ourselves...
limitations. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Yes, we create within ourselves the shackles called “limitations”.
Life has been described as a "brief moment of time" or "we are
like a vapor". Yet, time has no limitations. Vapor has no
limitations. The wind has no limitations. Who can harness either of those
things? So, why do we want to harness our own capabilities with self-imposed
limitations?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">We create limitations within ourselves. Erroneously, we
impose them on others by saying or doubting their capabilities. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">If we are a business person, we look to see what a new applicant
can do to increase our bottom line; instead of thinking outside the box and
wondering if the job is the right one for this person. Basically, we place the
job above the person. We wonder if the person is the right one for the
job instead of wondering if the job is the right one for the person. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">If we are a coach, we have kids who try out for positions.
During the course of the try out, we have children trying out for positions
that do not fit their capability. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, we
should help them to see the strengths of who they are so that they can develop
their value by being the right "player on the team". <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">As a parent, we think of how successful we want our children to
be without really wondering what defines success for each of them; because it
is going to be different with each one. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">We are still in a season of dormancy. We are still hiding
our "seasonal leaves". If the original commitment of the year
is still in play then keep on moving towards its completion. If the original
commitment of the year has been pushed off to the side, don’t think negatively about
not keeping it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Consider the fact that
maybe we just made the wrong commitment and make the right
one today. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">We are confined by our limitations. We are defined by
being who we truly are meant to be.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
Randy Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18418685001842353584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923840165748485109.post-17693009474534346822014-02-17T10:50:00.000-08:002014-02-18T11:45:53.248-08:00streams of thought...february 17th, 2014<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Who are you? No really… who are you? We ask this about ourselves all the time in every decision we make throughout the day. <br />
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<div class="entry entry-content">
<br />
For example, some of us got up this morning and opened up a box of Lucky Charms cereal and poured it into a bowl. Even the bowl tells us who we envision who we are… if we think that we have a big appetite we got the big “Jethro Beau Dean” mixing bowl… if we saw ourselves as needing to cut back on the “magically delicious” crunch of sugar and cereal then we got out a smaller bowl. <br />
Some of us got up and rushed out the door with a couple pieces of toast and shot of coffee… what we have in the coffee tells us even more about who we have accepted about ourselves. <br />
<br />
Others might have mindfully got out a banana… some steel rolled oatmeal… juice… and consumed it in a mindful manner after giving thanks and asking for the grace to carry this meal within our body. <br />
Each example tells us more and more about who we think we either are… or want to be… or better yet are on the path to becoming. <br />
<br />
We all make simple and complex choices throughout the day that reflect an inner message. <br />
I remember while in the midst of my struggle; I would discover the strength to walk a few blocks. I had no idea what I looked like on the outside but I know what I felt like on the inside. But you know what I remember the most? The smiles of some of those that I walked past. <br />
<br />
I have a habit that was created within these past few years where I have developed this practice of looking into the eyes of people when I encounter them. Those glimpses seem to tell me a lot. You can see caution in some. You can find peace in others. There are some that all you can see is pain… or searching… or wonder. Every once in a while, I would make eye contact with someone as I would be walking along and sometimes I would be surprised by … their smile. Now I call them my angels. It was the Divine’s way of telling me that I am noticed and loved. It was His way of telling me that I am going to be ok. <br />
<br />
How many of us think that we have made choices well in advance? We, may very well, have made decisions in advanced but scientists have discovered that we are given the option to make “mental choices” every fifteen seconds. It is this repetitive action that leads to a habit or a lifestyle. Our brain actually gets used to the chemical and the electrical impulses from those reactions when we make those choices and that repetitive action leads to a normal state of behavior that is called a “habit”. <br />
We are given a lot of choices to consider and some of those are choices lead us to believe who we are. These choice can happen in the moment of time… a mental blink… every fifteen seconds. Our choice of who believe that we are is going to be reflected in our actions… in our words… in our eyes. If we believe that we are nothing more than someone that gets up and shuffles into the “kitchen” to mentally and emotionally eat “junk food” and believes that is all that we are… we will become “junk food” and that is not magically delicious. <br />
<br />
Savor the thought… consume the belief that we are more than our circumstances. We are more than the day to day grind of a job that betrays the true value of who we are. We are more than the medicine or the tubes that we have in or hanging from our body. We are more than the bank account that is either barely over zero or exceeds the millions. We are more than just a whisper of time. We are the creative design of a person who has the ability to overcome all opportunities of life. Our intrinsic value is determined not by what we possess but by the passion that is within our own heart and mind. <br />
<br />
Breaking script… Namaste</div>
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Randy Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18418685001842353584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923840165748485109.post-66800452341901866382014-02-12T09:49:00.000-08:002014-02-12T10:30:22.263-08:00streams of thought....february 12th, 2014<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 9.9pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sometimes I get a
little lost in the journey. Do you ever feel that way? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We get caught up in
the movement that we exhaustedly sit down at the end of the day and we
simply... with a sigh... wonder what happen. We made plans. We set the
calendars. We made lists. We did every conceivable organizational thing we have
been taught or promoted to do but yet we think about all that we did not
accomplish. We think back on the day and become aware of a lost fifteen minutes
driving.... or ten minutes standing in line... or the phone call or project
that took a lot longer than we had planned for. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So, what do we
normally do? We begin to think that we need to just either be more
disciplined or we need to plan better or we need to just be more focused... or
perhaps... maybe, we need to give ourselves space. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the past four
months, I have been working on my balance and flexibility. It has been a
difficult two years and the tension of the inner struggle for health has taken
its toll on me. However, I know that what I am doing in the present is beyond my
wildest imagination. I look back at photos that were taken prior to my
diagnosis of cancer and I am reminded that I was not as healthy as I thought
that I was at that time. My body was betraying my own sense of
health. I was running and preparing to participate for a half marathon
but the whole time my body was silently dying inside. The thing that I thought
was normal was actually anything but normal. I have very little recollection of
the first month after my first surgery but I do remember at times driving
around the streets of Denver feeling exhausted and confused.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I, now, realize it was the lack of glucose
and other vitally important nutrients. In that first month I had not eaten or
drank anything of measurable value. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Four more surgical
procedures later, I was walking out St Luke's Hospital for the last time.
Well, more like shuffling out of the hospital for the last time. A year after
that last surgery, I am sitting here planning on going on an exploratory /
immersion trip to Nicaragua. I will have my personal trainer certification from
the NCSF at the end of the month. We will be in the second semester of a
graduate school program in Counseling/Psychology at Regis University. We will
be Level One certified in the practice of Reiki. We will start the completion of a
book that will hopefully encourage and inspire others. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Inwardly, I smile that
it took me almost a half a century to realize that the act of balance comes not
from juggling a lot of projects or tasks. I am now aware that being stable is
not the same as being sedentary. But the journey of health and healing came from
within before it was seen from the outside. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I remember my yoga instructor,
Julieta Claire, inviting me to come back to the practice of yoga. I knew
that I was going to be very limited due to the devices that I had to carry and
was attached to at the time. To me the invitation meant more than the actual participation. Since that time, I have had not been able to
practice with Julieta but I have carried on the practice in my home. I am aware
that for me the invitation was an external gift of belonging. The internal gift
of belonging is found in being mindful of my own longing to
"be". To be authentic. To be faithful to my own practice.
To be content not in things but content within my own sense of self. To not be
judgmental. To not be critical of self. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Buddha says that
we should only speak when these four criteria are being met:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Is it True<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Is it Timely<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Is it helpful<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Is it kind<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Christ said that we
are to love others as we love ourselves. But how many times do we forget the
second part, "as we love ourselves" The act of <i>metta. </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A good friend Rachael
Medd said, <i>"To help cultivate a state of balance and stability; among
the suffering and noise, [we need to know] what it is to be ‘alive’ and to be
able to make sense of this, accept this and use this to not only realize, but
explore… who we truly are."<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When I read those words, I was reminded of what John O’Donohue wrote.
He writes, “<i>The beauty of being human is the capacity and desire for
intimacy</i>” It is not an intimacy that is met by the presence of another but by
the presence of ourselves. We become so deeply aware of who we are that we reflect it in
what we do. It is on the “mat” that we are drawn deeper into gently embrace the
spiritual tension that we feel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We want
to embrace the tension not in the sense that we approve of it but that we
acknowledge it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are present with our
own situation that we learn from the emotions that those tensions create. We
become mindful that the presence of tension promotes within us the
inflexibility of being able to give ourselves the space and the grace to just
be whom we truly are. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>O’Donohue leads us in seeing that the intimate
awareness of who we are is the greater angel that comes along to interact with
the emotions that insecurity and doubt may create. And this interaction is not
an internal session of struggle but acceptance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Because with acceptance comes understanding. This understanding leads us
to know more deeply and safely where we need to redeem the lesser part of who
we struggle to be. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because without this redemption we lose our
balance and stability.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Breaking script… Namaste</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Randy Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18418685001842353584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923840165748485109.post-39467674205854446312014-02-04T09:18:00.000-08:002014-02-04T09:18:55.337-08:00streams of thought....february 4th, 2014<em>“Your feet will bring you to where your heart is.” – Irish Proverb</em><br />
It is another cold and overcast morning. A beautifully typical morning for winter time. There are a few people scattered around the coffeehouse this morning. A few early students who are either working on projects or possibly getting in that last minute mind expansion of information for an exam that will come and go. Quickly the exam will be forgotten along with the information that memorized for it. The information that we so diligently studied will fade away along with the short term promise that we will never wait until the last minute again. It is a dance that we all do at times. We know that there is a project, an exam to prepare for, and a race to prepare for or possibly…. the next chapter of our life that we are wanting to write but our mind is not willing to find the words or action to start it.<br />
<br />
There are a few of us in this room that have asked this question to ourselves… “What is that I really want to do?”<br />
<br />
There will always be the response of…<br />
<em>I want to head to the slopes to go snowboarding/skiing…. I want to go somewhere where it is warm and the beach is right outside my door… I want to find love, again… I want to spend more time with my family…. I want to…. um, I am not sure. Can I have a moment to think about it?</em><br />
<br />
We have desires. We have expectations. They are all a part of being alive. Do we ever sit down for an extended period of time and not think about something that we want to do? It may even be as mundane as paying the bills. It might be at adventurous as exploring a place like Machu Picchu. It may be as relaxing as finally reading that book that we have thought about for months and never had the time nor the quietness to do it.<br />
<br />
We all have an inner need to move. We would like for it to be a forward progression.<br />
<br />
What stops us?<br />
<br />
Is it that we feel like we are too old… or too young? Do we feel like we are not ready to take that “next step”?<br />
<br />
What is it?<br />
<br />
Is it that we look at our lives and say that there are too many obligations already? Do we look at our physical capabilities and wonder how we will finally be able to have enough strength to breathe let alone move? Do we look in the mirror and all we see is a person that has unfulfilled dreams? While we are looking in the mirror are we looking at the greatest enemy of them all… ourselves?<br />
Why is that we long for and we dream of moving; yet we are emotionally paralyzed. We see all that is moving around us and yet inwardly our wish to move is met with a “body” that simply… can’t…. move.<br />
<br />
What is going to make the difference? Enough of a difference that we are able to move a finger… to slide our foot forward… to breathe in the air of possibility so that our spiritual lungs are filled with the oxygen of opportunities. What will have to happen so that our inner spirit breaks down the walls of self-defiance?<br />
<br />
It might be that we need to look at ourselves in a way that we never thought was possible. We have to stop just seeing others moving and see ourselves doing the same. We have to have a faith that comes not just from hearing you can do it but a faith that is built in the belief that you will do it. We have to have a foundational shift within ourselves that no longer says I can’t… I am not… I wish I was…. to an inner voice that says I am even though I have no idea where this wave is taking me. We have to place ourselves in an internal state of peace that says that no matter what happens… I have moved. A place that is decorated not with dreariness of dreams never acted upon but a vibrant room that is filled with the spirit that says you are valuable enough to change.<br />
<br />
What if the present moment does not match up with the initial plan? Guess what… they never do. A tree that is growing will never look like it did when it was a sapling. A stream bed is slowly but constantly changing. So, why do we think that our dreams will be the same as they were when we started? We seem to get either discouraged with or defeated by what is a simple law of nature. We begin to see that the life plan that we had six months ago doesn’t look exactly like we imagined. The relationships that we were in have either deepen or are a part of our memory. This is the way of life.<br />
<br />
The Irish proverb says, “<em>Your feet will bring you to where your heart is.” </em>It doesn’t say that our hearts bring us where our feet are… but our heart will tell us if we are where we truly want to be. It is in the act of being that we find out where our passion and love of life is honestly residing. And this act of moving does not always mean that we will have a straight path… a path that is flat…. or doesn’t seem to go backwards at times. We will begin the hike…. a trail that may seem arduous at times… we may encounter an illness or a loss or some other kind of significant change. We will see a field of boulders that we need to cross over and wonder if they will shift and take us down the mountainside. We will also find a shady respite from the heat of the moment. A place that we can hide away but yet still move in. If we are present enough on this journey, we will see little columbine flower like moments of beauty. A flower growing where it would seem impossible to grow roots but yet…. there it is. A symbol that life has some small moments that will remind of the reason that we are alive… to see the beauty in the midst of the journey.<br />
<br />
When we think about where our heart is maybe an even better question is this. Is our dreams an illusion or are they the beginning of a life that simply… breaks script.<br />
<br />
See you on the trails…<br />
Breaking script…. Namaste.Randy Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18418685001842353584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923840165748485109.post-7049201075696435792014-01-29T17:56:00.000-08:002014-01-29T18:23:54.647-08:00streams of thought...january 29th, 2014<em>“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking that we used when we created them.” Albert Einstein</em><br />
<div class="entry entry-content">
Recently, I was given the opportunity to write my own personal theory in a paper for the Theories in Counseling class. The paper didn’t seem too daunting since it wasn’t a requirement to write it the APA format nor did I have to do any quasi-research to substantiate my position. Truly a student’s dream to just write down what I thought, as long as it was coherent. It was at this moment when the rule of complex of simplicity took off running.<br />
One of the twelve questions was this:<br />
<em>“What do you think causes people to have problems? I.e. in your experience, what leads people to become unhealthy, to suffer, to have dis-ease, or even mental illness?”</em><br />
(So, I think that this journal writing will be in a different format…. and here we go.)<br />
<i>Problems…</i> This to me is a difficult term and I believe, based on my experiences, is possibly a reason why so many of us struggle so greatly with the same issue possibly over and over. Typically, “<i>problems</i>” are seen as being a negative events or at least an event that needs to be solved. This perception can lead a person to think that they have to fight against emotionally laden issue; instead of them leaning into the moment. If the word is broken down, we would find that the word basically means we are acting against a blemish. That we see something that needs to be adjusted to a correct state of form or appearance. So, it is simply a word that causes us to act… either in fight or in fear mode, which are two of the quickest burning emotions that a person can have.<br />
I won’t discount that there are difficult issues that can cause us to become uneasy. However, I believe that we tend to issue the label of “<i>problems</i>” to announce either internally or externally that this is an uncomfortable situation. If that is the case, we should ask ourselves these questions. Why am I uncomfortable? Was there a previous experience that is similar to this moment that has led me to carry negativity with it? Or am I uncomfortable with this circumstance because it is an unknown time of my life that I am not sure how to be with? It is my perception that people dwell too much on events that should be fluid and we simply hold on to them too long.<br />
<em>Suffering…</em> This comes when we take an emotion that we should only give temporary space to so that we can become “aware of” and “be present with” while not giving it a place of residence where it is allowed to develop roots. It is like a stream of water that is meant to flow through; however, we create a dam that stalls and impedes its movement. When we see this happen in nature we see silt, debris and stagnation. It becomes polluted and infested. The water in this case was not allowed to take its natural course to come in, be present, and then free to move on. So it is with distorted or misguided perceptions. The continuation of holding a <i>problem</i> gives root to unhealthy perceptions that often times leads to neurosis. The neurosis then leads to a deeper belief that takes root which eventually will draw in our spiritual and physical health.<br />
<em>Dis-ease… </em>This is the next step in an unhealthy process that was birthed in a negative perception. We have perceived that an event has taken place that will cause either concern, denial, or harm. When confronted with this event we have an immediate reaction that leads us into a defensive mode. The allowance and continued presence of this event will lead us to a state of emotional <em>dis-ease</em> or <em>disease</em>. In reality, we have allowed a perception to become a distorted life view. This ill-perceived view will then laden us with heavy energy consuming emotions. These emotions then will pull from us the energy to make changes.<br />
This is where we are led to the quote by Albert Einstein. We simply cannot solve <i>problems</i> with the same way of thinking that essentially created the <i>problem</i> in the first place. If we come to an experience that we have never had before, we need to enter into it with an open heart and mind so that we can be receptive to the possibilities of learning. This may mean that we are available to learning something about someone else or ourselves. If we encounter an illness that we never expected, it is an opportunity learn the art of resilience. Also, we may discover our own character and to value the people that we have in our lives. If we encounter a loss of a relationship, we learn the art of reconciliation and forgiveness; both to them and for ourselves. If we have a financial set back, we learn the art of simplicity and many times gratitude for the smallest of things.<br />
We have this amazing spirit with us. We have the spirit to create as well as destroy. We have the ability to overcome as well as be overwhelmed. We, also have the creativity to see things as possibilities instead of impediments. It is a matter of choice.<br />
Breaking script…Namaste</div>
Randy Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18418685001842353584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923840165748485109.post-36003173867198754582014-01-27T09:29:00.000-08:002014-01-27T10:03:21.864-08:00streams of thought...january 27th, 2014<b><i>“Frustration is the first step towards improvement. I have no incentive to improve if I’m content with what I can do and if I’m completely satisfied with my pace, distance and form as a runner. It’s only when I face frustration and use it to fuel my dedication that I feel myself moving forwards.” – John Bingham</i></b><b></b><br />
In Denver, a person will see a plethora of stickers on the back of vehicles that show “26.2″, “13.1″, and “70.3″. All are proud badges of honor of accomplishments that have been done. Like many that I know, when I start off on a run the very first steps seem to be the most difficult. Our bodies are still tight, even though we have done the proper amount of stretching. We begin to feel our lungs getting used to the expansion that is going to be required as we get further into the run. Some of us have our ear buds in the auditory canal… either there are musical notes beginning the beat that many times matches our will and our footsteps… or there is a subtle soothing voice that says “You are now beginning your run.” All the while, we know the path and how far we want to go.<br />
Often, we start our run and we come across something that causes us to detour our path or possibly we have a canter that doesn’t feel quite right. For those that have a goal in mind, we mentally fight to make adjustments. For those of us that don’t have a goal in mind, we simply turn around to go back home. All along the way we get frustrated and inwardly say how stupid it was to even attempt this exercise. We think about all the other things we could do to get “exercise” or how nice it would be in our warm homes on such a cold day. Then we do the ultimate act of violence against ourselves… we think “I can’t do this, anyways.” We declare ourselves to be less than we really are meant to be.<br />
It wasn't just for external reasons that we initially thought of changing our life course. No, we saw a need and we wanted to change. We wanted to “break script” from a life that was not going in the direction that we wanted to go in. We got tired of being out of breath when we walked up a flight of stairs… or we couldn’t move from an “up dog” position to a “chaturanga” in a fluid jumping motion… or we simply wanted to be healthier. We wanted something back that we felt like we had lost. We wanted our youth back. We got so tired of being tired. We saw the vitality of the young and wanted it. We saw a life that we might have had and simply misplaced. We allowed the rhythm of an external life to carry us away to a place of mindless movement. We may have rebelled at first and fought against it. We promised that we would do extra workout outs after we binged on an extra-large, extra meat pizza. But those promises gave way to other things… and then eventually we just adopted a lifestyle that did not fit.<br />
Now, we find a longing deeper within to get back what we had given away. Now, we want to live a lifestyle that is more representative of what we value. We get the inner motivation to become more active.<br />
This inner motivation is what fuels our drive to the gym, the recreation center, the nearest Cross Fit location, the athletic store, the dance class… or whatever we want to do that will “make” us what we now want to be. We pay for the classes, the memberships, and the gear. Then we go to the local health food store to get the latest in whatever it is that we are looking to accomplish.<br />
Then it happens. We start to “run”. We are feeling sore from the previous workout and can barely move… we look in the mirror the next day and we wonder why we don’t see the changes that we are working towards wanting. Or we get detoured in life due to a major illness… or life got derailed by a death or a loss of a significant other… or we get our inner value diminished by the loss of a job.<br />
We sit back in our life chair and wonder “What is the next thing to happen?” The quick burn of motivation is extinguished. We want to simply quit. We retreat inside and depression fills the void left by motivation. We find ways to escape the depression through activities such as games, television, or more life threatening lifestyle choices.<br />
Life’s cadence is altered many times. It falls out of rhythm. It can be very frustrating. John Bingham used the word “dedication” in the quote mentioned above. We misplace the idea of motivation when we are really looking for inspiration. Inspiration is the deeper sense of embracing an idea… an idea that leads to an act that is clothed in dedication. When we are inspired, we move with a greater sense of dedication. We give space to the fluidity of emotions that we will have as we “run our life race”. Instead of seeing the emotions as being anchors and weights, we will find them as a wind that leads us to a greater understanding of we are and what struggles we have in discovering our true self. Allow the emotions that we encounter the freedom to move through not reside in our lives.<br />
breaking script…NamasteRandy Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18418685001842353584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923840165748485109.post-10398059331310533132014-01-25T10:31:00.000-08:002014-01-25T10:31:00.950-08:00streams of thought...january 25th, 2014
<br />
<em><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">"It is not because things are difficult that we dare not
venture. It is because we dare not venture that they are difficult" -
Seneca (1st Century)</span></em><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">I think that we need a break. A moment of time where we allow
time to move while we pause. Perhaps we need to walk into a field or to find a
chair in our home and close our outward vision of all that is going on around
us. This world of ours is a lot to take in don't you think? <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Then.....<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">We need to open our eyes and hearts to the possibilities. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Someone asked me recently about this new mantra of mine. Just in
case someone has missed it or perhaps we have just started to walk this journey
together; I made this year my year of "Breaking Script". It is
actually a title of a talk that Rabbi Sharon Brous gave this past September. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My ears are open to all truths and she is one
of my favorite people to hear truth from.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">"Breaking Script" simply means that the role that I
had been playing is no longer the role I accept or want to continue have a part
in. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">When we stop to think about the role we play, let’s ask some
questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">How many relationships are we in
that are unhealthy and undermined our own sense of value?
It doesn't matter what kind of relationship it is; because anytime we interact
with another person or group it is relationship. Sadly, we might even be doing this
to ourselves.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">How many of us are in dream state where we wish we could fully
utilize our skills but we seem invisible at the place where we work? <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">How many are in family relationships that have placed us in the
role of being a rescuer...a victim...a locus of blame...an enabler? <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">How many classes have we sat in where we are nothing more than a
student id number? <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">How many of us have walked into a gym where we simply feel
uncomfortable? <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">How many of us have sat in our homes wishing that we had a sense
of connection with others so we become addicted to social media? <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Relationships are delicate balances. So is life. They can bring
us utter and unimaginable joy... a sense of acceptance that is not just
physical but goes much deeper than that. They can, also, bring us pain... a
state of being where you just can't move. I think we all have experienced both
joy and pain to this degree. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">We look back at not just what was but we think about what we truly
hoped that it would have been. We have a struggle that leads us to wanting more
but we stopped to think about what we have to do to make it different? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">We have to risk living a life that is not filled with "what
if's" and "should I's". Let’s find out what inspires us to
have a role that gives us a sense of value and space. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we are really wanting to live a life that
allows us to breathe deeply, we will realize that it is not perfection that what
we should strive for but it is a sense of inner strength of moving in life
knowing that you are being present and authentic. This effort to discover who
we are is the place to begin and from this beginning place we should not settle
for the lesser of who we are but to chase... to grab on to... and to embrace
the greater part of who we are meant to be. We need to stop being the lesser of
who we are because how we present ourselves is how others will accept us. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">In my effort of breaking script from my previous illness, the
other day I was running and I was thinking about a lot of different things, as
I always seem to do. I thought about those that are still suffering from
illnesses that have turned their lives upside down. I thought about a friend
who recently lost a deeply loved one. I thought about what I can do to make my
project to Nicaragua the best it can be... I thought of the people that
are suffering from abuse, disease, and mental disorders. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">An idea came to mind... <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">For us to be a light we
need to go into the darkness. For us to share love we have to confront hatred.
For us to give hope we have to be willing to pick up those who are empty of
all hope. <o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">In other words, breaking script for me means that I
have to risk. I have to step outside the normal course of life and to risk
being authentic. I know the script that I have been playing for too long and
that is a role that I am no longer willing to be a part of. What does
"taking a risk" mean for you? I have no idea; however, you do. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">We need to be bold in our lives. We need to live with a lion's
heart. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">We always be pushed into roles that emphasize a lesser filled life,
it is simply a struggle that we will always encounter. We need to remember… we
deserve to live a life that displays our greater and true self. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">breaking script....Namaste<o:p></o:p></span><br />
Randy Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18418685001842353584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923840165748485109.post-66530536488629038622014-01-24T09:09:00.000-08:002014-01-24T09:15:37.106-08:00streams of thought...january 24th, 2014<em>“Life is not merely being alive, but being well.” – Martial (Latin poet in the 1st Century)</em><br />
I think I know why I like coffee shops so well. For me they are places that soothe my soul. They are my church. I have a few here in Denver that I like to go to from time to time. Stella’s. Pajama Baking Company. St. Mark’s. Pablo’s. Each have a sense of being. The people who walk in come here for as many reasons are there individuals. For myself, I come to a place like Stella’s in search of inspiration. It is near a major university and so there are all types that come in. Some are students’. Some are professors. There are a few business people that come in because you can tell that they like the relaxed environment that is filled with an energy of thought.<br />
As I think more about the quote that Martial gave to us over two thousand years ago, I begin to think deeper into what he was saying. “Being alive” is not just a physical aspect but a spiritual and mental one as well. We strive for the physical part so much that we forget to take time to make sure that we are healthy in a moral and a mental sense.<br />
We remember all of the postings and announcements responding to a simple internal question, “<i>What do I want to accomplish this year</i>?”<br />
We have friends who have stacks of books that they will read this year. We also have friends that want to lose weight… or get physically fit… or to run in their first or many marathons this year. We may have friends that have wanted to go back to college or to graduate school. We encourage them for a while… then as we and they start to get back into the normal everyday routine those goals tend to get dismissed. Not forgotten just merely excused.<br />
So, we are almost at the end of the first month of the new year. How are we doing? Are we alive? Are we keeping on track with our expectations of what we wanted to accomplish just a few weeks ago?<br />
Take a moment. Just a moment of sitting in our thoughts and emotions. How do we feel? Are we back to being anxious? When we think about the plans that seemed so doable at the beginning of the year, do our “shoulders drop”? When we think about where we are heading in our lives are we still wishing that we were on another path?<br />
Take a moment. Breathe in deep. So deep that we allow the emotions to stay but to float in the air that we have just taken in. It is going to be ok. No past event can truly stop our future. It may bring us detours and those detours should lead to a creative state of how to make our dreams become a possibility… our possibility become an action… and action hopefully becomes passion.<br />
Take a moment. We all have a pulse. The beating of a heart that says that we are alive. The pulse of the mind are ideas that are only held back by an emotion. We have a spirit within us that is alive… it may be hurting at times due to the events in our life but the ability to either be hurting or in joy means that our spirit is alive within us.<br />
What does it mean for us to be “well”? I am not sure. That is a definition held by each of us.<br />
I know what it means to be “well” with myself. I am physically alive after fighting against a major illness and its complications. However, I am not just content with being alive physically. I want to go into the balance of my life being in a place that I strive for activity. To be physically “well” for me is to do more half marathons… hike a mountain peak that is above thirteen thousand feet… to be functionally fit…to actively create a joint venture helping others.<br />
I am spiritually alive. However, I want to be spiritually well. I will be honest in that I think that this is one of my greatest struggles as I grow into my own faith system that brings me into reality with God, the One that many might call the Divine… and a part of this struggle is in discovery not just how to live in it but to breath in it. I will not deny my Christian faith but I am also not going to deny my acceptance and adherence to a Buddhist philosophy. For me one makes me who I am and the other helps me in being that person. I adhere to a faith not a following.<br />
I am mentally alive. It seems that the more I study the more active my mind and spirit becomes. In my experience, my mind and my spirit are very connected. I am not sure where some of my dreams come from so I just accept that is a result of the conversation between mind and spirit. I think that being alive mentally is another extension to the principle of inspiration not motivation. I want my mental exploration to lead me into a life that is inspired deeply not a life of superficial motivation.<br />
We need to be present in our own lives… be alive AND well. We shouldn’t allow self-judgment to deny us the possibility of breaking script from our past.<br />
Take a moment. Be alive in this moment that we have and live it with a full heart of energy of acceptance not rejection.<br />
breaking script…..NamasteRandy Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18418685001842353584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923840165748485109.post-23429831220500020262014-01-22T19:32:00.000-08:002014-01-22T19:32:24.658-08:00streams of thought...january 22nd, 2014<em>“Before anything ever was, it had to be dreamed. Everything had its beginning in possibility.” - John O’Donohue (Eternal Echoes: Celtic Reflections on Our Yearning to Belong)</em><!--?xml:namespace prefix = "o" ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /--><br />
I believe that there is a place in life for the mystical playground. A place where we can go to with the hopes and dreams of a young child. Where is that in you? Can you close your eyes and see it? Can your spirit feel it? Can your mind go to it?<br />
I remember when I just a little lad, I would swing high on the swings all the while afraid that I would fall backwards and out of the seat… yet for some reason I had no problem launching myself from the front of it. Also, in our school yard, we had this big tree, I have no idea what kind of tree it was but as a child in second grade it was humongous. A person could sit at the base of it with another friend and have no idea that there was another person on the other side…. if they kept quiet. We found out who wanted to be “boyfriend” and “girlfriend” that way. It was also a good place to hide, too.<br />
As a child, we had the freedom to believe in anything we wanted to believe in. To us there was an amazing amount of possibilities. We could dream of being doctors… baseball players… anything was possible.<br />
I had a cousin, Brent, who wanted to be a baseball announcer. We had these plastic lockers that we would put our baseball cards in and would play with them like they were meant to be played with. I remember going over to his house to see if he got a new card that I was willing to trade some of my cards for… we were the ”general managers” of our cards. Brent had this fascinating ability. He could remember the statistics of every player that he had in his set of cards. I could barely remember the cards that I had let alone their statistics. <br />
A child has a fascinating ability… one that as adults we sometimes miss the opportunity to use. A child will unflinchingly dream of who they want to be… what they want to become. A fireman… a policeman… a sports figure… a doctor… a teacher. They dream of becoming these people because they inwardly see value in becoming them. If we were to ask a young child if they wanted something that was contrary to what they valued, they would look at us and respond back saying, ”Why would I want to do that?”<br />
So, when was the last time we believed in possibilities? We have within us a gift. A gift to dream. A gift to make possible the impossible. We wake up every day with the freedom to say that we want better. How many times have we wanted to know and to be who we are meant to be? Yet, we dismiss that thought as being ridiculous.<br />
We all have the cellular capacity to act upon what we see as being valuable. Sadly if we haven’t responded to that calling within to become, we are not just losing an opportunity but we are losing ourselves.<br />
<em>“Before anything ever was, it had to be dreamed.” </em><br />
What do we dream? I think that we dream too little but we want to accomplish much. I smile at this concept because it is the same thing as saying I don’t know where I am going; so, I will just walk around in a circle because at the end of the day I can say I did something.<br />
What is the purpose of living without dreaming?<br />
What is the purpose of painting without having a vision within our spirit to guide us in at least starting?<br />
To act upon a dream does not mean that the dream is going to be completed as it started out but it is more akin to the beginning stroke of an artist with an open heart to whatever the artistic piece will eventually look like. To give ourselves to a destiny, we need to dream of what that destiny will look like and let it unfold every day.<br />
I say “Dream! Dream with all that you have within you!” Go find the child within that wants to explore and play in the playground of your spirit and while that child plays they will tell stories to your mind of magical things. Magical because that is the only way that as an adult we could ever imagine these dreams to coming true. Dare your child to risk… risk peddling hard and fast so it stays up their bike Give the child within you to freedom to laugh… to see the joy of life once again.<br />
We all know what that child looks like. Mine? He is a round belly, curly headed, big brown eyed little boy. His eyes sparkles when he knows that I am aware of him… and when I am not he just plays all alone.<br />
We all want to do something… so dream of it being bigger than we could ever imagine. Let’s allow our imagination the possibility of finding colors and paths that have been hidden away. Don’t worry about what others will think; let them find their own inner child.<br />
And by the way… when you find that inner child… give them a hug… they have missed you.<br />
See you on the playground… breaking script… NamasteRandy Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18418685001842353584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923840165748485109.post-28557479714908711812014-01-21T07:11:00.000-08:002014-01-21T07:11:26.914-08:00streams of thought...january 21st, 2014<em>Into the wind he leans. Feeling the imperceptible, he is held in its arms… this magic of nature cradling his body to avoid his fate of nature… for without the wind he would surely fall.</em><br />
I remember the first time I saw the Grand Canyon. Its sheer beauty was mystifying. Honestly, it looked like a painting. Something that we should be able to reach our hand out to… and touch it. To feel its texture and to curve our fingertips around the three dimensional curves and crevices. The mixture or softness and yet knowing it is stone. The vast array of colors… purples, reds, greens, beiges… But it isn’t a painting done by man…it is a real place that entices a person. It entices us to explore. It bids us to walk into its depth but we can tell it is a long trek… and there are a few that do. The sheer beauty of its mystery calls us to explore it in our minds. We begin to wonder about its development. How did such creative beauty take place? Some of us are content with just playing at the top of the rims. Some of us plan out camping trips…or riding down the river deep below us… some run the trail rim to rim to rim. It is a place that captures us and like the temptress that it is bids us back to enjoy its beauty.<br />
I also remember the first time I drove to the Grand Canyon. I was driving outside from Flagstaff, Az. I was enjoying the scenery… this was long before the distractions of cell phones, tablets, and XM-radio. The distant mountain peaks were amazing… I love the scenery of that area… I could have stayed for days just mentally and physically soaking in the beauty of this place. However, my destination was a place called the Grand Canyon. I wondered when I would get there. It seemed out of place in my mind at the time. I thought surely I must have been traveling in the wrong direction until…. I saw a line of cars. I smile in my heart as I remember thinking to myself… “really? this is it?” The big archway made of timber silently in bold letters welcomed us to the place that holds mystery. The anticipation was palpable. I almost turned into the first parking area that I saw but thankfully I waited. I was able to rest my car near the main lodge. I remember the big common area as I walked in…so majestic… I thought to myself if the walls could talk they would grow old just from the length of all its own stories.<br />
Then I walked outside to the rim…<br />
It is amazing how we look into our own life. We see the present but yet don’t really live in it. We see the future for what we want it to be yet we miss the beauty of what it could be. There are stories in the present that we are not attuned to hearing. We miss the sounds of a person’s heartbeat because we are so enamored with the shallowness of the trinket. Have you been in a room that holds the trinkets from a carnival or a bowling alley toy machine… Yes, they hold memories of times past but it just seems cheap. Yes, we need shallow moments to rest from the deep but to stay in the shallow end never strengthens us. We spiritually, physically and mentally need both, the shallow and the deep.<br />
So, we walk to the edge of the “rim” and instead of looking into the beauty of what life can be… and is meant to be… we focus at the ”currant bush” that we find along the path.<br />
What if we merely glanced at the canyon and said “wow that is beautiful” then just walked away. What if we heard of friend that drove to the Grand Canyon and they never really saw it, we would wonder what they were thinking.<br />
We live in a distracted world. We are a distracted people. We wander around the “high desert plains” and miss the beauty of a life that is just right next to us. Oh, there is a beauty of the “high desert plains”… please don’t think that I am saying there isn’t. It is just that we miss the beauty of another part of who are or at least are meant to be.<br />
So, dream as big your heart can hold but remember that our hearts has depth that we cannot even imagine. Move in this present moment willing to accept the different emotions that are brought into our lives through all sorts of experiences. We will find inner depth and beauty while on our mats in a yoga class… and we can also find it in our cars parked out in a traffic jam on the interstate… it is a matter of where we take ourselves in this journey called life. Allow the emotions to become a fluid teacher; they are never meant to be held but only to be touched.<br />
It is now just past sunrise… let the light of this day bring to us a sense of awareness. Lean into the moment and let the Mystery of it all hold us up in their invisible arms.<br />
Breaking script…NamasteRandy Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18418685001842353584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4923840165748485109.post-81705444074939540962014-01-17T09:15:00.000-08:002014-01-17T09:15:29.364-08:00streams of thought...january 17th, 2014It is a truly an amazing thing… here I am sitting in my home… Tigre curled up in a ball next to my desk… having my morning coffee and what do I hear? A train.<br />
Now, I live in the beautiful Washington Park area, which is a nice quiet kind of neighborhood. We have more joggers and dog walkers than we do cars… ok maybe I exaggerate just a little but seriously our little neighborhood is nicely tucked away in Denver. So, I smile when I hear that sound moving into my home… into my room… into my previously and soon to be once again a quiet place.<br />
I smile not just because it is so quiet that I can hear the distant moan of a train’s horn but I smile because I simply enjoy trains. A tad old fashioned, I know. It is actually quite…dare I say romantic?<br />
Another thought that comes to mind, when I think of trains, is the idea of transition. After all, one of the greatest unification tools used to bring this amazing country into being was the advent of the coast to coast rail system. I know that currently we see trains with a mixed sense of emotions. Some would say that they are too slow. Some would say that they do not serve our population very well.<br />
Others might point to the fact that they are truly an escape mechanism… and in that regards they will cause us to slow down.<br />
For me to travel to my other favorite city of Seattle, it would take me two days on a train; while, if I traveled by plane I could arrive there in a matter of hours. Here is the difference…I would miss the most beautiful part of getting there. I would miss the transition of coming from the arid eastern slope of Colorado, a mixture of plains and mountains, to the more lush green scenery of the beautiful Northwest.<br />
Transitions. An interesting word because to me it is a mixture of two words… transfer + positions. We simply are moving from one place to another. Some desire and dare I even say yearn for transitions to take place.<br />
Politically, many individuals want it all the time.<br />
Emotionally, it does happens to us all the time. We can be euphoric over a relationship, career, house, possessions, and many other aspects. However, in a moment’s time we can feel a sense of disappointment that a relationship was not what we thought… a career ended up being a dead end…possessions become used and antiquated.<br />
Physically, we will typically look for it at least twice a year. At the beginning of the year and when it is time to get out the bathing suits.<br />
Spiritually, we want it or experience it when something deeply impactful happens. An illness. A life threatening event. A journey on to our “mat”. A natural disaster. A major national event that moves us so deeply that we act to show concern. The birth of a child.<br />
We all live in and want transition until…it requires a deeper movement. We lose a job and the only one that seems to be available is hundreds or thousands of miles away. We lived a life that was not truly authentic with who we are and then we are met with the stark reality that we need to make a change before we have lived a life that was not only dishonest but one that robbed us of our true self.<br />
We look at transition as some mysterious act of life when in reality we do it all the time. Fluidly, we move through the day making adjustments to our schedules and to our day without hardly a second thought. Those are the simple transitions that we see at that moment as being necessary. Yet, we are reluctant to make the bigger transitions. Some of us have worked almost all our lives at jobs that were not careers. We have chased job after job, all in search of a better one, when all it really came down to is that really we were searching for ourselves. We have looked for companionship and instead of waiting we launch into relationships after relationships…then it happens…we realize that the companionship that we needed first was actually within ourselves.<br />
Trains and transitions. They both take time. The life of expediency many times is unsatisfying. Once something happens quickly, we start looking for something else to happen. We get uncomfortable with moments of development.<br />
I remember the day that I was told by my doctors that I was healthy… a time period that saw five surgical procedures performed…and I remember sitting in my car by Cheesman Park…it came like a whisper…I am going to be ok. There have been other struggles since then but to inwardly accept the transition that was confirmed by the doctors took time.<br />
No longer do I hear the train. It is probably down the tracks a few miles by now. My coffee cup is now empty and “T” has moved to another location in the room.<br />
We have no way of knowing what is on the other side of the “mountain crest” that we are travelling; however, to stop now means that we will never know.<br />
I want so much to say something that will not just motivate you but will inspire you to simply take one step… that is what transition is…taking one step at a time. However, many times transitions unlike the train moves in silence.<br />
Breaking script…NamasteRandy Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18418685001842353584noreply@blogger.com0