“People of our time are losing the power of celebration. Instead of celebrating we seek to be amused or entertained. Celebration is an active state, an act of expressing reverence or appreciation. To be entertained is a passive state--it is to receive pleasure afforded by an amusing act or a spectacle.... Celebration is a confrontation, giving attention to the transcendent meaning of one's actions.
Source: The Wisdom of Heschel”
― Abraham Joshua Heschel
Ahhhhh. A warm, bright, spring day. It brings to mind one word -glorious. Suddenly, we see and feel the wondrous hand of God and His extraordinary works. How simultaneously humbling and thrilling to be a part of His plan. It reminds us of the priceless gift that is ours for all time. God's love. God's love that is for us and in us, and that ought to be shared with our every breath. It defies logic and reason that something can be given so freely with no fear of famine. Supply far exceeds demand. And the more we demand, the greater the supply. We absolutely can eat our cake and have it too. It's the saddest thing I know, to see the bounty of this life and of the everlasting life shelved neatly away, as if it was the fine linen to be displayed only on special occasions. Divine love is not reserved only for immediate family and close friends. It should be shared in the smallest of gestures and the most mundane tasks of the day. When you give it, it will come back to you countless times over. Celebrate that.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Monday, April 22, 2013
The Rhythm Of A New Day
Good.
"I wake up early and meditate for an hour and then exercise. The main benefit of rising early are that you align your biorhythms with the rhythms of nature. That gives the cycles of your body, mind and spirit the benefit of the unlimited power of the cosmic rhythms in all aspects of your life." Deepak Chopra
Better.
How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing. A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can stand and labor with both hands at sections of time. A schedule is a mock-up of reason and order--willed, faked, and so brought into being; it is a peace and a haven set into the wreck of time; it is a lifeboat on which you find yourself, decades later, still living."-Annie Dillard
Best.
“My hour for tea is half-past five, and my buttered toast waits for nobody.”- Wilkie Collins
I have resisted a daily schedule for most of my adult life. I mistook predictable and stable routine for chronic and tedious monotony. And so I awake every morning to a world of possibility that unfortunately, nine times out of ten, leaves me without a clue as to what to do with myself. I scan my mental list and eventually discern one or two things that I could not bear to have undone at the end of the day. The remaining hours are filled with self-condemnation and remorse for not having the energy or the will to be more productive. It has entered my mind (and been dismissed so quickly, I couldn't be sure it was ever there) to set a routine for myself. Countless lists have been drafted, then abandoned in varying states of completion. Just as a child blows bubbles into the wind, so do I design grand notions of physical, spiritual, and professional transformation that, inevitably, disappear into thin air. I do remember 2004 was a year of self-content. It was the year I managed to lose 50 lbs. I had a training regimen, I knew what and when I could eat, and I felt totally in control. My intention is to make the remainder of 2013 a new age of self-confidence and bliss. I have a firm idea of what I want to do, and when I want to do it, an outline for a good routine to get right down to. It's that simple. I'm pretty sure, -I'll let you know.
"I wake up early and meditate for an hour and then exercise. The main benefit of rising early are that you align your biorhythms with the rhythms of nature. That gives the cycles of your body, mind and spirit the benefit of the unlimited power of the cosmic rhythms in all aspects of your life." Deepak Chopra
Better.
How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing. A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can stand and labor with both hands at sections of time. A schedule is a mock-up of reason and order--willed, faked, and so brought into being; it is a peace and a haven set into the wreck of time; it is a lifeboat on which you find yourself, decades later, still living."-Annie Dillard
Best.
“My hour for tea is half-past five, and my buttered toast waits for nobody.”- Wilkie Collins
I have resisted a daily schedule for most of my adult life. I mistook predictable and stable routine for chronic and tedious monotony. And so I awake every morning to a world of possibility that unfortunately, nine times out of ten, leaves me without a clue as to what to do with myself. I scan my mental list and eventually discern one or two things that I could not bear to have undone at the end of the day. The remaining hours are filled with self-condemnation and remorse for not having the energy or the will to be more productive. It has entered my mind (and been dismissed so quickly, I couldn't be sure it was ever there) to set a routine for myself. Countless lists have been drafted, then abandoned in varying states of completion. Just as a child blows bubbles into the wind, so do I design grand notions of physical, spiritual, and professional transformation that, inevitably, disappear into thin air. I do remember 2004 was a year of self-content. It was the year I managed to lose 50 lbs. I had a training regimen, I knew what and when I could eat, and I felt totally in control. My intention is to make the remainder of 2013 a new age of self-confidence and bliss. I have a firm idea of what I want to do, and when I want to do it, an outline for a good routine to get right down to. It's that simple. I'm pretty sure, -I'll let you know.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Fish In The Sea, You Know How I Feel
"Asking is the beginning of receiving. Make sure you don't go to the ocean with a teaspoon. At least take a bucket so the kids won't laugh at you."-Jim Rohn
It's time now to stop and ask for some direction. By all means, if you have answers or suggestions, please let me know, but I will, at least, put this out there and anticipate that the universe will respond. For all these years that I have intended to write, (nigh on 35 years) there was really nothing more than a compilation of vague notions floating about like jellyfish, taking their direction from the winds and the currents. Attempts to hone any one thought or idea felt futile and overwhelming. But, in the past 6 months, three very concrete, exciting, and fertile prospects have presented themselves. I am thrilled with each opportunity, but find myself not so much torn, as divided. Therein lies the question: Am I to choose one task and pursue it with every bit of my focus and energy, or, is it possible to devote time to each, and wait for one to emerge as the obvious design? I am content with this dilemma, and I eagerly await 'a new dawn, a new day, a new life for me, -and I'm feeling good.'* In the meantime, I will write and pray. And, I am certain when my pen hits the paper, it will be guided by the hand of God.
*Taken from the song, "Feeling Good"
It's time now to stop and ask for some direction. By all means, if you have answers or suggestions, please let me know, but I will, at least, put this out there and anticipate that the universe will respond. For all these years that I have intended to write, (nigh on 35 years) there was really nothing more than a compilation of vague notions floating about like jellyfish, taking their direction from the winds and the currents. Attempts to hone any one thought or idea felt futile and overwhelming. But, in the past 6 months, three very concrete, exciting, and fertile prospects have presented themselves. I am thrilled with each opportunity, but find myself not so much torn, as divided. Therein lies the question: Am I to choose one task and pursue it with every bit of my focus and energy, or, is it possible to devote time to each, and wait for one to emerge as the obvious design? I am content with this dilemma, and I eagerly await 'a new dawn, a new day, a new life for me, -and I'm feeling good.'* In the meantime, I will write and pray. And, I am certain when my pen hits the paper, it will be guided by the hand of God.
*Taken from the song, "Feeling Good"
Monday, April 8, 2013
Living is Believing
"It's difficult to believe in yourself because the idea of self is an artificial construction. You are, in fact, part of the glorious oneness of the universe. Everything beautiful in the world is within you." -Russell Brand
For the second year, I missed posting last week because of spring break, or as it is frequently referred to -"SPRINGGGGGG BREAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!" And, as always, there is much to reflect on after a slight reprieve from my everyday routine. I have new resolve to get fit and be more productive. And guess what? I am believing. In myself! I can see myself as a competent, smart, valuable, hard-working and driven career woman. I will turn 45 years old next month and I have much to offer. My focus is shifting from mother and home-maker to prolific humanitarian. Physical, intellectual, emotional, and financial abundance is on its way. If you knew my children, you would understand exactly where this certainty was rooted. They are magnificent, and I will take just enough credit to be motivated and inspired to mother a larger community. I have had my share of doubt along the way. There is no denying that feeling that comes over us at times, the one that makes us question our choices and the path that we are on. Keep your faith. You are headed right down the exact path that has been meant for you since the dawn of creation. Believe it. If you find it hard to believe, keep working on convincing yourself... It's the Truth.
For the second year, I missed posting last week because of spring break, or as it is frequently referred to -"SPRINGGGGGG BREAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!" And, as always, there is much to reflect on after a slight reprieve from my everyday routine. I have new resolve to get fit and be more productive. And guess what? I am believing. In myself! I can see myself as a competent, smart, valuable, hard-working and driven career woman. I will turn 45 years old next month and I have much to offer. My focus is shifting from mother and home-maker to prolific humanitarian. Physical, intellectual, emotional, and financial abundance is on its way. If you knew my children, you would understand exactly where this certainty was rooted. They are magnificent, and I will take just enough credit to be motivated and inspired to mother a larger community. I have had my share of doubt along the way. There is no denying that feeling that comes over us at times, the one that makes us question our choices and the path that we are on. Keep your faith. You are headed right down the exact path that has been meant for you since the dawn of creation. Believe it. If you find it hard to believe, keep working on convincing yourself... It's the Truth.
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