January 31, 2009
Just for fun and relaxation I had a piece of grid paper and some colored markers. I happened to be thinking about the patterns in our lives as I was choosing which square was next to color. The envisioned pattern was a zigzaggy spiral. I laid out the colors in the order I wanted to use them and I started in one corner. I wasn't sure I liked the first decision I made, but continued on. When I got around the spiral the first time (about 5 decisions later), it wasn't looking exactly as I had envisioned. There was a time in my life I would have ripped out the page and started over. How often in real life do we wish we could do this? I continued because the decisions had been true to the original overall pattern, so I wanted to see what it would look like if I just allowed it to unfold. How often in life do we also do this? I saw lovely patterns within patterns developing unexpectedly. As I neared the end, I thought of jumping to the last square and making sure it ended "right." I decided to just stick with the pattern and let it play out. Sure enough the last square was left empty. My pattern could not have been backfilled if I had jumped to what I thought would be the end. Life doesn't usually lead where we expect, how we expect. Sometimes we decide to start over, forgetting the goal was fun and relaxation, not precision. Sometimes we try to make life fit specific parameters and miss the lovely unexpected inner patterns that could have developed. Sometimes we try to jump to the end and miss. What's this got to do with peace? Remembering the purpose of the exercise was fun and relaxation helped me stay peaceful and continue, when before I would have gotten tense and told myself I'd done it "wrong." Letting a simple little thing like this unfold while I was considering decisions in my life has reminded me that if I try to force my life into a set pattern, I'll strangle it and become tense. I'd rather make decisions true to who I am at each corner and then let my life unfold.
January 30, 2009
Now today try monitoring what ever you say and think about yourself. Is there any self-criticism in your speech or thoughts?
January 29, 2009
What treat can you give yourself today? How can you best say "Thank you for being you" to yourself?
January 28, 2009
I found what this person said rather odd. The person is a high energy young man stating why he likes to engage in arguments. Well, what he said made sense to him, but what I heard didn't make sense to me. He said that a challenging individual is great because the conversation is thought provoking. What I heard is that this person wants someone to "provoke" him into thinking. And I question that if you're engaged in defending your own point of view, then are you really looking at the other person's point of view?
January 27, 2009
Another definition of enabling creativity is: supplying knowledge for everyday innovation. This could be an easier way to do something, a less aggravating means of accomplishing a task, a means of truer communication, using a tool differently, inventing fun, solving a problem or taking a step closer to where a person wants to be. I wouldn't exactly call this example "creative," but it illustrates an easy improvement that no one else seemed to bother about. A communal computer at work had a reputation for being unbelievably painful to use. When it came time that I would have to spend at least a 9 hour shift folded in half at this computer, it had been in this configuration for months with all kinds of people putting in 9 hour shifts and just complaining. It only took me 30 minutes to change the physical configuration of the whole set up so that it's much easier on everyone (and certainly saved me 8.5 hours of backache). The other two communal computers weren't as bad a set up, but the example is there if someone wants to change those.
January 26, 2009
One definition of enabling creativity is: providing the opportunity for people to generate new ideas or concepts. Maybe we can ask questions and let people brainstorm ideas. Give them positive reactions that look at the possibilities. What comes to mind regarding providing positive reactions is that I had about an hour before my bus arrived. The lady that had sold me the ticket was telling me some of her people stories. I suggested she write a book and she said she had always wanted to. I asked her what was holding her back, she certainly had the stories and a humorous way of telling them. I made suggestions to overcome the various roadblocks she mentioned. Perhaps she'll pursue the goal. I also made the suggestion to the bus driver and he said he fully planned on it.
January 25, 2009
One way I've thought about to "enable creativity" is to help people recognize that they are the authors of their own scripts in life. The dream I had last night was about this. I was a member of the cast of a TV series. I realized that the writers were never going to let me accomplish my goal, so I quit the series. Everyone in the dream said I simply couldn't quit. I stated my reasons and went out into the world to live my own life.
January 24, 2009
Someone used an odd phrase: "Enable creativity." How do we enable creativity in others? For that matter, how do we even just encourage creativity in others?
January 23, 2009
I had a dream about a coffee cup. It was quite square and made of paper. The coffee dissolved it and went all over the place. Another significant point about this dream is that I do not like coffee. I relate the inefficiency of this coffee cup to some old patterns of behavior that are no longer serving me. Now the goal of these behaviors appears to be paralysis. Even my physical body chronically aches. I asked for a release from these chronic aches, so perhaps that is why these behaviors seem recently exaggerated. I've tried pitting my will against it. I've tried prayer. I've tried ignoring it and gently just saying no. In one of Jesus's teachings in a book called Master Keys to Personal Christhood, he talks about energies of a lower frequency. My understanding so far of what he said, is that these lower energies set up a gravitational pull that increases as we indulge in them. This set of behaviors that I'm ready to be done with and choose to call an end to, appear to be literally sitting on my shoulders. As a child, I didn't wish to be here and perhaps I set up these behaviors to "hold" me here. But I've decided to firmly plant my feet on the ground and I no longer need childish tools. It's time to just let go and teach myself new ways with a new goal. The new goal is motion (not to set up a dualistic struggle). There are things I wish to get done.
January 22, 2009
Isn't it great to know that we are each and every one loved so dearly? Today it kept being reinforced that a snap shot can be taken at any time in our lives. It tells us where we are on the path. If we like what we see, we can smile and move on; having learned to trust ourselves more. If we don't like what we see, we can take steps to change it; having learned that we can always improve. At no point in time does the love end. What can give us greater peace? The more love we receive, the more we can send out. Feel the light. Feel the love. Make the call.
January 21, 2009
What causes us to listen or not to someone? Respect. The topic interests us. The topic interests them. They show enthusiasm or high energy. Humor. They have confidence and present themselves well. The conversation is interactive and engaging. We have a need to know. What if someone who has none of these is saying something that could change our life, show us a different perspective? What if we listen past the words to their meaning?
January 20, 2009
It occurred to me today why I had kept putting off writing a particular e-mail. The words I was contemplating would have been apologizing for who I am and where I am on the path. That would be harmful. As you know, apologizing for what you do is different. I hadn't hurt anyone and I had definitely been true to who and what I am. It was subtle though, that perhaps I didn't respond with the person's highest good in mind. Well there is always room for improvement, isn't there. In this case I knew I had responded from a firm grounding in my heart. So to believe someone else telling me that my actions were inappropriate would have been harmful to myself. I had listened to the stated concern and looked within and decided I had been true. No responding e-mail is needed. It all takes discernment.
January 19, 2009
As individuals sometimes we don't recognize how our choices will affect others. This woman is mortgaging her house to get the money for bail for her son who was caught in a sting operation. His actions also affect his grandfather, who holds a respected office. Did he realize that he wasn't just risking his own freedom? Often as individuals we forget our oneness. In some other cultures they forget their individuality in their concern for oneness. Surely their is a middle balanced way.
January 17 & 18, 2009
Another couple observations regarding that class mentioned the last few days. One instructor is a statistician. She had the driest material to teach. She was enthusiastic and humorous, but she did not engage the class in any discussions. Actually she didn't hear comments or see raised hands. She stood in one spot away from the class, even though she said she likes to move around. Her humor was often based on self-critical comments. The class appeared mostly bored, very restless and flipping thru papers a lot. I found I kept getting ahead in the book and being surprised to have to go back a couple pages to make a notation. Knowing that the material was important for some in the class to use, we managed to stay respectful and out of side conversations. So what I observed from the instructor's side comments, was that she did not appear to like people or herself. People were highly uncontrollable variables in her precious data. She considers data to be imperative to making decisions and does not trust anything anyone says to her unless they can back it up with the data. What do we consider to be important input into our own decisions? And what does that say about how we respond to people?
My observations on my own tenseness in the anchor position on the team helped me be far more relaxed in the last exercise. I'm so unaccustomed to competition, but we did win. We were all just as forgiving and understanding of someone else's error as they had been of mine. It was all viewed as a learning experience.
January 16, 2009
So today is the last day of this week long class at work. We've had about 10 different instructors and there are 29 of us. It's been interesting to watch the group dynamics. They say horses mirror what humans put out - fear, peace, anger, or gentleness. I wonder if groups of people don't mirror what a leader puts out. I noticed that if the instructor had a humorous playful way about them, the group would be playful. This one instructor started and the group changed almost immediately to be more resistive and troublesome. I wondered if the topic was honestly difficult, or if the instructor just felt it was more difficult material. That made me wonder if the instructor before him had felt that her material was fun and easy. To me the topics themselves were equal, but the interactions of the class were not the same. Anyway, just thoughts that came up.
I noticed in the simulations that I became quite tense and snappish. I'd be my usual peaceful self and then I'd be in the anchor position of the team. I'd get all fumble fingered and tense, because why? Because I felt the team "depended on me" to do well? Because I didn't want to let the team down? When I was in the middle position of a simulation of a manufacturing assembly line, I was calm and clear and efficient. But when my part was at the end of the assembly line, I freaked under pressure.
January 15, 2009
May we all receive all the love God has for us.
January 14, 2009
A very energetic presenter taught part of the class that I'm taking this week. I wondered if the confidence he broadcast was spiritually based or ego. It came across initially as a large ego. During his second presentation, I realized that what I picked up on was just plain nervousness. It appeared that he broadcast a false bravado in order to push through the nervousness rather than just admit he felt nervous, let it go and move on. This would possibly have enabled him to relax much sooner. It was well into the second presentation before he relaxed enough to let me see that the self-confidence might be real and that humility is present also. How often do we not honor how we truly feel and broadcast who we really are because we choose to put forth a facade we think would be better? And then while we're sending all these misleading signals, we wonder why people misinterpret us.
January 13, 2009
Well I'm taking a class again. It's emphasizing getting requirements from our customer for the services we provide and including our customer in our decision making processes. What if we considered our higher power our customer?
January 12, 2009
May you each enjoy a super peaceful Monday. May every event of this day remind you of the inner peace you enjoy.
January 11, 2009
When we reach the point of understanding something like inner peace, what keeps us from putting it into action all the time? Is it as simple (and as difficult) as a set of decisions based on our identity? Does the decision to BE at peace internalize the understanding? Is that what allows this power of God to actively flow thru us?
January 10, 2009
Another thing I learned recently is that words sometimes have no importance. Sometimes the person has been immediately triggered into reacting and not listening. The best thing might be to just shut up and send love from your heart to theirs. Maintain your peace and don't counterreact or defend. In fact one time I remained able to think of a creative solution by doing this.
January 9, 2009
What can you think of today to teach someone peace?
January 8, 2009
End this episode of strife! For many years I've been healing from a hurtful situation. I've done the work, learned what I needed, looked at what I needed to, done the forgiveness; but I still identified with the hurt and how it had affected me. A recent event helped me see that I could surrender this, as well. I made the absolute powerful decision to be done with it. I made the call to God that if I had learned and taught, transmuted and healed what was needed; that I be released. I said in a very definite manner "I surrender all identity with this episode. I choose to be completely free." I didn't feel any different and wasn't sure if I needed to do something else. The next morning someone suggested I now accept my new identity as a person completely done and free of this episode of strife, to "give up the ghost" as Jesus did on the cross. I made that decision and said a prayer and it was done. Some one said the prayer came out quite powerfully. I've been a new and more confident person ever since.
January 7, 2009
Happy New Year everyone. I recently received the thought that Peace IS Space. I've been with a number of friends. One set aside her own space in a house full of people. Another set aside some time for herself. Another allowed space in her heart for some people in difficulty. What will you do today to give yourself some space or to create some room for someone else?
January 1 thru 6, 2009
No postings.