On The Road Again

Do not dwell in the past.
Do not dream of the future.
Concentrate the mind on the
present moment.

- Buddha

This is how I am living my life these days................

And I am having trouble keeping up with myself.

It is exciting. It is exhilarating. Not for one minute is it boring.

I do not stop to think, "Is this what I want to do with the rest of my life?" Only, "Is this what I want to be doing this moment?"

If the answer is yes, then I go for it.

I have no idea where any of it will lead me - and it doesn't matter. If I am doing what I want to be doing in the moment, then I can rest assured life will take me where I am meant to go.

Not A Caterpillar Any More

"How does one become a butterfly?" she asked pensively.

"You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar."

-Trina Paulus (Hello From Heaven)

This has been a busy week - full of Life; and a death. An exciting week - with many twists and turns. It was one of those weeks where you have no other choice but to go with the flow - no time to stop and think where anything might be leading - because you are too busy responding to Life.

And now with the weekend ahead of me, I can catch up to myself. Incorporate some of what I have experienced. Become grounded once again.

Get in touch with myself - a little bit changed by all that has been going on around me - but not so much that a lot of work has to be done to be in tune.

I feel more relaxed with Life than I ever have in the past - more comfortable with myself and with others than I can ever remember being.

It is so much fun interacting with people when you feel comfortable with yourself - and can just Be.

I have always admired (maybe even envied) people who felt comfortable with who they were. You could tell they felt at home with themselves in a way not everybody does.

I can't tell anyone how to get to that spot with themselves. I just know that I have finally made it to that spot with myself. Perhaps part of it is learning to love and accept yourself just as you are instead of holding out until you are nicer or prettier - or even more slender.

Try it; it really is worth the effort.

Attitude - Who Me?

A word of explanation to my faithful readers as to why I haven't been blogging much lately.

When I dropped the role of grieving widow this spring and rejoined the human race, I found that I was having to "feel my way" with every step I took.

Maybe part of me was waiting for the "bottom to drop out".

I think I dare to express some of what I am experiencing now that I have "my feet under me".

Yesterday a friend shared some information with me which made me realize that I really can trust the Universe (Higher Power, God). I haven't done much of that since the love of my life succumbed to cancer nearly seven years ago.

Today I was forced to acknowledge once again that "acceptance is the simple act of going through what is presently facing me - Without an attitude."

Out There

Out there
you'll see it all.
The floating ends
will meet and mend,
and you will be yourself;
your fully-formed,
though always changing,
self of selves.
Every clumsy backward look
will pay for itself.
Every tear you've cried,
or wanted to cry,
will set your broken bones.
The rips in your heart
will no longer
need to be guarded
by steel girders,
banyan trees,
or even rice paper.
Not so much as a
dragonfly's wing
will you need
to cover the bludgeoned place,
to protect the private you
you love so much
and hope to save intact
from what has seemed years
of relentless pummeling.

Go and live and love
in peace, my friend,
for surely there is love
to enfold you,
and life to be feasted upon:
your portion is boundless.
Love will be the more
you've wanted.
You will know it
when you see it.
You will love yourself
as no lover
has ever had the courage
to love;
and the warmth you've wanted
will line your pillowcases,
dance upon your windowsill,
and hide
at the ends of your socks
awaiting your toes.

-Deborah Mears

Living Simply

I have saved this for years - always aspiring to live up to it - often falling far short to parts of it. It was written by William Ellery Channing:

MY SYMPHONY

To live content with small means;
To seek elegance rather than luxury,
and refinement rather than fashion;
To be worthy, not respectable,
and wealthy, not rich;
To study hard, think quietly,
talk gently, act frankly;
To listen to stars and birds, to babes
and sages, with open heart;
To bear all cheerfully, do all bravely,
await occasion, hurry never;
In a word, to let the spiritual,
unbidden and unconscious, grow up
through the common ....
this is to be my symphony.

Rules Of Everyday Living

I was going through some papers the other day and came across the "Girl Guide Laws" that were left behind by my niece from when she stayed with me.

I couldn't help thinking how much better the world would be if we all incorporated these concepts into our "rules of everyday living":

BE HONEST AND TRUSTWORTHY

USE MY RESOURCES WISELY

RECOGNIZE AND USE MY TALENTS AND ABILITIES

PROTECT OUR COMMON ENVIRONMENT

LIVE WITH COURAGE AND STRENGTH

SHARE IN THE SISTERHOOD OF GUIDING

Everyone on board with me?

Empowerment

There is not one of us whose has not felt powerless at one time or another - both in our own lives and in witnessing the lives of others.

Wollf, over at www.howlsatmoon.blogspot.com introduced me to Irena Sendler today. What an affirmation for what one person can do to change a hopeless situation.

In researching her story a little further, I came across this quote by a rabbi (they didn't name him though and I wasn't able to track him down) but wanted to pass on these encouraging words: "For darkness to take over, it must completely fill a room. But one little flicker of light, a single lit match, can bring light to the whole room."

All of us are not called to such acts of heroism as Irena Sendler was (thank God). But let us not back down when it comes our turn to light a match in a small way - as it will, without a doubt, in each of our lives.