mindfulness

I began to think about how many people were involved in the making of my shirt. I started by imagining the farmer who grew the cotton. Next, the hundreds or even thousands of people involved in the manufacturing of the tractor. And all the designers of the tractor. Then, of course the people who processed the cotton, the people who wove the cloth, and the people who cut, dyed and sewed that cloth. The cargo workers and the truck drivers who delivered the shirt to the store and the sales person who sold the shirt to me. It occurred to me that virtually every aspect of my life came about as the results of others' efforts.
-Howard Cutler, M.D.

Become part of it. . .

Take hold of your own life.
See that the whole existence is celebrating.
These trees are not serious,
these birds are not serious.
The rivers and the oceans are wild,
and everywhere there is fun,
everywhere there is joy and delight.
Watch existence,
listen to the existence
and become part of it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Look at the trees, look at the birds, look at the clouds, look at the stars... and if you have eyes you will be able to see that the whole existence is joyful. Everything is simply happy. Trees are happy for no reason; they are not going to become prime ministers or presidents and they are not going to become rich and they will never have any bank balance. Look at the flowers - for no reason. It is simply unbelievable how happy flowers are.

- Osho

So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness dancing

I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope
For hope would be hope for the wrong thing; there is yet faith
But the faith and the love and the hope are all in the waiting.
Wait without thought, for you are not ready for thought:
So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing.
Whisper of running streams, and winter lightning.
The wild thyme unseen and the wild strawberry,
The laughter in the garden, echoed ecstasy
Not lost, but requiring, pointing to the agony
Of death and birth

I said to my soul, be still, and let the dark come upon you
Which shall be the darkness of God. As, in a theater,
The lights are extinguished, for the scene to be changed
With a hollow rumble of wings, with a movement of darkness on darkness,
And we know that the hills and the trees, the distant panorama
And the bold imposing facade are all being rolled away.

By, T. S. Elliot

Tips for Staying Focused on Goals

- Set a clear goal

- Keep your goals private or only share with others who will be 100% supportive.

- Avoid all things, people, and thoughts that don't reinforce your goals.

- Do things that reinforce your goals. Take action and maintain positive thoughts even if you don't believe them all at first.

- Break your goal down into small stepping stones. After all, we cannot cross a chasm in one giant leap, we must jump from stone to stone.

- Consistently track your process with a notes and charts.

- Reward yourself for every small increment of success.

- Use visual reminders specific to your goal.

- Talk to yourself within your mental dialogue as you would talk to a child who is trying something new. Even if it sounds silly it will only be inside your head, nurture yourself and and offer unconditional praise and support.

"Throw your heart over the fence and the rest will follow."

Our Children

"Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters
of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
and though they are with you,
and yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love, but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward, nor tarries with yesterday."

-Kahlil Gibran, 1883-1931

I’ve discovered an equinox of presence. The stillness of body and mind are so consuming time stands still. Any sense of self is washed away by the cleansing tides of universal presence. Any sense of worry is drawn back into the ocean of eternal understanding. There I stand on the shore fresh and new. Knowing I am a child of the universe, all is well, and I am safe.

No longer confined by an illusionary line which defined where I end and everything else begins. All existence merges together in total synchronistic harmony.

Love - Understanding

I recently experienced the pain of a pet's passing. We exist in a world of dualities; to enjoy a deep level of love and connection with an animal. We must one day suffer pain when their incarnation is complete. Though the pain still consumes me I try to replace it with greater understanding.

"How can I, who knows the body to be perishable and the soul to be imperishable, mourn over the separation of the body from the soul?" -Mahatma Gandhi

Resistance to change is painful, the past six years have been in close companionship. We shared morning, daily, and nightly routines involving love and interaction. A part of me still yearns to hold her in my arms again. Though I do not want to remember Sugar in pain, she deserves to be remembered in love. I take comfort in knowing the gift of her presence, the love and light she radiated will always be with me.

A section from "The Prophet" By, Kahlil Gibran:

And your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.
Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart may stand in the sun, so must you know pain.

And could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life, your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy;
And you would accept the season of your heart, even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over your fields.
And you would watch with serenity through the winters of your grief.

Much of your pain is self-chosen.
It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self.
Therefore trust the physician, and drink his remedy in silence and tranquility.

For his hand though heavy and hard, is guided by the tender hand of the unseen,
And the cup he brings, though it burns your lips, has been fashioned of the clay which the Potter has moistened with his own sacred tears.