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29 November 2011 |
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There are two things to aim
at in life:
first, to get what
you want; and, after that,
to enjoy it. Only
the wisest
of humans achieve the second.
Logan Pearsall Smith
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To
seek after beauty as an end, is a wild goose chase,
a will-o'-the-wisp, because it is to misunderstand the
very nature of beauty, which is the normal condition
of a thing as it should be.
Ade
Bethune |
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If
the sight of the
blue skies fills you
with joy, if a blade
of grass springing up
in the fields has
power to move you,
if the simple things
of nature have a
message that you
understand, rejoice,
for your soul is alive.
Eleonora
Duse |
The miracles of nature do not seem miracles
because they are so common. If no one had ever seen a flower,
even a dandelion would be the most startling event in the
world.
unattributed
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A
Habit of the Heart
M.J. Ryan
As a young woman in my twenties and thirties, I
learned a great deal about thankfulness from Daphne
Rose Kingma. We spent a great deal of time
together, working on books, and again and again I
would watch her make a personal connection to the
people who came across her path--garbage collectors,
long-distance operators, or the person selling
coffee on the corner. No matter what was going
on in her own life, no matter how rushed or upset
she was, she took the time to connect. I'd
hear her on the phone with the airline reservations
desk. In the course of getting a flight she'd learn
the woman's name, where she lived, and the fact that
she, like Daphne, loved flashy high heels.
Daphne was so genuinely appreciative of the other
person's help that the person on the other end of
the phone felt washed in a warm bath of love.
It was then I realized that while gratitude was a
feeling, it could be cultivated. I set out to
emulate her (although I still am not as good at it
as she).
One of the most fascinating things about feelings is
that they come and go, like waves in the ocean of
our consciousness. Happiness, anger, fear,
love, thankfulness--they arise in response to some
external or internal trigger and then subside.
We feel angry and then we don't. We are
"in love" and then we aren't. We
feel thankful, and then it's over.
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It's
particularly easy to see the tide of feelings in a
child, where they come and go so quickly and
uncensoredly. One minute my daughter is
screaming her head off because I have left the room;
I return and pick her up--a big smile.
As we grow, one of our spiritual tasks is to move
beyond this purely emotional response to life and
begin to cultivate positive emotions as "habits
of the heart," as Daphne calls them. What
this means is that we learn to love even when we
don't "feel" loving, be kind when we'd
rather be surly, and feel grateful when we don't
particularly feel like being thankful. In this
way, we turn feelings, which come and go, into
conscious attitudes that we act upon even if we
don't "feel" like it.
Our attitudes are our mental stances, the positions
we hold vis-à-vis life. In some ways, our
attitudes determine everything, because they are the
glasses through which we see the world. Is the
world a wonderful place or a hellhole? All of
us know that the answer to that question depends on
our attitude on any given day. Has the world
changed? Most likely our thinking about it
has. When we consciously cultivate positive
attitudes, such as love, joy, and gratitude, we
begin to "remake" the world. We
literally live in a different place because our
attitudes about it have changed.
The particular beauty of an attitude of gratitude is
that it instantly connects us to everything
else. In an important way, it is a recognition
of the connection, the switch, between us and the
rest of life. And consciously recognizing it
opens the flow: the more grateful we are, the
more of an abundant sense of life we will
experience.
For that's the irony about the relationship between
attitudes and feelings. The more you cultivate
the attitude, even if you don't feel it, the more
you experience the feeling. The more loving we
are, the more love we feel. The more joy we
radiate, the more comes back our way. And the
more thankful we are, the more we experience the
richness of spirit that grateful feelings produce.
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In
Attitudes of Gratitude, M. J. Ryan
teaches us how to unlock the fullness of
life through the expression and exercise of
a grateful heart. In a series of brief,
evocative essays, she inspires us to
discover and distill a sense of gratitude in
every aspect of our lives and offers
practical suggestions to help us focus on
all that we have, rather than our perception
of what may be lacking. |
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Finding
Inner Peace
Peace Pilgrim
In my early life, I made
two very important discoveries. In the first
place I discovered that making money was easy.
And in the second place I discovered that making
money and spending it foolishly was completely
meaningless. I knew that this was not what I
was here for, but at that time (this was many years
ago), I didn't know exactly what I was here
for. It was out of a very deep seeking for a
meaningful way of life, and after having walked all
one night through the woods, that I came to what I
now know to be a very important psychological
hump. I felt a complete willingness, without
any reservations, to give my life, to dedicate my
life to service. I tell you, it is a point of
no return. After that, you can never go back
to completely self-centered living.
And so I went into the second
phase of my life. I began to live to give
what I could, instead of get what I could,
and I entered a new and wonderful world. My
life began to become meaningful. I attained
the great blessing of good health; I haven't had a
cold or headache since. (Most illness is
psychologically induced.) From that time on, I
have known that my life-work would be work for
peace; that it would cover the entire peace
picture--peace among nations, peace among groups,
peace among individuals, and the very, very
important inner peace. However, there's a
great deal of difference between being willing to
give your life, and actually giving your life, and
for me, 15 years of preparation and of inner seeking
lay between.
During this time I became
acquainted with what Psychologists refer to as Ego
and Conscience. I began to realize that
it's as though we have two selves or two natures or
two wills with two different viewpoints.
Because the viewpoints were so different, I felt a
struggle in my life at this period between the two
selves with the two viewpoints. So there were
hills and valleys--lots of hills and valleys.
Then, in the midst of the struggle there came a
wonderful mountain-top experience, and for the first
time I knew what inner peace was like. I felt
a oneness-- oneness with all my fellow human beings,
oneness with all of creation. I have never
felt really separate since. I could return
again and again to this wonderful mountaintop, and
then I could stay there for longer and longer
periods of time, and just slip out
occasionally. Then came a wonderful morning
when I woke up and knew that I would never have to
descend again into the valley. I knew that for
me the struggle was over, that finally I had
succeeded in giving my life, or finding inner
peace. Again this is a point of no
return. You can never go back into the
struggle. The struggle is over now because you
will do the right thing, and you don't need
to be pushed into it.
However, progress is not
over. Great progress has taken place in this
third phase of my life, but it's as though the
central figure of the jigsaw puzzle of your life is
complete and clear and unchanging, and around the
edges other pieces keep fitting in. There is
always a growing edge, but the progress is
harmonious. There is a feeling of always being
surrounded by all of the good things, like love and
peace and joy. It seems like a protective
surrounding, and there is an unshakeableness within
which takes you through any situation you may need
to face.
The world may look at you and
believe that you are facing great problems, but
always there are the inner resources to easily
overcome these problems. Nothing seems
difficult. There is a calmness and a serenity
and unhurriedness--no more striving or straining
about anything. Life is full and life is good,
but life is nevermore overcrowded. That's a
very important thing I've learned: If your
life is in harmony with your part in the Life
Pattern, and if you are obedient to the laws which
govern this universe, then your life is full and
good but not overcrowded. If it is
overcrowded, you are doing more than is right for
you to do, more than is your job to do in the total
scheme of things.
Now there is a living to give
instead of to get. As you concentrate on the
giving, you discover that just as you cannot receive
without giving, so neither can you give without
receiving--even the most wonderful things like
health and happiness and inner peace. There is
a feeling of endless energy--it just never
runs out; it seems to be as endless as air.
You just seem to be plugged into the source of
universal energy.
You are now in control of your
life. You see, the ego is never in
control. The ego is controlled by wishes for
comfort and convenience on the part of the body, by
demands of the mind, and by outbursts of the
emotions. But the higher nature controls the
body and the mind and the emotions. I can say
to my body, "Lie down there on that cement
floor and go to sleep," and it obeys. I
can say to my mind, "Shut out everything else
and concentrate on this job before you," and
it's obedient. I can say to the emotions,
"Be still, even in the face of this terrible
situation," and they are still. It's a
different way of living. The philosopher
Thoreau wrote: If a man does not keep pace
with his companions, perhaps he hears a different
drummer. And now you are following
a different drummer--the higher nature instead of
the lower.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
From 1953 to
1981, a silver-haired woman calling herself only
"Peace Pilgrim" walked more than 25,000
miles on a personal pilgrimage for peace. She
vowed to "remain a wanderer until mankind has
learned the way of peace, walking until given
shelter and fasting until given food." In
the course of her 28 year pilgrimage she touched the
hearts, minds, and lives of thousands of individuals
all across North America. Her message was both
simple and profound. It continues to inspire
people all over the world. Visit
peacepilgrim.org to learn more about her and her
life's journey.
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Free
Wallpaper! Just click below
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| just for today, i will keep my eyes open. .
. .
just for today, i will spread encouragement. . . .
just for today, i will remember that i'm a very special
person. . . .
just for today, i will be thankful for the sun. . . .
Just for Today, Kindle
Edition, now on sale!
For
the Nook edition, click here. |
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Being born as
humans to this earth is a very sacred trust. We have a
sacred responsibility because of the special gift we have, which is
beyond
the fine gifts of the plant life, the fish, the woodlands, the birds,
and all the other living things on earth. We are able to take care
of them.
Audrey Shenandoah
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Eyes
Wide Open
tom walsh
Live and
Let Live
There's an
important concept in life that seems to be going the way of the
brontosaurus and its compadres: the concept of living our
own lives and letting other people live theirs without judging
them or trying to tell them what to do. It's a shame that we
seem to be losing this ability, for it's one of the most important
elements of living life fully--allowing others to live their lives
in the best ways that they see fit.
When we try to impose our expectations or desires or judgment on
others, we most definitely miss the boat on what it means to be
living our lives. The key concept to grasp is that we must
live our lives, and not the lives of anyone else.
When we try to live the lives of others for them, we set ourselves
up for much frustration, preoccupation, and annoyance. We
set ourselves up to be disappointed constantly, and to feel that
others are somehow doing us wrong simply because they're not doing
what we expect them to do, for whatever reason.
But our lives can be much less stressful if we just let others do
as they will, without judging them for what they do, without
trying to tell them what they should do. We need to let them
make their mistakes, deal with their own prejudices and biases,
and find their own satisfactions and delights. Just because
we like chocolate ice cream doesn't mean that everyone should eat
it.
Try reading some of the online comments about reviews at Amazon or
about news stories on any of the major home pages. I do this
from time to time more out of curiosity than anything else, and it
often saddens me to see just how much anger is expressed there
just because someone thinks differently. I've seen people
called dreadful names because they post a negative review about a
movie, and when I see that kind of unkindness, I have to wonder
just how happy a life the unkind person can be living.
Personally, it's taken me a long time to be able to let people do
their own thing without feeling that it's my responsibility (it's
not) or my right (it's not) to try to "steer them in the
right direction," as if I could possibly know what the right
direction for them is. I remember a student who seemed to be
making some dreadful mistakes, and I was very tempted to butt in
and tell her to knock off what she was doing, but I held
back. In a short time, she realized the mistakes she was
making without my input. But the most important thing to me
was the fact that she thanked me for being one of the few people
in her life who didn't try to tell her what to do, and for that
she was grateful.
Yes, I did experience some stress watching her take a
self-destructive path, but I also knew that she was intelligent
enough to learn on her own. And her words of gratitude more
than made up for the stress that I felt (which was nothing
compared to what she was going through!).
"Let." It's a very important word. It means
"allow." When we let go, we allow something to do
its own thing, without our interference. When we let live,
we allow people to live their lives without our
interference. If they ask for advice, then by all means give
it. But otherwise, one of the most important elements of
living life fully is to let live--to allow others to live their
lives, learn their lessons, and become the people they were meant
to become.
The sun will rise today without my assistance. Other people
can live their lives without it, too.
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Living
Life Fully's Daily Meditations, Year One
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There are two kinds of
success. One is the
very rare kind that comes
to the person who
has the power to do what no one else has the
power to
do. That is genius. But the average person who wins what we
call success
is not
a genius. That person is a man or woman who
has merely
the ordinary
qualities that they
share with their fellows,
but who has
developed those
ordinary qualities to a
more
than ordinary degree.
Theodore
Roosevelt
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Sometimes your greatest weakness
can become your greatest strength. Take, for example, the story of one
10-year-old boy who decided to study judo despite the fact that he had
lost his left arm in a devastating car accident.
The boy began lessons with
an old Japanese judo master. The boy was doing well, so he couldn't
understand why, after three months of training the master had taught him
only one move.
"Sensei," the boy
finally said, "Shouldn't I be learning more moves?"
"This is the only move
you know, but this is the only move you'll ever need to know," the
sensei replied.
Not quite understanding, but
believing in his teacher, the boy kept training.
Several months later, the
sensei took the boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself, the boy
easily won his first two matches. The third match proved to be more
difficult, but after some time, his opponent became impatient and charged;
the boy deftly used his one move to win the match. Still amazed by his
success, the boy was now in the finals.
This time, his opponent was
bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For a while, the boy appeared to
be overmatched. Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called
a time-out. He was about to stop the match when the sensei intervened.
"No," the sensei
insisted, "let him continue."
Soon after the match
resumed, his opponent made a critical mistake: he dropped his guard.
Instantly, the boy used his move to pin him. The boy had won the match and
the tournament. He was the champion.
On the way home, the boy and
sensei reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the boy summoned
the courage to ask what was really on his mind.
"Sensei, how did I win
the tournament with only one move?"
"You won for two
reasons," the sensei answered. "First, you've almost mastered
one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. And second, the only
known defense for that move is for your opponent to grab your left
arm."
The boy's greatest weakness
had become his greatest strength.
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Use those talents you have.
You will make it. You will
give joy
to the world. Take
this tip from nature: The
woods would be
a very
silent place if no birds sang
except those who sang
best.
Bernard Meltzer
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I wish you forgiveness,
both the power to forgive and the wisdom
and strength to seek
forgiveness. One of the most powerful forces
in the
world, forgiveness frees us from anger, resentment, and
the
lack of peace that results from these emotions.
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The
sad fact is that we're not educated to be aware and therefore able to
question the reality created by our thinking. We don't realize that
we must
take responsibility for our thoughts to find out if they are really true,
and then
set aside or at least acknowledge those that are simply opinion and
bias. We
don't recognize that most thoughts are ultimately judgments, and that the
truth
of any judgment is how that judgment makes us feel.
Richard Moss
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Over
a year of one-sentence reminders
of ways that we can
make the most of our lives each day that we live.
Book - Kindle - Nook |
A
novel of life and learning; Walker's fascinating journey
will remind you of all that is good in this world.
Book - Kindle |
When
David agrees to give 70-year-old Hector a ride west, he
never thinks that the man will become so important to him.
Book - Kindle |
"Getting
and spending, we lay waste our powers," wrote
Wordsworth over 150 years ago. And we're still doing
the same.
Book - Kindle |
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