living life fully's e-zine for January 27

27 January 2025

Today, a new day has dawned in our lives, bringing us all sorts of possibilities and potential, from meeting new people to dealing in new ways with people we know already to learning new things about our work or our education or the other human beings who are part of our lives. Please live this day well!
	Miracles Happen Marianne Williamson
	Spend a Day in Slow Motion Michael Goddart
	Authenticity tom walsh
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Simple and Profound Thoughts (from Simple and Profound)
Every moment is a golden one to those who have the vision to recognize it as such. - Henry Miller	My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just to enjoy your ice cream while it's on your plate. - Thornton Wilder
Nature always takes her time. Great oaks don't become great overnight. They also lose a lot of leaves, branches, and bark in the process of becoming great. - Andrew Matthews	Those who know how to play can easily leap over the adversities of life. And one who knows how to sing and laugh never brews mischief. - Iglulik Proverb

Miracles Happen Marianne Williamson When I was a child, there was a well-known advertisement for V8 Juice. Someone would drink something else and then realize, "Wow, I coulda had a V8!" As an adult, I've realized many times, when situations have not turned out so well, "Wow, I coulda had a miracle!" I could have had a miracle. . . except. . . ! Except that I didn't think miracles were possible. I didn't think in a miraculous way. I didn't stand firmly on the principle that God can do anything. In the words of A Course in Miracles, "There is no order of difficulty in miracles." No problem is too hard for God to solve [however or whatever you conceive God to be]. This is a very important point to remember, as it's hard to have deep faith in a kinda-sorta-powerful God. Faith in God, however, is inseparable from faith in love. To say that there is nothing God cannot do is to say that there is nothing love cannot do. It does little good to ask God's help, if we ourselves remain unwilling to open our hearts in places where they are closed. It is not just God's love for us, but our love for each other, that paves the way for miracles. If we fail to express God's love through faith or compassion or forgiveness, then the problem is not the absence of God's power but rather our failure to align our will with His.
He cannot do for us what He cannot do through us. A house might be wired for electricity, but it still needs lamps if it's to be lit. With every thought of miraculous possibility, the lamp is plugged in. A miracle is simply a shift in perception. The more we align ourselves with the principles of love, the more empowered we become. Children memorize the alphabet so they can learn how to read; we should memorize mystical principles so we can learn how to live most creatively. Each of us can live in the victory of spirit, claiming for ourselves the miraculous power that has been given to us as children of God. It is our faith that miracles are possible--that the very fabric of the universe is miraculous-- which opens the mind, and thus the future, to unimaginable possibilities. "Dear God, please send a miracle" is a powerful prayer for cosmic support. To pray is to take spiritual action. The earth is dominated by thoughts of fear, and we are conditioned by these thoughts to forget the power of our Source. Having not been taught the grandeur of our heritage, we do not remember the grandeur of our mission. We forget that we have the extraordinary power to work miracles in the name of God. Illusion and fear tie up the Prometheus inside us. No, we cannot do this or that, because we don't have enough money, or enough talent, or enough intelligence. No, we cannot change the world, because it's been the way it's been too long. No one needs to hold us down if we believe we're down already. As long as there are walls inside our minds, we're bound to remain behind them. For if you think you can't, you can't. If you think you can, you might. And if you think God can, you're on your way to a life of spiritual triumph. You have claimed His power on your own behalf, which is what He would have you do. God is not stingy with His miracles; it's a pity we ask for so few. It's neither arrogant nor overreaching to ask for a miracle. Miracles aren't possible because of anything we do; they are possible because of the nature of God. We do not personally work them; rather, they are worked through us as we open our hearts more deeply to love. The mystical heart is a loving one, and thus a conduit through which God naturally reveals Himself. We have a power in us, but not of us, that can miraculously heal the entire world. Perhaps the miracle arrives in the form of an insight that unlocks a riddle in your life, a reconciliation with someone, or the opening of a door that has long remained closed. Try as you might, your efforts to break through using your talents, your power of rational analysis, or sheer force of will had remained fruitless. It was only when you put God first--when your heart softened, you stopped blaming, you stopped talking so much and started to truly listen--that some wall of resistance began to crumble. You had not done anything so much as you had released the energies of self-will. You had asked, in a way, that God's will be done. A miracle occurred not because you caused it but because you allowed it. In the words of writer Willa Cather, "Where there is great love, there are always miracles." Mystical consciousness is humble, but self-confident. We are not relying on our own strength, but on God's. Science, technology, economics, military force, and social prestige--all of which are seen by the mortal mind as sources of genuine might and strength--might have the power to affect situations significantly. But they cannot work miracles. They cannot transcend the time-space continuum. They cannot transform the human heart.
more thoughts and ideas on miracles

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Spend a Day in Slow Motion
Michael Goddart

Spend a day in slow motion. Plan ahead and really dedicate a whole day to moving in slow motion. When you're moving about your house, going to work, eating, and so on, slow. . . down. Whatever your speed, concentrate on cutting it in half. Remember to breathe. Find your most comfortable, slow rhythm and breathe slowly and fully as you go about each task, happily remembering your Higher Power when you do so. As you finish one thing and take off for another, you'll probably forget that you promised yourself to spend the day in slow motion. Just remind yourself. Keep reminding yourself and slowing down. Pat yourself on the back for taking this time to relax and discover your natural rhythms, and enjoy this new sense of being.

Moving in slow motion is beginning to balance all the times that you hurried and pushed and strained and rushed. Some of us operate more or less in permanent fight-or-flight mode. We struggle with one after another urgency or deadline until everything becomes a race to beat the clock. Even a simple trip to a hair-styling appointment becomes a race and stress. This is not living. This is not promoting our health, well-being, and connection to our Higher Power. We've let ourselves be dominated by false urgency of circumstance, losing our center and natural tempo.

What is the spiritual virtue you wish to call forth here? Finding your right speed and rhythm, according to circumstance, and following that is maintaining equipoise. Equipoise helps you keep your head above water in the swirling undertows of the world. Equipoise is a means to creating your present mindfulness and not losing your attention. Present mindfulness and attention are key resources of spirituality that require constant development, yet are all too easily forgotten.

Many of us are lost in a whirlwind of activity, speeding along at full throttle, just skimming the surface of life. At this breakneck speed, it is easy to miss the signs and scenery along the way that are always straining outside ourselves on some distant destination. If we manage to keep going, speeding along, as soon as we reach or even near our destination (a worldly goal that promises to deliver happiness to us), another far-off, distant point takes its place and our attention. So, we take off again with greater urgency, missing the signs and the opportunities until we crash.

Then, a back injury, a broken relationship, a major illness, or whatever challenge we're given will command our attention so that we must adjust to practice equipoise. Without critical adjusting to achieve the much-needed equipoise, the situation will grow worse and worse.

We are toddlers in this game of spirituality. A Saint is able to move at a seemingly breakneck speed yet maintain perfect equipoise, with their attention wholly absorbed in God. For now, just be happy to take slow, easy steps. Take one step at a time in slow motion, maintaining your attention in God. If you have a repetition or saying that centers your attention, you'll find it much easier to repeat it while you are moving in slow motion. Concentrating on where you are now, dwelling in the means, not the end, is the key to gathering your attention and focusing it to engender spirituality. When you are here now, in equipoise, concentrating on and enjoying the means, you are far better able to navigate the world. The welcome surprise is that you'll reach your destination more readily and in far better shape. You may even find that you've been tranquil and serene.

Living Life Fully, the e-zine
exists to try to provide for visitors of the world wide web a place
of growth, peace, inspiration, and encouragement. Our articles
are presented as thoughts of the authors--by no means do we
mean to present them as ways that anyone has to live life. Take
from them what you will, and disagree with whatever you disagree
with--just know that they'll be here for you each week.

Step into this moment, because it is the only one you have right now. It is not
wasted or thrown away. The divine opportunity could be stolen unless you tell
yourself it is here right now; available to you this moment, to make of it anything
you choose. Why not choose this moment, right now, to be available to yourself
by declaring, I AM GOOD! . . . . The richness of the present is here. The
fullness of now is present. If you are not here now, it means you could be
missing the love, joy, peace and brand-new ideas that are here right now.

Iyanla Vanzant

Authenticity

"Authenticity" is a word that I didn't hear regularly until I had been on this planet for quite a while already. But it has become one of the most important words of my life, a star to follow, an ideal to cherish, for it's a word that holds within its meaning a richness of being that is simply one of the most important things that we can strive for in our lives. If I strive to be my authentic self, I give myself permission to do the things that I know are right without worrying about what others think; I claim the right to reject what I know to be bad without fear of losing at something; I allow myself to treat people as I feel inside that they should be treated, without having concern about my standing in society or in my cultural groups.

I will still make mistakes--after all, that's part of being human--but those mistakes will come as I strive to be the best me that I can possibly be, and not to meet the expectations of others who want me to be what they think I should be.

My biggest problem with living authentically has always been caused by the fear of making other people mad at me, or facing their criticism for things that I do or say. We all have that fear to some extent or another, and it's important to learn just how that fear can affect our lives. When we make decisions because we're afraid of other people's responses, then we've lost much of what we call authenticity. We're then letting other people's possible responses cause us to do things--we're not doing them because our hearts, minds, and spirits tell us that they're truly the right things to do.

It is finally when you let go of what people expect you
to be and people's perceptions of you that you're able to be
the version of yourself that you're supposed to be-- like in
God's eyes. It doesn't matter if you're half crazy, or eccentric,
or whatever it is-- that you have to be true to who
you were born to be.

Gwyneth Paltrow

How many people have entered career fields because their parents have pushed them in that direction or because of potential financial benefits, not because they genuinely loved the work they were committing themselves to do? How many people have entered relationships because the other person has been more "acceptable" to their friends and families? How many of us have put aside hobbies or pastimes that have been considered a waste of time by others? And how often do we not say something because we feel that it will bring criticism or ridicule upon us?

When we live as our authentic selves, though, decisions become easier because we aren't concerned with what others think of us--rather, we're concerned that we're doing right or wrong, and we know in our spirits what the difference is. It doesn't mean that we judge ourselves or others; instead, it means that we follow that still voice within that guides us rather clearly if we allow it to do so. If I really need a quiet Friday night to myself in order to recover my energy after a hectic week, I can say no to that social engagement that someone else is trying to convince me to say yes to. If a friend is doing something that I'm not comfortable with, my heart will tell me to avoid this thing, and I can do so without feeling guilt or fearing ridicule or anger. If I'm living authentically, I recognize immediately that any ridicule or anger is a reflection of the other person who is not respecting my right to make my own decisions on my own terms.

Since I've begun to realize the importance of allowing my authentic self to shine through in my daily life, I've noticed a definite increase in the quality of my life. People almost always respect my decisions because I'm able to explain them in non-judgmental ways. I look forward to much more during each day because I know that I'm not going to face any real conflicts when I do things in the ways that I truly enjoy or feel are the best. I fill my life with activities that I truly enjoy, and I have fun doing them. I'm able to say no to many things that previously I probably would have agreed to.

Most of all, though, I get the feeling that other people feel better around me, for they're around someone who isn't constantly conflicted, who doesn't always worry about what I should do and what I shouldn't do. And most importantly, they can trust me to be honest about what I feel and about what I want to do in my life.

Also, I'm almost completely unaffected by advertising--no ad can make me want something I don't want, or do something that I don't wish to do.

We need to find the courage to say NO to the things and
people that are not serving us if we want to rediscover
ourselves and live our lives with authenticity.

Barbara De Angelis

We're taught from the time we're born to go along with the crowd. In our consumer society, we're often "taught" by ads just what's desirable and just what's not. We're taught not to rock the boat, but to go against the grain. To be a good boy or girl, but to see the allure of being "bad." Our lives are full of conflicting messages from a multitude of sources, almost none of which truly has our best interests in mind. Few people, though, want us to be honest and self-sufficient, to pursue our own lights and goals and dreams, for once we do so, they think that we're invalidating them and we don't spend enough money on consumer goods.

But how do we find out just where our authenticity lies? It can be difficult, but it isn't impossible. The secret is, though, that we don't have to wade through the zillions of conflicting messages in our lives in order to find our authenticity. Rather, we need to find time to be quiet, time to ourselves for reflection. And when we get by ourselves, we need to quiet our minds and our hearts and allow ourselves to feel. We need to ask ourselves what our dreams are, where our aspirations can carry us, what will give us that sense of satisfaction that we all seek in our lives.

But sometimes major change just isn't possible, at least in the short term. If that's the case, we need to reflect on how we can make our current situations better by ceasing to allow ourselves to get involved in things that don't make us feel good, and by acting in ways that are true to our consciences. That woman at work who talks so much about others makes it easy to become involved in gossiping, but that's not the person I want to be, so I won't listen to that talk any more, and I certainly won't participate in it. That other woman whom I appreciate so much--I've never told her how much her efforts mean to me. I need to tell her and thank her for what she does.

And this weekend, I need to take a walk in the woods, because that's something that I truly love to do. And while I know that I'm expected to give several hours a week volunteering at church, that time is making me stressed out and defeating the whole purpose of the weekend--I need to tell them that I can do that every other week, or even every third week.

Often misconstrued, authenticity is not about being an open book, revealing every detail of yourself without rhyme or reason. It is simply the act of openly and courageously seeing what needs to be seen, saying what needs to be said, doing what needs to be done, and becoming that which you are intent on being.

Scott Edmund Miller

My authentic self is not interested in public recognition or fame. It's not interested in being a part of the herd. It takes no joy in doing things that it knows it shouldn't be doing. My authentic self is peaceful, self-assured, and loving, and when I act from that self, my life becomes much more pleasant and fulfilling. It's quite ironic that our authentic selves are the most neglected parts of who we are, but once we realize that fact we can go about peeling off all those layers that we and society have covered us with so that we can go about living the lives that we were meant to live, in the ways that bring us the most fulfillment and love.