Today is Halloween... or all Hallow's Eve... or in the Celtic world... Samhain. It marks the end of the harvest season... the turning from the season of light to the season of dark. The season of light to the season of gloom... Again... we can always choose to dispel the gloom ourselves... The feast of Samhain lights bonfires to ward off the dark... We too can light bonfires within our own spirits... bonfires that keep the gloom at bay... bonfires that welcome the light and create the light...
But in order to light a bonfire... or even a little campfire...we need some fuel... We need something to burn, something to light, something to kindle within us... Something that will burn within us... What are those things for us? Is it our practices, our habits? Exercise? Meditation? Eating well? Drinking lots of water? Doing something for us? Is it our hobbies? The things that we do that give us energy. The things that give us joy and life... The things that connect us to our spirit... We all have the fuel to create the bonfires within us... but we need to know what our fuel is... And it isn't things like sleeping in... drinking... drugs... caffeine... smoking...
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Blue Sky
It's a great thing to wake up to blue sky in the mornings!! Or actually... it's an amazing thing to watch the sky lighten from black to grey and then to blue! To know that it is going to be a gloriously blue day with sunshine and warmth. Everything seems possible when the sun is shining. Everything seems doable when the sky is blue. It makes us what to get up and get moving. It makes us what to engage with the world...
And then there are the rainy days... of which we had far too many in September... days on which we don't want to do anything. Days on which the gloom never seems to lift outside and our houses are dark and lights need to be burning...
It's funny how our spirits can often mirror the weather... If the day is sunny... people tend to be sunny as well... and if the day is gloomy... well... we can end up being gloomy as well... But does it have to be that way? Clearly tragic things can happen on sunny days as easily as on gloomy days... So, a sunny day is no guarantee that things in our lives won't turn gloomy at some point. But could we wake up to a gloomy day and create a different mood in ourselves... other than gloom and greyness? Clearly we can... we have the choice and we can shift our thinking and our perception of the world... But sometimes that seems to take a bit of effort... but imagine the rewards!
And then there are the rainy days... of which we had far too many in September... days on which we don't want to do anything. Days on which the gloom never seems to lift outside and our houses are dark and lights need to be burning...
It's funny how our spirits can often mirror the weather... If the day is sunny... people tend to be sunny as well... and if the day is gloomy... well... we can end up being gloomy as well... But does it have to be that way? Clearly tragic things can happen on sunny days as easily as on gloomy days... So, a sunny day is no guarantee that things in our lives won't turn gloomy at some point. But could we wake up to a gloomy day and create a different mood in ourselves... other than gloom and greyness? Clearly we can... we have the choice and we can shift our thinking and our perception of the world... But sometimes that seems to take a bit of effort... but imagine the rewards!
Friday, October 29, 2010
It's you...
I came across a quote in this book that I'm reading that says (and I'm going to make it female centred rather than male centred):
A woman will find that as she alters her thoughts towards things and other people,
things and other people will alter towards her. (James Allen)
Isn't that a powerful quote???!! It's a variation on the idea that the issue is not the issue... it's the relationship you have to the issue that is the issue. People and things aren't the issue... it's the relationship that we have towards them that is the issue... If we alter the way in which we think about things and people... well, we will transform the world... or at the very least, the way in which we interact with the world and the way in which the world interacts with us.
We have a huge amount of power... but we give it away, all the time. We get stuck into thinking that if onnly people or things would change... then our world would be fine... and we would be fine. The truth is... we are the issue... the way in which we hold the world around us is the issue... The only way we are ever going to transform ourselves and the world is... if we alter the things we say in our heads about things... people... and ourselves... most importantly with ourselves... Alter the way in which you talk to yourself and see what happens... Have compassion on yourself and see what happens...
A woman will find that as she alters her thoughts towards things and other people,
things and other people will alter towards her. (James Allen)
Isn't that a powerful quote???!! It's a variation on the idea that the issue is not the issue... it's the relationship you have to the issue that is the issue. People and things aren't the issue... it's the relationship that we have towards them that is the issue... If we alter the way in which we think about things and people... well, we will transform the world... or at the very least, the way in which we interact with the world and the way in which the world interacts with us.
We have a huge amount of power... but we give it away, all the time. We get stuck into thinking that if onnly people or things would change... then our world would be fine... and we would be fine. The truth is... we are the issue... the way in which we hold the world around us is the issue... The only way we are ever going to transform ourselves and the world is... if we alter the things we say in our heads about things... people... and ourselves... most importantly with ourselves... Alter the way in which you talk to yourself and see what happens... Have compassion on yourself and see what happens...
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Another Book
So, yes... I do read a lot of books! Usually, I have four on the go at any one time... Today, I'm reading a book that I saw in the SK airport entitled Happiness at Work by Srikumar S. Rao. (It's a library book too... although I might want to buy this one!)... It is VERY good!!
He starts off by talking about how we assign labels to everything that happens in life... some things are "good"... some things are "bad"... It is these judgements that get us stuck!! He talks about story... the drama that we create about things... the emotions that we create around events... He talks about the internal conversations we have in our heads... It's a very readable book... not at all like the End Procrastination Now book (yawn)... The chapters in this book are short, have inspiring stories... and the author is very direct and to the point. He doesn't beat around the bushes and he uses very down to earth language... I'm only half way through... so... you'll have to wait and see how it turns out.
He does give exercises at the end of each chapters (short exercises)... Exercises that are designed to get you take a good look at what you do... or don't do... and how that gets in your way... Read the book!
He starts off by talking about how we assign labels to everything that happens in life... some things are "good"... some things are "bad"... It is these judgements that get us stuck!! He talks about story... the drama that we create about things... the emotions that we create around events... He talks about the internal conversations we have in our heads... It's a very readable book... not at all like the End Procrastination Now book (yawn)... The chapters in this book are short, have inspiring stories... and the author is very direct and to the point. He doesn't beat around the bushes and he uses very down to earth language... I'm only half way through... so... you'll have to wait and see how it turns out.
He does give exercises at the end of each chapters (short exercises)... Exercises that are designed to get you take a good look at what you do... or don't do... and how that gets in your way... Read the book!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Bookstore
So, you'll be happy to know that I seized the bull by the horns and actually stopped at the second-hand bookstore near the bottle depot!! I parked, took my box of books out of the car and went into the store. At which point I was asked if these were all previous purchases from the chain of bookstores... If they are, then they'll accept them, but if they're not... if they are "new" second-hand books, then they can't take them. They are the only one in the chain that have that policy!! (I think they are a new location too...)... Sigh... Deep sigh...
Mind you, she did tell me that there was a "real" location just a bit further down McLeod Trail that would take all books. And it wasn't too far away... in fact, it's probably exactly the same distance from home as the bottle depot one. So I went there, and got $33 in credit for more books!! Very good... Mind you, now I have a box of rejects in my truck that need to go somewhere... Wonder how long it will take me to get of those books!!
Mind you, she did tell me that there was a "real" location just a bit further down McLeod Trail that would take all books. And it wasn't too far away... in fact, it's probably exactly the same distance from home as the bottle depot one. So I went there, and got $33 in credit for more books!! Very good... Mind you, now I have a box of rejects in my truck that need to go somewhere... Wonder how long it will take me to get of those books!!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Procrastination
I know that I must be the only one out there who experiences procrastination (!!)... Or not??? I'm reading a book right now (surprise!) called "End Procrastination Now". It looked good in the bookstore so I got it through the library. It has a bit too much of a psychology edge for my tastes, but I'm working my way through it. His premise is that we can end procrastination by addressing how we think, feel and act about the things in our life. He uses more high-falutin language... but you get the idea... And I can make the connection with the workshops that I lead... alter your conversation (thinking), alter your life... feelings are not facts... and just do it!!! (Thanks Nike!)...
Anyhow... I'm looking at things that I avoid... and push off into the future... the indefinite future usually... For example, there is one item on my to-do list that has been languishing there for a while...
So, I have some used books to bring to the second-hand bookstore. I trade them in and get trade $$ to buy other books there. A very nice system. There are 4 of these bookstores in Calgary (they're a little chain)... and the one I first went to is almost downtown. It's not a very convenient location and parking is usually a bugger. So, I don't get down there all that often, and when I do drive by, I figure it's too much trouble to find parking so... I don't go... And this box of books has been riding around in my truck for about... 2 months... Anyhow... they have another store which is much closer and just kitty corner from the bottle depot... and close to other places that I frequent... So, it's much more convenient! I drive by it more often and parking is not a problem... But... what stops me is the thought that... what if they don't have the same trade $$ system? What if I have to start a new account at this location? What if they won't accept my books? What if... what if... Yes, I know... it's silly... but ultimately, that is what is stopping me!! I am having quite a conversation with them in my head... and creating scenarios in the clouds that don't even exist in reality. The truth is... I won't know until I go in there... And I won't go in there until I alter my thinking and my feelings about this place...
So, guess what... I'm just a few blocks from this place and... will I make it there today?? That is the question... Or will I fob it off till "next time"... till "some time"...
Anyhow... I'm looking at things that I avoid... and push off into the future... the indefinite future usually... For example, there is one item on my to-do list that has been languishing there for a while...
So, I have some used books to bring to the second-hand bookstore. I trade them in and get trade $$ to buy other books there. A very nice system. There are 4 of these bookstores in Calgary (they're a little chain)... and the one I first went to is almost downtown. It's not a very convenient location and parking is usually a bugger. So, I don't get down there all that often, and when I do drive by, I figure it's too much trouble to find parking so... I don't go... And this box of books has been riding around in my truck for about... 2 months... Anyhow... they have another store which is much closer and just kitty corner from the bottle depot... and close to other places that I frequent... So, it's much more convenient! I drive by it more often and parking is not a problem... But... what stops me is the thought that... what if they don't have the same trade $$ system? What if I have to start a new account at this location? What if they won't accept my books? What if... what if... Yes, I know... it's silly... but ultimately, that is what is stopping me!! I am having quite a conversation with them in my head... and creating scenarios in the clouds that don't even exist in reality. The truth is... I won't know until I go in there... And I won't go in there until I alter my thinking and my feelings about this place...
So, guess what... I'm just a few blocks from this place and... will I make it there today?? That is the question... Or will I fob it off till "next time"... till "some time"...
Monday, October 25, 2010
Running Errands
Today is a day of running errands and getting things done... I have a list... I have an idea of where every place is... and I've mapped out a route in my head to get from here to there to there with a minimum of wasted time and gas... Apparently women are good at planning multi-purpose errand trips... while men apparently do more of a spoke approach. They do one errand, come home, do another errand, come home... etc.
There's nothing that pisses me off more than finding I've missed something on my to-do list and now have to go out again! Sometimes things can be postponed to the next outing... other times it's kind of imperative to get it done now (like buying milk). As a visual learner, I find that if I can map out my route in my head, then I'm less likely to miss something. I have a picture in my head of where I'm headed next, and even if I've forgotten why I'm going there, it will come to me eventually!! Or when I look at my list...
As for lists... sometimes, I just right the pertinent to-do items for this errand trip on a sticky note... one of the tiny one inch ones... That isn't always the best thing though... Little tiny to-do lists on sticky notes tend to get lost! Good thing they make bright colours!
There's nothing that pisses me off more than finding I've missed something on my to-do list and now have to go out again! Sometimes things can be postponed to the next outing... other times it's kind of imperative to get it done now (like buying milk). As a visual learner, I find that if I can map out my route in my head, then I'm less likely to miss something. I have a picture in my head of where I'm headed next, and even if I've forgotten why I'm going there, it will come to me eventually!! Or when I look at my list...
As for lists... sometimes, I just right the pertinent to-do items for this errand trip on a sticky note... one of the tiny one inch ones... That isn't always the best thing though... Little tiny to-do lists on sticky notes tend to get lost! Good thing they make bright colours!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Wall Street
I went and saw Wall Street the other week, the new(ish) movie with Michael Douglas. It was a riveting story and a scary one as well. Funny how the scariest movies are often the ones most deeply rooted in real life. The movie looks at financial improprieties on Wall Street... and the bursting bubbles of the last few years. The over-extended mortgage crisis and the global banking crisis of last year. The scary thing is that this could happen again... and next time, there might be no recovery...
I read in the news the other day, that some banks are once again over-extending mortgage lending... loaning more money than the house is worth... kind of scary to think that could happen again... A time when our money is worthless... when deposit insurance is worthless... It would make the Great Depression look like a dip in the road... This would be a serious pothole!
Consumer debt is increasing at an alarming rate. Credit cards are maxed out... We are all living beyond our means... Not just the banks. My question to you is... how is your credit? Are you living beyond your means? Do you carry credit card debt (the biggest scam going...)? How financially solvent are you? Do you buy more than you can afford? ... Stop it!!! For all of our sakes... Sto pit...
I read in the news the other day, that some banks are once again over-extending mortgage lending... loaning more money than the house is worth... kind of scary to think that could happen again... A time when our money is worthless... when deposit insurance is worthless... It would make the Great Depression look like a dip in the road... This would be a serious pothole!
Consumer debt is increasing at an alarming rate. Credit cards are maxed out... We are all living beyond our means... Not just the banks. My question to you is... how is your credit? Are you living beyond your means? Do you carry credit card debt (the biggest scam going...)? How financially solvent are you? Do you buy more than you can afford? ... Stop it!!! For all of our sakes... Sto pit...
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Polygamy...
I was watching a show the other night called Sister Wives... It's one of those reality TV shows, this one following a polygamist family... a husband, three wives and 12 children. I have to admit, I found it a bit fascinating... They spoke of their livestyle "choice", and it was clear that it was most definitely a choice... The husband was also in the process of courting a fourth wife... The other three wives spoke of the benefits of multiple wives. They also spoke of jealousy... I wondered how he could support such a large family, but apparently two of the wives work as well, with one wife remaining home to look after the children...
I thought of the Bible, where polygamy was the norm for hundreds of years. Abraham was a polygamist... as were Jacob, David... and Solomon to name a few others. I wonder when polygamy bit the dust and monogamy became the norm. Isn't it interesting though, that while polygamy was accepted back then... we have banned it... We run screaming in the other direction and see it as one of those "threats" to marriage... along with homosexuality.
The other month, I read Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert, and it was enlightening to say the least. She does a little scamper through the history of marriage, in light of her own uncoming nuptials. Holy matrimony between one man and one woman is not as "ancient" a tradition as we've been told... or as we would like to think. In fact the early church kind of shunned the whole marriage thing... mostly cause it involved... gasp!!... sex!! Heaven forbid that people should engage in such acts!!
So, maybe our ideas of marriage are up for revision? Elizabeth Gilbert would say they have always changed, all through history... We are the ones who are trying to enshrine one view of marraige as the "norm"... and in the process we are creating a lot of pain and hurt... interesting....
I thought of the Bible, where polygamy was the norm for hundreds of years. Abraham was a polygamist... as were Jacob, David... and Solomon to name a few others. I wonder when polygamy bit the dust and monogamy became the norm. Isn't it interesting though, that while polygamy was accepted back then... we have banned it... We run screaming in the other direction and see it as one of those "threats" to marriage... along with homosexuality.
The other month, I read Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert, and it was enlightening to say the least. She does a little scamper through the history of marriage, in light of her own uncoming nuptials. Holy matrimony between one man and one woman is not as "ancient" a tradition as we've been told... or as we would like to think. In fact the early church kind of shunned the whole marriage thing... mostly cause it involved... gasp!!... sex!! Heaven forbid that people should engage in such acts!!
So, maybe our ideas of marriage are up for revision? Elizabeth Gilbert would say they have always changed, all through history... We are the ones who are trying to enshrine one view of marraige as the "norm"... and in the process we are creating a lot of pain and hurt... interesting....
Friday, October 22, 2010
A Tear in the Fabric of Creation
I saw this book in Chapters one day, read the inside and back covers and thought it sounded interesting... so I read it... It goes fairly deep into particle physics and quantum mechanics but the author has an interesting premise.
He says that scientists have been trying to find a Grand Unified Theory, which is routed in our religious monotheism. He says scientists are looking for a symmetric universe, because symmetry = beauty = perfection. A perfect God would have made a sensible, perfect universe. The author argues however, that the universe is not symmetric, but rather fundamentally assymetric. That the initial Big Bang, expansion of space happened because of an assymetry... a tiny excess of particles of matter eventually created a universe in which matter and anitmatter did not cancel each other out... but created a universe in which matter is present. The universe is a fluke... Had there been a prefect symmetry, the universe, as we know it, would not exist. The author sees the same thing in the emergence of life... That life is a result of a fluke...
Ultimately he says, life is the result of a serious of accidents and that it is not as cosmically common as we might think. Out of that, he says we need to treat life as precious and unique. We might be all that is present in the universe... and we are headed to heck in a handbasket. We can't depend on a God to save us...
He says we may never discovere a Grand Unified Theory, because there is always something more to discover...
Which sounds to me, very much like an exploration into the divine. There is always something more to discover with God. We are never quite there yet in our discoveries. If that is the case, why should it be any different with creation/nature? Why can't God create out of assymetries? Why does perfection=beauty=God? Is that really the case? What about a God of surprises?
It seems to me that while the author is most definitely a scientist... he is not much of a theologian. I don't think that his science is irreconcilable with God... The question is... what is his view of God... what is his theology?
He says that scientists have been trying to find a Grand Unified Theory, which is routed in our religious monotheism. He says scientists are looking for a symmetric universe, because symmetry = beauty = perfection. A perfect God would have made a sensible, perfect universe. The author argues however, that the universe is not symmetric, but rather fundamentally assymetric. That the initial Big Bang, expansion of space happened because of an assymetry... a tiny excess of particles of matter eventually created a universe in which matter and anitmatter did not cancel each other out... but created a universe in which matter is present. The universe is a fluke... Had there been a prefect symmetry, the universe, as we know it, would not exist. The author sees the same thing in the emergence of life... That life is a result of a fluke...
Ultimately he says, life is the result of a serious of accidents and that it is not as cosmically common as we might think. Out of that, he says we need to treat life as precious and unique. We might be all that is present in the universe... and we are headed to heck in a handbasket. We can't depend on a God to save us...
He says we may never discovere a Grand Unified Theory, because there is always something more to discover...
Which sounds to me, very much like an exploration into the divine. There is always something more to discover with God. We are never quite there yet in our discoveries. If that is the case, why should it be any different with creation/nature? Why can't God create out of assymetries? Why does perfection=beauty=God? Is that really the case? What about a God of surprises?
It seems to me that while the author is most definitely a scientist... he is not much of a theologian. I don't think that his science is irreconcilable with God... The question is... what is his view of God... what is his theology?
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Local Library
I think I may have mentioned this earlier at some point but... it bears repeating!! I love the public library!! I love that for $12/year, I can check out and read as many books as I possibly can... I love the idea of putting a hold on a book, getting an email notice that it is in, picking it up and reading it. When I buy books at the bookstore (Chapters!), I tend to buy too many... and then they languish on the bookshelf waiting for me to read them. Until something new comes along and then I buy that and the other books sink to the bottom of the pile... Not very satisfying!!
But with library books, I am pretty much forced to read them if I sign them out. I usually only take out 4 at any one time and in 3 weeks, can get through them pretty handily. Then it's time for another batch... Mind you, these are not on the order of War & Peace!! They are just regular books... mostly non-fiction and I'm finding it a very satisfying relationship with the library.
Mind you... I do still have a Chapters thing... or a bookstore thing... I'll go into a bookstore, maybe at some airport where I'm waiting for a flight... and I'll browse around. I like to read back and inside covers, so that's prefect... I can open the book, flip through it, read a few pages and then either put it down or... Haul out my cell phone and text myself the title and author... From there, it's a small step to log into my library account and put a hold on those books later! No big expenditure of money... no expanding bookshelves required... And the library looks good too!! They have an active patron who's getting their money's worth out of the library! I love it!
But with library books, I am pretty much forced to read them if I sign them out. I usually only take out 4 at any one time and in 3 weeks, can get through them pretty handily. Then it's time for another batch... Mind you, these are not on the order of War & Peace!! They are just regular books... mostly non-fiction and I'm finding it a very satisfying relationship with the library.
Mind you... I do still have a Chapters thing... or a bookstore thing... I'll go into a bookstore, maybe at some airport where I'm waiting for a flight... and I'll browse around. I like to read back and inside covers, so that's prefect... I can open the book, flip through it, read a few pages and then either put it down or... Haul out my cell phone and text myself the title and author... From there, it's a small step to log into my library account and put a hold on those books later! No big expenditure of money... no expanding bookshelves required... And the library looks good too!! They have an active patron who's getting their money's worth out of the library! I love it!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Lawren Harris
Aout 20 years ago, I was in Ottawa for a conference. While there, I thought I would take in some of the Ottawa sights. I went to the Parliament Buildings, went across into Hull to see the Museum of Civilization... and went to the National Art Gallery. Wandering through the halls of the art gallery, I politely glanced at the paintings there but wasn't all that moved by the old masters, by their dark and gloomy compositions. The Group of Seven paintings started to intrigue me a bit more with their vibrant colours and their depictions of Canadian life and landscape.
At one point, I came around a corner, moved forward into a larger room, turned around and stopped dead in my tracks. I was facing a free-standing wall on which hung a painting by Lawren Harris - I was stunned, mesmerized, awed, amazed, dumbfounded... A well-situated bench let me sit on it for a while, while I just gazed at this painting with an open mouth...
The painting is called "North Shore, Lake Superior" and has a depth of spirituality and worship that leaves me breathless and speechless...
I can't explain it... Well, I could try, but it wouldn't do this painting justice. I came back to Ottawa a few years ago and eagerly went to take another look at it... Breathless with anticipation, I rounded the corner and.... it was not there... It was in storage, rotated through for other paintings to be displayed... Perhaps someday I can revisit it... touch the mecca of it...
At one point, I came around a corner, moved forward into a larger room, turned around and stopped dead in my tracks. I was facing a free-standing wall on which hung a painting by Lawren Harris - I was stunned, mesmerized, awed, amazed, dumbfounded... A well-situated bench let me sit on it for a while, while I just gazed at this painting with an open mouth...
The painting is called "North Shore, Lake Superior" and has a depth of spirituality and worship that leaves me breathless and speechless...
I can't explain it... Well, I could try, but it wouldn't do this painting justice. I came back to Ottawa a few years ago and eagerly went to take another look at it... Breathless with anticipation, I rounded the corner and.... it was not there... It was in storage, rotated through for other paintings to be displayed... Perhaps someday I can revisit it... touch the mecca of it...
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Mamma Mia
We went and saw Mamma Mia the other week, the stage version of it. As we sat listening to all of the great Abba songs, I was struck by what a sensation they were/still are. The band broke up in 1982 and yet, almost 30 years later, their music is still going strong. I could listen to their music for hours... What is it about their music that touches us so deeply? What is it about their music that has stood the tests of time?
Listening to the lyrics, they don't seem all that deep... they don't seem to have a spirituality that jumps out at you... But there is something there, something that attracts us... Perhaps it is an emotional connection? Some of their songs reach beyond the logic and the words and the mind, to reach deep into our hearts and emotions and touch us there... Listening to some of their songs, I can feel the poignancy in them... feel the passion and the sorrow... There was a quote the other day that said "if the writer doesn't cry when writing it, then the reader won't cry when reading it"... We connect with the passion of others. We connect at a soul/heart level when we hear the music, read the words, see the dance, view the painting. Somehow, the artist's passion, soul, spirit, reaches through the medium and touches us... years after the thing was created... It is the power of art to touch us deeply, in our spirit, in our heart, in our soul...
Listening to the lyrics, they don't seem all that deep... they don't seem to have a spirituality that jumps out at you... But there is something there, something that attracts us... Perhaps it is an emotional connection? Some of their songs reach beyond the logic and the words and the mind, to reach deep into our hearts and emotions and touch us there... Listening to some of their songs, I can feel the poignancy in them... feel the passion and the sorrow... There was a quote the other day that said "if the writer doesn't cry when writing it, then the reader won't cry when reading it"... We connect with the passion of others. We connect at a soul/heart level when we hear the music, read the words, see the dance, view the painting. Somehow, the artist's passion, soul, spirit, reaches through the medium and touches us... years after the thing was created... It is the power of art to touch us deeply, in our spirit, in our heart, in our soul...
Monday, October 18, 2010
Conversation vs. Information
How much is social networking destorying our conversational skills? I wonder at it sometimes... Whether it's email or facebook or texting or twitter... or whatever... We have become so used to just whipping off some textual e-thing... and we call that communication... Leading workshops, as I do, I'm noticing that we are being called to enter into conversations with people... with real, live people... And we aren't all that good at it. We lack the skills to carry on an intimate, deep, intense conversation. In facct, we are often afraid of it... We are afraid to enter into a conversation with a participant because we're never sure where it will go... We're not quite sure we'll have the "right answer"... We're never quite sure that we won't have to admit that we don't know the answer...
I've been thinking that we use email far too much as a communication tool... when really it's primary role is to transmit information... Information is not communication... Information is not conversation... Email exchanges are not conversation... They are essentially broadcasting... We go "blah" and then they go "blah"... and that's about it... We lose the nuances of conversation... We lose the meaning in the tone of voice, we lose the meaning in the pauses... we lose the opportunity to complete things as they show up in the conversation. We lose the opportunity to clear up misunderstandings as they arise... We think we are communicating with email... and really, we are increasing the communication gap... We are better at transmitting information... we are worse at entering into, and stayin in, a conversation...
I've been thinking that we use email far too much as a communication tool... when really it's primary role is to transmit information... Information is not communication... Information is not conversation... Email exchanges are not conversation... They are essentially broadcasting... We go "blah" and then they go "blah"... and that's about it... We lose the nuances of conversation... We lose the meaning in the tone of voice, we lose the meaning in the pauses... we lose the opportunity to complete things as they show up in the conversation. We lose the opportunity to clear up misunderstandings as they arise... We think we are communicating with email... and really, we are increasing the communication gap... We are better at transmitting information... we are worse at entering into, and stayin in, a conversation...
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Fall
Last year, Calgary didn't really have a fall... or at least, I didn't get to experience it! Maybe I was away that week! Last year, it seemed like the trees went from green to partially yellow and then straight to brown. No flamboyant displays of yellow, gold, orange and red... Brown came far too quickly!
This year though, things seem different... The trees have been changing colour for a few weeks now, and I notice whole swaths of yellow with the occassional red bush here and there. It might be time for a photography mission out there! I miss the extended fall we would have in northern BC... the crisp, cool mornings, the smell of fall in the air... The flaming cottonwoods and aspens... the red of the maples... not very many, mind you... not like out east.... but still!
There's something very hopeful about fall... something very trusting... The trees and bushes give up their leaves, give up the way life has been this year, to enter into dormancy for the next 6 months or so. They trust that the spring will come again... even when it's -40 C out there... They have hope that next year, they will be able to bud forth... But in order to have that new life show up, they need to let go of this life... of these leaves...
It's sort of like us... There are things in our lives that we need to let go of... in order to make space for something new... some new life.... This experience of life has been good this year, or this decade... but what could show up if we let go of something?
This year though, things seem different... The trees have been changing colour for a few weeks now, and I notice whole swaths of yellow with the occassional red bush here and there. It might be time for a photography mission out there! I miss the extended fall we would have in northern BC... the crisp, cool mornings, the smell of fall in the air... The flaming cottonwoods and aspens... the red of the maples... not very many, mind you... not like out east.... but still!
There's something very hopeful about fall... something very trusting... The trees and bushes give up their leaves, give up the way life has been this year, to enter into dormancy for the next 6 months or so. They trust that the spring will come again... even when it's -40 C out there... They have hope that next year, they will be able to bud forth... But in order to have that new life show up, they need to let go of this life... of these leaves...
It's sort of like us... There are things in our lives that we need to let go of... in order to make space for something new... some new life.... This experience of life has been good this year, or this decade... but what could show up if we let go of something?
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Phosphorous
I was reading a thing on the news that said our phosphorous reserves are not inexhaustible. In fact, in a few decades, they could be all gone... Phosphorous is used as fertilizer to grow our food... to produce larger yields... In an age when food security is becoming the latest hot topic... we'd do well to wonder about our phosphorous! But... there is a company that is looking at recycling phosphorous... out of sewage... Which is a brilliant idea!! Too much phosphorous in our sewage harms the oceans, where it ultimately all ends up... But if we can extract the phosphorous from the sewage, we not only clean up our sewage... but get fertilizer crystals out of it... Quite a brilliant idea... And one that is probably going to become the latest thing out there... It's nice to read "good news" stories like that... even in the context of "bad news" stories... like food security... It makes me think there might be hope for us yet...
Friday, October 15, 2010
Plastic Life
I've been thinking for a while, that I'd like to wake up one morning and start noting the various plastic things that I interact with during a day... From my alarm clock to the light switch to the shower handle to the shower curtain to the shampoo bottle... my toothbrush, hair brush, toothpaste tube, remote control... and that's only in the first 20 minutes of the day!! What did we ever do before plastic?? How did we survive?? And what happens with all this plastic when it gets outdated and outmoded? Where does it go, where does it end up? How can we reduce the amount of plastic in our world, in our life? What happens when we run out of fossil fuels... which are used to make plastic...
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Time & Space
I'm reading a quantum physics book (for lay people!) at the moment... and he's talking about how space and time are part of the same continuum... basically the same critter but different clothing... That space and time are inextricably related... And I thought a few things...
How, when we are meditating, and becoming quite still... in our bodies and in our minds... time seems to slow down... That there is a connection between the space we occupy and the our experience of time. As our body becomes stiller... and our mind as well... that somehow time shifts for us.... Which is kind of a neat concept... It reminds me of Rip Van Winkle, who went to sleep (deep meditation)... and time stood still for him, while it zipped by all around him... So, he time-travelled by falling asleep... Interesting thought... Time-travel through meditation??
How, when we are meditating, and becoming quite still... in our bodies and in our minds... time seems to slow down... That there is a connection between the space we occupy and the our experience of time. As our body becomes stiller... and our mind as well... that somehow time shifts for us.... Which is kind of a neat concept... It reminds me of Rip Van Winkle, who went to sleep (deep meditation)... and time stood still for him, while it zipped by all around him... So, he time-travelled by falling asleep... Interesting thought... Time-travel through meditation??
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Master Manipulators
Have you ever noticed how we humans like to get things to go our way? Any which way we can? We are master manipulators. And we do it almost completely unconsciously... it is so much a part of us. And it involves a lot of things... dishonesty being a big one... We tweak things to put ourselves in a better light. We shift a story just a bit to make others act a certain way. We try to get people to do things the way we think it should be done... and we manipulate them in the bargain...
Because we don't even realize we are doing it... it's not something that we try to alter... We just do it... and often in a split second... It comes so naturally to us... We try to get people to stay in a conversation long after they want to leave. We try to get attention focussed on ourselves, so that we are in the spotlight. We crave attention and we do things to get the attention we so desparately want. We try to get things to go our way so that it always works out the best for us... and to heck with the others.
It is so divisive... It separates us from others... It separates us from ourselves. It separates us from life... Ultimately it separates us from God! Because, let's face it.... we try to manipulate God as well!! "God, if you do this... I will do this"... Manipulation is a tiny step away from blackmail...
Because we don't even realize we are doing it... it's not something that we try to alter... We just do it... and often in a split second... It comes so naturally to us... We try to get people to stay in a conversation long after they want to leave. We try to get attention focussed on ourselves, so that we are in the spotlight. We crave attention and we do things to get the attention we so desparately want. We try to get things to go our way so that it always works out the best for us... and to heck with the others.
It is so divisive... It separates us from others... It separates us from ourselves. It separates us from life... Ultimately it separates us from God! Because, let's face it.... we try to manipulate God as well!! "God, if you do this... I will do this"... Manipulation is a tiny step away from blackmail...
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Climate Change
So, I was flying into Saskatoon a few weeks ago and... the farm fields were very wet! Like, very wet.... Every little hollow had a pool of water. Every little lake was bigger than normal. Everything looked very green... Which is unusual for Saskatchewan in September!
Looking at all of this water I thought... the only ones who are going to be happy are the migrating ducks and geese and other water fowl! They must look down and think... oh my God... where to go!!! So many choices... So many opportunities. Every duck could have their very own little patch of water by the looks of it!
So, while climate change is not good for farmers trying to harvest crops in this soaking wet climate... the ducks are happy for all of the wetlands that have appeared... magically... all around them. But... at the same time... We didn't really have a summer this year... And it makes me wonder what the winter is going to be like. And while it might have been an extremely wet summer this year... what if it shifts and we get drought for several years?? I don't think anyone wants a repeat of the 1930s Dust Bowl...
Every little change we make... makes a difference... So, what are you doing to reverse/halt/slow down climate change?
Looking at all of this water I thought... the only ones who are going to be happy are the migrating ducks and geese and other water fowl! They must look down and think... oh my God... where to go!!! So many choices... So many opportunities. Every duck could have their very own little patch of water by the looks of it!
So, while climate change is not good for farmers trying to harvest crops in this soaking wet climate... the ducks are happy for all of the wetlands that have appeared... magically... all around them. But... at the same time... We didn't really have a summer this year... And it makes me wonder what the winter is going to be like. And while it might have been an extremely wet summer this year... what if it shifts and we get drought for several years?? I don't think anyone wants a repeat of the 1930s Dust Bowl...
Every little change we make... makes a difference... So, what are you doing to reverse/halt/slow down climate change?
Monday, October 11, 2010
Deadlines
Deadlines... always deadlines!! Have you ever noticed the word itself... dead-lines... Hmmm, does that mean that if you don't cross the line in time, you're dead??? Sometimes it can seem that way! Why not call it live-lines... Hmmm, if you look it up on wiktionary, there are some archaic uses that make a bit more sense. The idea that it was a line around a prison... cross the line and you're dead! Or that it was a line which doesn't move... i.e. It is not a live-line... because in that case it would move!! So it is a dead-line...
I don't know about you, but I have a lot of live-lines!! Deadlines that move as things change... I plan to have them done by a certain date, but then there is a certain flexibility in them that creeps in... or they just migrate to the bottom of the importance pile... But at some point, they all become deadlines!! If they aren't completed by a certain date, at some point, then the project is a dead duck... or I am in a bit of trouble... or it becomes a moot point. Everything seems to have an expiry date... Whether it is a project or a task or a chore. There comes a point, where, if it hasn't been completed... then there really isn't any point in doing it any more!
Sometimes my own expiry date of energy and enthusiasm comes first! And the thing gets put on the indefinite pile of "maybe someday"... It seems I am always in the midst of juggling various things, and some things just get taken out of the mix at some point, and laid to rest on the sideboard of life... Maybe someday... maybe I'll have time for that... or energy... or a spate of inspiration. Some of those things just vanish off the horizon of life.... others sit there and call to me... And I know that at some point, I will need to bring them back into the mix, get them back in the air and see what I can do with them...
And maybe that's a good thing.... Maybe it's good to see if a project has a life of its own, calls to me to complete it... or just quietly vanishes off the horizon. In that case, it probably wasn't all that important. But the project that sits on the sideboard and won't go away, the one that jumps up and down every once in a while and taps me on a shoulder... Those are the ones I need to heed.... the ones that I need to complete... and perhaps sooner rather than later...
I don't know about you, but I have a lot of live-lines!! Deadlines that move as things change... I plan to have them done by a certain date, but then there is a certain flexibility in them that creeps in... or they just migrate to the bottom of the importance pile... But at some point, they all become deadlines!! If they aren't completed by a certain date, at some point, then the project is a dead duck... or I am in a bit of trouble... or it becomes a moot point. Everything seems to have an expiry date... Whether it is a project or a task or a chore. There comes a point, where, if it hasn't been completed... then there really isn't any point in doing it any more!
Sometimes my own expiry date of energy and enthusiasm comes first! And the thing gets put on the indefinite pile of "maybe someday"... It seems I am always in the midst of juggling various things, and some things just get taken out of the mix at some point, and laid to rest on the sideboard of life... Maybe someday... maybe I'll have time for that... or energy... or a spate of inspiration. Some of those things just vanish off the horizon of life.... others sit there and call to me... And I know that at some point, I will need to bring them back into the mix, get them back in the air and see what I can do with them...
And maybe that's a good thing.... Maybe it's good to see if a project has a life of its own, calls to me to complete it... or just quietly vanishes off the horizon. In that case, it probably wasn't all that important. But the project that sits on the sideboard and won't go away, the one that jumps up and down every once in a while and taps me on a shoulder... Those are the ones I need to heed.... the ones that I need to complete... and perhaps sooner rather than later...
Sunday, October 10, 2010
10-10-10
Hmmm... how often does this happen? Well, I guess every 100 years or so!! It's kind of neat to see a 10-10-10 day... Maybe it will be a top 10 day!? If I was a figure-skater, that would be pretty good for a score!! Of course, last year, it was 9-9-9... Next year it will be 11-11-11... That looks like a good number... And then 12-12-12... Also a cool number. After that though, we have to wait almost another 100 years for the next little sequence of triplet numbers.
Which reminds me that December 21, 2010 is supposed to be a big day in the Mayan calendar. The end of one age and the beginning of a new one... It would be kind of cool to have a shift in human consciousness... so that we could stop destroying things and get around to the real business of creating things! Funny how destruction is so much easier than creation... Creation takes some work, takes some guts, takes some ingenuity... And it puts us in touch with the spirit of who we are... We are co-creators with God, so every time we create something, a meal, a book, a letter, a painting... we are participating in our call as creators...
It could even be something simple as the words we use that create something... or words that destroy something. Perhaps we use words that create/contribute to the self-esteem of someone... or participates in their creation of something in their world...
10-10-10... a great day to create... But then every day is a great day to create!!
Which reminds me that December 21, 2010 is supposed to be a big day in the Mayan calendar. The end of one age and the beginning of a new one... It would be kind of cool to have a shift in human consciousness... so that we could stop destroying things and get around to the real business of creating things! Funny how destruction is so much easier than creation... Creation takes some work, takes some guts, takes some ingenuity... And it puts us in touch with the spirit of who we are... We are co-creators with God, so every time we create something, a meal, a book, a letter, a painting... we are participating in our call as creators...
It could even be something simple as the words we use that create something... or words that destroy something. Perhaps we use words that create/contribute to the self-esteem of someone... or participates in their creation of something in their world...
10-10-10... a great day to create... But then every day is a great day to create!!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
France and The Roma
There's been lots in the news about the expulsion of the Roma (Gypsies) from France under Sarkozy's government. It has been widely denounced by certain politicians, commentators, human rights organizations and churches. Some have even compared it to what happened in Europe prior to and during World War 2... European leaders have denounced such a comparison and expressed support for France...
Leaving me to wonder... where is Europe going??? If all of Europe supports this sort of ethnic targeting... where are they headed? Who is next? For truly, it does remind me of what happened in Europe and Germany prior to World War 2... Ethnic groups (Jews, Gypsies, etc.) being blamed for the economic woes back then. Finding a scapegoat that we can pin our trouble on...
What is next... Jews? Turks? Muslims? Oh right, the French have already cracked down on facial/head coverings in France... Have we learned nothing???
Leaving me to wonder... where is Europe going??? If all of Europe supports this sort of ethnic targeting... where are they headed? Who is next? For truly, it does remind me of what happened in Europe and Germany prior to World War 2... Ethnic groups (Jews, Gypsies, etc.) being blamed for the economic woes back then. Finding a scapegoat that we can pin our trouble on...
What is next... Jews? Turks? Muslims? Oh right, the French have already cracked down on facial/head coverings in France... Have we learned nothing???
Friday, October 8, 2010
Looking vs. Seeing
I think the only thing I know about Henry David Throeau is that he spent time in the wood and wrote Walden's pond... The other day I came across a quote of his that struck me:
"It's not what you look at that matters,
it's what you see"
Which strikes me as being a very deep truth. We look at many things, but that isn't what matters... What matters is what we see when we look at things. So it's not the thing that we are looking at that is the issue... It is what we see, through all of our filters and interpretations and judgements. What we look at might not be what we see!! Which is a scary thought.... How often do we actually see what we look at? Or do we see other things... Do we see our story about the thing? Do we see our history about the thing? Do we ever look at something with fresh eyes, free of interpretations of any sort? I highly doubt it!
If I take his quote and modify it slightly... it becomes potent again in a different way...
"It's not who we look at that matters,
it's who we see"
We can look at a person... but do we really see the person... or do we see our judgements about the person, our history with that person, our emotions about that person? Do we actually see anyone for who they really are? We look at a person and immediately... immediately start putting them into a category... Ah yes, older person, grandmotherly type, has back issues, looking for a book for her grandchild perhaps, reminds me of so and so... I never liked so and so... I don't know that I like this woman"... All of that happens in a split second... faster than we can blink, our brains have looked, interpreted, categorized and sent us a message as to what we see... But the truth is... we rarely see, clearly see, what we are looking at....
"It's not what you look at that matters,
it's what you see"
Which strikes me as being a very deep truth. We look at many things, but that isn't what matters... What matters is what we see when we look at things. So it's not the thing that we are looking at that is the issue... It is what we see, through all of our filters and interpretations and judgements. What we look at might not be what we see!! Which is a scary thought.... How often do we actually see what we look at? Or do we see other things... Do we see our story about the thing? Do we see our history about the thing? Do we ever look at something with fresh eyes, free of interpretations of any sort? I highly doubt it!
If I take his quote and modify it slightly... it becomes potent again in a different way...
"It's not who we look at that matters,
it's who we see"
We can look at a person... but do we really see the person... or do we see our judgements about the person, our history with that person, our emotions about that person? Do we actually see anyone for who they really are? We look at a person and immediately... immediately start putting them into a category... Ah yes, older person, grandmotherly type, has back issues, looking for a book for her grandchild perhaps, reminds me of so and so... I never liked so and so... I don't know that I like this woman"... All of that happens in a split second... faster than we can blink, our brains have looked, interpreted, categorized and sent us a message as to what we see... But the truth is... we rarely see, clearly see, what we are looking at....
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Quantum Vibrations
So, we know from quantum physics, that everything is vibrating. That at its fundamental level, the universe is composed of vibrations. Things vibrate at different frequencies as well... some at very "low" frequencies and some at very "high" frequencies...
For example, rocks, etc. vibrate at a lower frequency than conscious beings. We, as humans, vibrate at a lower frequency than angels, etc. And I was thinking... Things vibrating at a lower frequency aren't always able to see the things vibrating at a higher frequency. Which makes sense... As humans, our range of hearing for example, isn't as wide as that of dogs or cats. They can hear things into a higher frequency than we can... Mind you, we only hear lower frequencies to a certain point... where elephants can hear lower frequencies than we can...
So, I guess my question is... what if we humans can only sense a narrow range of existential vibrations? What if things exist at a lower vibration than we can sense? What if things exist at a higher vibration than we can sense? Ghosts, for example, might exist at a higher frequency than we can sense.... Maybe there are things out there that we can't sense at a lower frequency too... Maybe the universe is a lot more populated than we think... Scientists know that our ordinary matter in our universe only accounts for 5% of what is out there... 25% is dark matter.... and the other 70% is dark energy...
What if dark matter/dark energy is vibrating at an oppositional phase to what ordinary matter and energy operate at? What if the frequency gets so low... that it eventually flips into an opposite phase of vibration... would that make anti-matter? Anti-energy?? Just wondering... It's amazing the thoughts that come to mind when I'm trying to fall asleep!!
For example, rocks, etc. vibrate at a lower frequency than conscious beings. We, as humans, vibrate at a lower frequency than angels, etc. And I was thinking... Things vibrating at a lower frequency aren't always able to see the things vibrating at a higher frequency. Which makes sense... As humans, our range of hearing for example, isn't as wide as that of dogs or cats. They can hear things into a higher frequency than we can... Mind you, we only hear lower frequencies to a certain point... where elephants can hear lower frequencies than we can...
So, I guess my question is... what if we humans can only sense a narrow range of existential vibrations? What if things exist at a lower vibration than we can sense? What if things exist at a higher vibration than we can sense? Ghosts, for example, might exist at a higher frequency than we can sense.... Maybe there are things out there that we can't sense at a lower frequency too... Maybe the universe is a lot more populated than we think... Scientists know that our ordinary matter in our universe only accounts for 5% of what is out there... 25% is dark matter.... and the other 70% is dark energy...
What if dark matter/dark energy is vibrating at an oppositional phase to what ordinary matter and energy operate at? What if the frequency gets so low... that it eventually flips into an opposite phase of vibration... would that make anti-matter? Anti-energy?? Just wondering... It's amazing the thoughts that come to mind when I'm trying to fall asleep!!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Writer/Reader
I came across a quote this morning that spoke to me very deeply. It was by Robert Frost:
No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.
No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.
Isn't that just amazing?? And so very true... If I want to communicate something emotional to readers, then I myself need to experience that emotion. If I am not surprised, the reader won't be surprised. If I'm not joyful, the reader won't be joyful. If I don't cry as I write... then the reader won't cry as they read... That makes so much sense to me and is so in tune with my experience of writing... Robert Frost is a pretty smart guy!!!
Mind you, there are times when I don't want to write, exactly because I don't want the tears to come... because they give me a headache or something silly... I shy away from writing because it is too emotional, because it taps a deep well within me... and sometimes I just don't want to go there! I remember when I was studying at Newman, as I was writing some papers, I had the same experience. I was writing from a place of passion and that is what came across. But I need to experience that myself before I can ever hope that the reader will experience it in what I read...
No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.
No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.
Isn't that just amazing?? And so very true... If I want to communicate something emotional to readers, then I myself need to experience that emotion. If I am not surprised, the reader won't be surprised. If I'm not joyful, the reader won't be joyful. If I don't cry as I write... then the reader won't cry as they read... That makes so much sense to me and is so in tune with my experience of writing... Robert Frost is a pretty smart guy!!!
Mind you, there are times when I don't want to write, exactly because I don't want the tears to come... because they give me a headache or something silly... I shy away from writing because it is too emotional, because it taps a deep well within me... and sometimes I just don't want to go there! I remember when I was studying at Newman, as I was writing some papers, I had the same experience. I was writing from a place of passion and that is what came across. But I need to experience that myself before I can ever hope that the reader will experience it in what I read...
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
15 Minutes
It's amazing you know... I go through life thinking there is never enough time for things. More specifically, I think that things are going to take a long time... and so I figure I don't have enough time for them... so I don't start... But everything I'm reading nowadays is telling me to just do it!!
Julia Cameron says that 20 minutes is actually time in which you can get started on something. Everything is created one step at a time. A book is written one page, one paragraph, one sentence at a time. A house is cleaned one room at a time, one corner at a time. A song is written one line at a time. A letter is written one line at a time. So... in 20 minutes, we can actually get quite a bit done... At the very least, we can get started on something. And sometimes I find that is my block... I look and see I only have 20 minutes or 30 minutes or 45 minutes... and I think, "That's not enough time to really get anything done so... might as well just watch TV or surf the internet"... Yeah, amazing I know... Clearly, there is a block for me there... and something that I am being called to move through...
Peter Walsh (organizer/designer) tells us to take a look at our day and see where we actually spend our time. He suggests breaking the day into 15 minute blocks and then writing down what we are doing in those blocks. He suggests keeping track for a week and then seeing where we are "wasting" time... You know, checking email, surfing the internet... His idea has more to do with a workplace environment, but it could easily be transferred to the home as well... How much of our time is spend on this... or that... And where do we really want to spend our time? Where do I want to spend my time???
I say I don't have time to start this project... but is that really the case. Somewhere in me, I feel like I need to complete the project before I can start it... which is quite crazy!!! Some of my projects take me years to complete... so to resist starting them just because I'm not going to be able to finish them in an hour is... pointless!!! What about if I just held it as... I could get started... I could edit one page... I could work on it for 15 minutes... I could complete this tiny piece... I could complete this other tiny piece. If I break up my projects into discrete, manageable pieces then... I think I could do it... I could see each 15 minute or 20 minute chunk as a time that is pregnant with possibilities... Time is what we make of it... If I think it won't be enough... then it won't... but if I think it is enough... then it will be enough!!
Julia Cameron says that 20 minutes is actually time in which you can get started on something. Everything is created one step at a time. A book is written one page, one paragraph, one sentence at a time. A house is cleaned one room at a time, one corner at a time. A song is written one line at a time. A letter is written one line at a time. So... in 20 minutes, we can actually get quite a bit done... At the very least, we can get started on something. And sometimes I find that is my block... I look and see I only have 20 minutes or 30 minutes or 45 minutes... and I think, "That's not enough time to really get anything done so... might as well just watch TV or surf the internet"... Yeah, amazing I know... Clearly, there is a block for me there... and something that I am being called to move through...
Peter Walsh (organizer/designer) tells us to take a look at our day and see where we actually spend our time. He suggests breaking the day into 15 minute blocks and then writing down what we are doing in those blocks. He suggests keeping track for a week and then seeing where we are "wasting" time... You know, checking email, surfing the internet... His idea has more to do with a workplace environment, but it could easily be transferred to the home as well... How much of our time is spend on this... or that... And where do we really want to spend our time? Where do I want to spend my time???
I say I don't have time to start this project... but is that really the case. Somewhere in me, I feel like I need to complete the project before I can start it... which is quite crazy!!! Some of my projects take me years to complete... so to resist starting them just because I'm not going to be able to finish them in an hour is... pointless!!! What about if I just held it as... I could get started... I could edit one page... I could work on it for 15 minutes... I could complete this tiny piece... I could complete this other tiny piece. If I break up my projects into discrete, manageable pieces then... I think I could do it... I could see each 15 minute or 20 minute chunk as a time that is pregnant with possibilities... Time is what we make of it... If I think it won't be enough... then it won't... but if I think it is enough... then it will be enough!!
Monday, October 4, 2010
Source of Inspiration
I was reading a reflection this morning that totally hit home. The writer was saying that as artists, we all receive inspiration from the Divine Source... from something outside of ourselves. It's like we are a satellite dish, and we receive a brilliant idea or some creative flash... but it is then up to us to put it into motion, to give it life... And the scary thing is... if we don't do it... if we dilly-dally... and let it sit and don't do anything with it... then someone else will!!! It's no coincidence that similar things are discovered and created by people in different places on this planet... They are all tuned into the Divine Source... and if one doesn't jump with an idea... then the other person will... We are the creative arm of the universe... and there are all sorts of things out there waiting to be born... and we are called to birth them... to give life to them...
The only question is.... when that brilliant idea hits us... what do we do with it? Do we fob it off... or do we grab it, give thanks for it and run with it?? We have the choice...
The only question is.... when that brilliant idea hits us... what do we do with it? Do we fob it off... or do we grab it, give thanks for it and run with it?? We have the choice...
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Comfy Chair
You know... there's nothing like a comfortable chair! I've been visiting Starbucks for a while now and sometimes I get to sit at a small table with a wooden chair, sometimes I get a big, overstuffed comfy chair... and sometimes I get a big, overstuff not-comfy chair that is too long in the seat for my legs... I notice that when I'm at the table with the wooden chair, I don't want to spend as much time writing... When I'm in the comfy chair, that fits just right... the writing flows easily! When I'm in the too-long chair, then it's sort of in-between somewhere... It's not as comfy as the comfy chair... but not as bad as the wooden chair... I feel a bit like Goldilocks!! This chair's too hard... that one is too long... this one is just right!!
And when I'm writing... I just feel when something is just right!! I can feel when I am writing if the stuff I am writing is a bit off... maybe a bit too empty... or a bit to detailed... And I can feel when it is just right... I can feel when I've hit the nail on the head, and when the writing is flowing from a place of inspiration... Goldilocks the Writer!!
And when I'm writing... I just feel when something is just right!! I can feel when I am writing if the stuff I am writing is a bit off... maybe a bit too empty... or a bit to detailed... And I can feel when it is just right... I can feel when I've hit the nail on the head, and when the writing is flowing from a place of inspiration... Goldilocks the Writer!!
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Story of Clutter
I'm reading another clutter book... yes... another one! This one is called "Take the U out of Clutter" and promises that it will be the last clutter book you ever need! The authors have a great insight... The reason some people have so much trouble dealing with their clutter is because of the stories associated with each piece... Or with the whole shebang...
Everything in our home has a story associated with it. What we feel when we look at it. What it reminds of us. What it means to us. There are facts associated with the thing too... but we don't just see the facts... we see the story instead. And it's the story that we are attached to... The authors say that if we can handle the story... then the clutter will release itself... as we release the story...
Kind of cool!!! And so very true!! I look at stuff in other people's houses and it's obvious to me that it could go out the door to the second-hand store. But then, I don't have any story or emotions invested in the thing... It's their story and their feelings and their stuff...
The kicker is that... sometimes these things remind us of unhappy times in our lives... or of disempowering things... or of failed relationships or business ventures... And we still hang onto them... But if we can recognize the disempowering story attached to them... well... they could go out the door!
Everything in our home has a story associated with it. What we feel when we look at it. What it reminds of us. What it means to us. There are facts associated with the thing too... but we don't just see the facts... we see the story instead. And it's the story that we are attached to... The authors say that if we can handle the story... then the clutter will release itself... as we release the story...
Kind of cool!!! And so very true!! I look at stuff in other people's houses and it's obvious to me that it could go out the door to the second-hand store. But then, I don't have any story or emotions invested in the thing... It's their story and their feelings and their stuff...
The kicker is that... sometimes these things remind us of unhappy times in our lives... or of disempowering things... or of failed relationships or business ventures... And we still hang onto them... But if we can recognize the disempowering story attached to them... well... they could go out the door!
Friday, October 1, 2010
Anonymity
I was reading a book that noted how we go through life, encountering all sorts of people, but we like to remain secure in our little bubble of anonymity. Whether it is the checkout lady at Safeway, the barista at Starbucks, the gas station attendant, our mechanic, our waitress... We like to maintain a certain "arms-length" distance from people. Sometimes they wear name tags... and sometimes they don't... For sure, we don't wear name tags! What would it be like to ask their names? To acknowledge that we see them a lot... and like it or not... we have a certain relationship with them... Wouldn't that be a great way to foster some more connections in our world... to bring the world a little closer together?
I've been out to dinner where my dinner partner has made a point of acknowleding the name of the waiter/waitress... Usually, they do say "Hi, my name is .... and I'll be your server tonight"... What a great way to forge a connection... to acknowledge their name when we say thank you to them... To make a request prefaced by their name... It's a great example for me... and one that I am still learning how to put into practice....
I've been out to dinner where my dinner partner has made a point of acknowleding the name of the waiter/waitress... Usually, they do say "Hi, my name is .... and I'll be your server tonight"... What a great way to forge a connection... to acknowledge their name when we say thank you to them... To make a request prefaced by their name... It's a great example for me... and one that I am still learning how to put into practice....
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