Saturday, December 31, 2016

Off Balance But Correctable

Backyard Photo, MH
     Today* I had an aha moment.  It was a culmination of moments that led to it.  The first moment was when I was unsteady during the balance segment of a yoga class.  I was wearing socks and stood on my yoga mat. I could not hold the pose without waving my arms and occasionally putting my foot down and starting over.  That was Wednesday.  On Thursday I did stretching and balance moves successfully standing next to my car as I waited for my walking partner. I had on strong sturdy hiking boots.  That was the second instance.  The aha moment came when I read something spiritual that basically said that we may lose our balance from time to time and that it's okay.  It doesn't mean that our lives are out of control or that we are failing.  It just means that we need to continue to take care of ourselves and that this temporary imbalance will allow us to grow and gain strength.
     This made me realize that there is a metaphor here that applies to where I am today physically and emotionally.  It is this.  On Wednesday at yoga I did not have enough support.  On Thursday my shoes gave me the strength I needed to balance effectively.  I sensed that my balance was a little off and I was wary, but by leaning a little to the left or to the right my shoes provided the support to steady me.  Additionally the walk provided me an outlet because I could share what I was feeling.  Afterward I realized that it felt really good to be able to balance successfully, physically and emotionally.  I was able to do so because I had the support I needed.  Which begs the question, when I feel unbalanced, what do I need to do?  Where do I get the support I need?
     The good news is that I have many, many choices:  I can share my situation with a friend who knows my story; I can schedule an appointment with a medical professional, a religious person such as a minister or pastor or with a spiritual advisor; I can join a support group for whatever ails me at the moment (grief, over-eating, etc.); and I can continue to journal and ask God** directly, what else should I know?
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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, I'd love to hear from you and the community would love to hear from you!  Your comment could have a major impact on someone else; most likely it will be just the right thing at the right time for one of the readers. For me, God** wanted me to know that helping even just one person is wonderfully impactful.

Reflective questions:
1.  Do you feel balanced today?  Why or why not?

2.  What does God* want you to know about this (ask directly, God, what do you want me to know?)

*Written in August 2015
** I use the term God as a universal term.  You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, etc. better suits you today.  It is not for me to decide. 

Monday, December 26, 2016

Finding Hidden Talents (Listen to People in Our Way)

Photo by Mark Psoras 11-16-16
     When people are asked about how and when they decided upon their career, some say "I just knew, I always knew."  For many others, undecided is often how it begins.
For me, I had no idea what I wanted to do after leaving the business world.  But during my notice period, I got help from one of the women I was advising about transitioning into retirement.  When I said I had no other talents useful as an income source, she begged to differ.  That's when she told me some of her life story.  About 70 years old already, she was retiring from clinical research after having been many things, including a nurse and an entrepreneur.  She had a business selling antique lace and was going to develop it more upon leaving the traditional workforce.  She is the person who inspired me to create a list of my talents.
     It wasn't long after that that the head of the drug safety department, a psychiatrist by trade, suggested I consider massage therapy.  At the time I thought it was a ludicrous statement, but he said I had the temperament and that it would give me the flexibility I was looking for.
     Based on these two interactions I had an aha moment.  I considered my childhood and how my sisters and I would gather into one bed before sleep and roll back and forth to give each other back rubs.  As a result, I wrote touch on my list of talents.  Turns out a trustworthy temperament and terrific tactile technique are the perfect combination of talents for a massage therapist!
     I consider these two people who led me to my current path as angels and I thank God* that they were in my way!
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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, I'd love to hear from you and the community would love to hear from you!  Your comment could have a major impact on someone else; most likely it will be just the right thing at the right time for one of the readers. For me, God* wanted me to know that helping even just one person is wonderfully impactful.

Reflective questions:
1.  Do you recognize "angels" when you see them?

2.  What hidden talents do you have?

3.  What does God* want you to know about this (ask directly, God, what do you want me to know?)

* I use the term God as a universal term.  You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, etc. better suits you today.  It is not for me to decide. 

Friday, December 23, 2016

Why Pray or Meditate? (You Know Because Their Hearts Sing Part II)

Photo by Ed Higgins         
     After I wrote the post "You Know Them Because Their Hearts Sing," I read an interview in the January 2017 issue of The Sun by Christine Byl with Eva Saulitis.  Eva seems to have had a heart that sang (she died in early 2016 at 52 of breast cancer).  Her initial call seemed to be as an oboist but jump forward and you learn that she died as a researcher recording whale songs and writing poems; in my mind, all three of these things a sort of collection of music.  Her path is immensely beautiful to me and resonates because she seemed to explore life in a similar way; that is, through prayer, meditation and spiritual practices. She also provides one answer as to why we should do these things and I agree that it is a piece of it:  it is about why we are walking this earth.
     For me, in addition to that, and maybe it is just said another way, we learn so much about ourselves; but also, because I believe we were made in the image and likeness of God*, we also learn about our Creator* and we learn to develop a more personal relationship with this Great Spirit.*   That's why I always end my journaling with the question, God, what do you want me to know?  It's amazing what I learn about myself after that.
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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, I'd love to hear from you and the community would love to hear from you!  Your comment could have a major impact on someone else; most likely it will be just the right thing at the right time for one of the readers. For me, God* wanted me to know that helping even just one person is wonderfully impactful.

Reflective questions:
1.  What's on your heart right now?

2.  What does God* want you to know about this (ask directly, God, what do you want me to know?)


* I use the term God as a universal term.  You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, etc. better suits you today.  It is not for me to decide.

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

You Know Them Because Their Hearts Sing

When I think about the future, sometimes I am giddy because I don't know where I will be or what I will be doing in ten or twenty years.  I just know that if I do what makes my heart sing now I will be on the right path because God* wants us to be content NOW.
Of course I don't always get that giddy feeling because fear sometimes sets in and I think "What am I thinking?  How is this ever going to work out?"
And then I think about the people whose lives sing.  You know them.  They found their calling doing what they love.  Maybe it was a first career, maybe it was a second.  I think of my friends in the professions of PT, OT and nursing who love their jobs. I think of myself.  I think of the teachers who have made the biggest impact on my children because they love what they do.
And then when I worry about the future I think about the retirees who have found rewarding times because they did hobbies that they loved along the way.  You know them.  They are the men and women who created woodworking shops in their garages or took every nature walk possible and now they are leading tours around the world.  I see them and can tell that their hearts sing.
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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, I'd love to hear from you and the community would love to hear from you!  Your comment could have a major impact on someone else; most likely it will be just the right thing at the right time for one of the readers. For me, God* wanted me to know that helping even just one person is wonderfully impactful.

Reflective questions:
1.  What is worrying you today?

2.  What makes your heart sing?

3.  What does God* want you to know about this (ask directly, God, what do you want me to know?)


* I use the term God as a universal term.  You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, etc. better suits you today.  It is not for me to decide. 

Saturday, December 17, 2016

God Weight

On Tuesday I posted about information versus knowledge versus wisdom.  So here's an example of what's become knowledge for me.  I used to be able to control my weight through exercise alone and not really worry about what I ate.  As I have gotten older I have gained weight even though I am always pretty active.  It became evident that eating well AND exercising are paramount to maintaining my weight. This is not new news but something I personally took in as information only, Now it has become knowledge.
Where the wisdom (knowledge that is proven over the ages) comes in is during my journal look back.  What my journals show is that sometimes I am happy with my weight and sometimes I am not.  When I am not I sometimes write down a goal weight in my journal.  In one of my recent looking backs, I discovered that I miswrote "goal weight" and actually wrote "God* weight.  The wisdom, then is that God is in my everyday living including my weight goals and that every one of my weights, even the one I don't want to be, is my "God weight".  After all, God wants me in whatever shape I am in the present moment.
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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, I'd love to hear from you and the community would love to hear from you!  Your comment could have a major impact on someone else; most likely it will be just the right thing at the right time for one of the readers. For me, God* wanted me to know that helping even just one person is wonderfully impactful.

Reflective questions:
1.  What are your every day struggles?  How about the shape of your mental, physical or spiritual weight?

2.  What does God* want you to know about this (ask directly, God, what do you want me to know?)


* I use the term God as a universal term.  You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, etc. better suits you today.  It is not for me to decide. 

Friday, December 9, 2016

Seek and Find Patterns (Be a Pattern Hunter)

I thought today would be a good day to remind you about what I am teaching.  Specifically it is a way to use journaling to develop your inner spirit wisdom.  It's quite simple really in terms of the steps:

1.  Use a journal and write down whatever is on your heart on a regular basis.  I do this almost daily now but when I started years and years ago it was something I did every once in a while, then once or twice a week, and now I hate to miss it.  I am a morning person so I do it first thing or after a few chores.  It often starts off with what I did the day before or what's coming today but then I also get into what's bothering me or what's making my heart sing.  I might also write my gratitude list in my journal but not always.  You decide what time of day is best for you and what you include in your journal.
2.  When you think you have written out what's most pressing on your heart, write out the question "God*, what do you want me to know?"  
3.  Then write down what comes to you.  If you feel compelled to use a tool, use a tool.  Tools include things like meditation cards (I like the ones with one word on them), a book that you open up randomly and read what's on that page (I often use the Bible or Psalms for Praying by Nan Merrill but nonreligious books work too). If you're not sure what tool to use, let the Spirit* guide you.

This is the daily practice.  It can take as much or as little time as you have.  Doing it often provides value because it gives the opportunity to look back over your journey.  You can look back over a period of time to see what was happening in your life and what your Higher Power* was telling you, often repeatedly.  Maybe you want to look at the last week, the same week from a year ago, the last whole journal.  Whatever timeframe is on your heart is right for you.  Be a pattern hunter:  was the same thing on your heart last year, have you pulled the same meditation card 3 times in the last month, did you write about the same place or person?  Write down what you uncover.

The hard part is making the time to do the work.  For me, it has made a significant difference in that I have found an easier way to live, allowing the Great Spirit* to be my guide..  
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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, I'd love to hear from you and the community would love to hear from you!  Your comment could have a major impact on someone else; most likely it will be just the right thing at the right time for one of the readers. For me, God* wanted me to know that helping even just one person is wonderfully impactful.

Reflective questions:
1.  If it's not journaling, what else are you putting off?

2.  What does God* want you to know about this (ask directly, God, what do you want me to know?)

* I use the term God as a universal term.  You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, etc. better suits you today.  It is not for me to decide. 

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Sometimes Crazy Works

Some of the stories I tell about my journey make me think "Wow, people must think I am a little bit crazy."  I might have cared when I was younger, but now I know that "the crazy" is what makes me sane.  It's because I believe that many thoughts that come to me are Spirit* inspired.
One example is that when spiritual direction is something I was seeking, I was recommended to find someone using an international directory.  I followed the sites cues on how to narrow my search but it was still too wide and daunting.  So I went the crazy route.  I know that it wasn't the rational way, I can only say that I am a bird nerd and God often speaks to me through nature.  What I did is I narrowed my search by adding "bird" to the criteria.  Where it led me is to someone who had this word as part of their email address.  It turned out that this person was exactly the right person for me.
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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, I'd love to hear from you and the community would love to hear from you!  Your comment could have a major impact on someone else; most likely it will be just the right thing at the right time for one of the readers. For me, God* wanted me to know that helping even just one person is wonderfully impactful.

Reflective questions:
1. Do you have a similar story, a "crazy" story?

2.  What does God* want you to know about this (ask directly, God, what do you want me to know?)

* I use the term God as a universal term.  You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, etc. better suits you today.  It is not for me to decide. 

Saturday, December 3, 2016

Noble Characters

Ruth was my grandmother's name.  I have been hearing the name a lot lately so it has given me pause.   In October I read Into the Magic Shop by James R. Doty and have been recommending this book ever since.  The woman who taught him how to relax the body, meditate and place desires on the heart was named Ruth.  One of the esteemed birders in my area is named Ruth.  I just went to Delaware Bay with her.  On Sunday a seminary student told a story about his Aunt Ruth who was full of life. I watched the movie Race last week about Jesse Owens going to the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games.  His wife's name was Ruth.
If you google "Ruth" what comes up first is the Hebrew biblical character Ruth.  The entries say things like "protaganist" and "noble character."  This fits the description of my grandmother and all of these women.  All of these women have either left a legacy or are leaving one now.
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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, I'd love to hear from you and the community would love to hear from you!  Your comment could have a major impact on someone else; most likely it will be just the right thing at the right time for one of the readers. For me, God* wanted me to know that helping even just one person is wonderfully impactful.

Reflective questions:
1.  Is your name one you hear often?  How do you feel when you hear it?

2.  What kind of legacy are you leaving?

3.  What does God* want you to know about this (ask directly, God, what do you want me to know?)

* I use the term God as a universal term.  You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, etc. better suits you today.  It is not for me to decide.