Come on in the Water

Sometimes we spend time on the sidelines, watching others in the 'water'.
That's just fine.
Other times, it can be great to just get 'wet'.
Getting 'wet' gives us an opportunity to experience firsthand....to learn from seeing, feeling, hearing and touching the elements of this experience.
Younger folk often find this easier than those of us that have been around for a half a century or more.
There are fewer 'battle scars' in the younger years sometimes and there are less 'tapes' in our head that tell us it's a bad idea to get 'wet'.

But consider what is being missed...living life to its fullest...

Our God experiences life through us. God has an opportunity to 'taste' all that life has to offer as we 'taste' it.
So when an opportunity 'knocks' gently or not so gently on your door, consider if your Creator would enjoy a more invested experience.
And if you were God, what would you appreciate.

Consider an offering to your Creator a wider view, a larger vision, a deeper relationship with All That Is.

and then, 'go ahead and get wet'...

Phil Arthur - Man of Courage and Heart

There was nothing that Phil couldn't fix...motorcycles, cars, sprinklers...anything mechanical.
He was amazing.
Through the way he lived his life, he taught many.
His patience was magnificent.
Broken things that others would walk away from, rather quickly, Phil would take on fixing with persistence and great fortitude.

He was also a great friend to many.
When they most needed just someone to 'be' with them, there was Phil.

Phil had a deep sense of courage.
He experienced significant suffering through the physical illnesses he experienced.
He somehow found the fortitude to move through these experiences.
He had great strength.
His auto-immune diseases tried to rob him of this but he refused.
Other, mere mortals, would have given in and up a long time ago, but not Phil.

And Phil had a great sense for choosing animals that were great partners.
Omar, his current feline friend and advisor, is a magnificent animal and they shared much love and tender moments together.

Phil left this Earth this past week after a wonderfully lived life.
He will be greatly missed by his family, friends and Omar.

Here was a few word from Phil in one of his last emails:
'Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away, never to return.
So, while we have it, it's best we love it, and care for it, and fix it when it's broken, and heal it when it's sick.
This is true for marriage and old cars and motorcycles and children with bad report cards, dogs and cats with bad hips and aging parents.
We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it.
Some things we keep, like a best friend that moved away or a classmate we grew up with.
There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special and so we keep them close.'

I am not sure if this was something that someone wrote for Phil or if he contributed to it.
But it was something that spoke to Philip's heart nonetheless...and mine as well.

The Power of Two

'Two' is powerful.
The number itself represents connection, relationship, collaboration...
It also can greatly enhance 'one'.
When 'one' is perplexed regarding a challenge, 'two' can offer alternatives never considered by 'one'.
When 'one' is sensing a bit of isolation, 'two' can step in and create connection and new possibilities.
When 'one' doesn't have enough hands or feet to complete a task, 'two' can step in and provide support.

'One' is sometimes just what is needed, but the variety that 'two' provides is delightful.
When 'two' that have been at 'odds' come together, it can even be more powerful.
The individual 'one's', release their conflicts and issues of separation and resolve those things that created barriers.
'Two' can then move forward as a unit creating new opportunities and possibilities.
'Two' can become more stable than 'one'.
'Two' can sometimes move in a rhythm that is not possible for 'one' since 'two' can 'lean' on each other.
'Two' can also dance together, and can sing together in harmony.

'Two' gives you a chance to notice diversity.

It's interesting to notice the things our bodies have two of vs. one...and to wonder about why...?

Never Give Up...

There are times when it just seems like it is time to 'give up' and throw in the towel.
Don't do it.
There are times when the load is pretty heavy and you would just as soon drop it.
Don't do it.
There are times when the solution seems beyond you and you would like to just let someone else figure it out for you.
Don't do it.

If you give up, you miss out on the 'BLISS' that comes from accomplishment.
If you give up, you miss out on the joy that rises up within you when you complete something that seemed impossible.
Don't rob yourself of the joy and bliss that can revitalize your life.
Don't do it.

Be like my dear son, Jonathan, who keeps tryin' no matter what.

Move

Mother Nature naturally moves...She rarely stands still...
Even when She appears to be still, some aspect of Her is still moving...
Because our bodies are composed of such a high percentage of water, we are being most 'who and what' we are, when we are moving.

During the course of most of our 'work' days, we find ourselves sitting still, sitting and looking, sitting and talking, standing and talking...
And when we do move, we are often rushing around, off balance and hurrying to get somewhere else where we again will sit still or stand and talk...
It certainly doesn't seem what most human bodies would prefer if they had much say in the matter.

So how do we bring the 'dance' back?
How do we bring flow and movement back into our intense lives?
Well, we can do it right wherever we find ourselves.
My good friend, Jenny Stevning, has created a wonderful program in sacred movement/movement meditation.
She helps her students remember the need to open ourselves up to the concept of simple movements that we can do sitting in front of the computer, waiting for an elevator...
She encourages us to listen to our bodies and allow them to tell us what they need.
The next time you have a cramp or sense some discomfort in your body, ask it what it needs.
Often, what you will hear is, 'Move me for heaven's sake!!!'

Jenny leads retreats for healthcare workers helping them re-member that everyone can dance and you don't have to leave the comfort of your chair.
She recently had a group of 30 staff members of a local hospital dancing wildly by moving their feet and arms while staying seated on their chairs.
The staff were amazed at the 'joy' that they felt as they gave themselves permission to do what they used to do as a child...move with abandon...move with freedom...move with Spirit.
They expressed their sense that it also brought them more connected to the Sacred within them.
They experienced as spiritual.
It opened up places within their being that had remained 'stuck and stiff' for quite some time.
When we loosen our stiffness through dance and movement, it is often followed by the loosening of our 'stiffness' in other areas of our life.

So get out there on the 'dance floor' of your life and start moving...
Become an eagle and fly through the air...become a monkey and remember how to play...
It's way past time to give yourself permission to explore the world of movement and become the dancer that has been asleep within you for too long.

Being Beauty

Mother Nature is incredible in the way that She just knows how to 'Be Beauty'.
Whether it is a feather that falls to the Earth from the wings of a Hawk, or a stone that lies gently on the Earth, She just seems to 'know' how to open to being beautiful.

Beauty is in the 'being'.
It is the light that shines forth from the Divine within.
It is the magic of the Spirit that dwells deep inside.
It is the movement of the fluid nature of the water that is so much a part of who we are.
It is the wisdom of knowing what to do, say, or be.
It is the tenderness of a gentle touch.
It is the courageous power of integrity.
It is the enduring passion of unconditional love.
It is the peace that passeth all understanding.
It is a random act of kindness.
It is a generous heart.
It is a life of service.
It is a healing hand.
It is an open mind.
It is in All That Is.

Getting Other Views

From where we each are sitting, the world looks just it does...
That's because it's the world we created for ourselves.
It appears the way it does because we each have spent countless numbers of years making it just that way.
We have added our particular brand of fears, anxieties, loves, etc.
We have adjusted it when it got a bit too different from our comfort zone.
We added some color when we wanted a bit more of 'zing' to our existence.
But by in large (interesting phrase...), it is only what we have allowed it to be.

Periodically, we get 'brave' and ask for other perspectives.
These requests for opinions and observations from others often bring another view of the 'landscape'.
They give us an opportunity to 'see' from a wider plane, 'sense' from a deeper point of reference, and 'connect' to a more core purpose.
The 'other' perspective does not contain all the old tapes that we 'run' all the time about ourselves and our gifts or lack of them.
The 'other' perspective does often come with the other person's tapes, which must be taken into consideration.

So when you seek the 'other' point of view, consider who the 'other' is.
Seek out those that have a truly large view of the world in which they live.
Seek out those that have a deep sense of meaning and purpose.
Seek out those that have the ability to separate themselves from their own 'stuff'.
Seek out those that will have your 'best' in mind when they respond.
And seek out those that will share wisdom from the heart.