Jeff Halper: Story of a Modern Day Hero

I greatly respect and admire the work of the Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions. Here is their website: ICAHD Website. I encourage you to spend some time perusing their site and their work.

I was privileged to meet Jeff Halper on a long past trip to Israel and Palestine. He gave a very informative (and heart breaking) lecture to the group I was with on Israeli land and settlement policies. He is an absolute expert on all that goes on in this region regarding land use and the Israeli occupation/appropriation of Palestinian land.

As an Israeli Jew, he has a unique and powerful voice to speak about what is happening there. It takes a lot of courage to do what Jeff does. He continually stands up for what is right and just, regardless of the potential dangers to himself. Not many of us can claim this type of courage. The world would be a better place is more of us conducted ourselves in this way.

Jeff recently joined an international group of activists on a boat traveling from Cypress to Gaza. The "Free Gaza" journey was meant to bring international attention to the suffering of the people in Gaza at the hands of the Israeli blockade which has been in place since shortly after Hamas took control of the Gaza strip. The entire civilian population of Gaza is suffering unspeakable horrors because of this closure.

Jeff Halper was arrested after his successful journey into Gaza aboard this ship. This is an account that he wrote of his experience. I wanted to republish it here.

Here too is a link to the article on ICAHD's website:
End of an Odyssey - by Jeff Halper

End of an Odyssey
Jeff Halper
September 1, 2008

Now, a few days after my release from jail in the wake of my trip to Gaza, I'm posting a few notes to sum things up.

First, the mission of the Free Gaza Movement to break the Israeli siege proved a success beyond all expectations. Our reaching Gaza and leaving has created a free and regular channel between Gaza and the outside world. It has done so because it has forced the Israeli government to make a clear policy declaration: that it is not occupying Gaza and therefore will not prevent the free movement of Palestinians in and out (at least by sea). (Israel's security concerns can easily be accommodated by instituting a technical system of checks similar to those of other ports.) Any attempt on the part of Israel to backtrack on this - by preventing ships in the future from entering or leaving Gaza with goods and passengers, including Palestinians - may be immediately interpreted as an assertion of control, and therefore of Occupation, opening Israel to accountability for war crimes before international law, something Israel tries to avoid at all costs. Gone is the obfuscation that has allowed Israel to maintain its control of the Occupied Territories without assuming any responsibility: from now on, Israel is either an Occupying Power accountable for its actions and policies, or Palestinians have every right to enjoy their human right of travelling freely in and out of their country. Israel can no longer have it both ways. Not only did our two little boats force the Israel military and government to give way, then, they also changed fundamentally the status of Israel's control of Gaza.

When we finally arrived in Gaza after a day and a half sail, the welcome we received from 40,000 joyous Gazans was overwhelming and moving. People sought me out in particular, eager it seemed to speak Hebrew with an Israeli after years of closure. The message I received by people of all factions during my three days there was the same: How do we ("we" in the sense of all of us living in their country, not just Palestinians or Israelis) get out of this mess? Where are WE going? The discourse was not even political: what is the solution; one-state, two-state, etc etc. It was just common sense and straightforward, based on the assumption that we will all continue living in the same country and this stupid conflict, with its walls and siege and violence, is bad for everybody. Don't Israelis see that? people would ask me.

(The answer, unfortunately, is "no." To be honest, we Israeli Jews are the problem. The Palestinian years ago accepted our existence in the country as a people and are willing to accept ANY solution -- two states, one state, no state, whatever. It is us who want exclusivity over the "Land of Israel" who cannot conceive of a single country, who cannot accept the national presence of Palestinians (we talk about "Arabs" in our country), and who have eliminated by our settlements even the possibility of the two-state solution in which we take 80% of the land. So it's sad, truly sad, that our "enemies" want peace and co-existence (and tell me that in HEBREW) and we don't. Yeah, we Israeli Jews want "peace," but in the meantime what we have -- almost no attacks, a feeling of security, a "disappeared" Palestinian people, a booming economy, tourism and ever-improving international status -- seems just fine. If "peace" means giving up settlements, land and control, why do it? What's wrong with the status quo? If it's not broken, don't fix it.)

When in Gaza I also managed to see old friends, especially Eyad al-Sarraj of the Gaza Community Mental Health Program and Raji Sourani, Director of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, whom I visited in his office. I also received honorary Palestinian citizenship, including a passport, which was very meaningful to me as an Israeli Jew.

When I was in Gaza everyone in Israel -- including the media who interviewed me - warned me to be careful, to watch out for my life. Aren't you scared? they asked. Well, the only time I felt genuine and palpable fear during the entire journey was when I got back to Israel. I went from Gaza through the Erez checkpoint because I wanted to make the point that the siege is not only by sea. On the Israeli side I was immediately arrested, charged with violating a military order prohibiting Israelis from being in Gaza and jailed at the Shikma prison in Ashkelon. In my cell that night, someone recognized from the news. All night I was physically threatened by right-wing Israelis -- and I was sure I wouldn't make it till the morning. Ironically, there were three Palestinians in my cell who kind of protected me, so the danger was from Israelis, not Palestinians, in Gaza as well as in Israel. (One Palestinian from Hebron was in jail for being illegally in Israel; I was in jail for being illegally in Palestine.) As it stands, I'm out on bail. The state will probably press charges in the next few weeks, and I could be jailed for two or so months. I now am a Palestinian in every sense of the word: On Monday I received my Palestinian citizenship, on Tuesday I was already in an Israeli jail.

Though the operation was a complete success, the siege will only be genuinely broken if we keep up the movement in and out of Gaza. The boats are scheduled to return in 2-4 weeks and I am now working on getting a boat-load of Israelis.

My only frustration with what was undoubtedly a successful operation was with the fact that Israelis just don't get it - and don't want to get it. The implications of our being the strong party and the fact that the Palestinians are the ones truly seeking peace are too threatening to their hegemony and self-perceived innocence. What I encountered in perhaps a dozen interviews - and what I read about myself and our trip written by "journalists" who never even attempted to speak to me or the others - was a collective image of Gaza, the Palestinians and our interminable conflict which could only be described as fantasy. Rather than enquire about my experiences, motives or views, my interviewers, especially on the mainstream radio, spent their time forcing upon me their slogans and uniformed prejudices, as if giving me a space to explain myself deal a death blow to their tightly-held conceptions.

Ben Dror Yemini of the popular Ma'ariv newspaper called us a "satanic cult." Another suggested that a prominent contributor to the Free Gaza Movement was a Palestinian-American who had been questioned by the FBI, as if that had to do with anything (the innuendo being we were supported, perhaps even manipulated or worse, by "terrorists"). Others were more explicit: Wasn't it true that we were giving Hamas a PR victory? Why was I siding with Palestinian fishermen-gun smugglers against my own country which sought only to protect its citizens? Some simply yelled at me, like an interviewer on Arutz 99. And when all else failed, my interlocutors could always fall back on good old cynicism: Peace is impossible. Jews and Arabs are different species. You can't trust "them." Or bald assertions: They just want to destroy us. Then there's the paternalism: Well, I guess it's good to have a few idealists like you around...

Nowhere in the many interviews was there a genuine curiosity about what I was doing or what life was like in Gaza. No one interested in a different perspective, especially if it challenged their cherished slogans. No one going beyond the old, tired slogans. Plenty of reference, though, to terrorism, Qassam missiles and Palestinian snubbing our valiant efforts to make peace; none whatsoever to occupation, house demolitions, siege, land expropriation or settlement expansion, not to mention the killing, imprisoning and impoverishment of their civilian population. As if we had nothing to do with the conflict, as if we were just living our normal, innocent lives and bad people decided to throw Qassam rockets. Above all, no sense of our responsibility, or any willingness to accept responsibility for the ongoing violence and conflict. Instead just a thoughtless, automatic appeal to an image of Gaza and "Arabs" (we don't generally use the term "Palestinians") that is diametrically opposed to what I've seen and experienced, a slavish repeating of mindless (and wrong) slogans which serve only to eliminate any possibility of truly grasping the situation. In short, a fantasy Gaza as perceived from within a bubble carefully constructed so as to deflect any uncomfortable reality.

The greatest insight this trip has given me is understanding why Israelis don't "get it:" a media comprised by people who should know better but who possess little critical ability and feel more comfortable inside a box created by self-serving politicians than in trying to do something far more creative: understanding what in the hell is going on here.

Still, I formulated clearly my messages to my fellow Israelis, and that constitutes the main content of my interviews and talks:

(1) Despite what our political leaders say, there is a political solution to the conflict and there are partners for peace. If anything, we of the peace movement must not allow the powers-that-be to mystify the conflict, to present it as a "clash of civilizations." The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is political and as such it has a political solution;

(2) The Palestinians are not our enemies. In fact, I urge my fellow Israeli Jews to disassociate from the dead-end politics of our failed political leaders by declaring, in concert with Israeli and Palestinian peace-makers: We refuse to be enemies. And

(3) As the infinitely stronger party in the conflict and the only Occupying Power, we Israelis must accept responsibility for our failed and oppressive policies. Only we can end the conflict.

Let me end by expressing my appreciation to the organizers of this initiative - Paul Larudee and Greta Berlin from the US, Hilary Smith and Bella from the UK, Vaggelis Pissias, a Greek member of the team who provided crucial material and political input, and Jamal al-Khoudri, an independent member of the PLC from Gaza and head of the Popular Committee Against the Siege and others - plus the wonderful group of participants on the boats and the great communication team that stayed ashore. Special appreciation goes to ICAHD's own Angela Godfrey-Goldstein who played a crucial role in Cyprus and Jerusalem in getting the word out. Not to forget our hosts in Gaza (whose names are on the Free Gaza website) and the tens of thousands of Gazans who welcomed us and shared their lives with us. May our peoples finally find the peace and justice they deserve in our common land.


(Jeff Halper is the Director of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD). He can be reached at .)

Intuitive Flash

On a recent hike, I had an experience that reminded me of the power of intuition.

It was the first time I ever hiked wearing headphones. I decided to listen to music as I did a particularly strenuous hike. I wanted to experiment with my 'attitude.' I often find that when my physical fitness limits are tested, I doubt my abilities. I wondered if listening to uplifting, inspiring music would help me counter my natural tendency to doubt myself. Incidental, it worked like a charm! I zoomed right up the mountain while listening to my 'feel good' music!

The one challenge this introduced to my hiking was that I couldn't hear other hikers approaching from behind. I had to pay careful attention to make sure that if someone needed to pass, I moved out of the way.

When I was on my way down the mountain this became even more important. I have more trouble going down, at times, than I do going up. The knees, don't you know. One particular time on my way down, two young ladies were coming towards me, on their way up the mountain. We passed each other each on our different missions. About 10 seconds after they passed me, I suddenly felt the need to turn around. As I turned around to look up the trail towards them, I saw that one young lady had dropped her water bottle and it was rolling down the rather steep trail, rapidly, towards me. I am not very good at catching moving objects, but it was far enough away from me, and coming straight at me, so I was able to reach down and pick it up. The young woman was very grateful. If I hadn't been there, I think the bottle would have gone off a cliff edge somewhere - to be lost forever. I was so glad I was there. The young woman would be in need of that water and, as I mentioned yesterday, I abhor litter on the trail!

How did I know when to turn around? I hadn't felt that need on the entire hike up to that point, about 3 hours by then. With my music volume shall we say, a little loud, I couldn't hear anything. Something in me just said, "turn around... NOW."

I believe we all have this intuition somewhere within us. Call it guidance, the voice of Spirit, intuition... call it what you will. In my perspective, we all have access to this guidance or wisdom. We simply need to cultivate our attention and awareness of it. Like anything else, if we exercise it and practice it - it will strengthen and improve. It can become dependable, in fact.

Intuition is a powerful tool. Got intuition??

Hiking Etiquette

I've been doing a lot of hiking this summer. Getting out in nature is so healing and nurturing to the spirit. The combination of physical exertion and all that beauty is a powerful tonic.

One of the rules of hiking that is most important to me is the admonition to 'leave it as you found it.' Another version of this is 'if you pack it in... pack it out.' It is a rule that demonstrates respect - for both the the nature that is being enjoyed as well as for other hikers that will come later. The practice is meant to preserve and protect the environment so that it remains unspoiled.

On most of the trails I hike around my home people are pretty good about this. You don't find deliberately strewn litter in most cases. (Public beaches, however, are a different story for a different day.) The 'litter' that appears on these hiking trails is most often accidental: a piece of torn energy bar wrapper, a piece of black tape off of piece of equipment or the occasional Kleenex. Yick!

Many of us on the trail go way beyond being careful with our own trash. Some of us are downright obsessive about cleaning up the trail no matter who dropped what. I generally try to remember to carry a plastic bag in my pack, so that I can pick up whatever I find. Often I forget my little sack, so whatever items I find end up in my jacket pocket or my backpack. I have a strict rule that I cannot leave anything on the trail if I find it. (I must be honest though, if I find a dirty Kleenex and don't have anything to pick it up with, I leave that for a better prepared compulsive hiker to tend to.)

My commitment has sent me over the side of a few embankments to retrieve water bottles before - much to the dismay of hiking companions.

It's a powerful concept - this hiking rule. Technically it 'isn't my job' to pick up after anyone else. I'm out on the trail for my own enjoyment, not to clean up other people's messes... right? While that is true, there is a higher responsibility that beckons. We all share the responsibility of keeping our world clean and protected. When other people can't or won't, we do have a duty to step in and do the right thing. That's my opinion anyway.

I'm always hopeful that if someone else sees me pick up the litter, they too might adopt the practice (if they haven't already). You never know who is watching your actions and who might be positively (or negatively as the case may be) influenced by them.

Bottom line, it just 'feels' good to me! I love walking through the woods and seeing a pristine landscape. I don't want to see people's trash on the trail, or along side it.

I carry this practice into other areas as well, although not with the same level of obsession. If I picked up every piece of trash on the street, I'd have a full time job most days. I have a different practice for 'off trail' litter. I'll share that one another time.

We can all have a better world if we step up to the plate and do our part to protect and preserve it's beauty. I encourage you to give it a try!

The Power of Attitude

Yesterday I dropped off a donation at a local charity that supports foster children. It was a bag full of school clothes and a couple of backpacks. As I was handing the donation to the organization's worker and receiving my receipt, a young woman left the building with a couple of bags in her hands. She was pretty and well dressed. She walked outside as I completed my business.

Suddenly I heard a frustrated exclamation from outside, 'GREAT!' and I heard something that sounded like falling and scattering objects hitting the pavement.

As I walked out to my car, I saw the young lady picking up the contents of one of the bags. She had attempted to toss it into a huge trash dumpster and the bag handles had ripped, sending the bag through the air in the opposite direction of the dumpster. The contents had scattered all over the parking lot. there were broken hangers and other trash. She obviously worked for the organization.

I rushed over to help her pick things up. I said, 'Boy, they sure don't make that easy... do they?' I was referring to how high the dumpster walls are. You have to throw things way up in the air to get them inside. She didn't answer.

I tossed a handful of debris into the dumpster and went back for another bunch.

"One of those days?" I asked.

"ALL of my days are like this," she answered. Her voice was sad and dejected.

All I could muster was, "I'm sorry to hear that."

She thanked me for helping and assured me that she could take care of the rest. Most of it was picked up at this point.

I said goodbye to the young lady and continued on to my car.

I felt bad for her. She seemed pretty defeated and discouraged. I longed to have a chat with her, hear her story and help her lift her chin a bit. The time and circumstance was not right.

I don't know what is going on in her life... but whatever it is, I wanted to talk to her about the power of attitude and perspective. I've been in her shoes and walked through life with that type of outlook. It just keeps perpetuating the problem. We really do have the power to influence our circumstances through the attitude that we walk through life with.

I hope for that young woman, that she finds the power inside herself to change her life experience. No matter what is happening to us or around us, the one thing we can control is our attitude and our response to it.

She seemed bright and was certainly attractive and able. She has more going for her than she seemed to realize. I hold good thoughts for her... and her future!

When It's Lit - It's Lit

I recently attended a wedding ceremony. I had a rather amusing experience at the reception I'd like to share with you.

Once the beautiful wedding ceremony was concluded, we moved under a tent (this was an outdoor wedding) for the reception. Many last minute preparations were under way by the event staff. One such task was to light the candles on all of the tables.

Two young men were scurrying around with flame makers, lighting these candles. When one of the guys came to my table I collected the candles closest to me to help him out. As he began to light the candles, I was amused at how he would light the candle wick once, and then continue to spark the flame maker - and repeatedly light the same wick - over and over and over. All I could think to myself was, "Dude... once it's lit... it's lit!"

Seeing this happening, got me thinking about how often I think I'm 'not ready' for something or I'm "not finished" with something when I really am. I believe we often don't give ourselves credit for what we already know, or where we actually are in our evolution or preparation for some task. We keep preparing - well after the time to just "GO" has presented itself. We feel we need to prepare more, accomplish more or do more before we are 'ready.'

I think we often doubt our readiness and our abilities and hold ourselves back in our endeavors.

We need to realize that once our candle is lit... it is lit! Let's stop trying to light the lit candle and take the light out into the world!

If It's Broken Give it a Rest

About two months ago, I injured the tendon in my arm, below my elbow. I overused it (gardening of all things) and inflamed it to the point of great pain. Through the next few weeks I attempted to let it heal and it improved about 50%. Then, the healing process seemed to stall out.

That part of your arm is involved in almost everything you do! I would never have realized that before. I was doing everyday things, like brushing my hair, and it would cause great pain - quite unexpectedly.

After 7 weeks, I was still in the same place with the injury. It was about 50% healed, and not improving. I was frustrated. I can't do my complete workouts, I can't garden, and I can't do a lot of normal activities, like using scissors!

I suddenly realized that my arm needs complete rest in order to heal. Even simple motions (anything involving lifting) are causing it injury. So about 5 days ago, I started wearing both a 'tennis elbow' band and a tendonitis brace. The two things together impede my ability to go on autopilot and use my arm! I've been really successful at not using my arm during this time, and it is already tremendously better.

Complete rest is not easy! It is very inconvenient. It is extremely frustrating. It is also entirely necessary for this healing process to take hold and complete itself.

Sometimes we have to do what is inconvenient and frustrating for a time in order to restore ourselves to full functioning. I've certainly seen that up close and personal with this injury! Hopefully within the next couple weeks my tendon will agree that it is time to return to more normal activities. Until that time... it's on holiday!

Don't Take the Drive if You Don't Look at the View

I have a friend visiting me from California at the moment. We took a glorious drive up on Mount Rainier today, and did one of my favorite hikes from Cougar Rock Camp Ground to Narada Falls (and back). It's a 5.4 mile hike with stunning views of the Paradise River, Carter Falls and the crowning glory, Narada Falls. We had a wonderful time driving through the park, then hiking this gorgeous trail and engaging in delightful conversation all the while. I was driving in my convertible, the weather was fairly cooperative and it felt wonderful to be out in nature enjoying all that it has to offer.

After our hike as we were driving down the mountain, we went by a place in the road where another waterfall cascades very close by. The car in front of me stopped so that the passenger could snap a photo. I didn't mind at all. We were all driving so slow anyway, and after all, that's why we were there. I stopped for a second as well so my friend could snap a photo. I was paused no more than 5 seconds when the guy in the car behind me laid on his horn. It was one of the rudest encounters I've had in a long time!

There was a long line of cars winding it's way down the mountain. The speed limit ranges between 35 and 25 miles an hour. It's a scenic highway, not a thoroughfare. People on that road have come to enjoy nature and the park.

What was this guy's problem? My friend and I were shocked. I did make a frustrated gesture in the review mirror. (No... not the one you are thinking of), and I think it actually embarrassed the guy, because he backed off and kept his distance as we drove down the mountain, even though we were all driving pretty slowly.

It begs the question... why the heck was he so irritated and impatient? For all the reasons previously mentioned someone being that impatient was completely out of the range of normal behavior. If you don't want to look at the scenery, for goodness sake, don't take the scenic drive with those who do!! Or better yet, take a deep breath, relax, and ask yourself, "What would I do with those extra 3 seconds if that person wasn't snapping their photo?" It's a great question.

Let's all show each other a little bit of compassion and patience for goodness sake!

My Guardian Door Frog

Little things in life can bring us such joy. I am often amused at how happy I become over the smallest things.

My office is in a daylight basement. For those of you who live in areas where basements aren't common, that means that although part of the room is underground, at least one wall opens up to ground level.

I have a set of double french doors that lead out into my garden. About a month ago, I opened the doors to step outside for a breath of fresh air. As I started to take my first step, a bright green spot caught my eye. It was about between the size of a dime and a quarter. I looked down examine the spot and discovered that it was a bright green little frog!

On that particular day it was a welcome little gift from the universe. I garden organically and attempt to make a hospital environment for critters of all kinds. Seeing this little fellow proved that he (and his kind) feel welcome here.

I watched the little guy for a while and that must have made him a bit nervous because he finally hopped over and crawled underneath one of my Balinese guardian statues that flank my office doors.

Imagine my surprise when the next day I returned to open the door and find my little green friend in the exact same spot! This must be a good "bug gettin" location, because this little frog is there almost every day. I notice that on super hot days he doesn't make an appearance, or on particularly cold days either.

He has become a little companion for me. I can't go into my office without checking to see if he's there. I have also shared his presence with several visitors, who can't quite believe that I KNOW he will be sitting right there.

He's just plain cute. Everyone that has seen him feels happy after the encounter.

May we all be able to not only see these small gifts around us, but may we also be able to fully enjoy and appreciate them for all they are worth!

Teaching is an Art

I'm home from my trip to the island of Maui in Hawaii. My mom, niece and I had a wonderful time.

Here is a picture of us at the wedding we attended on Oahu! Talk about paradise!!


While we were on Maui, my niece and I took a surfing lesson. It was my second lesson and her first.

Sarah and I before our surfing lesson:


I had a lesson on the Oregon coast last summer (in a wet suit and FREEZING cold water!). This one on Maui was a bit disappointing in comparison.

I have no doubt that our instructor was an excellent surfer himself. No doubt what-so-ever. He didn't seem to possess much interest or skill at actually transmitting that knowledge to others.

First off, we were confined to a small area with about 100 other newbie surfers. You couldn't take off on a wave without someone being right in front of your path, or emerging on top of you as you stood up. That wasn't our instructor's fault... but it was not conducive to learning. It would be like trying to learn to drive... your first time... on an LA freeway.

But something else was lacking in our lesson. Our surfing instructor was so much an expert, that I believe he had forgotten what it was like to 'not know.'

We all know what its like to understand something so completely, that it is difficult to relate to people who have 'no knowledge' of the subject.

I believe that was part of the problem with our instructor. He gave us a few basic concepts, but didn't cover the mechanics that would be needed for a beginner to really put together the moves you need to get up (and stay up) on a wave.

I am somewhat of an expert in particular aspects of technology. I have successfully taught many people to use computers. Some of my friends who are even greater experts than I cannot teach new users. They find it too frustrating, and they are unable to 'go back' to the basics, even in the interest of good teaching.

Being great at something, and being a great teacher do not necessarily go hand in hand. It take patience, understanding, and an ability to 'go back' in order to be a good teacher. Not everyone has that gift!

We need to respect the teachers in our lives. It is, indeed, a gift!

Also, when we are called upon to teach, it is important to try to put ourselves int he place of the beginner... and 'go back' to what a beginner would need to understand!

Happy learning... and teaching! :)

Sometimes You Have to Be Stuck to Appreciate Being Free

Yesterday, my niece and I took a surfing lesson in Kihei. That's another story for another time! Trying to get out of Kihei and back to the Kaanapali area (where we are staying) is what I want to focus on today.

After our surfing lesson, we cleaned up and had lunch at a restaurant near the beach. Then, we found a store we really liked and spent some time trying on clothes. After our shopping experience, it was time to drive the 50 minutes back towards Lahaina, so we could do a little more shopping and have dinner.

As we started out onto the roadway, we found ourselves sitting still in traffic. I mean STILL. The only 'progress' we made was when someone would turn off the road in exasperation. We were seriously stuck.

We heard on the radio that there was a grass fire on one of the only two roads into the area. We were on one of those roads. Traffic from the other road was being diverted to our road and we were stuck in a massive jam.

After sitting in the traffic, broiling for about 45 minutes, I decided to turn around, find a restaurant and just hang out for a while. This was certainly not our plan. We were going to go do a little shopping, head back to our condo and relax. That was not to be.

We spent about 1.5 hours in this restaurant killing time, and then it appeared that the traffic was moving again. We headed out, and although we hit more backups on our way (related to the fire) we were moving steadily the whole time. It felt so good to be moving!

It's all relative. The slow pace at which we actually ended up leaving Kihei would have been irritating and annoying to me any other day. When comparing it to sitting absolutely STILL in traffic, however, it felt wonderful to be moving!

Our plans had to change and we had to readjust. It wasn't any one's fault that it happened. It didn't do a bit of good to get upset or frustrated. We had to just roll with what we encountered. So we did.

There is no better way to appreciate moving freely than to be stuck or held back for awhile. That is an instant refresher course in not taking things for granted!

Appreciating everything is a practice I encourage us all to work with!

"It's all relative" is a powerful concept that it would be wise to remember.

Aloha!!

Been a Little Absent...

Aloha from Maui! I've been offline for a few days. Having fun in the surf and sun! I've been slacking! I'm heading home tomorrow (Wednesday), so things should return to 'normal.' If one can begin to define normal, that is!

I am going to try to write about a couple things that we've encountered along the way. I hope. If I can muster some motivation! :)

Aloha!

Paradise!

I'm tired today... so, all I want to do is share a picture of paradise. This is the view from the table at a restaurant where I had lunch today. When I think of Hawaii, this is what I think of. The water color, the crashing waves, the palm trees. It is truly paradise.

This is taken from Mama's Fish House, near Paia Maui. An awesome place to eat if you are ever blessed with the chance: Link to Mama's Fish House website

Aloha!

Fighting the Tide

Aloha from the beautiful island of Maui! As I said earlier this week, I'm here on a vacation with my mom and niece. We arrived yesterday and are having a fabulous time already!

We got up fairly early today and headed to a wonderful beach. My niece and I swam in the ocean for over 2 hours, while my mom held down the 'fort' (our sheet, lawn chair, and beach gear).

I was amazed at how uncomfortable I felt initially, out in the water. There was a current and a definite high wind that was blowing us down the beach. We had to continually swim back to our starting point, which took a lot of effort. I kept getting hit by waves and ending up with salt water in my mouth. That was unpleasant. Treading water seemed to take a lot of energy. I put on my snorkeling flippers at one point, and that was like learning to walk and swim all over again. Very awkward and tiring.

Then, at some point, something happened. I started to figure out how to relax into my environment. I started to automatically move my body in ways that 'worked' with the water, instead of fighting against it. It was like a revelation to me that I could relax... float... and let the water hold me rather than struggle against the natural rhythm of the waves.

Even in my flippers, I learned that if I moved my legs as though I were running in slow motion, it was almost an effortless way to tread water. It felt great.

The flippers also helped me easily reposition myself when I would drift down the beach. It was much easier than swimming without them.

I also experienced the ultimate relaxation... leaning back into the water and floating. Simply allowing myself to be supported by the water. I didn't have to do a thing except... be there. What a joy. It was the most relaxed I can remember being in quite some time.

What a life lesson that is. How often do we use way more energy than we have to in the living of our lives? How often do we struggle, when all we really need to do is relax into something? How common is it that we resist with all our might, when what is called for is simple surrender? How many times do we feel that we are in danger, or that we need to flail against something, when in actuality that is totally and completely unnecessary? I suspect it is more often than we realize.

My teacher, Dr. Chuck Bruni used to always tell me, "What we resist persists, what we fight against grows stronger." Ain't it the truth!?!?!?

I have several more days here in Hawaii to be taught about relaxing into life and giving up my struggle oriented approach to things. I intend to make use of every precious minute of this invaluable education!

Happy floating!

Nim's Island

I had the opportunity to watch a very sweet movie yesterday called, “Nim’s Island.” I have to tell you that when I saw the previews for this movie, I thought it might be amusing, but I wasn’t completely excited about it. I adore Jody Foster, however, so when given the opportunity to watch it on a flight, I was eager to see what the story was about.

It was an enchanting story from the start. Sweet and heart string tugging. Definitely a “Nola movie” as my friends would say.

What was most appealing to me, however, was the message (surprise surprise) in the unfolding story. Jody foster stole the show with her performance as Alex Rover, an adventure novel writer who suffers from Agoraphobia (fear of being out in the world/marketplace) and a touch of OCD (Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder. She is terrified to leave her San Francisco apartment and she is even more afraid of germs!

Alex starts an email conversation with Nim, a little girl living on a remote island. When Nim’s father fails to return home from a two day trip, and Nim is injured in a journey to research the island’s volcano in response to one of Alex’s questions, their adventure together begins.

Nim must find the courage to deal with the challenges of her island life without her father. She’s has a cut on her leg and has the threat of invaders coming to take over her island to deal with. One of the funniest lines in the movie is when Nim writes in email to Alex that she has a cut on her leg that has started to swell and has pus coming out of it. She asks Alex, “How would you handle a 5 inch cut that is swelling and has pus coming out?” To which Alex, who is sitting in front of her computer screen, mutters aloud, “BADLY!” I almost died laughing.

Nim, thinking she is emailing with the adventurer himself, asks Alex to come to the island to help her. Alex in a phobia driven world is torn between the 11 year old girl’s request and the grip of her consuming fears. In the end, she decides she must make the journey to try and help this little girl in her isolated and frightening world.

Alex’s journey to Nim’s Island is fraught with challenges, germs and fear filled scenarios… but she faces each one down (not always gracefully) in order to help another human being in need. It is so often true that we can often do things for others that we would never do for ourselves. The goodness of our human hearts often comes rushing forward, conquering our fears, when another person needs our help.

In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, we see this theme again, when Indiana must
take action to save his dying father. He must take a ‘leap of faith’ out into a seemingly open chasm, and trust that the foretold footbridge will appear. Indiana would never have taken that step for the sake of adventure, or even for the sake of the treasure he was seeking at that moment. Only his love for his father and his desire to save his life gave him the courage and drive to take that step.

Alex, in this story, was only able to step outside her apartment to respond to the needs of the little 11 year old Nim. She wouldn’t have done it for herself.
Never underestimate the power of love and the desire to help another person. It can give us the courage and motivation to do what needs to be done!

Aloha!

Sometimes in life, you just have to take a break! I'm off today to Hawaii with my mother and niece. We're going to go do a little swimming, snorkeling, surfing and just plain relaxing!

I will be blogging while I'm there, but I will be on "Island Time." That means, I'm not sure I'll be as predictable as I usually am! It's time to bust out of the box for a few days and let the warm, tropical beauty of Hawaii work its magic on me.

The three of us will be spending some wonderful time together... and getting geared up for the "back to school" time of year. My mother is a former teacher, and I know that each August still feels like a 'revving up' time to get ready for the new crop of kids coming through. My niece will be starting back to school soon, and I, even though my school days are long past, still always feel like I'm 'starting over' in the fall.

These last few days of summer are an excellent time to rejuvenate and restore. I personally want to launch into my fall with more enthusiasm and vigor than ever before!

Even if you can't go to Hawaii... I encourage you to find a way to celebrate the last few days of summer and prepare yourself physically and mentally for 'a new season.' It's right around the corner and it's available to all of us!

Aloha!

Back to School for Foster Kids

Back to school time is such an exciting, wonderful time for children. I remember the anticipation looking forward to the first day of school every year. Buying my new clothes for school and buying the needed supplies were part of the annual ritual.

Each year, it was a new beginning. The new clothes and the brand new notebooks were like a clean slate. The new things helped me mentally step in to the year fresh and enthusiastic.

I did not grow up in a wealthy family by any stretch, but we always had what we needed. I was fortunate to be raised with both my parents there to provide for me and help me along my way.

Foster kids are in a very tough situation. Separated from their families by sometimes horrible circumstances, they find themselves in foster homes, being cared for by people who start out as strangers to them. The money available to care for these kids is nowhere near enough to meet their basic needs.

I came across a wonderful organization here in Seattle a few years ago called, "The Treehouse" which provides a wide variety of support to foster kids. They have some tremendous programs... everything from providing new school clothes and supplies to providing 'coaching to college' mentoring. It is a wonderful organization that makes a difference to countless kids. Their goal is to help foster kids have a more 'normal' experience in their day to day lives.

Here is the website for the Treehouse. Check it out: The Treehouse Website

I have supported various 'drives' that the Treehouse puts on to help these kids. Currently, they are having their back to school drive to collect the things that kids need to start their bright and shiny new school year on the right foot. I have a shopping bag that I will take to the store and pick some things for a foster kid, to let them know that someone cares about them... and wants them to have a great school year.

Whenever I do something like this, I like to involve one of the kids in my life. I have them pick out the things, as though they were shopping for themselves. First of all, I have more confidence in what they would pick out for someone their own age over what I would choose! Secondly, I like for them to think about kids who don't have all of their advantages and share some time and effort to help someone out. It's a win-win situation.

Think about helping out a less fortunate child as they start this new school year. It doesn't have to be a big expense. It doesn't take much to light up a child's face. There are plenty of good organizations out there that provide ways for us to help these kids. I encourage you to find one... and volunteer some time, or some resources to make a difference in a child's future.

Their future... is our future!

Let The Cake Bake!

There is a useful analogy I've used with many clients over the years that I'd like to share with you today. So often, we are impatient when it comes to waiting for things to unfold in our lives. Whether it's a relationship, one's financial security, or your career, there are times in life where you do the best you can do... and then you wait.

We can't simply WILL something to be different in this instant. It will take what it takes to get to where we want to be. Our job is to do what is ours to do and then let it be.

The analogy I use with people is the example of making a cake. If we mix up the cake batter and put it in the oven, we can't go back 5 minutes later and expect the cake to be baked! If we pull it out after 5 minutes we shouldn't be surprised if we have a gooey, gicky mess that in no way resembles the cake that we seek. Yet, so many of us do this regularly. We expect the cake to be done, simply because we want (or need) it to be. That is not the way that a cake, or life for that matter, works!

Our wanting or needing something to be true is not what makes it happen. The cake takes what it takes in order to completely bake and be ready to eat. You have to prepare the oven at the right temperature and you have to put the cake in and LEAVE IT ALONE! If you continually open the oven door to check on it, or pull it out when you WANT it (even if it still has time left to bake) you will not get the cake that you seek.

Close the oven door and let the cake bake!

Shifting Gears for the First Time

I was recently teaching a young friend to drive a stick shift vehicle. I learned many many years ago. When my father taught me, there was limited instruction given, followed by a lot of jerky driving as I learned through trial and error exactly what to do... and not do.

As I taught my friend, she practiced starting and stopping the car. Over and over again, she went through the procedure of taking her foot off the brake, putting it on the gas and slowly releasing the clutch as she gave it the gas. Sometimes she did it flawlessly. Other times she jerked a bit. A couple of times she killed it. Each effort was equally useful to the learning process. Finding out what does not work is just as valuable as finding out what does work!

On the second lesson, after a review of starting and stopping, it was time to learn to shift from first to second gear. We talked the process through many many times. She practiced sliding the gear shift from first, straight back into second with the clutch depressed and the break on. we 'rehearsed' the process over and over again to get her familiar with the sequencing of what she would need to do. We identified the exact spot in the parking lot where 'the shift' would take place.

I explained that it was actually much easier to shift from 1st to 2nd gear than it is to start from a dead stop. As reassuring as I was, my friend was still really afraid to actually DO IT! She was afraid she would hurt my car. She was not sure what the worst case scenario would be. She was trying to compare what might happen to the worst experiences she had when launching a jerky start.

She didn't feel she was ready. I knew she was. I finally said, "No matter how many times we talk it through, or how much you prepare, you won't know you can do it... until you do it. GO!"

And... Go she did! Her first shift from 1st to 2nd may have been an internally stressful event, but she pulled it off perfectly in the external world! I was so elated for her! She'll never again doubt that she can do it!

For so many experiences in life, we simply don't know we can do something... until we do it! There's no other way than to take the leap and do it.

I can't remember what it was like when I made my first shift back in 1980, but I got to relive a bit of that thrill with my young friend. I was absolutely certain she could do it, but she was totally unsure. I was reminded again that often I am indeed ready for something, but I don't feel like I'm there yet.

Sometimes... you just have to DO IT! I'm no exception... and neither are you!

Enjoy The View Table for Goodness Sake

A couple weeks ago, I was staying at a lodge on Lake Crescent, which I believe is the most beautiful lake in the world.

Although the photos here do not do it justice, you can take a look at the Lake Crescent Lodge Website.

Of all the times I've eaten at the restaurant at the Lake Crescent Lodge, I had never been fortunate enough to get a window table, until this visit. My friend and I were given a beautiful window table for the breakfast that we ate on our last morning there. I was mesmerized by the beauty of the sunlight reflecting off of the crystal clear water.

One thing that I've noticed when I'm in places with a water view is how often people don't even look at the view they've been given! Often people sit with their backs to the view, even if they could sit facing out towards whatever the surrounding beauty is! I'm always simply amazed. Why would you ignore the beauty that is available to you?

I think often times we get so caught up in the day to day or the details of our lives we literally forget to look around. Or, in the case of a fabulous view table in a restaurant, perhaps we simply don't know what to do with it once we've gotten it!

I'm one of those who loves to stare out at whatever view I have available to me. It helps me think. It helps me connect with my present moment. It helps me forget my troubles and realize that there are many beautiful things in this life to be enjoyed, even when I have problems.

Next time you are given the opportunity to enjoy a great view, where ever you are, take advantage of it!

Chasing Jumping Fish

I'm at the beach enjoying a quasi-rest with a good friend of mine. We were having a discussion about investing, among other things, and how it is important to pick a strategy, implement it, and then give it time to work without constant tinkering or redirecting.

He gave a fantastic analogy of the futility of constantly shifting directions. He talked about how, as a younger man, when he would go fishing on a lake he would see a fish jump and move his boat to that area, believing 'that's where the fish were.' As he would sit in his new spot he would see a fish jump in another area and he would move his boat again to the new 'hot spot.' This process would continue, usually without catching any fish, until his fishing time was through.

Instead of simply picking a spot and waiting for some fish to come along, he was chasing that 'apparent' fishy spots one after another. Each time he'd move his boat, he would most likely be disturbing the fish in that area, causing them to go somewhere else. The lure of the visible, jumping fish was somewhat of an illusion, but it was an intoxicating and compelling illusion!

This is so true in life. We have to give our strategies time to work before we pull the plug. Sure, it is important to look for signs of redirection, but we must also realize that most things don't happen instantly. It takes time to know if something is going to work... be it a job, a relationship, a recipe or an investing approach. If we mixed up the ingredients for a loaf of bread, but didn't give it time to rise before baking, we would not get the result we hoped.

We have to sit still in one place to catch a fish. We need to let our bread dough rise before we bake it. Constantly flitting around from approach to approach will not usually yield a good result.

Patience and time. That's what most endeavors require.

We Can't Do It All

I came across this quote today,

"One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach."
~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh

It reminds me that sometimes I get a little too eager and take on too many projects all at one time. I have a tendancy to be interested in everything and often want to be involved in more activities than a realistic alottment of time will allow.

I even feel a sense of urgency about it at times. I begin to feel frustrated when I don't have time to do all the things I want to do.

Over the years, I have learned to work with myself around this challenge. I remind myself that tomorrow is another day and I will have other chances to do what I didn't get to in the current day. I carry it further at times and remind myself that I will be learning new things and experiencing new activities for as long as I live. That seems to help me relax a little bit.

I also have to accept that I might not get to do absolutely everything I have an inkling to do! I'll give it my best shot, but I might not be able to do it.

That's what the quote reminds me of. No one can collect all the beautiful shells on the beach. It's impossible. The trick is to thoroughly enjoy the ones we do collect - both the process of getting it and enjoying the item (or experience) itself. That's the key!

As you 'collect your shells' today, remember to enjoy every moment, and admire the shells you have in your hands, and let go of the ones you haven't gotten to.

Celebrating Feet

Have you ever really stopped to think about your feet and all they do for you? I think our feet are one of the most under appreciated parts of our bodies. They are absolutely miracles in their own right, and yet, most of us take them for granted each and every day!

It isn't until we have a problem with our feet (or lose one or both) that we truly appreciate what they do for us.

I was at my Physical Therapist's office yesterday, and we were discussing the marvelous things that our feet do for us. On any type of terrain, we are held upright, as our feet make the adjustments necessary to keep the rest of our bodies upright and level.

There are tons of little bones in our feet, muscles, tendons, all working together to keep us in balance and moving through our lives.

We abuse our feet. We put them in tight, hot (but oh so cute) shoes. We just expect them to keep going... and going... and going... no matter what we put them through.

Yet, our feet carry us through our days with stability and dependability - far more than we give them credit for.

I am a big believer in showing appreciation to those things that serve us. When was the last time that your feet had a great massage? Or a good soak? Or were just propped up and elevated to give them a little break?

Take a few moments today to appreciate your feet! Your life would not be the same without them!

Lift the Toilet Handle For Goodness Sake!

One of the restaurants I eat at quite often has a problem in one of the women's toilet stalls. The handle you press down to flush the toilet gets stuck in the down position. This happens each and every time the toilet is flushed.

Many times I have opened the door to that stall to find that someone has used the facilities, but has not flushed, because the handle is in the 'down' position (and there is nowhere to go from there!)

I'm astounded by the fact that the people who are encounter this 'problem' do not think to lift up the handle. That is all that is necessary to restore the toilet to working status. Yet, people try to push 'down' (on the handle that is already down), it doesn't work, and they abandon their endeavor, only to leave a mess for the next person.

I know that these folks are not doing this intentionally. To them, they believe they have encountered an unsolvable problem. Yet, the solution is so obvious, and is staring them in the face.

I'm also amused that the restaurant managers haven't thought to put up a simple sign to explain this to people.

The shower curtain article I posted yesterday talked about 'simple solutions' to problems that we see as complex. This posting is another such example.

Sometimes the answer is easy and obvious, yet we believe ourselves to be trapped or stuck. Think outside the box. Sometimes you have to 'lift up' instead of 'pressing down.' :)

Curved Shower Curtains

What a revelation! For about the past year, I've been noticing something amazing in hotel rooms across America! Someone finally invented a way to keep a shower curtain from blowing into the shower and plastering itself to the body of the bather!

It seems so simple... and yet, many travelers have suffered from slimey shower curtains sticking to their bodies for years and years and years!

The solution? To make a curved shower curtain rod! The bottom of the shower curtain stays safely within the confines of the tub, while the top billows out away from the bather. Brilliant! And yet... so obvious!

Why did it take so long for someone to come up with such an obvious solution to this irritating problem?

Often, I think we expect that solutions will be hard or complex. We can't imagine that answers could be obvious or easy. So, we overlook the solutions that stare us straight in the face.

Maybe we should stop trying so hard and just look at things in a more practical down to earth way? Perhaps we could solve more of the world's problems, if we stopped believing the problems to be too complex to resolve!

The Bridge is No Longer There

Not more than two weeks ago, I drove to one of my favorite hiking spots. As I drove the familiar route, I crossed an old bridge I have crossed many times before. I noticed that the new bridge they were constructing right beside the old one was almost finished. It seemed to spring up overnight.

Yesterday, as I drove to my hiking trail, I noticed that the new bridge was open and I was going to be crossing that new bridge for the first time. Kind of a a neat experience to cross a bridge for the first time... but that's another lesson!

As I drove across the new bridge, I looked carefully at the old bridge. I was a bit shocked to see that the old bridge, although structurally in tact, had no deck! They had already removed the driving surface from the bridge! There was nothing there to drive across.

A shiver ran through my spine as I thought about how scary it would be to have taken the wrong road and suddenly find that the bridge was no longer there.

I started thinking about the fact that just because we've gone somewhere in the past, or taken a particular route before, doesn't mean that it will always be there. Sometimes things that worked in the past... stop working. Sometimes methods that served us in the past... no longer serve us. Sometimes something that seemed solid, suddenly falls away and will no longer support us.

I guess the lesson I took away from this encounter with the bridge is that we must always be aware of our surroundings and what is happening within us and in our lives. Sometimes we have to change course, because the old one simply no longer exists as we once knew it. This is part of life. The only response is to keep our eyes open and adjust accordingly!

Sharing My Twins with the World

Just a quick entry today... I finally got photos of my twins... the baby deer I have hanging out in my yard, that is. I actually have another mother with a single baby. So I have three, precious, new lives being nurtured on my property.

I love that they feel safe in my yard. I've actually been out gardening and had one or both of the babies stop very close to me, wide eyed, and just stare at me. They are so curious and so cute.

Watching the two babies 'frolic' with each other is one thing in life that give me a lot of joy. :) They are so innocent and so playful. Ahhh.... to recapture some of that in our selves!

What a wonderful feeling! Here they are....







The proud and alert mama deer:

The Gift of Sleep

God had a really good idea when he came up with sleep! I have to say, I really do love sleeping.

Perhaps I appreciate it a bit more because I've often had difficulties with my sleeping. Most notably, I've struggled with nightmares off and on for much of my life. The nightmares are graphic and disturbing. When I have a nightmare, I frequently wake up in the morning feeling as though I've been running all night long. In other words, I'm exhausted and feel completely unrested.

It's true that when you live without something, you are more apt to sincerely appreciate it when you finally catch hold of it. Any night that I have a solid, restful night's sleep is a miracle for me. I revel in it as a gift, and I'm always sure to give thanks for it in the morning.

I don't know about you, but when I'm well rested, the world just looks better to me. I feel better and my outlook is immeasurably brighter! I feel like I can take on the world and do what needs to be done. When I'm tired things look bleaker and more daunting. I feel unmotivated and uninspired to do much of anything. It can seem like a challenge just to get through the day.

I've put a lot of research and effort into securing good sleep for myself. I do things like trying to 'wind down' for the hour before I go to bed. I'm not always religious about this, but it is my goal. It makes a difference.

By far the biggest difference for me, however, has been in paying attention to my caffeine consumption. I'm an iced tea junkie, so that is where my biggest temptation comes. What I've learned, however, is that there is a direct coorelation between the quality of my sleep and the amount of caffeine that I take in. I have even noticed a link between my nightmares and my caffeine consumption. The interesting part is, that I might be able to get to sleep just fine, which would lead one to believe they hadn't had 'too much' caffeine, but in my case that isn't really the critical factor. I seem to have a 'threshold' that if I cross it, with regards to how much caffeine is in my system, my sleep quality is disturbed and I start waking up with that 'icky' feeling in the morning - kind of like an emotional hangover.

It amazes me that I can still allow my caffeine consumption to 'creep up' into the red zone, with all the knowledge I have about its negative affects on me. Yet, it happens. I had a couple bad nights of nightmares this past week, and had to 'reign in' my tea drinking, once again. Now I'm back to normal. My past two nights of sleep have been blissful, restive and nightmare free. I'm again back to my place of marveling at the gift of good sleep.

If you have trouble sleeping, I encourage you to seek a resolution with every ounce of your determination. There is simply nothing that makes life better faster than sleeping well!

Happy snoozing!

Ask and You Shall Receive

I'm sitting in a hotel lobby as I write this. My friend is still asleep in our room. I decided to let her have her rest, packed up my computer and headed to the lobby to write some articles and have my morning coffee.

Suddenly I realized that I didn't know what time check out was. I barely had time to think the thought, "I wonder what time we need to check out" when the front desk phone rang. The receptionist answered the phone, paused as her caller spoke and she said, 'Check out time is 11am.'

Now, while its true that many, if not most, hotel check out times are 11am, I was most amazed that at the moment I asked the question, the answer came! Indirectly, of course, as I did not speak the question out loud. To me, this is a sign that what we need is often available to us right in front of our nose!

I appreciate it when I can live in that flow of believing and knowing that what I need is there for me when I need it. It is a beautiful way to live to trust that what we need for the living of our lives is right there - waiting for us!

Trying to Absorb the Unabsorbable

I often have unrealistic expectations of myself. It's something I've worked on for a long time, but still find challenging. One way this pattern shows up for me is that I take on unusual tasks and expect myself to simply 'handle them' in my life without skipping a beat. I make no exceptions for the fact that the new task might require a big 'resource hit' in time, energy and sometimes even money!

I went on a hike last Friday. It wasn't a huge hike, but it is not something that I do every day. I did the hike in the afternoon, and the weather was quite hot. Usually when I hike, i go in the morning when its cooler. I drank a lot more water than I usually do, which was very necessary. In that way, I did alter my normal agenda to accommodate a different reality.

After the hike I was really wiped out. I had dinner and showered, but for the rest of the evening I struggled to complete the tasks I wanted and needed to do. I was a bit confused about how such a 'small thing' could sap my energy so completely.

The truth is, it was a hot, strenuous hike for me. I don't do that every day. I had already worked out at the gym that morning, and done many other activities before I decided to hike in the afternoon heat.

My fatigued state was actually a normal response to the day I'd had. I might not have liked it, but it did make sense, given all that I had done that day, or that week for that matter.

When we take on something, anything new, or different, we need to cut ourselves some slack in other areas. We can't expect ourselves to take on new endeavors with zero impact to our life. That is a sure set up for frustration!

Make sure you allow the extra time, energy and resources that are required by a new experience. It makes the entire endeavor more successful and ultimately more satisfying!

When Rain Makes the Day

I have an out of town guest visiting me from the east coast for a week. This is typically the time of year when we have our best weather. As the date of her arrival has approached, I've eagerly checked the weather report... and the extended forcast. For the past couple weeks I've been delighted to see nothing but sunshine on the horizon. Suddenly, a few days ago, the forcast started to change, and rain drops started appearing in the line up. I was really bummed. How often does this friend come to the west coast? I had so many good weather dependent activities that I wanted to take her to experience. Now, rain!!!!

Today we arrived in Port Angeles, Washington. Gateway to the Olympic mountain range. Today, my only plan was for us to get the ferry from Seattle, and get to Port Angeles before dinner time. I was planning for us to drive up to "Hurricane Ridge" tomorrow morning and possibly do some hiking. The forcast is calling for rain showers tomorrow. Hurricane Ridge in the rain would not be great. If the clouds are low, you really can't see the stunning vistas!

We arrived in Port Angeles around 4pm. that was actually ahead of my planned schedule. I checked with my guest to see if she was up for the 2 hour round trip drive, plus whatever time we spent at the top. The weather today was really nice, and I knew we would get the views I wanted her to experience. So, although we wouldn't get to hike, the most important part of the experience would be available to her. She was all for it.

We started up into the mountains. Another guest at our hotel had mentioned to us that they were doing repairs on the road going up to Hurricane Ridge, and that we might encounter long delays. Another setback in my mind. As we made the drive, we were delighted to find that because of the late hour, most of the construction activities had been halted for the day, and there were also not too many cars traveling up the mountain, or down! By driving up at the end of this day, we were most likely avoiding lengthy delays sitting in traffic back ups!

The view from the top was indeed spectacular! The drive up was stunning as always. My friend was able to experience the best that this region has to offer, without the frustrating time delays of road construction. Why? Because tomorrow's forcast called for rain.

What I originally considered a negative, turned out to be highly beneficial! We were able to do exactly what I'd hoped we could. Tomorrow, even if the weather had been great, we wouldn't have had as nice of a trip up into the mountains!

Guess what? The clouds have rolled in now, and it looks like it will rain any time. I'm already busy planning some weather independent activities for tomorrow to take advantage of the 'new' time we have available to us.

Sometimes a little rain... is a great thing!

When the Universe Comes Through

I was feeling a bit frustrated yesterday. I had several tasks to accomplish, and it seemed that I was missing one component needed to complete each one. I needed a routing number for a new checking account in order to complete paperwork for setting up my automatic monthly mortgage payment, and I was waiting on paperwork for a condo rental that I'm in the process of completing. I was also lamenting the fact that an order I had placed for some books and DVDs had not arrived by the deadline I needed them by. It was just one of those moments in time where I couldn't seem to get anything finished!

I then realized that I hadn't picked up Saturday's mail from my box. I went outside to pick up the mail, never expecting that any of my problems were about to be resolved.

Yet, when I opened the mailbox, there were the 'missing elements' for each of these three tasks! A box of checks had arrived for my new account. The numbers I needed would, of course, be on the checks! My DVD and book order was also there! I honestly didn't expect them to arrive until late next week! Finally, the condo rental confirmation packet was there as well. All the information I was lacking was suddenly in my hands!

What a lift that was to my spirits! I had been in a rather frustrated state. I was stuck in my ability to move any of those projects forward. Then, with one small act - going to the mailbox - all of those stalled projects leaped forward!

We never know when things are going to break loose or when we are going to take a leap forward. Our job is to keep moving along as best we can and know that the breakthrough can come at any moment!

Pay Attention to Warning Signs

Why is it that we can sometimes ignore obvious warning signs and get ourselves into trouble?

Recently, I have been very focused on getting my garden 'whipped into shape.' I've been weeding and pruning like crazy. I had a deadline set for myself to reach a certain milestone by July 18th. I put in a lot of extra hours in the two weeks prior to my 'drop dead' date.

My right forearm and elbow started to hurt a lot about one week into my intense work period. I was so determined to meet my milestone, I kept working despite increasing pain. At one point, I was using clippers, braced against the ground because the pain was so intense when I would squeeze the clipper handles. I had to use the ground to get enough leverage to make the cut!

For the past week, I've been in pain, pretty much all the time. It gets much worse when I try to lift any weight with my right arm. After seeing my physical therapist today, turns out I injured a pretty important tendon. I have 'tennis elbow' or in other words, a type of tendonitis, caused by overuse. This particular injury takes a lot of time to heal because this area of the arm is used so heavily in ordinary activities. Giving it a complete rest is actually quite difficult.

Several people told me to take it easy when I was working so hard in the garden (and was also complaining about my elbow and arm pain). Yet, I continued to push through the intensifying pain and work.

My body was sending me clear messages that I was exceeding my limitations, yet I chose to ignore those messages.

When we ignore warning signs, we often have a price to pay. Let's call it tuition in the school of life. I'm paying my tuition now through the inconvenience of having a persistent, nagging injury. I'll recover, but I'm hopeful that next time my body is screaming at me, I'll listen!

Warning signs are there for a reason. Paying attention to the signs can save us a lot of trouble!

Get Moving to Gain Momentum

Sometimes I don't feel like doing something I need to do. It happens to all of us. Some have more of a problem with procrastination than others, but we all 'stall' out from time to time.

I've found that when I'm putting something off, or feeling generally unmotivated, that it can often be helpful to just take a step, any step, on ANY project to 'get moving.'

When I'm feeling stuck and uninterested in taking action, I'll often pick an 'easy' task to get myself moving. I might empty the dishwasher, fold some laundry or make a quick phone call to take care of some minor issue on my to do list. It amazes me, because it usually kick starts me somehow and I am able to get busy on the project that I really need to do.

I think its partly an issue of momentum. Just to get going - moving in ANY direction, can help us move in the ways that we need to move.

Give it a try!! Next time you are feeling stuck or unmotivated, pick off some 'low hanging fruit' - activity wise, and get your blood pumping. When you have a success or two under your belt, you'll find yourself inspired to keep moving!

Yoda on Letting Go

I study and work with the truths of all spiritual masters, including master... YODA! Truly, some of the gems that came from this little creature (of Star Wars fame) are guiding principles in my life.

I think a lot about the concept of "letting go." I do this mainly because I often have struggles with the need to let go of things, as most humans do!

Master YODA has a great teaching to offer us in this arena:

Train yourself to let go... of everything you fear to lose.

This teaching implores us to examine ourselves to identify our own attachments, and then work deliberately to let them go... proactively. This is a POWERFUL and very DIFFICULT spiritual practice.

It's easiest to think about this in terms of material possessions. That also happens to be an arena where we can cultivate and strengthen our ability to maintain a healthy detachment to the aspects of life that we cannot control.

If, for example, we are very attached to clothing, and have difficulty releasing that type of item, even things we no longer need or wear, we can start a practice of cleaning out closets or drawers to proactively 'let go' of some of those items. We can start to weaken our attachment by leaning in to the area we struggle with, and directly challenging our need to 'hold on.'

Spiritually speaking, part of our growth and maturation is to learn to be in healthy, right relationship with work, posessions, relationships, and all aspects of human experience. A lot of time our attachments feel so 'justified' and 'reasonable.' The Buddhist philosophy tells us that our attachments cause all the pain and suffering in life. I agree with the Buddhists.

Learning to enjoy and fully experience all of the aspects of human life, without becoming attached or dependent upon them for our happiness, is one of the most significant components of the spiritual journey that each of us is invited into.

Sometimes our attachments are obvious. Sometimes they are more subtle. It is a powerful spiritual practice to look inward to identify our attachments, and then work to loosen their mental and emotional grip on us.

We can start with tangible, material possessions. They are easy to work with. It is obvious when you give something away and let it go. Then we can progress into patterns of thinking and belief and things that are less tangible and less obvious.

This is life changing work! Give it a try and see your life transform.

Continuing to Walk With The Pebble in Your Shoe

Why do we do it? We have a problem. It is some minor irritation that causes us inconvenience or pain, and we just limp along with it, sometimes day after day, instead of taking the time to stop and address it?

It is like knowing we have a pebble in our shoe, but continuing to walk anyway. We might experience discomfort or even pain, but still we press on. Instead of taking a pause to remove the pebble, we simply live with the irritation and proceed.

I had yet another encounter with this phenomenon this past weekend. I've been living with a software problem since I upgraded my computer at the beginning of the year. One of my programs was not retaining all the 'preferences' that I set when I first installed and initialized it. What this meant, was that each time I started this particular application, it would act like I was using it for the very first time. The 'set up' process took about an extra 2 minutes. This doesn't sound like much, but I use this program multiple times a day, seven days a week. Those minutes add up.

It's true that I didn't know what was causing the problem, nor did I know how much time it would take to resolve it. What I do know is that I was losing approximately 5 minutes a day, 7 days a week to this repeating task that should not have needed to be done! That adds up to 35 minutes a week of lost productivity. That's over 2 hours a month! I've been doing this for almost 7 months! That's 14 hours of time that I've basically wasted on this pebble in my shoe.

This past weekend, I finally went to the website for the company that makes this software product and searched their knowledgebase to find information on the problem I was having. Lo and behold, there was a known issue with the software, and a hot fix had been issued to address it! All I needed to do was download the patch and install it. The whole process took me about 30 minutes, as I needed to do this on two machines). PROBLEM SOLVED!

In addition to the 14 hours of wasted time I spent on re-setting up the software each time I used it, there was an untold and incalculable amount of frustration involved in that! That, in and of itself, increases the 'toll' that situations like this can take on us.

The buggy software was the pebble in my shoe. I walked with it in there for almost 7 full months!

Got any pebbles poking at you? Maybe it's time to stop, take off that shoe, and remove the irritant!!

The Season for Polishing

I had dinner with a dear friend last night whom I hadn't seen in a long while. WHen she arrived to the restaurant, she was carrying a bag with items she had purchased on a little shopping trip. The bag contained leather cleaner, silver cleaner (for jewelry) and shoe polish. "Time to take care of some things that have been neglected for awhile," she said with a smile.

Her life has been busy and rich for the past many months, and as a result, certain things fell off her plate. It happens to all of us in the dance of life. We must sometimes make trade offs and postpone activities that aren't essential. We prioritize our tasks, and tend to the things that absolutely must be handled.

Then, comes the season where things finally slow down a bit, and we can turn our attention towards the tasks that slipped off of our radar screen.

It feels wonderful to get caught up on those types of tasks. Life feels more 'in order' when we finally bring everything up to where it should be.

It's also important to allow ourselves those seasons of tending what we've ignored or neglected for a while. This is how we restore balance. We can seek to be in balance each and every day, but for most of us, that is not realistic. The most important thing is to monitor ourselves, see where we are out of balance and seek to correct it over time.

I once heard a speaker talking about this in relationship to eating. She was advocating that we try to look at a group of 2 or 3 days, and shoot for eating a healthy, diverse and balanced diet over the course of a few days. Although it is good to eat that way every day, for some of us, it just isn't possible. We only get into trouble when the imbalances persist, and we neglect the same area (or food group/nutrient in this case) over the long haul.

I loved the image of my friend conditioning her leather, polishing up her jewelry and shining up her shoes. It was a great message to me that some things get a little dull and 'used' in their appearance when we are fully utilizing them in the living of our life. Then comes the season for polishing... and we spruce them up and restore them to their full glory.

Have any imbalances to correct in your life? Got any dull shoes or jewelry? Maybe its time to declare a season for polishing!

Cherishing What We Have

Years ago, I learned an important 'prosperity' concept that had a huge impact on my life. It relates to the idea that it is important to appreciate what we have in the moment, while we move toward and hope for something better.

The easiest example of this is to think of something like our car. Let's say we have an older car that isn't exactly 'the ride' we'd like to be in. Some people might be inclined to neglect the car and think something along the lines of, "This old beater isn't worth the effort, but when I have a better car... I'll take good care of it."

The principle I was taught, was that if we want something better, we should treat the thing we have with respect and care. It's almost as if we are demonstrating our willingness to 'have' something worth taking care of. If we neglect our old, beat up car... why would the universe expect us to take better care of another car - no matter what type of vehicle it is?

A minister I like to listen to is fond of saying, "When we are faithful over little things, God trusts us with bigger things."

I believe this to be true of everything in our lives. If we only have a little bit of money, but we respect it, take care of it, learn about how to use it and invest it responsibly... we'll be given more. If, however, we don't take our responsibility seriously, if we think, "well, when I have more money... THEN I'll learn about investing and how to use it properly," we are unlikely to ever be trusted with more.

It is easy to practice this principle. Our clothes, furniture, cars, money, tools... whatever possessions we have can become precious, appreciated belongings. Give it a try and see what happens.

This all came back to me today when I was cleaning my car. I love to take good care of my things. IT is my way of showing God and the universe that I am grateful... it lets it be known that I can be trusted to take good care of my things... and special bonus... when you take good care of your things, it is more enjoyable to use them! A clean car (no matter how old) is much nicer to ride around in than a dirty, cluttered messy one!

What can you take out and polish up today?

Turning the Corner

There often comes a point in massive, time consuming projects when we turn an important corner. The way becomes a bit easier. The task no longer seems daunting or impossible.

Today in my garden, I turned such a corner. Up to this point, for some reason, this year I have been unable to get caught up with my garden work. I have a large yard, and the weeding and pruning work load is pretty hefty.

Usually by this time of the summer, I have the task well in hand, and only need to put in one hour 3 or 4 days a week. Here we are in mid July, and I've been logging a lot of extra hours (sometimes 3 or 4 hours in a day) trying to get ahead of the weeds!

Today I finished weeding the last area of the garden (now its time to start another pass, however, the weeds are few and far between and this pass will go much faster!) I also completed some of the most pressing pruning. The garden actually looks like it's well tended!

From here on out, I'll be able to put in my 3 - 4 hours a week and not only stay up on the 'maintenance' but do some of the 'fine tuning' type of gardening that I find most enjoyable. Shaping shrubs, planting new plants, clipping out dead wood from large trees and shrubs and other little miscellaneous 'fun' tasks.

What a joy! To be able to reach the point in a project, where the 'heavy lifting' is over, one can enjoy the 'fruits of' the hard labor, and spend time actually enjoying the task in it's kinder, more gentle incarnation.

This achievement comes as a result of hard work and dedication. It doesn't just land in our laps. The important thing is to stay the course, even during the frustrating times when the task seems endless and insurmountable! Then, all of a sudden, one bright day, we turn that corner and experience a new reality!

It's All Relative

On a recent drive, I was amused by an experience I had. I was cruising down the freeway at about 65 miles an hour, feeling frustrated by the drivers in front of me who were preventing me from driving 70+ MPH (speed limit was 70, by the way). I felt like I was crawling.

A while later, off the freeway, I was on a country road and found myself behind a guy in an old pick up truck. When we had to climb hills, our speed slowed to around 20 MPH. It was excruciatingly slooooooow. I'm not the most patient of people, so this was actually painful for me.

When the driver finally turned his old clunker off the road and I was able to speed up to 50 MPH, I felt like I was flying! I felt like I was driving incredibly fast. My frustration was gone!

That's when I started chuckling. Only a short time before, 65 MPH had seemed excruciatingly slow. Now 50 felt like nirvana to me!

How often do we get frustrated by circumstances, that in another situation would be considered a blessing? I think we'd be well served to remember this the next time we get bent out of shape about something in our lives. There is always a way it could be worse. There is always someone who is worse off than we are. I guess this falls under the 'count your blessings' line of thinking.

It's all relative. How we feel about something is all rooted deeply in our perspective and our 'reaction' to the situation. We can't control what happens to us, but we can control our perception and our reaction to it.

The Gift of a Fresh Approach

I watch a lot of movies. If you've read my blog for any length of time you know that is true! Over this past weekend, I watched "50 First Dates." While some of the elements of this movie are particularly tacky, the overall story and message is entertaining and positive.

In the story one of the main characters, Lucy, has a memory loss issue. Each night when she goes to sleep, her memory takes her back to a day in her past. On that particular day, Lucy was in a severe car accident and sustained a head injury. As a result of this injury, she wakes up every morning, believing it to be the start of that specific day. She is unaware that she is living the same day over and over again.

Her father and brother, and all her local community, conspire to keep Lucy from finding out about her memory limitation. Her father had hundreds of newspapers printed up from the day of Lucy's accident, so that each morning she reads the paper and it is just as Lucy expects it to be. Lucy continues living her life/day blissfully unaware that she is aging and time is marching on.

Her family and friends are well intentioned. On the 'bad' days when Lucy's carefully crafted universe gets disturbed and she discovers the truth about her accident and memory loss it is very upsetting to her. It's as though she's hearing the news for the first time. Her community has bonded together to try to spare her the pain of 're-hearing' about her trauma every day. Their intentions are good.

Then, Lucy meets a guy named Henry. They hit it off very well, and Henry goes through the process of learning about Lucy's problem. He is in love with Lucy and wants to find a way to be in a relationship with her, despite her problem.

Henry tries some creative approaches to helping Lucy cope with reality. At first Lucy's father and brother are extremely resistant to changing anything about Lucy's universe. As Henry persists with helping Lucy live a more authentic, reality based life her world blossoms and opens up. Her father and brother also find new freedom, as they are released from the time consuming task of trying to 'keep Lucy safe' from the truth.

As I watched the unfolding of this story I was reminded of how common it is for people to try to 'protect' others from the truth. Usually it is done with the best of intentions. A person believes another person can't handle knowing about something and conceals it 'for their own good.' I marvel at how much 'energy' is expended to protect people from reality, truth and sometimes even their own feelings about life.

I have an elderly friend who's son needed to have a minor surgery. He didn't tell his mom about it because he 'didn't want to worry her.' When she found out, not only was she worried, but she was 'furious' that her son didn't think she could handle knowing about it. She recounted to me all of the hardships she has endured and pressed through in her life and said, 'And he doesn't think I can handle his little surgery?'

So often we use our energy to spin webs of protection around people when, not only do they not need them, they don't want them! My elderly friend was insulted by her son's actions.

When we conceal truth and reality from people, not only do we waste our precious energy, but we don't do the 'object' of our actions any favors either.

Just like in the movie I was watching, when we find ways to help people deal with reality (rather than conceal it from them) everyone's life enlarges and enriches. It's the way our universe is designed!

Next time you're tempted to 'protect' someone from some truth... I ask you to reconsider and carefully think through ways that you might encourage them to stretch to face the truth. You might be surprised at the results!

Necessity is the Mother of Invention

I often marvel at the creativity that emerges in the face of great need. We humans are often at our best when we are facing our toughest challenges.

Years ago, when I traveled to India, I had an interesting and unusual challenge arise. This was way before 9/11/01, so I was using combination locks on my suitcase as I traveled through India.

After one of my flights inside India, I went to open my suitcase in my hotel room. I was saddened and dismayed to find that the security personnel at one of the airport, obviously irritated by my locked luggage, had wrapped security stickers around my combination lock! The lock could not be opened. They had gummed up the rollers so that they wouldn't move. The adhesive on the stickers had melted into the actual rollers and they were stuck.

I went through some emotions of frustration and anger at the security people, and then realized that I needed to find a way to get into my luggage. I thought about how I could clean the adhesive from the lock. I remembered that I carried individually wrapped 'handiwipes' whenever I traveled. These handiwipes are alcohol based. I wondered if the alcohol in the wipes might dissolve the adhesive.

I opened several handiwipes and wrapped them around the lock. I put a baggie over the whole blob to keep it from drying out. Then I went to eat dinner, hoping that the alcohol wipes would 'melt' the glue in the adhesive.

When I came back from dinner - lo and behold... my scheme had worked and the lock rollers moved easily and I was able to get into my luggage.

It was a victory of ingenuity and creativity over a 'sticky' problem.

We all have the ability to resolve the challenges in our lives. We need to invite and nurture our 'out of the box' thinking in order to have the best shot at solving those problems that initially perplex us.

Happy problem solving!

Two Important Questions

I just watched the Bucket List again. OK, truth be told, this is probably the fifth time I've seen it! :)

There is a scene where Carter and Edward are sitting on top of a pyramid in Egypt talking about life. Carter asks Edward to answer two important questions:

1. Have you found joy in your life?

2. Have you brought joy to the lives of others?

I think these are two extremely important questions that each of us should spend time with on a regular basis.

As someone who has been extremely serious, goal oriented (one might even say 'driven') I have often taken life too seriously and not experienced a lot of joy. This has been a goal of mine the past couple of years: to increase the joy that I experience on a daily basis. It has been a wonderful endeavor!!

I think both questions are equally important in the scheme of life. If they are out of balance in either direction, or if, God forbid, the answer to both is 'no,' we are missing out on one of the most important gifts this life has to offer.

Spend some time with those two questions. If you aren't happy with the answers you find, make some adjustments!

JOY to the world!

The Devil is in the Details

Ever heard that saying, "The devil is in the details?" I'm a big believer in dotting my I's and crossing my T's. I think that it says a lot about a person when they handle the details of their business or their life with skill and competance.

I've had some recent dealings with professionals who have messed up things - really basic things in their work. It does not inspire confidence when someone lets things slide, or doesn't give proper attention to the finer points of their work.

If you want someone to trust you, it is important to handle yourself with consistency and competance. Little mistakes or oversights can cause big damage to the competance level you display to others.

I once heard a spiritual teacher say that "God will trust you with big things when you prove that you can handle the little things in life." I believe this to be totally true.

If you want to be successful and go far in your endeavors, pay attention to the details. Others notice those details - and it can make or break you!

What's Up with the Landscaping Truck?

It's gotten to be almost funny at this point. If it weren't so annoying, I could say it's completely funny!

Three mornings a week, I drive to a gym a few miles from my house to workout. My appointment time is 8:30am. I usually leave between 8:20 and 8:25am. I have "just enough" time to get there and be ready to workout by 8:30.

A new business opened at the end of my street last year. It is a nursery/landscaping business. Their location is at the end of my street, where it meets the main highway I drive to get to the gym.

Guess what? They roll their landscape truck and trailer out every single day... between 8:20am and 8:25am. Every... single... day!

Getting behind them is not pleasant. The vehicle is slow and emits stinky exhaust. If the truck pulls out in front of me, it creates a delay that can actually make me late to the gym.

I say, "IF" it pulls out in front of me... as though it only happens occasionally. I'd say it happens 9 days out of 10!

Each and every time it happens, I feel exasperated. I am 'astounded' that I can have 'such bad luck.' And yet... I continue to leave my house at the exact same time each morning, even though I KNOW the truck leaves in that window.

What's up with that? Why don't I 'adjust' my departure time? It's almost as though I expect the truck to be there, I expect to be irritated by it pulling out in front of me... and I create that reality for myself each time... just to prove myself right.

All I need to do is modify my behavior, just a bit, and I can free myself of the tyranny of the landscaping truck and trailer. Such an easy act.

Jack Boland, a spiritual teacher of mine, used to say, "The last thing we will let go of is our suffering." I believe that this can be totally true. Some part of me feels 'righteous' when I am victimized by the landscaping truck. Being victimized (in this case) is completely within my realm of control, and yet I let it happen again... and again... and again.

Where is the problem? Is it with the landscaping truck? I don't think so!!!!

The truck is going to do what the truck is going to do. I can either utilize that knowledge and alter my routine... or I can continue to feel put upon.

So often... the choice is ours!!

The Power of One

I came across this delightful poem in a magazine called, "Iskra: Voice of the Doukhobors." The author was not given, and my internet searching did not yield the name of the person who wrote it. I also found it with several different titles.

I loved the sentiment expressed in this sweet poem. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

The Power of One

One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream.
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.

One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal.

One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room.
One candle wipes out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.

One step must start each journey,
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.

One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what's true,
One life can make the difference,
You see it's up to you!

Something Tiny Can Cause Much Pain

I've had a microscopically small blackberry thorn embedded in my thumb for a week now. I'm an avid gardener and I hate wearing gloves. I can't 'feel' the weeds when I wear gloves. I feel encumbered and clumsy. So, I garden with my hands, 'in the buff' so to speak. With that practice, come some penalties. My fingernails generally look pretty grim during gardening season. Sometimes my hands just will not come completely clean. I'm willing to live with those consequences for the sake of gardening in a way that feels best to me.

This blackberry thorn is a different story. I felt the thorn go in. I was attempting to extract a young blackberry vine. Often when I grab the very base of the roots, just below the surface of the ground, I can be successful without injury. This particular vine, however, had some very small barbs on it and one of them embedded itself deeply into my thumb.

I couldn't even see the dang thing for 2 days it was so deep in my thumb. The amazing thing to me is that it hurts SO MUCH! Even when I couldn't see it, this little tiny irritant caused me jolts of pain! After a few days, I could see it, but I still couldn't get a hold of it with my tweezers. Pain, pain, pain. Every time I put pressure on my thumb directly, I get a powerful jolt of pain.

I've tried to dig the thing out on 3 different occasions. It's just not accessible. My understanding is that the area will callus up a bit, and push the thorn to the surface. I'm waiting patiently. OK... not so patiently.

My main point for writing about this is the fact that something so tiny, in comparison to my overall body size, can cause so much discomfort and pain. The point is... it's not supposed to be there. It's an 'alien body.' That's why it is causing pain.

So often in our lives we include things that just shouldn't be there. A habit, a relationship, a behavior, a choice... and something very small can become something very uncomfortable and even painful.

It's important to look for these things and eliminate them from our lives. Sometimes, just like my thorn, the extraction cannot happen immediately. For a myriad of reasons, it might take some time to 'work the thing' out of our lives. The important thing is to recognize when something is causing us pain... and do what is ours to do to eliminate it from our life.

Got any thorns embedded in your life? I wish you much success in identifying and eliminating the thorns from your metaphorical thumbs! :)

Independence Day!

Today is Independence Day in the US. Of course, it is a patriotic holiday, originated to celebrate the birth of our nation and declaration of independence from Great Britian.

I choose to celebrate this day in a slightly different fashion. I choose to focus on achieving independence from all types of tyranny, oppression and bondage. These can be imposed from the outside, or they can be imposed from within us.

The true answer to freedom lies inside us. To refuse to be in bondage to anyone or anything is a decision we must each make. Even when outside conditions are imposed upon us, we can choose our reponse to them.

Eleanor Roosevelt said, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

Even when 'stuff' is flying at us we can choose to be free. No one can ever control our minds or our hearts. That is truly where authentic and genuine independence lives!

Happy Independence Day!!

Save the Last Dance

There is a very sweet movie called, Save the Last Dance (2001) that I have watched several times this past week. It is a touching story of a young woman who gives up her dream of becoming a prima ballerina after her mother is killed in an auto accident. The girl, Sarah, blames herself for her mother's death. Her mother was killed while driving to watch Sarah audition for a place at Julliard, the prestigious high school of the performing arts in New York.

Sarah is forced to move to the inner city with her father, whom she barely knows. She suddenly finds herself in a school where she is in the minority, as one of the very few white students.

As she navigates the changes thrust upon her by life, she deals with issues of racism as she finds friendship, love and the courage to face her fears and go for her dreams!

I LOVE this movie, and highly recommend it as an inspiring, touching and motivating experience.

The Second Time is Easier

My garden continues to teach me. Yesterday I weeded a particularly challenging flower bed for the second time this season. The first time I weeded it, it seemed impossible to get through. THe weeds and grasses were thick and stubborn. When I was trying to get through it the first time, I was frustrated and discouraged. It truly seemed I would never finish and that the problem would never be 'solved.'

Yesterday, I went through the planting bed for a second time. It was challenging. There were areas of difficulty. However, it was overall, much much easier than the first time through. Some of the areas that were impossible last time, went much faster and easier this time through. The root systems seemed to have been weakened by my first pass. The grasses and weeds came out easier AND more completely this time. That means that the next time I weed this bed, it will go easier still.

IT is a great metaphor for life experiences. When we engage with something the first time, we cannot expect it to be seemless and easy. There are dues to be paid. There are trails to be blazed. We must work through the process in order for things to become easier and less challenging.

In order to get there, we must be willing to perservere through frustrations and challenges. That is the price to pay for becoming skilled and more successful.

Hang in there in new endeavors. Most things are difficult before they become easy. We must stay the course!

Co-Existence Day

I had a neat synchronicity happen to me yesterday that gave me hope for the future. I was wearing a very neat pair of earrings that I purchased when I was attending One Spirit Interfaith Seminary a few years ago. The earrings are circles that contain 9 symbols of different spiritual paths/religious traditions. I love these earrings. To me, they represent the ideal of coexistence of all peoples and all paths on planet earth.

As I was driving along yesterday, wearing my earrings, I noticed that the car in front of me had a bumper sticker on it that said COEXIST. Each letter of COEXIST was formed by a symbol of a different spiritual path/religious tradition.

I got a little jolt of hope in seeing that bumper sticker while I was wearing my earrings. I do believe that a growing number of people are realizing that we are indeed all one family, and that the diversity of expression in our spiritual/religious questing is an asset to the human race.

I know there are more and more of us out there! It does my heart good to be reminded of that!

COEXIST!