Simple

For all the accumulation of time, education and experience in the 16,014 days I have lived, I find that I myself can create and destroy the simple things that keep me in balance.  The natural equilibrium that begins at the very level of our cells can keep us even kilter, but alas we casually tip the tides toward lack or drowning in so many ways.  It is in the seat of simple living that I find my best life.

Dictionary.com offers five entries for the adjective simple.
1.  easy to understand, deal with, use, etc.
2.  not elaborate or artificial; plain
3.  not ornate or luxurious; unadorned
4.  unaffected; unassuming; modest
5.  not complicated

So often I feel simple is difficult.  And perhaps thinking so is my first mistake.  Maybe it IS easy and I am complicating it all up (such is my habit)!  Simple sometimes seems for me in our modern society a behemoth task to accomplish as if we must scrape away the piles of complexity heaped upon everyday living to get to the layers of what we actually need.  What do I actually need?  We consider much, both physical and energetic, that we may keep or discard with the myriad of options for work, food, relationships and recreation mixed with financial options and pressures, societal expectations, and individual philosophies.  Cultural constraints, family patterns, personal preferences and modern technology accrue alongside all our physical belongings and the storage space our stuff requires.  Abundance appears as a gift and a responsibility.

Simple days for me mean slowing down and becoming more methodical in my steps without succumbing to lack of movement altogether.  Controlling our pace challenges because it suggests we acknowledge where uncontrolled inertia and/or lethargy are affecting us.  Simple ideas like “rest when you are tired, eat whole foods, do what you love, take time for yourself” seem like huge tasks when we have multiple places to be, appointments, deadlines, financial obligations.

Yet, in all of today’s muddle minded musing, I see how cool and simple it is that I can sit in my home with my computer all jamming with 1’s and 0’s, look up quotes and definitions, search for and find a site that will calculate the number of days I have lived, and share my thoughts with the world.  Amazing.  I’m certainly not suggesting we scrap modern offerings.  I’m searching for ways not to let them create havoc in my internal milieu where simple contentment is rooted, balanced and always available.

I believe that a simple and unassuming manner of life is
best for everyone, best both for the body and the mind.
                                                                -Albert Einstein

Life is pretty simple: You do some stuff.  Most fails.  Some
works.  You do more of what works.  If it works big, others
quickly copy it.  Then you do something else.  The trick is
the doing something else. 
                                                                -Leonardo da Vinci

Here

Recently life called for a trip to the mall.  I do not often visit said venue and did not know my way around.  My goal was one specific merchant.  I promised the eldest of my progeny we would find that exact store to buy an item she located online.  Gratefully near each multi-doored glass entrance stood a kiosk displaying the layout of the mall, its corridors, eateries and shops.  On the plot was a list of places and a magnificent red arrow proclaiming YOU ARE HERE.  Knowing the place I stood and from which I must begin the retail journey was essential to finding my destination.  You are here brought clarity I sometimes long for outside the mall.

 

Here is defined as a noun at dictionary.com. 
1.  this place:  It’s only a short distance from here.
2.  this world, this life; the present:  The here and the hereafter are equal mysteries to all people.

I included the example sentences because I laughed at the second entry:  too funny that the dictionary in this case offers the mystery of life, sharing my vibe of confusion in finding one’s way through existence sometimes.  How totally awesome would it be to get an overview, a map, to show YOU ARE HERE providing perspective of the places to which one might go and the safety of seeing exactly where we stand?

My humanness craves bearings, confirmation of my future steps.  I know this is an offshoot of fear.  Fear of being lost, going the wrong way, making a mistake, fear of taking a path that leads nowhere.  A map seems like just the thing to keep folks on track.        

What might be maps?  Wise leaders?  Ancient texts?  Philosopher’s thoughts?  Poetry?  Yoga?  Certainly these things introduce me to faith, Truth, my Self, my fears, my attachments.  They extend guidance in finding contentment in the present moment which, while not a kiosk bearing a printed guide, offers release from fear that manifests as longing for a map.  We can learn to be here in each moment knowing where we want to go but letting go of the outcome.  If we can be fully in the present perhaps our steps will unfold naturally showing surprises of arrival much like the unpredicted bakery smells of Aunt Annie’s pretzel bakery in the mall that were not on the map but just happened along the path.

I have heard it said that the opposite of love is fear.  We are here.  Which way is the best way to go?  The one that acknowledges our fear but does not let it keep us from moving.

There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly
what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear
and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.
There is another theory which states that this has already happened.
                                                                                                - Douglas Adams

From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere. 
                                                                                                - Dr. Seuss

 

 

 

 

 

Different

I loved the game Sesame Street sang, “One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn’t belong,” during which kid-me selected something that was different.  Comparing and contrasting is important learning.  I’m singing that tune today as I recognize different.

 

The dictionary.com World English Dictionary online entry offers the following for different.
1.  partly or completely unlike
2.  not identical or the same; other
3.  out of the ordinary; unusual

I was in a car wreck two weeks ago.  I respond to queries since, “Parts of my van were all over the road but parts of me were not,” and leave it at that.  How am I different if, most gratefully, not torn physically asunder?  I am acutely angry with breaking of traffic laws, particularly stopping at red lights.  I am a Nervous Nellie at intersections.  Sad without my goal of driving my 2002 van until it reaches 200,000 miles, I drive a 2010 van now and find all the automatic features convenient and daunting.  My devotion to a healthy spine is even greater.

My twelve year old social life was different than life for my daughter.  Technology taunts her into persistent distraction, constant call to be available.  I did homework without the corded telephone that hung in the kitchen vibrating insistently.  Home to home contact was the 1980’s norm when planning something social with friends because they had to call your house from their house.  Not so now.  Entire conversations occur silently, friends to friends in groups, often with no parents involved unless a demanding mom (like me) insists.  I may be different in that I want to talk to an involved adult.

My current house has been my home for ten years.  For the past couple, I make my bed every day.  Before that, I staged a personal coup against bed making.  I felt pressured as a stay-at-home mom to be “just so” and embraced that bit of safe rebellion.  Now the task feels different, offering a sense of togetherness I seriously lacked then.  My bed is neatly tucked and awaiting my return at day’s end as a gift to me, not submission to rules I imposed on myself. 

We can over life’s years in turns become drawn to and driven away from different.  Such a good laugh some of it is!  But like many descriptions of self, descriptions of life viewed without judgment but instead with sensitivity bring balance in the natural flow of change.  Things not identical or the same can occur in ways that feel like steps forward, that expose steps back, or that appreciate steps side to side mimicking dance.

Truth can be stated in a thousand different ways, yet each one can be true.
                                                                                                                - Swami Vivekananda

You can become blind by seeing each day as a similar one.  Each day is a different one, each day brings a miracle of its own.  It’s just a matter of paying attention to this miracle.
                                                                                                - Paulo Coelho

 

 

 

 

 

Affirmation

Writing my blog nourishes and trains me.  The word each week is on my mind, whirling in search of expression and exploration.  Monday musing gets the swirling outside my head and lets me organize it into attention.  A focused, still mind is a wonderful state:  the goal of yoga, the goal of my life.  I recognize thoughts that nourish.  But sometimes the stuff in a moving mind does not offer validity.  Messages may be planted by someone else or rooted in a destructive experience.  Sometimes there are no words at all.  For these moments, I have a strategy.  Notes of affirmation draw positive energy and call to mind what is true.

 

Affirmation is defined at dictionary.com.
1.  The act or an instance of affirming; state of being affirmed.
2.  The assertion that something exists or is true.
3.  Something that is affirmed; a statement or proposition that is declared to be true.
4.  Confirmation or ratification of truth or validity of a prior judgment, decision, etc. 

The world often does not say what is true or strengthening to us.  Occasionally we wait for others to say the things we need to hear.  They might offer affirming statements.  Or we may wait a long, long time that stretches into never.  Don’t wait for the world to tell you what exists or is true.  Tell yourself.  Oprah does.  Dr. Christiane Northrup does.  I learned the habit of affirmation from a creativity coach, Cassie Premo Steele (cassiepremosteele.com), in a fabulous workshop.  What do you know is true that you need to remember?

Seriously, I’m talking actual, physical, written thoughts.  Here are some notes that serve me.  On my closet wall: When I shower and dress in clothes I like, my mood improves.  On my desk:  I know people who can help me get where I want to be.   I am moving toward God in whatever direction I go.  In my bathroom drawer:  Thank you for getting out of bed today.  On the inside of a kitchen cabinet:  When I eat natural, healthy foods I feel full, nourished and free of unresolved cravings. 

Gather supplies.  I like practical post-it notes.  Maybe note cards or pretty stationary saved for just the right use.  A pen or pencil or grape scented marker.  Phrases cut out of magazines can be wonderful.  Make a board to display somewhere with many messages or place single affirmations in places in your environment where YOU WILL SEE THEM.  Create a recurring reminder message on your phone.  Read each affirmation word for word every time you see it.  Every time.   

If no affirming sentence comes to mind, sit in quiet or be attentive to your daily thoughts until an affirmation flows naturally from a situation.  Maybe borrow these:    

When I say YES to myself and my needs, my energy always increases and I feel wonderful. 
                                                                                      - Dr. Christiane Northrup

I am responsible for my life and I do my best at this moment.
                                                                                      - Oprah Winfrey

 

New

Welcome 2013!  Resolution conversations exalt ways to improve.  I shout, “Amen!” to self-benefiting behaviors.   But, something powerful and potentially deceptive resides in these first days of the year.  Subject lines in abundant junk email propose a treasure-trove of potentials.  Melt your fat!  Meet your mate!  Lower your bills!  Ads assert a “new you” via sale priced clothing or a weight loss center.  I propose instead of NEW You, there is TRUE You.

New is defined at dictionary.com.
1.  of recent origin, production, purchase, etc.; having but lately come or been brought into being.
2.  of a kind now existing or appearing for the first time.
3.  having but lately or but now come into knowledge.
4.  unfamiliar or strange.
5.  having but lately come to a place, position, status, etc.

New habits?  Yes. 

New intentions?  Absolutely. 

New knowledge?  Sure. 

New jeans, furniture, plans, or job ?  Affirmative. 

New YOU existing or appearing for the first time?  No. 

More precisely I think there is a True You.  True You is present, eternal, good, deserving of kindness, abundance, respect and love.  True You, created in the divine image and likeness of the Creator, yearns to be realized.  True You may indeed reside under unhealthy weight or abusive habits or draped in work you don’t like or suffering in addiction (doesn’t have to be illegal to be addictive - TV, food, alcohol, cigarettes).   These discordances are addressed by bringing our bodies into balance not to be media imposed perfect but to be True You.  Strong.  Courageous.  Beautiful.     

 

Resolving toward True You cannot disillusion nor dissatisfy.   Yearning to be a different being can leave a person feeling lost and disappointed.  Expecting an all new self can be a falsehood that distracts from truth (see post 2/27/12).  Old me does not disappear into thin air replaced with a different creature.  Accumulated experiences up to today are real but passed.  People can step upon a different path that doesn’t deny days gone by but instead releases them from having any power.  We can change.  

 

This work is neither new nor easy.  It comes at varying times baptized with tears, laced with laughter, blessed with rest, strung with struggle but always with what is real.  Feel sad, but don’t stay sad.  Be proud of success but don’t cling to pride.  Experience anger, but don’t hold onto anger.  Be honest.  If you feel depressed acknowledge depression but don’t let depression stay.   Cry.  Forgive.  Dance.  Sleep.  Exercise.  Question.  Meditate.  Try.  Try again.

 

We can read books or join groups to find cohorts and supporters.  The True You journey is individual but embraces the gift of help.  One contemporary wise man and one ancient can be today’s companions with their words:

You don’t need another diet, workout manual, or personal trainer. 
Go within, listen to your body, and treat it with the dignity and love
that your self-respect demands. 
                                                             – Dr. Wayne W. Dyer (The Power of Intention)

And you, when will you begin this journey into yourself?
                                                                                – Rumi

 

 

 

Light

Much like the scent of pine and peppermint, Jesus is in the air.  Whether you choose to believe in Jesus as God or not we might all agree he was a real man who rocked the status quo.  I’m not inviting discussion of his followers and those who created church in his name or where individuals stand on the God/Man/Both decision.  There is plenty of that around elsewhere!  I simply maintain in any case that Jesus was a revolutionary person of deep love, conviction, and grace.  The dude totally took his world by storm in his teachings about inclusion and peace.  I love that he strolled around fishing wharfs, town wells and gathering places using words and stories to bring change.  He sought no particular positions of power.  I think Jesus was a teacher who knew a lot about light.   

     

The noun light is defined at dictionary.com (I list the first two entries).
1.  something that makes things visible or affords illumination.
2.  (physics)
     a. luminous energy, radiant energy, electromagnetic radiation to which the organs of sight react 
     b.  a similar form of radiant energy that does not affect the retina, as ultraviolet or infrared rays

Light has been a topic of life since forever (often contrasted against darkness - see last week’s blog).  But we humans seem to forget over and over, generation after generation, again and again that light is ours for the seeing, for the fostering, for the remembering, for the accepting.  That which affords illumination exists from all time and has never stopped existing.  We just have to open up our physical and metaphorical eyes to it. We have to know light is there even at night when the sun has set.  Your light cannot be taken away.  Not by poverty.  Not by cold winter.  Not by injury.  Not by laws.  Not by another person’s anger.  Not even by death be it peaceful or in torture and execution.

I think what does happen is that we stop seeing our light and the light in others.  The more I have the gift of practicing and teaching yoga, the more I see its effectiveness in moving us into our luminous radiant energy, the energy that shows us the way to what is unchanging and infinite.  From this place inside ourselves we are able to clearly see the light in all. 

In yogic philosophy, the things which cause us to see incorrectly or not at all are named the Five Afflictions.  Wrong sight is rooted in ignorance (avidya), pride (asmita), unfettered desire (raga), extreme aversion (dvesa), and fear of death (abhinivesa).  Which of these do we fall into throughout our lives, throughout a day?  Oh, to cure ourselves of ignorance and pride!  Imagine freedom from attachment to or senseless rejection of things!  Joy, to see ourselves as infinite creatures residing in finite bodies!  How is this done – I propose meditation on light.

Illumination

Come Oh, Come E Man

you well know five holds blind us

love makes visible

 

 

 

 

 

Darkness

One cannot ignore the pervading darkness this time of year.  Dusk arrives, a daily surprise, as the traditional work day ends.  Dinner feels formal in low light eaten under electric dimmer switch sponsored lights.  The envelope of night sky seals us completely in black by eight o’clock. 

 

Five entries define the noun darkness at dictionary.com.
1.  the state or quality of being dark:  the room was in total darkness
2.  absence or deficiency of light:  the darkness of night
3.  wickedness or evil:  Satan, the prince of darkness
4.  obscurity; concealment:  darkness of the metaphor destroyed its effectiveness.
5.  lack of knowledge or enlightenment:  heathen darkness

 

Both darkness and light offer their own gifts, but the longing toward light seems innate as does darkness’ connection to things evil or lacking enlightenment.  The absence of light renders sight difficult, often impossible, making opportunity for unseen thieves, unidentifiable predators, general vulnerability.     

Darkness is the topic of conversation for the season of Advent.  This dance between opposites is not new:  darkness and light have been in relationship since early people lived in knowledge and awe of the rhythms of Mother Earth.  Earth moves through winter darkness into light.  Ancient Celts prayed for the sun’s return with its life-giving light, warmth and assurance that Spring would come.  In contemporary Christian tradition songs of longing, waiting, patience, and hope still drift to the heavens. 

People discern that light comes to our world from a Source that offers itself freely.  In this awareness, people await the arrival of something important, necessary to our very existence, essential to dispelling darkness.  Whether we see the event to come as the arrival of a person, a season, or a powerful transformation that occurs inside each individual we have a sense of expectancy uniquely rooted in hope.  Hope much like the wait during pregnancy for what one cannot see growing in the darkness of the womb. 

Darkness during winter months and December’s longest night, the Winter Solstice, reminds us that not knowing has its own lesson.  Darkness says be patient and aware in the not-yet time.  Be attentive for light that comes.  The quest to light up darkness is tangible in our artificially illuminated lives.  The tougher quest may be to seek light in darkness in its representational evil or lack of knowledge.  In our not-having, wait a little longer times we have great opportunity to learn, to meditate, and to prepare for the Light our trust resides in.    

 

                         Darkness

                         dark deep in sightless soul un-light long, seek illumined hour

                         welcome warmth wrapping oneself with hides

                         skins borrowed for hunts and births

                         bring forth to learn comfort, songs beneath cold star shower

                         extended nighttime tells quiet awaiting Sun

                         still sky Solstice stretches December

                         day of Rome’s tenth month decreed as if they held power

                         divine yearning young eve knows so black

                         afore mortal man tried to scribe

                         sacred story named Source before language ere flower

                         gazed into the darkness and called forth

                         the Word was God. Light. You.