Monday, December 31, 2012

Nothing but Blue Sky in 2013

Photo courtesy of freefoto.com

At the beginning of 2012, I wrote this post about being so proud of what I had accomplished in 2011 that I wanted to keep doing more of the same. I had no need to write new year's resolutions. What a fantastic place to be.

Every time I think it can't get any better, it does. This year has brought more joy, love, connection, and contentedness into my life than I knew was possible. So it seems kind of funny that this year I want to write resolutions. But they are the ones that are already etched in my heart:

  1. Love without limits
  2. Do the work that makes me feel good
  3. Listen to every one of my crazy, creative ideas
  4. Meditate, meditate, meditate
  5. Shine brightly
  6. Make art
  7. Take risks every single day
  8. Hold others, and be held

This quote from Christian D. Larson, a leader of New Thought, sums up my life philosophy and is also a strong foundation for resolutions:
"Be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. Talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet. Make all your friends feel there is something special in them. Look at the sunny side of everything. Think only of the best, work only for the best, and expect only the best. Be as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own. Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. Give everyone a smile. Spend so much time improving yourself that you have no time left to criticize others. Be too big for worry and too noble for anger."
This post was inspired by my dear friend, Amy Taylor, and her article about making 2013 one big party. Rock on, sister.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Under a Cornflower Blue Sky

Hiking at Barr Lake before the leaves came out this spring
These last two years have a been a wild ride. The grief part was not so fun, but the rest I've enjoyed more than a body has a right to. After I let go of the need to control my world (and the idea that I actually could control my world--ha ha), I had a lot more fun.

Talking to a new friend last night at happy hour, I explained my philosophy. Nothing really irks me, or if it does, it's momentary. Sure, sometimes I get down or anxious, but now I can recognize the old pattern (neural, emotional, behavioral, physical, whatever) and that it doesn't serve me anymore. The lesson of, "Notice it, sit with it, laugh about it, and then let it go," has sunk in after much repetition and practice.

"You realize that's an extraordinary claim to make," my friend, Adam, said, referring to my self-proclaimed ability to be content and happy 99% of the time. I looked at him and smiled. That's all I can do these days, smile and laugh. But he believed me. I could tell. There are some people you meet, and you immediately know they are genuine. He's one, and I'm one.

Finally, finally, I'm doing nothing but attracting the right kind of people into my life. These are the folks who speak their truth, have a deep understanding of how lucky they are to have the things they have, and can accept who they are right now while being open to change. Manifestation is a powerful, powerful tool.

And speaking of lucky, I haven't made a gratitude list lately. Here it is, in no particular order:

  • Friends and family who love me, support me, and challenge me to be a better person
  • My teacher and classmates in the year-long seminary program I am about to complete (see my website at TheDivineInYou.com for more info on my intuitive healing and spiritual facilitation services)
  • A beautiful community to live in, and the bike path I can hop on at a moment's notice
  • Sunshine, the smell of flowers and freshly mown grass, bird song
  • A reliable car
  • Healthy food to eat
  • My health
  • A certain little brown dog who lives with me
  • Technology
  • Music in its infinite variations
  • Really good stout beer
  • Consciousness and connection to the larger world

Amen!

More recent adventures that are part of the new, "Let go and have fun" philosophy:


Messing around at the Stock Show in January

Visiting the tiny little house I grew up in this spring

About to dig in to a delicious dessert to celebrate the New Year

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

I Resolve to Do More of the Same in 2012


As 2012 approached, I wondered if I would feel compelled to make New Year's resolutions. I'd done it in the past, and it had been an effective way to review what I'd accomplished as compared to the goals I had set, and what I'd like to do in the coming year. But my new, more laid-back self recoiled at the thought of it. Instead, I wrote a letter to Santa Claus.

In the letter, I asked for a few things--some small, some large, some material things, some experiences--because in the act of asking, I made my desire for them real and the manifestation of them more likely. Sounds a lot like a resolution to me, only without the normal thoughts of, "Will I really do it this time?" or "If I can't make this happen, I'm going to feel bad."

But the more valuable part of writing this letter to Santa was the justification. Rather than putting myself neatly into a naughty or nice column, I recounted to Mr. Claus all of the beautiful changes I had made in my life in the last year, how I had let go of so much that wasn't serving me well, how I had grown spiritually and emotionally, the major lessons I had learned, and how I was just an all-around nicer person.

It was the act of writing what I had done to move forward in 2011 that made me realize how I had set the stage to continue that momentum in 2012. There was no need to make New Year's resolutions. I am already making my dreams come true.