Whole Living Today

Thanks Billy.

Being human. Duality. We all battle the dualities of being human, trying to find balance. The ups and downs, the highs and lows, the light and the dark, the love and hate, the rights and wrongs… Judgements. Guilt. Ours and those placed upon us. And the need for forgiveness… to be human.

The Double Life
~Don Blanding 

“How very simple life would be
If only there were two of me
A Restless Me to drift and roam
A Quiet Me to stay at home.
A Searching One to find his fill
Of varied skies and newfound thrill
While sane and homely things are done
By the domestic Other One.

And that’s just where the trouble lies;
There is a Restless Me that cries
For chancy risks and changing scene,
For arctic blue and tropic green,
For deserts with their mystic spell,
For lusty fun and raising Hell

But shackled to that Restless Me
My Other Self rebelliously
Resists the frantic urge to move.
It seeks the old familiar groove
That habits make. It finds content

With hearth and home dear prisonment,
With candlelight and well loved books
And treasured loot in dusty nooks,
With puttering and garden things
And dreaming while a cricket sings
And all the while the Restless One
Insists on more exciting fun
It wants to go with every tide,
No matter where… just for the ride.
Like yowling cats the two selves brawl
Until I have no peace at all.

One eye turns to the forward track,
The other eye looks sadly back,
I’m getting wall-eyed from the strain,
(It’s tough to have an idle brain)
But One says “Stay” and One says “Go”
And One says “Yes,” and One says “no,”
And One Self wants a home and wife
And One Self craves the drifter’s life.

The Restless Fellow always wins
I wish my folks had made me twins.”

Leisure

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

By Wm. Henry Davies. (1871-1940)

Well, it’s been about one month since I walked through the ‘new door’. What a wonderful change to my life. Why are we so afraid of change? Change allows for the new to enter our lives. Fear holds us back from being the person we have grown to become, to experience life to it’s fullest. An interesting part of this change is running into all the people from my past when I was involved in the sailing/boating world. It feels as though I am coming full circle to a time many years ago when I was truly happy, and people have been really noticing the change in me. (Gee, I never thought it would be that noticeable… ).  It’s all part of growth. I’ve been through years of challenges that have caused me to look at life differently, to assess what is important. I feel as though I am on the backside of that wave now, surfing and resting for a bit, just enjoying life. I’ve been meeting some wonderful people and reconnecting with people from my past. I’ve lived in Mystic for 28 years now yet it is only recently that I am seeing and experiencing living here with new eyes and feeling.

“Everything seemed different to her, as if she had just arrived and needed to visit the museums, the historical monuments, the fashionable bars and restaurants. It’s odd how, when you live in a city, you always postpone getting to know to know it and usually end up never knowing it at all.” (Eleven Minutes ~ Paul Coelho)

So again, why are we so afraid of change? Change requires TRUST. Trust in the Universe. Trust to follow our hearts. Trust to chase our dreams. Trust to believe.

Yes, we’ve all been hurt, burned, betrayed… what an awesome lesson that life provides us, if only we take the time to reflect and discover the lesson that has been given to us. Chances are these lessons have been given to us to show us how important it is to live in the moment, to just experience life, NOW. And, to be true to our Self. If we live in the future, we live with expectations. Does that mean we shouldn’t have dreams? No. To have a dream provides direction, an intention to the Universe. To SURRENDER that dream is to TRUST.

Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself,
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)
Walt Whitman, “Song of Myself”

With love,
~Tania

For Bill
Thank you for so many things…

1. Just for today I will be happy. This assumes what Abraham Lincoln said is true: ‘Most folks are about as happy as they make their mind up to be.’ Happiness comes from within; it is not a matter of externals.
2. Just for today I will try to adjust myself to what is; not try to adjust everything to my own desires. I will take my family, my business, and my luck as they come and fit myself to them.
3. Just for today I will take care of my body. I will exercise it, care for it, nourish it, not abuse or neglect it, so that it will be a perfect machine for my bidding.
4. Just for today I will try to strengthen my mind. I will learn something useful. I will not be a mental loafer. I will read something that requires effort, thought, and concentration.
5. Just for today I will exercise my soul in three ways: I will do someone a good turn and not get found out. I will do at least two chores I don’t want to do, as William James suggests, just for exercise.
6. Just for today I will be agreeable. I will look as well as I can, speak diplomatically, act courteously, be liberal with praise, criticize not at all, nor find fault with anything, and not try to regulate or improve anyone.
7. Just for today I will try to live through this day only, not tackle my whole life problem at once. I can do things for twelve hours that would appall me if I had to keep them up for a lifetime.
8. Just for today I will have a program. I will write down what I expect to do every hour. I may not follow it exactly, but I will have it. It will eliminate two pests: hurrying and indecision.
9. Just for today I will have a quiet half hour by myself and relax. In this half hour sometimes I will think of God, so as to get a little more perspective into my life.
10. Just for today I will be unafraid. Particularly, I will be unafraid to be happy; to enjoy what is beautiful; to love; and to believe that those I love, love me.

— Copyright © Sybil Partridge
Photo by Tania - 6/11/08 New Day in Mystic

Today’s post is in response to BlogCatalog’s May 15, 2008 “Bloggers Unite for Human Rights.” I chose not to pick one particular issue of human rights to discuss. The following quote points out the importance of recognizing our interconnectedness to all others.

“We all matter. Every one of us has an essential contribution to make, and we can do so only by taking the risk of being uniquely our own selves.”   ~ Carol S. Pearson

“As we grow in knowledge and understanding of ourselves, we discover our unique abilities and opportunities for self-expression. We find the validity of our own experience, viewpoints, and talents. Even our particular difficulties and flaws can be seen as special challenges for growth.

The insight we gain into our true selves reveals our similarity and interconnectedness to all others. We are each an important part of many larger systems. Discovering our part and contribution we can make grows out of an inner quest for self-discovery. As Duane Elgin writes in Voluntary Simplicity, “We cannot expect there to be peace within the human family if we are at war within ourselves.” Inner harmony and peace within ourselves enable us to share these same qualities with others and the world. It all begins within each one of us.”  ~Veronica Ray “Green Spirituality: Reflections on Belonging to a World Beyond Myself