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”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
If nothing ever changed, there’d be no butterflies.
~Author Unknown
After a long period of analyzing, thinking and listening to messages, it is time for me to make some changes. I’ve owned my own herbal and natural products business for the last 11 years; making soaps, lotions, oils, etc. The time has come to dissolve the business and allow new doors of opportunity to open. One reason is that the pricing of my raw materials is skyrocketing and the shipping fees have become prohibitively expensive. My profit margins are not enough to justify continuing the business. Another reason is that my pleasure in creating the products is no longer there. It’s time to change direction when an endeavor becomes an energy draw. So, I’m in the process of tying together all loose ends. I start a new job on Monday that I am very excited about.
Letting go of stagnant energy allows for new opportunities to enter. Also see my related post: When the universe speaks.
“I peacefully resist all the discouraging voices I hear.”
“Our lives and our minds are often full of voices telling us what we can’t do and who we can’t be. There never seems to be a shortage of reasons why we shouldn’t try new things, take risks, or do our best. There are always plenty of negative blocks to our realizing our highest dreams and goals.
It’s very easy to fall in line with discouraging voices. We do it because we’re afraid of failure, success, or the unknown. We do it to try to gain other people’s approval or to belong to the crowd. And all the while we know deep inside that we’re capable of so much more.
When we stop allowing the negative voices to stop us, we begin to discover just how wonderful we can be, how wonderful life can be. When we peacefully resist all the discouragement, we find the courage within ourselves to be what we can be and do what we can do. And that’s why we’re here.”
from Green Spirituality: Reflections on Belonging to a World Beyond Myself by Veronica Ray
“Love cannot be born of mere determination: through the exercise of will one can at best be dutiful. Through struggle and effort, one may succeed in assuring that one’s external action is in conformity with one’s concept of what is right; but such action is spiritually barren because it lacks the inward beauty of spontaneous love.
Love has to spring spontaneously from within; it is in no way amenable to any form of inner or outer force. Love and coercion can never go together; but while love cannot be forced upon anyone, it can be awakened through love itself.
Love is essentially self-communicative; those who do not have it catch it from those who have it. Those who receive love from others cannot be its recipients without giving a response that, in itself, is the nature of love.
True love is unconquerable and irresistible. It goes on gathering power and spreading itself until eventually it transforms everyone it touches. Humanity will attain a new mode of being and life through the fee and unhampered interplay of pure love from heart to heart.”
From leaves from the tree: thoughts from Meher Baba
