Experiments

“Change and growth take place when a person has risked himself and dares to become involved in experimenting with his own life.” -Herbert Otto

Change is frightening. Change brings with it the unknown. Investing in our own lives requires risk, experimentation, learning, and adjusting. Experimenting with life can bring feelings of accomplishment, happiness, and satisfaction, but also brings with it fear of an unknown outcome and of failure.

So then how many times do we settle for the comfort of complacency as one day blends into the next and we spend time just wishing things were different? Are we going to wake up and wonder where all the time went and then end up regretting not taking more risks?

Fear binds us to our habits, and creates a false sense of comfort in what is known, even if what is known is not what we want.

We have the capacity to create our own life. We are not passive observers. If we are dissatisfied or unhappy and don’t feel things are happening the way we would like, we have the choice to create a new scene. We can surround ourselves with different people, explore a new environment, learn a new skill, paint a whole new canvas of life if that is what we desire.

There are no failures, only experiments.

Spontaneous Writing on Love

Love is not merely a transient emotion of sentimentality but is intentional action and desire to increase the overall well being of one another, to achieve a high level of common good for one another, and to assist one another in attaining personal peace and joy.

An Evening at the Sea

My soul does mingle with the sea,
moonlight bathing the waves I see.
Breezes turned gusts swirl salt with cold
drive shivers through the core of me.
Expanse of darkness to behold
hides ancient secrets never told.
Sea and sky united as one,
teasing glimpses of spirits old.
Vacated shore, the sun has gone,
past sins forgiven and undone.
Honesty of the deep revealed;
I’m stripped of labels, there are none.
a womb of comfort, I am healed!
a womb of comfort, I am healed!

Making Positive Assumptions

Do you ever wonder why assumptions made about others are almost never positive? Why is it so much easier for people to assume the worst about one another rather than see the best? Why do we quickly jump to conclusions and assume we know someone we have never met based on the most surface of evidence? Does a person’s skin color say anything at all about who they are? If it does say something, why isn’t it saying something positive? If an assumption is to be made based on something such as skin color, why not assume a character of brilliance, peace, and love?

We can choose to perceive one another with fear and suspicion, act as judge and jury and spend our lives protecting ourselves from ever being hurt, or we can choose to begin believing in one another and turn our face from the fear we feel inside that makes demands of us and dooms us all to fulfilling the prophecy of our own expectations.

It is our world to create. We can create a world based on love, kindness and compassion, a world where we encourage one another, lift each one up, assume the best, stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us, and reach for the stars so that in our united humanity we create an existence of unimaginable possibilities.

Transitions and Renewal

Throughout our lives we experience a constant process of regenerating, renewing, changing, growing, and transitioning. With that process, every connection we make is imprinted on our heart and woven into our spirit. Some individuals flow into and then out of our lives, and others remain for a lifetime. We learn and grow and develop with every relationship that is formed. Sometimes we have no understanding why certain individuals are dropped into our lives at a specific time only to then disappear, and hopefully with hindsight we are able to recognize the lessons we were to learn from them.

As we reflect on the past, and remember those who were part of the cycle of our lives and became a permanent thread woven into the tapestry of our spirit, may our thoughts turn to the gifts we received from each one, and while validating the pain we may have experienced, may we gently release it in compassion and offer to ourselves the gift of forgiveness. In so doing, we may be renewed with a purity of heart, and a spirit of love.

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The image above was inspired by a visit to the nursery where all the wonderful pumpkins and gourds of the season are making their appearance.

A Day at the Sea

My soul does mingle with the sea;
Its thunderous voice beckons me.
Fluid caress, loving embrace;
a gentle nudge to simply be.
I lose all sense of time and space
as waves present the ocean’s face.
The sun’s rays gleam in their display,
and nature’s rhythm sets the pace.
There are no words for me to say;
unspoken truths define the day.
The ocean’s breeze becomes my breath
with no boundaries in the way,
and I expand in breadth and depth.
and I expand in breadth and depth.

Stepping Outside Our Comfort Zone

When was the last time you took a step outside of your comfort zone to try something new, something you have never tried before, maybe even something that is completely out of character for you and may even intimidate you a little (or a lot)? As lives become busier with more responsibilities, it can become easy to follow the path of least resistance as one day melts into the next with little to differentiate one from another. The demands of life take over, and you begin to feel disinterested in, and disconnected from, your own life.

Challenging ourselves to try something new, learn a new skill, and take a step outside of our comfort zone will ignite our enthusiasm, restore our childlike curiosity, and give us a sense of eager anticipation, passion and accomplishment.

When I was in college I worked at many different jobs, the most important qualification of any one position being a flexible work schedule. One summer, I was offered a position in an outdoor education program with an emphasis on teaching young children how to fish. I was very nervous about accepting this job, as my only experience with fishing up until this point was to have gone ONCE, and even then I didn’t do any of the fishing. So now, I was going to be the director of a program that would teach a hundred or so children about bait, putting worms on hooks, tying hooks onto fishing lines, casting into the water, etc. Oh, and of course it being a catch and release lake, you know who was going to be taking the hooks out of the fish to ensure their survival (that of the fish and the children).

Beyond the skills of fishing, I also wanted to ensure a fun experience for the children so their memories of their first fishing experience would be positive ones. This seemed like a big responsibility. Was I out of my comfort zone? I would say so. Kids can be brutal after all.

I had only a few days of tutoring from the generous staff at the lake, and the guys had quite a few laughs at my expense. BUT … not only did I learn the basics of fishing, but even the experienced fishermen at the lake were impressed with my tying skills and the variety of knots I could tie in very short order. Furthermore, I lost all squeamishness about worms and hook removal within a few hours. I even ended up with a counselor’s small boa constrictor wrapped around my arm while I taught the lesson for the day. Definitely more comfort zone issues there, especially as I watched my hand and arm turn blue.

We only suffered a few catfish casualties the entire summer, and only one child who managed to hook himself in the finger. Even the boa constrictor made it through a summer of children. All in all, not too bad a record.

What I learned from that summer had nothing to do with fishing. I learned the value of stepping outside my zone of comfort to try something new, take a risk, and in so doing further my own growth, depth and development. Sure there were times I felt foolish and made plenty of mistakes, but it was a very rewarding experience for me, and (I hope) for the kids too.

So may we all retain our passion for learning, growing, developing, challenging ourselves, and stepping outside our zone of comfort throughout our lives, for in so doing we can reach limitless heights together as we share our experiences, our talents, our knowledge, our laughter, our hearts, our spirit … our light.

When….

When we embrace our differences, we are strong

When we are strong, we are secure

When we are secure, we do not fear

When we do not fear, we live in love

When we live in love, we are united

When we are united, we live in peace

Reconnecting

The irony of human attachment is that it brings the greatest joy and the greatest sorrow we can feel. When we are attached, whether to a family member, to a friend, or lover, we experience the comfort, safety, and joy of loving and being loved for who we are, exactly as we are. We know there is always someone in our corner, on our side, and loving us and walking with us through the good times and the hard times. We count on it, and many times take it for granted. There is always the possibility or even inevitability that the attachment will someday end, either by choice or by physical life transition through death.

So as a reminder today about taking those we love for granted, I ask if there is someone you care about that you have been disconnected from; someone you keep meaning to contact, connect with, check in with, mend fences with. Perhaps a family member or friend you haven’t talked to in a long time. Make this the day you pick up the phone or go for that visit or get the ball rolling toward healing. Don’t put it off. You never know when time or events may make permanent decisions for you.

May we be free of assumptions and choose peace, compassion, kindness, forgiveness, and always, always … love.

Just for Fun

When was the last time you did something completely frivolous for no other reason than to just have some fun? If you have to think too hard about it, it’s probably been too long.

With the rush, the busy life, the hectic schedule, the responsibilities, doing for others, putting out fires, and just being an adult, when did you last do something for yourself that was just for fun, and just for you? Something that perhaps allowed you to be a child for a little while. Something that brought out another side of you. Something that might surprise people who know you well. Maybe just something really simple that brought a smile to your face, or happiness to your spirit.

Having fun for no reason other than the sheer enjoyment of the moment is a joyous part of living. What have you done for yourself lately?