Connection

This morning I drove down to my beautiful and beloved lake. Before I even turned off the engine, I noticed an Ahinga (a Florida water bird) sitting on the dock – the same one who had been there a few days earlier. When I had first spotted him, he appeared to have a long worm or a long piece of intestine in his beak. As I watched him, however, it looked like he was trying to scrape something off his beak rather than eat the something. Looking more closely, I thought what I saw was a piece of rope about 4 inches long. Silently I swore at humans who dump nearly everything into the lake, ignorantly creating deadly situations for the resident wildlife. There was nothing I could do, so off to work I went.

But here he was again, still with that length of ‘something’ hanging from his beak. Now rather than try to scrape it off, he just sat there, burying his head under his wing. He’s starving, I thought to myself, becoming weaker and weaker. My heart was breaking but how could I help him. Maybe I could catch him?

I opened the door to my truck carefully, quietly…he didn’t move. I slipped off my outer flannel shirt…no response. I began approaching him over a distance of about 35 ft, expecting that at any moment he would startle and fly away. Amazingly, he didn’t. When I was about 3 feet from him I thought to myself ‘I’m going to do it.’ Two more steps and I threw my shirt over him and grabbed him! COOL !!! Except he immediately went for my eyes. I held his beak and examined the mess – and what a mess it was.

He did have rope, like clothesline line rope, wrapped and knotted completely around his beak. He was unable to open it enough to even get a drink of water. He would have perished for certain. But I had him now!

I immediately realized that this would be a two person job. I scanned the near empty parking lot until I found someone just emerging from her car. I called out to her and asked to help me. She agreed without reservation. Her name is Stacey.

I held the bird, holding his head and beak and she took the scissors I handed her and began to cut away the rope. It was quite a job and took some time. Soon we had the big piece off, but many small knots and fibers remained.

Fishing birds, like the Ahinga, have many small barbs or teeth on the ends of those long beaks. This enables them to hold the fish they catch so the fish cannot slip out of their beaks easily. The fibers of the rope were caught on these barbs making it quite difficult to finish the job easily. We wanted to be sure when we let him go that he was fully functioning again.

Interestingly, he stayed relatively still and quiet (except when I inadvertently let go of his beak and he pecked my face, ear and head) until the last fiber was removed. He knew when it was time to go. Stacey and I cheered in excitement when our rescue effort was successfully completed and he flew away, hopefully to enjoy his first meal in days. What a perfect moment! Stacey and I, complete strangers 30 minutes prior, hugged as only persons who have just accomplished a team effort, something meaningful will do.

WOW!

I am so blessed, I feel so prosperous because prosperity has little to do with money, and I feel so very connected to the Universe.

We are all connected to EVERYTHING.

Finding Answers

An acquaintance approached me last week and asked me if I had any books on motivation. Immediately she began complaining about having no support in a particular area of her life, stating that it was a scheduling issue and proceeding to list all the things that prohibited her from gaining the support she said she needs. When I suggested some solutions, her instant response began with “I can’t” or “but”. She really was not open to examining her situation and coming up with alternative options.

I never know what to say to a closed mind.

I believe there are ALWAYS options. They may not be easy or attractive but they are always there in one form or another.

Sometimes scraping some things off the proverbial plate is the starting point. This requires quiet stillness, slowing down to determine what should go and what should stay. And when I use the term slowing down, I mean a complete slowing…of body movement, of breathing, of thinking, of everything…almost a short period of hibernation. Only then can we see the big picture clearly. When we are in a frantic-cross-off-the-list mode, we cannot think clearly, see clearly or really KNOW much of anything, especially ourselves or our needs. WE certainly cannot come up with any alternatives, possibilities, or solutions.

I am blessed that I have a lake less than a block from my home. At this writing I am sitting on the dock on this exquisite Sunday morning. I chose to forgo church which is a mainstay in my life in order to slow myself down and take care of me. The water is my sanctuary, the dock my pew, the birds my fellow congregants, minister and worship team.

I am complete on this Sunday morning as I sit within myself and allow a creative stream of alternatives to rise within me. I see possibilities that I might have missed had I pursed my normal routine.

May you, too, slow down…and be prepared for your brilliance to emerge.

Lighting the Path

I went to visit my adult daughter recently. It was my first visit to her home which is located in Fort Bragg, NC, and though it is base housing and modest, her natural sense of beauty created a cozy and lovely living space. One of her items captured my attention…a large glass jar filled with wine bottle corks and a string of tiny white lights intertwined amongst the corks.

It reminded me of my life…how sometimes my path is clearly lit and other times (admittedly most of the time) the next light is hidden, waiting to be revealed. During these unclear times, I could choose to feel lost and frustrated, splashing about frantically in my own “jar of corks” searching for the next light. When I am centered in my truth, however, I know that the next step, or light, will be revealed in time, when the Universe in Its infinite Wisdom, knows I’m ready and prepared to move forward.

But what to do in the meantime? (Look at that word “meantime.” I often feel that the time in-between the lights IS a mean time). I am learning to just BE, to sit and wait, not with my hands folded neatly in my lap but rather in quiet stillness, meditation and confidence that the next step IS on its way and will be revealed. In time.

Follow your lights!

The Gentle Art of Non-Complaining

I can’t believe my boss won’t give me those days off I requested!
I’ve been sitting here waiting for over 45 min…I want to speak to your supervisor.
Here I am on vacation and it’s raining!
They need to do something about all these homeless people.
The price of gas is ridiculous!
My steak is over-cooked!

Bitch, carp, fret, fuss, gripe, groan, grouse, growl, grumble, lament, moan, snivel, wail, whimper, whine, yammer

Call it what you will, complaining is one of the most pervasive and annoying of all human behaviors. Some call it "frumping." I like the word because it sounds exactly the way it feels when you hear someone do it. And that would be everyone on the planet. Psychologists say we do it 20 to 30 times a day. You'd think it was better than sex!

According to the dictionary to com•plain (k m-pl n ) is:

1. To express feelings of pain, dissatisfaction, or resentment.


Assuming you have not achieved sainthood, what are some of the common complaints you express or hear on a daily basis?

I was perusing a recent copy of AARP and came across an article entitled “The Art of Complaining.” I was sort of surprised…I didn’t think old people needed a tutorial on complaining, I figured by the time you reached your mature years, you pretty much had complaining down pat.

Complaining takes an awful lot of energy and it drains the energy of those around the complainer. Then when people start to complain in a group, it catches like wildfire and the energy of that group gets sucked into the downward spiral of complaining despair. Not only that but physically your heart rate and blood pressure are elevated and you can get headaches and stomachaches. Researchers have actually discovered that “second-hand complaining” or those who are in the presence of vocal complainers, have even more severe physical symptoms.

I think they should have a 12 step program for complaining. Hello, my name is Linda and I’m a complainer. (Everyone responds “Hello, Linda.”) There could be meetings in every DMV across the country because that’s where a huge amount of complaining occurs.

Let’s say you have identified yourself as a chronic complainer. What do you do about it? I know you want to change because you cannot live a happy healthy life if you fill every moment of it with the negative energy of complaining.

First thing you can do is to observe yourself.

Notice it because by changing your mind you change your life.

Stop it and replace the grousing with gratitude. “Thank-you” is a powerful, positive energy that you put out there.

How do you keep this in the forefront of your mind? Put a bracelet or colorful wide rubber band on your wrist. Every time you catch yourself complaining, move the rubber band to the opposite wrist. It’s called cognitive retraining. You could snap it against your wrist but then you’d complain about that, kind of defeats the purpose. See if you can do this for 21 days. New habits are formed in 21 days.

2nd thing is to express gratitude at every complaining occurrence. I keep a small stone or rock in my pocket or on my desk at all times as a reminder to be grateful. Replace the complaints and negativity with positive, grateful thoughts.

Although we all do it, we do have the capacity to reduce how much we complain. Imagine the peace we would experience in a complain-free, positive energy world. John Lennon said it this way:

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one.

Living in the Land of I Don't Know

Living in the Land of I Don't Know

Waiting for direction for which way to go.

Waiting for the Voice of the One who will show

When and where and why I should go

Yes, I'm living in the land of I don't know.

Abiding in the space of I don't know

It's all a state of grace

This I completely know.

Confused and scared as the four winds blow

Moving through the land of I don't know.

Resting in the arms of the One who does know

Protected and connected from above and below

Not resisting where I am in the I don't know

One step at a time, my path is aglow

As I float in the land of I don't know.

Rhapsody by the Sea

The sound of the surf rushing in and gifting me with hundreds of shells at my feet; the salty caresses of the breeze on my skin; the laughter and shouts of other beach-goers; the kiss of the late afternoon sun; all these greeted me when, finally, we arrived at Captiva Island on the west coast of Florida.

The earlier storm, which gratefully, we missed, left the water rather rough but that did not discourage our rapid entry into the waves, splashing and frolicking like kids.

My puppy, Rhapsody, actually a puppy in size only, was introduced to the ocean. A dachshund, by breed and temperament, naturally abhors the water. At home, it takes much difficulty to coach her out of doors to use the bathroom if she detects the slightest amount of moisture on the driveway. So I was quite sure she would rapidly retreat from the very wet waves that every few moments threatened to overtake her. Though she certainly didn’t plunge into the surf and was quite cautious, she was also quite curious, carefully checking out each wave. She chased some sea birds and as she became acquainted with this new experience, she pondered the wisdom of proceeding down crab holes. All in all, she seemed to enjoy herself.

My companion and I relished the beautiful sunset, always a marvel, that orange ball dropping silently into the sea. Good food, pleasant conversation and a warm connection was a perfect ending to our first day but also a lovely prelude to the beginning of our mini vacation.

The next day dawned bright and beautiful. We walked across the street to the Gulf with a cooler full of water and other munchies and settled in for the day. My fair skin did not appreciate my lack of attention and as we floated for hours in the warm aqua water, I managed to burn myself nearly senseless. Too late, I applied sunscreen and donned a long sleeve shirt. But I know I’d do it all over again. The call of the sea is too compelling.

In addition to burning my skin practically off, a quick run across the hot sand scorched the bottoms of my poor little feet…compelling or not, I will NOT do that again. Flip-flops are my new best friend.

The next afternoon, we enjoyed a parasail ride. This was something I had wanted to do ever since I arrived in FL nearly 26 yrs ago. Finally I got to go. What an incredible experience! Sitting on the back of the boat, strapped into a harness, the boat took off and as the wind caught in the parachute, we were pulled off the boat and into the wind! Amazing! Exhilarating! Riding approximately 60 ft above the sea, we looked down and saw stingrays, dolphins, sharks, and a sea turtle or two. WOW! I would do it again and again, it was wonderful.

But as the saying goes “all good things must come to an end”, and so it did. But still my gratitude runs deep for the time spent in quiet solitude, enjoying God’s lovely gifts of nature with my companion, Sandy, who made it all possible.

I AM Discovering the Power Within

In Discover the Power Within You, page 37, Eric Butterworth spoke to my heart when he said “…disturbing as the idea may seem, God is dead to you, if you are asleep to the activity of the Presence in you…If you are unaware of the greater dimension of your nature, then it doesn’t exist as far as you are concerned.” When I wake up, open up, I suddenly come alive to the ‘within’ of me, the depths of me and then Presence is very real – not as a separate entity but as the Is-ness of who I really am.

Sometimes difficult people and circumstances have entered my life to open me up wider and wider to Christ consciousness. Rather than run from the discomfort or attempt to eliminate the pain, I try to embrace it with open arms, seeking the learning. These people or circumstances are merely tools. Much like a car is relevant to move me from point A to point B, so difficult circumstances are present to move me from victim-like whining to the radiant glory being that I am.

This is not to say that pain and suffering, loss and devastation are always used to advance me but merely that those are the tools most likely to get and keep my attention. Are there those among us that need not experience the level of discomfort that I require?

I’ve learned that there is a more direct route, a better path, one not strewn with splintery planks and rusty nails. Conscious opening up is a gentler, kinder way. Though pain may be involved, the pain comes from a slow realization of my own erroneous thinking rather than messy life circumstances. Opening up to God who loves me and doesn’t wish ill on me (yet will allow it should that be my path choice) fills me with light and brings to my attention God’s all pervading goodness manifest in every aspect of my being. I need look nowhere else to find the solution to all my problems. Every answer is available to me but I must be open to receive. Like a screw top lid on a jar or doors on a kitchen cabinet, I open my mind and open my heart to listen with every fiber of my being. In the stillness, answers emerge, little by little, or all at once. Meditation prepares the way, sweeps out the cobwebs and makes ready the receptors.

More and more, as I open in awareness, I am experiencing the oneness I am with Spirit and the oneness I am with everything and everyone. This is magnificent.

Have a Glorious Day

Linda