Santa's Gift

Christmas day is nearly here. The house is decorated with festive lights and my special ornaments have been hung on Yosemite. For those of you who don't know...Yosemite is my Tree. He is actually 3 trees on one base. He looks just like those trees you'd find at Yosemite National Park. Hence the name. Yosemite stands all the year 'round. I am far too fond of Him to stow him away for 11 months of the year. Seems a waste of such beauty. If you didn't know it was an 'artificial' tree, you'd never know to look at Him. He is a beauty. Really! See?

Well, you can't really see how beautiful he is from this shot, what with all those presents blocking the view. This is a very tiny space. So He stands in the corner because that's the only place He fits. Such is way of the Dwellers of Tiny Spaces. I'm not complaining, mind you. The space may be tiny, but it's perfect for us, for now, for where we are in our evolution. Plus, it's super easy to keep clean.

But I digress.

As I was saying...the house is decorated and there are gifts waiting to be opened. There are people on this Planet who love me. And that, my friends, is a good thing. Because the thing about this time of year is ... it SCREAMS for friends and family. Whether it's tradition or conditioning is a discussion for another day (or not). All I know is, it is this very time of year when I feel the most Joy and the most yearning. You see, most everyone I love lives far away. Why I've continued to stay where I am is also a topic for another day (or not). The fact remains that I am here and they are there and sometimes that can be a bit overwhelming. 

Know where I'm goin' with this....?

I want to remind all of you, no matter where you are or how much money you do or don't have, or whether there is a "significant other" (oh, how I loathe that term), the reason for the season is to take some time to reflect on all the good there is in your world. If you happen to be a Christian, your reason for the season is likely different than mine. But we won't get into that either. I'm not here to discuss religious beliefs or familial politics. I'm here to remind you....

....that it matters not what you believe in or what your social/economic status is. What matters is that you can take said time to reflect, and be thankful for, all the many things that made your life what it is right now. All the things/people/events that brought you HERE. Here and now is what matters. And when we take time to reflect, even for just a little while, we are more able to grow that feeling of gratitude. And appreciation. And, yes, LOVE. I do believe that Jesus is a terrific ambassador for Love. And if it takes a story like the one most Christians believe in to remind us that we are here to love each other, then what's the harm in that? I only wish that more people carried that message past December 25th...and actually practiced that love all the year 'round.

Like my Yosemite. He never stops delivering the Joy that makes him who he is. And I never forget. Every morning, whether it's December or July, I wake up to that Tree standing next to my bed, and the puppy that bounces on me when she hears me stir, and a host of other magnificent Beings that show up, every day, to make my world as wonderful as it is. 

And so, my friends, no matter where you are on this Planet, no matter your beliefs. No matter what's going on in your world, please try to remember that you are loved. Every day. Not just on Christmas day. As near as I can tell, that is the gift that Santa brings. It is the gift of Hope. For all mankind. Hope is the greatest gift you can give anyone. 

Except, maybe, for one of those dandy Sting Ray bicycles with the banana seat and those dangly thingies hanging off the handles. 

Merry Christmas to YOU!

how do YOU do it?

Are you a person who invites new experiences? Are you someone who enjoys the unknown adventure? Do you find yourself excited at the prospect of trying something you've never tried before? Does the idea of "new" foster exhilaration or dread?

I've often wondered why it is that most "grown-ups" are loathe to try new things. Not in the sense of a new car or a new couch or new clothes. Mostly folks get pretty excited about that kind of new. I'm talking about the "new" of experience. A new job. Or a new city. Or a new path. "New" as in "never-before-experienced". For the most part it appears these same folks view "new" with great apprehension....and large fear.

Why is that? When do we lose the eager anticipation that was so common when we were kids? How is it that we view "new" as "scary"? Doncha wonder about that?

As I prepare to embark on yet another new adventure, I find myself as eager as I was the first time my parents told us we were going on vacation. I was about 12 at the time; we'd never been on a real vacation before and the prospect of going to some new place, doing all manner of new and exciting stuff was almost more than my little head could handle. I was so excited I could hardly sleep. I was bouncing off the walls for weeks, likely driving my parents nuts. I was....AGOG! They told us there would be horseback riding and hay rides and hiking expeditions. They said there would be lots of other kids to join in the fun. They said that we would be there for a whole week...and when you're 12 years old, a whole week seems like a life time. I couldn't wait to get there.

I did not, in all my musings, ever feel one iota of dread or fear. I didn't think about poison ivy or bee stings or getting thrown off the back of a horse. I didn't even consider there might be kids I didn't like. None of those things even occurred to me as I waited for the day of departure to arrive. All I thought about was all the fun "new" stuff I was going to do.

I can still remember those feelings of anticipation. I can still recall the thrill of arriving at that resort and seeing all the other kids playing in the pool. I remember the smells and sights and sounds of that place as if I'd gone yesterday. And every time I think about it, I get excited all over again. Feelings that I carry with me any time I am faced with something "new" I am about to experience.

I think it's so much more fun to anticipate new experiences with this kind of attitude. It sure beats the hell out of dread. Beyond the fun factor, there is also another huge advantage to that kind of eagerness: it is the difference between enjoying the "new" and .... not so much. It is the difference between expecting the best and fearing the worst. It is....the driving force behind every end result.

What I mean is: you get what you expect. Every single time. If you're expecting something awful to happen, you're most likely going to have something awful happen. If, on the other hand, you're expecting the very best to come from this new experience, you will, more often than not, get exactly that. The very best. Even if the "new experience" happens to be something that is, by most others, considered to be terrifying. It just depends on your own personal perspective. If you're terrified, it's most likely going to be a terrifying experience. If you're anticipating some fabulous result, then you're quite likely to see that fabulous result in short order.

Know what I mean?

I'm offering this up today in joyful response to a brandy new adventure I am about to embark upon. I want very much to share the happy expectations so that you might tweak your own perspectives just a tiny bit. So that the next time you are met with some "new" thing, you can make up your mind....immediately...to enjoy the process with the eagerness of a 12 year old going on her first vacation.

Pack your bags! It's gonna be a BLAST!

arguing your limitations???

I'll be the first to admit that there are still some occasions when I argue my limitations. It's quite the curious thing to me. That I would argue about why I can't do this or I can't have that. Very curious indeed. Especially given the fact that I am a devout believer in Anything Is Possible. So why in the world would I argue my limitations? It makes no sense whatsoever; yet, still I find myself doing just that. {I can happily report that I don't do it nearly as often as I once did. I'm much too aware of that icky feeling now. But...there's a point here...}

And here it is:

Let's say a friend calls you up and says, "Hey! Let's go on a road trip! We could cruise to the Grand Canyon and hang out for a few days. Whaddya say?"

To which you might respond, "Gee. That sounds terrific. BUT I don't have any money at the moment. So I "can't" right now."

And then you might launch into all the reasons why you don't have any money right now. You'll explain, justify, and give great detail about your "current financial circumstances". You are, in essence, arguing your limitations.

How could this possibly help? How could this ever change "what is" to "what I want"?

It can't. Not on any level. The more you stay stuck in that "story", the more you live it. It would be impossible for you to move past any of it until you change two things:  how you perceive your world, AND how you feel about it.

From all prior "experiments" I've done, I know without question that the way to change something is to SEE IT, FEEL IT, KNOW IT first. I can say this with deep confidence because I've done it. Lots and lots of times. Trying to figure out the "hows" is completely counterproductive. It is not our 'job' to figure out "how". That's a job for the Universe. Our job is to decide what we want, take the time to actually "go there" and then relax. Trusting that the Universe ALWAYS delivers, we can let it go and just watch with eager anticipation as it all unfolds. There is no need to DO anything else. Relax and watch the unfolding. Like a kid on Christmas Eve. Excited because you just KNOW that Santa is going to deliver. No fear. No doubt. No "but what if....". Just absolute confidence that ol' Santa is gonna show up and leave the loot under the tree.

Which brings us right back to the arguing limitations thing. It's like you're stuck in some kind of endless loop of "what is" without ever realizing you're putting yourself there. As in: it is all YOUR doing. You're the one who's playing that retched tape that plays the same crap over and over. What you may not realize is that you have the power to snatch that sucker out of the player and replace it with something different. And the best part about that? You DO NOT HAVE TO JUSTIFY WHY YOU DID IT. You don't have to justify ANYTHING you do. Not the red shoes you put on this morning or the sexy black bra you have on under your Lady Gaga t-shirt or the purple streaks you put in your hair last time you were having a bad hair day. There isn't a single thing you need justify to anyone; so why in the world would you argue your limitations?

It's just plain crazy.