Something Else...

There's a whole lotta Ick goin' around right now. In the U.S., there's the horrifying Presidential campaign. In the midst of all that, there's also the reports of police brutality and citizens on both sides of the fight making things worse than they already are. There are hurricanes and flooding and then the "usual" crimes that seem to be front and center because everybody and their grandmother has a SmartPhone, at the ready, just waiting for the next thing to film and get their fifteen minutes of fame.

And that's just the U.S.

The world seems to be flooded with images of despicable people doing unspeakable stuff. All because this generation of tech wizards are looking for an easy way to make a buck, get their faces on the news, and maybe a contract for yet another ridiculously stupid "reality" show, with nary a stitch of talent to be found.

Ick. Ick. ICK.

But then....

There are those who somehow manage to find the Joy, despite the horrors. Those people who refuse to allow the Idiots of the world to dampen their spirits, taint their beliefs, get buried in bullshit.

WHO will NOT let this crap change their hearts.

It is for those of you who are in this latter arena, those of you who march onward, with your beautiful hearts and your unbreakable spirits and your generous acts of Kindness. YOU, Dear Ones, are the lights that won't ever go out. You are the glimmer of Hope that keeps the hopeless from jumping off the nearest cliff. You are the chosen ones...because you MAKE THE CHOICE to be who you are. For you, I open my arms and offer this:

NOTHING can stop us if we will just BE Kindness.

No.Thing.

I thank you all for your beautiful hearts and your cheerful smiles and your loving hands.

You are, each and every one of you, Treasures.

Carry On ~

Simply a Matter of Energy

Money is energy. It comes in many forms. Coins, paper, oil, gold, beads, live stock, food, and some others that I shan't name since they make my stomach hurt. But all in all, money is simply energy. Let's just say this is "truth" for the sake of this missive and not get ourselves all riled up over semantics. So....

If money is energy and our energy is somehow not a "match" to whatever currency we use, then it won't find its way to us. Believe me when I tell you, this truth has been quite a challenge for me; it remains such today, Me thinks, because I've still not managed to embrace this Truth. In short, I still have some issues. For the sake of all those who are in shortage, I'm going to offer this up (for both you and myself!):

Whenever you see/meet someone with lots of money, what is your first feeling? Like if you see someone with a car that costs more than a house or a ring that could buy a house, or some super-expensive shoes, or whatever, what is the very first emotion you experience? 

Is it anger? Envy? Rage? Disdain? Loathing? Do you immediately judge them? Do you want to walk up to them and holler hateful things? Or hit them over the head and scream your outrage at their "foolish spending"? Or tell them what that money could have done for the "needy"?

Or do you feel happiness for their success? Do you look at them and think, "Well good for you! I think it's utterly fabulous that you are able to lavish such things on yourself! Bravo!"

{First aside: stop for a moment and breathe please. Just BREATHE. I'm not here to preach. Merely to sway your perspective, if only a smidge."

Here is what I believe to be true thus far: whenever I "see money" and allow myself to feel joy for that person, the feeling that ensues (after the joy) is that of relief. Yes. I said relief. Because once upon a time I took great issue with "rich folks". I'm pretty sure I got that from my Dad. But that's a whoooole 'nother story for another day. Fact is, my Pops had great rage towards those with "more than enough". And I grew up with that energy. So it's no small surprise that it took me so long to see that his attitude toward "rich people" was pretty much the one I carried with me. I was envious and hateful. I was enraged that such stupid people could be so wealthy. I thought it was unfair. There were so many unpleasant emotions around money. Even when I was making a very good wage, it seemed I never had enough. Horrible. Horrible. Horrible.

But then something happened. I began to see that these feelings were really not close to a "match" for what I truly do believe money is about. The more I explored this, the better I began to feel. Hence the feeling of 'relief'. I was no longer enraged by their wealth; rather, I began to feel joy for them. I began to see that even very wealthy people have troubles and fears and failings they might prefer to avoid. I could finally understand that it wasn't about luck or brains (or the lack thereof) or talent. It was/is simply a matter of matching energies. Those people figured it out. Sure, some of them may have had a jump on the game by being born into a wealthy family or some such. But for the most part, I truly do believe that you don't have to be born into it. There are millions of examples of folks who made their own way, even coming from the most horrific backgrounds. The first example is, of course, Miss Oprah. You don't have to like her. But she is a great example of how someone can come from "nothing" and make a grand life for themselves. 

{Second aside: time to take another breath. Leave your feelings toward Oprah out of it. BREATHE.}

One of the very best (and funnest) practices I now employ is to rejoice the wealth right to the person living it. When I see a super cool car (that I know cost a small fortune), I honk my horn and give them a big thumbs up. If I see someone wearing something especially beautiful, I take the time to compliment them. Whenever or wherever I am, when I am met with "wealth", I appreciate it. And I always, ALWAYS feel good doing it. It wasn't authentic at first. I kinda faked my way to those feelings. But now, after practicing for so long, those feelings are authentic. I really do appreciate their success. And here's the best part:

Even though I've not yet had a huge surge of money flow into my own life, I am far less anxious about it (money, that is), giving way to feeling better in general. Because I'm not stressing about it, my body is responding in a most positive way. So is my head. I find more things to appreciate and hardly ever notice those things that would have annoyed me before. I also find that when I am in dire need, somehow or other that money shows up. Sometimes it comes from friends or family. Sometimes it comes by way of a small job or service I provide. Sometimes it comes in the form of not having to pay for what I am in need of at that particular moment. No matter how it comes, it always does. The more I practice, the better it works. All because I shifted my feelings about money and those who have tons of it.

I don't yet know where it's going to come from. But I do know this: somewhere in this vast Universe there is a ginormous pile of money with my name on it. The day is coming when I will have more than I could ever spend. And when that day arrives, I will know that it was merely a matter of lining up my own energies to such perfection that there was no way that money could not come. 

"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one...."

{Last aside: don't be a hater. I know he was talking about peace. It just so happens it fits here too.}

On an ending note: if you're still holding a grudge against those who have more than you think is fair, perhaps you might like to adjust your perspective just a little bit. Perhaps you might fake your way to feeling joy for their success. Perhaps, one day sooner than you thought possible, your pile of money will make its way to you. And then you will see that it was, in truth, simply a matter of (your) ENERGY.

And then, you can roll around in it and rejoice in your own lavishly ridiculous way.

It's All Relative

Dogs have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. They were there when I was growing up and they were an absolute essential when I moved out on my own. As far as I can recall, there was never more than a three or four month stretch when I didn't have a dog in my home. Those times (without) were mostly about my own healing time when one or the other left the planet for that place on the other side of the Bridge. All I'm saying is, I've almost always had a dog. Don't like life without 'em. They just bring too much Joy to deny myself, ya know? Anywayz.....

Lately there've been some outside influences that have made me more aware of just how prejudiced some of us can be when it comes to the size of the dog. What I mean is, there are folks who've always had "big" dogs and don't get the whole "small dog" thing. I know about this particular prejudice. Used to be one of 'em.

That is, until I met Bruzer.

A short aside: for those of you who have been here before, you know who he is. For those of you who haven't, you might like to step back and have a look. The most recent posting about Bruzer was in April. He's the curly little guy with eyes brighter than the moon.

When I was first introduced to the BruzerBoy, I was quite put off. I'd never had a "small" dog and had never understood why anyone would. To me they were mostly just a lot of noise without the benefit of bad-ass. What good was a dog if it couldn't protect me? What good was the dog if it was just going to make a bunch of noise, jump on everyone who walked through the door, eat, poop, and never "earn" its keep? Such was the mentality of this "dog lover".

GEEZ.

But time and evolution have their way of teaching and I am no exception (praise the gods!). The kind, more evolved woman who called me to meet him knew that we were meant to be. Throughout our very short time together, that Critter taught me more about life, and myself, and Joy than any other Critter I've ever known. Still, nearly six months after his passing, I cannot even begin to tell you how much his presence (and absence) have affected my life. And as each day passes I am more convinced that he remains; he is here, with us (that "us" would be myself and the "new" critter, whose name is Sophie) and guides me to more understanding, more patience, less judgment, less prejudice....simply put: MORE of the ME I am meant to be.

I pose this to you now because I believe there is a very important thing to learn by letting go of our preconceived notions about what is "big", what is "small", what is "useful". When we maintain these ideas of what any creature may or may not provide based on its size or gender or breeding, we lose the ability to see who they really are. And here's the kicker. If we do this with CRITTERS, do you suppose we do NOT do this with other Beings? Do you think that our biases are relegated to one species only? Do you really think that if you think a small dog is useless, that your opinions thereafter are limited to only that small dog? Can you see where there may be perceptions that are keeping you and those around you from the Joy of Who You Really Are?

Just wondering.

mirror, mirror, on the wall...

I'm a firm believer in mirrors. That is to say, I believe that people 'mirror' back at us. And vice versa. That is, if we're not acutely conscious of our behaviors, our feelings and/or our responses. When someone throws a bunch of crap at you, one of two things may be happening:

They're projecting their own issues
They're projecting your emotional reactions to their issues

Okay. It's quite possible there's more going on, but for the sake of simplicity, let's just roll with this for now. Here's the scenario:

Sister calls up to get some ease; she's had a huge fight with one of her closest friends. This friend has some kind of issue with the man she's chosen for her lover. But rather than take up his issues with her lover, he's constantly talking shit about said lover to her. He will not confront the man himself as he is quite the Passive/Aggressive type. In her words: "he's too chicken-shit to talk to my lover. He'd rather whine to me about him. And I HATE it!"

So she's telling me the story, in great detail, and I can feel her angst growing. The more detail she gives, the more the angst rises. Until, finally, I interrupt her and say, "Are you breathing?"

This makes her laugh (it always does, which is why I ask) and then she says, "I'm just so tired of hearing it. I'm so tired of his judgments and his criticisms and his cowardly behavior. I just don't know what to do about it."

Door is now open.

To give a little background: Sister has always been quite judgmental herself. More recently she has begun to 'see' this and head it off at the path before it gets outta control. She's doing quite a good job at it too. But what she hasn't yet seen is that even though she isn't making those judgments aloud, she's still making them. She notices things about everybody around her, and takes little mental notes. Then when the moment is "right", she'll shoot that stuff out with the force of a .45 caliber. Not pretty. Not easy to watch. And certainly not to her benefit. But....she's trying.

So now the door is open and I have a choice to make. Do I tell her what I 'feel' about all this or do I prompt her to look with different eyes? Let her figure it out or give it to her 'straight'?

I choose to "prompt". I start asking all kinds of questions that I think will lead her 'round to figuring it out. This works well with her because she's as stubborn a little cuss as I am. We do NOT like to be told what to do. We like the process of working it out ourselves.

After a very short while, she suddenly has her "WOW" moment. She sees what I'm seeing, and says, "I never looked at it that way. I always just assume it's their shit, not mine. The  more I judge, the more I am judged. Gee. What a concept."

Together we laugh long and loud. We giggle over the simplicity of it all. We congratulate each other for being so brilliant. More laughter. More ease. More breathing. The angst she had grown so large is completely gone. The resentment toward her friend is gone. The fear she would not speak about comes to the fore...and she sees it for what it is. She sees her judgments of others as the judgments she refuses to make on herself. I remind her that ANY judgment, whether it is of someone else or of Self, serves very little good. Judgments are best used for things like the food we eat. Does it taste good? Yep. Good. Well...eat it! Other than that, I see judgments as a means to mask our own fear. A way to hide behind what everybody else is doing "wrong" so we don't have to go stand in the mirror and see who WE are. For some people, that's just wayyyyy too scary a prospect. But, if we will muster the courage to do it, to stand there and really look at ourselves, (with great kindness, NOT with a critical eye) we can peel away the layers of junk we've built around ourselves and unveil the beauty that is "Me".

I say let go the judgments. Let go the criticisms. Let go worrying about who thinks what about us. True freedom comes when we see our authentic Self and love that Self, flaws and all. What anyone else "thinks" has no merit whatsoever. As a wise man once said:

"What anybody else thinks about me is none of my business."