At lunch yesterday, I overheard someone say "cellular phones have us so connected; we have become disconnected from one another".
So, later, a friend and I decided that we would put away our phones and devote our evening to each other, as one. As the pace and fullness of modern life serve to isolate us from one another, the contact we do share becomes vastly more significant. Even If I had decided to just ignore the vibration of my Blackberry and kept it tethered to my hip, there would have been a distraction with each disturbing buzz and my mind would have wandered to thoughts of what the call or email might be.
It is a wonderful feeling when to put away your onnection to outside communication, and not even have a sense of the time, giving ourselves completely to the person we are with.
By doing this, I was able to focus more intently on each word, expression, and intention of my friend - from the manner in which he treated me as well as those we encountered throughout our time together.
We unconsciously absorb each other's energy, adopting the temperament of those with whom we share time, and we find ourselves changed after the briefest encounters. Everything we do or say has the potential to affect not only the individuals we live, work, and play with but also those we've just met. Though we may never know the impact we have had or the scope of our influence, accepting and understanding that our attitudes and choices will affect others can help us remember to conduct ourselves with grace at all times. When we seek always to be friendly, helpful, and responsive, we effortlessly create an atmosphere around ourselves that is both uplifting and inspiring, and that same loving attitude grows within those we encounter.
Very often we neglect to give thought to the effect we have had or will have on others. When we take a few moments to contemplate how our individual modes of being affect the people we encounter each day, we come one step closer to seeing ourselves through the eyes of others. By asking ourselves whether those we encounter walk away feeling appreciated, respected, and liked, we can heighten our awareness of the effect we ultimately have.
Something as simple as a smile given freely can temporarily brighten a person's entire world, and can even be a life saving factor. Our value-driven conduct may inspire others to consider whether their own lives are reflective of their values. A kindly shared word of advice can help others see life in an entirely new fashion, and small gestures of kindness can even prove to those embittered by the world that goodness still exists.
By simply being ourselves, we influence other's lives in both subtle and life altering ways.
To ensure that the effect we have is positive, we must strive to stay true to ourselves while realizing that it is the demeanor we project and not the quality of our wondrous inner landscapes that people see. As we interact with others, the manner in which we behave can be as important as who we are.
If we project our passion for life, our warmth, and our tolerance in our facial features, voice, and choice of words, every person who enters our circle of influence will leave our presence feeling at peace with themselves and with us. We never know whose life we are affecting, big or small. We also never know whose life is going to affect ours.
Our individual journeys take us into many unexpected situations where we encounter a wide variety of people - some quite like ourselves and some very different.
We cannot anticipate these meetings, but we can make the most of them when they take place. When we are courteous as a matter of course and open minded in our assessment of the individuals whose lives touch our own, if even just briefly, we are more apt to stumble upon surprising gems of enlightenment that open our eyes to new worlds of possibility. Every person we meet can affect us profoundly, just as every situation we find ourselves in can teach us something new.
To fully embrace this fact, it is essential that we acknowledge that everyone is valuable in their own way and capable of expanding our horizons. Since we never know when we will happen upon those individuals who will unveil the truths that lie before us, we must extend to all people the same generous level of kindness, care, compassion, and understanding. When we accept that everyone we meet is special and treat them as such, we can develop a strong rapport quickly. By making an effort to adopt a positive attitude toward others at all times, we ensure that our emotions do not blind us to the enlightenment that exists, even in difficult or distressing situations.
With love & light,
Rob
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Life's Difficult Decisions
Many of us have a hard time making decisions.
We fear that if we choose the wrong partner, we'll be stuck in an unhappy relationship. Or, if we make the wrong financial decision, we'll be stuck in a bad investment. However, there are no wrong decisions.
Perhaps we could, at times, make different choices regarding our relationships, personal pursuits, careers, or the right color of paint for our walls. Yet, regardless of the outcome, we always gain valuable experience and insights from any choice we make.
Making a decision is always better than making no decision at all. Once done, we know that we had the courage to decide, take a chance, and make a move in a particular direction. We can't take action unless we make a decision first; and a decision is never wrong because we always gain something from it - whether we get what we thought we intended or learn a valuable lesson. Sometimes, we need to follow through on a decision to realize that we don't really want what we thought we did.
Each of the many decisions we make every day has the potential to have a deep impact on our lives. Some choices touch us to our very cores, awakening poignant feelings within us. Others seem at first to be simple but prove to be confusingly complex. We make the best decisions when we approach the decision-making process from a balanced emotional and intellectual foundation. When we have achieved equilibrium in our hearts and in our minds, we can clearly see both sides of an issue or alternative. Likewise, we can accept compromise as a natural fact of life. Instead of relying solely on our feelings or our rationality, we utilize both in equal measure, empowering ourselves to come to a life-affirming and balanced conclusion.
Balance within and balance without go hand in hand. When we are called upon to choose between two or more options, whether they are attractive or distasteful, we need to understand all we can about the choice ahead of us before moving forward. If we do not come to the decision from a place of balance, we risk making choices that are irrational and overly emotional or are wholly logical and don't take our feelings into account.
In bringing our thoughts and emotions together during the decision-making process, we ensure that we are taking everything possible into account before moving forward. Nothing is left up to chance, and we have ample opportunity to determine which options are in accordance with our values and our needs.
Our perception of the traits and characteristics that make us who we are is often tightly intertwined with how we live our life and the way we make our decisions. We define ourselves in terms of the roles we adopt, our actions and inactions, our triumphs, and what we think are failures. As a result it is easy to identify so strongly with a decision that has resulted in unexpected negative consequences that we actually become that "wrong" decision. The disappointment and shame we feel when we make what we perceive as a mistake grows until it becomes a dominant part of our identities. We rationalize our "poor" decisions by labeling ourselves incompetent decision-makers. However, our true identity cannot be defined by our choices. Our essence - what makes us a unique entity - exists independently of our decision-making process.
All decisions contribute to our development and are an integral part of our evolving existence yet they are still separate from our self. A decision that does not result in its intended outcome is in no way an illustration of our character. Still, it can have dire effects on our ability to trust ourselves and our self-esteem.
We can avoid becoming our decisions by affirming that a "bad decision" was just an experience, and next time we can choose differently. We then need to avoid lingering in the past and mulling over the circumstances that led to our perceived error in judgment. Instead, adapting to the new circumstances we must face by considering how we can use our intelligence, inner strength, and intuition to aid us in moving forward more mindfully. We must not entirely avoid thinking about the choices we have made, but reflect on the consequences of our decisions from a rational, rather than an emotional, standpoint.
So, we strive to understand why we made the choices we did, forgive ourselves, and then move forward.
Life's decisions provide a valuable learning experience and is, in essence, a gift to learn and grow from. We are not bad people and we are not our decisions.
We are simply human.
With love & light,
Rob
We fear that if we choose the wrong partner, we'll be stuck in an unhappy relationship. Or, if we make the wrong financial decision, we'll be stuck in a bad investment. However, there are no wrong decisions.
Perhaps we could, at times, make different choices regarding our relationships, personal pursuits, careers, or the right color of paint for our walls. Yet, regardless of the outcome, we always gain valuable experience and insights from any choice we make.
Making a decision is always better than making no decision at all. Once done, we know that we had the courage to decide, take a chance, and make a move in a particular direction. We can't take action unless we make a decision first; and a decision is never wrong because we always gain something from it - whether we get what we thought we intended or learn a valuable lesson. Sometimes, we need to follow through on a decision to realize that we don't really want what we thought we did.
Each of the many decisions we make every day has the potential to have a deep impact on our lives. Some choices touch us to our very cores, awakening poignant feelings within us. Others seem at first to be simple but prove to be confusingly complex. We make the best decisions when we approach the decision-making process from a balanced emotional and intellectual foundation. When we have achieved equilibrium in our hearts and in our minds, we can clearly see both sides of an issue or alternative. Likewise, we can accept compromise as a natural fact of life. Instead of relying solely on our feelings or our rationality, we utilize both in equal measure, empowering ourselves to come to a life-affirming and balanced conclusion.
Balance within and balance without go hand in hand. When we are called upon to choose between two or more options, whether they are attractive or distasteful, we need to understand all we can about the choice ahead of us before moving forward. If we do not come to the decision from a place of balance, we risk making choices that are irrational and overly emotional or are wholly logical and don't take our feelings into account.
In bringing our thoughts and emotions together during the decision-making process, we ensure that we are taking everything possible into account before moving forward. Nothing is left up to chance, and we have ample opportunity to determine which options are in accordance with our values and our needs.
Our perception of the traits and characteristics that make us who we are is often tightly intertwined with how we live our life and the way we make our decisions. We define ourselves in terms of the roles we adopt, our actions and inactions, our triumphs, and what we think are failures. As a result it is easy to identify so strongly with a decision that has resulted in unexpected negative consequences that we actually become that "wrong" decision. The disappointment and shame we feel when we make what we perceive as a mistake grows until it becomes a dominant part of our identities. We rationalize our "poor" decisions by labeling ourselves incompetent decision-makers. However, our true identity cannot be defined by our choices. Our essence - what makes us a unique entity - exists independently of our decision-making process.
All decisions contribute to our development and are an integral part of our evolving existence yet they are still separate from our self. A decision that does not result in its intended outcome is in no way an illustration of our character. Still, it can have dire effects on our ability to trust ourselves and our self-esteem.
We can avoid becoming our decisions by affirming that a "bad decision" was just an experience, and next time we can choose differently. We then need to avoid lingering in the past and mulling over the circumstances that led to our perceived error in judgment. Instead, adapting to the new circumstances we must face by considering how we can use our intelligence, inner strength, and intuition to aid us in moving forward more mindfully. We must not entirely avoid thinking about the choices we have made, but reflect on the consequences of our decisions from a rational, rather than an emotional, standpoint.
So, we strive to understand why we made the choices we did, forgive ourselves, and then move forward.
Life's decisions provide a valuable learning experience and is, in essence, a gift to learn and grow from. We are not bad people and we are not our decisions.
We are simply human.
With love & light,
Rob
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Times Are Tough ... This Too Shall Pass
We all have days that seem endlessly difficult and hard. On these days, it is as if the odds are stacked against us and we just can't get a break as one challenging ituation follows another. We may feel like we're standing in the ocean being hit by wave after wave, never able to get a full breath or keep a steady footing, becoming more exhausted with each strike.
Sometimes it's necessary, or worthwhile, to remain committed and work our way through. Other times, the best idea is to go home and take the breath we need in order to carry on.
If the only choice is to get through it, a hard day can be a great teacher. It will eventually end and we can look back on it, taking pride in the determination, courage, and ingenuity it took to hold our ground. We may also look back and see how we could have done things differently. This knowledge will be valuable when we face the inevitable challenges that lie ahead of us in our life.
It is as these challenges present themselves that we must trust our spiritual guidance and discern wether to work through it or take a different course.
Very often, a timely retreat is the best way to ensure a positive outcome. Allowing some quiet time to listen to the Spirit inside us can remind us that external circumstances are not the whole picture.
Once we catch our breath and re-center ourselves, we find a true perspective. We begin to see that what we perceived as hardships can actually be opportunities.
Sometimes all that's needed is a good night's sleep. No one is immune to having a hard day and these are usually the times we can learn the most. If we can find it in our hearts to examine the day, and maybe make one small change in perception, we can ease our pain and greet the next day with ease, remebering that the bad times too shall pass, as shall the good times.
As the story has been recorded;
One day Solomon decided to humble Benaiah Ben Yehoyada, his most trusted minister. He said to him, "Benaiah, there is a certain ring that I want you to bring to me. I wish to wear it for Sukkot which gives you six months to find it."
"If it exists anywhere on earth, your majesty," replied Benaiah, "I will find it and bring it to you, but what makes the ring so special?"
"It has magic powers," answered the king. "If a happy man looks at it, he becomes sad, and if a sad man looks at it, he becomes happy."
Solomon knew that no such ring existed in the world, but he wished to give his minister a little taste of humility. Spring passed and then summer, and still Benaiah had no idea where he could find the ring. On the night before Sukkot, he decided to take a walk in one of the poorest quarters of Jerusalem. He passed by a merchant who had begun to set out the day's wares on a shabby carpet.
"Have you by any chance heard of a magic ring that makes the happy wearer forget his joy and the broken-hearted wearer forget his sorrows?" asked Benaiah.
He watched the grandfather take a plain gold ring from his carpet and engrave something on it. When Benaiah read the words on the ring, his face broke out in a wide smile. That night the entire city welcomed in the holiday of Sukkot with great festivity.
"Well, my friend," said Solomon, "have you found what I sent you after?"
All the ministers laughed and Solomon himself smiled. To everyone's surprise, Benaiah held up a small gold ring and declared, "Here it is, your majesty!"
As soon as Solomon read the inscription, the smile vanished from his face. The jeweler had written three Hebrew letters on the gold band: gimel, zayin, yud, which began the words "Gam zeh ya'avor" -- "This too shall pass."
At that moment Solomon realized that all his wisdom and fabulous wealth and tremendous power were but fleeting things, for one day he would be nothing but dust.
So, we must remember that our tough times shall soon pass, and give thanks for that. We must also remember, however, that our good times shall also pass, and so we must give great thank for those times and share them.
With love & light,
Rob
Sometimes it's necessary, or worthwhile, to remain committed and work our way through. Other times, the best idea is to go home and take the breath we need in order to carry on.
If the only choice is to get through it, a hard day can be a great teacher. It will eventually end and we can look back on it, taking pride in the determination, courage, and ingenuity it took to hold our ground. We may also look back and see how we could have done things differently. This knowledge will be valuable when we face the inevitable challenges that lie ahead of us in our life.
It is as these challenges present themselves that we must trust our spiritual guidance and discern wether to work through it or take a different course.
Very often, a timely retreat is the best way to ensure a positive outcome. Allowing some quiet time to listen to the Spirit inside us can remind us that external circumstances are not the whole picture.
Once we catch our breath and re-center ourselves, we find a true perspective. We begin to see that what we perceived as hardships can actually be opportunities.
Sometimes all that's needed is a good night's sleep. No one is immune to having a hard day and these are usually the times we can learn the most. If we can find it in our hearts to examine the day, and maybe make one small change in perception, we can ease our pain and greet the next day with ease, remebering that the bad times too shall pass, as shall the good times.
As the story has been recorded;
One day Solomon decided to humble Benaiah Ben Yehoyada, his most trusted minister. He said to him, "Benaiah, there is a certain ring that I want you to bring to me. I wish to wear it for Sukkot which gives you six months to find it."
"If it exists anywhere on earth, your majesty," replied Benaiah, "I will find it and bring it to you, but what makes the ring so special?"
"It has magic powers," answered the king. "If a happy man looks at it, he becomes sad, and if a sad man looks at it, he becomes happy."
Solomon knew that no such ring existed in the world, but he wished to give his minister a little taste of humility. Spring passed and then summer, and still Benaiah had no idea where he could find the ring. On the night before Sukkot, he decided to take a walk in one of the poorest quarters of Jerusalem. He passed by a merchant who had begun to set out the day's wares on a shabby carpet.
"Have you by any chance heard of a magic ring that makes the happy wearer forget his joy and the broken-hearted wearer forget his sorrows?" asked Benaiah.
He watched the grandfather take a plain gold ring from his carpet and engrave something on it. When Benaiah read the words on the ring, his face broke out in a wide smile. That night the entire city welcomed in the holiday of Sukkot with great festivity.
"Well, my friend," said Solomon, "have you found what I sent you after?"
All the ministers laughed and Solomon himself smiled. To everyone's surprise, Benaiah held up a small gold ring and declared, "Here it is, your majesty!"
As soon as Solomon read the inscription, the smile vanished from his face. The jeweler had written three Hebrew letters on the gold band: gimel, zayin, yud, which began the words "Gam zeh ya'avor" -- "This too shall pass."
At that moment Solomon realized that all his wisdom and fabulous wealth and tremendous power were but fleeting things, for one day he would be nothing but dust.
So, we must remember that our tough times shall soon pass, and give thanks for that. We must also remember, however, that our good times shall also pass, and so we must give great thank for those times and share them.
With love & light,
Rob
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Times Are Tough ... be gentle
Times Are Tough ... be gentle
During these times when our lives are confronted with what seems to be constant change, challenge, and growth, it is important to remember that we need to be gentle with ourselves.
It can be easy to use our energy to keep up with the day to day momentum of our lives and become exhausted and tired of our existence.
Sometimes the goals we have set for ourselves are out of reach. That might be by nature, or by the overly optimistic expectations that we or society places before us. Either way, we often become eager to fault our progress and expectations, and therefore our own selves. We become accustomed to these "beat downs" on a more regular, perhaps daily, basis and so we accept the perception of failure as becoming regular or common.
However, we may not be aware of the dangerous fact that we are likely to run our own selves down spiritually when we do so.
When things seem to be moving quickly, be they negative or positive, it is especially essential that we make a point to slow down and be gentle with ourselves.
It might be difficult to notice what is happening to us for we may be so caught up in the whirlwind of our lives that we lose sight of the direction in which things are heading.
Being gentle with ourselves does not mean that we cease to achieve to accomplish things. Rather, it means that we honor ourselves in an ongoing basis and tend to the needs of our spiritual well being and our own bodies, as well of those of others ... all of God's Creation, animal and earth, pets and gardens
This means different things to different people. For instance, it could mean having a session with a Spiritual Advisor, or perhaps taking some much needed extra sleep. For others, perhaps a return to nature or a cultural mecca, be that a museum or a walk-about to appreciate our architectural accomplishments, or those created by God's nature at hand.
Whichever path we choose leads us back to our spiritual selves and helps us to create space within ourselves for a more positive, loving, and accepting view of our lives and those of others.
By setting the intention to do so, we become more cognizant of our spirituality on a daily basis and become more able to replenish ourselves as needed.
The more we are able to treat our souls and bodies with gentleness, the more tenderness and compassion we can set forth into our lives.
Learning to understand and pay mind to what we need will in turn allow us to fill our lives with unlimited unconditional love and healing energy in order to truly tend to what God calls us to do.
It is then that we can shed the scars of our lives and begin to heal the wounds of others.
Please pray with me.
With love & light,
Rob
During these times when our lives are confronted with what seems to be constant change, challenge, and growth, it is important to remember that we need to be gentle with ourselves.
It can be easy to use our energy to keep up with the day to day momentum of our lives and become exhausted and tired of our existence.
Sometimes the goals we have set for ourselves are out of reach. That might be by nature, or by the overly optimistic expectations that we or society places before us. Either way, we often become eager to fault our progress and expectations, and therefore our own selves. We become accustomed to these "beat downs" on a more regular, perhaps daily, basis and so we accept the perception of failure as becoming regular or common.
However, we may not be aware of the dangerous fact that we are likely to run our own selves down spiritually when we do so.
When things seem to be moving quickly, be they negative or positive, it is especially essential that we make a point to slow down and be gentle with ourselves.
It might be difficult to notice what is happening to us for we may be so caught up in the whirlwind of our lives that we lose sight of the direction in which things are heading.
Being gentle with ourselves does not mean that we cease to achieve to accomplish things. Rather, it means that we honor ourselves in an ongoing basis and tend to the needs of our spiritual well being and our own bodies, as well of those of others ... all of God's Creation, animal and earth, pets and gardens
This means different things to different people. For instance, it could mean having a session with a Spiritual Advisor, or perhaps taking some much needed extra sleep. For others, perhaps a return to nature or a cultural mecca, be that a museum or a walk-about to appreciate our architectural accomplishments, or those created by God's nature at hand.
Whichever path we choose leads us back to our spiritual selves and helps us to create space within ourselves for a more positive, loving, and accepting view of our lives and those of others.
By setting the intention to do so, we become more cognizant of our spirituality on a daily basis and become more able to replenish ourselves as needed.
The more we are able to treat our souls and bodies with gentleness, the more tenderness and compassion we can set forth into our lives.
Learning to understand and pay mind to what we need will in turn allow us to fill our lives with unlimited unconditional love and healing energy in order to truly tend to what God calls us to do.
It is then that we can shed the scars of our lives and begin to heal the wounds of others.
Please pray with me.
With love & light,
Rob
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
New Year's Eve ... a Six Month Retropestive
It's been six months since New Year's Eve, so I thought this would be a good time to post a piece that I sent to some friends back then.
I was fortunate to spend time with an enigmatic young man named Thomas
during a very special period of my life. It was a time of change, growth,
and overcoming challenges for me.
Thomas taught me many things during our days together, and this time of
year reminds me of one particular interaction we had.
"Now that you are becoming more aware," Thomas said, "you need to begin to
set goals for yourself so you don't lose the momentum you have built."
"Like New Year's resolutions?" I asked.
"That's an interesting idea," he smirked. "Let's do that."
By then I was used to his cryptic responses, so I knew something was up
because of the way his eyes sparkled as he let out an impish laugh.
"Tonight, make two lists," Thomas continued. "The first is a list of all
the New Year's resolutions you WANT to keep, and the second is a list of all
the New Year's resolutions you WILL keep. Write the WANT List first, and
when you have exhausted all of your ideas, then write the second list on
another sheet of paper."
I went home and spent several days working on the two lists. The WANT List
felt overwhelming at first, but after a while I got into writing all the
things I had always wanted to do if the burdens of life hadn't gotten in the
way. After nearly an hour, the list swelled to fill the entire page and
contained nearly all of my ideas of an ideal life. The second list was much
easier, and I was able to quickly commit ten practical resolutions that I
felt would be both realistic and helpful.
The next time I saw Thomas, he said "Tell me about your two lists" as the
familiar smirk crept onto his face.
"The first list contains all the things I SHOULD do if I completely changed
my life to be the person I always wanted to be. The second list contains all
the things I COULD do by accepting my current life, and taking realistic
steps towards the life I want to lead."
"Let me see the second list," he said.
I handed him the second list, and without even looking at it, he ripped the
paper into tiny pieces and threw it in the nearby trash. His disregard for
the effort I had put into the list annoyed me at first, but after I calmed
down I began to think about the first list in a different light. In my
heart, I knew the second list was a cop out, and the first list was the only
one that really mattered.
"And now, the first list."
I handed him the first list and held his gaze for several seconds, waiting
for him to begin reading the page. After an unusually long silence, he began
to crumple the paper into a ball and once again tossed it into the trash
without looking at it.
"What did you do that for?!" I couldn't hide my anger any longer.
Thomas began to speak in a quiet and assured voice. "What you SHOULD or
COULD do with your life no longer matters. The only thing that matters, from
this day forward, is what you MUST do."
He then drew a folded piece of paper from his back pocket and handed it to
me.
I opened it carefully, and found a single word floating in the middle of
the white page:
"Love."
And so, I offer you my love and I wish for the new year to bring you a
loving life of quiet balance as you encounter each new day.
As for me, I'll be looking back at this past year with fondness and
thankless for having you in my life.
With love & light,
Rob
I was fortunate to spend time with an enigmatic young man named Thomas
during a very special period of my life. It was a time of change, growth,
and overcoming challenges for me.
Thomas taught me many things during our days together, and this time of
year reminds me of one particular interaction we had.
"Now that you are becoming more aware," Thomas said, "you need to begin to
set goals for yourself so you don't lose the momentum you have built."
"Like New Year's resolutions?" I asked.
"That's an interesting idea," he smirked. "Let's do that."
By then I was used to his cryptic responses, so I knew something was up
because of the way his eyes sparkled as he let out an impish laugh.
"Tonight, make two lists," Thomas continued. "The first is a list of all
the New Year's resolutions you WANT to keep, and the second is a list of all
the New Year's resolutions you WILL keep. Write the WANT List first, and
when you have exhausted all of your ideas, then write the second list on
another sheet of paper."
I went home and spent several days working on the two lists. The WANT List
felt overwhelming at first, but after a while I got into writing all the
things I had always wanted to do if the burdens of life hadn't gotten in the
way. After nearly an hour, the list swelled to fill the entire page and
contained nearly all of my ideas of an ideal life. The second list was much
easier, and I was able to quickly commit ten practical resolutions that I
felt would be both realistic and helpful.
The next time I saw Thomas, he said "Tell me about your two lists" as the
familiar smirk crept onto his face.
"The first list contains all the things I SHOULD do if I completely changed
my life to be the person I always wanted to be. The second list contains all
the things I COULD do by accepting my current life, and taking realistic
steps towards the life I want to lead."
"Let me see the second list," he said.
I handed him the second list, and without even looking at it, he ripped the
paper into tiny pieces and threw it in the nearby trash. His disregard for
the effort I had put into the list annoyed me at first, but after I calmed
down I began to think about the first list in a different light. In my
heart, I knew the second list was a cop out, and the first list was the only
one that really mattered.
"And now, the first list."
I handed him the first list and held his gaze for several seconds, waiting
for him to begin reading the page. After an unusually long silence, he began
to crumple the paper into a ball and once again tossed it into the trash
without looking at it.
"What did you do that for?!" I couldn't hide my anger any longer.
Thomas began to speak in a quiet and assured voice. "What you SHOULD or
COULD do with your life no longer matters. The only thing that matters, from
this day forward, is what you MUST do."
He then drew a folded piece of paper from his back pocket and handed it to
me.
I opened it carefully, and found a single word floating in the middle of
the white page:
"Love."
And so, I offer you my love and I wish for the new year to bring you a
loving life of quiet balance as you encounter each new day.
As for me, I'll be looking back at this past year with fondness and
thankless for having you in my life.
With love & light,
Rob
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Loving Grace, Living Love
Upon waking, many of us view the the coming day with trepidation.
Because of the natural human tendency to focus on what we fear or dislike, it is easy to unwittingly send a message of unease into the future that negatively impacts the quality of our day ahead. Restless nights spent worrying about what tomorrow holds for us as we stress over financial obligations, health concerns, and world events sets us into a path on unease, uncertainty, fear, and desparation.
Depression.
Although our lives are busy and frequently replete with challenges, they are also rich with joy and experiences worth savoring. My siblings and I have spent this past week emailing recollections of our childhoods. We have a wooden "Memory Box" for our Mom. In it, we add slips of paper with a fond memory on it. Mom can open the box and read through them whenever she likes, and we can continue to add to it it as we live on. The time will come when we'll gather and read through them together, sharing the love we have. I highly recommend this as a gift to a loved one.
It's nice to have so much clarity when looking back at happy, simple times. It brings a wonderful feeling of foundation and a certain bliss. I find it fascinating that "bliss" is only one vowel away from "bless".
I have a dear friend who emails me daily and always wishes me "Blessings on your day". Such a gift.
We can attract this natural bliss and into our lives by starting each day with a message of loving blessings. When we send love and blessings ahead to our day, that love manifests itself in our personal interactions, our professional endeavors, and our domestic duties.
Tasks and circumstances once made trying by our own anxieties can be transformed by our love, and we can find ourselves approaching life's subtle nuances with great affection.
I suggest that each morning, when we have cast off the fog of sleep, we take several deep, grounding breaths and reaffirm the love we have for ourselves. Think of the good that we do and how we are loved by others, be they spouses, family, friends, or pets. Say it out loud, whisper if you must, but say it with affirmation.
Speaking a loving, self directed blessing aloud enables us to access and awaken the reservoir of tenderness in our souls. Before we leave the comfortable warmth of our beds, we need to be sure to tell God that we are eager and ready to receive the blessings He has set aside for us. Then as we prepare to meet the day, we can visualize ourselves first saturated by and then surrounded with a warm and soft loving light.
This circle of light will soon widen until we unwittingly send it ahead into our day.
That circle of light is made of all those who love us, particularly God and our own selves.
Those of us who commute to work, can send a blessing to the roads upon which we will travel, our fellow commuters, and the geographical location of where we work as well as those who we will interact with. In turn, every single person we interact with, kind or cruel, brings to us a blessing.
If we have colleagues who arrive at our workplace before us, we can send them blessings of love in our hearts. Likewise, a day spent being a parent or addressing household chores can benefit from the sentiment that precedes us. Sending love ahead to everyone we will meet and everything we will do can ensure that our day is suffused with grace. The grace that God has always shared with us and asks that we share with one another.
It can be difficult to send love to those situations and individuals we deem particularly frustrating. However, that is not our call to make. After all, love and grace are each a gift that God has given us as a gift to share, and it each are most beautiful and powerful things.
Consider that the warmth and tenderness we project can change our life for the better as well as the life of the recipient.
If we send this loving grace forward each morning, we will exercise our power to control the ambiance of our existence and color our day with positivity.
If we send this loving grace forward throught our day, we will enforce our ability to have our world around us feel the same warm, encompassig light we awoke with.
If we send this loving grace to sleep with us each evening, we will sleep peacefully, allowing God to cradle us in His loving embrace and face each new day with the knowledge that everything is okay in God's light.
With love & light,
Rob
Because of the natural human tendency to focus on what we fear or dislike, it is easy to unwittingly send a message of unease into the future that negatively impacts the quality of our day ahead. Restless nights spent worrying about what tomorrow holds for us as we stress over financial obligations, health concerns, and world events sets us into a path on unease, uncertainty, fear, and desparation.
Depression.
Although our lives are busy and frequently replete with challenges, they are also rich with joy and experiences worth savoring. My siblings and I have spent this past week emailing recollections of our childhoods. We have a wooden "Memory Box" for our Mom. In it, we add slips of paper with a fond memory on it. Mom can open the box and read through them whenever she likes, and we can continue to add to it it as we live on. The time will come when we'll gather and read through them together, sharing the love we have. I highly recommend this as a gift to a loved one.
It's nice to have so much clarity when looking back at happy, simple times. It brings a wonderful feeling of foundation and a certain bliss. I find it fascinating that "bliss" is only one vowel away from "bless".
I have a dear friend who emails me daily and always wishes me "Blessings on your day". Such a gift.
We can attract this natural bliss and into our lives by starting each day with a message of loving blessings. When we send love and blessings ahead to our day, that love manifests itself in our personal interactions, our professional endeavors, and our domestic duties.
Tasks and circumstances once made trying by our own anxieties can be transformed by our love, and we can find ourselves approaching life's subtle nuances with great affection.
I suggest that each morning, when we have cast off the fog of sleep, we take several deep, grounding breaths and reaffirm the love we have for ourselves. Think of the good that we do and how we are loved by others, be they spouses, family, friends, or pets. Say it out loud, whisper if you must, but say it with affirmation.
Speaking a loving, self directed blessing aloud enables us to access and awaken the reservoir of tenderness in our souls. Before we leave the comfortable warmth of our beds, we need to be sure to tell God that we are eager and ready to receive the blessings He has set aside for us. Then as we prepare to meet the day, we can visualize ourselves first saturated by and then surrounded with a warm and soft loving light.
This circle of light will soon widen until we unwittingly send it ahead into our day.
That circle of light is made of all those who love us, particularly God and our own selves.
Those of us who commute to work, can send a blessing to the roads upon which we will travel, our fellow commuters, and the geographical location of where we work as well as those who we will interact with. In turn, every single person we interact with, kind or cruel, brings to us a blessing.
If we have colleagues who arrive at our workplace before us, we can send them blessings of love in our hearts. Likewise, a day spent being a parent or addressing household chores can benefit from the sentiment that precedes us. Sending love ahead to everyone we will meet and everything we will do can ensure that our day is suffused with grace. The grace that God has always shared with us and asks that we share with one another.
It can be difficult to send love to those situations and individuals we deem particularly frustrating. However, that is not our call to make. After all, love and grace are each a gift that God has given us as a gift to share, and it each are most beautiful and powerful things.
Consider that the warmth and tenderness we project can change our life for the better as well as the life of the recipient.
If we send this loving grace forward each morning, we will exercise our power to control the ambiance of our existence and color our day with positivity.
If we send this loving grace forward throught our day, we will enforce our ability to have our world around us feel the same warm, encompassig light we awoke with.
If we send this loving grace to sleep with us each evening, we will sleep peacefully, allowing God to cradle us in His loving embrace and face each new day with the knowledge that everything is okay in God's light.
With love & light,
Rob
Monday, June 22, 2009
A Stone Soup Weekend
The Wisdom of Sharing
There are many variations on the story of Stone Soup, but they all involve a traveler coming into a town beset by famine.
The inhabitants try to discourage the traveler from staying, fearing he wants them to give him food. They tell him in no uncertain terms that there's no food anywhere to be found. The traveler explains that he doesn't need any food and that, in fact, he was planning to make a soup to share with all of them.
The villagers watch suspiciously as he builds a fire and fills a cauldron with water. With great ceremony, he pulls a stone from a bag, dropping the stone into the pot of water.
He sniffs the brew extravagantly and exclaims how delicious Stone Soup is.
As the villagers begin to show interest, he mentions how good the soup would be with just a little cabbage in it.
A villager brings out a cabbage to share, and this episode repeats itself until the soup has cabbage, carrots, onions, and beets - indeed, a substantial soup that feeds everyone in the village.
This story addresses the human tendency to hoard in times of deprivation, and we are in times of deprivation now, both financially and spiritually.
When resources are scarce, we tend to pull back and put all of our energy into self-preservation. We isolate ourselves and shut out others.
As the story of Stone Soup reveals, in doing so, we often deprive ourselves and everyone else of a feast. This metaphor plays out beyond the realm of food. We tend to hoard our ideas, our love, and our energy, thinking we will be richer if we keep to them to ourselves.
Truth being, however, that we make the world, and ourselves, poorer whenever we greedily stockpile our reserves.
The traveler was able to see that the villagers were holding back, and he had the genius to draw them out and inspire them to give, thus creating a meal that none of them could have created alone.
We have to ask "who is this traveller?".
I travelled this weekend to Holy Cross Monastery with a dear friend who inspires great thoughts in me.
Once again, I learned the greatness of the gift of sharing, and the Benedictine example of doing for others.
Our meals there were beyond comparison. Everyting was plentiful and gracious.
We wanted for nothing at all.
One of our meals was an amazing Curried Chicken Stew, which was well recieved.
One of the Brothers comments that "the chef will be pleased to see an empty bowl".
Are we like the villagers?
Are we holding back?
When we come forward and share our gifts, we inspire others to do the same.
The reward is a banquet that can nourish many.
During the train ride home, I commented to my companion that I must have gained at least 5 pounds from the genorosity of the Brotherhood.
In retrospect, I would say that I gained just shy of triple that ... 14 pounds - one stone, in old English measures.
Of course, that stone that I gained is not in weight, but in love & spirit. I left there with one stone's worth of love to share.
A beloved friend of mine from Mexico City died recently at the tender age of 25.
When I last saw him, he gave me a small blue stone at the airport after calling me back from the gate.
He asked me to keep it in my pocket, as his Grandmother gave it to him when he was a child.
It was for blessings for a safe journey.
Not just a safe journey through the skies, but through life.
I still carry that stone in my pocket.
It painfully reminds me of Miguel, who was full of life and love, but it also serves to remind me of the love that he and we have to share with one another. If not for any other reason, it is to justify his brief being and continue his God given spirit.
We may travel through life with a stone's weight, which is burdensome.
We may even choose to carry a stone in our pocket, or a pebble in our shoe, to remind us of life's burdens.
However, it is when we share that stone, those 14 proverbial pounds in our pocket, that we call others to share in our Soup, and we all become a well nourished community.
Do you see?
Together, we can make Stone Soup.
With love & light,
Rob
There are many variations on the story of Stone Soup, but they all involve a traveler coming into a town beset by famine.
The inhabitants try to discourage the traveler from staying, fearing he wants them to give him food. They tell him in no uncertain terms that there's no food anywhere to be found. The traveler explains that he doesn't need any food and that, in fact, he was planning to make a soup to share with all of them.
The villagers watch suspiciously as he builds a fire and fills a cauldron with water. With great ceremony, he pulls a stone from a bag, dropping the stone into the pot of water.
He sniffs the brew extravagantly and exclaims how delicious Stone Soup is.
As the villagers begin to show interest, he mentions how good the soup would be with just a little cabbage in it.
A villager brings out a cabbage to share, and this episode repeats itself until the soup has cabbage, carrots, onions, and beets - indeed, a substantial soup that feeds everyone in the village.
This story addresses the human tendency to hoard in times of deprivation, and we are in times of deprivation now, both financially and spiritually.
When resources are scarce, we tend to pull back and put all of our energy into self-preservation. We isolate ourselves and shut out others.
As the story of Stone Soup reveals, in doing so, we often deprive ourselves and everyone else of a feast. This metaphor plays out beyond the realm of food. We tend to hoard our ideas, our love, and our energy, thinking we will be richer if we keep to them to ourselves.
Truth being, however, that we make the world, and ourselves, poorer whenever we greedily stockpile our reserves.
The traveler was able to see that the villagers were holding back, and he had the genius to draw them out and inspire them to give, thus creating a meal that none of them could have created alone.
We have to ask "who is this traveller?".
I travelled this weekend to Holy Cross Monastery with a dear friend who inspires great thoughts in me.
Once again, I learned the greatness of the gift of sharing, and the Benedictine example of doing for others.
Our meals there were beyond comparison. Everyting was plentiful and gracious.
We wanted for nothing at all.
One of our meals was an amazing Curried Chicken Stew, which was well recieved.
One of the Brothers comments that "the chef will be pleased to see an empty bowl".
Are we like the villagers?
Are we holding back?
When we come forward and share our gifts, we inspire others to do the same.
The reward is a banquet that can nourish many.
During the train ride home, I commented to my companion that I must have gained at least 5 pounds from the genorosity of the Brotherhood.
In retrospect, I would say that I gained just shy of triple that ... 14 pounds - one stone, in old English measures.
Of course, that stone that I gained is not in weight, but in love & spirit. I left there with one stone's worth of love to share.
A beloved friend of mine from Mexico City died recently at the tender age of 25.
When I last saw him, he gave me a small blue stone at the airport after calling me back from the gate.
He asked me to keep it in my pocket, as his Grandmother gave it to him when he was a child.
It was for blessings for a safe journey.
Not just a safe journey through the skies, but through life.
I still carry that stone in my pocket.
It painfully reminds me of Miguel, who was full of life and love, but it also serves to remind me of the love that he and we have to share with one another. If not for any other reason, it is to justify his brief being and continue his God given spirit.
We may travel through life with a stone's weight, which is burdensome.
We may even choose to carry a stone in our pocket, or a pebble in our shoe, to remind us of life's burdens.
However, it is when we share that stone, those 14 proverbial pounds in our pocket, that we call others to share in our Soup, and we all become a well nourished community.
Do you see?
Together, we can make Stone Soup.
With love & light,
Rob
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)