What does it all mean?

Three great friends . . .

Five years ago, I lost a great friend in December . . . He was 57, and appeared to be in great shape . . . Heart attack . . . A year later, I lost a great friend in December . . . He was 52, and appeared to be in great shape . . . Heart attack . . . Two years ago, I lost a great friend in December . . . He was 62, and appeared to be in great shape . . . Heart attack . . .

What can we learn from this? I look in the mirror, and I see someone who appears to be in great shape . . . I feel as well as I ever have physically, emotionally, and spiritually, despite the challenges we all experience . . . Despite what we believe, or WANT to believe, there are no absolutes, no guarantees beyond death, taxes, and constant change . . . EVERYTHING changes . . . And the greatest source of change is death, the passing of souls to another realm . . . Is that bad? Is it negative? Of course, we don't wish for death, unless someone might be enduring intolerable suffering . . . But death always comes . . . For others, and eventually, for us . . .

This is NOT meant to be black or sad or melancholy . . . It's simply a statement of that which we ALL know intellectually, that we are all mortal, and will pass . . .

What's my point? There are a few points that can be made, but let's focus on one . . . It's a cliche to say that we need to focus on the moment, but every cliche has a cornel of truth, and this cliche's cornel is VERY big . . . The moment, the moment, the MOMENT!

MINDFULNESS!

As we head into 2010, we can all make MANY worthwhile resolutions, but perhaps one as much as any other will impact our lives in an overwhelmingly positive way . . . BE HERE NOW . . .

Any questions? I can think of one . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao Baby!!

Reflecting . . .

In truth, I had no intention of writing anything today . . . Suppose we could say the spirit moved me a couple of minutes ago, as dinner cooks and the BB King Christmas Collection plays . . .

It's been a terrific year, and a difficult year in some ways . . . But then, who DOESN'T have some kind of cross to bear?

Ahhh . . . the Spiritual Journey . . . I wouldn't trade it for the world . . . As a Pisces, it's where all fish end up . . . I look forward to another year of that . . . Perhaps that's not right . . . Perhaps I should say I look forward to another day, because, that's all we have . . . It's ALL day to day, and most of us don't get that at ALL . . . Or, we could even break it down minute to minute, second to second, but the human brain doesn't work well with small segments of time . . . It's just how we're wired . . .

We ARE, without doubt, the co-creators of our lives . . . And, we help to create the lives of others, if only for a few minutes here and there . . . We never know how profoundly we might affect another human being by our presence, our words, our vibe . . .

There are more reflections coming, but that's all for now!

Until next time . . . Ciao Baby!

When Bad Stuff Happens . . .

What's that thing we often hear about death and taxes? Well, we could include unpleasant events as well among the things that are inevitable in life . . . Yes, bad stuff DOES happen in all of our lives from time to time!

We have no control over many things . . . Unfortunately, this can leave us with a feeling of helplessness when faced with these events that we don't control . . . However, we do have some control when it comes to how we deal with these events, and life in general!

Our inner sense of joy and peace need not be controlled by external events, but can be a constant within our reality, an immovable rock at our core . . . When unpleasantness occurs, we can rely on this to carry us though the storm! It can help us to rise above what's happening in our lives, as this is the REAL us . . . The events in our lives are temporary, and always pass eventually . . .

It is important not to let our circumstances define us, and who we are . . . Which comes back to the thoughts we think and the beliefs we carry with us from moment to moment . . . Those thoughts and beliefs allow us to rise above the problems and travails which life imposes upon us all occasionally!

Until next time . . . Ciao

Kids . . .

I've been out of town for most of the summer . . . Not much time to write . . .

Many ideas, but not opportunity . . .

Being a father . . .

Being a parent is NOT an easy thing, even when it looks easy . . . Much to think about . . .

Raising children, providing for children, being there for children, loving children . . .

My feeling is, I was put on this Earth in this lifetime to be a father . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Laugh!

What's the worst thing we can do? Well, maybe not the worst thing, but a shitty thing? We start to take ourselves too seriously . . . We think we're God's gift to mankind . . . Truth is, we aren't!!

So have a little fun . . . Do some crazy stuff, and live life . . . See the humour in life's events . . . It isn't sacrilege to laugh at things others don't laugh at . . . Whatever we find funny, laugh at it . . .

Who cares if we're a little out of character every so often? It's good for the soul, good for the heart, and good for the brain . . . As a matter of fact, do it MORE than every so often!!

Be irreverent . . . be provocative . . . Maybe shock a few people . . .

In the end, our last words just might be . . . WTF!!! I did it MY way!!!

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Strength II

There are many misconceptions about strength, and many ways to view it . . . Of course there's the physical aspect, which might be somewhat related to health . . . Psychological and emotional strength are also important . . . But, if we were to consider one type of strength that comprehends the whole, it would be SPIRITUAL strength . . .

Developing spiritual strength has such an overriding effect upon everything else . . . It changes our vibration, our thinking, our actions, our relationships, our ability to see through the BS, our health, our peace of mind . . . Literally, if affects EVERYTHING!!

In order to develop true spiritual strength, a disciplined approach is necessary . . . Daily effort is needed to make progress . . . Establishing a meditation practice can be trying for some, as it takes time and the benefits aren't always immediately obvious (but they will be over time, if we give it enough time!) . . . Giving up those things that influence us negatively, and work against our progress, may be difficult, because they've beome so habituated within us . . . Recognizing negative thinking patterns and replacing them with positive, life enhancing beliefs can seem like a constant battle at first . . .

However, for those who decide to go down the road to true strength, and make it a lifelong journey, there really is nothing more worthwhile! It's a path for which there is no substitute . . . Nothing else like it exists . . . It is TRUTH, and it enriches every aspect of life!

More on this later . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!

Strength

Yes Dear Reader, there is a way to cultivate personal strength, and it has nothing whatsoever to do with going to the gym and pumping iron, or running a marathon, or taking an assertiveness class . . .

Strength is what we develop as we become more spiritual in nature, as we make contact with what we truly are, that being a spiritual entity first and foremost . . . It all begins with a sincere desire to make the leap to this level of awareness, and then the efforts we put into the discipline in order to make it happen . . .

First, a meditative practice is necessary to learn to still the mind, and quiet the thinking process which seems to sabotage our best efforts at times . . . And it isn't so much the thinking, but WHAT we are thinking! If we have negative thoughts about ourselves and others, we are promoting our own weakness . . .

By quieting the mind in meditation, we are free to feel what we truly are . . . spiritual energy! This is the energy of STRENGTH! Our ability to feel and be this energy consciously becomes easier over time . . . it is a gift from the Gods! We can be conscious of it at all times, and use it to simply stop and centre ourselves in the true reality of our spiritual being . . . This is STRENGTH!

It isn't complicated, but it does require discipline to stay on this path, especially if we've struggled with negative self-talk, or if we are easily swayed by the negative influences and messages we are bombarded with everyday in society . . . But no matter what our situation, we can use that as our starting point and make progress everyday! It isn't so much where we start, but where we finish that really counts . . . As Lao-Tsu very wisely said, the ten thousand mile journey starts as a single step! It is so true and applies to anything we understake . . .

Learn to develop true strength . . . begin with meditation and being the spiritual energy we all ARE! We only have to learn to access it . . .

More on this later . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

What is JOY? III

In the past few days, it has been pointed out to me through events that it is sometimes VERY difficult to remain connected to the JOY which is intrinsic to all of us . . . But, what I see once again is that, as difficult as it may be at times, it IS possible to not completely lose that JOY, and in fact, to re-establish one's feeling of "JOY is me" quickly . . .

NOTHING CAN STEAL MY JOY!!

Let's back up, shall we? No one said this would be easy . . . It requires discipline, and emotional balance, and a meditation practice . . . Without doubt, a meditation practice! And, it's a day to day, moment to moment striving to stay in a place of peace and contentment . . . But, it can be done and is done by many, and they are no different than the rest of us, except perhaps . . .

NOTHING CAN STEAL MY JOY!!

They realize that THOUGHTS control the individual, and belief systems are merely extensions of thoughts . . . And more to the point, the individual should control the thoughts . . . To let thoughts take us away and control us is to flirt with disaster, because many of our thoughts are anything but positive and life enhancing . . .

NOTHING CAN STEAL MY JOY!!

The enemy is always lurking, ready to confront us with thoughts or events or people that might steal our joy in a second . . . And if we let them, they WILL! However, we as human beings have the ability to be aware of the dangers, and then when they drop into our path, we are ready with the proper thoughts, and affirmations, to REMIND ourselves that we are, first of all, spiritual beings, and as an extension of that, we can and should exist in a state of JOY, which we control through our thoughts . . . Eventually, these thoughts and affirmations become imprinted on our consciousness at a profoundly deep level . . .

NOTHING CAN STEAL MY JOY!!

And don't forget the meditation practice!

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

What is JOY? II

In the previous blog, I mentioned having a regular meditation practice which allows us to contact our spiritual being, which is our true reality . . . And then, through this spiritual reality, we can access the JOY which is an integral part of that reality . . . It will grow and grow, and over time we'll begin to notice that on a moment to moment basis, we're beginning to feel differently, but definitely in a good way!

At this point, we must say . . . The spiritual path is not for the faint of heart, because it isn't easy . . . We're pushed, pulled and dragged this way and that by life circumstances and let's face it, the messages society bombards us with aren't necessarily the best . . . and we also might experience our own inner enemy (you know . . . the one that creates all that negative, destructive self-talk some of us deal with) . . . No, it isn't an easy path, but it IS the path with the greatest benefits for those with the Warrior mentality, and who are willing to be disciplined and struggle and get up and get back on the path when we're pushed off it . . . And pushed off we WILL be at times . . . Resiliense is necessary!

Which brings us to the the crux of this message . . . Do we allow our JOY to be stolen by people, by events, or both? Life is a constant challenge, filled with constant choices . . . And our choices are so much about how we decide to meet the challenges . . .

It might be a great challenge to maintain our JOY, but it CAN be done . . . When we're faced with an event, or a person, that seems to suck the positive energy out of us, we can have a mindset which screams . . . THIS WILL NOT STEAL MY JOY!!! . . . Because, our JOY becomes the anchor which is one of the best manifestations of our spiritual core . . .

Once we're on the spiritual path, with a meditation practice, doing good things, being generous and grateful, we'll begin to feel our JOY, and become the JOY, and then it is our own responsibility to protect and nurture it . . . One of the best ways to do that is to regularly repeat the phrase, NOTHING CAN STEAL MY JOY!!, as a reminder to ourselves . . . Affirmations are tremendously powerful when said and felt at our core . . .

NOTHING CAN STEAL MY JOY!!!

More on this later . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

What is JOY?

Happiness, joy, contentment, spiritual peace . . . We all want it, we think we should have it, and in fact, we all CAN have it . . . But, how many of us DO have it?

If we ask 100 people about happiness, we might get as many different answers . . . But in fact, happiness/joy is something that we won't find without . . . It isn't a Mercedes or a house on the beach in Maui or receiving a letter saying we've just been accepted into med school at Harvard . . . No, JOY is found deep in our soul . . . JOY comes from the basis of our being, which is our spiritual being . . . The problem is, we tend to lose that JOY after our first few years on the planet . . .

So, in order to find our JOY, we must find our spiritual core . . . But, HOW?

First, we MUST develop a meditation practice, which does NOT mean going into a cave in the Himalayas wearing a safron robe and sitting for hours each day . . . It means sitting down for a few minutes a day, perhaps more than once each day, and simply BEING . . .

There's more . . . It also means good works, such as volunteering one's time and resources . . . It means cultivating loving kindness, exhibiting gratitude, passion, patience, and a willingness to sit and truly listen to others . . . In all of that, JOY begins to grow and thrive in our hearts . . .

JOY must be constantly nurtured and cultivated, encouraged, and defended against those who would steal it . . . More on that later . . .

Please think about it . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Existing is not EXPERIENCING!! III

Human beings have choices in life . . . One of the most profound choices we can make literally every second of our existence is, WHAT SHOULD WE DO WITH THIS MOMENT? Shall we fully EXPERIENCE the moment . . . or shall we make the moment mundane and be distracted by thoughts of past or future?

There is a best answer to that question, and it's rather obvious . . . However, another question can be asked, and that is, How can we train ourselves to fully experience the moment within our ability to perceive through the five senses?

This is a terrific centering exercise, and it's great practice for being AWARE and ALIVE in the moment . . .

Suppose we allot five minutes to this exercise, one minute dedicated to each of the five senses . . .

Let's start by closing the eyes and focusing entirely upon what we hear . . . There are no thoughts, there is only awareness . . . no judgements . . . There is no good or bad . . . Do this for one minute . . .

Eyes closed, and focus on taste . . . What are we tasting in this moment? No thoughts or judgements . . . One minute . . .

Eyes closed, and focus on smell . . . One minute . . .

Eyes closed, and focus on touch/sensation . . . This one is VERY interesting, as it can be external ie.skin, or it can be internal . . . Touch/sensation is our most important sense, as it keeps us in touch with the physical body, but can sometimes take us beyond that . . . One minute . . .

Finally, open the eyes and for one minute, simply look around the surroundings, and make no judgements . . . Simply see what IS . . .

This exercise is about BEING and mindful centering . . . no thoughts or judgements . . . Just slide into it, and EXPERIENCE and BE . . .

Of course, we can shorten the times . . . It doesn't have to be one minute per sense! It can be ten seconds if we wish . . .

I hope you'll try it, and practice it a few times daily . . . This exercise has remarkable spin off effects, which we'll discuss later . . .

Until nest time . . . Ciao!!

Existing is not EXPERIENCING!! II

Yes, well . . . If we want to fully experience the moment, and all those other moments which follow, how exactly can we make that happen? How do we move away from the monkey mind of endless, unproductive thoughts that swirl around in our consciousness and perhaps drag us into negative mindsets?

We are given five senses . . . touch, taste, smell, hearing, sight . . . Those are the doors to our consciousness that connect us to the physical world around us . . . We can focus on and make use of those senses to experience the moment . . . This is mindfulness . . .

Simply try this . . . For one minute, stop all thinking and simply become aware of your physical surroundings with the five senses, and make no judgements about what you feel, smell, taste, hear, and see . . . Just experience your surroundings through your senses . . . If we do that a few times a day, for one minute only each time, we will begin to get into the habit of just BEING, and it's a way of connecting with our center, our core, our true self . . . JUST BE!!

We can take it a step further . . . Let's face it, chores can be tedious, but we also can turn them into exercises in mindfulness . . . For example, if I'm washing dishes, I can turn off my thoughts and use my five senses to truly experience the moment . . . How does the water feel on my hands? How have the soap bubbles formed on the water? Is there an odour to the soap? What sounds am I hearing? If we just stop thinking and become aware and mindful, a whole new vista of experiencing becomes available to us, and we can can make ourselves available to a higher existence of being completely present in the moment in which we live, which is all we have . . .

In the next blog, we'll look at a simple but very effective mindfulness exercise that can really make a difference . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Existing is not EXPERIENCING!!

We wake up . . . we do stuff . . . we think . . . we converse . . . we EXIST . . .

It takes no wisdom, no intelligence, no special qualities to simply exist . . .

In fact, existing is the lowest form of being . . .

So let's discuss EXPERIENCING . . . that stuff of life we ALL need to be reminded of occasionally . . .

To EXPERIENCE the moment . . . Truly, what else is there? Thinking back to that which was . . . thinking ahead to a future that doesn't exist . . . It's pointless . . .

We live in a series of present moments . . . As we become mindful of that experience, we begin to see that there is NOTHING beyond the RIGHT NOW . . .

How do we do that? How do we become aware of our MOMENT?

Until next time . . . Ciao

Doesn't Seem Possible!

Is it really almost a month since I've posted anything? It truly is . . . and I didn't envision going this long without writing something . . .

Truth is, I've been spending most of my June time out of town, and haven't had the access necessary to write anything meaningful . . . In fact, I'm still out of town and will be back in town for the weekend, but will be very busy . . . Life continues to be beautiful however, and the Universe continues to do a pretty good job of looking after me . . .

Don't be afraid to leave a comment on a blog if something jumps out at you, or even just to say Hello . . . Peace and love to all!

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Sympathetic Joy

We all know the feeling of joy we experience when we've done something well, or when we've received accolades for an accomplishment, and so on . . . This joy can be almost blissful, and it's a very healthy thing!

However, our lives can be so much more joyful if we also feel that same joy for the accomplishments of others . . . We congratulate and acknowledge others, but do we truly experience THEIR joy as our own? Sometimes we do . . . Unfortunately, there are also times when we might begrudge someone their success, or feel twinges (or outright pangs) of jealousy or envy . . .

Feeling genuine sympathetic joy for others is not something trivial . . . It's a very positive vibration sent out into the Universe with benefits for all, especially the person experiencing that sympathetic joy! The Universe will always answer back in a correspondingly positive way . . .

Sympathetic joy is one aspect of a generous nature, and gets back to the importance of thinking beautiful thoughts, and then carrying those thoughts through to emotions and actions!

Until next time . . . Ciao!!