That One Fine Day

Some days are gray

Filled with undecipherable labyrinths

Surrounded by locked iron doors

Armed with multiple and simultaneous attacks

Sadness, anger, confusion, weakness and hopelessness

You are frustrated by that which you cannot change

Annoyed by what seems obvious to you

And is ignored by lots

You realize that you are better off just letting go

But you don't want to be one more of the many

So you question, you wonder, you doubt

But sentences are not enough

You seek something larger, deeper, fuller

A certainty beyond words

A calm bigger and stronger than the scariest sea

A joy that vanishes all sorrow

You fall and you rise and you wait and you search

And then there comes that one day

That one day armed with peace, compassion, hope and glee

When you realize that letting go is far from giving up

But by releasing your grip you are allowing life to flow

That one and powerful turning point of a day

When you know that there are people worth our time

That you help more by loving

And you ease things by trusting

And you need not have control of what does not belong to you

That empowering and inner sunny day

When you sense all is dancing to a higher music 

Of forces that yet remain unseen

When you feel as big as everything that exists

And know that you are one together and never one alone

That day when you know every thought you emit

Affects your every atom and all other existing and potential ones

Are also reached and altered

When you realize your responsibility in adding or subtracting

When you cannot blindly carry on without making a choice

Without taking a stand

Without kindness in your hands

That day when you know which side you want to speak for

Which kind of love you want to fight for

Which kind of life you want to live

Which kind of world you want to save

That day in which you know you will never be the same

That day you just know you won't be silent anymore

Because something big in you has grown tired of being dormant

Wake up and smell the army
Let's make the Earth shine bright

No more wasting time.

Presence

When you hear the right words at the right time in the right tone, 

The soothing recognition of an inner click 

Of something that resounds within 

Of that which you ignored but somehow know you always knew 

When you grasp that all you've lived has lead you to this moment, 

The ineffable perfection of a synchronistic blend

Of something that feels right within

Of that which your capacity for orchestration could not apparently direct

When you accept that needed messages come from unexpected sources,

The impeccable arrangement of words so crystal clear

Of something that connects within

Of that which others would not possibly know without them knowing you

When you notice a connection without a word and just by presence,

The warming inspiration of truly open souls

Of something that is shared within

Of that which words would never be enough to say

When you see it all and soak the beauty in,

The aweing appreciation of art in grand expression

Of something that wakes up within

Of that which feels like a permanent extension of your deeper being

When you feel that you are free of words that build dams of repression,

The instant correction of a flawed perception

Of something that's released within

Of that which lifts the veil of ego identification and breaks false separation

When you allow yourself to love all and un-judge and simply be,

You are not only living, but letting yourself live.

I See Myself In You

Oftentimes we are sidetracked by feelings of inadequacy, lack of self confidence, fear of the unknown, avoidance of hurt and a sense that we have not a clue of why we are really here and where we are going. We feel alone in the world, our pains make our hearts falter in the privacy of our solitude and we think we are disconnected, like somehow our trials are the gravest and it would take too many words to explain, so although there may be glimpses of connection, we doubt that anyone will really, truly understand. We bravely wear our smiles and make it through each day as we wish that someday we will know lasting happiness, however elusive it seems with the flow of continuous change and disappointment. In our self-centered preoccupation we fail to realize one thing: we are never alone.

No matter how legitimate our pain feels, how many times our trust is betrayed, or how many of our precious illusions are broken, every person you encounter also has their story. They too experience a constant back and forth of joy and sadness, accomplished goals and vanished dreams. They long for that day when everything will be alright, when someone will just finally get them, when they will not be weighed down by worry or frozen by fear, when they will say I love you at the right time and offer peace instead of harshness, for that period in their lives when everything will feel in order and love-filled carefreeness can finally permanently reign. We are simply too quick to assume that the display of courage showing their efforts to laugh and make it through the moment are evidence of how well they've got it together, how easy they have it or how they're somehow better off. But are they really? Or are they just trying harder to get there?

Next time you think about someone, make eye contact, have a conversation or can help another with a favor, remember that we are more alike than we realize and each person you encounter is a mirror of what you are going through right now. As you become more compassionate and patient with your own growth, you will be able to see this more clearly and bring down your walls. Be kind with your process though, so that you may extend a loving hand.

Let us become more aware of our similarity, as we gradually replace alienation with inclusiveness, judgment with acceptance, doubt with belief, and fear with love.

Namasté.

Buoyant

When you feel everything is going to be perfectly perfect, even when it all appears messy... 

When you just want to smile your heart away and float among clouds and birds and sway with the breeze and the trees... 

When you breathe in so deeply you become as light as a feather... 

When you know you know, even though you don't know what it is you know... 

When you release the grip of others' thoughts and value your own truth, which also upholds theirs...

When you see beyond chaos and anger and fear and instead offer the hand of compassion...

When you see through the lies and the ignorance and dwell in a place of forgiveness...

When you cease the need to control and start getting involved and solve so much more...

When peace is the state you return to and love is your only reality...

Give thanks and know that we are One.  

An Inner Place

In the midst of distraction, outward noise and competing attention grabbers, a part of yourself remains untouched. It is that space in which you become the observer, the fascinated spectator of all that whirls and dances about you. Things coming together, bubbles burst by confusion, tearful parting and joyful reuniting all mingled with the to and fro of cold and heat, of night and day, of stillness and motion. Yet no matter how troubled the outer puzzle seems to be, or how profound expressed smiles brightly glisten, at your core there is only peace, there is disconnected connection, there is a unity with all of that which touches you but does not get to you. It is there where you find the ability to retreat, to put on pause that which so wraps you into thinking that all of that is truly life. 

In that unspoken nonphysical location, you are free from the chains of routine, unmasked from the theater of social, completely unarmed and incapable of being harmed. It is in that personal place where you admit things you had firmly turned your back on, where you stare with wonder and innocent curiosity at new and marvelous opportunity, where you unroll your canvas and paint a new life, a new earth, a new you- but all the time drawing from a deeper realer you.

When you are there, no one can see you, yet you are a front row witness of it all- the birthing of stars, the sparks of insights, the igniting of flames, the release of the no longer needed. It is there where you say goodbye to previous ways of seeing. It is there where you decide you will soak it all in like a beginner. It is there where you are everything you are meant to be and more. It is from there that you draw your renewed strength. It is from there that you regain your misplaced courage. It is from there that you recover the sense of your true essence. And that makes you think, and that makes you feel, and that makes you know that you do not believe the show that has been veiling you. Your posture realigns as a current ascends through your spine and an all seeing trust permeates your every cell. 

And you are ready.

I Would

I would eliminate the words blame and fault, and use responsibility.
I would eliminate meanness and say it's ignorance that causes our stupidity.
I would eliminate helplessness and promote empowerment to the best of our ability.
I would eliminate rigidity and welcome healthy flexibility.

Private Confessions

There are particular times in life when you have so much to say, but it's either not the right time or not the right circumstance. Maybe these are the very reasons why you shouldn't speak, or might they be the excuses for you to hide and play it safe? When you really want to go through with something, the lines may somewhat blur. Vision clearing may require diligent effort.

No matter how it looks on the outside, there is one place where we should be allowed to open the curtains and let the sun shine or the rain splatter freely in our sight. Inside our own private mental chambers, we should be able to place it all on the table, look at it and play with it- make choices, dream dreams, and feel everything this leads to.

Maybe we will not know what to do with all of it right away, but one thing's for certain, self-deception will only drive us further from our truth, and from any chance of getting closer to fulfillment. Only when we get in touch with what it is that pulls us forward, can we decide whether we'll meet with this and let us get there.

Make It Mean It, Make It Worth It

There is usually a very good reason behind an ocurrence. We might not be able to decipher it at the very moment of the experience, but sooner or later, as we are walking down the path, something clicks and we begin to see beyond appearance. The puzzle pieces fall seamlessly into place without much effort. We no longer notice separate stars but one big dipper. Until that aha moment occurs though, it's all just a bunch of disconnected dots.

Whether or not we understand why something has happened, there is no reason for any experience to be useless. During friendly times or trying hardship, smooth sailing or steep rock climbing, each moment includes, at minimum, an example, a lesson, something we can learn. Those which are hard to grasp and swallow are usually the most important. Let's face it, anyone can conquer a winning title if the road is obstacle free. It is through those apparent falls and failures that our mental muscles are strengthened and we are given the opportunity to make a masterpiece out of the scattered broken pieces.

It has taken geniuses years of attempts to perfect a discipline and make a worthwhile contribution. But if someone like Thomas Edison would have given up because they simply did not understand why they did not get it right the first time, they wouldn't have discovered the key piece of information that allows your screen to be lit up right now.

So, what will it be? Will you passively sit and wait until everything makes sense, or will you actively get involved and make sense out of everything?

Invisible Things

Every action begins with a thought. Whether it is a scientific innovation, the planting of a tree or the creation of a film, the original seed is born inside somebody's mind before it is three-dimensionally manifested. The content of our mental stream determines what we end up doing with our reality. We can see it in our preferences. For instance, those who like sports will seek sports related activities, musicians will create and share music, surfers will follow great waves and so forth. We can see it in our career goals, which lead us from one step to the next in our endeavors. We can see it in our romantic interests and how we carry ourselves depending on how we perceive each other to be and feel about relationships.

We are not always conscious of what goes on with our thoughts. Many times we end up saying things we did not mean to or end up sabotaging our own efforts. This might be the case with those who wish to live in abundance yet resent those which flow in a river of money, instead of choosing to identify with the positive aspects of the affluent, their security and success. On one hand, apparent efforts are made to escalate on the financial ladder, yet on the other hand, the same person sets strong limits by focusing on lack, envy or criticism. Would it not be smarter to learn from those who have reached your desired goal instead? Maybe that time spent thinking goal destroying statements could be better used to network, achieve and appreciate.

Let's use our thoughts to our advantage. Becoming aware of the themes in our heads can help us decide whether that is the direction in which we wish to lead our lives.

Thoughts don't only become things. They are subtle actions, invisible things.

Seek First to Understand

Today I experienced a conflict between people in a group I frequently see. Within my personal calmness in the midst of the heat, I observed expressed indignation and thought about how much easier this situation would be if both parties would pause, step aside and see how the other is affected. If the ego would have been shushed and selfish positioning would have been exchanged, if only for a minute, with selfless reflection, I would not be writing this. The truth is most of us go into defense mode when we feel we are being attacked or threatened. It is healthy to have such protection mechanisms active and doing their job, as long as a healthy balance is included. When it comes to interpersonal matters, defense which quickly becomes offense often ceases to serve its purpose.

There is a saying in Spanish that goes "cada cabeza es un mundo", which literally translated is "every head is a world". It means that every person has their own ideas, opinions and views which are likely to vary from others'; that your thoughts are not necessarily someone else's. Even though we may share similar backgrounds, concepts or preferences, our outlook and approach may come from different angles, hence why a little something called empathy comes in handy in times of disagreements.

Saint Francis of Assisi put it best, "Grant that we may not so much seek to be understood as to understand."

When you choose to build a bridge instead of raising a wall, you have greater chances of warmth and connection. You open the doors for honest communication and produce a sense of shared gratefulness. I am positive that if we were capable of easily relinquishing the fear of getting hurt, the what's-in-it-for-me mentality, the superficial notion of whether or not one would look bad, we would respond from another place entirely.  

Seek to understand first, and you will make it much easier to be understood.

Mental Forward Bend

There are certain moments in life when a firm resolve is exactly what we need. Stability, focus and undeterred purpose become the solid rock that gets us through that especially tough time, keeping us on course. Despite obstacles and distractions, we concentrate our efforts into a single goal, emerging triumphant. Other times, however, such fixation of purpose and rigidity could be the very source of our stagnation, breakage and decay. When we refuse to change, we offer resistance, and the more resistance we offer to a circumstance, the more strength it takes on our part and the greater the force exerted against it.

Most of us are familiar with the fable of the mighty oak and the flexible reed. While the oak resisted the stormy winds, it cracked and fell, while the reed, swaying in a dance of adapting flexibility, gracefully survived. Within its intention to live, the reed found a way to bend instead of breaking. This strategy is precisely what could help us at certain times. We cannot always change external conditions, but we can control how we face them.

Certain challenges require us to grow out of our comfort zone and hopefully evolve. They provide an opportunity to explore the new, discard the old and try other ways of being. You realize that perhaps that which you were dearly clinging to was the very thing that allowed you to soar once you decided to move on. In order to be free you have to let go of whatever holds you back.

This reminds me of a thought from Deepak Chopra's The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success:

"In detachment lies the wisdom of uncertainty. In the wisdom of uncertainty lies the freedom from our past, from the known, which is the prison of past conditioning. And in our willingness to step into the unknown, the field of all possibilities, we surrender ourselves to the creative mind that orchestrates the dance of the universe."

Bend to move forward.

In Order to Give

In these times of information overflow, it is easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of worldwide events. Our planet seems smaller every day and what happens to fellow human beings in faraway countries affects us even more than it would have years ago, as sharing becomes instantaneous. There are people reporting live from catastrophes, triumphs and the mundane through various media in an endless stream of sharing. Efforts to raise awareness or gather help for groups in need have also been accelerated. Friendships are formed or maintained from a distance in a way that was not possible before. But when one looks from here to there, to comment and forward, to inform and display, where do we place ourselves?

Within the occasional chaos, are we remembering the one and only person who can be there all the time for us? Are we nourishing the body that serves as a vehicle for us to move and act? Do we take the time out to relax and provide emotional maintenance for our mental health? Are we remembering to set and honor our goals or simply even making an effort to smile?

No matter what is going on in the world around you, it is important to know that the only person you cannot live without is yourself. In order for anyone to contribute any thought or action of value to the rest of life, one must make sure that the condition to be able to do this exists. It is for this reason that it is not only a good idea to take good care of yourself, but it is necessary since we can only give from what we already have. So help yourself, and that way, when you encounter situations of interest through your interconnectedness, you know you are strong enough to give.

About Doing

Sometimes just doing things is the best way to get them done. Sounds logical and needless to say, huh? But many times we complicate ourselves over the dos and don'ts and hows and whens and ifs and shoulds and mights and woulds. So stop. Just stop.

 

In the midst of the storm, sometimes we just need to pause, to center and refocus. And then we need a jumpstart.

 

If we want to get somewhere, we need to begin by removing barriers, not erecting extras. There are enough obstacles to work around already. Simplifying is the solution.

 

Organization and planning are recommended for success, yet setting goals without action is like daydreaming and not doing anything to live the dream in reality.

 

When you want to do an activity or event that is important to you, starting is a good idea. It will get you closer to getting it done than just thinking or talking about it.

 

Of course, everything begins with a thought, which is followed up by a word, but we're talking about doing here. So begin, simplify, and do it.

--
Chelle

michers.blogspot.com

Pay Attention

Life gives you nudges and clues and colors and hues

And signs and sounds where joy's to be found.

Gives you balance and love and peace as a dove

And music and laughter showing where to go after.

Shakes your comfort and earth to bring you to birth

And strengthen your mind to connect once divine.


Whispers of wind speaking into your ear now urgently say, "Pay attention!"



--
Chelle

Crossroads...

When you have so many things from which to choose

With so much at risk and yet nothing to lose

When numerous words become one small phrase

With rainbows of feelings defining a phase

When waves of the past decide to swell up

With restructured ideals filling your cup

When sunshine is piercing through the darkest cloud

With the sound of your voice clearly over the crowd

When you finally see what's important in time

With choice making leading you over the climb

All this you love

And all you embrace

And you decide to be

Free.

--
Chelle