Why save happiness and joy for special occasions...

The other day I was setting up my coffee for the following morning and I realized it was Friday night, which obviously meant to follow was Saturday morning.  With that in mind I reached into my cabinet and pulled out my smiley face coffee cup.  I do this because for years I have made it my ritual to celebrate the end of the work week.  I used to celebrate Friday's but now that my schedule is Tuesday to Saturday, I celebrate TGIS.  As I was doing this and giving this little ritual some thought, I realized that I also have a tendency to pull the mug out for Tuesday mornings (my Monday) to give myself a little boost and hopefully start the week off right.  This made me wonder why I just didn't wash the darn mug and start every day off with a cup of happiness, why did I only reserve it for celebrating the end of the work week or to give myself a little boost.

My mind has a tendency to wander, and wonder it did.  I started asking myself why I only get excited when there are specific external things to look forward to like vacation, the holidays, getting presents, or a trip to the city.  Why don't I get just as excited to wake up each morning, enjoy hugs from my family, hear the birds, pet my cats and dog, or smell the fresh mountain air?  Then it dawned on me... I don't think much about, or acknowledge these simple pleasures I'm privileged to experience every day.  That kinda made me sad for a second to think about how much I take these things for granted.  Then I realized how lucky I was to come to this awesome realization!

OK, so here I am today blogging and picking the tarot images that best represent happiness. The sun of course!  Yes... and you guessed it, as I began to look at the images I selected, that mind of mine began to wander again.

The sun's message is "It's time to get back to basics and regain our natural "sunny dispositions." and be filled with happiness while experiencing the simple things in life.  Look at the sun images on this page.  In the upper left image, most would say there isn't anything spectacular going on, yet it just pulses with happiness as the tree and flowers thrive and grow in the sunshine.  And in the Osho Zen image above on the right, the creases in the corner of this gentleman's eye and the expression on his face just say it all.  These two images helped me understand that our happiness is found in the wonder of LIFE.  No, not life as in "I'm born, I work, I pay taxes and I die" but in the wonder of how we got here, what keeps making us tick, what propels us to grow and heal and who or what is on the inside of us looking out through our eyes?  Where real excitement and happiness can be found, is knowing we are all connected and we are never alone and life is a miracle. Wondering about all these miraculous things just makes me smile ! 

Sooooo here's to Wandering and Wondering and pouring yourself a cup of Happiness EVERY day!  Keep Smilin'

Denise

If only we used our power for good...

Do you remember on TV sitcoms when a particular character found themselves in a moral predicament and suddenly an angel and a devil would appear...one on each shoulder?  The angel would hint to the character what the right choice would be and how wonderful everything would turn out should he/she make that choice, and the devil would then chime in with something like "you don't want to be known as a goodie-two-shoes, or everybody else is doing it...why not you, or you know you want it."  Inevitably the character would listen to that devil because his was a choice of immediate gratification giving no thought to future repercussions.  Hence...the application of free will. 

Well this theory doesn't only apply to TV sitcom characters, and it doesn't only apply when we find ourselves in a predicament.  Think back to this morning when you first woke up and ask yourself..."was it my angel (higher consciousness ~ expressing a positive outlook on the day) or devil (ego ~ negatively depicting the events of the day) that first started chatting in my ear?"  I'll bet for most of us it was the latter of the two, and it had you dreading the day ahead long before your first foot hit the floor.

So, what if we did use our power for good?  We have the free will to choose who we converse with every day.  Why not gag that little devil.  If you believe in the Law of Attraction, you know a little gag can go a long way...

See the girl in the card on the right...look at the image her little devil has reflecting back to her about herself and her situation.  We've all been there.  We've allowed that ego voice to keep us hostage in lack, insecurity and the like and where does it get us?  It keeps us trapped from growing into the unlimited person we're meant to be.  Now I'm sure your a bit skeptical so don't believe me...try it for yourself.  stifle that little booger and give your angel some floor time.  Look at yourself, your situations and the road ahead through that angel's rose colored glasses. Let her cheer you on, and remind you of all that you have and all you can be.  I'll guarantee that this alternate view point is much closer to the truth than the dooms day mantra your devil has been repeating.  See how this new optimistic outlook makes you feel and then use your free will to decide which pal of yours brings you to a better place, opens more doors and encourages you to be more.

Use your power for good...because to do anything less is a disservice to yourself...



 

Life is but a dream...

 

Recently, a number of events have caused me to contemplate what life really is versus what I think it should be and it really is a dream.  About a week ago my husband, daughter and myself were witness to a 10 vehicle accident that miraculously caused no serious injuries.  That didn't stop me from realizing how quickly our plans can change though... and all we ever have is this very serendipitous moment.  When I think back on that moment, while it's lesson is very strongly with me, it's as though the rest was just a dream.

Additionally, we spend so much time with our heads in the possible near future that we neglect to experience the now and all the synchronicity it has to offer.  It's no wonder so many of us are missing so many signs on a daily basis.  We fight to go upstream to where we think we should be instead of rowing our boats gently down the stream to where the moment is trying to take us...


I recently purchased the Pearls of Wisdom Deck (see The Fool card on the left) and the journey of the Fool as described in the accompanying book really gave me something to think about in the way I receive life on a daily basis. 

"The Fool flirts with everyone and everything.  His journey is perilous and sometimes even desperate, but his innocence, instinct and joyeaux d'vivre offer some protection.  He approaches life as an adventure to be taken lightly and lived happily with gratitude.  Navigating his way through the most difficult times, he is a child of the Universe, freely receiving its gifts and trials with equal welcome.  He is reborn every moment and is perpetually in the process of restoration."

What great advice don't ya think?

The road to freedom...

Anger, injustice, parents, kids, too little money, too much responsibility, our job, unemployment, the government,  health challenges, road rage, interest rates, housework, bills...    Ask anyone you know and I bet they feel they are imprisoned by at least one if not more than one of the circumstances above.  Now check out this lovely lady on the left.  She is loosely bound with not a prison guard in sight, yet she has rendered herself immobile.  She's allowing all of those excuses that surround her to keep her a prisoner of her own mind.  She could easily maneuver herself into a position to remove the blindfold, so she can see the situation for what it really is, which, as we can see, is not as bad as she thinks it is.  So...just for kicks, lets remove our blindfolds for a second and really look at our prison bars.  Are others actions worthy of anger that robs us of our freedom?  Could each one of those swords represent the "I can't because..." syndrome, that saves us from having to make the decision to move through an uncomfortable situation to obtain our freedom?  I can't because I don't have the time..., I can't because of the kids..., I can't because I don't have the money..., I can't because I'm not well enough...

So what if we started lifting those swords out of the ground and used them as the tools to get us to where we want to be?  We could use one sword to cut the binding and another to carve some unnecessary chores off our daily "to do" lists.  We could pull out another to point the way to obtain the money we need to do the things we want to do, and we could pluck out yet another to use as a walking stick to move us further down the road we wish take.  There...now that wasn't so bad.  The key is to remember that anything is possible as long as we are willing to think about things differently.  When we view each and every one of our circumstances, good, bad or indifferent, as a stepping stone they take us to a higher place, with a better view of the bigger picture.

Freedom is about choice.  We all have the ability to choose how we view our lives and the situations we find ourselves in.  In the words of the Eagles        "Well I know it wasn’t you who held me down
Heaven knows it wasn’t you who set me free
So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains
And we never even know we have the key"

When we figure this out...we will be free for the rest of our lives...  Here's to the power of choice and the road to freedom!

Waiting or anticipating...what's your preferrence?

Maybe Tom Petty knew what he was talking about when he sang "The waiting is the hardest part"

Waiting:  to stay in place in expectation of...

And maybe the Heinz Ketchup people knew a little secret when they used Carley Simon's song...Anticipa...a...tion, and threw that in front of the waiting, befor the ketchup hit the burger.  We could taste the burst of tomatoie goodness before it ever hit our taste buds!

Anticipation:  the act of looking forward...

Boy...what a difference word choice can make.
Waiting... (blah...blah...blah...)
Anticipating! (here it comes)
Okay...lets try out some examples.

I'm waiting for dinner to be served.
I'm anticipating the taste of the perfectly fried onions on my medium well steak.


I'm waiting for this baby to be born.
I'm anticipating the birth of my child and how much fun it will be to hold him/her in my arms.

I'm waiting on line to check out.
I'm anticipating a quick and easy check out and I'll soon be on my way.

I don't know about you but anticipating sounds like a lot more fun and we are an active part in the outcome.  Notice any of the Law of Attraction principals in this?  If we're waiting...we're left the vitctim of an external outcome and we're just standing still...waiting for something to happen.

I just told my husband what my most recent blog was about and he said waiting and anticipating are the same thing.  Well, now is your chance to decide.  Spend the week anticipating rather than waiting and see which one you prefer...

I'll be actively anticipating some interesting feedback...

Sometimes not making a decision is the worst decision we can make...

Decisions...decisions...our lives are filled with them.  Should I accept this job, or wait to see if I get a call back on the one I really want?  Should I go out with him, but what if it doesn't work out?  Should I go to college, or go to work or both?  Some people are immune to the paralyzing grip of fear that accompanies the requirement of making a decision, but if your like most...it's the fear that we will make the wrong decision that holds us in the place we find our young lady in here on the left.  She is literally at a cross road (the one across her heart) sitting with her two choices but refusing to move in any direction.  She is being held captive by her own inability to decide and she refuses to see it to boot!  So here she sits and with every passing moment, she and her situation become more and more stagnant.  Sound familiar?  We've all been there at one time or another and I'm sure you'd agree...it's no fun.  Lack of movement in life, usually equals lack of life.  So what can we do?  Get over it already!  If we make a choice and then later find out it may not have been the right one...so what!  Just change it.  If the job doesn't work out...look for a new one.  If you should have gone to college full time, then fix it...if he wasn't the guy for you...break up!  Yes, it's that simple.  Sure, the fix doesn't happen overnight but it's not the end of the world.  You can always chalk it up to process of elimination.  Just remind yourself that you want to be absolutely sure of what you do want...so much so, that you're willing to make your way through all that you don't want to end up with the perfect end result.  And what better way to find out than to weed through the options.  And if neither choice suits you, put both those swords down, walk away and look for a third option.  Yes...it is that simple.  We don't get this time back so why waste it?  Move forward...charge ahead...go ahead, make a mistake and you'll be a wiser person for it.

Remember:  Challenges and obstacles can be viewed in one of two ways...as pebbles or boulders...you decide!

Remembering child-like abandon...

The endless days of summer, excitement over the ice cream truck and water balloon fights.  Bikes were our vehicles of choice and were our first key to freedom.  Our thoughts  never went beyond the adventure of the moment and with each new adventurous idea our stomachs would flutter with anticipation! 

We traveled light (usually forgetting our house key) but the most important thing was just getting out that door.  The local park was like exploring the Amazon and we didn't have a care in the world.  Worry wasn't even a word in our vocabulary.  Somehow the Universe always seemed to magically provide for us in the way of found quarters (enough to buy a Popsicle) or finding that when lost, the next left turn put us back on the street that would lead us back home.

Could that possibly be because we were open to receiving the signs our intuition was sending, and we didn't feel the need to question the process?

So what happened?  Why do most grown-ups I know look more like the pictures below? 

 Weighed down by responsibility, worry, regret, should's and shouldn'ts and a whole host of other downers.  What ever happened to trust, faith and joy?  I don't know about you but I'd much rather skip through life trusting my personal internal GPS like our foolish friend above, then remain prisoner to externals that no matter what I think will not change as a result of isolation, depression or worry!

So...when you look in the mirror and you see one of these constipated characters...turn on Amercia's Funniest Video's...go out for ice cream...catch lightning bugs or fly a kite...do anything to not look like them any more.  Cause looking like that isn't going to solve anything!

Life is supposed to be fun!  Smile...and remember that every minute of the day.  As soon as you feel yourself slipping, take a mini-mental holiday and remember the innocent, fun, wild days of your elementary youth and realize that you can have that feeling back...it's waiting for you to come out and play!

Give your mind a timeout and come to your senses...

Normally depicted as a soldier at rest from the battle (Rider-Waite 4 of Swords Left) it is an indicator to us to take a mental timeout.  Because, let's face it, we're all fighting a mental war whether with ourselves, others or just problems in general. Like soldiers, if we don't give ourselves the space to mentally rest, we're going to lose the battle.  But in our everyday lives when we need it the most, we can't just lay down and take a break!  So what do we do...we come to our senses.  In the Tarot of the 78 doors 4 of Swords (see right), the answer was just leaping off the card at me.  What an ingenious way to depict the same message.  This blind man has to engage almost all of his senses just to do the things we sleepwalk through.  He has to be conscious by default!  So...when this realization came to me, I started experimenting with this newly discovered wisdom to see if it would really work.  One night, when it was my turn to do the dishes, instead of thinking about all the other things I could be doing, or wanted to be doing, or should be doing, I just felt the wetness of the water, the texture of the sponge, I became aware of the smell of the dish detergent, and the sounds outside.  While I was experiencing all of that...low and behold, my mind was no longer looping.  It couldn't go on and on while I was inhaling life through all my senses.  It was awesome!  You just gotta try it some time.  If you are thinking how hard this might be and don't want to offend your mind, try the letter below.  It worked for me...maybe it'll work for you!

Dear Mind,

First let me start by saying thank you.  I know you work hard for me and I know how exhausting that can be.  I also know that we've been spending an awful lot of time together and I think you need a break, as do I.  I've recently discovered I've been neglecting my other friends, sight, sound, smell, taste and touch and I really miss them.  Please don't get upset.  I'll just be laying you off for a short time so we can regroup.  Enjoy your time off!  See ya soon.

Denise

Happiness is a self serve affair...

In the last few weeks I've listened to people complain, myself included, about too much rain, too much heat, having to pack for vacation, their jobs, their family and the list goes on and on.  At times it appears we have become a society expecting our happiness to be served up to us on a silver platter (or in a cup as the case may be) and even when it is, we are still not satisfied.  Like the man in the picture, regardless of the fact that we may have a cup of health, a cup of employment and a cup of family, we're always in search of that other cup that will give us the happiness we're longing for to make our lives complete. 

So what can we do to jolt ourselves out of this state of apathy?  How about indulging in each one of the cups that we DO have and remember a time when we didn't... 

When I start to feel like this and say... my job is really pissing me off, I remember when I was unemployed and worried how the bills were going to get paid.  At times, when I long for some peace and quiet, I stand outside my house and listen to the sounds coming from inside and am not only thankful that I have a family to occasionally drive me nuts but the ability to hear them as well.  When my attitude really gets ridiculous, I dig deep and remember to be thankful for things like indoor plumbing, my washing machine, my dog who's always happy to see me and even the grass that sometimes grows too tall in my backyard (because it means I have a backyard for it to grow in)

Gratitude is a magical elixir that you can pour yourself whenever the need arises...so don't be stingy, pour until your cup overflows...

Bottoms up!

And you say that as though it's a bad thing...

Someone said to me today..."When I see The Tower card I always think it's a bad thing." 

My reply was, " guess you're not too fond of change or surprises and the Universe ends up blasting you out a window so you find out you can really swim and/or land on your feet!"

My personal belief is that there is no such thing as good or bad.  Just a judgment we place on a person, place, circumstance etc.  In hindsight, 99.9% of the time whatever event we labeled with such disdain ended up being a huge gift that changed the trajectory of our lives. 

So when I see The Tower, I say to myself "Self...there's something big coming our way so we'd better pay attention!"  What ever it is, whether an "Ah ha" moment or something uncomfortable that requires us to move beyond our comfort zone, our lives will be changed for the better.

So next time you get The Tower card in your reading, take a look at it from The Hanged Man's perspective...