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I contend that we need four supports in our life in order to feel balanced and keep ourselves in good shape. Balance is so important in life. It is how we maintain and persevere.
Time
We need time to tend to our own care: to eat well, take exercise and nurture our spirit (Whatever that may mean for you – attending church, visiting art galleries, reading good books . . .) What is a good life without time with loved ones? Hearth and Home provide the heart of a balanced life. Time to ourselves for quiet thought, is equally essential.
Money
It is a fact of the life we live, that most of us need money. We must have it for our very survival in this hurry up-keep up world. No hearth, no home without it. Money fuels us. It makes things happen. It creates a comfortable life around us. Money can be very handy for generosity, too. We give more when we have more to give.
Connection
We are all passionate beings at our core. And we crave connection to fully express our love. We truly need each other. Susan Jeffers, PhD. said, “I believe our craving in life is not to be loved, but to love…ourselves and others.” I’m calling this the gravity that holds it all together. Without it life is flimsy and can more easily topple (or turn upside down).
Purpose
There is no more stable ground than purpose. To be of service is what we are all meant to do. Purpose drives us and without it we feel lost. Purpose runs on faith. With faith, belief in something, our lives make sense.
I know there have been several books written about the Zen of golf. I admit that I have not read any of them. This is merely my humble take on the spiritual refractions in the practice of the game. I have been watching a lot of golf lately. The new season has just begun. And it is Masters Week. That means Spring is upon us!
One of my favorite things about golf is that it is usually set in very beautiful places. Though I may have to rethink that as I saw a documentary recently called, “You’ve Been Trumped,” about how Donald Trump raped an amazingly beautiful coastline in Scotland. Ever see “Local Hero”? That was the spot, but there was no hero in this story. If Donald Trump was seriously running for president, this documentary would’ve sunk his campaign without hidden cameras.
But I digress. The best golfers are the ones that have a solid stance and an easy swing. Legendary golfer Arnold Palmer said you need to swing your own swing. I think that means it should be comfortable for you.
Comfort is the secret, I think. You need to roll with the prevailing winds. Weather is an important aspect of the game. The way the wind is blowing can have a definite impact on the game. Fighting against it does no good.
It is also, perhaps, largely about clearing your mind. Very often the announcers will talk abut how a golfer, probably thinking about the mistakes he made on the last hole, stiffen up. Sometimes they are anticipating a hole coming up. Or remembering their defeat the previous year.
There is a certain golfer. I won’t offer names. He is a good looking man and a pretty good golfer. But, alas, some of the reason for his success, besides his rather well-proportioned body, is the fact that he appears to have very little going on in his head. That lack of actively-charged brain activity has helped him, I believe, to focus in on the present and move more easily.
As soon as you start to stress about something, your swing, the weather, the score . . . you tighten up. I’ve watched golfers find themselves in the most difficult situations and come out well. As long as they are able to get a decent stance and swing loosely, without limitations, they can get themselves back into play. Without it, they continue to make mistakes.
The best way to play golf is with a quiet mind, focusing on the present moment, feeling the way the wind is blowing. Finding a balanced a stance, checking out the lay of the land and deciding how you want to play it. And then swinging loosely, your swing, easily, but with intention. Good rules for life!
I’m working with a new coach. She has a different tactic. Instead of the usual make-a-plan-take-action-be-accountable, she wants me to feel it. Every day, I’m to spend some time feeling what it will be like when I have accomplished what I want. As if it’s already here.
I have to say, it’s been putting me in a good mood in the here and now. In place of my fussing about traffic or the day’s activities, I’m feeling the qualities I want to bring into my life from the actions I plan to take. Words like Balance and Freedom, Space, and Ease, fill my head and my body as I think about living with this new scenario.
The idea, I believe, is that in spending time thinking about what I want to achieve, I then feel the feelings associated with it and begin to vibrate at that level.
It is what the Law of Attraction is all about. Like attracts like. Rather than be stuck in yearning for what I want and disdain for what I have, I practice wearing the new life. As I harmonize with Balance and Freedom, I sort of put out a call to them. This should increase my satisfaction level when it does manifest. I will be ready for it and know clearly when it arrives by how it feels.
This process also keeps me open to other possibilities for the manifestation. I’ve said this before: If I’m insisting on a flappy paddle gear box, I may miss an even better car. If it doesn’t have to be a Porsche 911 to provide the exciting ride I’m after, I have a lot more options. I can have the feeling of speed and the thrill of the wind in my hair with any number of, perhaps, less pricey cars. If all I really want is to feel abundant and look cool, there are plenty more avenues to feel that without the expense and maintenance of a sports car.
Perhaps, if I spend enough time feeling what I want to feel, I won’t even need to take the actions, as I’ll be where I choose to be.
All around. All the time.
Including the blisters on my feet. I can see it as a gift that they’re spread between the ball of one foot and the heel of another. What if both heels were affected? I have a balance of sorts. The gifts are everywhere if you look. In the relief of the pain. Or in the grace of a beautiful moment: when the sunshine is on the trees, sparkling through my hair, or on my skin. These moments fill my body with warmth.
That seems to me good medicine for health and well being. If you have a regular practice of feeling gifted and grateful, acknowledging the presence of a loved one, a fresh refresh of cool water, or some good laughs. Making note of the moment of achievement or conception. Reveling in the excitement pumping along the way – being in the midst of something wonderful. The satisfaction of a good meal, a job well done, a milestone reached. Dwelling in the feeling of being well-loved and appreciated by a Loving Universe, here to support you, in so many ways, has got to affect the cells in your body.
It can also makes things happen. Feel what you want to feel first by noticing all the good you can, then set your intention for more of the same and watch for the Gift of Synchronicity. When you get where you’re going at just the right time and there is a parking spot, the rain stops and you slide in. Feeling confident and in sync. The right people coming together for exactly what you need at the perfect time. Blessings. Comings together. When it all just falls into place. The way to make synchronicity happen, I’ve come to believe, is in the acknowledgment of it. Call it forth by expecting it and then simply notice it happening. You will start to see it happening more and more.
Seeing the gifts all around you – including the magic of synchronicity – you can watch the blessings grow!
I wanted to talk today about the concept of Balance. It can be a little misleading since Balance, in terms of health, is not necessarily about equality. Most of us are not able to maintain an equal amount of work and rest. But we can add a little more rest to balance out an excessive amount of work. Sometimes it only takes a slight adjustment this way or that to return to homeostasis.
Homeostasis, which most health professionals will tell you is crucial to good health, “is the ability or tendency of an organism or cell to maintain internal equilibrium by adjusting its physiological processes.” Equilibrium is not necessarily 5 of this and 5 of that. Another definition says, “The tendency of an organism or a cell to regulate its internal conditions, usually by a system of feedback controls, so as to stabilize health and functioning, regardless of the outside changing conditions”
All this boils down to is adjusting your schedule to keep yourself feeling good.
It starts by watching, being in the now and paying attention to how you feel. Are you tired? Do you feel something’s missing? It probably is. I’ve long been a believer that the body is a pretty amazing instrument that will let you know its needs. If you’re running yourself ragged, it just doesn’t pay to keep pushing. No excuses that you can’t! You can take a few moments to breathe deeply a few times and allow yourself to calm down and be aware. Sometimes that’s all it takes. Listen to your body. If you can’t take more than a few moments at that time, try later. Maybe even in the bathroom. You do take time to go to the bathroom, don’t you? You may discover that you need food (fuel), more rest or more play.
Rest and play are two very different things. Rest is being quiet, maybe even doing nothing. Play can be very active! But we need both to be healthy and have the energy we need to keep going.
So, listen to your body and try to give it what it’s asking for. Even if that means you have to slow down for a moment.
I’ve been working on a piece for the forthcoming book, Raising Yourself, on the subject of Allowing.
It occurred to me that people seem to use the terms Allowing and Accepting interchangeably. Allowing is to admit, concede and permit what is. Accepting takes the next step to recognize the truth. In practice, I guess, they are pretty much the same. It’s that process of acknowledging what’s in front of you (or inside you.) Accepting life for what it is. Allowing Life. There’s something very sensible about that. And something insane, really, about seeing it any other way.
Part of allowing is Allowing Yourself. I had a bad cold this week. This was, at first, met with much resistance. I take good care of myself, I live a balanced life. What was I doing sick? I had things to do, I couldn’t afford to take time off. But then I started to see that I had been getting these messages for weeks. Several times, I planned to take time off for a restful Sunday, doing what Julia Cameron preaches, the “Artist’s Date” to play with an art project I’ve been wanting to tackle, and a date with a friend. But all were rescheduled, put off, blown off. As a freelance writer, I tend to work every day. Things happen, plans change. I never got to them.
So, after exposure to some cold germs, a few chills, on top of the strain of winter weather woes, incessant computer frustrations and the economic situation, my body forced me to take a few days off. “Sit down, shut up and rest!” my body called. Perhaps, if I had allowed myself those times off, I might well have prevented this.
Once I stopped haranguing myself for whatever I did wrong to get sick and all the work I wasn’t going to be able to do because of it, I had to admit that I was down for the count and that was that. From there, I could focus my attention on tending to my needs. I drank a lot of water, took Andrographis, Cold-Eze (and a few aspirin when I needed to sleep.) I had multiple cups of Echinecea tea, some Breathe Easy, Dandelion and Red Clover teas. Ate as well as I could. Did plenty of fruits and vegetables. Most of all, I allowed myself to get the rest I needed.
What an amazing gift you can give to your beloveds to accept and Allow Others to be just exactly who they are! How wonderful it feels to be with someone who isn’t expecting you to be any more than what you are, who isn’t judging you for anything. That’s a loving place for a parent to be, too. This acceptance does not mean succumbing. It means accepting the truth. Clearing the way to see what the other needs. Just think of the love that could be spread if you accepted everyone and everything in this way!
It’s not something you can get to overnight. It’s a moment to moment practice. But how many moments have you got to practice! On this Valentine’s Day, practice spreading love by allowing life to be what it is, allowing yourself to feel what you feel and do what you do, and allow others to be just exactly as they are.
This is another piece that started with “Evan Almighty.” Evan’s alarm kept going off at 7:40 (or something like that), no matter what he set it for. Turned out to be the passage in the Bible about Noah and his Ark. So I suspect, that got me thinking, watching. I kept seeing 11:11, often.
Turns out it happens to a lot of people.
It would seem logical that we notice 11:11 (and other configurations similar). It’s recognizable and memorable. That the phenomenon has reached a higher level of probability could well be attributed to the digital age. (In my home, I have several digital readings of the time, which are not always synchronized. Allowing me several occurrences within minutes of each other.)
It does call for your attention and therefore is a good trigger of present moment awareness. They say it’s associated with synchronicity (even if my clocks aren’t). A wake up call. Pay Attention! Who says it’s not just the right time for that calling? It certainly does speak of balance. And it can look like twin doorways. Some say it’s evidence that there are beings from another plane watching over us. To me it’s just more proof of the Loving Universe.
Whatever it is, I feel good about it. Of course, since I’ve looked it up, I don’t see it so much anymore. Message received?
Clearly, something’s happening. For me, for many people I know, for this country and probably the world. Uri Geller said, “The 11:11 is the bridge to an entirely different spiral of evolution.” Could point to exciting times!
Shiatsu is an ancient Japanese massage. Shiatsu means finger pressure and that’s exactly what it is. Unlike the open palm, more forceful massage techniques, Shiatsu practitioners use the fingertips to apply pressure. There are no oils used because it’s not about moving across the skin. The patient remains clothed (though preferably in comfortable clothes.) The theory is based on the Chinese meridians that run through the body, linking the organs, skin, flesh, muscles and bones. It works on the principle that the person is well, then massages the individual organs to bring them into balance. If one organ is working harder than it should, another may not be working hard enough. The flow of energy through the body is unblocked by the gentle manipulating of the meridian points on the skin. Shiatsu not only balances energy, but also emotions, releasing toxins and tension. After a session you are likely to feel energetic and calm, maybe lighter. A wonderful experience!
The Positive Slant On the Path 