What's Now?

Reality is one of those concepts that shifts, moves and remakes itself according to what is going on in mind in the moment.  Richard Bach tells us that, “The world is your exercise-book, the pages on which you do our sums.  It is not reality, although you can express reality there if you wish.  You are also free to write nonsense, or lies, or to tear the pages.”  What fits your reality right now?

Walt Brewer of the Central Texas Center for Spiritual Living writes, “There is the inspiring excitement of a fresh, blank page.  When we peruse our previous pages, we can definitely identify some nonsense, some ego shenanigans and some missed opportunities.”   

Each day, each moment is a new page and we are free to write upon it, erase, scratch out or cut and paste whatever we choose.  We can write original thoughts and desires or we can be inspired by the ideas of others. 

We don’t have to wait for the permission or approval of others.  We simply become aware that turning the page is always an option, even in midsentence.  As all other options in Life, it is as available to us as we are to it.” 

Thanks for the reminder, Walt, that reality shifts and that all I think about is not always the truth of what is going on with the circumstance or me.  There is always another way of seeing, looking, thinking, concluding and accepting what is going on around us.

In a special newscast in our area this last week and after we had experienced temperatures in the triple digits, someone’s ministry consisted of distributing cold bottles of water and Gatorade to the homeless people downtown.  I find this extremely commendable.  I am grateful that it was being done because if they weren’t, I would probably have to and I would not be as cheerful as the gentleman they interviewed for the newscast.  

More and more I am getting that I need to be doing what makes me the absolute happiest.  That is what the Creator had in mind when It thought about all of us.  Another version of that concept can be seen and heard at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-8BaxOeTek

Since we are all in the choir together, what not have it a wonderful experience?

Do Over

In the July issue of O Magazine there is a question that reads, “If you could make over one thing in your life, what would it be?”  The idea hit me that in my ministry I was always focused on the future.  Next week’s lecture quotes, next month’s theme, next year’s overall theme, the next set of classes, and I was always asking “what’s new and what’s next.”  I was so focused on the future, I forgot about being in the “now.”

I realize that what I did in my ministry is what is a natural occurrence but for a lot of it, but I was not truly in the “now” moment.  I have huge gaps in my memory where my ministry is concerned.  Now I feel as though I have missed out on a massive amount of my life.

So, now, instead of asking what is new or next, I am asking, “what’s now!” I don’t want to miss out of any more of my life or my life’s experience.

While traveling in England last month, I frequently reminded myself to pay attention in the present moment.  This was a trip of a lifetime for me and I didn’t want to miss out on any of it.

For the most part, we traveled the back roads and when we came around a bend, we saw two gypsy wagons parked near a stream.  There was wet laundry hanging over the tongue of the wagon, and kids were splashing in the stream, Mom or Dad were nowhere in sight.  A horse and cow were tethered nearby.

I got to thinking about living life in this manner and I went into overwhelm.  It would mean having to forage for food every day – no refrigerator - milking the cow and making sure to use up all of the milk in one day, always having to be near a water source, and a myriad of other necessities I take for granted.  What do they do for protein?  Go hunting everyday…but for what? 

My “do over” is to be very grateful for the life I have chosen and all of the conveniences I have to make my life easier and far more wonderful that I ever could have imagined.  I am so blessed and I am thankful for all of it.

Create it Wonderful

Even if you have a lot of work to do, if you think of it as wonderful, and if you feel it as wonderful, it will transform into the energy of joy and fire, instead of becoming a burden.

Tulku Thondup Rinpoche

The Practice of Dzogchen

The above quote is so true.  By declaring anything wonderful, it soon becomes wonderful.

I have personal experience of this.  Several years ago, while in the throws of grief for my former husband, our lifestyle, and all of the stuff I thought was gone, I was simply overwhelmed with emotional feelings that felt like I was slugging through mud with every move I made.  Life just got to hard.

Deciding that something had to change, I just declared my life to be wonderful, whole and perfect.  And soon it was.  ‘Course I had to remind myself that it was wonderful several times to get into the habit of it but soon it was.

Most of us believe what it is that we think and we assume that what we think is the truth of any situation or circumstance.  My experience says that whatever I think is the truth of me at that moment but things can change very quickly. 

One of the habits I want for me is to always question is, “what’s now?” That will assist me in thinking through the whole of what is going on and to see what needs to change for the better in order to create a quality of life that supports me rather than works against me.


Anthropologist Carlos Castaneda, speaking through a fictional character, Don Juan, wrote, "The trick is what one emphasizes, we either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong, the amount of work is the same."

Life is too short to not be perfect, whole and complete to our satisfaction.