Let It Be Easy

Currently, I am reading a book on extreme spirituality, which focuses on radical approaches to awakening our own consciousness and for what is possible for us in order to break free of our own self-limiting boundaries.

Years ago, my teacher, Dr. Robert Scott, would always remind his students to keep it simple, or make it easy, to be sure to always make it fun.  Since then my mantra has been to keep it all, “simple, fun and easy.”

Tolly Burkan’s approach to some of the experiences he encountered was to, “Let it be easy.”

So many times because of our earlier training, we make things hard for ourselves when it isn’t necessary.  I know that while watching my parents do some things, I knew that life was hard and that it would be “hard work” for me to get whatever it was that I was wanting in my life.

I remember one class session, Dr. Scott asked us, “Who wrote that rule in your rule book?”  ERK?  Who WROTE what in MY rule book?  I keep thinking about that question every time I come up against something that I think I cannot do.

I also remember that question when I think that “something” is going to be hard.  Well, since then, I have learned that it is hard because I thought it was hard and that things are easy when I think they are simple, fun and easy. 

New rule:  Let it be eay.

Life

“Your thoughts do not create reality, but they do create your experience,” says Alan Cohen in his daily inspirational quote to me this morning.  I had to stop and think about that for a minute.  Reality is just what it is but my thinking about it makes it personal to me and thus creates my experience of it. 

There are times when I get caught up in wanting life to be more or less than what it is at the present time.  When I am super busy, I want it to be more routine, calm, peaceful and serene.  When I am relaxed, calm and peaceful, there are times when I crave more excitement. 

What I have to remember is that I can experience all of it at different times.  The secret for me is to stay in the present moment.  Right now, it is okay for me to be inspired to write this essay even in the midst of having lots of things on my needs-to-be-done list.  It is okay for me to sit back and contemplate my navel while waiting for the next thought to be written. 

What I am noticing about my life right now is that I have this need to fully enjoy and experience all of what is about me, around me and is still coming to me.  When I am in a stressful state of mind, I don’t seem to be in the present nor can I enjoy what is going on and when it is done and over, I have difficulty remembering what happened during that time.  I don’t like having gaps in my memory and not being able to remember what happened to me during those times. 

My intention is to think thoughts that create a wonderful experience for me in my reality in order for me to slow down to the speed of my life and to be able to savor all of it as it happens.  My life truly is blessed.

Slow Down

Recently I was admonished to slow down to the speed of my life.  What?  How do you do that?  I do know that when the aches and pains in the body show up, it is time to pay attention to what is going on and how I am processing that is going on in my life.

Since I am semi-retired, meaning that I am no longer active in pulpit ministry, but I am actively pursuing the writing life, it is difficult for me to slow down any more than I already am.

Then an idea came to me that I was not as relaxed as I should be and that I seem to be more strung out than is natural for me to be.  Strung out to me means being short tempered, taking more of what is going on personally, allowing my core to be affected instead of being strong, solid and aware.  When I am feeling good, nothing gets to my core.  I feel strong enough to temper what is going on with good humor, having the sensitivity to realize that it is “not all about me.”  But when I am strung out, it is all about me.

It is hard learning the lessons I have taught most of my adult life.  One is breathing deeply.  Taking the time to just breathe.  Sounds funny, I know.  But when we are in a hurry, we pant instead of taking the time to breathe deeply and purposefully.

Two is to pay attention to what is going on now…staying in the present.  It is easy to get caught up in the future and planning and thinking about what we are going to do tomorrow or next week or next month.  All of which keeps us out of the present time.  Or getting caught up in the past and pretending that it is more pleasant to live there instead of the present time.

Three is to think that what we are thinking is the truth of who we are.  That is the biggest joke of all to me.  When I am paying attention to what I am thinking I realize that most of it is fantasy and has nothing to do with my reality. 

So, breathing, staying present and getting real…major lessons for me this week.  When the aches and pains show up, take the time to drink some water and breathe.  Think and thank God for your blessed good. I am and I do.

Journey Into What's New and What's Next!

Life felt boring and so I asked God for something new and different to show up in my life. 

As I am traveling on a late Sunday afternoon to Sacramento, I am gritching to God about having to attend the installation of a colleague into one of our new churches.  I am so tried…this trip is too long…I won’t get home until after midnight…why do I have to do this?

           

Getting there early, I see one of my acquaintances from years earlier from another church.  We get into a great conversation about what we’re doing now.  She tells me she has a talk radio show from San Francisco and would I be interested in being her guest some night.  Sure, call me.  She did. 

           

I was a guest on her show several times.  One evening as we were walking to our cars after a show, she told me that the station had an early morning slot open and that she thought it would be an excellent idea to get all of the Religious Science churches together and take that slot. 

Normally, I would have said, “Let me know when you have it put together.  Sure, I will support you on that.”  This time instead I said, “Don’t bother with the other churches, we’ll take it.” 

I couldn’t believe that fell out of my mouth.  I got into my car and screamed, “What have I done?”  Now I had to go back and convince the Board of Trustees that our next adventure in church was to be on radio. 

They said, “Yes, go for it.” 

Just like that, I became a “Radio Personality.”  Ask and the opportunity shows up on the path of your life.