Monday, November 30, 2015

What Constitutes Contentment?

"...we discover that it is life's enrichments rather than the riches of life that bring us true contentment."  Sarah Ban Breathnach

Enrichment?  What does that mean?  According to the online Merriam- Webster, it means to make rich or richer especially by adding or increasing some desirable quality, attribute or ingredient to something - to add, increase, enhance or improve something.  

Thinking about the idea of enrichments, It's adding something of value to an experience, or your surroundings, and to your life in order to increase or reach that wonderful concept of "contentment."  It seems to me to be that added something that makes life interesting, wonderful and adds to the wonder and joy of just being.

Putting this concept into practical use is a challenge.  How do you add to whatever is going on in life?  It's like the idea of a long southern tradition of adding a surprise element to a dinner, a gift, or an experience in order to bring an element of stunned delight.

Being sure that delight leads to contentment, it means being vigilant and in the present all the time in order to catch those moments that can be enriched.  


Delighted contentment.  How wonderful is that?  Join me in a new adventure of living.

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

How can I turn this into Practice?

Living the spiritual life is the attitude you hold in your mind when you are down on your knees scrubbing the steps.  Evelyn Underhill

For those of us celebrating Thanksgiving soon, the dread of dealing with family is the worst anticipation of all.  The quote above gave me a sampling of what is needed with dealing with people you don't like, or being in a place you don't want to be, or having to do what you hate doing.  

The quote is having the "attitude" of spiritual life.  She doesn't say you have to be mindful or aware or practice the Presence.  Limiting yourself from family is hard to do.  Or as Philip Goldberg tells us, "It ain't always easy, but it's worth it if they force you to ground your spirituality in real life.  What could be a better spiritual practice than to make them an offering of yourself on Thanksgiving?"  Who are these people in my family?  Why is it when all of my good intentions fly out the window when I see these people?  "How can we take "real life" seriously and yet live it lightly," Philip tells us?  He goes on to say that, "Perhaps the most important step of all is to recognize that "real life" is the sacred life."  

Even though I want to get away from family, I know that I would miss the camaraderie at the holidays. This year I will playact the greatest drama of my life with serenity, stillness, and a smile of goodwill.  Can I really use this time to recognize that all of life is sacred to me and that all who show up are my teachers?

Okay, I will show up with a smile, well-being and love in my heart even if...
I declare this time as sacred time and will stay in the moment remembering that I am in the Presence.  Turkey, dressing, gravy...all the wonders of gourmand presentations.  Thank you for the abundance of it all.  


Wrap yourself into a wonderful experience of the upcoming holidays with family or not.  Enjoy as much as you can.  

Saturday, November 14, 2015

Back to the Questions

...instead of resolutions, write down your most private aspirations.  Those longings that you have kept tucked away until the time seems right.  Trust that now is the time.  Ask the question.  Sarah Ban Breathnach

Be patient toward all that unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves.  Do now now seek the answers which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them and the point is to live everything.  Live the questions now...  Rainer Maria Rilke

This is my birth month and as my usual, I take the time to evaluate what's going on in my life and rather than wait for January to make some new resolutions, I do a deep search and discovery during this month.  

What is it that I am longing for?  Yearn for?  What are my aspirations?  What changes do I need to make to create the life of my dreams?  How and where do I need to begin?  How patient do I need to be?  What is unresolved in my heart?  How do I live with the questions?  Uncertainty?

When I think back to my life four years ago, I realize that I am now living most of my dreams.  I have a wonderful life partner, we have more than enough money, we are able to travel when we want to, have a fabulous motor home which I have named MOW - Mansion on Wheels - and live in an area that is more than affordable even with the tornados and earthquakes.  What else could I possible want? 

Most of my life is filled to the brim.  I "want" for nothing.  But there is something within me that keeps asking the question, "What else is there?" So I know that there is something that needs to be expressed, discovered or created, experienced or what represents more in my life journey.


During this month I pay attention to the whispers of my heart and soul.  I am ready to take the journey I am again destined to take.  Being open and receptive to the greatest yet to take place, there is an element of excitement in wondering and being curious as to what that is.  I trust that my time has again come and I pay attention to the nudging of my inner aspirations.  Journey with me?

Saturday, November 7, 2015

Be Impeccable with Your Word

Be Impeccable with your word is the first agreement in the book "The Four Agreements," by Don Miguel Ruiz.  He goes on to say that, "Through the word you express your creative power.  It is through the word that you manifest everything.  Regardless of what language you speak, your intent manifests though the word.  What you dream, what you feel, and what you really are, will be manifested through the word.  Your word is pure magic, and misuse of your word is black magic."  

He goes on to say that, "Impeccability means without sin.  A sin is anything you that you do which goes against yourself.  When you are impeccable, you take responsibility for your actions..."

"Black magic?"  I couldn't get what he meant by that statement.  I had never been exposed to such language and couldn't get my mind wrapped around it.  But I did get that a "sin is anything you do which goes against yourself."
But where does it go?  Memory?  Can you ever get rid of it?

In my reading of the books in my library that I am culling (Alan is convinced that the books are breeding and multiplying faster than I am reading them), I picked up Charles F. Haanel's book and a workbook called, "The Master Key Workbook" by Anthony R. Michalaski and Robert Schmitz.  They quote Haanel as saying,  "If you do not intend to do a thing, do not start.  If you do start a thing, see it through even if the heavens fall; if you make up your mind to do something, do it; let nothing or no one interfere.  Every time we set ourselves to do something and we accomplish it, no matter how great or small, we are depositing currency in our spiritual checkbook.  When we fail to accomplish something, we are withdrawing currency.  If we withdraw too much, then we bankrupt ourselves.  It is it vitally important to see thorough what we intend to do."

That is where it goes.

In thinking back in my life, during the times that I was doing something new and different, even if it didn't turn out the way I wanted it, the fact that I finished it and went on to something else, provided the energy needed to get through the project and on to the next one.  Each success built on the next one.  The "sin," if there is one, is that it depletes the energy needed to carry on with your life.  When too depleted, it is almost impossible to get it turned around and back on track.  

I remember after my former husband passed away, I was in such a funk that nothing seemed to work.  I had taken a class on "How to Become a Better Knitter" about a year before he died.  I knit though all of the emergency room visits, hospital stays and I knit while sobbing by heart out and I knit when I couldn't sleep past the midnight hour.  Knitting kept me sane.  I finished the sweater I was working on and hated it.  Probably because of all the memories I knit into it and I gave it to the Goodwill.

Several months later, my sister asked me about the sweater and I told her that I had given it to the Goodwill and she smiled and said, "I have done a lot of sewing for them too."

Keeping your word and your agreements are most important to yourself.  The really sad part about it is that most people can see though you even if your words are different.  I have learned that in order to feel really good about myself, I keep my word.  If I can't, I will call and renegotiate the agreement or renegotiate my intention with myself.  My self-esteem is on the line and I need to feel really good about myself from this point forward because it keeps my life simple, fun and easy.