This week I got the overwhelming urge or inspiration to write about something I know very little about…REST AND RELAXATION. So here it goes. I%92m thinking that this should be pretty good. I can%92t wait to hear what flows through me this time. At this point I really have no clue what that might be. But what I am pretty sure about, is that right now, my family and friends, who are reading this, are most likely busting a gut, roaring with laughter. The words rest and relaxation do not exactly describe my life.

You see I have such a phobia about becoming bored, that I usually find myself filling my “to do” plate with about three to four servings of activities instead of one or two. I continually go like crazy until absolute exhaustion wipes me out, completely kicking my feet from beneath me; it wrestles me to the ground and into a forced state of rest. Rest…HA! Like that%92s rest! Usually when this occurs it is the result of my neck or back going out, forcing me to lay there, flat on my back, staring up at the ceiling and thinking to myself, “Why is this happening? Why now? I should be doing this, I could be doing that” and so on and so on… But when I finally get to the point of accepting the fact that I%92m not going anywhere quickly and won%92t be doing “this” or “that” for a while, it hits me that this idea of rest is actually not so bad (minus the pain in the neck or back of course) but taking some time out is actually quite…pleasant. Go figure!

So why do I let things get this far out of hand, to the point where my body actually rebels in the form of screaming pain? DISTRACTION! It is so easy to get distracted in this day and age. There%92s so much to do! The kids, home, family, friends, commitments, internet, the list goes on and on. But how do we avoid all of this distraction? We don%92t really. It%92s part of our lives. In fact it is our lives. Our experience! So how then can we avoid getting to the point of overload?

I was thinking about this yesterday evening when I brought my son to gymnastics. He has a two hour class and it takes us about a half an hour to get there. Usually when I bring him, I try to keep myself occupied with errands; running around like crazy, trying to get more things done and still be back in time to pick him up. This time seemed as though it would be no different, except for the fact that I could not get myself out of the parking lot. I was very tired and could not decide on where to start first. So instead, I just sat there, in the vehicle, thinking to myself, “I should, I should, I should…but what to do first?” My mind was spinning in a blur of confusion. Then all of a sudden a thought occurred to me with crystal clarity. Actually it was more like a question that fell out of the blue. “When is the last time you were still and quiet?” HMMM… I had to think. I guess it%92s been a while. I%92ve been preparing for an art show that will be taking place this weekend, on top of the billion, or so, other things that I do on a regular basis. I had to admit to myself that I have been overly distracted lately, busier than usual. I have not even painted or drawn in a while! Let alone been still and quiet! At this moment a realization occurred to me. I turned off the ignition and sat there. At that point I decided that I would not go anywhere! All of these “I should%92s” did not really NEED to get done right now anyway. They could wait. And they would wait. Then I remembered that I had stashed a book in my purse a while back and decided to spend this time reading instead of running around. WOW!!! Was that ever wonderful! I could feel the stress just melting off of my shoulders. Everything seemed to loosen! I think that I may have actually avoided another painful neck crank because of this time out! With about half an hour to go, I put down the book and closed my eyes. I could feel myself relaxing even more. Meditation! I haven%92t really put much focus on that in a while either. Not for any length of time anyway. So that is what I decided to do for the final half hour of my son%92s class. By the time his class was finished, I felt so completely refreshed, revitalized and purely happy! ABSOLUTELY AMAZING what a little time out can do!!!

Later that evening I realized that I had actually received a huge gift during that trip to gymnastics. I gained the realization of how necessary it is to weigh the priorities in my life and I also realized that rest and relaxation; a time to slow down and replenish, is also vitally important and must too be taken seriously. Walking meditation is very good, I highly recommend it. It is extremely helpful and necessary in bringing focus and awareness into our lives. But it does not fully replace the wonderful experience of a complete stillness and quiet of the mind. I am sure that this is not the last time that I will forget this though. The road of inspiration is filled with distractions, obstacles and many flat tires. Thankfully there is roadside assistance available to us all!

THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ MY POST. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ADD ANY COMMENTS THAT YOU MAY HAVE. I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE PERSONALLY NOTIFIED OF MY NEXT AND SUBSEQUENT BLOG ENTRIES, PLEASE ADD YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO MY MAILING LIST. I%92LL BE SURE TO LET YOU KNOW AS SOON AS THE ENTRY IS POSTED.

I wish you all a few moments of peace, quiet and relaxation in your busy day!

All the very best to you
Pam

After the long cold dark winter, how good does it feel to throw open the windows, let the light shine in and experience the sweetness of the warm spring breeze as it flows through your home?

Change + Awareness = Inspiration!!!

How often do we get stuck in a routine? We do the same things day after day after day. Life becomes extremely predictable. It may not be boring as such, because we are still very busy. But where is the inspiration? Where is the zest? Living like this is not such a terrible thing. It just is what it is. But in my opinion, life could be so much more!

When is the last time you flew out of bed in the morning, thinking,” I can%92t wait to start this day?” Do you remember? I asked myself this very question recently. To be perfectly honest, I had a hard time remembering when it happened last and what the occasion was. But what I do remember is that the only time I really feel this way is when something is going to happen that is out of the ordinary. CHANGE!

Personally, I have a love / hate relationship with change. I love it. I thrive on it. I crave it. But at the same time I find that it can also be unnerving and stressful…walking into the land of the unknown.

Just that phrase alone…WALKING INTO THE LAND OF THE UNKNOWN. Doesn%92t that sound exciting? I think so. It sends chills up my arms. But at the same time I can%92t help but feel a little tightening of fear in my stomach as well. It takes courage to change, to try something different. But I find that in most cases, when I finally do manage to gather up the strength and courage to face that fear and try something new, the experience brings a new quality to my life. I actually feel ALIVE!

Change doesn%92t have to be huge to have an effect on our lives. Even the smallest things can make a difference. What are you going to make for dinner? The regular meat and potatoes or how about dusting off that old cookbook that%92s been shoved to the back of the cupboard and try something new? How about taking a different route to work? How about just taking a drive somewhere new, just to explore? I can hear some people saying, “Are you nuts? With the price of gas the way it is?” Fine, then don%92t drive, take a walk…someplace new. Go in a different direction. See something NEW! It is amazing how alert and aware we are when we are encountering a new experience, exploring new territory. We can%92t just cruise though it like we do with our regular routines. We have to pay attention.

I remember my Grandpa had a saying, “Take care of your pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves.” This may seem completely irrelevant to the topic here but the theory behind it can apply to experience and change as well. If we take the initiative to expose ourselves to new things on a regular basis, just little things, simple things, then after a while we will begin to notice that our entire lives begin to change in many wonderful ways. And the next time someone asks you, “What%92s new?” You won%92t respond with the typical, “Not much.” Instead you will have something to share, which may, in turn, provide inspiration for that person or someone else. Who knows for sure until we try?

Inspiration is not found by idly standing by. It is found in action, in doing, in exploring and discovering.

One final note that I would like to make about change is this:

I believe that if we constantly expose ourselves to little self induced changes in our own lives, then the ominous fear of the unknown will begin to diminish slightly. This, I believe can greatly help us when big changes arise in our lives. Because of our conditioning, we may find it easier to adapt more readily to these bigger changes and to use our new found ability to discover the light in the darkness of the unknown.

THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ MY POST. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ADD ANY COMMENTS THAT YOU MAY HAVE. I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE PERSONALLY NOTIFIED OF MY NEXT AND SUBSEQUENT BLOG ENTRIES, PLEASE ADD YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO MY MAILING LIST. I%92LL BE SURE TO LET YOU KNOW AS SOON AS THE ENTRY IS POSTED.

HAVE A GREAT DAY...PAM

What is this life for? Why are we here?

Recently a friend of mine sent me a story that she had written for her granddaughter. It was a story about her life up till the age of about 12. I read it with interest and curiosity. Her writing was very good. I could clearly visualize being there in those special moments with her. It was funny though, while I was reading it, and visualizing, I was also reminded of so many memories from my own childhood. Vivid images flooded my mind. Simple things, special things that I had long ago forgotten.

One memory in particular was a time when I was playing in the backyard of our home on Morgan Avenue. I remember that it was a warm sunny day. I was at the far side of the yard when I caught glimpse of a snail inching its way along the rough wooden fence. In that instant, time stopped for me. I became lost in the moment while watching this tiny, little creature. I remember observing intently; its body expanding and contracting as it slowly moved along. The grayish brown texture of that slimy skin glistened with the reflection of the sun%92s rays, beautiful. Its shell was held aloft, like a prize trophy, smooth and spiraled to the center point. I remember being absolutely amazed by this tiny creature. I could feel its life, its energy. I could imagine being that little snail. I was totally immersed in the moment. I also remember being shocked back into “reality” when my Mother called my name.

I would have been about four or five at that time. The interesting thing about this memory is that I realized, even at that young age, without consciously knowing it, I was meditating. In retrospect, I have actually been meditating my entire life, without knowing it. This meditation, of course, was not the formal type; sitting in the lotus position, fingers touching thumbs, straight back etc. This can be a wonderful practice but I can see clearly that it is not the only route to go. Being immersed in the moment, aware of every sensation, no distraction, fully absorbed in the experience, interest and curiosity, this too is meditation.

Why are we here? What is this life all about? In my heart, I feel that it is all about experience. Good, bad, or indifferent, small, large or in between, it makes no difference. What makes the difference is what we make of it and what we learn from it. All of our experiences happen for a reason. Sometimes we are aware of this and sometimes we%92re not. What did this memory from my childhood do for me today? How did it affect my life? It is far too difficult and detailed to explain fully, but what I can say is that it did, in fact, affect me as a person. It played a part in making me who I am today. Reflecting on this, I am inspired to accept the experiences that I am currently having today and truly accept them for what they are. Because I know that they are simply building blocks for the future.

Here%92s a simple little exercise: Pull out some old pictures from when you were a child. Look at them and let yourself be taken back in time. When you%92re ready, close your eyes and let yourself slip away deeper into those memories. Do this for about 5 to 20 minutes. When you open your eyes, write down the qualities that you noticed in yourself through those memories and any thoughts of how they may have affected your life today. If anything else comes to mind (even if it seems unrelated) write that down too.

If the above mentioned exercise doesn%92t appeal to you then alternately, you may choose to immerse yourself in a moment right now. One thing I like to do is meditate on a tree.

First I start by seeing the entire tree. This is actually very difficult to do in any detail so next, I look at one single branch. In doing this there is still too much to see, it is difficult to take it all in. So next, I look at one single leaf, I study the varying shades of green, the veins, and the way it curls up on the edges. I carefully study any spots or imperfections, every single detail. I find that it doesn%92t take long before I am totally immersed in this moment. In one tiny leaf there is an amazing amount of power that can be felt and experienced in a very profound way, if only we take the time to really notice and appreciate it. This experience, like all others will have an impact on the future. Perhaps it will simply slow us down, help us to relax and appreciate things a little more. Or perhaps the effects may be far more profound.
Enlightenment comes when you least expect it.

THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ MY POST. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ADD ANY COMMENTS THAT YOU MAY HAVE. I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU.

HAVE A GREAT DAY...PAM

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE PERSONALLY NOTIFIED OF MY NEXT AND SUBSEQUENT BLOG ENTRIES, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ADD YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO MY MAILING LIST. I%92LL BE SURE TO LET YOU KNOW AS SOON AS THE ENTRY IS POSTED.

So often we feel the need for approval and yet we do not like to be judged.
This makes absolutely no sense to me. Yet despite the senselessness of it all, I constantly find myself in the midst of this struggle, in one way or another. What is it all about? Living up to what I think is expected of me, feeling like it is never enough, I continue to do, do, do. But why am I doing this? I%92ve found that it is interesting sometimes to stop and ask myself these questions, “Why am I doing this? What is my intention behind this? What am I hoping to gain by all of this? Where is my heart and head in this? What is really going on here?” Usually my answer at this time is DUTY! RESPONSIBILITY! And my personal least favorite, WHAT CHOICE DO I HAVE?!

I have learned that when I start feeling overly tired, depleted and ill, that there is something seriously wrong in my world. I do not mean in the world around me but IN my own world – the way that I am seeing and experiencing things, and the INTENTION behind what I am doing. Usually it takes me a while to click into this though. I suffer until I can%92t take anymore. I guess that I need to get myself completely stuck in the muck of the duty rut before I can get the ball rolling and ask myself the question “Why am I doing this?” Then typically what I hear myself saying serves to be the electric shock therapy that I need, at that particular moment to positively alter this negative thought pattern. Without manipulating it, this practice has helped me, time and time again, in many different situations to catch myself deeply imbedded in this muddy mess that I have let myself sink into. It provides me with the blazing jolt of pure energy that enables me to fly out of this rut and resume my course on the path of pure inspiration.

I do not want to live a life filled with duty. I want to be FREE! I do not want to do things because I have no choice. I want the freedom to CHOOSE! To sum it up, I want to create my life and my experiences with the freedom of choice. I want to use my creativity instead of being dragged along. I want to give because it fills my heart with love, not because I expect approval in the fact that I%92ve done my duty. I want to create what comes from within, not what I feel others want to see from me or expect to see from me. I want to be perfectly true to who I am, not truly perfect in someone else%92s eyes. The latter is impossible. I cannot alter another%92s thoughts, likes, dislikes or expectations. In fact, I cannot even truly make someone else happy. That is a choice that they must make for themselves. If it makes me happy to help someone else (which it does) then I%92m going to do it. No expectations of reward or judgment allowed.

I hope that this has not come across as a selfish way to live. I can assure you that it is not. Allowing yourself permission to be happy and live an authentic life, in my opinion is the complete opposite to a selfish life. I believe that it is living a life of example, which grants other people the courage to do the same. I also believe that you may just find that you are still doing all of the same things you did before, with maybe a minor alteration here and there. Something small, like a quiet walk, by yourself to clear your mind. Big changes may be necessary at times, but usually not. The main difference for me, I have found, is in the way that I look at things. Attitude and intention. This makes all the difference in the world. If my actions are a result of, or stream from, anything but love, then I know that I am accomplishing nothing. No happiness can be found there from anyone.

In my opinion, if we could all live this way all of the time, I believe that we would find ourselves in a much more peaceful, bountiful world. We would be far more willing to give to others because we would feel no lack within ourselves. In fact, I think that we would feel the need to share our abundance with everyone at all times. I also feel that we would be more apt to let others be, just as they are, again no judgment and no expectation, because we would not feel the need to struggle for power, knowing full well that we already have access to all of the power that we could ever desire, within ourselves.

Don%92t you find that it is easier to be happy around happy people and inspired in the midst of inspiring people, than it is when we are surrounded by those who are stuck in the muck. Doesn%92t it seem that life flows much more smoothly when we are happy than when we are struggling with despair and duty?

THIS MAKES SENSE TO ME. Inspiration and happiness are contagious. The question is….Who will get this ball rolling? Who will pass it around?


“ Work like you don%92t need the money, love like you%92ve never been hurt, and dance like no one is watching.” --- Satchel Paige


IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE PERSONALLY NOTIFIED OF MY NEXT AND SUBSEQUENT BLOG ENTRIES, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ADD YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO MY MAILING LIST. I%92LL BE SURE TO LET YOU KNOW AS SOON AS THE ENTRY IS POSTED.
THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ MY POST. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ADD ANY COMMENTS THAT YOU MAY HAVE. I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU.
HAVE A GREAT DAY...PAM

Do you remember your childhood days? Do you remember what it felt like to daydream? Do you remember how natural and easy it was to play? Do you remember how your imagination would bring you to places beyond the known world? Do you remember the time when you believed in your dreams, imaginary friends and secretly wondered if a giant actually did live in a castle built in the clouds? Did you believe in fairies, dragons, elves that played in the forest, the troll that lived under the bridge and leprechauns that guarded the treasure at the end of the rainbow? Do you remember wondering where the end of the rainbow actually was? And do you remember wishing you had wings to fly there, picturing yourself soaring with the birds and sliding down that rainbow into the pot of gold itself? Do you remember how magical everything appeared to your senses? Nothing seemed to be beyond the realm of possibility. Do you remember what it felt like in the days when you allowed yourself to play in these magical worlds?

Take a minute to recall some of these special moments from your own childhood days. While you are there, visiting these memories, please don%92t judge them to be silly or ridiculous or any of the “Grown Up” titles that we tend to put onto the imaginary world of children. Try only to remember what you felt like, way back then. Try to recall that feeling of magic and endless possibility that lived in your heart. Let yourself sense the wonder and excitement of whatever memory comes back to you. No justification, no judgment, just be there, feel it. Give yourself about 20 minutes or so to contemplate this notion. Let yourself plunge entirely into the waters of pure blissful childhood imagination. Be there. Then, when you are ready, gradually bring yourself back to the present moment and write a note about what you experienced and how you felt.

Imagination, inspiration, where did the magic go? Life has become so serious for most of us. We have forgotten how to play, imagine, dream. At least I know that I have, for the most part. But the time has come to recapture the magic. Why not believe in fairies, elves and the castle in the clouds? It really doesn%92t hurt anyone and as a bonus, it can add a little element of intrigue and delight into the day. Besides, how do you know they are not real? We cannot always trust our eyes to tell us what is real…Perhaps…Who knows for sure?

If you have trouble recalling the magical feeling from those childhood days, I suggest renting a movie that you used to love watching as a very young child. For me that movie is The Wizard of Oz. Wow, does that bring me back, in a heartbeat. But the same thing happens when I watch Mary Poppins with my own kids, and I never actually watched that movie as a child. If you cannot recall your favorite childhood movie, then go ahead, give Mary Poppins a try. See what happens. Or more accurately, I guess I should say, “Feel what happens”.

Wouldn%92t it be wonderful to be able to live in this world as a fully functioning, responsible adult but with the added bonus of the active imagination, daydreams and pure wonder of a child? If this is not pure inspiration, then I do not know what is. That%92s all from me for now. I am off to play; first with my kids, and then with my paint. Who knows what will happen from there.

For this particular blog entry I felt inspired to include a quote from one of the great “Daydreamers” of our times. But in searching for the “one” that felt just right, I was flooded with inspiration by so many. I could not seem to narrow it down to just one. So instead I have included five.

“There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again.”
Elizabeth Lawrence

“I am enough of an artist to draw feely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”
Albert Einstein

“I think there%92s a little child in all of us and we all too often forget to let the child out to play.”
Donna A. Favors

“They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night”
Edgar Allan Poe

“You see things; and you say, Why? But I dream things that never were; and I say, Why not?”
George Bernard Shaw

Until next week…warm wishes…Pam

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE PERSONALLY NOTIFIED OF MY NEXT AND SUBSEQUENT BLOG ENTRIES, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ADD YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO MY MAILING LIST. I%92LL BE SURE TO LET YOU KNOW AS SOON AS THE ENTRY IS POSTED.
THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ MY POST. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ADD ANY COMMENTS THAT YOU MAY HAVE.
HAVE A GREAT DAY...PAM