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Remember that being happy is all in the mind and isn’t based on life being perfect or the circumstance being ‘just right.’ You can choose to be happy and positive today. The wonderful reward in this is that when you choose to be happy, you’ll begin to see more rainbows of happiness in your life.
Okay…so how many happy, happy, joy, joy dances do I do a day? Too many too count! LOL A lot of them happen within my mind but sometimes my feet just can’t stop like yesterday.
I took Mom and the girls to town for Mom’s checkup. First of all it isn’t the most happy place in the world to go to. It is in the cancer division of the doctor offices and there are many sick people there. They have coffee, tea, and soup for anyone who may want it. There are puzzles in the waiting room and people there to help anyone needing assistance. Mom is feeling fantastic and my oldest daughter, Peanut, Mom, and I were feeling so much appreciation for our health as we sat and watched others.
Peanut was doing her normal thing when she’s around sick people. She looks at someone and then closes her eyes. I never ask but I know she’s sending them good thoughts and love. I keep Mom busy with ‘busy’ talk since she gets extremely nervous going to the doctor, and my oldest daughter takes charge. She wanted to do something so she went up to the nurses desk and asked where she could donate handmade quilts for cancer patients. Even amid all the pain I was doing a happy dance within my mind to see that my girls were so compassionate.
So we get into the doctor’s office and Mom and I wait for almost an hour and a half but instead of getting upset we know that her doctor is giving time to someone who is very ill so we sit and chat as Mom dangles her legs off the exam table with her little paper drape on. Her doctor comes in and apologizes. Mom ‘shuts her down’ and tells her, “Don’t you worry. You have sick people to take care of. Not people like me!” Her doctor smiled, did her exam, and we were out in five minutes. I’m still tap dancing in my mind. Mom is cancer free. WONDERFUL!
We go to the Olive Garden and wait for a table. The music is really ‘poppy’ and definitely worth a happy, happy, joy, joy dance. I keep as still as I can but as we wait my feet start tapping and my behind is trying not to wiggle…well dance wiggle I mean…it wiggles no matter what I do! LOL My oldest daughter saw the look in my eyes. She says, “Mom, now is not the place.” But she is smiling, knowing full well it means nothing to me. She begins to tap her feet and gives in. Peanut rolls her eyes and Mom heads into the bathroom. My daughter and I grin at one another and can’t contain it.
Yes… We smiled, wiggled, giggled, and did the happy, happy, joy, joy dance to the delight of everyone else waiting. It wasn’t for them. I am the last person on earth to draw attention to myself but the joy, the joy of my family, the joy of the wonderful news, the joy of ‘being,’ the JOY sometimes just needs a dance. 
Will it be next week or maybe next fall? Is THAT when the good times will come? As we wish and envision a life of good times we tend to put it all in the future as if THAT is when we’ll be happy. But let’s not forget about today. You don’t want to miss the life you are living right now. Take the time to appreciate your today in a sunset, a touch of a pet, a laugh of a child, nice clean sheets, and bask in the moment of now and enjoy the now of life. As you see the good times in your every day you will send a vibration out to the Universe that says, “I would love more of that!” and it will come. Now add in what you envision your life to be and VOILA…good times ALL the time!
This is one of the things we’ve been teaching our 11 year old, Peanut. She’s getting better at it but when she was just a few years younger, she wanted everything right now! When we would go on a vacation all she could think about was the vacation and not about all the joy that was happening at that very moment, like spending days in her pool, going to art class, and life in general.
We all get excited about the future and what it holds, and for a young child it can be hard not to anticipate. So here’s a little trick we’ve done with Peanut. We talk about the ‘big future plans’ and get all excited about it. We listen to what she wants to do and enjoy, then we tell her, “It’s going to happen but it can’t until we live these next few weeks with joy in the everyday. So what are you going to find to enjoy today?”
She will then put on her thinking cap and begin to talk about ‘the now.’ She talks about going outside and ‘saving’ moths from spiders, laying in the grass and watching ladybugs crawl up her arm, helping Grandpa with his puzzle, watching her favorite show, H2-O, having Mae coming over and creating fairy rings, and she goes on and on. Pretty soon she is so excited about her day and what there is in it that she realizes that today isn’t boring at all. It’s a day to enjoy.
Enjoying ( ‘in joy’ WOW! do you see that?!) today is just as important as looking to the future and seeing the joy because that joy you find today creates amazing positive vibrations that will bring you the joy you are wanting in your future.
Now getting my adult son to realize this is a WHOLE other story! LOL
Do something for someone that will make them happy. When you do something for someone else out of the sheer joy of doing it, without expecting any kind of compensation in return and without any kind of obligation, some of that happiness sprinkles onto you as well. Creating happiness is an incredible feeling…especially when it’s done out of sheer joy.
I really don’t watch a lot of television but every once in a while, a movie will come on that I’ll get caught up in and watch. I usually mute the television when the commercials come on but there is this one commercial that I didn’t mute. Have you ever seen that incredible commercial where one person does a nice thing for someone else like opening a door or picking up something that someone else dropped and because of that kindness, another person saw the kindness and passed it along? The whole commercial is about how one act of kindness to another spreads to others as they observe another being kind. You will never know how much an act of kindness affects the people around the act itself as well as you and the receiver of the kindness. I love that commercial! The funny thing is…I’m not sure what they are selling because I get so wrapped up in the kindness of it all! LOL
All day long we think and compare things in this world but it is just as important to just ‘be’. When we see a beautiful sky we may say to someone, “Did you see the beautiful sky?” and we are beginning once again to think and compare. A lot of the time we are too busy to even noticed the beautiful sky. Take a moment and ‘be’ ‘mindful of this world without any kind of thought or remark. ‘Be’ in the moment. Feel a cool breeze, hear the sounds of nature, and don’t attach any kind of word to it….just feel. This is a good way to be mindful of how you feel as you send vibrations out into the Universe.
Just ‘being’ is part of my morning routine. I take an early morning walk while the house is still sleeping. I first focus on one color, usually green, and feel the color and look for it in every shade. Then I focus on only sound. I ‘feel’ the sound of the birds, the rustle through the trees, the crunch of the ground under my feet. I then focus on the ‘feel’ of the sun peeking through the morning fog. I close my eyes and ‘feel’ the world around me. No comparing anything or thinking… just ‘feeling’ all that is around me. That is when I truly ‘feel’ the Universe. Through each breath, each color, each smell, each moment…I just ‘be.’ There is nothing like it…
It seems like that many people are cynical these days. Some think that it is ‘cool’ to have some kind of negative remark about the world. We weren’t born with this kind of an attitude. We built up this kind of attitude through disappointments and how life treats us and others. But when we were children we all had a natural view of being upbeat about life. When we become cynical we begin to reflect a world of cynicism. And being cynical is different than being funny. Being cynical is a negative for everything that everyone else says.
Just for today try to look at the positive and refrain from a fast negative quip. Others may laugh but it is the cynic who is creating a vibration bringing more to be cynical about.
We once had an intern like this: He would come in in a great mood in the morning and everything –and I mean everything — that came out of his mouth was some kind of negative quip. You’d say, “Hey Jay! How’s your morning?” He’d quip back, “A lot better than yours!” He had a bigger than big laugh that was through his nose but it wasn’t a genuine laugh, if you know what I mean. It was a ‘I’m the big ‘it’ and I’m letting you know it!” kind of laugh.
Now I am a very ‘go with the flow’ kind of girl. I tend to relax and allow all personalities I see, knowing that is who they are. But this kind of personality definitely made the air a little thick in the studio. Being an intern he had great references and he was learning about camera work. He was only going to be there for a few weeks but I didn’t like the feeling of uneasiness among all of our employees with Jay around. Even I found myself stepping out of his way.
Jim was the one (along with Lee) who worked directly with Jay and then one day…it just rubbed me the wrong way. Jay came sauntering in with a box of donuts. “How nice,” I thought to myself. “Maybe we’re wearing off on him a little.”
He went over to Janet and asked her if she’d like a donut. She said, “How nice of you, Jay.” She went to take one and he pulled the box away making THAT, uh, laugh. “Hahahaha! I’m just joking. Here.” He put the box in front of Janet and pulled it away again. Now Janet is a tough little lady with a bigger than kind heart. I believe in ‘allowing’ someone to be who they are until they ‘hurt’ someone and if I can say something, I will. I walked up to Jay and said, “Jay, could you come with me…please?”
“Yeah, yeah! I have some donuts. You want one?” He guffawed and laughed as he left the box on Janet’s desk. Janet doesn’t see that look in my eye too often, but she has seen it once or twice and she knew. She picked up the phone and got Lee on the phone. She whispered into the phone, “She has THAT look!”
I wore a sickeningly sweet smile… The one I wear when I am clearing my mind and asking for guidance (and forgiveness) for what I was about to do. Ringing in my ears I hear some of the e-mails that are written: “Beth is such a sweet person. I want to be more like her. She never loses her temper. She just LOVES everyone.”
I’m walking Jay into the conference room. I just want to have a little chat with him and Lee intercepts. “Hey, Jay! Jim needs you upstairs for just a moment.” I open my mouth but Lee puts his arm around me, “Let’s go in the conference room, shall we?”
We get in the conference room and Lee is trying not to laugh. He doesn’t want Jay to witness the Wrath of Beth.
“Babe…”
“Don’t Babe me, Lee! You should see how he was treating Janet. He does not act in a professional nor a kind manner. He is causing too many ripples in this pond. Nobody messes with my kindest friend in the world, Janet.”
“Is Jay a good guy?” Lee asked.
“He is. I can ‘see’ he is but he is rough around the edges and he…he…” I started to calm down. “He’s nervous and is trying to make an impression and it’s a bad one at that. He wants to be liked.” Yep…I needed to look at this with a new set of eyes…Jay’s eyes.
“Can I talk to him now?” Like Lee would ever stop me.
“Now that the red has left your eyes…sure!” Lee said.
Lee and I talked to Jay about his approach. And Jay had no idea that he was being cynical and outright not funny and rude. He was just nervous. Once we asked him to recognize what was happening…it no longer happened.
Jay left two weeks later on schedule for the end of his internship and he brought Janet and me roses before he left. On my card it read, “To a wonderful red headed gal who didn’t give me the ‘what for’ and made me a better person because of it. Thank you.” Gulp…nice.
How many times have you gotten an idea and said to yourself, “That’s not going to work!” or “I couldn’t possibly be able to to pay for that.” Sometimes those big over the top ideas can lead to something that is doable in life. Try, never to dismiss out of hand your ideas. Free your mind and see what comes to mind in the way of ideas. Don’t dismiss something that seems like it is impossible. Have an unlimited thought meeting with yourself and let your imagination and creativity do the talking. Everything starts as an idea…
Lee and I have many unlimited thought ideas with our ‘crew’ at the studio. We sit around and throw ideas at one another all the while searching for one that has the qualities of what we are searching for our next project. Many times we end up laughing at some of the ludicrous ideas but other times some of those ludicrous ones have merit to them.
I’ll never forget when we were all having a great time sitting on the couches and talking over ‘the good life.’ Joachim said to Lee, “Man, wouldn’t it be great to sit around with a bunch of people like this…great food, great talking, great places to sleep…” And then we all went wild. We started laughing about the giraffes we would have that would come to everyone’s door to serve the food, the castles that we would build with moats full of alligators to kept out all the negative naysayers, the rolling walkway so we didn’t have to walk a distance to get from here to there and then Janet said, “And Beth’s blackberry jam in big vats so that anytime we could just stick our fingers in and eat!”
As we were getting bigger and bigger in our ludicrous thoughts…an idea was born. Lee and I talked that evening and the Positive Thought Retreat came out of that conversation. We wanted people to feel at home to think as they wanted and enjoy great food, cabins, walkways, outings, lectures, music, and on and on and on. Now we took out the giraffes (couldn’t find anyone to clean up the Giraffe ‘Pellets’!) and tweaked it here and there, but out of that…came this wonderful place we have created for everyone to go to and yes…there WILL be blackberry jam!
Have you said something nice to someone today? We can sometimes be so busy that we forget to give out kindness. Think about how wonderful it feels when someone gives you a compliment. How many times do you give compliments to someone passing by? It is as wonderful to give kindness as much as it is to receive it. How about opening a door for someone today? Build those positive vibrations today through kindness.
I’ll never forget a vacation that Mom, Dad, Peanut, Lee, and I took to Disneyland. It was at the height of the tourist season so there were long lines for almost everything. We had taken little fans that squirted water to keep cool. This was before Disneyland had installed misters and ‘Fast Passes.’ We slowly inched our way up the line that snaked back and forth, back and forth to get on the Peter Pan Flight.
There were two little impish boys that were about twelve years old. They would wait until someone turned their head and cut in front of everyone that they could. They were inching faster up the line than the rest of us. All the men that were in line were getting that caveman look to them… “Must protect family from having to wait on ride. Stop little boys!”
As the kids inched their way up the line thinking no one was the wiser they stopped. They waited until we turned our back and took the cuts. But instead of steaming out the ears it became humorous. Did these little guys really think they were getting away with something? As they stood in front of us I leaned forward and said quietly, “I don’t know if you know this, but this whole line is very upset with you. Did you know that it is polite to wait your turn?” Both boys put their heads down and began talking gibberish as if they couldn’t understand English. I got to laughing. This two little guys were clever little boogers but the language they had created existed mostly of the word, “Bloo”. “Bloo bloo bloo.” It got me even more tickled. Lee got to laughing and said, “Hey, Beth! They speak bloo, too!”
He leaned in and said to the boys, “Bloo. Bloo. You do speak English. Bloo. Bloo. And you can take cuts. Bloo, bloo but don’t take any more bloo bloo because you won’t make it past THAT man. bloo bloo” It was my dad that Lee was referring to. Instead of blowing our stack and being upset we did our best to show kindness. Yes, kindness. Were we going to stop the boys by being upset? Maybe, but here we were in the Happiest Place on Earth and we didn’t want Peanut to remember a moment of anger and frustration over a silly little prank.
One of the boys looked at Lee and said, “Bloo bloo” in a tone like he was saying, “Thank you.” Lee responded, “Bloo bloo. (your welcome)” Dad still got in his two cents. As we waited in the line the little boys were sandwiched between Lee and Dad. Dad began squirting them with his squirt fan. The boys laughed and Dad cooled them off. As they got on the ride one yelled back, “Thanks for the fun!” And the other boy yelled, ” BLOO!”
Do you have some idea where you are headed? Or are you just living day by day and letting life happen. Are you just reacting to what is going on around you or do you have a goal? It’s important to have both. So how do your daily tasks fit in with your vision of life? When we spend too much time on what takes us away from our vision, then the vision doesn’t come to fruition. Are you open to new opportunities that present themselves to you and do they fit into your life with everything else? Maintain a good balance but make sure to move forward even if it is only within the mind. Because moving forward in your mind will move you forward in life in general.
I remember wanting to ice skate like my brother when I was a little girl. He belonged to a hockey team and could skate faster than anyone I had ever seen. I wanted to get on that ice and show everyone that I could skate just as well. But my parents were hesitant. The ice could be dangerous and I was prone to falling on knees that were forever scabbed. I’m surprised I don’t have scars, but I knew in my mind I was going to ice skate.
I would watch my brother skate, feeling the cool rush of air rising off the ice. I would stand on the sidelines rooting him on and imagining the feeling of actually gliding on the ice. I guess my constant pushing and the look on my face while watching others skate was what finally got my parents to let me on the ice.
Here I had imagined it, day after day, and then when I put the skates on and walked out on the ice…I fell. I got up and I fell. I hung onto the side…and fell. My dream of what I thought was going to happen immediately sank. I got off the ice and sat down. I didn’t want to move. I was disappointed and I decided that this wasn’t for me. I unlaced my ice skates and called my mom to take me home.
For the next few weeks I did everything I could that summer to get my mind off ice skating. I went about my chores, played tether ball, and at least once a day I thought about ice skating. But I didn’t do anything about it. It was my best friend, Becky who finally said something.
“You can skate, Bethie. I know you can. It takes a little while for a dream to come true. You have to move forward on the ice. You can’t let the ice beat you. Shoot! If your dumb brother can skate, I KNOW you can!”
I knew she was right. I hadn’t moved forward. I hadn’t focused and kept at it. Right then and there I decided to get back on that ice. Mom took me to the rink and at first I felt paralyzed. The cold ice was no longer a beautiful dream but a very hard surface that was even harder when I fell. The skates were no longer gliding pieces of magic, they were very real, sharp blades. Fear had set in and then…my brother took my hand and away we went. Yes, I fell many times but it became easier to move forward. My mind and my ability began to merge with the vision I had. In two weeks I was skating forwards, backwards, and in circles. I could ice skate so fast that the breeze would take my breath away. It was even better than I had ever expected.
My parents bought me a pair of ice skates. Not just any old skates, and not figure skates like most girls had, but a pair of hockey skates that were faster and more powerful than any skate I had been on. I had moved forward.
That summer I had learned something very important. Your dream will come, but it takes some effort and some practice. It takes your courage, your determination, and your mind to overcome the things you think that you can’t do. But when you have a dream, you can’t think that it can’t happen as you go about your day. It will happen, and mark my words… It will be better than you ever expected.
Every day you make a choice that tells all about who you are and what you value in your life. The way we dress, the kind of car we drive, the kind of work that we do, what we do as hobbies, how we are with other people, what kind of life we lead, and even how we treat our own selves. It’s important to make choices based on how well we value life and ourselves because those thoughts create who you are. They say who you are as a person and who you want to be.
Do you ever have one of those days when you go in your closet and pick out something to wear only to take it off and put something else on because it just doesn’t ‘feel’ right? I use to ask myself, “What is the big deal? Why do you have to change? You’ll get used to it and be happy with what you chose after you keep it on for awhile?” Then there is the inner voice that says, “Go with what ‘feels’ right. Always…even if you have to change three different times, always go with how you ‘feel’ and don’t beat yourself up for feeling indecisive. The right choice will come along.”
Okay…sounds like good advice from my number one inner self, so I ‘let go’ of the feeling of being indecisive and just went with what felt right for the day.
The first day that I didn’t worry about my indecision and changed two times before settling on a bright purple tunic and clam digger jeans. I ‘felt’ right somehow. Do you know that all through the day people kept saying, “That is beautiful! It suits you so well today!” or “That color is a sign for me. Thank you!” or my tunic would strike up a conversation with someone in line that brought me to some realization in life. Hmmm…not bad for listening to the inner feelings. Just clothes to us, but Universally everything you go about saying, doing, wearing is going to affect you…and someone else possibly in a positive way.
I make a choice everyday. It may take two or three times before I get it to ‘feel right’ but I made the choice and I don’t buckle to my own perceptions of indecisiveness. Sometimes that indecisiveness is just contrast giving you a better way to go…even with what we wear.
Do you have all sorts of little things to do today? Are they adding up and making you feel agitated? Sometimes all those little things can ruin your day. Do your best to keep those little things from overwhelming you. Take a deep breath and remind yourself that they are little things. You don’t have to worry. Just get them done…one at a time…enjoying ‘being’ while you go about your day. And if you don’t get them all done…there is always tomorrow. No need to create any vibrations of worry or fret. Just go with the flow of the day…and enjoy.
When we have company come over Mom gets all freaked out. She begins planning meals two weeks in advance and frets and worries about every little detail. I do all the shopping for the big ta-do and even cook the meals. But she feels that she must be in control and entertain. She gets so wrapped up in it all that she begins to almost paralyze herself with all the little details. Everyone stays out of her way as she gets more and more worked up and then finally…she explodes.
“I can’t do this! I can’t do this! I don’t entertain anymore!”
Dad always comes back with a quip, “I don’t know. You’ve been pretty entertaining to watch these last few days!”
“Mom, no worries. I can take care of it. Just relax. They aren’t coming to be fed, they are coming to see you.”
“I have to worry, Bethie,” she said adamantly.
“Why?” I asked.
“Because you don’t! Someone’s got to worry about all the details!!”
Hee hee…hmmmm…HAS to worry about something. Boy has she taught me a lot in my lifetime about worry and how to take a different path.
“But, Mom. I get it all done without all the rushing around. Have you ever not had a good time?”
“Pooh!” she says. “It’s part of the entertaining process. You HAVE to pretend you’re enjoying yourself but all the while you just wish it was all over!” Mom speaks her mind but only to me…and Dad.
Our company comes and Lee says before they walk in the door, “SMILES, everyone! SMILES!” like the guy from Fantasy Island. Mom whacks him on the arm and puts on her gracious hostess smile.
“Bethie, you answer the door. I don’t want to appear too…eager.”
I look at her, put on the fakest smile I can just for her, and do a 1950′s housewife gesture. She does her little shaking of her hands at me to stop clowning around. Here’s the funny thing. We have a wonderful time, everything always goes off without a hitch, and we enjoy. Then when the company leaves Mom says to me, “Oh…I wish they would come more often. I enjoy entertaining so much!”
I look at Lee. Lee makes a motion that he is keeping his lips sealed…not a word…not a quip…he knows better.
Did you know a smile naturally sends out positive vibrations? Even if we don’t feel like smiling and you smile it physiologically makes you feel happier. A smile can actually energize your brain and your muscles. Remember that you may smile because of the joy you are experiencing, but sometimes your smile can actually be the source of your own joy. So smile! Get those positive vibrations moving!
Our home is full of laughter. We are a bunch that tell lame jokes, rib each other unmercifully, and if someone looks as if they are feeling down we take no prisoners! LOL! No one has a chance to feel sorry for life around here. And on those days when everyone is feeling quiet, we still smile
We have the typical family and everyday situations that most have, but we live each day and live each moment knowing that to stay positive is really part of the answer of life.
If it gets too intense when the politics fly, I smile and decide to go enjoy a walk or play with Peanut. I keep my positive vibrations away from that kind of talk. I don’t ignore the issues but I choose to live life with as much positive thoughts that I can so I listen, think, and see where the vibrations of the moment take me. If they take me to a place that is going to keep me from feeling positive and cause a little chaos within my own being, I smile and know what to do. I Detach from the offending vibration and envision a positive answer to what is being said.
Oh yes! Smiling and positive thought is the order of the day!
So how are you taking care of your inner self? Are you taking care of it only in this physical world, kind of knowing what you should do but only keeping it on the outside? That is like painting over a rusty pole. Pretty soon the paint is going to chip off and show what is beneath…rust. Work on your inner self from ‘within.’ Don’t just talk the talk…walk the walk because there is no way to get around that inner journey within you. You have to go ‘within’ in order to change your life.
Oh that wonderful balance of the physical and inner self. I find myself focusing more on the inner work than the outer at times and then I’ll switch around and really focus on the physical self…you know, the jiggly ones. Yep…the jiggling areas that love to jiggle. Then one day I realized something. I have my physical stuff that comes up sometimes but I like how I look. My bottom might jiggle a little but so does my inner self at times. I accept all of me. I eat those wonderful little M n’ M’s and also pay attention to how much walking I’m doing, just like I pay attention to how much meditation time I have as well as food for the soul via books and ethereal music.
We are all doing what will work for us. Do I think I could use a little less M n’ M and more of the physical exercise stuff? Sometimes… Do I think I could use a little more meditation and food for thought? Sometimes… But all in all there are a few things that make me happy — even joyous — in this good old material world.
I can handle a little jiggle with my M n’ M’s. I’m not going to go overboard and freak out at every little wiggle. I want to enjoy life and if a few M n’ M’s will put me over the top on the joy meter, then so be it.
And the same thing goes for my inner maintenance. Sometimes a little less is more, and sometimes a little more is better. But I always keep in check and take care of my physical as much as I do my inner self but I do what makes me happy…always. And hey… jeans with a little bit of spandex in them are wonderful!
Is there someone who hurt you either mentally or physically and you can’t seem to come to terms ‘why?’ Why would someone intentionally hurt you? Look at it this way: The person who hurt you had a moment of severe negative emotion. They caused it to well up inside them and it came lashing out to you. You are not responsible for the lashing. It was their negative moment and they tried to put it onto you.
They lashed out at how they felt about their own self. This doesn’t make it right, but it does make it understandable. We all have moments of negative behavior but most of us keep it within or learn to diffuse it. Don’t take it personally and don’t hang onto the hurtful moment. You are stronger than that and you don’t need to focus on it over and over again within your mind. Let it go…it’s their problem now…not yours. But it will become your problem if you hang on to it.
My son called and said he just needed to talk. A girl that he had been dating called to read him the riot act. “Mom, I have no idea what I did.” He continued, ” She told me I was a bonehead and that she thought I was the most ridiculous person she has ever met.” He paused for a minute. He whispered into the phone, “It hurt my feelings.”
Okay, being a mommy, I wanted to climb through the phone and give him a big hug. I could see my 28 year old as a 3 year old once again. He needed his mommy! But then I shook the vision out of my head and first asked, “Well…are you a bonehead? I mean, did you do something that set her off or is this a reflection of how you are feeling?” I started there.
He thought for a minute.
“Nope. I’m doing good about how I feel and I didn’t do a thing to set her off…really!” He was feeling bad.
“Listen. When someone is having a bad day they tend to want to vent it to someone and then there are the people that lash out and want you to pay for their bad day but you don’t have to be a part of it. It’s up to you if you take this into your ‘being’ as truth. It hurts to hear those words but…you’re NOT a bonehead. I’ve known many boneheads in my life and you don’t qualify.”
He laughed. “Really? Cuz’ sometimes I wonder but…you’re right. I’ll let this one go and don’t think I’ll be going on a date with her anytime soon.”
“Feel better?” I asked.
“Yeah, I do feel better. Thanks, Mom.”
“Do you still need a hug?”
“No,” he said. “But I could use some enchiladas when I come out to the house.”
“You got it!”
“Bye, Mom!”
“Bye…” and I heard Lee yell from behind me. “Tell Bonehead ‘bye’ from me!”
I hung up the phone and gave Lee ‘the look. Lee laughed.’ “Well, he is. I’m just stating the facts.”
I’ve never seen Lee run so fast. I chased him into the studio with maniacal laughter. Nobody calls my baby a bonehead! LOL
It’s important to bridge the gap between your physical manifestation and your inner ideas of what truth is. When the Universe ‘reads what you need and want’ it passes through your own consciousness. If you think that all your needs and wants are already fulfilled, the Universe will manifest fulfillment. When you come from that spiritual consciousness that is forever connected to the Universe, you will succeed.
Sometimes we think of something physical that we want to manifest and we think that maybe there is a possibility that it may not be fulfilled. It all depends on the intensity of your feeling whether the Universe will mirror or magnify slow process, or lack, in your material world. You might hope for the best but you’re not sure whether is it going to be fulfilled.
You see, a material consciousness is always unpredictable and uncertain but the spiritual consciousness… always works from complete certainty.
What is your truth and does it include, from the deepest part of you, the full belief that ‘all is well?’
Dad’s birthday is this weekend. He’ll be eighty three years old. I asked him this morning if he did most of what he wanted in his life and he said, “You know, Bethie, I’ve had a good life. Ever since I was a little boy, I always knew that I would marry a wonderful girl and have a life that I would love. Now that’s not to say that I didn’t have some hard times, but even in those times I just knew everything would be okay…and it always was.”
“How did you know it would all be okay, Dad?” I asked. I love hearing what others have to say about their firm belief in something.
“There was this feeling way deep down inside my belly that was calm and clear. That’s how I knew…and still do.”
“So it has always been what you thought even in those ‘hard’ moments?”
“You’re darn right. And you know what?”
“What, Dad?”
“I had no idea how beautiful your mom was going to be…I’m a lucky man.”
“You sure are.”
“And you know what else?”
“What, Dad?”
“Life turned out a lot more humorous than I thought!”
“I know what you mean!”
That’s about the time Peanut came in with her crazy alligator hat on.
“See what I mean, Bethie?! There’s the proof!”
Are you worried that you may have missed the sign or opportunity that you have been looking for? Did your ship come in and you missed it? It doesn’t matter. Many more ships will come in. All you have to do is focus and send a vibration out for another sign, another opportunity to show itself to you, and you will find the next ship will be even bigger and better than the last. Just live each day with the focused intention that what you desire is there right at this very moment. For every door that closes there are hundreds that have opened. Look to the positive…the glass is ALWAYS half full….as long as you see it that way.
Something you may not know about me is… I love purses. I’m not a shoe fanatic or a fashion plate. I really like a simple classic style when it comes to my clothes. You wouldn’t know it by my bright red shortly cropped hair, but it’s true. I love a good piece of jewelry from Lee but that is because of the wonderful thought behind the gift. I could truly be happy and ‘complete’ without material things but there is one thing that I appreciate, and that is a nice purse.
I am one of those persons who searches out the perfect purse and even then it may not ‘feel’ right. So what does this have to do with positive thoughts and your ship sailing in? Well… I have a purse story that is a perfect example.
Lee and I were in New York and after we had finished our Law of Attraction workshop we took a taxi all over town and did a little shopping for back home. I had been looking for ‘the purse’…you know the one…it’s sitting on a gold encrusted pedestal? Yep…that one.
I had a picture in my mind of what I really wanted and I actually would daydream about the purse. I love a shiny, alligator skin-like (but not a real alligator) leather, with the perfect straps, the perfect amount of pockets, not too heavy but not too small, and…the color of my hair. That’s what I wanted. It wasn’t something that I thought a lot about but I did when I would find a purse that just didn’t make the cut.
So when I was shopping in one of those marketplaces where there are stores by the hundreds I began the search. I found a purse. It looked like the one I had envisioned but, being the picky purse picker outer, the color was okay but not quite there. I walked away from it. We got in the taxi and I sat and wondered, “Was that it? Did I miss that perfect purse I envisioned? Was that the one?” I thought that the ship had come to the dock and I let it sail off without me. Then we came to another store and there was the perfect purse once again except this time it was a little prettier. It’s straps were almost the length I wanted but it would do…or would it?
Yes…I passed it up as well. I thought to myself that my purse angels were probably yelling, “What are you doing?! We gave you the purse twice!!” but I let the ship sail away once again. The next few stores we went to didn’t have anything and it was getting dark. We didn’t have time to go back to either store that had ‘the purse’ that would have worked. Then we found a little hole in the wall store. I walked in and there it was…it was sitting on a pedestal no less. Sure the pedestal was purple and not gold but hey…I wasn’t going to get picky about those kind of details! The perfect straps, the perfect weight, the perfect perfect perfect and even better than I ever expected.
This is just one way, between your positive vibrations and the Universe, your every day wants and your bigger desires are supplied…over and over again. We live in a material world. It’s wonderful to be able to manifest the things that make us ‘feel’ good as long as they are not for selfish reasons that may hurt another. We are spiritual beings having a physical experience and for me…with a perfect wonderful purse.
So don’t worry…if you think your ship has sailed, the Universe will provide another way…it always will. And if you don’t believe me, go ask my purse angels! LOL
The Universe is everywhere. It is in every living person and every living thing. Everything that you see in your physical world is the Universe. In any circumstance you may be in, know that the Universe is involved and the Universe is taking care of every little need. When you are worried or fearful relax in the thought that the Universe is aware of how you are feeling and asks you to not worry and just know that all is in order. Follow the guidance within you. Have ‘the faith’ that all is well because how could it be any different? The Universe has your back.
Relax…all is well.
Lee and I had a conversation with one of the ladies at our LOA workshop who was ranting and raving about her life. It was as if she were creating the worst possible scenario within her mind. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. If that job doesn’t come through we could lose everything; the house, the car, and…well, just everything! And then what would we do? I mean I have no other options. I would have to call my mom and ask her if we could come live there and that is a whole other can of worms! How can positive thought help me here?”
Here she was painting the worst case scenario and as her voice became more insistent with it was the strong vibration of lack and fear.
“Can I ask you something?” Lee said. He didn’t give her time to answer. “Have you ever been homeless or without a car? Have you ever experienced a worse problem than this?”
“No,” she said, “But maybe this is the time it will be that way.”
“Have you ever thought to envision the best case scenario? I mean, out of all the job interviews you’ve had don’t you think one may call? And maybe, just maybe, it will be one of the ones that you really want? And possibly could it be that you could keep your house and car and have some extras as well? Just maybe?”
She stared at Lee. “Maybe, but does life REALLY give you the best just because you think it will?”
Lee asked her, “Does life REALLY give you the worst when you just think it could get worse? How’s THAT working for you? Are you liking life right now and what would be different for you if you did change your way of thought?”
She stared at Lee. “I might be happy.” She hugged Lee and turned to me. “If you ever get tired of him, he can have a room at my house.”
Lee actually hemmed and hawed and turned eight shades of red… I love it when that happens! LOL
Are you looking at how things ‘seem’ right now? Don’t judge your circumstances by the appearance of what seems to be happening. Let your actions be based on your truth that no good is missing from your life. You are complete right now, so act the part. Acting is not pretending at all. To act means to operate, move forward, and function. Let your actions be the ‘show and tell’ of what you want to be, and before you know it…you will be!
I’ll never forget a story my dad told me. Dad wanted a better paying job than where he was working at the time. He and his brother decided to get rid of the family business and go their separate ways. No money was made from the sale of the business and had left them both in debt. They wanted to live life without the worry of the family business.
Dad had four children, a wife, and ten dollars in his pocket. All he wanted was to buy a house and have a good paying job to support his family. They had lived in their hometown all of their lives and Dad and Mom made the decision to move to southern California. Neither of them had been away from family but they needed a brand new start. Dad said he went ahead of Mom to see if he could find work. He slept in his car and bought bread and peanut butter for his meals. As Mom packed up the house. Dad searched for a new place and job with ten whole dollars in his pocket. He said he never thought it wouldn’t work. He said he kept his faith no matter what the outer circumstances looked like.
On his last day before going home, he came upon a huge nursery and landscaping business. This was right up Dad’s alley. He had managed his family’s business as well as went to college. They interviewed him and said they’d let him know. He drove the six hours back to his hometown with no job and no money.
When he got home the nursery/landscaping business had called. They wanted him to start in two weeks and the pay was enormous. The only problem was they would be paid monthly so there would be no check for four weeks. How were they going to move, feed the family, and put gas in the car? He said he didn’t even flinch. He KNEW, without a doubt, that all would be well even if it didn’t ‘seem’ that way.
Mom came up with an idea. “How about we go shake those walnut trees and sell bags of walnuts on the side of the road?” Dad was game and all of us kids went out and shook the trees, cracked the walnuts, and bagged them up. They made eight hundred dollars over a weekend which wasn’t anything to sneeze at back in the mid 1960′s.
They packed up the car, rented a moving van, and headed down to southern California. They found a rental to stay in while they house hunted. They came upon a house that was just perfect. It seemed kind of ‘upscale’ but Mom loved it. Dad had nothing to put down, had nothing to offer the owner, only his word that he was working at a good job with good money.
The owner looked at Dad and Mom and said, “You can move in without a down. We’ll set up the paper work.”
Anyone else might have thought it was impossible and maybe thought that the Universe was against them when nothing ‘seemed’ to be working out but to an experienced eye you can tell that the timing and the ‘how’ was all up to the Universe. No matter how it may ‘seem’ it always works out as long as you keep your vision within your mind of what you want
Dad and Mom kept their eyes on what they wanted even if it didn’t ‘seem’ possible and found a way because they knew all was well.
Others that are in your life can be a reflection of yourself, a mirror of how you feel about you. When you feel good about who you are, your relationships ‘feel’ happy. But when you are upset with yourself then your experiences with other people will reflect how you feel. You are constantly being shown a direction for yourself through the others around you. It seems that sometimes what we think about ourselves is weighed against what others think of us, or what we think they think. Give yourself some extra oomph today by telling yourself that you are unique and wonderful; that you care about others and they care about you. See only love in yourself as well as in others. As you do, the vibrations of self love and worth will be sent forth and it will become a habit of positive thought…for you.
Yesterday, Lee, Peanut, and I took a drive and a picnic to a beautiful waterfall. It is kind of an isolated area but there were some people around. Peanut and I got comfortable as Lee pulled the ice chest out of the trunk.
A little girl ran over to us and said, “Look, Mommy! That lady has really red hair! I think it’s on fire!” (Little kids have always been attracted to my hair color.:) )
Her mom was mortified. “I’m so so sorry. She shouldn’t have said that!” She began to chide the little girl but I hadn’t taken offense by the remark. I had thought the little girl liked my hair.
I interrupted the Mom. “It’s okay. It doesn’t bother me a bit. I do have really red hair.”
The little girl laughed. “It is really red…I LIKE it!”
Her mom hadn’t realized the little girl was giving me a compliment.
Peanut looked at me and said, “You know, Mom. Your hair is really red…and I like it too. It makes you unique.”
“Thank you…I think!” I laughed.
“You feel pretty good about you, don’t you Mom?”
“I do, Peanut. I like who I am in life. I do my best to be a nice person and I really like how I’m a work in progress. Why do you ask?”
“Well, you always tell me that others are a mirror to what we think of ourselves sometimes. That lady must not have felt very good about herself to assume that her little girl was going to say something mean about you but you assumed the little girl liked your hair and that just means that you are using your mirror.”
I couldn’t believe it. My eleven year old DOES listen sometimes! LOL
Fear can be a factor in the basis of a relationship. There can be problems from worrying that the other person has power over you and that you have lost your own free will. This can be in a romantic relationship or even in a friendship. But remember that no one can take your personal freedom away. Instead of fearing that someone might take something from you, put your thought toward blessing anyone that crosses your path. As you send positive thoughts their way there will be a shift in the atmosphere. As you realize through a calm and clear mind that you are the only one who can feel imprisoned, and that you don’t have to be, then you will be exercising your own free will.
We have two wonderful cats that live with us and they both love to go outside. But for a while, there was another cat from across the street coming over bullying our two very docile pets and needless to say they stayed inside a lot.
One day both pets looked as if they had made a pact. No more bullying! So they were both lying on the porch soaking up the sun. One of our cats, Donkey, went out into the meadow and caught a mouse. He was proud of his catch and came up on the porch to show our other cat, Blondie. They meowed and ‘talked’ all about it until… the cat from across the street came over.
He walked stiff legged and began bullying. I don’t know if it was the catch of the mouse or if they both had had enough, but when the feral cat started snarling and came to take the mouse, Donkey politely picked up the mouse and set it behind him, all the while keeping an eye on the feral cat. Donkey and Blondie didn’t back down, didn’t fight, but both turned their faces away from the bully as if to say, “You have no power over us. We are not afraid. I’m not taking part in the problems you have with us.”
The feral cat looked confused. Blondie picked up Donkey’s mouse and they both walked past the feral cat and went into the chicken shed without a care or a worry. The feral ran home no longer able to bully.
The cats even had it right. Don’t give the power to someone or something. Whether it is within your mind or physically just walk away, not becoming a part of their bully energy. And then… go have a treat! LOL
As you expand your awareness it is important to keep balance within the journey. You’re not supposed to never stumble or to have a perfect life, but you are also not meant to stay down on the ground and not get up from an experience. We are to keep a balance and if we do feel we have to vent and feel sorry for ourselves, make it a short session and realize that each experience gives you greater understanding and insight for the next experience. Then get back on your feet and leave the experience in your past, only taking the lessons that may have been learned. All the while keeping a balance from within.
I really do love life. I love the experiences that the Universe has to offer and I love visualizing and seeing how it all comes about. The Universe has so many ways of bringing the vibrations back to you in such wonderful surprising ways. If there is anything that I really have to focus on balance with it is my relationship with my sister.
We were closer than close when our children were growing up. We lived in the same town and a day didn’t go by when we weren’t on the phone and talking over life. And then something happened. To this day I don’t know why she went the way she did but her life began to be a life of relationships, and not the best of them. Relationships within the family began to break down with our immediate family. She began to represent chaos and I had to make a choice. That choice was made with much crying and feeling the pain of separation from a sister that truly had been my best friend. But I knew. I knew that I needed to keep the balance within me and having a close relationship with my sister had thrown off my balance. I began the shift. I made the choice to start distancing myself but being there for her when she called which was not very often. I had found that I was the one reaching out to her and it was not a balanced relationship. It was a one sided relationship and the awareness began to set in. Ohhhh…I see. I understand now. I must love her but let her go her way even if it isn’t YOUR way. So that is what I did.
Now I call and leave messages on her phone or send her an e-mail but she is now on her path. She calls once in a blue moon when she needs something from one of us but we stay balanced knowing we are doing all we can do right now.
I love my sis. I love her sense of spunk and her unique take on everything but I have chosen to stay balanced within and by choosing that I feel free from the chaos.
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