Pirates and Treasure Maps

Hi All, There seems to be a "pirate" theme in my life right now... My students decided to use the college mascot, the pirate, as part of the title of the workshops their planning. But, I didn't know that the theme would continue and give me on-going inspirations. A friend laughing pointed out that I should think about wearing an eye patch and carry a parrot to the event. (Could be fun, though unusual.)

But expectedly, the latest theme element was added this morning: a treasure map! Earlier today, I continued reading the book Start Where You Are... written by Chris Gardner of the Pursuit of Happyness movie fame. He is writing about an experience with strategic planning where the planner required business executives to draw the line of their life to date with all the ups and downs they have experienced... not to think about it but just draw it. Hmmm. Got some resistence, but the planner was insistent, so they did it. And the results were a surprise to those present. "The point of this lesson," Gardner writes, " is that it gives you a fresh perspective of the past." Ok. Nice technique. Apparently very effective. Breakthrough method for Gardner and others.

But here's the clincher... He writes, "I view this line as a map to your treasure... it lets you see that there is a shape, direction, and purpose in the flow of your life- your story. Each moment in the line of your life is a lesson. Every loop, backslide, dip, elevation, peak, and plateau is reflected there in an event or a memory...(Some people may have relatively straight lines.) But for those of us who can proudly say that we're here, thanks to every pitfall and bump in the road, would we really want that? Without the gyrations and fluctuations, you're just flatlining- and that ain't living!" (pp. 99-100).

So, treasure maps it is. Think I may develop a new exercise to add to the "coaching materials" I'm using with my students... Let them draw their lifelines and map their treasure. Sounds like fun! Sounds like a new kind of inspiration to me!

Lost Amongst The Potatoes!

Sometimes inspirations don't come like lightning bolts or flashes of fireworks. Sometimes, actually often, they come into our awareness like a feather floating in unexpectedly.

It's that kind of inspiration that came into my life yesterday. It all started out with a coupon for a free (or almost free) roasted chicken. I stopped late morning at the store after church to get my chicken. The discount coupon coupled with the regular Sunday sale meant my chicken would cost a grand total of $.99 plus tax... Not a bad price for a meal, and I was anxious to use my coupon.

But alas, no chickens were available at the grocery. A run on roasted chickens I guess! Anyway, I wandered about the store, grabbed a bite of yummy, chewy sample bread... and left.

Several hours later, I realized I had lost my iphone. UhOh. The set-up to locate the phone using my laptop didn't work. Neither could I hear the phone ring when the number was called. This was quite disconcerting... and I felt the panic beginning to rise. But, reason prevailed (some weird form of reason.) My mother had taught me as a child to "retrace my steps", so I started in...The last time I had used the phone was on the way to the grocery, in the car, when I had called my son to see if we needed anything.

Hm... Detective thinking told me that the likely places for the phone were:- in the house, - in the car, - in the grocery. But inventive thinking found me asking questions like, "If I were an iphone where would I be?" Hmmm, I wondered, would I ever find the answer to that question?

Calm-headedness on the part of my friend and former roomie prevailed. We looked around the house. We looked in the car. Then we drove to the grocery. As I walked around the store, my friend asked the manager if a phone had been turned in... and so it was: the phone had been found amongst the potatoes. (My inventive imagination just wasn't that inventive!)

So, where's the inspiration in this mundane adventure? I was inspired by my friend's calmness in the middle of what could have felt like a crisis. I was inspired by my own ability to employ a new practice, to say aloud, "Peace. Be still." and to really give those words a chance to work.

I was inspired by the kindness of the unknown person who turned in the lost phone. And I was inspired at the lessons we can learn when we take things more lightly.

By the way, on this second trip to the grocery, there were new chickens to be had. We'll be having my $.99 chicken for dinner tonight. I think it may be an "inspired meal." lol

Simplicity and Clarity: Life Lessons from My Cat

In his last life my cat was- without a doubt- a yoga instructor. How else could he have mastered this art of body contortion?

My cat, mind you, can pose frozen in the most outrageous ways. Like a Zen master, he can sit curled up with his paws, including the back ones, under his chin- in such unlikely places as a kitchen cupboard! I guess he understands the value of isolation- of removing oneself from the busyness of the world... just to be... to become One with the Universe. He chooses wisely and spends his time on what matters!

He has also mastered the fine art of breathing. Kundalini himself could have instructed the cat in taking one inward breath and having it last for hours. That's what seems to happen, at least when the cat is in purr mode. Deep vibrations of breath transform him and carry him into a world of utter bliss. Prrrrrr. Prrrrrr. Prrrrrr. The rhythm of it is soothing to the soul.

Yet, should duty call, he can snap out of bliss in an instant... say to stomp on a bug that passes by! What alertness, though well disguised, this takes! Oh cat, what wonders you bring into my life! You know both the art of contortion and the methods for ultimate relaxation!

So what have I learned from the masterful one that pads around my house? Here are seven life lessons learned from my cat:

1) There is always time for relaxing.

It doesn't matter whether you face the sunshine of life or the darkness of a closet. Give in, breathe deeply. Just be.

2) Take time to savor the simple things.

Enjoy your food with gusto- savor every bite- put your whole being into Oneness with the contents of your dish. In that way you achieve true nourishment of body and soul.

3) Do your own thing without fanfare, with calm assuredness and grace.

It takes a cat to demonstrate how to share life with others, but silently go about one's own thing.

4) Love fully the one you are with.

Eyes of adoration from human lovers can't begin to match the glazed, fixed stares that my cat showers on me whenever he chooses. Love- pure and simple love- without condition. Emulate this.

5) The ultimate knowledge is held within.

The cat surely knows the secrets of the Universe, but has the inner strength, the fortitude, to keep those ideals to himself. What self control! What discipline!

6) When you walk, tread lightly on the earth, and hold your head high.

With each step my cat does a number that is part graceful dance, part stately march. The footwork is fantastic with all four paws in keen rhythm. He carries his head as if to support an invisible crown. He knows all that happens and yet he steps gently.

7) Approach each moment with simplicity so your spirit is renewed.

An uncluttered life allows for true living. An uncluttered mind reaches clarity quickest. Let go of all that clutters. Then inspiration can float in and answer your deepest questions.

Oh my cat, oh Zen master, how I strive to be like you. Teach me oh ancient one. Grant me, as I quietly contemplate your virtues the inclination to be more like you.

Ah cat! My cat! OM. OM. Meow! Meow!

Spiritual Experience at the Movies

Could watching a movie about food be a spiritual experience? I think so...

Today, I went to see Julie and Julia, the new movie that combines the true experiences of Julie Powell (fellow blogger) and the well-known French Chef, Julia Child. I could hardly wait to see this movie. I was fully expecting to enjoy this one because my daughter, Amara, so highly recommended it during my recent visit with her in Seattle. (See her review on Skewed and Reviewed.)

It's not an exaggeration to say that I loved the movie, loved seeing France again, and loved the passion that both Julie and Julia developed for their cooking. They made me want to be better at the things I do.

But I wasn't expecting my heart to be touched so intimately by the music or the portrayal of loving husbands or the opening of a package with the first book inside. Watching those things on screen was like reliving pieces of my own life. The song Time After Time brought back special memories with my late husband as did the words and actions of encouragement by the husbands in the movie story. Then too, the grand celebration of receiving the first printed copy of the book were very, very familiar!

But I'm not sharing these things just to reminisce. This movie readily shows reminders of what I call Reaching Beyond. Reaching for something more important than the everyday. Reaching for the possibilities of becoming more than what a person currently envisions... Reaching on even when discouragements come... Reaching on beyond doubts... Continually Reaching for the kinds of love and passion to build a life that goes beyond existing boundaries and becomes very special indeed!

I left the movie with tears streaming down my face. The tears showed up in the scene where the grand finale of that wonderful music started playing... They were tears of joy and a kind of spiritual connection! To see this movie was, for me, like getting a hand-delivered message which said, "Keep at what you love. It will be worth it. In time, if you perservere, you will have even greater dreams come true."

Thanks Julie and Julia... I think I'll have an encore viewing quite soon!

Welcome to Inspirations!

Each and every day we make choices about how to approach dilemmas and make decisions, about what to pay attention to and what to set aside. Choices and change go together... There is no shortage of either one in modern life!!!

Change, while uncomfortable, is simply a given. The style of our choice-making isn't. Our choices shape a positive or negative outlook on life and move us on some path. Amazingly, we can choose to look for things that inspire us and move us in a great direction!!!

For instance, we can see this day as full of vibrant possibilities (like the flowers side of the path shown) or we can focus on the mundaneness and same-old, same-old routine (like the weeds side of this path.) How we focus our attention is important... Albert Einstein is credited as saying, "There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle."

Don't know about you, but given that kind of choice, I want to live a miracles-type life! I will choose to watch for inspirations to keep me motivated, vibrant, and fully alive. I will choose to move forward and grow and develop newness for as long as my feet touch this great earth!

Chris Gardner, the man whose inspiring story is told in the movie The Pursuit of Happyness, writes, "The lesson that you can take what you've got- no matter how minuscule it may seem to be- and use your innate powers of ingenuity, together with hard work and focus, and make something meaningful of yourself and your life... speaks to the power of creating miracles that's given to each of us." (p. 37)

This blog is all about choices of daily life and sources of inspiration so that you can use what you have and what comes your way to create new possibilities- sometimes miraculous possibilities. My hope is that the topics found here will be meaningful to you and that you'll also be willing to share your own stories. Welcome readers!