A Time to Rest, A Time to Heal

Life is not  always a pleasant walk down the garden path.Who has not known pain and anguish?  Who has not suffered the wounds of a relationship discord? Problems are challenges life casts our way.

We navigate through the detours and face dead-ends in our journey. We set sail, aware of the possibility of stormy weather that can develop overnight.  But we are determined to ride out  the storm and not get lost in it.

At times, we take more than we can handle. We are caught up in giving ourselves to the call of duty. We tend to justify the demands on our time and energy.We forget that the world will go on, with or without us.

Life goes in cycles - sometimes the cycle is up, then it goes down, like the spokes of a wheel. Sorrow and grief comes to everyone sooner or later.

A grieving heart affects the mind, body and spirit  deeply. Sometimes the pain is buried so deeply where  no one can reach it, much less touch it.

Frustrations, failures, relationship issues, career and family concerns, financial issues, health problems  and  having too much on  the plate all add up to stress.

Do you listen to the signs your body sends  to slow down or take a much needed rest ? There is only so much pain or suffering one can bear.There is a limit to human endurance.

Peace becomes elusive. Perspective is not as sharp, there is too much clutter in the mind.

It helps to get away from the source of conflict to gain  a better perspective and to re-group your thoughts.Take a vacation. If this is not feasible, a day away from it all will probably do.

But take a breather. This is not running away, woes are still hovering over and waiting. Taking a respite from it all paves the way to healing the accumulated emotional and mental stress.

Anxiety and worry cloud anyone’s judgment. Perhaps, there is a need to cut some slack for now. What would you change if you were faced with the same situation?

Take the time to re-evaluate and re-assess your  priorities. It is a time to step back and look after your needs. Relax, catch your breath, even for a short time, because you have to take the next step. The battle is not over.

Plan the next stage, for life’s problems do not dissipate into thin air . Pull yourself together, empower yourself so that your thoughts and actions are in harmony with your highest  truth of who you are. Validate your beliefs.

Deep wounds need healing and this takes time. Retreat is a good start- retreat from all that is worrisome, confusing and aggravating. Quiet time and time alone to reflect is a good way to get energized and prepare to move on.

This is the time to recharge your energies. It is a time to heal, mind, body and soul. It is a time to recognize the chaos and confusion that can cause illusions or delusions and make peace  elusive.

Forgive what needs to be forgiven. Forgiveness can be liberating.

Healing takes time, allow yourself that. Remember,time is a great healer, if you let it.

The Self Image of a Baby Boomer

An aging baby boomer finds many factions of self image changing on a daily basis. Mid Life becomes a point of acceptance of yourself just the way you are. It’s not an obnoxious realization. It’s not that you’re thinking that you’re better than someone else, it’s more of a meeting of the mind, ego, heart and body.

It is really great to know that once you accept yourself as who you are, you can make the decision to change or alter any aspect. If there is any part of you that you physically don’t like or habits you wish you never had, you find this brave place within to do something about it. You finally understand that your thoughts create who you are. So, that little nursery rhyme that taught you that “If you believe you can, you can and if you believe you can’t, you’re right” was so true. We realize that it does not matter how long it takes to learn something new or if we do it the best. We are the only one judging . Worrying about what everyone else thinks is futile as they’re too busy re-designing their own lives to bother with ours.

Baby Boomers begin to alter all aspects of our lives. The confidence and enthusiasm we can muster when we want to put our lives in order is a giant aspect of our new found, self loving image. We change our walk and our talk. Environments become an outer picture of our internal expressions. Color, style, relationships, careers and family life take on a new flow. Our friends and families also start changing as a positive and confidant environment reaps more of the same.

Anything in life that is neglected will ultimately deteriorate. If you want to be successful in any area of your life, it needs to be acknowledged, nurtured and maintained. It’s time to look in the mirror and become the best friend possible to the reflection you see. If you need to, trick your mind into thinking you have a new hobby. This hobby is you. You need to put as much effort into liking and caring for yourself as you do all the important people in your life. If your best friend, mate or child had a need, you would do whatever you could to help. Give yourself permission to do the same for you.

The imaginary scales inside your body that measure stress and anxiety will wonder what happened. When you start appreciating yourself and not expecting it to come from outside sources you will be amazed at how much more you enjoy your days. Keep a little booklet next to your bed and before you turn out the light, write 5 things you did today that you can compliment yourself about. Do this for two weeks and measure your stress level and I would bet you keep doing it when you see and feel the positive results. You will probably sleep better because compliments feel good to everyone and create the effect of a more positive self image. It also becomes easier to compliment others and in turn it makes your life easier as you pass that good feeling on!
Enjoy!

The Road To Genius

If you are interested in the theories of quantum physics you will know that the very observation of certain experiments has been shown to affect their outcome. Without going too deep, the implication is that the experimenters are somehow connected to the experiment itself and no matter what they do, they are unable to prevent their influence over it. On the level of meta-physics this is evidence of our oneness with everything. Somehow we are connected to everything outside of us and have access to all there is to know but at the same time are separated by the illusion of our apparent individuality. But what is it that makes us all appear to be different. Have you ever wondered why certain people exhibit genius qualities? What is that makes a child a chess grandmaster, a great mathematician or a virtuoso musician well before their time? Is it in the power of their mind or is the secret in how they are wired?

For a moment imagine we are all connected to pure consciousness through a series of channels. These channels exist because of our idea of separation and where we feel our place is in the world. Our minds have flourished on this idea of separation. All the ideas we hold about ourselves including our status, our background, our race etc have allowed the mind to take control of our lives. This control has a direct bearing on the number and strength of channels open to us. They are what makes us different and why some people are excellent in given fields whilst other people struggle. It seems that access to pure consciousness is prevented by the mind. Not only are the channels forged by the mind through its idea of separation, they are also blocked by the mind's activity. Like noise on a radio the mind interferes with the channels that keep us connected to our true self. we live by the mind and through the mind and only on occasion do we glimpse the greater powers that be.

Have you noticed that the harder you think about a problem the more illusive the solution? Yet, when you still the mind or stop thinking about it the answer seems to come to you from nowhere? This is an open channel to the greater self that is free from the interference of the mind. The best solutions come from beyond the mind! You see, the mind can only give you solutions to problems based on past experience and knowledge. Most famous artists, musicians, writers and scientists have all said that their greatest ideas come from a deeper place than the mind. We all experience this on certain levels because we are all connected to the greater self through many channels. It's just that the stronger connections go hand in hand with our greater skills; those skills we practice the most!

When an apprentice exceeds the master's ability where has the new found talent come from? The same can be said for those we consider genius. Somehow, at whatever age they have found a strong and open channel to the greater self. And, they keep this channel strong through constant practice. It is practice that lowers the level of mind noise and keeps the channel open to new ideas.

And here is the key for the rest of us. These channels allow each and everyone of us to develop the qualities of genius. When we consistently practice something we open up the channels to the greater essence of the thing we are practicing. We tune into a greater power that makes us exceed the abilities of our mentors. We become classified as a genius. In effect we become a genius in whatever it is we practice long and hard enough at. Practice really is the road to perfection!