Beautiful Words

There is nothing like a little poetry to soothe the soul. I wish I had more talent in that area, but even though I'm not much of a poet, I do love to read it.

Check out the beautiful poetry written by Lynne Hamilton Rutherford on her blog, kudzu kottage.

A "Recap" ...

I finally got around to putting some of these blog ideas into an article that I wrote for Associated Content. Thought you might like to check it out HERE.

KT

Making Your Peace ...

The article appearing on Time's website this week about Oprah apologizing to author James Frey got me to thinking about relationships in general, and poor relationships in particular. Thanks to Living Oprah blogger Robyn Okrant for bringing this story to my attention!

Don't wait too long to patch things up with someone you may have drifted away from. If you believe, like I do, that there is a specific purpose for you being here on earth at this time and place, then the people you are here with must also be very important to that purpose. Whether it's an old high school buddy that you just sort of lost contact with, or a family member that you fought with 10 years ago and haven't spoken to since, make an effort to reconnect. Something as simple as a note - "I've been thinking about you and wishing things were different between us" might be all it takes. Don't wait too long. You never know when it might become too late.

Thanks for being here and now!
KT

I meant to say I love you
I wanted to say I cared
But now I can only think about you
And hope you can hear me out there
KT

Don't Be Too Hard on Yourself!!

We're all human, and even the best of us (don't look at me!!!) slide off the wagon once in awhile ... even with SMALL changes!!!

So if you've taken a "sabbatical" from some of the earlier changes that you were trying to implement into your life ... or if you didn't get anything new posted on your blog for over TWO WEEKS, like me! ... it's ok .... just get back up and start again. That's what life's all about!

Thanks for being here and now!
KT

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to success is more important than any other one thing.
Abraham Lincoln

Balance

If you are journaling every day, you may notice when your emotions, or your life in general, swing too far from the middle. Try to keep everything "in moderation" ... don't let yourself be dragged down by too much negative news, or become too out of touch by refusing to watch news at all!

For me, at least, it seems like the negative is the way I tend to "swing", so I try to keep a bookshelf of uplifting books and a list of websites I love and TV shows that make me happy. If I find myself sinking into the mire, I spend an evening tipping the scales in the other direction. Try it!

Thanks for being here and now!

Neither too high nor too low is the way to go
Keep your life in balance
KT

Live for Today!

Regretting the past and worrying about the future are the curses of the sensient soul. It takes an almost constant awareness of our thoughts to prevent these useless pasttimes from invading our consciousness and wasting our precious time. So perhaps it is not fair to include "living for today" among my list of "small changes", but it is such an important change that it cannot be overlooked.

Whenever you find yourself deep in "shoulda, woulda, coulda's", or wishing that tomorrow, or Friday, or Christmas or retirement would just get here already! ... stop! ... and thank whatever Higher Power you worship for today. Keeping a Gratitude Journal will help you stay focused on the present.

Thanks for being here and now!
KT

The Ultimate Journal

Last night, I went to see a program by Neil Donald Walsch, the author of the Conversations with God books. To be honest with you, I've never read any of his books, but I was curious. And the fact that he was speaking in the sanctuary of a church that I've been curious about attending for over a year was the tipping point that led me to buy a ticket.

It was a serene and uplifting experience. Walsch is a gentle man, almost 70 years of age, who strolled onto the stage like a man taking a stroll in nature. He was totally in the moment, he was aware of everything around him. Looking like a kind grandfather in casual pants and an untucked shirt, he spoke of the experience almost 20 years ago that led him to write his 9 books, many of which have been bestsellers on the NY Times for years at a time.

To explain it briefly for anyone who is not aware of his story, he tells of an early morning when he awoke, unable to sleep and filled with rage at the turn his life had taken. His marriage, his career and his health had all taken a turn for the worse, and he was on the verge of suicide. He said he recalls thinking something like "Show me why this is all happening to me, give me a reason, or I'm out of here!" He heard the voice at first "just over my right shoulder", and then as he continued to ask questions, the voice moved inside his head and patiently answered each question he asked. He picked up a yellow legal pad and begin having the Q&A on paper - asking a question and receiving an answer, and writing it all down as he received it. He did this for 4 hours the first night, unaware of the passage of time. Over the next 20 years, he would write 3000 pages in this same manner.

I'm going to have to read Walsch's work. It is the ultimate journal. And perhaps he has struck upon the reason why journaling has always been touted as such an important part of our lives. Because if we allow ourselves to set aside our rambling thoughts and actually listen for an answer when we ask a question in our journals, we might find that something divine is always nearby, waiting for us to ask a question so they can give us The Answer.

Take the time to journal every day.

Thank you for being here and now!

KT

Who is it we hear inside our heads?
Sometimes the monkey brain,
Sometimes God?
And the choice of who we will pay
attention to is ours alone
KT

Journaling

I've mentioned writing in your journal in several of my earlier posts, but thought I would bring it up again just in case you haven't quite gotten the habit down yet. I still struggle with it myself, so I know how hard it can be. But I also know how much more clarity I have about my life, my goals, my dreams, when I do journal.

I like to journal in a planner. I found a great one at Target - the Weekly/Monthly Planner by Blue Sky. I like it because it has both a monthly and a weekly calendar for each month ... so I use the monthly one for appointments, etc. and the weekly format for my actual journaling. I try to do a gratitude journal each day - at least 3 things I'm grateful for, as well as a dream journal if I remember my dreams from the night before. And then I also just journal about my day - any synchronicities I've experienced, any inspiration that came to me during my meditation, etc.

I admit that there are weeks when I get very little written in my journal. But I never give up on the idea ... I carry it with me always and write in it whenever something comes up that I want to remember.

Thanks for being here and now.
KT

Homesteading Mindset ...

My comment today from Bobby Tall Horse got me to thinking about homesteading ... and when I went off and did a little research, I found this blog, which pulls together the ideas of simple living and homesteading.

I guess there's not much actual "homesteading" going on anymore like there was back in frontier days - when free land was available and all you had to do was agree to work it. Today, when someone speaks of homesteading, they usually just mean "self-sustained living" ... growing your own food, etc.

What can you do in your own life that would move you closer to a "homesteading mindset?" Grow your own garden (even a tomato plant in a pot counts!!), sew your own clothing, can or freeze food. Any step you can make toward simplifying your life in these ways will most certainly make you a happier soul!

Right in the middle of our urban chaos, we can carve out a small little "homestead", even if only in our mind, and make our lives so much richer by so doing.

Thanks for being here and now.
KT

Go Simple!

Simplifying our lives seems to be the hot topic right now. I'm seeing articles and TV shows about it everywhere ... even Oprah had a show about Simplifying Your Life this week ... although I must admit I have a little trouble listening to Oprah tell us about packing her own lunch every morning "to save $7" or "saving toast" that she doesn't eat one day and retoasting it the next morning!!

But getting rid of the "stuff" will indeed make you feel more alive and more connected to the earth. How many pairs of shoes does one woman need, after all? And in this time of recession, now is a great time to sell those unused or unwanted items on ebay, at a garage sale, or to a consignment store. That was one thing I mentioned in a recent article I wrote for Associated Content ... taking an "asset audit" of our homes and cleaning out the unnecessary clutter.

This week, start looking for ways to clear out the clutter in your home and your life.

Didn't need it when I bought it,
And sure don't need it now!
I'll clean the clutter from my space,
And add serenity in its place

Thanks for being here and now.
KT

"Nature" isn't always GREEN!

According to Free Dictionary.com, nature is defined as "The world of living things and the outdoors: the beauties of nature." So connecting with nature can be connecting with animals (and I guess, technically speaking) other people, too. But in particular, animals can have a very positive effect on our spirits. Whether they are cats or dogs, fish, hamsters ... or the outdoor kind of animal that you might have on a farm, just being around them makes you feel more alive.

And then there are people like Bobby Tall Horse, who's new blog, Homesteading and Homemaking with Bobby Tall Horse just makes you feel the joy of being connected to nature as you read her words. I borrowed this great photo from her blog ... it shows you just a small piece of her wonderfully "in touch with nature" lifestyle. I'm going to be following this wise woman ... and I hope you will, too! What a great life she leads!

Thanks for being here and now.
KT

Connecting with Nature

The EPA says that Americans spend 90% of their time indoors!! That is just wrong in so many ways!

This week, make an effort to get closer to nature. At the very least, buy a few plants for your home and/or office. I have discussed some of the benefits of plants in a recent AC article, but they are so much more important to our lives than just as toxin removers. A walk outside will not only provide you with beneficial exercise, but will calm your spirit.

Get outside every day, even if it is just to sit in the grass or on the hood of your car during your lunch hour! Buy some flower or vegetable seeds and try your hand at container gardening. Throw the ball or frisbee to your dog. Take your cats out on a leash! (I DO ... and they love it!!!!)

Thanks for being here and now.
KT

No time?

When someone says they "don't have time" for something, it generally means that they either don't really want to do it at all, or they are subconsciously afraid of doing it for fear they might fail.

What don't you have time for? Writing, exercising, getting organized? Put one thing in your journal that you don't have time for, and think about it every day for a month. Then be honest with yourself - do I not have time because I don't really want to do it? Or am I afraid that if I do it, I will fail? If it's the former, let it go and quit beating yourself up about not doing it!! If it's the latter, let go of the fear and just try!

Thanks for being here and now.
KT

Ready, Set, Go!

READY?
Have you got that list completed of things you would do if you had more time? Are they sorted by how much time they will take to accomplish? There are several ways to do the list, depending on how you want to spend all that extra time:

a little bit each day:
1. Organize photos - 10 minutes a day for 30 days
or
dig in and don't stop 'til it's done!
1. Organize photos - 1 hour a day for 6 days

SET?
Now we start making that extra time! Do whatever feels comfortable to you. When I started doing this, I would SET my alarm clock back ONE MINUTE each day. Sounds "wussy", I admit, but it worked for me! Keep going back one minute each day until you decide you've gained all the extra time you need to start making some headway on that to do list. For me, it was 1 hour. That's 5 extra hours a week (yeah, you should do it on weekends, too ... I'm still working on that one!) ... 20 extra hours a month ... 1000 extra hours a year!!!! 1000 extra hours!!! That's 42 days!!!!

GO!

Start working off that to-do list!

Thanks for being here and now.
KT

What Would I Do If I Had More Time?

It was very spooky to stop by the "One Minute Writer" website today and see that her one-minute exercise was on what we would do with one extra hour each day. The reason it was spooky is because I've got this pre-existing list of topics that I want to talk about each week on this blog, and my topic for this week was just what you see above in the title!! Serendipity?

I truly believe that most everyone wastes a lot of most of each day by not focusing on doing what they want to do. It's hard to focus if you only have a foggy idea of what you would do with some extra time each day. The key to resolving that foggy focus is to write a list in your journal of what you would get accomplished if you had more time in each day. It can be small things - like brushing your hair an extra 100 strokes each day with that extra 5 minutes - or big things, like starting on your great American novel, which would probably require at least an extra hour or two a day!

But until you develop that list, and make a note of how much time it would take to accomplish each item on that list, you don't have a starting point to work from. So start today!

Next week, we'll talk in more detail about getting those "extra time" goals accomplished.

Thanks for being here and now.
KT

What to Do When the Words Don't Come

Is there anything worse than having someone tell you you're going to have a certain experience --- and then you don't have it?!! That's the way I felt when I was first told about "the voice". I didn't hear any voice when I meditated, and so I decided to stop meditating because I must not be doing it right. Don't do that!

Meditation is a journey, and one of the stops along the way may be that you hear your intuitive voice more often, but hearing that voice is not the "destination", and if you don't hear it when you are meditating, you may hear it when you are journaling, or when you first wake up in the morning, or when you are focused on getting that assignment out for your boss at work! The key is to recognize it when it comes, and write it down, whether it makes sense or not at the time.

For example, while I was journaling in my planner this morning (more on this concept later), I heard the title of this blog post --- "What to do when the words don't come". I wasn't thinking about, or writing about, blogging at that time. And maybe these words will mean something even more to me later on. But a few seconds after I wrote them down, I realized "that would make a good title for my blog post!" ... and the rest is history, as they say!

Don't try too hard --- just let it be!

Thanks for being here and now.
KT

Image of the Day

The incredible photography on the Stream and Fencerow blog will take your breath away!! And that's why I chose this particular photo out of all my choices - it would be very easy to "Find Our Breath" if it always looked like this, wouldn't it? :)

Wondrous breath - warming our bodies as it enters, turning to beautiful clouds of white as it leaves them to rejoin its Source.
MM

Thanks for being here and now.
KT

Hearing the Voice:

If you've been following along each week, you are now sitting in silence for 15 minutes each day, taking deep calming breaths and quieting any random monkey brain thoughts. As you have been practicing these changes, you may have already begun to notice an occasional different kind of “voice” – not the monkey brain chatter, but something else.

This week, you are consciously going to listen for that voice. What? Isn’t that undoing what we did last week when we quieted the chatter? No, this voice is much different than the random monkey brain thoughts. You will know the difference when you hear it. These thoughts will come to you unbidden and may be very profound. They may be a picture rather than a voice. A flash of knowing so true that you cannot deny it. What is this voice? This is your intuition. This is the voice that few of hear anymore because of the constant noise in our lives. This is the reason for the silence.

This voice will speak to you of truths in your life. It may give you the answers to questions that have been plaguing you. It will show you the way to happiness. When these voices come to you this week, focus on them enough to remember them, but try not to let your monkey brain begin thinking about them. Just let these intuitive thoughts come and go. Your only mission this week is to take conscious notice of these thoughts so you will remember them at the end of the 15 minutes.

This week, you will write in your journal every day at the end of the 15 minutes. You will write down those intuitive thoughts. You will make notes about what these thoughts might mean. If you think there are actions that need to be taken, you will make notes about those as well. And if you don’t hear this voice, you will not worry about it. You will simply continue your exercises daily.

Thanks for being here and now.
KT

Image of the day

How do cats always look so comfortable when they are sleeping? This picture is from the Crafts and Stuff blog.

Ah, to sleep like a cat, for just one hour a night,
Would erase more stress than any amount of pills!
MM

Thanks for being here and now.
KT

My daily favorite blog image

Have you seen the "Blogger Play" gadget that you can add to your blog? My blog has one in the lower right-hand corner - scroll down to see it.

It's a little box that flashes recently uploaded images from other Blogger blogs ... kind of a like a window on the world! I'm fascinated by it, and decided that if I see an image I particularly love while I'm watching my own Blogger Play screen, I'll share it with you here.

Todays' photo appears on the Blog "Snap Opportunities" for Friday, January 23, 2009

Nature's beauty will always calm the soul, the restless mind...

MM

Thanks for being here and now.
MM

Quieting the Chatter

The exercise this week will again be done in conjunction with your changes from the past two weeks, and so will require no additional time commitment on your part. You are now spending 15 minutes a day in silence, during which time you are taking 10 deep cleansing breaths, and then continuing to watch your breath for the rest of the time.

This week, you are going to make another change to this routine that will deepen the experience. As you sit in silence and take deep breaths, you are going to listen for the chatter – those thoughts in our minds that we all have and few of us can control – and you are going to find a way to stop those thoughts. You see, you have not really been sitting in silence for the last two weeks. Most likely, the space around you may have been silent, but the space within you has been filled with chatter – what am I going to make for dinner tonight, I’m hungry, why did I say that to my mother, when am I ever going to lose this weight … on and on incessantly.

This was fine while you were learning the new habit of silence, but now it is time to remove those thoughts and try to find true silence. If you have done any reading on meditation, you may have heard these thoughts referred to as the “monkey brain”. These thoughts are usually nothing important – just constant chatter like that of a monkey.

There are many ways you can handle these random thoughts as they appear, depending upon how your mind works. For some people, a visual picture of removing the thoughts may be required. Placing the thought in a bubble and blowing it away. Wiping it away with an eraser. For others, it may require a mental word – as simple as “Stop!” or “Thinking”, or whatever works for you. Whenever you realize that you are thinking a thought, you will say the word and go back to silence until you realize the next thought has arisen.

Eventually, you will find that you are able to sit silently for 15 minutes, watching your breathing and taking deep cleansing breaths, and having no “monkey brain” thoughts. If you haven’t read about this concept in the past, you may wonder about its significance or usefulness. But this ability to be able to truly quiet your mind is essential for the changes to come.

At the end of this week, once again take a few minutes to make a few notes in your journal abut how these changes have affected your life so far.

Thanks for being here and now.
KT

How's that breathing coming along??

Isn't it amazing how we are so busy that we can't find time to take 10 deep breaths twice a day??? Hope you've at least found time to try it out once or twice. It really is amazing how much it relaxes you!

Thanks for being here and now.
KT

Finding your breath

Your change this week will be done in conjunction with your 15 minutes of silence from Week 1, which you are going to continue this week (and hopefully every week!), so there will be no additional time involved. While you are sitting in silence for 15 minutes this week, you are also going to learn to breathe and to "watch" your breathing. Ok, you already know how to breathe, but few of us breathe correctly. Do you know how to take deep cleansing breaths? Do you know the physical and mental benefits of taking 10 deep breaths once or twice a day? And when you are sitting in silence, do you know how to watch your breath? If not, you are soon going to learn.

Your routine from last week may have to change a little this week if you have been doing anything like petting the cat or lathering your skin with a perfumed lotion during your 15 minutes of sitting in silence.

At least for this first week, you should try to do this exercise in a comfortable seated position, or even lay down if you can do so without going to sleep. Place your hands across our abdomen. Inhale through your nose and feel your abdomen rise and your belly fill with air until you don’t think you can take in another molecule of air. Then hold that breath for a count of 7. Exhale by blowing your breath slowly and steadily out of your mouth, while at the same time pushing the air out of your stomach until your belly button feels like it will touch your backbone.

At the end of your exhale, you will notice that there is a natural pause of breath before the next inhale begins. This is a quiet space that some religions consider almost holy. Focus on this quiet space for the split second or two that it lasts. Then begin your next inhale.

After you have completed the 10 deep breaths, continue your 15 minutes of sitting in silence by just watching your breath. There's nothing mystical about this. It just means to be aware of your breath as it goes into and out of your body. Focus your attention on your breath.

At the end of this week, again take some time to make a few notes in a journal about the changes you have noticed by adding this deep breathing exercise to your daily life.

Thanks for being here and now.
MM

1 minute meditation??

So, I thought I was making this meditation thing as simple as I possibly could by telling you to first just "sit in silence" ... no mantras, no following your breath ... just sit in silence! And then I see the Oprah show from last week with Elizabeth Lesser telling us to start 2009 by taking ONE MINUTE each day to sit quietly and breathe ... and add one minute each month ... so you'll have a 12 minute "meditation" practice by the end of 2009! ONE MINUTE?? Well, whatever ... if one minute is all you can manage ... then go for it!

Thanks for being here and now!
KT

Where's the silence?

So, have you managed to carve out those 15 minutes of silence each day this week? Not as easy as it seemed, is it? I have to admit I've resorted to headphones and soft music this week, even though I specifically said that wasn't a good idea in Saturday's post. But sometimes, that's the only way to "get away"!!

I also found it very relaxing to sit in front of the fireplace and watch the flames - very relaxing.

If anyone has interesting stories about their attempts to find silence, feel free to add them to the comments!

Thanks for being here and now!
KT

Claim the Silence:

First of all, I want to apologize for not getting back here every day last week. That is my plan --- that darn plan again! --- but it just didn't happen this week. I'll try to do better next week. And now, the small change for Week 1:
===============================================

Your change this week is to find 15 minutes a day when you can sit in silence. Sounds simple enough? Think again! What if God were whispering in your left ear right now? Would you be able to hear him? Oh sure, just a minute, let me hit the Mute button on the TV, finish up this cell phone call and put the phone on vibrate, hit Pause on my MP3 player … NEVER MIND, TOO LATE!

You don’t have to believe in “Whispers from God”; in fact, you don’t even have to believe in God, to realize how much truth there is in this scenario. Our lives are bombarded by sound. We don’t even think about what we might be missing by having no silence in our lives. So this week, we are going to reclaim our silence and see if we can find out. For just 15 minutes a day – you pick the time – sit in silence. No music, not even soft relaxing music. No books or anything else to distract your eyes. In fact, closed eyes are best. No activities with your hands, unless it is something very rhythmic and mindless like petting a cat. Fifteen minutes a day for seven days of sitting quietly.

The first problem will be finding a time during the day when you can do this. You may have to get creative. Drive to a quiet park on your lunch hour. Take more baths. Wake up a little earlier each day or stay up a little later each evening. You have the time in your day to do this. The benefits far outweigh what may, at first, seem to be an inconvenience.

On the 7th day, at the end of your fifteen minutes, take a few minutes to write some notes in a journal about any changes you have noticed in your life as the result of this change. This does not have to be a fancy journal unless you want it to be. A three-ring binder, a note pad, or even a computer document – any of these will do just fine. The key here is to consistently write down your thoughts. If the going gets tough, or you don’t think you are making significant changes in your life, you can go back and read these notes to yourself.

Thanks for being here and now.
KT

Who are the "change makers" in your life?

I love Oprah! She is, of course, one of my favorite resources for BYBLBY ideas. I'm not sure that I love her enough to follow all of her advice for a whole year, as Robyn Okrant did for the entire year of 2008, documenting it in her blog at http://www.livingoprah.com/. But I do admit to being a loyal viewer of the 10-week online class she did with Eckhardt Tolle last year on his book, The New Earth. And I also admit that I LOVE DR. OZ!!!!!

So you will probably see some of Oprah's ideas here, along with those of many other people. I'm curious to know - who do you see as a change maker in your life? Whose advice do you follow religiously, or maybe even just sometimes? It might be a parent, or a sister, or a celebrity, or a co-worker. Tell me all about it, and give me an example of the advice you have followed from this person and where it led you.

Thanks for being here and now!

Better Year, Better Life, Better You – 52 Weeks of Small Important Changes

Hello, everyone - and welcome to my new blog! I hope I'll be able to provide you with posts each week that you find interesting enough that you will return for the next "installment". My plan (oh, dear ... a plan already???) ... is to post what I consider to be a small but important "change" each week-end that we can all make in our lives without a lot of effort , and then expand on my thoughts about this change during the following week.

Of course, not every change will be a change for you - if you're already doing it!! :)

Everyone knows that the New Year is the time for making changes in our lives. New Year’s Resolutions. Ah, yes, we all know how well THOSE turn out! So why do we continue to try something every year that so obviously … to the point that it has become a joke … does not work?

Let’s try something new this year. Let’s try making some very small changes in our lives each week of the year, instead of resolving to make big changes at the beginning of the year. These changes will be so small that they will not drastically affect your daily “routine” in any way. But by the end of the year, you will be able to look back and realize what huge changes they have made in your life!

These changes revolve around concepts such as the development of meditative practices, time management, simplifying your life, becoming more selfless, more aware, and more in tune with the world around you. These changes will make your life fuller and more complete. They will bring you closer to your family, your friends, yourself. They will bring you more in touch with your body, your mind, and your spirit. They will give you more time to do the things you want to do and help you rid yourself of bad habits. They will make your life simpler and more joyful, yet filled with a joy that will send your life in new directions.

Most of these changes are nothing new. You’ve read about them before in books, or seen them on television shows or self-help websites, CDs and DVDs. The difference here is that we are going to focus on one small change each week. We are going to build on that change the next week with another small change, and another small change the next week, and so on. These changes are going to build on each other like building blocks. These changes are designed to be permanent changes in your life.

Don’t even think about stopping any of these changes until you have done them for at least six months. If you can take any one of these changes and do it faithfully every day for six months, and then honestly say that the change has made no improvement in your life, then fine, stop doing it! But it is unlikely that you will find that to be the case.

Thanks for being here and now!