The longest road

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Throughout our lives we will be walking many paths, travel many roads…

Some of those pathways turn out to be diversions when time moves on giving us the chance to look back upon them. And while at the time some were interesting diversions, some of them may have been simple detours, or have had a more distracting quality to them. In effect redirecting the way to our goals; or even leading us to a new and different goal altogether.

Other avenues turn out to be wide and easy to traverse, bringing us to our chosen destination in no time at all.

Most of the roads we travel are somewhere in between. They can be long and winding, providing us with scenic views of whatever is around us, bringing us to interesting places to stay over. They can also be ‘cliffhangers’ in the most literal sense of the word; where one side of the road is a sheer wall going up, and the other side is a ravine of which you cannot see the bottom. Those roads seem like a scary balancing act of which we fail to see why people would want to go there ~ and yet we may encounter a fair bit of traffic on a road like that…
Some roads are shorter than we expected them to be; or narrower ~ more like alleys ~ perhaps making us uncertain where they come out, or what we may find a the end of them…

Yet it seems that the longest road we may explore is the road inside.
That path that permits us to know more about ourselves; to get to know ourselves better and better. To discover what we are all about. Not from the perspective of what we have been told, but more based upon who we truly are at the very core of our being. It is a road that will show us vistas of unbelievable beauty. It will guide us to places we are invited to explore ~ coming to recognize the grace and elegance of them as well as the darker corners and closets that are also there.
And the further we travel that road, the more light there seems to be on it and the easier it becomes to move forward. With everything we come to know and understand about ourselves, our journey becomes more smooth. And after a while we start encountering less detours, less deviations, and fewer and fewer obstacles…

It makes that longest road inside a truly personal path to (spiritual) growth.
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Take care!

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Words used instead of ‘goodbye’; take care, see you soon…
The words are short for the wish the other person will be safe until the next time you will see each other. Take care of yourself! Be safe!

It is something that for a lot of people is hard to do.
It is way easier to take care of business. Or to take care of others around them like friends and family. To do something for others rather than to do the same ~ or at least similar ~ things for themselves.

In order to care for ourselves, we first need to figure out what our needs and desires truly are on a deeper level than ‘I’m dying for a cup of coffee right now’. What do we need out of life? How much money do we need to get by on? And how many hours are we willing and able to work to gain that amount of money? How much time do we desire to spend with our families? How much ‘me-time’ do we need to give ourselves a chance to rest and to connect with our innermost selves?
Not to speak of our housing and transportation needs etc.

To take care of ourselves we should ponder those things every once in a while as the answers may well change over time.

Also it is a good idea to see where we stand with them in order to assess whether we are still more or less balanced in our activities…
For instance, when we really put in the effort to better our financial situation ~ we may find ourselves working long hours for a while. And there is nothing wrong with doing that. However, when we find ourselves working 13-hour-days for extended periods of time, while forgoing time to spend with family or friends, and this still important ‘me-time’ ~ chances are the balance is lost. And the same is true for any aspect of our lives we feel the need to spend an exorbitant amount of time on for whatever the reason, or we may start to feel over-tired, over-stressed…
Somehow we have found a way to take care of our finances, our families, our homes ~ of business ~ without taking care of ourselves.

With all the talk about our individual needs, wants, and desires in society today (after all ‘you are worth it!’), the real value is perceived to lie in the things we do for others rather than for ourselves.
Solving this dilemma reduces our stress levels and will allow us to take on a sustainable lifestyle.

In the meantime, take care!
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Shelves

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Shelves are really good to organize stuff, and I happen to need some in my newly built shed. I never had extra storage space around the house, yet now I do have some I fully intend to use it in the most efficient way possible.
The interesting thing about shelves is that they don’t only hold a lot of things, they also serve well whenever we want to shelve something. To put it up because we are essentially done with it, but we don’t want to toss it out just yet. So we shelve it.
On the other hand we can take whatever we hat put there off the shelve when it is needed. We don’t have to reinvent it again, we just take it off the shelve…

It is those connotations that make me think twice about putting those shelves up.

I really don’t intend to shelve things I have no intention of using in the not so far out future. Yet by the very nature of shelves, that is exactly what we tend to do. We use them to store stuff that is no longer needed. Often until we run out of space, which tells us it is time to reevaluate.
In all reality, this is not just true for shelves necessarily; we may well do this with any storage space that has no specific designation.

The question then becomes why we do this.
Why keep things we are truly and definitely done with. Only to come across them over and again; every time deciding that we really don’t want it ~ and then we put it back on the shelve where it may have been for quite some time already. What makes it so hard for us to toss that which we no longer need or want?

Is it the thought that we might, in some far out and unforeseeable  future, still need it ~ and it would be so handy to just be able to take it off the shelve. And wouldn’t it be a shame to have to buy it again while we have it sitting there on the shelve. After all “it is not eating bread”; it doesn’t cost us a dime to just keep it where it is right now. And by the way, it is still perfectly good ~ so why toss it?

Do we ever think about the chance of that particular future happening in our life time? Or how that which we have shelved may be totally outdated by the time we may need it? Or, for that matter, how much more time it would cost to find it on the shelve, rather than to buy it new?

So I guess I’ll be careful what to shelve, as soon as I have them, that is…
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Split second

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It seems that most life changing things happen in a split second. Whether it is a realization, an awareness, a decision ~ it is in that split second that suddenly we know with an absolute certainty what to do, where to go, how to reinvent ourselves…
In that one tiny moment one could say ‘we see the light’. We gain clarity; we clearly see what decisions to make; what steps to take right there and then.

When this happens to us, those around us may caution us. Tell us to think it through; to sleep on it; to talk it over with a friend (or a professional) before we take action on our sudden decisions.
And while it is true that those very type of decisions have far stretching ramifications and as such are life changing events ~ ‘sleeping on it’ hardly ever will change our minds. In fact, sleeping on it may strengthen our resolve as our reason gets a chance to catch up with our sudden strike of insight.

Not every decision made this way turns out to be a matter of life or death ~ although some are ~ pretty much all split second decisions will turn our personal paths into a different direction. It may prompt us to adopt new values, do new things…
And it almost always will bring us to a point where we feel more alive than we may have felt for some time.

In a sense, that split second decision ~ or perhaps better said ‘split second awareness ~ places us in a position where we can see how we can use our potential to the fullest. It brings us a realization of who we truly are. And with that comes a new perspective on what we are doing with our lives. Where we spend our time and energy. Where we find our happiness and joy and love…
It confronts us if we have been ‘dilli-dallying’ around, not doing much of anything with our talents and capabilities.

That split second can transform us ~ sometimes to a greater extend than years of dedication can.
That split second is when our need, our readiness, and our willingness to take on our life’s purpose all come together with the right timing. It is like when all of those aspects come together a light bulb flashes on, allowing us to see. To really see… To ~ at least on some level ~ even be aware of all the ramifications of our actions, our choices and decisions.

A flash of light that brings enormous clarity where none was before ~ and all of that in a split second…
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The unexpected

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It seems like the unexpected happens a lot easier than whatever it is we expect to happen at any given point during our day. And it is not that those unexpected things are ‘bad’, troublesome, or otherwise annoying; in fact, a lot of those unexpected things turn out to be quite beneficial to us. They are ‘good’ things! It is just that they are, well, unexpected…

Which makes it interesting to start looking at why they are so unexpected.

Often there are two perspectives that make for unexpected events:
We don’t dare dream that something like that will ever happen to us.
We have our expectations of what will happen next, and anything else happening is a surprise to us.

In different ways, neither of those perspectives is helping us cope with the energies we are experiencing in our lives today as the energy does no longer support a step-wise ~ set in concrete ~ planning process that will lead us from A to B to C and so on, to the predictable outcome. The energy we are living in at this point in time is a flow. And the best we can do is to direct that flow as best we can toward our desired outcome.
In other words, we set our goals and move as best we can with the energy around us toward those goals.

This doesn’t mean we are not taking positive steps toward our goals anymore; however it does mean that we would benefit from opening ourselves to possibilities we encounter along the way, and permit ourselves the freedom to explore those possibilities as we are moving in the direction of our set goals.

This implies that we may encounter possibilities that can turn the flow we are in into rapids that lead us to a better, grander goal than we could have imagined! The only thing that could prevent this from happening is to be so stuck on our intended goal and on how to achieve it, that we are not allowing ourselves to benefit from whatever it is that is coming our way unexpectedly…

Now, I am not saying that there are no nasty, problematic surprises we may encounter along the way. But those are not really anything new; we assess them, we handle them ~ and then we move on.
What is new is that it is time to dream big, and then to move toward making our dreams a reality while being open to unexpected, surprising help we may receive along the way.
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Help coming your way

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Are you one of those people who choose to do pretty much everything themselves? Or would you rather ask for help every step of the way? Whether you are at the first or the second end of the spectrum; in time we all get into a situation that help is being offered no matter what we do or say. The question then becomes whether we are glad that help is coming our way, or if by any chance we are fearing the result of the help that is so kindly being offered…

Because not everybody has the ability to help another person in the way that person needs to be helped. All too often do we help in such a way that we feel would work best for us ~ instead of looking at it from the perspective of the other person that we feel needs our help.
The result can be a situation that is not being experienced as ‘help’ at all. It is a shuffle of things that in time will need to be reshuffled again. As such, help can be something that strikes fear in the hearts of the most brave people. People who dare do anything and take on everything can be brought down by  the thought of being helped in such a way they perceive as going backward.

It is a concept that shows how both helping another person, as well as being the person who accepts the help coming their way is hardly ever as straight forward as it seems. And it can amount to a situation where all those involved feel being unappreciated.

It seems that the key to both helping as well as accepting the help that is being offered lies in totally letting go of our judgement call of how something would be done best, and instead to ask how the other person best can be helped. Very often the other person has a reason to do things a certain way; to organize things in a certain manner. It is not just to be stubborn or even mean-spirited ~ it most likely is because the ultimate result will make them happy…

Sometimes the best way to help is by simply listen to the other person telling you about all the things that are going on. Or to make a pot of tea. Or to be encouraging. While other times some ‘let’s go make it happen-work’ is needed to help get the other person back on track.

Similarly, for the person asking for help at the drop of a hat, it might be best to help them by not picking up the slack but rather by letting them sort it out on their own ~ something that may result in a great sense of accomplishment and self esteem…

So, when help is coming your way, just realize that whichever side you are on, there is nothing simple about it!
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Important things

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Has it ever happened to you that in the midst of everything that is going on in your life, you suddenly forget something important? Something that, in quieter times you truly make a priority. Something you value, and even enjoy… And yet, when things get all topsy turvy you never even thought about it. That is, until just that time when you would have done it, when you needed the result of whatever it is that has slipped your mind.
Right at that moment, a sense of panic may set in. This thing that is really important to me should have been done by now, and it isn’t. I haven’t.

When this occurs, one of two things may happen next.
Either we have a problem. We need to scramble to make it work as the important thing that didn’t happen ~ wasn’t done ~ is the hinge pin for a whole host of other things that are tied to it and that may be equally as important to us.
Or life goes on without a hitch. Leaving whatever it is we didn’t do as a choice to do at some later time, or not at all. Just skipping it for now until we find ourselves at a point in our lives that is less hectic, a moment  when we can gain more enjoyment from doing this thing…

Interestingly, whether we have created a problem for ourselves or not has nothing to do with our sense of importance of this thing we really wanted to do; we truly wanted to accomplish. Even though at the surface it seems that when it ends up being a problem in our lives when it didn’t happen it must have been way more important then when there are no discernible consequences of letting the thing that holds importance to us slip.

In other words, the true importance doesn’t lie in the result necessarily; it is part of our experience. If having the experience is important to us; then it is. Independent of the result.

However, it might give us a different perspective on how we plan our lives…

If we plan our lives minute by minute so full that when one thing takes a bit more time ~ or when we find ourselves being just tired and really need a rest ~ a whole range of other things that are dependent on this thing being done cause us trouble, stress, and making our lives even busier; then perhaps we have too much n our plate. Too many balls in the air…
If this is the case, it may be a good idea to revisit our schedule to see what is truly important in our lives.
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Cats

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I have to admit, at times I do envy my cats. Or more precise; not just my cats; pretty much all cats. It is just that I am in a better position to observe the threesome that look at me to open the food cans…

It is being said that dogs have masters, and cats have employees.
It seems to be true that dogs are more apt to to do things that will make a person happy. In a way, they even may go out of their way to do so.
This is not true for cats. Cats treat you as an equal at best, while doing whatever it takes to be happy themselves. That being said, they are absolutely perfect at guarding a space, be it physically or in energy. Yes, they do have a job; they just lack having a boss. And while at it, I as a human ~ while greatly appreciated for my ability to come up with a variety of tasty bits and willingness to open its containers ~ should really get with it and help out as best I can. (After all, those humans tend to be a bit dense.)

But this is not why I envy cats.
I envy them because of their aptitude to be themselves. For the way they do the things they do ~ whether it is their ‘job’ or just whatever it is cats do ~ while staying totally true to themselves. No compromises. Unless of course what I might interpret as a compromise ~ something like lazing about on my lap while purring loudly ~ is part of their plan. After all, the lap is comfortable, and when played right, the purring  will instigate petting. Petting that needs to be done ‘just so’. And if I don’t get it right; well there are other comfortable places to repose… No hard feelings.

It is one of those lessons cats can teach us; to be entirely true to ourselves, doing the things we (have to) do with grace, and not having any hard feelings when people around us ‘just don’t get it’. Knowing when to be persistent, and realizing when it is time to move on; either to something else, or by doing what we set out to do in our own way. Pleasing others because it gives us a sense of wellbeing; without ever giving up our own plans, our own values, or our sense of who we truly are.

No doubt any kind of (pet) animal has plenty lessons to teach us, but to me cats are in a class all by themselves.
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Meditation

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It has been a long time since meditation was something practiced by only a few; something mystical, filled with mystery; and therefore branding those who would engage in something like meditation as a pretty weird person…
In this point in time it is known that meditation has wonderful benefits like lowering stress levels, and staying or becoming more balanced. And many people meditate just for that reason; to find that quiet, peaceful spot within themselves, where they can rest and leave all the stress and troubles of their lives behind for a moment.

For others, that peaceful point of rest is only the starting point for their meditations.
Some may seek to deepen that point of peace more and more, allowing it to flow into their daily lives; in effect becoming an ever more peaceful person. Others may seek answers in their meditations; answers that elude them when they ‘think it through’. The idea is that while meditating, we tap into a different, higher frequency of our being which can show us new and different aspects of what is happening in our lives. And with new information come new solutions.

It turns out that meditation allows us to tap into ever higher states of being, which in turn gives us new and different experiences along the way.

A different form of meditation altogether is to direct our energies, starting from that point of peaceful rest, in order to bring a specific solution about in our lives.
For instance, that which we focus our attention on, that which we focus our actions toward will grow in our lives. So, if we want to manifest that new home into our lives, the thing to do is to actively start looking at houses that are available. Another thing we can do is to ‘meditate on it’. And in our meditation we can imagine what it would be like in this new home. What colors we would paint the walls, what shops or schools would be nearby… And just as we can put our physical actions toward finding ourselves a new home, we can pour energy into the process through meditation.
It doubles the effort, and in effect should double the outcome…

However, in meditation we may also see enough reasons to stay where we are living right now, to give up the search altogether. Or we may find that the timing for moving is not quite right yet… Or that we want to focus our attention on a different place. Or perhaps even that before we can make that move, we better make a promotion first…

All in all, meditation can be a great tool while living our lives; although never a substitute for actually living our lives.
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