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Challenges along the way? Never give up hope!
I have arrived in Denmark for 3 weeks of my sabbatical to write. It’s been a seriously challenging few days. I rented a small, old little house in a little town in Denmark to be close to the woods and the sea as well as coffee and groceries. I am nervous about committing to writing, but bound and determined to try so I was really looking forward to being ALONE. Staying with my cousin has been great but not enough quiet time. So off I went
Naskov definitely was NOT a tourist town, which I thought would serve my purposes of not wanting to be too distracted. Unfortunately, the house also smelled really old, dusty and with mildew and mold. It was so bad my nose and throat stuffed up and I couldn’t stay in the house. I could barely sleep there, so I had to cancel that reservation and find a new place. I was completely bummed! Time for some serious spiritual practice to turn my attitude around.
Pretty much everything in Europe and Scandinavia is booked for the summer and what’s left is super expensive. Since I only got 20% of my rental back I couldn’t just go anywhere or take anything that was left. Looking around all the places near the woods and the ocean either had no WiFi or they had no running water or I could only get there by car. That left me towns I could get to by train, so I decided to check out Copenhagen. I’ve never been here and what the hell! I’m going to make the best of it! It’s my sabbatical and it won’t happen again for years. Time for some serious affirmations that things unfold for my good.
It took a day but I found a student apartment in the University District, on the fourth floor, but, thank God, with elevator and WiFi. Pretty expensive but with Karen’s enthusiastic support I went for it. Another day of travel and I arrived at a lovely, airy apartment overlooking a little playground and some trees. It seemed to have everything in it until I discovered that there was NO way to make coffee. Only instant coffee on the shelves. Ugh!
I also discovered that the sun is SUPER hot near the solstice and boy does it get warm in here between 5 and 9 pm. Oh yes, the sun rises at 4 and sets at 10! Oh, and then the next thing that went wrong – my first full day here the front door handle pulled off the door! I had to wait for a full day for the locksmith. And when he came he fixed the handle but made the lock really hard to open. I finally freaked-out and had a bit of a meltdown. Poor guy, he didn’t know what to do with this American lady in tears. Time for some serious work trusting the Universe that things always work out for good!
While it really felt like I got off to a rocky start, I have truly been supported every step of the way. Karen, my beloved, has been amazing, absolutely there for me while she’s enjoying handling everything at home. And I really see how everything has worked out. Here I sit, looking into a very quiet University district (everyone’s left for the summer) with really nothing nearby to distract me. I can rent a bike 2 blocks away and be anywhere in the city in less than 30 minutes. There’s a lovely park with a little lake filled with water birds a 5-minute walk away. And I can walk 2 minutes in either direction to groceries stores and little coffee shops.
And I’ve been writing, every day. Since I’ve never done this I don’t know how it’s going. I’m challenged with my own sense of worthiness and ability – Do I really have something worthwhile to share and can I do it in a way that will help others? Time for some serious self-examination and getting out of my little self. Time to just go for it and let Spirit lead the way!
For the next three weeks, my Daily Words will be a little sporadic since I’m writing so much already. You can look for pictures on my FB page if you want to see where I am. In the meantime, I just keep remembering that every day is an opportunity for spiritual practice and an opening for miracles. You keep remembering that too whenever you meet your challenges along the way. Never give up! Never give up hope or the intention for things to work out for your good! Whether this is in your own life, in the life of someone you love, or even in the larger life of our nation and the planet. Never give up hope that the Universe supports you and that things work out for good. Even if it doesn’t look exactly like we imagined it, somehow, they always do.
Now What?
“When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.” This is a nice idea, but how do you do it? 1 – don’t let it make you sour! 2 – You certainly need a moment to feel that pucker, so go ahead and feel it for all your worth, and then let it fade as it inevitable while. 3 – turn your attention to this question- “Now What?” This is how you start making lemonade. “Now What?” asks, Now how do you cope, make the best of it, or turn it around? “Now What” opens the doors to possibility and allows you to set a new intention without requiring you to make nice or pretend you didn’t just bite into a lemon. “Now What?” invites you to imagine the next moment with creativity and a cheerful expectation that you can, in fact, make lemonade. 4 – Or you can throw the lemon out and make coffee instead.
The Power of Love
No matter what, be the person you want to be. be kind and generous and truthful. be willing to grow strong within yourself. be open-hearted, open-minded, and openly exactly who you are. No matter how others behave, do not react or stoop to another’s level, because you already know that is not who you are or the kind of person you want to BE. BE the best you, every time. And every day you will wake up, look in the mirror and see someone you LOVE. This LOVE radiates out and everywhere you go, you will BE LOVE!
Adventure Awaits
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go…
Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You’ll be as famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.
Except when they don’t
Because sometimes they won’t.
I’m afraid that sometimes
you’ll play lonely games too.
Games you can’t win
’cause you’ll play against you.
All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you’ll be quite a lot.
And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance
you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on…
You’ll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You’ll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life’s
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)
KID, YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!
So…
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea,
You’re off the Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!”
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You’ll Go!
Problems and solutions
It often seems that the focus is on the problem – how terrible it is or how much difficulty it entails. Yet neither of these actually help. Be part of the solution instead. Imagine possibilities. Look for ways things are working and where to lend your energy and intention. Imagine it better rather than worse then see what arises as a new idea or a new path. Above all else, stop focusing on and complaining about it. Look the problem square in the face and claim that there IS a solution and there IS a way through. This opens doors and windows that no one could even see before and through which the Universe rushes in!
Conceive and Perceive
Conceive – to gestate an idea into reality – to direct the Universal Law for a specific demonstration or manifestation – to create a form from an idea. This is how you co-create your life with the One Transcendent as it becomes an individualized form or effect.
Perceive – to see behind human projections and space-time limitations to the underlying spiritual Reality and Truth. This is how you recognize the One Transcendent as Immanent, as the inherent Life within all things and all beings. This is how you recognize the workings of the Law, the revelation of Love, and the Reality of the Divine.
What are you conceiving and what are you perceiving in your ordinary life, on a daily basis? Pay attention, as it makes all the difference in the world!
Possibilities
You live in an infinite Universe. Since Life is Infinite, there can never be only one option or one possibility. There are always two or even 3 or 4 or 5 options and infinite variations. You may not like an option or its consequences but at least you begin to see that you have choices. By exploring ALL the possibilities, new ones emerge that maybe you haven’t seen before. Or you may decide that what you’ve got is the best possibility for you, and now you can see that you are choosing it. Seeing possibilities keeps you from feeling like a victim while opening doors and windows that you may not have dreamed were there. So, go, explore every possibility and let yourself be surprised by how your life expands.
Baffle the mind, open the soul
Parables, fairy tales, and koans are designed to catapult you beyond the wisdom of the world, into the spiritual realm. These stories invite you to be positive rather than cynical, trusting rather than careful, and optimistic rather than realistic. Going beyond, or even against, the wisdom of proverbs and fables, beyond a moralistic or human-centered worldview, these stories challenge you to see life from the infinite, spiritual reality. This may baffle your rational mind but it awakens your soul to justice, harmony, and grace. There is a way of viewing the world through spiritual eyes that changes everything about how you believe the world to be. Since believing is the beginning of seeing, as your soul believes so will your eyes and mind perceive.
Rock the boat!
Don’t be afraid to rock the boat by being yourself. Outer harmony and peace are great as long as it doesn’t require you to give up your inner alignment and congruence. The paradox is that as you find your self and your voice, your inner harmony increases to such an extent that harmony in your environment is no longer something you need to work on. Your inner peace attracts that from those around you, or you finally realize that no matter what others do or say, you rest in confidence within. So go ahead, rock the boat! And discover that your own boat can’t be rocked!
Green and Growing
Even deserts bloom and in the harshest climate, something is always growing. Inherent in your life is a powerful urge to grow. Something within is forever green, putting forth new shoots, new leaves, and seeking to blossom so new fruit can be birthed. Your life is powered by the pulse of the Universal Heart. Your mind is the Universal Mind awakening and becoming aware of Itself. No matter how dry, old, or closed you may feel, there is a green and growing seed within you. Water it with stillness and fertilize it with cheerful expectancy. It will surprise you with new shoots and shy blossoms peeking out in the most unexpected ways and places. Trust the green, aliveness within you – it is always growing.
Do What?!
Be obedient to the Law. “The Law is a willing servant but a harsh taskmaster.” Being obedient to the Law means understanding how it works – that every cause has an effect and every effect had a cause. If a new effect is wanted, a new cause MUST be set in motion. Hoping, wishing, dreaming isn’t enough. A new cause, new idea, belief, and new actions must be embraced in the heart and mind for a new outcome to occur. The opposite is insanity – doing life every day the exact same way, thinking something will change. The Law continues to bring exactly what’s put into it, no matter what. Being obedient to the Law means setting a new cause in motion so a new outcome can be experienced. Be obedient to the Law and do what is required, and you CAN have the life you hope for and dream of!
Alone or Lonely?
You belong to the Universe, in the Universe, and in your life. You belong to yourself. You belong because you are the Universe, as You. You can’t actually get outside of the One Infinite Reality to which you belong. Being lonely means you are looking outside of yourself for your sense of connection and belonging. While it is so important, and wonderful, to be connected with others, they can go away. But the Universe can’t ever go away, nor can you ever leave the intimate connection that is you and the ONE. Being alone is never lonely when you know you are always connected and always belong, right where you are.
Love – the great commandment
Love God, Love your neighbor, Love yourself. In these three ideas, no one and nothing is left out. Love the One Infinite Reality with everything you’ve got. Give yourself your heart, and your mind, to the Truth. Love your neighborhood, the people in your life, the strangers around you, the family of creation including all beings everywhere. Care for everyone and everything as if it were your self, which we understand it actually is. Love yourself because you too are part of the whole. You are equally as worthy and necessary as all of creation. “As” means equal to. You and your neighbor – equally beloved as part of the One. This is the great commandment – Love!
Smile like the whole world is watching
Your presence is the greatest gift you can give others. Your presence, your energy, your interest, and your words all combine into the atmosphere you bring to every situation. Be the peace you want to see and be the love you want to bring. Align your inner intention with your outer expression. Your smile lights up the room. Your presence brings calm. Your energy brings peace. and your words bring hope. Smile, the whole world is not only watching, it is waiting for the gift of you.
Watch Your Mouth!
“I can’t do anything about it.” is a powerful curse These are perhaps the most limiting words there are. Liberation comes the moment you say “I can at least try.” Don’t be afraid to try, even if it’s not perfect or complete. At least it’s something. This will move you towards, “Yes, I can do something!” And with these intentions of “I can” you immediately give a new direction to the Universal Law of Cause and Effect. This Universal Power responds to the new cause and immediately begins to work with your new “I can” rather than continually saying yes to your “I can’t.” So watch how many times “I can’t” comes out. This might be the only true curse there is in the world. Stop cursing yourself with limitation. Instead, bless yourself with possibility! “Yes, I can do something!”