Errors are Desirable

       "If you could give me advice about how to live my life, what would it be?"  The question arrived by email from my son last year and. in some ways, took over my life.  Here is the next page of my answer.
        Error is the first word in the quote from Ulysses and ironically (or, should I say, truthfully) the quote is in error.  I copied it from a secondary source without checking.  So my quote welcoming in errors is itself an error.  Life is so much fun if you pay attention!
        Now, I don't have a copy of Ulysses (and don't want to read it right now anyway) but from several sources on the web, I found this 'A man of genius makes no mistakes. His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery.'
       Interestingly enough, for my purposes, the misquote works better.  I don't think my son sees himself as a 'man of genius' so might just dismiss the idea as inapplicable.
       I just love the idea that errors are desirable.  In the TV show The Dog Whisperer each time the dog does an undesirable behavior, the host, Ceasar Millan, would say good.  He saw each moment as a teaching moment.  If the dog only behaved well around him, the visit would be completely wasted.  It's just like I tell my yoga students, pain can be a good thing because it tells you when to stop.
          The other errors on this page are legion.  It is the second thing I have drawn since what feels like kindergarten (remember how I talked about imbalance last week?).  Freeing up the hand and wrist, so comfortable in the structure a yoga arm balance, to move fluidly on the page was just not gonna happen.  I also had this idea that the walls had to be straight and the barrel vault circular so I traced something round (can't remember what) and used a ruler.  The result is fairly rigid, but I figure I have years of ugly drawings waiting to be released from me.  It should be interesting.
          I haven't looked at the page since I drew it mid June, so about a month and a half.  In opening the book today I found I really liked it.  Errors really are the portals to discovery after all.

Curiouser and curiouser

     One thing I love about life is that the more observant I am, the more interesting life is.  It may be about why the birds are nesting right there in my flowers or why everyone reacts differently to the same occurrence. There is always something to make me question.  Like, is the picture at left a self-portrait, or is it just the forest floor?
     This act of observation is so important when you are gauging progress. Unlike building a house, baking a cake or making a quilt, self-improvement has few physical, quantifiable results.  I do all this "work," sometimes don't feel any different when I finish, but then I start to notice how differently I feel or behave.  My mentor calls it "gathering evidence."
      I'll give you an example.  One of my current "works in progress" is to be internally justified, to look only inward and upward for opinions.  To put it bluntly, I cared way too much about what everyone else thought about me and let that care rule my actions.  It was high time to take my life back.  In a combination of a Brain Gym balance (with homeplay- a daily practice to reinforce the goal) and reiki, I have made great strides.
     Here is where it gets curious.  Recently I have been to several large gatherings of people I really enjoy and have known for some time.  I found myself getting irritated with lots of people, not just one or two.  Why was that?  I like these people, right?
     What I discovered after sitting with the question was, yes, I like these people.  Before the work, rather than admitting they were human and did irritating things (which we all do), I had suppressed my feelings and made them perfect.  I wanted to get along so much that I wasn't honest with myself.
      This being internally justified requires generosity, allowing everyone to be there own crazy self, while staying true to my own crazy self.  Being authentic allows others to be so as well.  As Rumi said "Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it."

There is no try

   As I mentioned yesterday, I took a wonderful class in July, Brain Gym 101.  One of the things that made a deep impression on me was the emphasis on clarity in language.  From the beginning of the class, Carolyn emphasised speaking in positive, clear ideas.  One of my favorites is how when a student kept tripping up on trying to find a positive spin and just had to state something in a negative, "I can't..." way, Carolyn would add a "yet" to the end of the sentence ( "I can't keep my desk organized... yet").  

   Another thing she really pointed out was our use of the word "try."  If you are "trying to," you are not doing. (Interesting side note, it shocked me listening to my beloved TED talks after I got home.  Here are these accomplished people, speaking to other brilliant minds, but almost all of them use the word "try" to either describe their talk or their work.  I guess all of us are uncertain and tentative at times.)

     This message about language is so important to me, but also it seemed like one I might forget without teacher there to correct me.  I had to figure out how to bring teacher home with me, but in a light hearted way. The picture below is of the wall opposite my favorite chair in my reiki room.  I'm thinking I might remember.

The Glory of Searching

How is this for a great way to start a week off...

"If you understand,
                       then it isn't God."
                                 - Thomas Aquinas

Blessings, and may we all enjoy our ignorance.

Divine Insecurity

    Today's quote I discovered at the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit. It captures a feeling that I haven't been able to put into words.  The older I get, the more I love possibility, the act of encountering things I can't explain.  The world is far wider than I ever imagined as a young woman and I love it.

“The art of reading requires that you develop a beautiful tolerance for incomprehension. The greatest books are the books that you come to understand more deeply with time, with age and with rereading.”
― Michael Silverblatt

A Little Wisdom from Henry Ford

Henry Ford
from biography.com 

     After Thanksgiving dinner, as we all sat around rubbing our bellies, my brother pulled out a group of quotes.  He is a cross country coach and gives them out before each meet.  Here's the one we were given...

There isn't a person anywhere who isn't capable of doing more than he thinks he can."- Henry Ford

    For me, the clear message here is not just the possibility of doing more, but also, to choose wisely where we do more.  If I go to church, and don't like the message, do I spend more time bad mouthing the speaker or trying to love him?  Loving what drives you crazy, now that is doing more and doing it well.

 

Power vs. Force

    Last night, much as I hate to admit it, I was on YouTube watching cat videos.  If my day has not had quite enough laughter, this is the sure cure.  My first cat, Farley, was the wedding gift that kept on giving.  She's the orange one on the right.  The gray and black kitten is Charlie. (Yes, the names are almost to precious for words, I was young).  Back to the cat videos. Among the cute kittens and the explanations of Schrodinger's cat (a physics mind experiment that I liked until I realized they kill the cat), there was a perfect demonstration of the difference between being powerful and being forceful.
      I was given the book Power vs Force, by a friend in 2005 and been fascinated ever since.  The book describes the different levels of emotion and thought moving from completely powerless (shame) through forceful (fear, desire, anger and pride) to the power that does not need to force it's views on others (love, joy, peace and enlightenment).  I use this awareness in daily life to change the things I'm going to do anyway (the dishes and making dinner) into acts of love and happiness.  If you are walking fast to do errands, why not do it with a smile on your face?

    What is so interesting about this movie is the calm cat.  The deer is stomping and doing other threat displays.  The cat just watches, only moving when necessary to stand it's ground.  The perfect demonstration of how to stand up to bullies.
     The cat is intrinsically powerful mentally, though clearly outclassed physically.  It is such a great thing to remember in daily life.  The person who is well off is not the one with the most money, she is the one with the most peace. One of my favorite quotes from the book...

Facts are accumulated by effort, but the truth reveals itself effortlessly...This book will have been successful if by the end of it you exclaim, "I always knew that!"

Play to Your Strengths

      One of the things I like the best about the Olympics is the opportunity to meet a large group of people who do something very well.  If you listen to or read their stories, most have tried a variety of sports before settling on the sport they went to the Olympics for.

“If you play to your strengths, you'll turn in a superior performance. Just be yourself.” 
― Yuki Kure, La Corda d'Oro, Volume 9

    This quote is from an anime adaptation of a role-playing game.  I couldn't believe I found a quote for this feeling I woke up with.  When you are looking for your strengths, where do you lose time?  What makes you so happy, or satisfied you didn't even know time was passing, or what was going on around you.  What a great way to focus my week.  Hope you enjoy it as well.

Never, Never, Never Give Up

     Today Oscar Pistorious did it!  Talk about believing in yourself.  Here is a young man who had both legs amputated before he turned one.  Now competing in the Olympics.

this image is from ESPN

       And I think I have it tough some times.  Pistorius has a very large tatoo on his left shoulder of 1 Corinthians 9:26-27. Here it is from the New International Version (NIV)

Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.  No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

   I just love it. The idea of purpose and discipline.  That no action of his own will disqualify.  He didn't quit when he was not allowed to compete in the Beijing Olympics.  Instead, he gave up his motorcycle and everything else that could injure him, and got down to training. Here is is quote from the Message translation.  It is a little gentler, but still good advice for us.

I don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the finish line. I'm giving it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me! I'm staying alert and in top condition. I'm not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.

The Power of Play

    I love, love, love the Olympics.  How inspiring, how invigorating!  I take this weeks quote from the commentary on the men's volleyball match, USA vs. Serbia.

They just keep playing.

    At the time, they were talking about how to escape defeat.  The persistence that makes someone an Olympian.   If you keep playing with the quote, however, it yields so much more.  The past week I have been realizing (once again) that I take things way too seriously.  Out trot the colorful markers, the striped paperclips, the endless ways to add fun to what you are going to do anyway.  I need to just keep playing.

  This morning, as I was trotting around the neighborhood, I was contemplating my quote for the week.  I knew I wanted something about serenity.  Last year I realized that serenity for me is very different from what most people think.  Though the image is usually meditation in a peaceful garden, mine is quite a bit louder.  There is quite a bit of joy and and a thread of laughter in my personal serenity. 

   The dictionary definition is "The state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled: "an oasis of serenity"." (google's definition).   This definition definition definitely has room for joy.  As I crested the first major hill (our neighborhood has only two directions, up or down), I was thinking about the time for serenity.  Tho only answer is now, amidst whatever is going on in life.  

     So often we get caught up in the "I'll be happy when..." syndrome.  Fill in the ellipsis with whatever your current phrase is; when I loose 20 pounds, when the kids are out of the house, whey we have kids, when I have money, whatever.  

    I may never run the 5k of my dreams, but my legs are working a lot better than they were when I began the couch to 5k program on April 30th.  I realized that I had found my serenity in this moment.  It reminded me of this picture I took in 2007.  It's still my neighborhood.  I still got pretty wet that day.  The bush in the foreground still needs to be trimmed.  Wouldn't you rather look at the rainbow?  
    What we look out on determines our outlook.  After I got home from today's run,I found the quote to capture my feeling...

"Boredom is the feeling that everything is a waste of time; serenity, that nothing is."

-Thomas Szasz

     (I can't seem to fix the font and size, I think we should call it a feature rather than a flaw) I'm trying something new.  Each week I print my quote and post it on my wall to organize my week.  I've posted it on Google docs.  Click here to open, then Control S to download, or open then click on file and then download in the drop down menu.  Hopefully this will be easier next time... Blessings and have a great week.

From Rain to Miracle

     In January, as my high school son helped me format my blog, he said "Each day should be unique, visitors like to know what to expect."  Like throwing darts at a dartboard and hoping they land well, I chose to make Monday, quote day.  Since I chose the name Peaceful Spirit in 2008, I have been collecting quotes about peace or sayings that make me feel peaceful.
    Though I began on a whim, I have discovered that one idea is a great way to organize a week.  One idea gives both a filter and a reflective surface.  When I get overwhelmed (or honestly, underwhelmed) by life,  an organizing idea can filter out the less important things (hey you, stop obsessing over the spots on the walls when you haven't meditated for the day).
   It also works like a mirror, helping me reflect upon life's happenings (so... why are the spots on the walls so important, are you avoiding something, or do you feel like the house's ageing is reflecting your ageing, or, are they just spots?)
    Here is my organizing idea for the week.  It comes from the book The Wit and Wisdom of Good Pope John by Henri Fesquet.  Sorry there is no link to amazon to purchase the book.  It was published in 1965 and the cheapest price I could find is $24.  Get it by inter-library loan instead. From the chapter "Favorite Maxims"

"Gutta cavat lapidem" (Drops of water hollow out a stone)

       In other words, persistence wins out.  When I wrote my first post about the pace of progress, it was in response to clients and friends who feel that they have done so much energy work and are still incomplete.  At the time I was pretty sure that my first book would be a series of reflections on progress because I actually wrote 8 options using different metaphors describing the pace of progress.  Maybe I need to write another using the drops of water or more scientifically speaking, erosion.
           Nature is full of examples of erosion.  Sky Bridge at Red River Gorge in Kentucky is one of my favorites.

      This bridge is accessible, both physically and fiscally.  The entire loop is about a quarter of a mile, the top of the arch is paved for wheelchairs, and best of all it is completely free! 
      Sky Bridge reminds us that a simple  drop of water, a simple prayer each day, a little bit of reiki focused on one problem, over time creates a miracle.

Start Your Week by Being

           On Sunday, as I was helping my son pack to return to camp, he asked me if I could write up a few things to do with the campers to create a community and (hopefully) use that sense of community to encourage both better behavior and more fun.  Over the years I have done a lot of substitute teaching, working with the children at church and have taught yoga at daycare.  This means I have a lot of resources for community building games that are fun, but don't require any "stuff," just a sense of adventure and a bit of leadership.  One of the things I pulled out was my Yoga Pretzels (Yoga Cards).  This has been a lifesaver on many occasions. The authors and I have very similar styles, mixing education with fun and down right silliness.
           Taking some ideas from the cards and others from experience, I wrote up a one page team building blueprint.  Somewhere in the back of my mind I was both happy and sad that I wouldn't be the one doing these things.  When I returned from dropping him off at camp and began to clean up, this is what I found on the bottom of one of the yoga cards.

"The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are."

                                        - Joseph Campbell
           I can't imagine a better way to organize my week.  Concentrate a bit more on being and a bit less on doing.
 


     A little addendum....  I wrote this post just before my run, but waited to publish so that I could review it.  While I was running (or to an outside observer, staggering), I had an experience that I have not had since leaving Italy in 1996.
           One thing I loved about living in Europe is that European men have a way of letting you know that you are appreciated as a woman without being threatening or suggestive.  It was a nice feeling.  There was this one Greek waiter in Pippo Pappo's restaurant in Aci Trezza, Sicily who flirted outrageously with me the entire time I was pregnant with my first son.
          Back to today, I ran by some men who were fixing the sidewalk. One of them, without ever taking his eyes off my face, let me know that I was a beautiful woman.  For a short, rounded, 45 year old woman, it was unexpected and oh-so-nice.  It takes so little to make someone's day, I hope to pass the gift on to everyone I meet (the feeling, not the noticing them as a woman, I'll leave that one to the guys...).                          

Time for a Change

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned.~Buddha

In this year of the Great Transformation, I would change holding on to anger to holding on to the past, but he really got this one right.  Life happens now...and now....and now....and now.  Time to enjoy.

Monday Delight

I had a wonderful talk with a neighbor this morning.  She said being happy 51% of the time was a great beginning.  Here is a similar thought to start your week...

Dedicate yourself to the good you deserve and desire for yourself. Give yourself peace of mind. You deserve to be happy. You deserve delight. ~ Mark Victor Hansen, the founder and co-creator of the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" book series.

As I reread this quote, I am reminded of a wonderful trip a few years ago to Columbus.  We went to see a group of Dale Chihuly installations in both museum and garden settings.  I could not believe the variety of emotions he could draw out of me with pieces of glass.  This is a little excerpt from the Wikipedia article on Chihuly.  It describes how he found peace of mind while overcoming tremendous obstacles to his chosen career of glass blowing :

In 1976, while Chihuly was in England, he was involved in a head-on car accident during which he flew through the windshield.^[1][3] His face was severely cut by glass and he was blinded in his left eye. After recovering, he continued to blow glass until he dislocated his right shoulder in a 1979 bodysurfing accident.^[3] No longer able to hold the glass blowing pipe, he hired others to do the work; Chihuly explained the change in a 2006 interview, saying "Once I stepped back, I liked the view" and pointing out that it allowed him to see the work from more perspectives and enabled him to anticipate problems faster.

To continue to create in glass he would make a painting...

Supervise the creation.....

Then find the setting to compliment the work...

Now this is some fine lemonade made from life's lemons.  Not only did Chihuly find a way to give himself delight, but also all of those who see and own his works.

Rapt in Awe

            Welcome to the new home of the Peaceful Spirit blog.  To reference earlier posts until August 1st, 2012, go to  http://nkyreiki.tumblr.com/, after this go to nkyreiki.com.
             I love to start my Monday off with a quote.  This week I am torn between the ridiculous and the sublime.  I was leaning towards Sunday's fortune cookie, but instead chose the sublime.  Here is a little number from Einstein himself.

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.  It is the source of all true art and all science.  He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead, his eyes are closed.- Albert Einstein

Be Yourself

“…every flower created by Him is beautiful, …the brilliance of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not lessen the perfume of the violet or the sweet simplicity of the daisy.  I understood that if all the lowly flowers wished to be roses, nature would lose its springtide beauty, and the fields would no longer be enameled with lovely hues.”

Story of a Soul, St Terese of Lisieux