Waking Up

So, what do you say to being asleep for almost 49 years but thinking that you are wide awake and understand most of life's situations and circumstances? Then one fateful night, you go out alone to check out a friend's band down the street in the neighborhood and one of your closest friends had been stalking you on Facebook, shows up at the pub surprising you.

Now this friend is someone whom you have deep and insightful conversations with over the years and it gets better each time you meet up because circumstances changes in both lives and things are viewed differently than before. You both seem to have the uncanny ability to make the other talk about things they don't want to and the conversation becomes more intense as it pulls more darkness and light out of each of you. You always seem to have a great time together because mentally you both like to get where the other is going.

Ok yeah, it was me and a friend. Friday night I went to a local pub, while watching the band, I get this great big bear hug from behind and think, who the hell since I have only been at this place one other time for only an hour and it was two years ago. Turn around and it my friend, Esteban.

He admitted to stalking me on Faceboook since I posted about the band.  As usual, after ordering our drinks, we got talking about what we have been up to and got into our usual routine of conversations that go deep and the band was forgotten... well, except for the moment when this young girl with cleavage "out to here" got his attention. He had to ask... fake or a good bra? I said maybe both? LMAO! Yes, we also have fun and quirky conversations, too.

I woke up the next morning with a huge hangover and some thoughts in my head about some of our conversation. This huge light bulb went off in my head and it got me thinking all day yesterday and today.

I get that some people are ok in their lives the way it is. Get up, go to work, go to the gym or some class, go home, go to sleep, hang out and drink with friends on the weekend then start the next week doing the same ole routine.

Some want the world but only talk about and do nothing to get it then live in their misery of wanting but not doing.

You have the ones that go out and truly live their dreams and are happy.

Then you have others that quietly work, wanting to just help people and live a good life with with someone special with no fan fare or fame. Take a vacation once or twice a year and be good with every moment in life.

I fall into the last group. I am not one for the limelight and will leave that to others who need it but I do want to do my share to help people, more importantly, the kids who need it. And I have to take my one or two vacations a year to get out, unwind and relax. Esteban is going to Spain... perhaps? Nah, I am going to Connecticut to hang out with friends in June so he can go to Spain in July... the running of the bulls... I tell you, I love that man, but he is muy loco en da head. But when you have faced death as he did, you tend to be more adventurous with your life and want to do more so I let him do it but naturally the nuturing instinct comes out of me and I always say "be safe!"

I had fallen deeply in love with someone a few years ago, perhaps for the first time in my life. Yes, I can admit it. To me, love should not be hidden but things didn't work out. Esteban knew all about him as I bounced things off him during that time. They are both June Geminis and are a lot alike in many ways so it helped me to get a man's perspective.

So when Esteban showed up to the pub, he had asked how I was doing since it had been a few months since I have seen him with both our schedules. I told him that as much as it still hurts, I am getting over him and moving on. I know that a part of me will always care because I thought we connected on a deep spiritual level but things were not to be. I get that.

Esteban said some things that made me think but with my vodka and tonics, it kind of numbs you so yesterday when my brain wasn't so muddled and started to settle down, I was able to do some serious thinking and it occurred to me that we wake up at different levels.

What I mean is that we are in our lives and something happens to enlightened us and we get it. We continue to live in that enlightenment until something else happens, we get that and are able to see a clearer picture of life around us. It's like a door opens wider and you see more of everything. As each situation occurs in our lives, more enlightenment happens and it becomes deeper and higher, thus the expansion of levels.

Some people will say it happens all at once but I know better now. Buddhist monks do not become enlightened all at once. They study, they pray, they read, they help, they live it then they learn and they get the lesson.

The interesting thing about it is that as you become more enlightened, you become more unattached. You can see things clearer. You understand what is going on more deeply. You can still love and be loved but you can let it go. If fate says it is supposed to be a certain way, then down the road it may well be, but I am able to not be attached to it anymore. That was an interesting concept to me and something that I thought I knew but realized I didn't understand how it felt. Now I do.

Now my questions to you are, what in your life has enlightened you to a higher level? Do you think that connecting with others can open things up for you? How does pain help you to become more open and understanding? How does love?

As always, sending you loving energy. Have a great week filled with small moments to celebrate.

Namaste

Learn to Fly

The thoughts you have are what makes how you live and who you are. Peter Pan had happy thoughts to make him zoom.

If you watch the non-animated movie Hook, Robin Williams plays Peter Pan grown up. Though he loves his kids and wife, he was not happy in his life. He was grumpy, tired, workaholic and had forgotten his happy thought. He could not fly anymore and more important, he forgot who he was and how to really live.

On that premise, I came up with this idea that in order to stay happy, you have to have a happy thought inside of you to go to when you need it. Whatever life does to bring you down, you can think of that thought and it will brighten your day. It can be something, some place or someone special.

With that, I created what I call Smile Meditation. Meditation allows you to focus, relax and calm your mind, body and spirit. So I thought when you do the Smile Meditation, it allows you to go into your happy place to generate good energy for yourself to face any problems that come to you.

During meditation you focus on the nothingness and empty your mind but what a lot of people end up doing is frown in concentration which is not the affect that meditation should have.  You may be relaxed and at peace but with that intent face, you don't look happy. I wanted more, so I tried different ways to meditate and found that what I created works. I thought why can't we tap into the happiness inside us and make that meditation more meaningful. Plus frowning adds wrinkles to your face so I would rather smile.  LOL!

Let's do an experiment. Get a mirror and look into it. Just gaze into it. Watch your eyes but don't have any thoughts. You look serious, right?

So now, think of something, some place or someone that makes you smile and look into the mirror. See the difference? Your eyes are probably sparkling, your lips curved into a smile and you feel happy.

I thought, if you could smile as you meditate, which is not as easy, you take your meditation to a different level. What you feel after you are done with the meditation is complete, whole... happy.

That energy of smiling pulls you into a different mode of concentration and lets you tap into the positive vibe from within. If you put that together with a quiet meditation, can you imagine how your world will look when you open your eyes?

Throughout the movie, the Boys and Tinker Bell attempt to help Peter remember who he was and how much he loved being a kid with a happy thought. When you get to the end of the movie, Peter finally find his happy thought and learns to fly again. Using that analogy, I am asking you to think differently about how you meditate, if you do and how you feel doing it.  It will feel like you are flying happily in life because you are.

Below is a sample of how to do the Smile Meditation so have a listen and add your own twist to it.

As always, sending positive, loving energy to you all.

Namaste

Real Love

“Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself. To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving.” ~Kahlil Gibran

I think as humans the one thing we all crave is love but we tend fall short of the reality of it. We think we know what it is. We like the idea of it but when it comes to experiencing it, we don’t get it. We watch movies that show how love should be and we fall prey to that version and not the version of it in your own life.

In my opinion, people mistake romance for love. Romance is feeling excited, nervous and giddy. Romance can be a lot of fun as long as we don’t make too much of it. I think that romance can lead into love but most of the times it is just leads into flirting and then fizzles. If we try to hold on or make it more than it is, we might find ourselves stuck in something that was never meant to be.

Love, real love is something that is felt. Love should feel good. There is peacefulness to it. It touches our soul and you know that the person was meant to be there in your life. Love fills us with light and comfort. Love does not expect anything. Not how the person looks, what they do or if there is anything permanent, like marriage, in the end. Love accepts and does not change. When you think of the person, you feel comfort. Love is not vindictive. Love can let go and be happy for the one they love if they find love with someone else.

Love awakens a part of us that was asleep and shows that we have love for ourselves. Love is not needy or lacking. It is just love. It makes us powerful and lets us know that we are, always have been and always will be made of love.

Life Changing Moments

I watched Seven Pounds last night armed with a box of tissues and realized that as much as it is a story, there are and were people like that in the world who want to or wanted to redeem themselves for something they had done that wronged or hurt others.

In Seven Pounds, Ben (Will Smith) wanted to redeem himself for causing an accident that took the lives of 7 people, 6 strangers and his fiance.  His redemption was to save people's lives by giving away organs from his body.  In the end, he killed himself to give away his heart to a woman he had fallen in love with so that she could live a long life.  Warning to friends... if we go to the movies and we are watching this kind of movie, I WILL be a blubbering idiot, so bring tissues for me.  :)

After throwing away the spent box of tissues, I stayed up for a few hours last night reflecting on the movie and thinking how people are. I believe that we all have good in us and day to day, we try to bring that good out by how we live our lives.

I think how we are brought up has a huge impact on who we become and how we treat people.  Whether we want to admit it or not, we do become our parents to some extent.  Some times it is a good thing and others, not so much.

It made me wonder what in life I had done to hurt others and how I could redeem myself.  I started to make a list and we shall see where it takes me.  I made a couple calls this morning and reconnected with old friends that I had hurt.  It felt so good to hear their voices and to talk like we used to.  It was nice to be able to do that.  Maybe that is one of the reasons why we live so long... so we can have time to redeem our bad deeds and get something good out of it.

What have you done to others to hurt them?  Have you apologized for it?  Perhaps it is time to do that before it is too late?  I couldn't call one friend because he had passed away recently.  I sent my apologies to him, in a prayer, for hurting him when he was alive.  I hope he heard it.

Happy Sunday and go out and have a great day.

Japanese Goddess Blessing

Okami Amaterasu

Shine your divine light upon this broken and polluted world.

Let your heavenly rays become our hope as you guide us.

Let love and peace fall on to all in this world.

Let people heal from heartbreak and wounds.

Let wars and disasters be a part of the past.

Let children know comfort and happiness in their lives.

Let all of humanity forgive and live in peace.

Saturday Morning Blurb

Woke up at dark o'clock as I always do and had a protein drink to tie me over until I meet up with a friend for breakfast.  He is one of those who loves working out so he hits the gym every morning for a couple hours and it sure does shows.  Tony's body is ripped.  It's funny but most women would fall over themselves for that (and trust me, they do) but me... not so much.  I like a solid man but with a litle something to grab on.  Not only is he in awesome shape but absolutely drop dead gorgeous, too.  I always tell him he is arm candy for me.  hahahaha!  Seriously though, he is a good friend and we love to talk about life.

I only work out during the week.  I make it a strict rule to keep the weekends to do things and relax.  I will never be ripped but have gotten back into shape and health.  We are all different and I can appreciate that now with all the experiences I have had lately.

LMFAO!!!  Ok, that was random and off the track completely.

Sipping on my Chai tea as I type this out, looking out the window and seeing the sun rise, some times you just know that today is going to be an awesome day.  Looks like it is going to be another beautiful Cali day, as well, though they say to enjoy it to the max as the rain is coming again Monday evening.  I love rain, so it just becomes something I look forward to while I get to enjoy the beautiful sun.

On days like this, the one sound I hear all over town is motorcycles!  Everyone can get their bikes out and ride on a beautiful day.  I point this out because in the last two hours, it has been silent except when broken by the sound of a bike starting up here or there and taking off.

So my pondering this morning was, do you ever have moments that are crystal clear and it takes you into another dimension?  My daughter is getting married two weeks today and it came to me that there are moments that you know something is right and I got that with her upcoming marriage to her fiance.

Granted they have known one another since childhood but with changes that happen in between then and now, the chances of meeting up again and falling in love is rare but I see it with these two.  They are a solid couple who talk about everything and as parents, I know they will be awesome because they both grew up with parents that divorced and know that pain.  They will work hard both as a couple and parents to keep the marriage and family in tact.

Whoever said that happy endings was easy was full of shit.  Relationships are hard work and to keep it going is a constant choice.  When you make that choice not to work at it, it will be lost and gone.  I know that and know that when I get into another relationship, I need someone who wants to work at it, too and to work as hard as I do.

What came to me clearly was that the kids will do well and will have a good life.  They have waited until they were older to get married and have lived some life to know what they want and don't want in their lives.  I am blessed to have him join my family as my son even though he was always thought as one.

May the day bring you many joys.  For your soul's sake, do a random act of kindness today and see a stranger's eyes light up with joy when you do.  That will bring joy to you as well.

Ok, phone text says we need breakfast now, so peeps, I am out of here... see ya!

Crap Happens

Ever have the best event or vacation planned out and at the very last second, it all goes to hell?  Crap happens.

I think it is a test.  To see how strong we are to handle what comes; to see what we do to change it to be better; or to just remind us that sometimes, crap just freakin happens.

Best laid plans... yadda yadda yadda... yeah, we heard it a thousand times.  Bottomline is that it sucks but what can you do?  You can not let it get you down.  You can let it be fun.  You can ace that test!

So the next time, crap happens, think to yourself; "damn, it was a good thing I wasn't standing in front of the fan."  It's all in how you see things.