An obstacle in life can come at us in many shapes, sizes and ways, it is how we deal with them that either stabilizes are stress levels or drives them around a bend.
A natural disaster, well…. there really isn’t much to be done, but find another way to reach our goal or destination. We grow in life by experiencing and creatively dealing with the situations that come our way. If we see the challenge as an opportunity we are more apt to enjoy the day no matter how we proceed.
On the first day of every month, in PL (Perfect Liberty) we gather at the church for a ceremony that reaffirms our dedication to World Peace. We pray for World Peace, we pray that we will continue to live in a manner that will lead us to our goal and encourage us to live the PL Way. The ceremony doesn’t last long, I’m now familiar with it, and find that I am energized as the “officiant” speaks the words, I am drawn into the purpose of the process. I become part of the ceremony, in a way that is like a daydream. I am enveloped in the essence of “Spirit”.
Daydreams are important in life. One that is inspired by spiritual thought/teachings is even more rewarding and fulfilling. There is a lot of strife in the world, drama and jarring moments. For our own peace of mind, and well being, it is important to dedicate time to inner peace.
PL Principle # 3 – I will live with a mind of appreciation towards others and things.
Beautiful isn’t it, the Laurentian Mountains, Quebec, Canada. The National Geographic posted this picture of the Laurentian Mountains, you can read more about this cottage mecca on travel.nationalgeographic.com. This is where the family cottage is, so this was our destination yesterday. We looked forward to the trip, it had been awhile since we had made the journey even though it is only about a 2 hour drive from where we live.
This is the kind of view that we have from the deck of the cottage, however, there is no other cottage in front of us, it is a drop over a cliff to the water’s edge. The only way to the cottage is to boat across or to walk around the bay. The car has to be parked along a road that soon will be barred from any vehicles, and then one crosses over and enters dense bush and forested area where a trail has been made over the years that is really only a foot path. A footpath that has eroded over time leaving pockets of mud, wet slippery rocks, and the need for a rope to help guide you up the steep incline of the mountain that has over the years, become less stable, and requires a mountain goat’s instinct to maneuver.
This looks more appealing, at least there are no bugs in your face, no tree branches hitting you, or mud pockets that will suck your shoes off if you land in one. I should mention, that some kind person had laid down the odd 2×4 to use, a la tight rope walking so you could move balancing one foot in front of the other, as you move across some of the very wet areas.
The rope was kind of like this one, except there was no one to guide or help you if you slipped. The actual rope that was there, my husband later informed me that when it had initially appeared, they had to use gloves to haul themselves up on it. No I had not been prepared for this, I had to use my bare hands.
Ok so I have exaggerated somewhat, maybe more than a bit, but to me that 10- 15 minutes in the bush, was not my cup of tea. the drive up was super fantastic, the visit with “family” at the cottage was excellent. The fresh air and the quiet exhilarating. Seeing little chipmunks up close and hearing the loons, loved it., My thoughtful sister in law rowing me back across the river with one of the dogs, a god’send. Got to experience it all.. the good, the bad and the ugly.. Quebec is a beautiful Province. I loved the adventure, I slept like a baby!
There are many ways to express ourselves, workout, find ways to keep in shape, not only in body but in spirit. It was when I joined a gym that I got to really work with a punching bag. Until that time I had only tried cardio kick boxing, where you bounce and jab into the air etc. Then one day I found myself alone in the lower gym where the boxing classes were held. No one was around so I tentatively put on a pair of gloves and walked over to the punching bag. I could only mimic what I had seen others doing, I made sure no one was around to see me (so conscious was I on looking foolish) before I took a punch at the bag. It was a soft punch, but it felt good. I liked the feeling of skipping back and forth and taking aim, then landing a punch. I maybe played around with it for 2, 3 minutes, it was invigorating. In those few minutes I had bumped up my heart rate and felt that I should come back and check out a class. I did go back and what I saw the participants doing was a steady grinding workout, not just having fun doing what I had done, they were working out, warming up all the muscles, push ups, core work, it was total focus on whole body training.
I told myself I’d have to think about it some more and returned to my old reliable treadmill. Still to do on my bucket list is to go back and have another go round in the gym with the punching bag. You asking yourself what does exercise have to do with self expression? In my humble opinion it has a lot to do with how we process thought and keeping physically active/healthy. 20 years ago I might have been more pro-active in attending a boxing class. Now in my “senior” years, I tend to see my body in a different way, I want it to be strong, flexible, and healthy, but I recognize that it has limitations. Often it is the voice inside my head.
See what this gal is doing, this looks like fun to me. This I would like to try. I would also like to try the exercise where they run through tires that are laid out on the ground. Mind you in slow motion. When I do exercise, I feel that I am expressing a part of me that wants out, an energy that wants to be released. Whether running backwards around the gym, or doing karate kicks while I do upper body punches, I’m being active, I’m letting my body work out the kinks from spending hours at a PC. The dialogue is with me, myself and I.
When we learn to express ourselves freely and vivaciously, we feel better about ourselves, and we radiate an inner calm that benefits not only ourselves, but all around us.
We have all at one time or another been in such a place, either an airport, train station, bus station, exhibition grounds, it could be anywhere. There is a constant flow of activity around you. You need to unwind, slow down, chill. what do you do?
For me, I turn off, I zone out. This skill didn’t come to me overnight, it is a life long practice that is akin to prayer and meditation. I close my eyes and turn inward to the quiet within me. Serenity,peace, joy… these are inner qualities of “self”. Our connection to God/Tao… Life. PL Precept # 3, God appears through One’s Self... We can’t always travel to distant lands to meditate and pray in temples and at shrines. There are countries where the churches and temples are open for those who wish to pray and communicate with “the Divine”. In North America this is not always possible except at given times and days.
When we learn to meditate/pray in a way that connects to our inner “Self”, then no matter where we are, even in a crowded room. we can connect to the quiet and peace within. we rejuvenate, energize and mend the tired/shattered psyche .. giving us that needed extra boost to get on with creativity of our day/night. PL Precept #21 – Live in Perfect Liberty
So much to see, so much to do, there are times when it feels like one is visiting Alice in wonderland. Only we aren’t sure how we got there, or just what to do next. It happens, you are still being social, getting things done, but somehow you have lost the connection to your modem.
You know something is amiss, just can’t put your finger on it. We’ve all heard the expression, “one door closes, another opens”.. Sometimes it just isn’t obvious where that other door is. Some doors are not what we expected, but then that is the beauty of life isn’t it. To grow and develop our knowledge base, we have to explore beyond our known borders.
Is today a day we will open a door, or will we admire the door and keep walking. Do we lean towards doors with history, or do we wait for that one door that will beckon. ???
Admittedly some doors are well boarded up, so do we really want to go inside. In my world the answer would be, probably not, I tend to live in the moment, and going back isn’t an option for me. I have discovered that life will bring me the lessons that I need to relearn, perhaps in a different format, but I recognize the lesson. Maybe not at once, but at a given moment the light bulb goes on, and I just know, I’ve been in this space and time before. Perhaps the players are different and the location, however the lesson is one that I’ve faced before.
PL Precept # 7 (of 21) Everything Exists in Relativity
PL Precept # 12 Everything has a way according to its Name
When I hit a phase of walking in a daze, I “Let Go” and just try to slow down so that I can regroup. In the car while going to the gym, instead of going to the one closest to me, I took a left and drove to the one further away. This meant driving several miles out of my way, but on open road. Driving can be therapeutic.
This is what I heard when pushed the play button – it made a difference in my mood, and set the pace for the rest of the day.
“Stop” I cry out, my husband shudders at the word, it usually occurs when we are clipping down a highway and I see something I want to take a picture of. Even after 27 ? years, he still has to adjust to this need on my part to S T O P. A safe place has to be found on the road, to turn around and go back, while I mutter about the delay in getting there before the sunlight on the location changes, yadda yadda yadda…. You can’t see him/her in this picture but there is a donkey/ass there. Do you think it would stand still for me to catch it in the frame, of course not. Short of walking up the driveway and over the fence, which is called trespassing, you’ll just have to take my word for it there was an ass there. The creature was all off white/grey with lovely big ears, he sauntered like he was on a mission of discovery… he just kept moving
. All this to say.. once the moment happens, that is it, its gone, you can try to get it back.. is just ain’t gonna happen for you.
Have a good day everyone! We are still on the road, day trips for now, see you when I see you…
TAOIST Life is Art (Perfect Liberty precept #1)
contact info.- via blogs
--- there are two energies, Yin and Yang = ONE
---to have balance we must live each moment
of our lives.. with Makoto (sincerity)
The only constant in life is change. I am grounded in the reality of Living.
This is true, in all worlds. RL or virtual. I am me and only me.
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