Comfort Zone

Eric's Blog

Comfort Zone

 

What I usually do

Where I usually go

What I usually wear

Who I usually meet

 

Usually is comfortable

Like an old shoe

Tried and true

And comfy

 

But old shoes usually

Wear out

And we need new ones

To walk the path

 

Many things we do are ingrained habits. They are our comfort zone. They are easy and do not demand extra energy or courage. They make life predictable. Occasionally however, they may also land us in a rut, a place where we stop growing and experiencing new opportunities for change. Meeting that new person, wearing something different or just changing the routine may sometimes be important. 

 

A few months ago I had the opportunity to try a zip line. Climbing the ladder to get to it, about 40 feet up a tree, was definitely out of my comfort zone, as was zipping along the line itself. Overcoming my fear, I did it. Going outside my comfort zone brought exhilaration and a feeling of accomplishment I did not expect. 

 

Sometimes we need to get new shoes.     

Circles

Lesley's Blog

If we pay attention we will see circles everywhere as we go about our daily lives. This universal symbol can have extra importance for many of us in the twenty first century to help us reconnect with the cycles of life, allowing us once again to honor the rhythms of the external and internal worlds.

Most of us do not tend the earth or hunt and gather in the way that our forefathers and mothers did. We are not intimate with births and deaths as tribal cultures have been through the ages so that the reality of the circle of life has become more remote. We do not have multiple rituals to ensure that crops are blessed, seasonal changes acknowledged and the transition into womanhood or manhood is completed in a full and timely way.

 

(Petroglyph in New Mexico)
 

Most of us in America live in houses with electricity so that we are no longer bound by the cycles of light and dark. Employees can work all night if the job requires it and times of rest are not dictated by the circle of the setting of the sun and the rising of the moon. Few of us are in tune with our internal rhythms and it would probably not be looked on very positively if we took a nap on our job during the time when our energy was the lowest, even though that might actually raise our productivity and enhance our creativity. 

With all this disconnection from self and our environment, it is very hard to feel how important it is to protect the earth on which we live. It all seems so abstract to most of us, even though, when we think about it, we know it is a very good idea. But often we don't have a deep sense of the real urgency because we are cut off from the circle of life both inside and outside.





(Yellowstone National Park)

 

When we are truly connected to that circle of life we finally know in a different way that we are all linked in the great web of existance. We can no longer pretend that there is a divide between us and them so we are less quick to judge and more willing to heal conflict.

King Arthur was wise when he made all his Knights sit at a round table, the shape that symbolizes equality, not power over. We live in a world of hierarchy, competition and winner and losers. At the round table we are all powerful and all powerless called to make decisions for the good of all beings, based on love and non-judgement.

So what does this all mean for our daily lives? Can the image of the circle help remind us to live deeper into love and understanding for self and others?

When you sit in front of a round dinner plate at the evening meal remember about the circle of life and give thanks for all living beings that have sacrificed their lives that you might eat. Can you remember and give thanks for the many, many people who have contributed to this meal on this round plate?

 

(Wedding cake made by my sister and her daughter for her son's wedding)
 

When you drink a cup of coffee can the round mug help you imagine all the people on earth at that moment who are drinking coffee and send them blessings? Can you realise that no matter what nationality, gender, religion or sexual orientation they are, we are all part of that great circle of life and therefore all linked? We might have categorized them in the past as the good, the bad and the ugly but in reality they are all us and we are all them. We can all be good, bad and ugly in any given moment, as can they. Can the circle bring you to a place of love and if we cannot quite get there can we at least offer them to the Divine to be loved?

At work can we find an image of a circle to remind us to be more understanding of differences so that they might enrich the creative process. Can we, in our imagination, see the square conference table as the round table of King Arthur and transcend our pettiness to rise into the energy of the Knights.

Any connection with our own internal rhythms has so often been lost in busyness or has never been developed during our childhood years. Without judgement, can you simply notice those cycles of energy and tiredness? Can you watch the circle of your moods, simply observing and not needing to make yourself snap out of it or long for a state to be permanent. Things come and things go in the great round of life, all is impermanent on this earth, even if we would like it not to be so. Longing for it to be different and judging the situation and ourselves adds to our suffering. Observation, acceptance and a recognition that life is dynamic, regenerative and always moving can help us be at peace in the moment, go with the flow and know that there is always a plan B, C or D that we can try. All of this is not to say that we do not recognize, assess and seek for answers to our problems and stress but maybe from the larger view of the circle of life we can find somewhat different solutions that are more likely to bring peace and love to all beings, including ourselves.   

(Jars of olive in a market in Chile)  

This week enjoy experimenting with diving into the depth of symbols, especially the circle and see how they can enrich your life internally and externally. Just a reminder to be gentle with ourselves so that you don't see this as yet another task to do. Don't "run around in circles", busy trying to live the symbolic life. The idea is to enjoy, not add to your suffering. So, please relax and enjoy.                

Getting Started

Eric's Blog

 

Getting Started

 

With many of the chores

And tasks I face

The key is

Getting started

 

Once I've started

I often wonder

Why it was so hard

To get going

 

 

I know there are various chores I need to do to keep up and to feel I am on track with managing myself and my life. Weeding, pruning roses, dishes, picking up dog poop and bill paying are just some of them. There is a certain inertia that sets in just before I start them. It is a "maybe it can wait until later" thought or maybe it is a feeling that I need to nurture myself for a while. I know better though and if I set my mind to it I dispose of that inertia, get started, get finished and then relax.

 

I enjoy the relaxation so much more after I have finished the chore. And once I have started the task, it's not so bad after all.  

Just Show Up

Lesley's Blog

As part of my work as a spiritual mentor I lead dream groups which meet every month. At the beginning of each group we have a short period of silence during which I offer a theme on which to focus. In the week of Valentine's Day the focus was on "heart" and the question posed was "What does your passionate heart want?"

After the silence each group member, including myself, had the opportunity to share their internal response to the question. When we do this process I am always suprised at what emerges and this time was no exception. The words "Just Show Up" came to me. 



Over the months of writing this blog I have shared my longings to know what direction my life should take as I age and move further from being so busy with my career. I thought that I should be doing something that would contribute in practical ways to the good of all beings. Reading about all the amazing things that people do to help others fascinates me. Just yesterday I was reading about the work of the Nature Conservancy in Mongolia and while walking with a dear friend, she shared a story of a women who had begun an apple growing project in Africa. I know that there are lots and lots of options and yet I have not been able to discern in what direction my life energy longs to go. Sometimes I have wondered if I should choose something at random and just jump in.

The words, "Just Show Up", came with a suprising feeling of relief and a deep sense of relaxation in my body. Maybe I don't have to struggle to know my "path" after all and that who and what I am is good enough in this moment. What a thought.

I believe that the true passion in our hearts reflects the passion of the Divine. God is pure love and if we are made in the image of the Divine then our path would simply be one of love. Is that it then? Do I "Just Show Up" to do the apparently simple but often almost impossibly complicated task of loving.

 

From years of being a therapist I know that loving has to start with ourselves and for many of us that is a life long challenge. But we also are called to show up everyday with loving behaviors for all beings and that includes even those beings for whom we have not very pleasant thoughts and feelings. And it includes all those times when we don't feel loving to those we do love.

So, that's the plan and however much love I can muster in any given moment will be good enough. I just have to show up and do the best I can. If there are things that I still need to "do" in my life then I can have the faith to know that they will also just show up. Meanwhile I will just "be" loving.           

           

DOGS

ERIC'S BLOG

DOGS

 

They poop all over my lawn

They throw up after eating cell phones and weeds

They bark when I don't want them to

They slobber in their water bowls and shed hair

Merlin when he was a 

cell phone eating puppy 

 

YES THEY DO

BUT

 

My spirit runs with them as they run in the field

My heart is warmed as they wag their tails

My life is enriched by their presence

 

I love my dogs

 

 

We have mentioned our two short haired collies, Chanel and Merlin, in several previous blogs. Each day there is some task related to their upkeep but the joy they bring our household far outweighs the problems they cause.

 

The dogs are loving companions. Their love is unconditional. Their acceptance of us enhances our acceptance of ourselves.