Leading Lady

For some reason theater references often fill my mind as potential metaphors. Today I was pondering the concept of "Leading Lady". Saying it out loud sounds important, doesn't it?

Obviously, the leading lady would be a vital element of the story being depicted. She would be a powerful force making or breaking the performance of the play or movie. She would also be deserving of special attention, like a special dressing room, a chair with her name on it, and maybe first in line at the food truck. I'm sure her opinion on various topics would also be of interest to others.

I think I'm going to play with the idea that I am the leading lady in my life. Life isn't a performance, it's for real, yet I am the major player. The choices I make, how I behave, and in essence, how I want to live would be totally up to me. Since it's my life, then my opinion is the last word.

Now of course, I may ask for some direction and will learn from the other actors (that would be you), but when it gets down to it, being the leading lady means my life revolves around me.

Doesn't it make sense then to treat myself well and to honor my importance in having my life lived well?

Life is not a show and I am not acting, but knowing I am the star of this production I am living, feels good. The wonderful thing about this idea is we all get to have the lead parts in our lives and we all get to be honored for who we are.

Although I am the leading lady in my life, it does not mean I deserve any more than anyone else that is starring in their life. It also does not mean that all I would care about is me. What it does mean is that I play it out the way I see fit.

I am very happy to be casted in this role and plan on making it a great show!

A Lizard's Life Lessons

About a month ago, my son enlisted in the Army. This decision created a need for some quick action to move his "stuff" from Massachusetts to our home in Pennsylvania. Part of his stuff included a Giant Sudan Plated Lizard, named Monty. Monty has been with Alan living in several states (PA, Ohio, NY, MA) for the past six years or so. They are apparently quite close, so of course Alan wanted to have him in the loving hands of his grandmother (that would be me).

At first, I was a bit shell shocked to have a lizard living in my family room in a giant aquarium. Although I did not have a previous affection for lizards, after a few days I began to notice that Monty stopped hiding in one of his tunnels whenever I walked by. He actually was still as I tried to talk "nice" to him. He seemed appreciative of the mango or strawberries I fed him every other day. He would even sometimes make eye contact with me....that was a bonding experience, for sure.

As I continued to observe Monty I began to see that he seemed to be living a great life....at least for a lizard, and that maybe he had some lessons for the rest of us.

I noticed he loved to lie atop his tunnel to be closer to the light as though he was lying on the beach. His quiet appreciation struck me as living in the moment and fully enjoying it.

I noticed he never ate more than his fill. If I happened to give him more food than his usual allotted portion, he didn't clean his plate. I imagine his mindful eating habits will keep him healthy. He also exercises regularly as he scales the sides of his home a few times a day.

He is also a great reminder of the need to sometimes get away and off by yourself. He periodically goes inside his structure so that only his tail can be seen. I can only imagine this is his time to reflect on his existence and to be grateful for his wonderful life in my family room. I have learned to not disturb him when he is having his private time.

Monty will soon be moving out to live with my nephew (his uncle). Although I will be happy to have my family room back as it once was, I will miss this Giant Sudan Plated Lizard and will always be grateful for the lessons of life that I have learned.

Recipe for Faith

Many people struggle to let go of control and allow their life to unfold with trust. In other words, having faith can be the greatest challenge of living in this world....especially in today's world. As I was letting this concept of faith roll around quietly in my mind this morning, some ingredients that I believe are necessary, bubbled up.

To have faith means we must believe that all is well....even when things are not looking or feeling like wellness. We must allow ourselves to trust that events, situations etc., will eventually create an outcome in our best interest. Faith also means that we are letting go of control, although we are still engaged in some action and allowing. We live with a high level of belief. Faith means knowing. We know, without question, that our needs will be met, even when there is no direct evidence supporting that fact.

When we are truly feeling the power of faith, we can totally surrender in complete peace. It doesn't mean we disengage from our lives, but know that we will be guided to take whatever actions may be necessary to lead us along on our path.

For some, even when they claim to hold a strong belief in God, will have difficulty keeping their faith alive. Others, without any formal religious connections, seem to naturally maintain and nourish their faith.

Regardless of your background or history on this issue, faith is a part of life that can always be strengthened. First you must recognize where you stand on this concept. Do you struggle to trust and have faith, or is it a natural part of you? Next, you can explore your fears that pull you from the peace of faith.

Looking at each fear with an open heart and allowing yourself to turn it over, looking closely, exploring and understanding the nuances, can be a great beginning for you to live a life based on faith. As always, holding yourself with love and compassion in your process is always a vital ingredient.

Personal Mastery

Many of us spend our time and energy on mastering some skill or use of knowledge so that we may become an expert. It may be our dream to be the best of whatever it is we study and practice. Our intention may be to be famous or wealthy. We long to no longer need to ask questions, but to be one that has the answers.

Imagine that same desire and impulse to excel when it comes to mastering your life. This mastery will not come by looking outside yourself or by study, or by a growing bank account, although observation and experiences used as learning can certainly be helpful.

Personal mastery comes by looking within. It comes by sifting through all the external stimuli that tries to tell us what or who we should be and simply focusing on our small quiet voice of the heart. The payback in our process of mastery is when we experience joy, peace and passion for life.

Mastery will also obliterate fear and resistance, allowing you to move through life with ease rather than a perspective of difficulty and endless challenges. Mastery brings confidence, trust, a sharpened intuition and certainly unconditional love and compassion.

I know I have not yet reached mastery, although I am fully enjoying my learning and growth along the way. Once again, it is not the final "knowing" that matters so much, it is the desire to be as I was created to be that stimulates my joy to live fully now.

The Greatest Gift

Earlier today I had a conversation with a friend. We were talking about yesterday's blog post and how difficult it can sometimes be to allow yourself to feel joy, or love when your main intention in life is to serve others.

My friend's quandary is not unusual. Many people believe that it is selfish to be joyful, self-loving or at peace when others are not. Somehow we can get our love wires crossed when we make the connection with doing without, so that others can have. That may be true if you're talking about the Lenten Rice Bowl, but it is not true about love.

The gift of love (and it's by-products of joy and peace), is actually more abundant to share when the "giver" is filled with it too. The more compassion, forgiveness and love we have for ourselves, the greater our joy will be. When we are filled with joy and a feeling of well being, our blessings to others are even greater.

The next step is to see yourself as worthy of being loved....by anyone....including you. Of course, we all are worthy...no matter what. Dissatisfaction, frustration, annoyance and even anger with ourselves, does not help another soul. Our light cannot shine when we put a lid on it by denying we are worthy of it.

The truth is the more we love ourselves, forgive ourselves and understand we are doing the best we can in this moment, the greater our ability will be to embrace others with the same unconditional care.

There's no way around it. Loving you =More love for others.

WHY?

Do you ever wonder why you're here? I mean have you ever really pondered what the reason may be that you've been put on this earth?

I imagine the answer to that question is different in some ways for each of us, meaning we each have something unique to contribute to the world where we can make a difference.

When I consider the answer in a universal way, I believe we are all here to have joyful experiences.....to be happy.....loving.....and generous in the giving of ourselves. Perhaps we are also here to learn some lessons that would enable us to be better at being ourselves, such as love, forgiveness and compassion.

After all, when we are being hateful, vengeful, judgmental, blaming, complaining and angry then we are not living up to who we really are....how we were created. Although when we are aware of the power of our hearts and we use our minds in a positive way, then we are more in alignment with how we were each created.

My favorite answer to the question of WHY? is to be in joy. Simple. When we are joyful, we can not possibly be angry, hurt, upset, stressed, jealous, anxious etc. etc. at the same time. So, if that's true.....then wouldn't it be wise to practice letting go of the all that pulls us from JOY?

Maybe we should begin by practicing love, forgiveness and compassion.

The Power of Imagination

I have quite an imagination. It is actually quite powerful. I can make myself feel very good....or very bad very easily, depending on what images I create in my mind.

This morning I was on a four mile walk. I often choose to walk in the local cemetery because it's quiet....obviously. There's a one mile loop around the perimeter which makes it easy to tabulate my distance and allowed me to welcome my imagined team of supporters.....all the spirits of those buried there.

Now before you call 911 and send a unit to my home to pick me up for admission somewhere, read on. This is fun and you may want to borrow from my imagination and create this kind of support for yourself.

As I moved along a straight-away at a pretty good clip, I imagined that the spirits of those buried on my path were very present to my presence and were actually wanting me to do well on this course. I imagined the same scenario as when a runner or biker is racing along with observers on the sidelines cheering for them as they push themselves to the finish line. If you have never experienced that kind of support, it is a rush to know others care about you doing your best. It's a reminder of how we are all connected. This morning, this connection extended to those no longer in bodies. Minor detail in my mind.

As the imagined cheers of "Go Kate" resounded in my mind, I felt the same joy as when I used to run races. Of course, I couldn't see or hear anyone applauding, but the effect was still present. I not only picked up my pace, but felt an increase of exhilaration. Sure, this whole scene was simply the work of my imagination, but the impact went deeper than my resulting faster pace. It also made my walk more fun.

How do you use your imagination? Does it make life easier...more fun.....or more challenging?