Outside the Window

I have been thinking a lot about the difference between illness and wellness, and how some people are able to maintain a sense of wellness in the midst of illness. I heard Dr. Dean Ornish say the difference between illness and wellness is the contrast between "I" and "We." For sure, science has shown a correlation to feeling isolated or knowing you are connected as a component to your healing. 

I often mention Mark Nepo's The Book of Awakening, because what he writes about really seems to fit what is on my heart and mind at the time. I made a note from yesterday: "To be broken is no reason to see all things as broken." For sure, it helps to see your own wholeness, even if, at the moment, you have symptoms or even a diagnosis. 

When you think about nature, what is it that allows you to know the sun is still in the sky and still shining even on a cloudy day, or in the dark of night? You are not confused by what your senses might indicate, because your perspective is broader and you know what is true regardless of appearances!

I have sometimes seen a squirrel on the outside of the window—tail flapping, alert, nose almost pressed against the glass—while one or both of Joel's cats is on the inside thinking, "Let me at 'em.... Just let me at 'em!" Something stands between the risk and the safety, in this instance, it is a piece of glass. 

This photo is of Henry, in his home in Yellowstone country. Henry is the grandson of Pamela Chappell,who provides the background music for our Welcome Baby! audio. I just saw the photo on her Facebook page and knew it was perfect for this blog.You can sample her music by going to http://www.scs-matters.com/products_download.shtml.

When a person has symptoms or a diagnosis or even when an individual is obviously preparing to leave this earthly body (something every one of us does), all that stands between the risk of fear, worry, or anxiety, and the safety of remembering our eternal nature, is your ability to know you are still whole (and holy) every step of the way. 

Nepo (March 24) continues: "Feel the sun even in the dark. To not lose the truth of things when they go out of view. To grow just the same. To know there is still water, even when you are thirsty. To know there is still love, even when we are lonely. To know there is still peace, even when we are suffering. None of this invalidates our pain, but only strengthens our way back into the light."

Curious or Afraid?

I was already working on today’s blog, pondering the question of whether life has taught you to be more curious or more afraid, when I came across this Chinese Proverb in a thought for the week from a friend of mine, Byron Stock, who works with emotional intelligence.

"That the birds of worry and care fly over your head, this you cannot change, but that they build nests in your hair, this you can prevent."

I have been reading Pema Chödrön’s Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living. This morning’s reading was about a man who had lived in the wild, the last of his tribe, before coming into civilization. He shared that they had seen railroad trains and thought they ate people because people would get on the train and the train would move out of sight. When he was brought to the train in San Francisco, he was able to get on. Later, when asked how he was able to do that, he responded, “Well, my life has taught me to be more curious than afraid.”

I am working with all of that right now. How many tornado watches have I gone through compared to how many tornados have I endured? How much of what we worry about never comes to be? I am coming to recognize that I can embrace the unknown with curiosity rather than with fear. 

I remember a joke about a man who was training to be a truck driver, hauling loads of logs down out of the mountains. The time came for a quiz, to know if he was ready to go out on the road with his heavy load. The first question was what he would do if he was coming down the hill and the brakes failed. He answered correctly that he would downshift into the lower gears to slow the truck’s engine. Then what would he do? He would put on the emergency brake. What if that failed, too? He said with total calm, “If the emergency brake failed, too, I would wake up my partner who was sleeping.” Asked why he would do that, the response was an enthusiastic, “Because he won’t want to miss the wreck we are going to have!”

Rain and sun comes to the earth. Death is as much a part of life as birth. Endings and beginnings are each sacred. Loss and gain are simply movements in the endless cycle. The meaning we give to our experience is the meaning we choose. Everything, seen in its true light, is beautiful, including this Black Vulture feeding on a dead raccoon. 

Black Vulture feeding on a raccoon, along Stringfellow Road on Pine Island.

Ah, now the Vulture is a species that is able to make lemonade out of lemons. Let us all  awaken our own sleeping inner-vultures…. So we can be more curious than afraid!

Patience and Timing

A flock of peacocks live here in Harbor Hills, where I am visiting my husband’s brother and sister-in-law. Cindy and I wanted to get some photos. One day they were out, but neither of us had our cameras with us. One day we both had our cameras, but it was very foggy, so lighting would not be very good.

We decided to wait for a better day.

Thursday morning, our patience was rewarded!

Peacocks in Harbor Hills, Florida.

The timing was just right for some really amazing encounters with both the peas and the hens. I got an amazing video with full display.That got me thinking about patience and timing in other areas of my life….

I know in the past I have been impatient with regards to developing consciousness, especially around my work. For example, when I think about Richard Bandler and John Grinder having created NLP (See: http://scs-matters.com/scs_nlp.shtml#) forty years ago, and not have it integrated in education or psychology or religion or life, yet.

I learned Healing Touch™ over seventeen years ago. I have since worked with a man who was able to cancel back surgery following one session. I enjoy being pain free, after having been told I would never have quality of life. I have seen cysts dissipate with my work. Yet, I still meet people who have never heard of Healing Touch™, I work for a hospital that will not allow Reiki (another energy modality) because it is considered to not be Christian, people can be afraid to make changes, and I have even been told that energy work is Satanic.

Yet, I notice this all seems very insignificant in the long run.

YET is a very important concept in this discussion. I trust it is just a matter of time until everyone recognizes what a difference energy work and NLP makes. In fact, often it is the difference that makes all the difference.

The next time I feel impatient, I hope I can remember the joy I had photographing the peacocks, and I can enjoy more patience and trust the timing. This is a snip from the video, but even thought it does not make a good quality photo, you can see that we were gifted a full display. The reward for our patience and timing....