May 2, 2014 Chautauqua

Beth's Ponderings

   Mother’s Day is coming soon.  While our mothers bring us physically into this world, each and everyone of us is then responsible for birthing ourselves – through our personalities, choices, contributions, and how we respond to what goes on inside and outside of us - throughout our lives.

   Thus, it ultimately doesn't matter how dysfunctional your family may have been, and we all know some families can be really dysfunctional, you are your most important and loving parent.

   Unlike fallible parents - who are doing the best they can from where they are in their particular life journeys - you are your very own constant and true companion. While alive, you can never abandon yourself physically nor emotionally, so it is impossible to let yourself down.

   What we think comes to us from others in our lives - our parents, family members, teachers, clergy, coaches, and friends - really comes from deep inside our own hearts.

   You are the only one who sees, and lives, the world from behind your eyes, and from the perspective of your heart, and thus you are the only one who knows you, and what you really need, best.

   We are the only ones who can, and do, provide ourselves with self-esteem. We believe we are capable of accomplishing all of our dreams and the prodding to go for it, to stretch and grow, comes from within. Our best and most honest encouragement really comes from ourselves, no one else.  And if you want to experience true unconditional love, just look inside your heart.

   Now, if you don't happen to feel or believe any of the above, it may be because the voices of others are drowning out your heart’s voice.  If the people in our lives are not be listening to their hearts when they interact with us, they will tend to do more harm than good.

   I’m not saying we don’t need other people, because we do.  The various people we associate with are not only mirrors that reflect back our beliefs to us, but they are an excellent avenue to remind us of our heart’s truths that we may have temporarily forgotten.

   You can be assured you always have someone who loves you, who is in your corner, no matter what happens in life...yourself!

Beth

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Contribution

Shape up the life you already have, 

and by doing so, your unique contribution 

will usually reveal itself.  

 - Cheryl Richardson

 

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Together

The very responsibility of having to hold it 

all together is itself a form of suffering. 

You notice this most when 

things start to fall apart outside….

you have to struggle to hold 

your inner world together. 

But what exactly are you trying to hold onto? 

The only things in there are your thoughts,

 emotions, and movements of energy, 

none of which are solid. 

– Michael Singer

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Done

One never notices what has been done; 

one can only see what remains to be done.

 - Marie Curie

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Exercise

I like to exercise, 

but it's not always possible 

with my hectic sleep schedule.

 - unknown

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Walk

Walk like an elephant…move at a comfortable pace. 

No rushing toward a goal. 

No push to make it all meaningful.

 – Thomas Moore

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April 18, 2014 Chautauqua

From The Editor's Computer

   “Do not grieve over the inevitable.” - Author Unknown

   What is the most inevitable thing in our world?

   Death. 

   Grief is a part of all endings, even good ones, however society seems to have gone to the extreme by making death something unwanted or unusual, instead of the completely natural transition that it is.

   There is no rhyme or reason, in human terms, when or why or how anyone dies.  I can say this with certainty though, when it is your time to leave your body…it is your time and nothing will stop or prevent that transition from happening.

   An oft repeated phrase is that it isn’t fair the person died.  Really?

   Death is the only truly fair thing in this entire world.  It doesn’t matter who you are, what you own, what you do, or even what you believe, death happens to everyone.

   By saying, and acting, like death shouldn’t happen, society has actually devalued life.  Just as a frame gives value to a painting by defining its borders, birth and death define the borders of our lives.

   Life is a journey, and like any journey we undertake, we get into a vehicle at Point A (birth) and then travel (life) to Point B (death) where we get out of the vehicle.  Some journeys are quick treks around the block, while others are long, epic ones.  Some start out with the idea it will be a long journey but the unexpected occurs cutting it short.  Others seem as if they will barely start and end up lasting a long time. 

   By focussing so intently on a person’s death (especially if it has been considered a traumatic one), we also devalue the individual who died and their impact on the world and people around them.

   So, I personally refuse to attend funerals, memorials, or even “celebration of life” gatherings.  Instead, in my own private and personal way, I thank the person for what they brought to my life and wish them all the best as their soul transitions to the next stage. 

   While they no longer have skin on, they are still as close as our hearts and our dreams, and those memories never die.

Beth

Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EN2KMyHCFBVAmwogsC3eUKDKlXOEgJaE/view?usp=sharing

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Good

Do your little bit of good where you are; 

it’s those little bits of good put together 

that overwhelm the world. 

– Desmond Tutu

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Change

In spite of conflict, confrontation and crisis, 

people often don’t, can’t or won’t change.   

– Diane Lefer

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Simple

[S]chools reward difficult complex behaviour 

more than simple behaviour, 

but simple behaviour is more effective.  

 – Warren Buffett

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Life

Joy in one’s heart and some laughter on one’s lips 

is a sign that the person down deep

 has a pretty good grasp of life.  

 – Hugh Sidey

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Contradicted

Let me never fall in to the vulgar mistake 

of dreaming that I am persecuted 

whenever I am contradicted. 

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

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April 4, 2014 Chautauqua

From the Editor's Computer

   Spring, a very tempestuous time of year as the seasons change, and   traditionally a time of cleaning and sorting - getting rid of the old and stale to make room for the new and fresh.

   To accomplish this, many people create a to-do list, or at the very least, add their spring cleaning items to their ongoing to-do list.

   I’ve mentioned before how I personally have difficulty with to-dos lists.  Not because I have nothing to do, but because the process of listing the items just doesn’t work for me.

   The other day, I read of a slightly different approach to the whole concept of the to-do list.

   Instead of listing the items, colour-coding them, prioritizing them, crossing off what is done before transferring the unfinished items to a new list, or whatever your preferred process is, you schedule the items into your calendar (paper or electronic) in 15 or 30 minute chunks of time - even if the scheduled date is six months or up to a year away.

   The theory is that if you aren’t willing to set aside a dedicated block of time to do or start, the task, then there is no point it being on your list of things to do.  Schedule it and do it, or delegate it or dump it.

   I know in the past when I’ve discussed with different people about to-dos and unfinished tasks a frequent comment I’ve heard is that the items have to be on the list because they have to be completed.

   Really???  How long have some of those items been on your list?  I bet it is more than a handful of days and weeks.

   If an item or task has to be done, guess what, it will get done whether it is on a list or not.

   Truthfully, how long have you really been putting off those tasks that you just transfer from one to-do list to another to another to another...? 

   This spring, why not clean out your to-do list by dumping those tasks that you know will never get done because you really don’t want to do them - otherwise you’d have done them already.

   This will lighten your life, and ultimately your overall schedule, as it lightens your mind, body and spirit and gives you more energy.

Beth   

Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FwLvSwzET7t3u4PPAZcmaNagHQIBIT7C/view?usp=sharing

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Change

We don’t change.   

We simply accept our talents 

and refocus our lives around them.   

– Marcus Buckingham

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