Potholes and Pitfalls

Rebounding from unexpected twists and turns in life has been the topic of the day at my house. We live under the illusion that we have a modicum of control over the events of our lives.  Then, with a flick of its fickle finger, Life can turn our world upside down and send our reality spinning out of its orbit.

Through my work I have witnessed my clients heal, recover and embrace life again by delving into their inner source of courage and strength. How do they do it? How does one heal? How does one steady oneself after being knocked off ones feet? The road to recovery is often initiated through small and steady steps rather than broad strides and bold leaps. Over time, tentative steps can evolve to ultimately establish a new level of thriving and self expression.

Numerous potholes litter the path to healing and one to keep an eye out for is the “Yeah but.”  “Yeah but” will paralyze. When you visualize failure before you take the initial step you undermine any chance of success. The journey to healing can feel like you are playing blind man’s bluff. You can stumble around like a toddler learning how to walk. But after a few unsteady steps you may discover  that you are moving more securely and confidently toward a new vision of you.

You may twist your ankle in the pothole of wondering “Why?”.  “Why?” will leave you spinning on your own personal hamster wheel feeling like a victim.  Life hasn’t shared her secret of “Why?” with me as of yet but she does encourage asking the question “What?” “What have I learned?” “What can I do to change?”

A dangerous pitfall on the road to rebounding from unexpected challenges is thinking that you have to get it right the first time. Believing that you must be perfect from the start dooms you to failure.  Imagine a child learning to stand on her own. She falls on her bottom numerous times but never gives up. Eventually through trial and error she develops her strength and can stand on her own two feet.

A seminal component to healing is reaching out for something outside of ourselves. It can be as simple as changing a routine or spending time with a friend. But more often the path to renewal is to do something for someone else. Giving of oneself is a beautiful way to ease the pain of suffering.

As Ralph Waldo Emerson said,
“It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life, that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.”

As we take those brave first steps to move beyond pain and sorrow we begin to see that we are regaining our footing on the journey of life and are readied in a deeper more meaningful way for the next unexpected surprise life will offer.

Love and light,
Nora

Packing Up My U-Haul

Packing Up My U-haul

 

"In the end the love you take is equal

to the love you make" 

  The End, Paul McCartney

 While giving a reading a few weeks ago, I listened as a client reminisced about her father. She recalled how he would frequently explain his philosophy of life by simply imparting the time-worn adage,  "You don't see a u-haul following a hearse." The rather comical image of a hearse towing a u-haul lead me to question, if I could take something with me, what would I take and what would I leave behind? It was not long before I concluded that my imagined u-haul held nothing from the physical realm. Love was the substance of value I would carry with me and my expression of love was the tool with which I would leave my mark.

Imagine a world where the most precious commodity is not gold, silver, oil or coal but love. How would we conduct our lives if we knew that we could only "take" with us the love conceived through our actions and our thoughts?  Suppose the earthly assignment of our souls is to ensure that our physical chemistry will be composed of the elements of love, kindness, and harmony as well as oxygen, carbon and nitrogen.

Through my work I am granted a glimpse of the unique light that resides within all my clients. The core essence of each individual shines through as an expression of beauty and grace no matter how blind they are to it. What blocks the awareness  of this exquisite light is an attachment to unrealistic standards measured by a flawed yardstick. The measuring device is often composed of criteria rooted in the physical world.

 

Do you believe that you missed out on success because you are not rich or beautiful by today's standards? Do berate yourself as you reflect on what you should have accomplished, achieved or created? Imagine that life is a stage furnished with various props and set designs. It is on this ephemeral stage we express our gifts and learn our lessons. Ultimately, it will be of little consequence where we live, the fortunes we have amassed, what school we graduate from or how many honors have been bestowed upon us.  What will matter most is the harvest of love we have engendered while occupying our unique space on the planet.

How would we live our lives if what multiplied our worth was the action of love rather than the accumulation of wealth or the strength of our might? Decide to practice the art of love. Instill your thoughts with kindness. Breathe and be patient.  Return again and again to that imaginary u-haul and fill it with the brilliance of your unique light of love.

Love and light,
Nora

I am an illumination of light, my love shines.

Haiti-A Call to Giving

I woke up at three a.m. last night unable to sleep. I could not stop thinking about Haiti and the people suffering there.  I needed a better understanding of what was occurring but to do so I needed some facts. Early in the morning I began posing some questions to my favorite search engine. First question: "How many people live in poverty?" Answer: Almost half the world — over three billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day. That adds up to $912.50 a year. 80% live on less than $10 dollars a day.  If you are reading this you can assume that you are numbered among the wealthiest people on earth. But I wanted to zero in on Haiti so I asked my search engine "What about Haiti?" Answer: More than 78% percent of people living in Haiti are living in poverty. While watching the TV coverage of the earthquake in Haiti I had heard the newscasters reporting over and over "These people have nothing." I struggled with the concept of "nothing".

Not one thing. The idea shook me as I saw the faces of children stunned into silence trying to cope with the aftermath of chaos and fear sweeping the island.  My next question sprang out, "How many children die in poverty every day?" I found the answer from www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats :

"According to UNICEF, 25,000 children die each day due to poverty. And they “die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world. Being meek and weak in life makes these dying multitudes even more invisible in death."

I pondered the question, "How numb have we let ourselves become?" Then I started hearing the reports of charitable giving.  Over 8 million dollars were donated by people texting a contribution on their cell phones alone. This was extremely exciting news. It was apparent that we want to give—we want to help. Clothes began to pile up creating mountains in donation centers, grocery stores offered opportunities to give through their check out lines, avenues to giving were being created so that anyone anywhere could contribute whatever amount they chose.

There is nothing more satisfying to me than to give to another human being, especially in time of need. Crisis and catastrophes shine the spotlight on the needs of others with glaring clarity. But what about the rest of the time? What struck me was the extent to which we leapt to the aid of the Haitians and what also struck me was the extent to which I had become insulated from the needs of my fellow human beings on a daily basis.  We are enmeshed in our world of everyday issues we deem important and while wrapped up in the minutia of our lives 80 percent of the earth's population lives on less than $10 dollars a day.  The enthusiasm with which the more fortunate contributed to Haiti's disaster relief leads me to believe that as a group we crave more opportunities to give and serve on a daily basis.

Now is the time to begin to assess not only how we give to our planet but to take it to a more personal level and ask, "How do we give to our community?" I started to wonder what would happen if each person took an oath to give back something everyday. Give of yourself generously. Give of your knowledge, your humor, your experiences, your skills and mostly give of your heart. Create avenues to express love and kindness for your family and neighbors. Encourage tolerance and celebrate diversity and join in movements that embrace your beliefs and use their power in numbers to make a difference in the lives of others. Contribute time, money, talents, intelligence, whatever you decide, through giving you will help make a difference.

 See your your world, your income, your life for what it is — abundance beyond most people's imagination.  Catch yourself when you are thinking and living in lack and scarcity. Celebrate your life and reflect from your inner-most heart compassion and love.

I reflect compassion and love to my world. I give with magnitude of  my gifts, my abundance and my spirit for there is infinite room in the world for love.