May 6, 2013 ~ Plant Seeds of Gratitude: Grow a Garden of Blessings

May 6, 2013 ~ Plant Seeds of Gratitude: Grow a Garden of Blessings

 "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle.

The other is as though everything is a miracle."

~Albert Einstein

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity. It turns problems into gifts, failures into successes, the unexpected into perfect timing. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow."

~Melody Beattie 

 

And so I have come full circle. It has been a little over 365 days since I began this adventure...a year of living in gratitude, taking time every day to focus on things that I am grateful for. What miracles of wonder I have discovered on this journey! Miracles of wonder that surround us every day. It's easy to pass right by them if we're not looking. I am amazed at how much I missed before I put the close-up lens on my camera of perception. In the course of the last year, my heart has opened in gratitude for so many blessings—the healing balm of friendship, the gift of imagination, laughter, the wisdom of our dreams, love, romance, food glorious food, trees, flowers, birdsong, poetry, music, film, rainbows, the miraculous workings of the human body, the gifts of forgiveness and compassion, and even the gifts that are revealed through the heart opening process of grief and loss—to name but a few. 

As I look back on the journey, I celebrate with a joyful heart the many wonderful changes that have occurred in my life in the last year. I find I am embracing life with a new sense of openness and curiosity. Friendships have deepened, and I feel more deeply connected and at home in the universe. Fears and worries are dissolving and being replaced with courage and willingness to try new things, like singing, and skiing, and expressing myself creatively through a blog...and falling in love.

I am grateful to have had this forum to share my journey with you all. It has been deeply nourishing to my soul, and what a joy it has been to hear from some of you that you have been appreciating it too.

If you've been thinking about starting your own gratitude practice, allow me to plant some seed ideas to help you grow your own garden of blessings:

1). Start a gratitude journal or blog. Whether you do this every day or once a week, make it a regular practice to contemplate deeply something you are grateful for and write about it. What do you appreciate most about this thing or this person? What would life be like without them?

2). Make use of the time you spend in your car commuting to work or running errands, to count your blessings. Every day list 5-10 things you are grateful for. It is guaranteed to make the time fly and to lift your mood. For starters, you can be grateful for traffic lights or paved roads or flowers planted along the highway...and be sure to thank your trusty vehicle for getting you safely where you need to go :-)

3). Write a letter to someone who has been important in your life. Make a list of the top ten things you appreciate about them, and share it with them.

4). If you are facing a difficult or painful time in your life, no matter what is going on, find at least ONE thing you are grateful for. This creates an opening for grace to enter, and shifts energy toward a positive flow.

Blessings to all! In abundant gratitude always,
~Joanne

 

March 29, 2013 ~ Hugs

March 29, 2013 ~ Hugs

"Through your embrace you speak a thousand words, without ever saying one."

~Source Unknown

"The world would be a better place if we smiled more often and hugged a bit longer."

~Source Unknown

According to author and psychotherapist Virginia Satir, we need four hugs a day for survival, eight hugs a day for maintenance, and twelve hugs a day for growth. Yikes! Most of us are probably severely hug deprived, even if we are in a loving relationship, unless we are parenting a family of twelve.

And then there is Ammachi ~ Amma ~ known as the Hugging Saint, who travels the world offering a loving embrace to all those who come to see her. It is said that Amma has embraced and comforted more than 32 million people. What is the source of her unlimited energy, love and compassion? “Where there is true love, everything is effortless,” Amma will say. I have not personally experienced the embrace of Amma, but I have met several people who have, and each one has recalled the experience with what seems like reverie, as if they can still feel the transmission of pure love radiating through them at that moment.

And then there is Juan Mann. You remember the YouTube video of the man who started a "Free Hug" movement a while back. Check out the video below. It's sure to bring a smile to your heart and make you want to run out and find someone to hug.

Researchers have actually studied the health benefits of hugging. When you hold someone close, the hormone oxytocin is released into the bloodstream, lowering blood pressure, reducing stress and anxiety and even potentially improving memory.

Today (and every day) I am grateful for this most wonderful and delicious way to give and receive love, to express our affection and appreciation, to share our joys and ease our sorrows. How easy it is to make someone's whole day by reaching out to offer this gift of pure love in a warm embrace. It's true, the world would be a better place if we smiled more often and hugged a bit longer. 

Sending 'virtual hugs' to all through the ethers, and many blessings this day.
~Joanna

March 10, 2013 ~ Happy Hour

March 10, 2013 ~ Happy Hour

"Pleasure is spread through the earth in stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find."

 William Wordsworth

"Happiness is not a state to arrive at, but a manner of traveling."

~Margaret Lee Runbeck

Today I am feeling abundant gratitude for the "Happy Hours" that I am learning to create space for in each day. A recent move to a town farther north has increased my commute time—a grueling hour each way on the 101 in bumper-to-bumper traffic. This was causing me great unhappiness. So I have found a new route to travel, along back roads with sweeping views of rolling green hills, happy cows grazing on the grass, lakes with graceful swans-a-swimming...and the lovely daffodils in the photo above. They caught my eye as I was rounding a corner one day, and I just had to stop the car and pull out my iPhone to capture the joy of the moment. 

The other thing that caught my eye at that corner was a sign that said "Happy Hour 4-6 PM." I smiled as I thought to myself, "That's it! My commute to work is my new Happy Hour!" It's a new adventure every day. I never know what will light up my soul that will inspire me to stop and take a photograph—a rafter of wild turkeys, a mountain reflection on a still lake, a vast sea of bright yellow mustard flowers gleaming in the morning sun, or what other surprises await each morning. I feel so blessed to be discovering the "stray gifts of pleasure spread through the earth" during this new "manner of traveling."

It got me thinking about the importance of finding time during the day to appreciate the beauty around us. Some time away from the tasks of daily living to slow down, breathe a little more deeply, and really feel the wonder and majesty of this miraculous life! And if we can't go outside in nature, we can always take a few moments for meditation, allowing ourselves moments of spaciousness, to ponder, feel and experience the universe within. There are many "stray gifts to be claimed" there as well. 

It's about being present, Being Here Now, as Ram Dass would remind us, being fully engaged, senses alert and alive, in wonder and appreciation. That is where we find happiness. We can get very caught up in the tasks of the day, and in our engrained habits and thought patterns, perhaps spending too much energy on worries about the future, or regrets about the past, being anywhere but Here Now. Each moment is a new moment, full of possibility, when we are awake and aware and alive. We can create moments or hours in our day to fill with soul-nourishing experiences, and invite joy and happiness in.

May your days be filled with many Happy Hours. Many Blessings,

Joanna   

 

December 30, 2012 ~ Welcoming the New Year

December 30, 2012 ~ Looking Back & Looking Forward: Welcoming the New Year

 "And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been."

~Rainer Maria Rilke

"Although no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending."

~Carl Bard

That's Janus, the ancient Roman god of gates, doorways, beginnings and transitions, depicted with two faces, one that can see into the past and one into the future. He was worshiped at harvest and planting times, at marriages, deaths, and other times of beginnings and transitions, and the first month of the year was named in his honor. What an apt symbol for these final days of 2012, as we reflect on the harvest of our thoughts and actions born of the past and envision the seeds of our intentions for the coming year.

Last week my good friend Diana and I created a ceremony to honor and appreciate the beloveds in our lives. I had requested this ceremony because I had had a realization of my tendency to have difficulty in receiving positive reflections, in really letting love in. There has been some resistance. That's the shift I wanted to experience for 2013—to open to allow more love in—and I know that gratitude and acceptance are the keys.

We created a little impromptu altar area with lavender and sage, lit a candle, and we each took a turn laying out photographs, cards, mementos and gifts that we had received from friends and loved ones over the years. We shared with one another how each person has touched our lives, how love has been expressed through each one, appreciating the unique qualities of each person and how we had been inspired or had grown as a person through their presence in our lives. What a heart-opening experience it was to be able to get in touch with those feelings and to have a space to share them.

Looking back into the past with abundant gratitude for all of it—even the losses, the "opportunities for learning" that were challenging or painful—we were also looking with new eyes toward the future. We were preparing the soil, planting seeds of intention for new ways of being in life and relationship. Knowing that we are authors of our own life stories, we are opening to the possibility of creating a whole new story. With hearts full of gratitude for all that has come before, we are "starting from now, making a brand new ending." 

Wishing you many blessings in the coming year. May the stories that unfold be filled with adventure, rich learning opportunities, and abundant joy!

"A happy New Year! Grant that I

May bring no tear to any eye

When this New Year in Time shall end.

Let it be said I've played the friend,

Have lived and loved and labored here,

And made of it a happy year."

~Edgar Guest 

December 17, 2012 ~ Indra's Net: The Web of Life

December 17, 2012 ~ Indra's Net: The Web of Life

"We did not weave the web of life, we are merely a strand in it.

Whatever we do to the web we do to ourselves."

~Chief Seattle, North American Duwamish People

"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."
~Mother Teresa

Last Friday the universe shifted. A wave of deep and powerful emotion struck every shore like a tsumami of shock, horror and grief. How could this possibly happen? Twenty beautiful innocent children, 6 and 7 years olds, and the principal, guidance counselor and teachers who lovingly dedicated their lives to teaching and caring for them, were gunned down that morning in the most brutal and violent way imaginable. It is unfathomable; in trying to speak of it, words utterly fail.

Although I wept last night as I sat in my car 3,000 miles away listening to the radio broadcast of President Obama's speech at the Interfaith service in Newtown. He somehow found heartfelt and eloquent words, reminding Newtown that they are not alone, that the whole world has been struck by grief, and hoping that our sharing in the grief might lighten their burden just a little. For a terrible situation for which words utterly fail, I was immensely grateful that he was the one called upon at this moment in history as Commander in Chief to speak so genuinely on behalf of the rest of the nation, and indeed the world. Since Friday I've had an overwhelming urge to fly to Newtown and give the entire town a hug. It felt like President Obama did that for us all last night.

I worked at a publishing house in Newtown for several years and spent a lot of time there. It's Hometown USA—a beautiful woodsy suburban town bustling with commerce and families committed to values of community and family living. One of my family members knows a child who was in Sandy Hook Elementary School that day, who blessings be, was unharmed. The shock and grief reverberated through my heart deeply when I heard the news. But you don't have to live in Newtown or know someone who does to be deeply altered by this experience. Expressions of condolence came from all over the globe: from Queen Elizabeth, Pope Benedict XVI, from China, Israel, Japan, Germany, France, and Russia. In Rio de Janeiro 50 people gathered on Copacabana beach, planting crosses in the sand bearing messages of solidarity in mourning. 

There is an ancient Buddhist story that teaches about the interconnectedness of all life. The story goes: In the heavenly abode of the great god Indra, there is a wonderful net that stretches out infinitely in all directions. At each juncture in the net has been placed a glittering jewel. Each jewel, representing an individual life form, reflects all the other jewels in this cosmic matrix. Each jewel is intimately connected to all the others—thus a change in one gem is reflected in all the others.

May we honor the lives lost in this tragic event by striving to understand our oneness, our interconnectedness. We are each a glittering jewel on Indra's Net, intimately connected to all the others, and what we do has an effect on all the others. May we accept the responsibility each one of us has to the whole. May our hearts remain open and loving in the face of this terrible thing, and as we are called to, may we listen to our heart's wisdom about right action...whether it be sending love and prayers to the families in Newtown (and all over the world where peace is needed), or whether it is engaging in social or political action to curb gun violence (becoming the change we want to see)...whatever it is that we are called to do, may we act with love and kindness. Namaste.

 

December 2, 2012 ~ The Brain

December 2, 2012 ~ The Brain

"The brain is a monstrous, beautiful mess. Its billions of nerve cells, called neurons,

lie in a tangled web that displays cognitive powers far exceeding any of the silicon

machines we have built to mimic it."

~William F. Allman

"You have brains in your head.

    You have feet in your shoes.

    You can steer yourself

    any direction you choose."

~Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!

As the Bard says, what a piece of work is man! This year of living in gratitude has opened my eyes to so many wonders of life that I used to take for granted, and has awakened awe and appreciation within my soul. Today I am celebrating the human body, in particular the workings of the central nervous system and its command center, the brain. What a truly magnificent piece of architecture, this "monstrous beautiful mess of nerve cells" that regulates every life process and gives us the ability to think and reason, create works of art and music, store memories, communicate with one another, experience emotions, dream, envision, inquire and explore the world around us and the universe within us.

I've got the brain "on the brain" ever since I watched a program on PBS this week in which Rudolph Tanzi PhD, Professor of Neurology at Harvard, gave a talk promoting his book (coauthored by Deepak Chopra) called Super Brain: Unleashing the Explosive Power of Your Mind to Maximize Health, Happiness and Spiritual Well-Being. Dr. Tanzi teaches how to transform our everyday brain into a super brain—how to keep the brain healthy (exercise it like you would a muscle), induce neuroplasticity (increase the production of new brain cells), and integrate the different parts of the brain for increased health and well-being.

How do we keep the brain healthy? Dr. Tanzi talks about the importance of eating a balanced diet—your basic Mediterranean diet is best; limiting sugar, fat, salt, wheat and butter (darn!) and increasing foods high in antioxidants, such as blueberries and dark chocolate (yes!). Getting adequate sleep is important, giving the body time to recharge and repair. Stress reduction is key, through meditation or yoga. Here's some good news: did you know we can actually increase brain cells as we age? Although we lose tens of thousands of brain cells every day, we are also constantly replacing them. Exercise is the best way to induce production of new brain cells. Staying socially connected is important for brain health, as well as staying intellectually stimulated—perhaps learning a new language or learning to play a musical instrument.

I also learned about a simple exercise that helps to increase mental energy: SuperBrain Yoga. Check out this video for a demonstration.: 

Practicing this simple exercise for a few minutes two or three times a day, they say, sharpens memory and concentration and actually increases intelligence. I tried it out and it's actually quite fun and energizing. Created by Master Choa Kok Sui (see his book SuperBrain Yoga), this exercise stimulates neural pathways and synchronizes right and left hemispheres of the brain by activating acupuncture points on the earlobes while incorporating movement and breath.

We exercise our bodies to stay fit and strong—whether it's working out at the gym, running, walking, biking, swimming, hiking, whatever. Doesn't it make sense to exercise our brains as well—to choose thought patterns, attitudes and practices that nurture and protect our mental and emotional health as well. Gotta run...I'm off to eat some blueberries and do some SuperBrain Yoga!

November 22, 2012 ~ Giving Thanks

November 22, 2012 ~ Giving Thanks

"He enjoys much who is thankful for little; a grateful mind is both a great

and a happy mind."

~Thomas Secker, Archbishop of Canterbury, 18th century

 

"Gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder."

~GK Chesterton (1874-1936)

Today is the day we have set aside for thanks giving. And hopefully—along with allowing ourselves to get caught up in the mad rush for Christmas bargains at the big box stores (do you know that some people have literally been camping out at Best Buy stores since MONDAY?), and fussing over trussing the perfect turkey—hopefully somewhere in the midst of it all we will actually take time to reflect on the bounty and the beauty that surrounds us every moment and share that with one another.

I'll sneak in one more quote, by Eric Hoffer: "The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings."  How true. Writing this blog for the last 6 months has certainly opened my eyes to how much in life I have taken for granted, and I am grateful to be cultivating the eyes to see and a heart opening to gratitude and wonder. I am reminded of the wise fox in The Little Prince who says, "it is only with the heart that one can see rightly."

I think we're 'hard wired' to always want more...and better...and it's that spirit of evolution and expansion that propels humankind to great innovation and wonderful creative endeavors and scientific breakthroughs. However, we can also get stuck in the groove of taking for granted the many gifts we have been given and focus on what's missing...always wanting more, so that it never quite feels like enough. The remedy is found in giving thanks.

When we actually sit down with pen in hand and list all the things, and people, we have to be grateful for, it is absolutely mind boggling. Like food, shelter, clean water to drink, a source of income, beloved pets, cherished friends and loved ones, for starters—and the list is literally endless. Then taking the time to share with these folks how much we appreciate them...well, there is no greater gift.

So this Thanksgiving weekend, may we truly enjoy the feast of beauty, wonder, love, and infinite blessings that abound in our lives, as well as the feast on the table. May our hearts be full as well as our bellies. To enjoy a feast for the soul, check out the Youtube video "A Good Day" with Brother David Steindl-Rast. Guaranteed to uplift and inspire.

Wishing you many blessings this Thanksgiving Day and always,
Joanne