It’s been a long time since I’ve posted an entry here and I’m glad to post to you today!  It’s my first official vacation day of the 2012 year, which is partly the reason I haven’t been blogging. I’ve been writing for Western Art Collector, writing for Gently Read Literature, working on my second book. I have availability on Soul’s Journey Lightworkers each week and every month I’ve been hosting a guided visualization/meditation group to help integrate these intense energies of 2012.

I haven’t forgotten about the Manifestation series of entries, and I haven’t forgotten about you, the readers, I’ve simply been stretched very thin.  I look forward to writing here more often for you (and for me) and connecting—albeit virtually—with those that I don’t get to see in person regularly.

That said:

I haven’t actually gone anywhere! I took the day off to write and muse. I’m in Phoenix and the weather today was absolutely perfect—80s and sunny with a cool breeze.  I couldn’t have chosen a better day to vacation.  I think we’re finally past the triple digit temperatures!  With gratitude, I sit outside on my patio overlooking a pool and Camelback mountain and realize that I have a lot to be grateful for, a lot to say, a lot to question.  I’ve had a lot to think about lately, and I have a lot to share.  Here’s a start:

1)   I read last week somewhere that every action is either a) a gift of love or b) a request for love.  I’ve been mulling that over since I’ve read it, and I think it could be a true statement.  When I think about all the joys and all the challenges in my life that I’ve had with others, I can see how this point of view shifts things quite a bit.  When I think back to the requests for love to which I didn’t respond—any dramas, jealousies, and apparent conflicts that I could have navigated a bit better—my heart breaks.  I think I’ll respond to requests for love differently in the future; and hope that I continue to be a receiver of the same kind of gift.

2)   I actually did live in medieval times, in a past life, and it was NOT fun. Everything was dark and dreary and everyone was always cranky and always trying to conquer everyone else.  Conditions were poor. I am SO glad that is over.  Also, chastity belts suck.

3)   Caroline Myss in her early theories of “woundology” said that many people attempt to bond to one another according to their wounds or to their negative experiences.  I think this is sometimes true—partially true.  It’s like there’s a safety net in falling back on the commonality of negative experiences between people.  Instead of being attached to our wounds, our past, our mistakes, how about let’s bond over how awesome we each are?  I think that’s a better idea.  Because we’re all awesome in different ways.  ALL of us.

4)   What ever happened to hyphee?

5)   Cigarette smoking was probably one of the stupidest things I’ve ever done in my life.  Looking back, I can see how enslaved I was to some burning little plant.  And for what?  Maybe, it would have been different if I had been part of a culture where tobacco was revered and sacred and a spiritual act, but commercially in the modern era—no way.  Thinking about it in a different way: why would anyone, ever, pay a huge, multi-billion-dollar corporation to provide them a tool over which they could self-destruct?  It’s borderline insanity.

I think any habit can be broken with enough desire.

6)   I LOVE the smell of fresh cut grass!  So much so that I found this bottle at a store, which was labeled “fresh cut grass” in French, and I bought it. The bottle was sitting alongside a bunch of other perfume bottles, and so, naturally, I assumed that it was perfume.  And I wore it and loved it, and other people loved it, too.  For two years! But when the bottle was near empty and it was time to purchase a new one, I searched the web and couldn’t find fresh cut grass perfume by that French company anywhere.  What I did find was a fine selection of room deodorizer sprays—from that same company—one of which was fresh cut grass.

I had been wearing room deodorizer as perfume.  For two years! Ha!

7)   I truly understand why the ancient master Taoists used natural metaphors for teaching wisdom and helping their students navigate life lessons.  We are so blessed to have a history of ancient teachings!

Time is fluid like a light wind.  All is temporal.  Reeds bend with the breeze in order not to break. The sun always shines with cyclical motion each day.

8)   Does anyone still read the Guinness Book of World Records?  I wonder if that really long, curly fingernail person ever clipped those nails?  Or did they just keep growing!?

9)   When I was in middle school, my cousin and I figured out how to prank call people—internationally.  The $500 phone bill that my parents had to pay was SO worth it.  We had so much fun!  Sorry Mom and Dad.

10)  I think that ignoring someone is one of the most hurtful things that anyone could ever do to another person.  We often are faced with difficult situations, things that are difficult to talk about.  Sometimes the burden of a situation can feel like too much to bear.  Perhaps its just feels too awkward to discuss a situation.  There are many reasons why. But I think that refusing to communicate with another person is never appropriate.  Traditional psychologists actually refer to this behavior as “stonewalling” and in that field it falls into the category of emotional abuse.

At best it’s simply selfish, at worst it’s dehumanizing.  No matter how difficult a situation may be, no matter how challenging, I think we must all find the courage to speak our truth with love to one another when called upon to do so.  From loving truth comes dignity, grace and respect.

* See also item #1.

11)  Dawn of the Dead, Evil Dead, Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland are the best zombie movies. Ever.

12)  I miss Hubba Bubba soda.

I’ll be posting more here on Manifestation and metaphysics soon!  Now back to the book!

 

Copyright © 2012 Kelly Lydick