Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Yes Man


I have a talk I give when I’m trying out at a church entitled “Just Say Yes”, so I’m no stranger to the idea of saying yes to life. While I believe it is important to say yes to our dreams and to those “calls” of spirit, I also know that sometimes it is just as important to be able to say no.

I have a friend who says yes a lot. I think it is because she has trouble saying no. She is very generous and gives and gives of herself and her resources to friends and family. Some of us have been telling her she needs to say yes less often. So she’s been working with a new statement: “that doesn’t work for me.” It’s a fancy way of saying no without having to actually say the word.

Carl Allen (Jim Carrey) has mastered the art of saying no. He’s a loan officer in a dead end job who had his heart broken in love. He hibernates in his apartment watching videos and comes up with all kinds of excuses to keep from going out with his friends. One friend finally shakes him out of his inertia and invites him to a self-help seminar where he is shamed into making a covenant to say yes to absolutely everything. It is no surprise that his life dramatically changes!

Carl says yes to giving a ride, and then all of his money to a homeless man and ends up having to walk miles when his car runs out of gas. Some of his yes choices seem to get him into trouble, but he continues to say yes, yes, yes. Would you like to pay the entire bar tab…yes. Would you like to drink Red Bull all night...yes. Would you like to go outside and fight…yes.

I remember growing up and being upset because my mom always seemed to say no when all of my friends were saying yes. I can still remember my mother asking me, “If everyone asked you to go jump off of a bridge would you do it?” Well apparently, according to this movie the answer should be yes. (You’ll have to see the movie to see why this works out okay.)

The point of this movie isn’t that we should say yes to everything with no discernment, rather it points out that when you have had a lifetime of saying no, sometimes you have to get a bit radical to break out of that pattern. Sometimes you have to force yourself to say yes even when you think you want to say no. Carl learns that he hasn’t just been saying no to others, he had been saying no to himself, and to a greater life. In the end he learns that saying no can also be a way of saying yes…yes to you.

My friend does not have Carl’s problem. She has a lifetime of saying yes. We could all learn a few things from her. Now, by getting clearer on what works for her, she is learning to say yes to herself.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Music Box Dancer

One of my all time favorite Christmas songs is Music Box Dancer. I used to have it in an album years ago. I went looking for a version online today and found it on youtube. I just love the Internet! I thought I’d share it here in case someone else might enjoy it. Merry Christmas everyone!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwQzg3tITT4

Saturday, December 6, 2008

The R Word

We’ve been dancing around the R word for quite some time. Finally this week, our president and financial experts admitted that we are in the midst of a recession. Well, just because the country is experiencing financial challenges doesn’t mean we have to plummet into fear. I am currently unemployed, yet I still feel abundant.

I prefer, instead, to focus my attention on another R word…Riches.

I am rich with friends who love me and support me in my spiritual journey. I am rich with time to spend in any way I choose. I am rich with creativity that I can share here in this blog, in my book, or any other way Spirit might direct. I am rich with good health. I am rich with love for my cats, my friends, my neighbors, my relatives, as well as those I have yet to befriend.

I have a wonderful place to live that is decorated just the way I like. I put up my Christmas tree yesterday with my niece Antoinette’s help, and I am thoroughly enjoying this holiday season. My cupboards are filled with wonderful food, and my car is filled with gas, and I have money in my bank account. Even without these things, I would choose to feel rich.

During these “difficult” financial times we can choose to focus on what we have, rather than what the world perceives that we don’t have. If we are experiencing issues with money…we can spend some time appreciating how rich we truly are right now. If money is what we want…we can know that we live in an abundant universe and whatever we need is coming to us.

Which R word are you choosing? Here is a wonderful song and video that might help you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8b2_1It_4k

Monday, December 1, 2008

Appreciating Winter


Well winter is here. While I enjoy a little snow now and then, I have never been a big fan of winter. I was raised in California where the winters were always pretty mild, and yet even so…I never looked forward to those big dips in temperature.


I realize that winter is a very necessary part of our earth’s ecosystem. I was married to a farmer who was always quick to remind me of the balances needed in nature. I have always taught about the need for wholeness and non-duality, so I know about the importance of winter. The dark and cold of winter is but the polar opposite of light and warmth. You can’t have one without the other; they are a part of the whole. Knowing this helps somewhat, yet I usually find myself initially resisting the changes when they come.


However, it doesn’t take me long to start the list of good things to remember about this time of year. There is snowfall, and I am lucky to live now where it snows just the right amount. Even in California I was able to drive to the snow to go downhill skiing. You can’t do that in hot weather! There is sipping hot chocolate while sitting in front of a fire—how I love my fireplace! There is snuggling up with my cats. They seem to want to snuggle more when it’s cold. Callie is leaning against my arm now, making typing a tad bit difficult…LOL.


Then of course there is my favorite part of winter…Christmas! I love Christmas and everything about it. I am going to decorate my tree this week. So, once again I am reminded that winter is a vital part of my life experience, and I am grateful for all of life. How about you?


Click on comments and tell me some of your favorite things about winter.