Following Your Destiny

Affirmation:  I am following my destiny.

At 7:00 p.m. on September 9th of this year, 2014, at Barnes and Noble in Cary, NC., I'm going to have a book signing of my book, Creating PositiveAffirmations, Living an Intentional Life.  It's my first event of this type and I've been asking others for advice about what to say.  Most people tell me to explain why I wrote the book.  The book has developed from writing this blog, Creating Positive Affirmations.  Why did I begin writing a blog?  I didn't know how to blog and to be honest I'd never even read a blog but I understood the concept and I had found such strength and peace by creating my affirmations, I wanted others to have that same sense of well-being.  I began writing with the hope that I would make a positive difference in other lives.  I decided that even if my writing only helped one other person, I would consider it a success.

Have you ever had the seed of an idea that you nurtured and then saw it grow?  I believe we all have had the experience of getting an idea and wondering if it's worth investing in.  I'm sure there have been both good and bad ideas that people came up with and went ahead with.  Have you seen the movie or the play The Producers?  It revolves around two men whose idea it is to produce a flop of a play in order to keep all the investment money.  To them it seems like a great idea and they go to all sorts of lengths to make sure the play will not succeed.  They buy an offensive musical script about Hitler, hire a terrible actor to play the lead and get a group of inept performers for the chorus.  It's so bad, it's funny and it becomes an immediate success.  Now, they are in trouble.  It's one example of a bad idea.  Certainly, there are many other examples of bad idea especially those terrible ideas that injure another in any way.   

There are, however, many many examples of good ideas.  Have you see the car commercial when they show all the great businesses that began in a garage?  Amazon, Apple, Google, Disney, Hewlett Packard, Mattel and Harley Davidson are just a few, not to mention all the famous bands that began in garages.  I find it inspirational that some people are willing to listen to those inner urgings and follow through with creating something new and wonderful.   

I've had at least two obvious times in my life, other than when I chose to marry Sandy, when I followed that inner voice, or maybe God's voice and seen something wonderful come about.  The first of these was the creation of the Pink Ribbon Yoga Retreat.  At the time of this entry we are just finishing our tenth retreat, thirty four women breast cancer survivors attended for four days at the NC beach.  The seed of the idea was planted in me and it must have been meant to be because once it began to take root, it grew and grew until we now have this wonderful yearly event to benefit any woman who wants to come who has been treated for breast cancer.  It's been miraculous. 
 

The second time was when I kept writing this blog until I had enough entries to put together into a book.  I've listened to many people share their desire to write a book.  I never had that desire.  While I love to sit and journal, that's just for me.  It's my way of centering, clearing and focusing.  I don't concern myself with the grammar or the punctuation.  I just write.  I love the feel of the ball point pen on the paper and watching the miracle of the words appearing on the paper.  Writing for an audience was never part of my plan but here I sit   Sometimes there are things we are simply supposed to do.  I am supposed to write about affirmations.  I am supposed to share with others my failings and fears and challenges and how I've come to not just handle those imperfections, but how I am able to neutralize them or perhaps even turn them into blessings.  I consider myself to be a fairly normal average person and I believe if I can make myself better off because I've found a way to perceive life from a positive perspective, most people will also be able to accomplish that and if I can be of service to even one person and maybe to many more, then that's what I'm supposed to do and so I write. This is my 185th blog post.

I write with the hope that I lift the spirits and the hopes of anyone who chooses to take the time to read these pages, who chooses to read my book.  I write because I feel like it's my responsibility, my mission, my destiny.  I know I cannot cure the world but I can offer what I have learned about hope and about the the tools necessary to live a fuller, richer more blessed life.  May these words and stories do just that for you.  May they give you the gifts of peace and strength and make the world seem less onerous and more beautiful.  May these words empower you and may they help bring you to a place of serenity and hope. 

Developing a Sense of Appreciation

Affirmation: I have an attitude of appreciation for all things.

The yoga class at Rex Wellness here in Cary had just begun when our teacher, Karin Johnson, invited us to "take an intention."  She then suggested "appreciation." Gratitude had been coming to me lately as the intention for my practice. I am in a place of delightful bliss these last few weeks.  It feels marvelous.  It's Spring as I sit and write.  The singing birds and flowering trees, bushes and plants have filled my ears with music and my vision with the color and miracle of new birth.  Presently life holds the promise of a joy filled wedding celebration for that of my youngest daughter, Ellen and her sweetheart, Adam O'Sullivan.  We have been preparing and planning for the warm welcome and entertainment of our family, dear friends and new family to be from all over the world.  We have gifts, food, hugs and smiles ready and waiting.  My spiritual director, Sister Judy Hallock, also invited me to "take an intention."  This time it was to be for the upcoming celebrations and to hold it for the events and for all those who would be involved in the celebrations. 

When I spoke with Sister Judy about the upcoming wedding I told her I was simply staying calm and allowing it to unfold in its own way.  I am more than happy to be intimately involved in the support of the celebration but both Sandy and I recognize that this is Ellen and Adam's wedding, not ours.  We feel our role is to help them make their dream come true, not to force our preferences upon them, even if we could.  Sister Judy, however, changed my focus.  An intention of sitting back and letting the events simply unfold was not enough.  She suggested I hold the week and all those who were helping us celebrate "in Divine Light."  I was ready for this guidance.  I know about blessing events well before they begin.  I've prayed for our Pink Ribbon Yoga Retreat, any workshops or classes I present, and all the communities in which I'm involved.  I pray for the people individually and as a group.  I pray for blessings and that the time spent is only to their benefit.  I've done this for many many years.  I seldom enter into an event in which I'm either responsible for or in which I'm simply a participant, without having held that event in prayer.  Does it change how the event or the meeting goes?  It changes it for me and I am sure I bring an attitude of joyful expectation rather than skepticism or worse, and that has to make a positive difference.  Now, I needed to do the same for the wedding of two of my favorite people.  They've been together for over fifteen years.  My husband and I are overjoyed that they have decided to make this public commitment to one another and to their world.

When Karin suggested we take "appreciation" as our intention, I wondered how that would be different from "gratitude" so I decided to give it a try.  Later that day NPR had an interview with a man who had developed a mechanical spoon that allowed people to eat who had Parkinson's disease or any other tremor illness.  It was explained that people with that type of condition cannot feed themselves.  I had never thought about that disability.  Immediately I remembered my intention from my class and appreciated the fact that I wasn't faced with that challenge.  Recently I had also heard of Non-24, a disorder affecting the totally blind.  It's a sleep disorder with which they struggle because they can't tell the difference between day and night.  I wondered what other things I take for granted that may be a challenge for another?  My appreciation of the lack of struggle my life presently holds instantly surged.  I thought of all the friends and relatives I know about and for whom I am holding in prayer and was again appreciative.  Really, when I look around the world and see what so many people have to deal with, I am in awe of the blessings of my life.  I have no reason to complain or to be ungrateful about anything.  It seems appreciation and grateful easily go together and I just needed a boost and Karin's suggestion helped heighten my sense of gratitude.  

By holding our upcoming celebrations in Divine Light I have found I have a heightened sense of appreciation and gratitude for these events and all the blessings I know will emerge during this time.  I also expect the weather to be perfect.  I expect there to not be any glitches or bumps in the actual event.  I expect all the guests will behave appropriately and there will be complete harmony among everyone in the family.  Just teasing!  What has already happened because of my new intention is I have a peaceful, joyful heart.  I am expecting the best and am at peace with whatever that may look like.  I am writing this with an anticipation filled with the excitement of the union of Ellen and Adam and of the blessings that will emerge from the union of our two families. 

Thank you, Karin.  Thank you, Sister Judy.  Thank you, Loving God for the gift of Divine Light.  I fully appreciate it and already feel its presence pouring forth blessings on the upcoming weeks. 

Setting An Intention

Affirmation: 2014 is dedicated as "The Year of Divine Connection."

It's January 2014, the beginning of a new year.  I've already visited and examined the past year and now I want to look forward.  Of course, I don't know what whims of fate await me but I've stocked the tool box with tons of coping skills so I'm not going to go forward in fear.  I am going forward in faith and with joyful expectation.  What would you expect from someone who writes about Positive Affirmations?  Last year was a good year.  When I answered the 1st of last week's blog questions about the hardest thing I had to do, the answer wasn't really all that difficult.  It was a lot better than some years that's for sure.  After I wrote the answer I actually felt myself smiling at how blessed I am. 

Many years ago I owned a refrigerator sized calendar that had the entire year on one piece of paper.  I loved that calendar.  I loved looking at the whole year ahead and planning our adventures and special occasions.  I still like to look at the year ahead but now it's all on my computer.  Somehow it doesn't feel as satisfying but I'm adjusting. 

Taking an intention is a regular part of a yoga practice.  I've expanded that to my "off the mat" practice.  I sometimes take an intention for the day. It's pretty cool when it appears in my daily journal.  We take an intention for each of the Pink Ribbon Yoga Retreats.  We've just begun the planning for this year's retreat.  I'm very excited to see what will appear.  It usually comes fairly quickly as the committee discusses on that which they'd like to focus.  Last year was the first time I decided to set a personal intention for the whole year.  I declared 2013 "The Year of Love." 

I have always loved the color yellow.  I live in a yellow "submarine."  It makes me feel happy and yet I still feel grounded when I'm in a yellow room.  Not all yellows, however, it's more buttery than gold.  I've usually added other colors to punch it up, like hot pink or purple.  For the last few months I've had an attraction to the color green.  I mention this because it's a new phase.  In the past I have avoided green.  There wasn't any green inside my home or in my wardrobe.  Now, I've painted my office apple green. I've added a Kelly green print to a couch and then I went crazy and chose green granite for the renovated kitchen.  Nothing I had in the former kitchen went with the green color but I was irresistibly drawn to it and I just relaxed and let it happen.  Why I wondered was this shift taking place?  I was discussing my intention for 2013 with a wise yogi and mentioned my new bent towards the green color.  She reminded me about the chakra colors.  Guess what color the heart chakra is!  Yup, it's green. 

I'd like to believe that my dedication to The Year of Love led to more than just an attraction to green and a new decorating scheme.  Personal growth and internal development is a slow process.  It's just like most other changes one is attempting.  They take time.  There are subtle differences that may not even be perceived for a long time.  It's like that with our affirmations.  We choose them carefully, write them, read them, perhaps say them to ourselves and let them slowly permeate our subconscious and eventually our cellular structure.  Then one day we respond to a situation differently than we had in the past, in a way that affirms us, not diminishes us and we realize our affirmation has manifested. 

As I looked forward to 2014 I had trouble deciding on what besides love was important enough to focus on for a whole year.  I thought about choosing faith as a focus and I considered forgiveness but neither of those felt right.  I do however; want to keep a focus on forgiveness.  One of my affirmations is, I freely forgive myself and others.  And, I do want my faith to grow. I attended a retreat many years ago with my friend Ann Baucom and her spiritual director.  I was going over those notes very recently and there was the spiritual direction for which I was looking.  It entreated me to let my

faith grow not because of a sense of obedience or even a sense of belonging but because it is rooted in experience.  Faith doesn't only increase because of our religious experiences although it is possible but for many, me included, my faith experiences happen both in and outside of church and that's exactly what I want.  I want to see the moon and the stars, I want to feel the sun warm my skin, I want to relish holding someone's hand, I want to hear the bird's song and the ocean's road and I want in that experience to feel God's presence.  I want to feel connected to the Divine.  I'd like to be connected at all times but this is a mediation, a practice.  In order for me to achieve this relationship, this intention, I need to pay close attention and focus on my ultimate desire.  Yes, that is something I would be willing to spend a year cultivating, even a lifetime.  I have dedicated 2014 as The Year of Connecting to the Divine. 

What are you willing to dedicate of year of your life towards?  Perhaps, it's not one phrase; perhaps you have a list of intentions.  I have one of them too.  It hasn't changed from last year. It reminds me of God's bounty and of the truth that I cannot fathom the riches that can be found once we connect to the Divine. My ideal life always includes optimal health but good health and an ideal life require more than care for the body, the body will cease to exist one day no matter how well I care for it.  I need to focus on the spirit too.  As in past January months I carefully considered what my ideal life would include.  I have carefully crafted ten intentions. 

Pray Unceasingly

Forgive Continually

Accept and Give Love Freely

Hug Whenever Possible

Learn Constantly

Dance Often

Eat Mindfully

Recognize the Shadows

Smile Early, Laugh Daily

Be Grateful, Always and for All Things

Happy New Year!  May your year be filled with abundant blessings, prosperity and joy.  Take some time and write down your intentions.  Won't it be wonderful when you do your 2014 review, if you find you've manifested your dreams and aspirations?