There's No Such Thing as Reality. There's Only Perception.

When the student is ready, the teacher appears. I am in charge of what I say. You are in charge of what you hear. What WE hear is of an entirely different nature, for when our ears become unified, nothing compares. Only the EGO can notice ego. We all have it, I suppose, but so what? There is a unifying principle that happens when we release our hearing to our HP. Our HP meets us where we are at. As my Spiritual Advisor (RIP) used to tell me, "We don't get ready to meet God. We meet God to get ready. The world is addicted to judgment, but WE can reshape OUR perception through Surrender.

Self Limitation

In my early twenties, I was sickly for a variety of reasons, one of them being a heavy smoker. I got a trainer and started exercising. I could not bench press 45 pounds, I weighed maybe 130 pounds at 6' 0", and could not run twenty feet without fighting for breath. My trainer started to teach me a wide variety of disciplines, including boxing. He said to exercise like I was actually in the ring, because then when I am actually in the ring, it would seem easy compared to a person that didn't push themselves to the maximum during training. I coughed blood but kept running when I caught my breath. It was excruciating! I slowly grew stronger and stayed committed to my routines. Three years later, I was lapping athletes on the track. After about four years, I ran two consecutive 1-mile runs, both in under 4-minutes. When I ran the first mile under 4, my trainer said there must be something wrong with the stopwatch and told me to do it again. I balked but did as he instructed. I ran the mile again, and that's when he said I did it in under 4...both times. He was amazed! I was tired. I bet had he told me I did it under 4 the first time, I would not have done it again. I thought it would be IMPOSSIBLE to run an under 4 mile. But it goes to show that we are capable of more than what we give ourselves credit for. So don't talk yourself out of success! This was a great article, and it reminded me that I need to drop my self-sabotage with speaking too.

Morning Ritual (because not all habits are bad)

“I paint not by sight but by faith.  Faith gives you sight.”  Amos Ferguson

 

The way we start our day can make or break us.  How do you start your day?

Here's how I start mine.  When I awake in the morning and open my eyes, I also open my heart, mind and spirit with an “Attitude of Gratitude,” thanking my Higher Power for another day of life.  Regardless of what might be happening in my life, this is my law od self-care. 

 

How did I get inspired to take this course of action?  Well, I initiated this Morning Ritual as a result of hearing Chris Berg speak at a Mother Against Drunk Driving Victim Impact Panel.  A drunk driver hit Chris, and she incurred severe brain trauma in the crash, losing all of her memory from the point of impact backward.  She did not remember her family and friends, fiancé, the fact that she was a manager for a store, or valedictorian education, pets, etc.  Chris went through hell to get her life back.  She is now married and has a beautiful daughter.  Chris said, “Every morning when I wake up when my feet hit the floor, I thank God for another day of living.”  Chris is a fantastic role model.  I figure if Chris can do it, then maybe I can do it too.  From that day forward I have been thanking God for another day of living every morning that I wake up.  Thanks for that Chris.

 

Next, I grab a pen and paper so I can take notes, and turn on encouraging programming. I spent the next half-hour listening and processing ideas to give me strength.  I pray and meditate upon how I can use what I learned to help someone in the day ahead.  “If you want to keep that you gotta give it away.”

 

Then I turn to my daily readings.  At the time of this transcription, this morning, I read from The Artist’s Way, A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity”.” Then I read my daily reflection on Facebook, written by Karen Casey.  Lastly,  I look for ways to offer encouragement to someone in need.  Every good thing in my life has come as a direct result of helping others, so it’s a win/win to give and receive love for healing.

 

Finally, I turned to my prayer list, and let the spirit and lead me in what to pray. 

 

Now I’m ready to meet my day with gratitude and vigor.Love is my religion. Action is my Gospel.  Laughter is my Holy Spirit.  Now, make someone’s day magical.

Truth and Trust: the Art of Connection

Truth without compassion is cruelty. Say what you mean, mean what you say, but don't say it mean.

We had just shy of 100 professionals committed to helping youth attending the YIPA event today.  Some folks from 180 Degrees showed up and talked about Britany's House, which in my estimation is the best thing that ever happened in Minnesota. They help Sex-Trafficked girls have a chance to just be girls again!


We also had four women from MCF-Shakopee come in from the Challenge Incarceration Program, and they were spectacular! It is so uplifting to see people turn their lives around and find support in the system that is GENUINE. Sargeant James Churchill accompanied them; I have heard him present on several occasions at various Minnesota Correctional Association trainings. He's the REAL DEAL!


We did have some Minnesota Representatives show up, so I know there is interest in helping fund Youth Intervention. Paul Meunier, thanks for all you do with YIPA! I'm proud to be a member of your wonderful organization!

Robin Williams Story

The captioned story is unverified, but who cares if it's true or not?  Yes, the truth will set us free, but our healed perception of the truth allows us to see God's Messengers everywhere we cast our eye.

This story yields great compassion within us, and that's a beautiful thing. True or not, it is like our own lives. There's what happened to us and what we THINK happened to us. Perception is everything. I do not possess a Universal Skeleton Key to unlock the secret temples of the human mind, but like Houdini who spent hours struggling to unlock an open door, we eventually realize freedom is an inside job.

Convergence & Synchronicity

Convergence & Synchronicity have been powerful in my life, so I celebrate your words, even where words fail. The heart of a word is rarely seen, for it is buried beneath the soil and would not take root sitting on a museum relic shelf on display. Yet we love to see the seed and meditate on its beauty; but the plant that bore the seed is sometimes forgotten. Remember what unlocked your heart in the first place, and treasure that moment, even if the catalyst has long since passed. The poem I sent you, Since Feeling Is First, was told to me by my lover who has since passed. She drank herself into the next world, but her healing powers will never be forgotten by me. I wish she could have healed herself. She said I was the Healer, but we both were. You, Melanie, might be a Healer, too. Right? A Healer is someone who had something to heal from, and then passes it on, planting the seeds of forgiveness, peace & love. You are a beautiful soul and I felt your innocent power. We are all innocent, but so few among us ever touch that part of ourselves, so we need to transform ourselves into Messengers of Remembering...remember who we really are and not what the world has said we are. It's an honor and a privilege to have played a small part in your recognition of being on your Sacred Path.

YESterday and NOtoday...WHILE OTHERS SLEPT

We are so much more capable than what we permit ourselves. In my twenties, I ran two consecutive 1-mile runs, with maybe a 30-second break in-between, in under 4-minutes. My trainer said something was wrong after I ran the first one, thinking he did something wrong with the stopwatch and told me to run it again. I balked, saying I just ran a mile at my fastest and was winded, but he told me to "do it again", so I ran that a mile again. Afterward and with an incredulous look on his face, that's when he let me know I ran the mile in under 4 minutes...twice.

I didn't believe I was physically capable of that. Three years earlier when I started running, I could not run 30-conconds at any speed, it seemed.  I had been a heavy smoker and had not eaten right for about a year.  I was frail and sickly.  My trainer kept pushing me and I keep pushing myself.  I would stop and cough blood, but then would start running again.  In time my lungs and legs improved.  I quit saying NO and kept pushing myself to excellence.  When running track, others in training would call me names as I lapped them.  I remember two athletes talking as I lapped them, one saying I would run out of steam and they would still be running.  I continued lapping them until they quit.  

When we had a heat wave that had everyone inside, the National Guard was called to bring the populace fans, I was outside running track.  That day, I admit drinking a lot of water and jogging in a very slow, controlled pace, but I was out there.  I didn't believe it was too hot, so it wasn't.  That's the way it works.

But I know how I am.  Looking back, had my trainer told me I did the first mile under 4-minutes, I would have run slower the second time. I also did other things I had no idea my body was capable of.

What I am saying has little to do with "me". This is not an exercise in narcissism.  I believe we all underachieve, telling ourselves stories that reduce us to a "believable" level. Ironically, when we walk tall, some people will want to cut our head off to make us the same height as everyone else, because THEY don't believe they can do it.

But they (we) CAN do it, whatever it is, beyond our limiting or learned beliefs.  It might require serious training and patience, wading through the pains of perception, but just count your blessing and power through it with a smile.

A woman wrote a book titled, "While Others Slept".  She was a single mom holding a full-time job and going to school full time.  She earned a degree and proved it could be done...while others slept

PHOENIX 490 MEETUP GROUP

I'll be starting a MeetUp Group for monthly meetings, too. Open to the public. The name is based on Matthew 18: 21-22.

"Ignis aurum probat, miseria fortes homines." ~Seneca (fire refines or 'tries' gold, and Trials by Fire refines humans)

PHOENIX 490 is for people who have or are turning coal into diamonds, lead into gold, and for some of us transforming tragedy into triumph. No matter how far down the scale we may have gone in life, our experiences can benefit others. Be the change.

Great Recovery Story from My Friend, Fred Hundt!

Here's his Story:

"Good Morning, Favored Birdbrains. I posted the story of Screwdriver the wild turkey four years ago. I'd like to share it again.

When I left treatment, I lived in a sober house for about half a year. It was recommended by my treatment counselors, but I approached it with fear and trepidation. What would it be like? Would I get along with my housemates? Would I freak out from loneliness? It turned out to be a very important experience for me, and I learned quite a bit. One of my lessons came from an unlikely source.

I went for a walk early the first morning. As I stepped out the door, I was confronted by two wild turkeys, good-sized toms, who followed me for about half a block. I felt unnerved, but just kept walking and talked quietly to them. I learned from a housemate that there were several wild turkeys that lived in the woods behind the house. He fed them corn every day, and they tended to approach anything appearing human in search of food.

After a month or so, I had developed a great relationship with the turkeys. They would follow me down the street, but never more than a block. They’d come out to see me when I was getting in my car or coming home. My friend and I could sit at the dining room table after breakfast and watch the entire turkey family eat and carry on.
One day, we noticed something sticking out of the neck of one of the toms. It was a large screwdriver! Some jerk had stabbed the turkey. We were sure it would be a fatal wound. We tried to get close to the bird to remove it, but he (understandably) was not going to let a human get within reach of him.

Over the succeeding weeks, “Screwdriver” the turkey surprised us. He came and went as usual. He showed up looking for food in the morning. He and his buddy “The Other One” would still walk down the street behind me. He would chase away the younger birds when they got too close to him. Once some people from the business across the street tried to trap him with a blanket to pull the screwdriver out, but he eluded their grasp. Then, one day, the screwdriver was gone. Did it fall out? Did someone pull it out? We never found out.

I began to notice the similarities between Screwdriver and me. Though I was now sober, I still felt I was carrying my addiction like a screwdriver through the neck. It was always there, and others might have thought it would eventually kill me. But Screwdriver the turkey taught me to just go about my life, living it one day at a time. If I focused on accepting life on life’s terms, eventually I could heal around the blade.

Screwdriver didn’t complain about his impediment. He didn’t say “oh, I can’t do this.” He didn’t stop doing the things that a turkey should do. By going on with his life, he eventually healed to the point where the blade could fall out or be removed (maybe by his Higher Power).

The turkey taught me something else. He could have been rid of the screwdriver earlier if he had been willing to trust others to help him. He avoided letting we humans get too close because a human had been the source of his injury. I, too, could heal faster if I trusted the right people and let them get close to me. I started opening up with others I met through AA. I found a good sponsor. I listened to the stories of others and tried to learn from their experiences.

After several months, I realized that I wasn’t carrying my addiction around anymore. My “screwdriver” was gone. I could focus on learning to live this new life before me, and I didn’t need to dwell in addiction thinking. Did my “screwdriver” fall out or was it removed? I’m sure the hand of my Higher Power was involved. I had learned the lesson he sent me via Screwdriver the turkey.

I stop back at the sober house from time to time, to see my friend there. I get updates from him on the turkeys and, I’m pleased to say, Screwdriver is doing fine. And now there are several "mini-drivers" running around the yard."

Today's Thoughts

I've been busy with Unemployment, even busier than when I had a 9-5.  Maybe it just feels that way.  

After viewing my Vision Board, which I decided to rename, My Experience Board (imagine it so clearly, your "Vision" becomes an experience), I went on to other duties.  I have had a focus of chasing down Ray Bradbury quotes from Fahrenheit 451, starting with, “It’s really weird when your present catches up to your future.”  

Here's more great food for thought from the book:  

“If you hide your ignorance, no one will hit you, and you'll never learn.”

“We cannot tell the precise moment when friendship is formed. As in filling a vessel drop by drop, there is, at last, a drop which makes it run over; so in a series of kindnesses there is at last one which makes the heart run over.” 

“The magic is only in what books say, how they stitched the patches of the universe together into one garment for us.” 

“It doesn't matter what you do...so long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that's like you after you take your hands away.” 

Great quotes, eh?

This Week at a Glance

This week looks interesting.  Aside from the typical work on my book for publishing and seeking speaking jobs, here's what's going on this week:

Monday, I attend my weekly Toastmasters Tri-Dynamics meeting in Minnetonka at 6 PM, located at Morrie's Cadillac; we are having our club contest tonight.

Tomorrow night I attend my monthly Tuesday ToastMaster meeting, Club name Leadership Summit, located at 6700 Excelsior Blvd, Excelsior, MN, 55426.

On Wednesday night I am going to an IONS meeting where they will be doing tests on people to see if they are psychic or not. As a scientific test, it should be interesting.  

Thursday I attend my monthly Artist's Way meeting.  

Friday morning, 8:30-noon, it's off to the Minnesota National Speaker's Association Training, located at 5418 Wayzata Blvd, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55416.  The training is on How to Book More Business in a Challenging Economy, instructed by Lois Creamer, located at The Metropolitan Ballroom, 5418 Wayzata Blvd, 55416 Minneapolis.  

Saturday at 4:30 PM, I'm speaking for the Hennepin County One-Day Program for MADD, located at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 3 Appletree Square, Bloomington, MN 55425.  

Sunday, it's off to Center City to the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation to volunteer for the monthly Second Sunday Program.  Paul Anderson will be speaking.  He is the manager of programs and spiritual care at the Dan Anderson Renewal Center.  His speech title is 'The Spiritual Life Is Not a Theory: We Have to Live It'.  

Mornings in My World & Week at a Glance

Gratitude changes everything.  Therefore, I begin each day, as soon as my feet hit the floor, thanking God for another day. If a negative thought arises, I Immediately redirect my attention something positive. I do my best to not waste time thinking about things I don't like or don't want in my life.  I don't allow a feeling to settle into my body that I would want to create as a future.  As a person thinks in their heart, so are they.  

Next, I spend time with my Vision Board to get a clearer focus on what I want to create. Sometimes I will listen to a TedX on YouTube, watch a GAIA interview on an interesting topic, or listen to an audiobook that uplifts me spiritually.

Then I go downstairs and make a cup of ORGANO Coffe, then migrate to my computer to read Karen Casey's daily posting on Facebook, based on her book, Meditations for Practicing the Course.  I sometimes write about where the reading takes me, but usually only look on my notifications to see if anyone reached out to me, and then respond.  Then, I listen to about 15-20 minutes from The Morning Coach, JB Glossinger.  Lastly, I pick up Julia Cameron's 'The Artist's Way, A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity', and either write 'Morning Pages', or at least read a quote or section from the book.

Of course, I give my baby a hug and drink my morning smoothie, made with much yummy goodness.  I drink some 'Youngevity' Tangy Tangerine, by Joel Wallach, too.

MADD Speech for Park Avenue Treatment Center

The audience was receptive and 19 people signed up for my email list.  I love speaking to Hennepin County One Day Program audiences because they tend to be more representative of the population pool in which I live.  I live in South Minneapolis, Corcoran Neighborhood.  I always look forward to this venue, because I can address racism, plans/goals, social issues, and have the freedom to bring a broad message to audiences.  The MADD messages are always addressed, of course, and making clear the consequences of choices that drinking and driving can effect.  

Interesting Day (Second Chance Coalition & Hay House Radio Call to JB Glossinger

 

This morning, we were at Second Chance Coalition on the Hill today (St. Paul, Capitol Building in the Rotunda)! First, I want to thanks to Randy Anderson of Second Chances, and Christen Munn from the Minnesota Community Corrections Association! It was also great hearing Attorney Mark Haase speak! I noticed my friend Earl Miller showed up from Amicus Services of VOA Minnesota and Wisconsin, as did Steve Nelson from VOA, a long-time activist! :-) I would also like to thank Colleen Dorsey for stepping up to the plate to help with her HR skills, and a special thank you to my Senator Patricia Torres Ray for all of her hard work! The Senator from Detroit Lakes, Kent Eken, agreed to help with our cause, too! Thank you, one and all!

After I arrived home, I prepared to follow through on an agreement to call Hay House Radio, for a program titled, "The Morning Coach," hosted by JB Glossinger.  He fielded some questions I posed regarding reinventing my career, notwithstanding the felonious choices I've made in life. He had some great suggestions upon which I will absolutely follow through on.  

Since I live my life for others, I asked, at the end of my call, what I can do for him, and he said, "Nothing. I'm happy." Well obviously, that is awesome, as I intuit he has a heart of service. However, I wanted to give him something, anyway, so I wrote him the following story that touched my heart:

Some years ago, Mother Teresa was being interviewed on a Portland Radio station. She was promoting a new Homeless Shelter. At the end of the show, they said, (close quote), 'Mother Teresa, you have lived your life trying to help others. What can we (we, being there were two radio talk show hosts) do for you?' She answered, "What you can do for me is that you go find someone who feels utterly alone, and then convince them that they are not alone. That's what you can do for me."

I love you.  Pass it on.  If you don't tell at least three people a day that you love them, you have probably wasted a day of your life.

SIGNS OF A SPIRITUAL AWAKENING

The following is a take on “12 Symptoms of a Spiritual Awakening”, author unknown.

1.  A tendency to let things happen rather than force solutions or impose harmony.  ASSIGNMENT:  Say what you, mean, mean what you say, but don’t say it mean. Why? Because truth without compassion is cruelty. 

2.  Frequent spells of smiling.  ASSIGNMENT:  Go do something childlike (not to be confused with childish).  Skip down the sidewalk and giggle gleefully!  Remember, it’s not illegal to be crazy.  It’s only illegal to act crazy.  Though walking that balancing beam can be fun!

3.  Feelings of being connected to nature.  ASSIGNMENT:  Maybe find time alone to meditate in the forest, or grab a friend and go for a walk in a park.

forrest light.jpg

4.  Frequent overwhelming episodes of appreciation.  If you don’t tell at least three people a day that you love them, you’ve probably wasted a day of your life.    ASSIGNMENT:   Go find those three people (pets and plants counts, too)!

5.  A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than from fears based on past experience.  ASSIGNMENT:  Imagine standing between two mirrors.  The mirror on your left represents the past, the one on your right, the future.  If you want to change your perception of the past, simply shift your angle of perception.  Everything changes!

mirrors.jpg

6.  "An unmistakable ability to appreciate each moment." Of course, there are some moments in life that are less than ‘enjoyable’...but if we can see the good in them, perhaps then we can appreciate them as necessary and helpful. Even pain is beautiful if we see it from a Surrendered Beautiful Mind. ASSIGNMENT:  Look for the good and you’ll find it. "An unmistakable ability to appreciate each moment." There are some moments in life that are less than enjoyable...but if I can see the good in them, I can appreciate them as necessary and helpful.

Look-For-The-Good.jpg

7.  A loss of ability to worry. ASSIGNMENT:  If you’re going to worry, why pray?  If you’re going to pray, why worry?  “The door to hell is [opened only from] the inside.”  CS Lewis

cs lewis hell.jpg

8.  A loss of interest in conflict.  ASSIGNMENT: Forgive not because someone deserves forgiveness, but because you deserve peace.  “Do not think of knocking out another person's brains because he differs in opinion from you. It would be as rational to knock yourself on the head because you differ from yourself ten years ago.” Horace Mann

forgiveness.jpg

9.  A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.  ASSIGNMENT: Relax.

10.  A loss of interest in judging others.  ASSIGNMENT:  Although the world seems to be addicted to judgment, don’t get into a pissing contest with a skunk over it!  Remember that when you point your finger at someone, you have three fingers pointing back at you.  “Judging others is easy because it distracts us from the responsibility of judging ourselves.” Charles F. Glassman

Trial by Fire Don't Judge.jpg

11.  A loss of interest in judging self.  ASSIGNMENT:  Give yourself a break.  “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”  ee cummings

12.  Gaining the ability to love without expecting anything in return.  ASSIGNMENT:  Read The More Loving One, a poem by WH Auden.

The More Loving One.png

Facing Adversity (Higher Trust) ~ a Story from the Orphanage

There are such things as miracles, IMO.  Please know that the following is my experience.  I am not Catholic, am not promoting Christianity or a belief in God, but rather just tell a story and let you make up your own mind.

I was 12 years old when the state of Minnesota removed me from foster care. I was placed in a Catholic orphanage named St. James, located in Duluth, Minnesota. Having watched too many movies, I feared that nuns would cruelly rap my knuckles with a ruler if I did anything wrong.  Fortunately, that never happened. Actually, I am indebted to the Catholics for affording me the only two years of true childhood I had known. 

The orphanage had its own school within its confines. The orphanage’s educational staff believed it to be in my best interest to attend a public school, so they enrolled me in Woodland Junior High. They told me that they thought I could succeed there. I was excited to try it.

I am not sure why, but I had been grappling with and meditating upon the concepts of Agnosticism. The idea that maybe God might not exist intrigued me, but my heart and spirit objected to this. My faith in God ebbed and flowed through my younger years. When I started attending junior high school, I began to believe and have a committed faith and trust in God. Trusting and loving God made me feel extremely loved.

Although I believed in God, I did not believe in attending my math class. One fine morning, I persuaded a kid to skip class with me. We went up to a place called “The Rock”, a place where some kids would hang out sneak a cigarette, smoke pot, or simply skip math class as we were doing.

While we were talking and enjoying the morning sun, two other school kids came up to “The Rock”. When I saw them, I became frightened because one of them was a well-known bully. The bully said something mean to me, but I decided to practice my new God-centeredness and not respond. I remembered how Jesus did not take offense when someone treated him poorly. My lack of response made him angry, so he said something even crueler to me. I again chose to hold my peace. He then asked me a spiteful question, to which I remained silent.

The bully leaned over and picked up a softball-sized rock, and said that if I did not answer his question, he was going to "smash in" my face. Out of the blue I responded, “Go ahead. It won't hit me.” I was shocked at the words that just came out of my mouth. It was as if the words were not coming from me, but through me. I did indeed believe that God would protect me, yet I must admit that I still had fear. The bully looked taken aback at my response, and then demanded, “Why not?” To which I answered, “Because God won't let it”.

Fear crept into the bully's face; he glanced at his visibly frightened friend, and then looked back at me. I saw a hardness creep back into his face that reflected an unwillingness to bear humiliation and fear in front of his friend. With his right hand, the bully raised the stone up, and leaning back much like a baseball pitcher, launched the stone straight at my face. The bully was perhaps 15 feet away from me when he threw the rock.

As the rock flew straight toward my face, I almost flinched. My instinct was to move my head and avoid the oncoming rock. Instead, I chose to trust God, which led to a solid calm within me. As the rock came at me, it seemed to be moving in slow motion. I watched the rock’s trajectory change in a graceful curve away from my face, gliding past my right cheekbone by a narrow margin. Had I flinched per my instinct, I would have moved into the path of that rock.

The bully gawked at me with obvious astonishment. I locked my grateful and confident eyes on his. His little friend looked both fearful and amazed at what he had witnessed. He also looked relieved. As for the bully, he turned on his heel and walked briskly away with his friend in tow.

I rejoiced in my heart for the protection that God offered me that day. I will never forget it. I am happy at this opportunity to witness to you, the reader, that trust in God produces results in the bridge of perception. The beautiful and sometimes invisible shield of safety that God gives to those who believe has astounded people for centuries.

I wonder what, if any, difference it made in the lives of the three young people who witnessed what happened that day. I am curious if it became part of the bully and his friend’s testimony or not? I guess I will never know for sure, but I do know it has become part of my life story.

My experience is that God is a loving God whose power aids those who want it. I hope and pray this story will gracefully turn aside any ‘rock’ thrown you way; may God’s love grace your heart and life with a testimony of trust in the midst of adversity.

Here’s to Living in the Soul-ution!