" No Harm ... "

I'm the true recluse, 

Blissful as a loner, 

And all that we have left

Is never lied for

Delivered on a word

Never near the target

Seen for what it was

And never eye to eye 

Baby there's no harm, 

There's no harm ... 

So watch what you say, 

There's a beast that's in me

~ Boxer Rebellion ~ No Harm ~

***

The more and more I hear the statement “do no harm, but take no shit”, I identify with it.  I realize that I am not that important, but what I do, matters.  And every single thought, intention or action has an effect.  Always.  

I always knew that life was too unpredictable to create bullshit, but learning not to take it from others is entirely different story.  And it is not about being a rude, inconsiderate, insensitive, impatient, angry ... ... it IS about choice.  

We equate peace with passivity and conflict with violence ... but how do we bring assertiveness within our peace and then how do we bring peace to personal conflicts?  How do we pause and wait out reactivity?  How do we give ourselves the opportunity to explore the infinities of other choices?

... practice non-action, remaining silent, taking a pause and letting things settle.  This may appear to be passive but it actually requires huge assertion, because it intercepts the expectations and anticipation of the outcome and focuses on the essence of what is ... 

A moment of hesitation, a moment of stillness, a moment of truth ... when you may respond avoiding regret.  We’ve all been there when as soon as it comes out of mouth, we wish it was still back in there. 

When our intentions come from a place of compassion, love, integrity and truth, no harm is possible.  This purity provides us a glimmer into the true essence of human nature.  We have it in us to do no harm when we operate from our higher self, rather than our ego.  

Plus there is always an opportunity to observe ego, yours or another, in action.  Indulgent feelings of righteousness as well as overbearing beliefs that “their” opinion must be shared and forced onto others.  Ironically, they don’t see this negative trait in themselves because they’re too focused on their belief that they are somehow justified and allowed to act that way.

Personally, I’d rather than be happy than right ...

www.walkstrong.ca

" Don't You Worry Child … "

“There was a time

I used to look into my father's eyes.

In a happy home

I was a king, I had a golden throne ...

Now the memory's on the wall.

I hear the songs

From the places where I was born ...

My father said,

"Don't you worry, don't you worry, child.

See heaven's got a plan for you.

Don't you worry, don't you worry now."

Yeah!”

~ Swedish House Mafia ~ Don’t You Worry Child ~

***

On my daily quest for eternal sunshine, I remind myself that life has ups and downs, we face the good and the bad, we witness the ugly and the beautiful ... day in and day out ... yet the only day, today, is the one to be concerned with.  

Today ... any person can battle just one day, any person.  It is when we add the burdens of those two other days that we can break down.  Those two other days ... yesterday & tomorrow.

remorse or bitterness of something which happened yesterday ...

dread of what tomorrow may bring ...

Do you reflect on yesterday(s) and see it’s mistakes, cares, faults, blunders, aches and pains … 

or do you see lessons, gifts and blessings?  

We cannot undo a single act we performed. 

We cannot erase a single word we said.

Does tomorrow bring burdens, lack of and poor prognosis … 

or do you see opportunities & possibilities?

You can only live one day at a time

Life is unpredictable not to enjoy each and every moment.  Realizing that our time is limited makes every moment even more important.  Yet knowing the importance of living in the moment and taking action is another.  

My spiritual practices has shown me that thoughts are not necessarily reality.  That when my mind is bogged down with concerns, worries, what-if thoughts and imagined scenarios ... I need to intervene, take control and not believe the potentially terrible outcomes my mind has presented ... why?  because I am still here in the most important moment, now.

Staying in the present requires recognizing the difference between what-ifs and what is.

The more we dwell on, the more it multiplies.  No day is going to be perfect but we can choose to focus more on the happy moments than on the painful ones.  

“If you worry about what might be, and wonder what might have been, you will ignore what is.”

" Energy ... "

In beauty or beast

Who's my character to be

I'm now covering

All the makeup that makes me

(Come on, come on, come on) ...

And all of your friends are now whispering

I think you left me for the government

And all of your friends, I hope are listening

I wish you'd stop sucking all my energy ...

(Energy, energy, energy, energy, oh)

I wish you'd stop wasting all my energy

(Energy, energy, energy, energy, oh)

I wish you'd stop wasting all my energy

~ Collective Soul ~ Energy ~

***

Ever notice that successful people have an energy about them.  And it is not just their physical energy but their “inner” energy.  Considering low energy, exhaustion and fatigue are at epidemic levels, it would probably be wise and start rebuilding our personal energy levels now.

So how do we get and maintain high level of personal energy?  Well the first thing is knowing that personal energy does come from within ... the real source is inside.

Opportunities create personal energy ... optimism.  

Consequence thinking creates “stuck-ness” ... pessimism.

It starts with taking care of Health.  Critical.  Good health provides the platform for high personal energy.  We all hear about how highly successful people have overcome very difficult physical and mental issues to create the energy necessary to succeed ... the key being opportunity thinking.

It involves Curiosity.  Curiosity also creates personal energy.  A sense of discovery or wanting to know more ... then taking action to gain knowledge.  It gets you out of a rut.  And I read somewhere that “the only difference between a rut and a grave is a rut's longer.”

It means Overcoming.  Overcoming the panel of “thems” as I refer to it ... you know the “theys” or “thems” that are invisible and sitting on your shoulders telling you to be careful, be afraid and give up.  Ignoring it is a small victory.  And knowing they will be back but also knowing you can overcome it if you keep your eyes on the prize.

It means Releasing worry.  Worry drains your energy and if you are a worrier, like me, or an over-thinker, mental exhaustion results.  Lift your worry by reciting   “May I be free of worry, May I be well, May I feel safe and at ease, May I be at peace”.

Check in and assess your level of energy.  There are infinite ways to increase this so find what works for you.  Commit yourself to taking action and use this to control your emotions.  Just begin by laughing, smiling and thinking about an opportunity ... and you may be amazed at how things may shift and lift your spirit.

" Willing and Able..."

Said I'm willin' and I'm able 

I'm ready 2 place my cards on the table  

I been holdin' back this feeling 4 far 2 long 

And now that I'm willin'  It's a fact ?

it's truly mighty strong ...

Oh Lord, I'm willin', willin', able (Willin', able) 

I wanna dance and sing, somebody watch me do my thing...

~ Prince ~ Willing and Able ~

***

The other day I was having a conversation with an individual from the oil and gas industry, where I have spent the majority of my working career.  I found myself telling them that I have been on “dis-ability” for the last year ... immediately they responded with “I am sorry to hear this”, for which I replied “oh no that’s okay”.  

As solemn as they were, I was the opposite.  My upbeat, positive expression stemmed from all the that I have gained from my illness experience.  Good things always come out of bad.  Along with the valuable lessons I have shared, my cancer diagnosis is an “ability” or “this-ability” and not a “dis-ability”.  

Cancer has given me the ability to re-address what matters in my life.  It has shown me my husbands true unconditional love.  It has given me the opportunity to improve my relationship with my family.  It has helped me appreciate life and the beauty around me.  It has allowed me to learn and grow as an individual.  It has helped me face my fears.  It has allowed me to find acceptance, courage and strength I didn’t know I had.  It has given me new confidence.  It has helped me further build character.  It has made me grateful for every day.  It has increased my faith in a Higher Power.  It has given me the ability to enjoy a break from working.  It has given me the push I need to do the things I had been putting off.  It has made me not waste time.  It has allowed me to see things with more clarity for what they really are.  It has aligned me with the right people in my life ... blessings.

We are all one day closer to dying, yet the difference is that someone in their great wisdom has given me an expiry date.  So it begs to differ, is better to know when and how or is ignorance bliss?  If you knew your expiry date and more importantly believed it, would you do things differently?  Would you be willing and able?

Prior to my diagnosis, I was reluctantly living my life, easily accepting defeat, and believing that I was unable to be whom I wanted to be.  Looking back, that was when I was living a real “dis-abled” life. Now more than ever, I am ready, willing and able.

“Dis-ease is solely and purely corrective; it is neither vindictive nor cruel, but it is the means adopted by our own souls to point out to us our faults, to prevent our making greater errors, to hinder us from doing more harm, and to bring us back to the path of Truth and Light from which we should never have strayed.” 

~ Edward Bach, creator of Bach Flower remedies

"It Takes Two ..."

"It takes two to make a thing go right

It takes two to make it outta sight
Hit it!

My name is Rob, I gotta real funky concept
Listen up, 'cause I'm gonna keep you in step
I got an idea, That I wanna share
You don't like it? So what, I don't care ..."

~ Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock ~ It Takes Two ~

***

It's saturday morning here and I am feeling so good.  It must be because of yesterday.  You see our band, REWAVE, auditioned yesterday for Canada's Got Talent in Edmonton, Alberta.  We were pretty excited to get a pre-registered time for 1PM on Friday after hearing the crazy wait times for the walk-in talents.  Interesting how it all played out though.  Another friend of ours told us about her son's experience on a couple of days earlier, basically waiting close to 4 hours to audition.  Mainly because you may have a pre-registered time of 1PM, BUT so does another 300 to 400 people.  And you get 90 secs of your BEST to wow the judges.  Plus we had to drive 3 hours to the venue ... you can imagine the planning that went into this.

So Russell and I were up early, I doubled up my green juices and my coffee treatments, packed all my carrot and carrot apple juices, meds, potatoes, and soup and upon arrival at home later that night, would double up on my green juices and coffee treatments again.  A bit of re-arranging, and not recommended, but for one day, and a chance to audition for a $100,000 with my bandmates, it was worth it.  We picked up Joelle and started our journey.  The ride up was full of great conversation, vocal exercises and naps (for moi!).  Once we got there, there was a cattle like maze we had to enter with our pink CGT wrist bands brightly displayed.  And as destiny would have it, Russell met a fellow New Zealander named "Louman but you can call him KIWI".  Super nice guy, full of conversations and stories and another supporter of the All Blacks rugby team.  We stood outside in line for less than an hour and then made our way into the ballroom where yet another lineup for registration awaiting.  

Engaging with other talents around us, it was so easy to spot out the "what sells TV" people.  And yes, we were some of them ... WE were in full costume gear, with color, glo fur, sparkle and bling to attract a few photos and whispers in the crowd.  Plus the big east indian Dhool drum Russell was carrying was sure to get people going.  You see REWAVE is a synth-pop, Diva, old school hip hop band ... but we had to audition acoustically because they had nothing available to us but a powerbar.  And this was all disclosed to us the night before ... being professionals, you improvise .... and you guessed it ... that didn't stop us as once we got to the actual audition room, we did "It Takes Two" acoustically, and it was just awesome!  Our energy was raw, organic and electric, and our little audience was moving and bobbin their heads to the groove.  MissJ layed down the smooth rap vocals, Russell played a tribal rhythm that grooved your soul and I supported the whoo /yeah's background sounds and beat.  Afterwards the producer was excited and eager to view our DVD showcase of our synth-pop performances.  

Our feelings were electric, we were re-charged and basking in the moment we had just created.  We had another 3 hour drive home, but it didn't matter, because it was a chance to move to the next level of stardom.  And if we don't move to the next round of auditions, it doesn't matter, because truly it was an unforgettable experience, once in a lifetime to share with family and friends.  Hit it!