KNOW WHEN TO FOLD ‘EM

RELEASE

yourself

from the

burdensome task

of judgment

Everyone may not play cards, but we are all holding hands (figuratively speaking).  We not only hold the sex, race, culture, language, country, community, family cards--which we seemingly had no choice about--but, we also hold the more intimate and personal individual-experience cards which we do have some choice about holding.

Life seems very much about card-accumulation, so much so, that we often have difficulty holding onto all of them.  But there is an option--fold ‘em.

The cards we can fold are many.  Even though the ones dealt to us (sex, race, culture, etc.) we will be holding onto for the duration of the game, we can minimize any negative impact they may have by discarding any of the associated cards which are within our control to play.

For instance, hurts done to us by anyone at any time, can be either held, or folded.  Feelings we have about ourselves (physically/emotionally/psychologically) can be held or played.  Evaluations/judgments about others we can either accumulate or discard.  It is our choice.

We were dealt a hand when we chose to play.

Know which cards to hold and which to fold.

BEING GROOVY

IF

there is a flow

go

IF

there is not

do not

Being groovy is a feeling that only happens in the moment and is synonymous with being in the flow.  As momentary as this seems, we can find our self in the groove for a moment, ten minutes, or two hours.  The thing is, we can feel when we are groovy, and feel when we are not.  One has the feeling of being effortless, the other, the feeling of striving.

Think of it as spiritual calibration, and it is an ongoing process.  Being in the groove is so fun and free we rarely give it any notice until we go off-track.  Then, if we are sensitive, we will be cognizant of the dis-ease factor that has replaced the ease of the previous moment.  What do we do?  STOP.  Stop until we feel the ease return, recalibrate, sense a new direction, and feel ourselves in the groove again.

We can have canyon-like grooves which represent an overall direction our lives may be taking, like successive mountain ranges spread out before us on the horizon.  But, those distant peaks are not where we currently reside; they merely represent relative bearings.  It is where our rubber meets the road that determines whether or not we are being groovy.  Each step represents our journey from one mountain range to another, and must be walked one step at a time.  Being in the groove allows our experience to be one of wonder, instead of burden.

We generally lose our groove when we transition from being willing to willful.  We can stumble upon an inspiration, enjoy riding out the momentum, and then try to extract additional benefit willfully after the anointing has left.  That is where and how we lose our groove.

Instead of focusing on the activity, we need only focus on the feeling of being in the groove.  The feeling of ease is our guide.  If that is suddenly replaced by the feeling of dis-ease, we simply stop what we are doing, recalibrate until the feeling of ease returns, and continue on our way, whichever way feeling groovy leads.

Be groovy.

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN EXPERIENCED

WHEN

an experience

trumps our beliefs

the

experience

will always win out

Theory will only take us so far.  It’s our experiences that really drive the point home.

We are continually exposed to theory (everybody’s opinion), which may or may not register as TRUTH, based on whether or not our own experience provides confirmation.

We face various levels of disconnect between theory and experience.  An endorsement of something may find no corresponding evidence, be it for an individual, restaurant, book, movie or theory.  In the end, it is only our experience that carries any weight.

Religion, theology, philosophy, doctrine and dogma are replete with various theories, but it is only our experience that makes itself a part of us.  A perfect example is the near-death experience (NDE).  Here we have an immense cross-section of humanity, from all walks of life, including race, religion, culture, gender, age, social and financial demographic.  Each ‘participant’ takes with them theories of the beyond, which are then met with the experience.  What we find is when their experience encounters their theory, their experience always wins out.

There is the old saying:  “Without a vision, the people perish.”  But, another way of looking at it may be:  “Where there is experience, theories perish.”

Theories will only take us so far.  It will be our experience that brings us HOME.

THE PERFECT PARTY PLANNER

EVERYONE

is waiting

for us to show up

so we can

join

the party

Most of the time, life hardly seems like a party.  The trials, tribulations, and daily struggle seem hell-bent on making it feel like anything but.  The good news is, we came equipped with the perfect party planner.  As difficult as it may be to accept, GOD really is a party-animal, and is determined to have us join HIM ASAP.

Our experience in the world is one of separation, scarcity, and struggle--nothing that we would deem a party atmosphere.  We are continually watching our step as we negotiate one mindfield after another, oftentimes shouldering great burdens enroute.

What did that invitation say?

MY YOKE IS EASY

If that were only TRUE.

GOD stages HIS party in

ONENESS, UNLIMITEDNESS, and EASE

--that’s a REAL party.

The great thing about our party planner is that HE not only takes care of all the details, HE is continually sending us updated directions from where we are, to where we need to go.

No matter what wrong turn we take, HE has our back, with course-corrections up-to-the-minute.  Our arrival is guaranteed.

Our burger & brew await.

THE FUN FACTOR

THERE

is nothing

more fun and creative

than to be into a flow

which brings us JOY

We would be hard pressed to find anyone who does not like to have fun.  In fact, our pursuit of fun represents our drive to ‘return to JOY’, representing our TRUE HOME.

There are as many ways to have fun as there are people pursuing it.  We each have our own recipe.  We often reminisce about childhood examples of fun which were found in the simplest things.  Unfortunately, our ‘maturity’ as adults seems to sap the fun right out of things, until we find ourselves pursuing ‘oasis’ of fun, punctuated by long stretches of barren landscape.  We have isolated fun into such narrow categories, and have so refined the search, that we have drained out most other possibilities along the way.

Witness the wide-eyed wonder of small children, who take in their surroundings with little discretion.  The wonder of the moment is all there is, and it's all kind of fun.  Things, which we adults have long since ruled out because we know ‘what it's all about’, are still apart of the parameters of the childlike experience of fun.

The fun of simple things can once again be reclaimed, so that the distant oasis so far off can once again become a verdant landscape of wonder.

The fun lies in the rediscovery of simple fun.

COME OUT AND PLAY

DO

not let

the dark side

of night

rob

from you

the delight

of dawn

You remember--having fun.  Play--it’s not just for kids.

The worry-ridden world attempts to ring the play right out of us.  Say it isn’t so.

Hopefully, all of us have some childhood memories that represent to us the simplicity of just playing.  It almost seems irresponsible on some levels.  As adults, we have to schedule fun. What a pity.  It can still be found in the simplest moments.

Our myopic lives tend to shield us from the vicarious play of others in all venues.  Merely watching the play of others can give us a temporary fix until we can schedule in our own display.

Watching children delight in things we have long-since written off can always bring to us feelings of JOY.

Observing the grin of a dog as it leads it’s owner on a walk can always be enjoyed without the need to carry a poop-bag in your pocket.

Watching birds bathing in a fountain, or to be transfixed by an aerial display, shouldn’t be brushed aside as passé.

Play is to be found all around, even when you are relegated to spectator-status.  Better yet, schedule in some fun yourself and watch the smile return.

BE YOUR OWN ENVIRONMENTALIST

PEACE

comes within

by disengaging

from conflict

without

Being green is all the thing, but rarely is it applied to where it counts most--within.  We need to focus our environmental activism close to HOME.

As much attention as we pay to air, land and water quality, our inner environment is often left overlooked, suffering from a surprising lack of oversight.  We tolerate mis-management in varying degrees.  We allow shocking amounts of conflict and dis-ease to disrupt our PEACE, leaving ourselves as virtual dumping grounds to whomever might walk by.

Our focus without needs to be re-directed to more oversight within.  Our PEACE must supersede all outward recycling efforts.  Environmental cleanup should have top priority, and then a sustained effort on inner quality be an ongoing program.

LOVE, PEACE, and HAPPINESS is GOD’s desire for us.  We should, therefore first, be our own environmentalist.