An Instrument of Peace

Worth a repost, the following post came into my reader. Having to do with St. Francis’ prayer, it arrived at the perfect moment for me. =) Enjoy!

Namaste,

~me

(From Wayne Dyer’s website)

Being Peace

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
— The Prayer of St. Francis

You can become an instrument of peace in any given moment of your life by deciding that you are not going to use your mind for anything other than peaceful thoughts. This may sound extreme to you when you take into consideration all the difficult people you have to deal with, your financial picture, the illness of a close relative, the inconsiderate boss you must face, the taxes you owe, as well as outrageous traffic delays, and on and on. Try taking a breather from your habit of continuously looking for occasions to be non-peaceful. Go to that quiet, serene peaceful place within you that is covered by the outer layers of your material life. It is here that you know what being an instrument of peace means. Here, your emphasis is on giving, rather than receiving, peace.

When you are an instrument of peace, you are not seeking anything, you are a peace provider. You do not seek peace by looking into the lives of others and wishing that they would change so that you could become more peaceful. Rather, you bring your own sense of calm to everyone you encounter. You do not go about viewing every circumstance of your life in terms of whether it meets with your standard of peace. Rather, you bring your peaceful countenance to the chaos you encounter and your presence soothes the outer turmoil. Even if the turmoil continues, you have the freedom to choose a peaceful thought, or to quietly remove yourself from the immediate scene. How do you do this? Repeat the words of St. Francis that appear above. Chaotic moments are times to remember that you will not gain your peace from anyone else and that you choose to bring peace to every life situation you encounter.

The most important moments for cultivating this awareness are when you find yourself right smack in the middle of a tumultuous exchange, when someone is argumentative, surly, or irrational and you sense yourself falling into the pandemonium. Usually, in such moments your inclination is to blame all of the external forces for your absence of peace. Begin to look at these situations in a totally new way, one that will help you not only become a delivery person of calmness, but will make you a more reliable and steadfast instrument of peace.

What if…

Madison Street Festival 2009

“What if…

We stopped waiting for permission to be content and started working towards it?

We spent less time thinking of what we can’t do and more time just doing things that make us come alive?

We focused on loving ourselves first instead of trying to find love through others?

We didn’t think it was bad when we felt down but instead recognized that it’s part of the ebb and flow of life?

We believed that each person we met could change the world?

We used the resources we have wisely rather than trying to get more of what we don’t need?

We remembered the good things as much as we remember the bad things?

We cried when we needed to and asked for help without feeling small?

We looked at ways we could help other people instead of ways they can help us?

We worried less and loved more?

We thought about possibilities instead of necessities?…

We spent the time we spend researching celebrities and athletes figuring out what makes our kids tick?

We enjoyed success of others as much as we enjoy our own success?

We stopped praying for solutions to problems we’ve caused and start fixing them ourselves?

We believed the only way to get the Good Stuff of human life is to help others get it first?

We believed that people would manifest the best parts of themselves if they had the opportunity to do so?

We’re more powerful than we’ll ever understand?…” ~Excerpts from: Productive Flourishings and Productive Flourishings

And my own two cents:

We filled our lives with uplifting news?

We quit making assumptions and tried to be more empathetic?

We saw ourselves and everyone around us as our 5 year old selves?

We could believe in the integrity of others’ beliefs,  instead of needing to be right?

We didn’t let the past define today?

What if…

Namaste,

~me

If Life is Poetry, I’m an Opus

Life is Poetry

from Zen Habits by Leo

‘My life is my message.’ – Gandhi

Each of us lives a life that expresses who we are, reacts to the world around us, shows our passions, reflects our deep river of feeling and being.

We might sing out in joy, through our words and actions and expressions, we might hide in fear and pain, we might lash out in anger. Every thing we do, everything we are, expresses.

Gandhi’s message was his life, and yours is your life. What message are you giving the world, through your actions, how you live, how you treat others, what you accomplish, how you choose to be, every moment of every day?

Are you an angry rant? A ballad? An epic poem?

Perhaps a sonnet, a limerick, a haiku?

If your life is a poem, what do you want it to say? What would you rather leave out? What will the essence be?

Enjoy each moment as the perfect syllable, recognize the lyrical in the everyday, and sink your teeth softly into that cold delicious fruit.

I claim to be an Opus ~ music lyrically written in four parts (epic), which all have an underlying rhythm of laughter and love. 🙂

Namaste,

~me

GrAtItUdE

Feeling an enormous amount of gratitude today and hoping that wherever this finds you, in whatever mental/physical/emotional/spiritual state you may be in at THIS moment, that you can look around you and find blessings to be counted!

Moments to cherish.

People to love.

Laughter to be found.

And above all else, a sense of awe and gratitude for the life that only YOU can lead!!

Excerpt from a book I pick up and read…then put down…then pick up again and read something different…then put down again…

Thousands of things go right for you every day, beginning the moment you wake up. Through some magic you don’t fully understand, you’re still breathing and your heart is beating, even though you’ve been unconscious for many hours. The air is a mix of gases that’s just right for your body’s needs, as it was before you fell asleep.

You can see! Light of many colors floods into your eyes, registered by nerves that took God or evolution or some process millions of years to perfect. The interesting gift of these vivid hues is made possible by an unimaginably immense globe of fire, the sun, which continually detonates nuclear reactions in order to convert its own body into light and heat and energy for your personal use.

You can’t live without the sun’s inexhaustible flood of unconditional love. Every move you make depends on it. Luckily, it never fails you.

Did you know that your personal star is located at the precise distance from you to be of consummate service? If it were any closer, you’d fry, and if it were any farther away, you’d freeze. ~Rob Brezny, Pronoia

Namaste,

~me

Honestly, It Is Mostly Scrap

Honest Scrap

Larry, over at Yesterday, Today, and Forever, bestowed a bloggy award on me, which even in NAME works for me!  I don’t usually do the blog award thing, but if I complain about not having inspiration lately (for posts), I really can’t argue when someone hands it to me on a plate, all gift wrapped in an award!

Thank you Larry, for bestowing an award for being encouraging and loquacious! It always goes back to one simple concept captured eloquently in JUST the quote for me:

“See I’m all about them words… over numbers, unencumbered numbered words….Hundreds of pages, pages, pages for words… more words than I’d ever heard and I feel so ALIVE…” ~Jason Mraz

The Honest Scrap Award *awesome play on words* 😉

And just like any bloggy award, there are always the rules:

Rules for the Award:

• Say thank you and give a link to the presenter of the award
• Share “10 Honest Things” about yourself
• Present the award to 10* other bloggers whose blogs you find brilliant in content and/or design or to those who have encouraged you
• Be sure to tell the 10* bloggers chosen that you are giving them the Honest Scrap award and provide the guidelines for them

*Or a number that you can reasonably accomplish in whatever mental/physical state you’re in

10 Honest Things

1. I have an innate weakness for Rice Krispie treats…especially my hubby’s! Can. NOT. walk. away!!
2. I was grounded from my contact lenses when my parents ran out of restrictions for me in high school :0 (a tad bit wild in my youth)
3. Music is just as essential as food, water, and air to breathe for me – if I’m not listening to it, I’m spontaneously erupting into melodic prose of my own (usually nonsense that only my cats,kids, and hubby have to endure!)
4. The skies AWE me and they stop me dead in my tracks – sunsets, sunrises, clouds, storms, stars ~ all the forms and colors and movement
5. I collect quotes and words instead of stamps or coins or more normal collectibles
6. I take pictures to capture moments that I want to share; but selfishly I do it because my memory is so poor that I’m afraid I’ll forget and I want to be able to have memories to look back on
7. In a group setting, I rarely speak up and get physically sick if asked to speak in front of a crowd… (I always took my contacts out in high school when it was time to perform (dance) at pep rallies so that I couldn’t see the faces of the audience)
8. I’ve been a fan of Barry Manilow since I was little and have seen him  live
9. I’ve suffered from depression throughout my life and its BECAUSE of being up close and personal with the Dark Side that I know there is always Hope – most of the “inspiring” and “encouraging” posts I put up here are mostly to help me (it’s all about me! LoL)
10. I can count on my hands the number of times that I couldn’t find SOME humor … even while dancing with the Dark side, I could still see the improbability and silliness in the “seriousness” of the life and times of being human (or is it a human, being?)

The number and names of blogs and people who’ve encouraged and inspired me are too many to list – award giver not withstanding! The caveat in the “RULES” was “reasonably accomplish in whatever mental/physical state”. That being extremely questionable at the moment, I’ll do my best!

1. Southern Sinful Bliss
2. A Year of Art
3. PickMyBrains Art
4. Spittin (Out Words) Like a Llama
5. Mine Enemy Grows Older
6. Quarry House
7. The BridgeMaker
8. The BrianWebber
9. The Wayne Dyer Blog
10. Freshness Factor Five Thousand

Namaste,

~me