I've been lost twice in the last week. Yup, one day I got in the car thinking I knew where I was going and I proved myself wrong. On another day, I decided to take the dogs for a walk in an area I'm not very familiar with and I got all turned around. I came out far away from where I thought I was and far away from the car.
I have a bit of a reputation for this. Friends are often hesitant to ride or walk with me. I wander and I explore and I experiment. And I allow myself to be distracted by the new environment. And so while I'm very immersed in the present, all that is new around me, I lose track of the past (where I came from) and the future (where I think I'm going).
So I rather like getting lost. When I'm at home in Northern Michigan, getting lost means I keep walking or driving until I find a two-track that leads somewhere. In Northern Ontario, where I visit often to fish or paddle, I can easily be lost for a whole day or more.
Getting good and lost means I must relinquish all attempts at being in control of my situation and any need to know where I am, where I might be going and what it will take to get back to where I began. In this state, nothing matters but my current surroundings and I am more fully able to immerse myself in those surroundings and let go of what has been and what is to come. “Lost” becomes and attitude that breaks any psychological barriers. And my body responds to that attitude.
There are some cultures, mostly island cultures, which simply don't have a word for the experience of being lost. But for those of use who do “know” lost, there's an attitude shift to work through. So here it is. The price we pay for the freedom of being lost is to be vulnerable. The gift we receive from the freedom of being lost is new, unexpected and random things like unforeseen circumstance, interesting people, and odd surroundings. It stimulates us. If we pay the price of vulnerability, we can let go of being threatened simply because we are lost. We learn to not waste our energy panicking about the direction we should take.
Current theory from the mathematics of quantum physics indicates that we should be able to remember the future as easily as we remember the past. This theory helps me understand that getting lost is not really lost in the traditional sense; it's lost with the knowing that the future will find me.
“Don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.” ~Diane Ackerman
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Friday, March 11, 2005
March Thaw
I'm so glad March is here in Northern Michigan. Just a few short weeks ago, it was so very cold the trees were cracking loud enough to sound like gun shots. The creek was running like Jell-O and the snow crunched loudly with every step Now, the light has changed. It has more color. My outdoor surroundings are coming alive. Down in the swamp by the creek, things are bubbling to the surface as gas and scum make their way to the top of the snow cover. The creek itself is flowing strong. And I'm starting to see critters down by the creek who have not poked their noses out of their burrows, holes and covers in several months, enjoying the break in the weather and getting out to do a little eating, housekeeping and visiting with neighbors. When I stop to fill up the Jeep I no longer hunker at the pump as icy winds blow across the parking lot. And there is no waiting for all the snowmobilers to move away from the pump. Ah, the simple things in life are so wonderful.
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Strike A Pose
Welcome to the New Year! We're finally having beautiful sunny January days here in Northern Michigan. December is often pretty cloudy and dreary. But with the colder temperatures of January comes sunshine! We've had three days in a row of sunshine and I'm celebrating. The dogs and I have a whole new winter attitude.
We're full swing into the New Year. How are your goals and resolutions? You know I frown on New Year's resolutions. But attitude, now that's something I can embrace!
February 9, 2005 is the first day of the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Rooster.
2004 was the Chinese year of the Monkey. And my January 2004 post encouraged some playful Monkey Business. It was fun to write that post so I was looking forward to writing about the 2005 Chinese New Year. But when I discovered it was the Year of The Rooster, I was initially a bit stuck. However, over the years, I have actually had quite a few chickens. And one of my favorites was a big bad rooster given to me by my friend, Susan. His name was Roo. So I started pondering Roo. And the one thing I can definitely say Roo had was Attitude, a magnificent, marvelous and obsessive attitude! So let's talk about Attitude in the Year of the Rooster.
Just because our parents often told us to “Drop the Attitude,” when we were children does not make Attitude a bad thing. In fact, one of the keys of success is Attitude. I’d dare say it's all Attitude. Attitude breaks down fear, the one emotion that most often causes us to procrastinate. Take on the attitude, and suddenly the fear and indecision are under our control, allowing us to forget the old, reach for the new, and perform the task at hand.
Here's my dictionary's definition of Attitude:
A manner or disposition, feeling, position, etc. with regard to a person or thing; tendency or orientation, esp. of the mind.
Position or posture or pose of the body appropriate to or expressive of an action, emotion, etc.
The thing I like about the definition is that it includes the mind (the way we think) the body (the way we move and hold ourselves) and the emotions (the way we feel). And most of you know I like to access my strengths through my body. The mind sometimes confuses me with its constant analyzing of the situation. So I'm suggesting you Strike a Pose, your New Year Attitude Pose, let your emotions kick in, and let the mind follow. Use your pose to accomplish the task at hand.
Don't know what your pose is? Well, you can borrow one from yoga. I'm especially fond of The Warrior. Or, better yet, ask a bud. He or she will likely be able to tell you the pose you most often take on before strong action.
With an Attitude, anyone can achieve great things. Attitude gives you all the power you will ever need. Feed your attitude. Then, just like Roo, you have a Magnificent and Marvelous Obsession!
Strike the pose, call up your Attitude in an instant and follow it. Soon it will become second nature.
"I finally figured out the only reason to be alive is to enjoy it." ~ Rita Mae Brown
February 9, 2005 is the first day of the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Rooster.
2004 was the Chinese year of the Monkey. And my January 2004 post encouraged some playful Monkey Business. It was fun to write that post so I was looking forward to writing about the 2005 Chinese New Year. But when I discovered it was the Year of The Rooster, I was initially a bit stuck. However, over the years, I have actually had quite a few chickens. And one of my favorites was a big bad rooster given to me by my friend, Susan. His name was Roo. So I started pondering Roo. And the one thing I can definitely say Roo had was Attitude, a magnificent, marvelous and obsessive attitude! So let's talk about Attitude in the Year of the Rooster.
Just because our parents often told us to “Drop the Attitude,” when we were children does not make Attitude a bad thing. In fact, one of the keys of success is Attitude. I’d dare say it's all Attitude. Attitude breaks down fear, the one emotion that most often causes us to procrastinate. Take on the attitude, and suddenly the fear and indecision are under our control, allowing us to forget the old, reach for the new, and perform the task at hand.
Here's my dictionary's definition of Attitude:
A manner or disposition, feeling, position, etc. with regard to a person or thing; tendency or orientation, esp. of the mind.
Position or posture or pose of the body appropriate to or expressive of an action, emotion, etc.
The thing I like about the definition is that it includes the mind (the way we think) the body (the way we move and hold ourselves) and the emotions (the way we feel). And most of you know I like to access my strengths through my body. The mind sometimes confuses me with its constant analyzing of the situation. So I'm suggesting you Strike a Pose, your New Year Attitude Pose, let your emotions kick in, and let the mind follow. Use your pose to accomplish the task at hand.
Don't know what your pose is? Well, you can borrow one from yoga. I'm especially fond of The Warrior. Or, better yet, ask a bud. He or she will likely be able to tell you the pose you most often take on before strong action.
With an Attitude, anyone can achieve great things. Attitude gives you all the power you will ever need. Feed your attitude. Then, just like Roo, you have a Magnificent and Marvelous Obsession!
Strike the pose, call up your Attitude in an instant and follow it. Soon it will become second nature.
"I finally figured out the only reason to be alive is to enjoy it." ~ Rita Mae Brown
Wednesday, December 01, 2004
Awareness
The seasonal change between last month and this one has been dramatic. Yes, I know it's not yet officially winter. But there has been snow on the ground for days and I just spent 2 hours moving snow off the drive. So my season of winter has begun. I enjoy December. It's my month to do little. Oh, I coach a little, move some snow, and get just a few things done around the house. But about the time Thanksgiving rolls around, things seem to slow down for me. I walk every day, read a lot, and spend some time thinking about where I'm going fishing next year. That's about it.
Awareness is powerful. The more we are aware and connected with our surroundings and ourselves, the more insights come our way. But too often we think we need to do something with those insights, subjecting ourselves to lots of stimulation and activities.
There's a big difference between doing more and simply allowing ourselves to be aware of more. When I choose to be more aware and then feel I must do something about or with my insights, I become over-stimulated and distracted. When I choose to be more aware without any attachment to what I might do with or about that awareness, I'm more peaceful and feel more connected.
So how do you become more aware without attachment? How do you increase your awareness without increasing the activity that awareness often spawns?
There is nothing to do, really. Start by increasing your awareness in nature. There's little you can do with nature so it's easier to take a hands-off approach. If you become more aware of the birds in your yard, don't add buying a bird feeder to your to-do list. Just enjoy those birds in their natural environment. If your awareness leads you to enjoy a particular tree in your yard that you've never really “seen” before, it does not mean you need to landscape your yard to call attention to that tree. If your awareness leads to an insight about yourself that you like or dislike, don't run to the bookstore to buy all the self-help books you can find on the topic in order to overcome a perceived weakness or hone a perceived strength.
Awareness itself is the gift. What you do with it does not matter. Once you've experienced the awareness about yourself or another or something in nature, trust that that awareness is not going away. That's the very cool thing about awareness. You can't take it back. But if you try to act on everything, you are likely to take on too much which will lead to wanting to shut down your awareness.
So let go of trying to label or judge that which you have become aware of as good or bad, something to be improved on, something to be changed, something that needs to be leveraged, etc. It's none of these. It just is.
The awareness itself will lead to changes. But these changes will come to you rather than you having to “make” the changes or do something. The Universe is conspiring every moment of every day to bring you what you desire. Let the Universe do the doing. You, my friend, just need to be. Be, that is, in a way that is fully awake.
“Awareness needs space in order to be experienced.” ~Thomas Leonard
Awareness is powerful. The more we are aware and connected with our surroundings and ourselves, the more insights come our way. But too often we think we need to do something with those insights, subjecting ourselves to lots of stimulation and activities.
There's a big difference between doing more and simply allowing ourselves to be aware of more. When I choose to be more aware and then feel I must do something about or with my insights, I become over-stimulated and distracted. When I choose to be more aware without any attachment to what I might do with or about that awareness, I'm more peaceful and feel more connected.
So how do you become more aware without attachment? How do you increase your awareness without increasing the activity that awareness often spawns?
There is nothing to do, really. Start by increasing your awareness in nature. There's little you can do with nature so it's easier to take a hands-off approach. If you become more aware of the birds in your yard, don't add buying a bird feeder to your to-do list. Just enjoy those birds in their natural environment. If your awareness leads you to enjoy a particular tree in your yard that you've never really “seen” before, it does not mean you need to landscape your yard to call attention to that tree. If your awareness leads to an insight about yourself that you like or dislike, don't run to the bookstore to buy all the self-help books you can find on the topic in order to overcome a perceived weakness or hone a perceived strength.
Awareness itself is the gift. What you do with it does not matter. Once you've experienced the awareness about yourself or another or something in nature, trust that that awareness is not going away. That's the very cool thing about awareness. You can't take it back. But if you try to act on everything, you are likely to take on too much which will lead to wanting to shut down your awareness.
So let go of trying to label or judge that which you have become aware of as good or bad, something to be improved on, something to be changed, something that needs to be leveraged, etc. It's none of these. It just is.
The awareness itself will lead to changes. But these changes will come to you rather than you having to “make” the changes or do something. The Universe is conspiring every moment of every day to bring you what you desire. Let the Universe do the doing. You, my friend, just need to be. Be, that is, in a way that is fully awake.
“Awareness needs space in order to be experienced.” ~Thomas Leonard
Monday, November 22, 2004
This Side of Rite
At the beginning of this holiday season so full of ritual, I do love to remind you to pause, take a breath, and notice those holiday rituals that have long fallen into routine. Perhaps it's time to shake things up a little bit.
I live in the chilly north, so it's about the end of soft-water fishing for me. I've got some routines ahead like cleaning out the tackle boxes and boat, oiling my reels and repairing my net. These tasks are usu
ally done without much thought. However, this year I'm going to address them with ritual. I'm going to pause to enjoy each lure and remember the times it brought in a fish. When I take the old line off my reels I will remember the times that same line went screaming out with the tug of a big fish. I'm betting the Universe will notice my little ritual and I’ll be catching bigger and more fish next year.
This Side of Rite
“To live content with small means, to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion, to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich, to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly, to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart, to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never, in a word to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common, this is to be my symphony.” ~William Henry Channing
Routines are the customary and commonplace tasks, chores, or duties that we do regularly. They are pretty habitual and unimaginative.
However, when we question a routine, when we pause ever so briefly to reflect, we can actually ritualize the routine and bring it to a higher level of productivity and meaning for ourselves and others. This pause is what many are no longer capable of as we hone our skills of multi-tasking. Ritual brings stillness to our actions.
A route or routine is firmly bound to the ground. If you drive the same road every day, eventually you stop noticing the same landmarks. In ritual, you are moving outside of yourself and calling in the divine. The ritual is the rest stop that allows you to appreciate the routine.
In Ethology, the study of animal behavior in natural environments, ritualization means the alteration of a behavior pattern, as by a change in intensity in a way that increases its effectiveness as a signal to other members of the species. Imagine ritualizing your actions and therefore, increasing the effectiveness of the way you communicate your intentions to others.
Just this week I watched a colleague who wanted his team to find meaning behind the actions he was asking of them. He wanted them to consciously receive his request and consciously act. But he was a busy person and so his request was terse as he tried to mandate ritual. But ritual comes from within and no matter how much you ask someone to do their tasks with reverence, you'll fail unless you are willing to pause and demonstrate.
My friend David sails a lot. Now I know little about sailing but I know that there are many things he has to do to prepare his boat before he sets sail. There are things to do with the rigging, the sails, the ropes, etc. David says that he has done this preparation so many times he could do it blindfolded, in routine. But each time he prepares to sail, he brings ritual to his preparations. He takes time to be conscious about each task. He takes the time to remember some of his great sailing experiences. He takes time to communicate his passion for the art of sailing. Why does David do this? I imagine it helps him feel connected with everything related to sailing. I can certainly imagine that those who sail with him notice. And David's ritual is a way to effectively communicate not only his love of sailing but the reverence he requires of those who crew his boat.
As young children we absolutely understood the value of a ritual. When playing with a friend, we asked that he or she sit down and be with us. We described what it was we wanted to play and how we wanted to do that. Sometimes we even assigned roles to our play. Childhood friends take notice, they hear the signals. Kids are innately in touch with the divine. They realize they are little priests and priestesses, as we all are. So be a grownup if you must. But be a grownup who knows the secrets children know.
“If you want to build a ship, don't herd people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea." ~Antoine De Saint-Exupery
I live in the chilly north, so it's about the end of soft-water fishing for me. I've got some routines ahead like cleaning out the tackle boxes and boat, oiling my reels and repairing my net. These tasks are usu
ally done without much thought. However, this year I'm going to address them with ritual. I'm going to pause to enjoy each lure and remember the times it brought in a fish. When I take the old line off my reels I will remember the times that same line went screaming out with the tug of a big fish. I'm betting the Universe will notice my little ritual and I’ll be catching bigger and more fish next year. This Side of Rite
“To live content with small means, to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion, to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich, to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly, to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart, to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never, in a word to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common, this is to be my symphony.” ~William Henry Channing
Routines are the customary and commonplace tasks, chores, or duties that we do regularly. They are pretty habitual and unimaginative.
However, when we question a routine, when we pause ever so briefly to reflect, we can actually ritualize the routine and bring it to a higher level of productivity and meaning for ourselves and others. This pause is what many are no longer capable of as we hone our skills of multi-tasking. Ritual brings stillness to our actions.
A route or routine is firmly bound to the ground. If you drive the same road every day, eventually you stop noticing the same landmarks. In ritual, you are moving outside of yourself and calling in the divine. The ritual is the rest stop that allows you to appreciate the routine.
In Ethology, the study of animal behavior in natural environments, ritualization means the alteration of a behavior pattern, as by a change in intensity in a way that increases its effectiveness as a signal to other members of the species. Imagine ritualizing your actions and therefore, increasing the effectiveness of the way you communicate your intentions to others.
Just this week I watched a colleague who wanted his team to find meaning behind the actions he was asking of them. He wanted them to consciously receive his request and consciously act. But he was a busy person and so his request was terse as he tried to mandate ritual. But ritual comes from within and no matter how much you ask someone to do their tasks with reverence, you'll fail unless you are willing to pause and demonstrate.
My friend David sails a lot. Now I know little about sailing but I know that there are many things he has to do to prepare his boat before he sets sail. There are things to do with the rigging, the sails, the ropes, etc. David says that he has done this preparation so many times he could do it blindfolded, in routine. But each time he prepares to sail, he brings ritual to his preparations. He takes time to be conscious about each task. He takes the time to remember some of his great sailing experiences. He takes time to communicate his passion for the art of sailing. Why does David do this? I imagine it helps him feel connected with everything related to sailing. I can certainly imagine that those who sail with him notice. And David's ritual is a way to effectively communicate not only his love of sailing but the reverence he requires of those who crew his boat.
As young children we absolutely understood the value of a ritual. When playing with a friend, we asked that he or she sit down and be with us. We described what it was we wanted to play and how we wanted to do that. Sometimes we even assigned roles to our play. Childhood friends take notice, they hear the signals. Kids are innately in touch with the divine. They realize they are little priests and priestesses, as we all are. So be a grownup if you must. But be a grownup who knows the secrets children know.
“If you want to build a ship, don't herd people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea." ~Antoine De Saint-Exupery
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