Clutter
During the past week, I spent time visiting a dear friend at an assisted-living facility in Atlanta. It was great to see her so happy among her newfound friends at the residence. The trips down memory lane and laughs were many and prompted me to ask if they found it refreshing to have a lot of the “clutter” out of their lives now that they had substituted a much simpler living environment for their former homes. To my amazement the answer was a resounding “Yes!” I’m sure each of them misses “home” in a variety of ways, but it’s equally clear that the group cherishes the simplicity of its current living arrangements. Each managed to keep a special memento here and there from the past, but they wouldn’t trade the “less is more” living that they’re experiencing today.
You can learn a lot by spending time with those who are entering the twilight phase of life. If you listen carefully, you’ll note that most of them put health at the top of their priority list alongside their relationships with family and friends. Material things don’t have near the importance they had in earlier stages of their lives. What a great life lesson for each of us as we continue to look for ways to eliminate the “clutter” in our own lives.
“Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity.”
--Albert Einstein
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Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
OZ
OZ
For more than a year, the Wizard of Oz has been on my mind. That wonderful movie has endured for almost seventy years, probably because it has an ageless audience. You can rent it, catch it on TV, or Google oodles of information about the movie. That’s a big improvement over the situation forty years ago when whoever had the best TV in the area invited friends over on the one Sunday night per year that it was shown on the tube.
Today I have a very different view of that amazing movie whose many “life lessons” were overshadowed by our frantic fixation on keeping an eye out for the wicked witch. The scarecrow, tin woodsman and the cowardly lion all seemed to be searching for something they felt was lacking in their own lives. But in the end, when they finally catch up to the great Oz, they discover that each of them already has everything needed to lead a great life. All Oz did was make them “conscious.”
I believe that this holds true in daily life for us. So often we get caught up in what we don’t have when we should be turning our focus toward what we do have. Every day we should take that imaginary trip to Oz and confirm the many blessings within us. We all have wonderful things inside of us, and the sky is the limit on what we can do with our lives.
“You, my friend, are a victim of disorganized thinking. You are under the unfortunate impression that just because you run away you have no courage; you're confusing courage with wisdom.”
--Wizard of Oz to the Cowardly Lion
For more than a year, the Wizard of Oz has been on my mind. That wonderful movie has endured for almost seventy years, probably because it has an ageless audience. You can rent it, catch it on TV, or Google oodles of information about the movie. That’s a big improvement over the situation forty years ago when whoever had the best TV in the area invited friends over on the one Sunday night per year that it was shown on the tube.
Today I have a very different view of that amazing movie whose many “life lessons” were overshadowed by our frantic fixation on keeping an eye out for the wicked witch. The scarecrow, tin woodsman and the cowardly lion all seemed to be searching for something they felt was lacking in their own lives. But in the end, when they finally catch up to the great Oz, they discover that each of them already has everything needed to lead a great life. All Oz did was make them “conscious.”
I believe that this holds true in daily life for us. So often we get caught up in what we don’t have when we should be turning our focus toward what we do have. Every day we should take that imaginary trip to Oz and confirm the many blessings within us. We all have wonderful things inside of us, and the sky is the limit on what we can do with our lives.
“You, my friend, are a victim of disorganized thinking. You are under the unfortunate impression that just because you run away you have no courage; you're confusing courage with wisdom.”
--Wizard of Oz to the Cowardly Lion
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Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Heart Space
Heart SpaceOur vision of our heart is one of a finite space. Yet one of life’s mysteries is that your heart space seems to have infinite potential. When you take on the challenge of exploring that possibility, the rewards of the journey will be many. You’ll find that all of the events in your life--good and bad, high and low--have the capacity to expand your heart space each and every day.
When your heart feels small or somewhat hardened by a setback in your life, it’s a good idea to look at these events as an opportunity to enlarge your heart space. You can usually make this happen by getting back to a place “within” that is peaceful and uplifting. Taking a walk in nature, watching a baby sleep, helping the needy, or just holding a pet can take you back to a place where your heart sings.
Each of us has an opportunity to make a difference in ourselves, thereby making a difference in the world in which we live. If we just make a conscious effort each day to increase our “heart space” ever so slightly, we’ll be in awe of just how much the world around us will change. Just imagine what the world would become if each of us followed this path.
“The spirit of harmony can only survive if each of us remembers, when bitterness and self interest seem to prevail, that we share a common destiny.”
—Barbara Jordan (1936-1996)
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