Braving the Hot Mess

Let It Fall Away

10/15/2018

Have you taken a moment to witness the beauty of nature that is around you? Here in Wisconsin I am witnessing the spectacular changing of color that happens every fall. Truly one of the benefits of living in Wisconsin! The golden yellow trees, the cherry topped trees, the vibrancy of the burning bush, the flaming orange leaves. At this time of year, I also tend to notice the beauty of the shape of the trees. Some are pear-shaped, some are very round, some are oval it's amazing the simplistic beauty of the shape of the trees.

I love to feel the crunch of the leaves beneath my feet and breathe in the crisp fall air. Have you witnessed the leaves as they're fluttering around in the wind? Falling from the sky like snow. I am always blown away at this time of year by the sheer beauty that is all around me in nature. It just never gets old! Each year I am equally amazed by the spectacular beauty of the season.

Fall is the harvest time of the year when we celebrate and give thanks for the abundance of our crops and for all the good things we have in life. What is your own personal harvest? In addition to the usual fall harvest, it can personally mean the harvest of your lifetime, a year's worth of growth and learning. It can be a time of great stirring in the soul. A time to be still, a time to explore the mysteries, a time to savor the season.

The fall of the leaves can symbolize the fall of old ways. It can represent an out with the old and in with the new. As we watch leaves fluttering to the ground, we are reminded that the cycle of nature is also mirrored in our lives. Autumn is the time for letting go and releasing things that have been a burden. Fall is the time to practice getting out of the way, of letting go and allowing Spirit to take charge of our lives.

At this time of year, the day and night are equal. It is a point of balance between dark and light. As we make the shift from longer days to longer nights, let's take time to reflect upon what part of our own lives might be out of balance. It's a great reminder to cultivate balance within your spirit, mind and body. What is it that you need in this season? Do you know what that is? Are you listening and paying attention?

Fall into whatever it is that your soul, your mind, and your body needs in this season. Maybe fall into a new habit, fall into a new story, fall into a new way of thinking, fall into mindfulness, fall into peace, fall into love, fall into joy, fall into forgiveness, fall into gratitude, fall into self-care. Whatever it is that you need, listen to it and fall into it this season and let go of what you don't need and allow Spirit to take it over.

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Your Shift Will Make A Difference

10/8/2018

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This past week has been a tough one for many in our country. We seem to be divided more than ever. This can feel stressful, frustrating and hopeless.

Many spiritual leaders believe the challenges that we are currently facing as a nation and as a world is a collective challenge. Its intent is to raise the consciousness of a large group of people all at once. From a higher consciousness perspective, being challenged is a good thing and the crisis is a natural part of evolution.

French sociologist, Emile Durkheim, first introduced the term collective consciousness in 1893. It's defined as the set of shared beliefs, ideas and moral attitudes which operate as a unifying force within society. Just as our individual consciousness can evolve or ascend, so can the collective consciousness.

Eckhart Tolle explains that sometimes as part of this evolution, we first regress backward. Two steps forward, one step back. It is a cycle, you revert backward, so you can spring forward further. He believes that right now we have regressed, but that we are positioned to bounce forward collectively.

The choice for each of us is to see the craziness, to see the challenges that are happening now, and the other is to see from a higher perspective that what is happening now is part of the evolution. Right now, whether we realize it or not, we are standing at a big fork in the road. The question is, will we stay on the same path, or be brave and bold and venture down a new path?

We can choose to work toward the evolution or to work against it. You may be wondering, how do I choose to work toward it? There are many things that you can do to foster the growth of the collective consciousness. A global shift cannot occur until we acknowledge and own our actions and then take action in the world.

We can choose to infuse love, lots and lots of love. I believe that what our world needs more of right now is love, not more hate, anger and fear. We need to love intentionally, extravagantly and unconditionally. Infusing loving kindness into everything we do and every interaction that we have. Collective love, empathy and compassion will dissolve collective fear, anger and hate. Love is the medium of miracles. Do not underestimate the power of love, do not discount its impact. Even if you chose to not take action in other ways, spread loving kindness intentionally, extravagantly and unconditionally into the world.

As Mother Theresa said, "There are no great deeds, just small deeds done with great love". Let's each go out and do small deeds with great love. Let's expand into love instead of contract into fear. Let's hold the vision by taking a lot of little right actions in the direction of love. Love is a choice, just as fear and hate are a choice.

Gabby Bernstein states it this way, "The times we’re living in require a commitment to love. You don’t have to be a news junkie to know that division is at an all-time high. People are hurt, angry and resentful. Our work as people who walk a spiritual path is to shine a light in the darkness. When we reconnect to the power of love, we begin to vibrate at a new frequency. When you change your frequency, your family, neighbors and friends reap the benefits. One person’s energetic shift has the power to create a ripple effect across the globe. And as more and more people vibrate love, the vibrations of hate and judgment weaken."

We can choose to stop taking sides and fostering separation. This is not about us versus them. This is not about republicans versus democrats. This is not just about men versus women. This is not about blacks versus whites. This is not about blaming, deflecting or defending. This is about all of us working together. It's about understanding that we are all one. A collective higher consciousness means we stop acting as though we are separate, but instead work toward the good of the whole.

We can choose to exercise the ability to truly listen to one another. Listen without judgment. Listen with curiosity. Listen with an effort toward understanding. Listen without the goal of responding. Listen with the awareness that each of us has our own set of unique life circumstances. In this moment of stillness where you are listening you are not only aware of what that person is saying, but you can also become aware of the deeper essence in the other person that goes well beyond what they are speaking.

Author and spiritual teacher, Brother David Steindl-Rast, sums it up this way, "See everything as an opportunity. The current challenges that society faces is a huge opportunity. It is a moment in time that is calling each and everyone of us to step into this opportunity. It is a gift, a great gift. We have the opportunity to stretch even further than people have ever stretched before. An opportunity to stretch to understand each other more, to listen to each other more, to come to a common hope."

Stretch yourself into the vibration of love. Your love, your empathy and compassion, your kindness, your forgiveness, your surrender, your faith, your lack of judgment, your gratitude, your prayers, your commitment to action...that is how we'll save the world.
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After writing by blog post, I received an email from Hay House today with the following excerpt written by Wayne Dyer. I am sharing it with you below in hopes that it will be inspiring to you.

The power of an idea whose time has come is really the power of Spirit at work. Equality for all is how God is, for instance, and we seek to be like God. When enough of us, along with one or two at visionary consciousness, begin to contemplate these in-Spirit ideas, they can’t be stopped. Let’s take some time here to note a few such ideas from America’s history:

— When it was time for the unspeakably horrid practice of slavery to be abolished, that was an idea whose time had come. This was because a critical mass of individuals with a new vision for humanity began to contemplate something that had been espoused a few generations earlier: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” It took more than 85 years after Thomas Jefferson wrote these words, but then the idea couldn’t be stopped—even though slaves represented a tiny part of the population and had no voting rights. When a man with visionary consciousness, Abraham Lincoln (along with many others), approached this idea from an inspirational perspective, it was clear that the time had indeed come to end slavery. This new idea of equality for all is the way of Spirit.

— We can see also an idea whose time had come in the granting of voting rights for women in 1920. Despite the opposition of a nonvisionary President (Woodrow Wilson), and over the objection of a majority of men who had voting privileges, the idea couldn’t be stopped. Several visionary women, who aligned with many other men and women, believed and made it happen—a right that we take for granted today.

— The racial integration of the United States is another example of an idea whose time had come. When this concept began to surface in the visionary consciousness of a few individuals such as John F. Kennedy; Martin Luther King, Jr.; Lyndon Johnson; and Rosa Parks; it couldn’t be stopped—despite the objections of millions of people, many of whom were in positions of political power. Today, in schools that once practiced segregation, we have a multiracial student body. Racial integration is still in the process of manifesting everywhere in our society, and there’s much still to be done, but make no mistake about it, this idea cannot be stopped.

— Gay rights is another idea whose time has come. One of the many reasons I admire Ram Dass so much is the stand he took a long time ago on equal rights for people of all sexual orientations. No individual or group can be denied legal or social privileges because we all come from one Source, which excludes no one. An idea whose time has come is always in perfect alignment with our originating Spirit.

— Finally, the shift in consciousness from a collective belief that smoking in public places is permissible to one where it’s not tolerated was an idea whose time had come. The idea became unstoppable when one visionary airline banned smoking on their commercial flights—and then the rest fell into spiritual alignment. Since we come from a nontoxic Source of Well-Being, aligning with It is our destiny and can’t be stopped.

I could go on and on with examples of such ideas manifesting in our society, but instead I propose that we begin looking around us for evidence of ideas whose time has come. You see, when we’re ready, willing, and open to it, the Divine guidance we seek will spring into action on our behalf. It has been that way throughout our life. For example, the people we’ve had love affairs with—regardless of how long the relationships lasted—are all characters in this dream of ours called “life.” They come to us for any number of reasons, such as to help us create a child (or children), to teach us forgiveness, or to assist us in fulfilling some other destiny.

It’s difficult for our ego to grasp, but every single person who’s drifted in and out of our life is a part of our Divinely chosen life experience—that is, they are ideas whose time had come. As we move into a life of inspiration, we’ll find it easy and even necessary to give thanks for all of these individuals, and to take serious note of what they brought us at the time of their arrival and/or departure.

By the same token, when we needed to have a certain vocational experience, it was made available to us. Because we were a vibrational match to what showed up, we took it in and got out of it precisely what we needed. And when we were no longer a vibrational match to that job, those people, that city, that house, or whatever, we left.

We’re in a system that’s directed by a Supreme Intelligence, and we’re a part of that system. Everything is on purpose. Our vibrational matchup determines what we attract and what we repel in our life. We needn’t focus on what’s already happened and what we’ve gone through; rather, we must shift our vibration upward so that it harmonizes with Spirit, and then—and only then—will spiritually based ideas come knocking on our door. These ideas won’t give up or go away because, as we know, there’s nothing in this Universe more powerful than an idea whose time has come. Our responsibility is simply to become beings who expect and await inspired ideas that will not and cannot be stopped.

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Living With Intention

10/2/2018

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Do you know what kind of life you want to live? Have you identified what you value most in life and who you want to be? Are you intentionally creating that life or does life just seem to happen? Are you living every day, every moment with mindful intention?

To live with intention can feel scary as it may challenge how we've done things in the past and how we've been conditioned to think and act. To live with intention can improve our happiness and our sense of peace. It can bring meaning, fulfillment and purpose into our lives.

I believe that happiness is not a pursuit, not a destination, but rather an intentional practice. Daily intentional practices are the key to leading a good life, a life of more sustained happiness, inner peace and well-being. We are the creators of our life and our reality is created by our intentions and the intentions of others.

To live with intention means to know who you are and what you value. It's understanding what lights you up and what your dreams are. It's knowing what kind of world you are choosing to create. It's understanding your purpose and the legacy that you are choosing to create.

To live with intention means to recognize that life is a series of choices. Whether we realize it or not every moment of every day we are making choices. You can always make the choice to choose a different path, you don't have to be held prisoner by your past.

To live with intention means starting off each day by setting and affirming your intention. Your intention for the day and your intention for your life. Plan each day with intention.

To live with intention means to pay attention to your inner experience, to be self-aware. To know what triggers you and how to manage your reactions.

To live with intention means to listen to your inner voice, to your intuition, to your internal guidance system. Allowing your intuition to guide and direct you. This will allow you to live life in the flow. Your heart carries the wisdom, it knows the answers. Tune in and listen to it, pay attention to wisdom from within. It's when we betray it that life gets off kilter.

To live with intention requires examining who you are surrounding yourself with and whether they too are living with intention. How they are affecting you and are they helping or hindering you in living the life of your intention? Be around people who support you, lift you up, inspire you and cause you to be the best version of yourself.

To live with intention requires us to stop comparing ourselves to others. It's focusing on and being committed to being the best, most authentic version of yourself. Comparing is a never-ending, losing battle of exaggerated untruths.

Living with intention is an active practice that you get better at the more you practice it. It's living from your truth and authenticity. Living with intention creates a life of flow, purpose, meaning and fulfillment.

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Step Away From The Screen

9/24/2018

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How much time do you spend each day behind some type of screen? A computer, cell phone, iPad, TV any type of screen. Be honest now between work, school and personal time how many hours each day do we spend on these devices?

Research is bringing forth some dramatic numbers. On average, 8-18 year olds spend between 7.5 to 11.5 hours per day on technology and 3 hours of this time using social media. The average adult spends 11 hours each day in front of the screen.

These devices, some of which are toted to create connection, are actually the source of social disconnection. Technology makes adults and teens profoundly anti-social. Our happiness and longevity are on the decline. Disease and loneliness are increasing.

Screen time is a likely cause of the ongoing increase in teen depression, anxiety and suicide. Numbers significantly changed around 2012 when smartphones and tablets became widespread among teenagers. And teens who spend more time on screen activities are more likely to be unhappy. After a little less than an hour a day of time spent on a smartphone, their well-being begins to decrease. These statistic also mirror adult figures as well.

When we are young we don’t always use good judgment because we’ve yet to form good judgment. The prefrontal cortex is where we house problem solving, decision making and impulse control and it’s not fully developed until you are in your 20s. As a teenager and into the 20s, they are inherently lacking these critical skills and yet perpetually using devices that ask them to respond immediately, react immediately, make decisions immediately, to click, like, tag and post. They/we are not asked to stop and critically think.

Research is also showing that we are 40% less empathetic than we were 30 years ago. Exercising empathy fosters connection, if we don’t, we become disconnected and ultimately foster loneliness.

We learn empathy through vulnerable situations and experiences. On social media we are masking our vulnerability. Social media portrays one-side of our life, and it's the side that we want people to see, not our real side, not our vulnerable side. We can't empathize with one another when we aren't being authentic and vulnerable.

The common thread among all ages is that more screen time means less time for activities that are good for our health and well-being. The most important question to ask yourself is...What is screen time replacing? A lot of us are giving up sleep, communicating with each other as a family, social connection, exploring the world, exercising, hobbies, etc. Remember we are all disciplined to something, what are we disciplined to?

This fall season, let's intentionally chose to decrease our personal screen time and replace it with actively engaging in life through social connection, nature and experiences that nurture and fill up our spirits with goodness.

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What Did I Do Spiritually Today?

9/16/2018

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During busy or challenging times in life, we can fall prey to running on the hamster wheel of life and toss aside the practices that can support us through the challenges. Practices that keep us propped up, energized and full to move through them with grace and ease.

It's easy to make concessions in our schedule and stop exercising, getting enough rest, eating well, and it's easy to stop meditating, praying, being in a place of gratitude, being still, listening, letting go, asking for guidance, paying attention to our intuition, offering ourselves compassion.

We fall prey to trying to control life and prioritize the busyness over our practices that can help to sustain us. When this happens it's easy for life to feel overwhelming and like it's spiraling out of control, so we try to control it some more.

In last week's post, I invited you to stay in your magic when life gets tricky, to have faith and trust. Staying in your magic requires daily spiritual practice, especially during the messy challenging times. It doesn't have to be time-consuming or even the same each day, but practicing is key. It works best for me if I don't over-complicate it and allow my practice to be flexible.

I firmly believe that a few minutes of daily spiritual practice will reap the rewards ten-fold. It will buy you back the time you spent, it will keep you grounded and centered, it will help you be in the flow, it will keep you energized. When you are consistent with your spiritual practice you will be more productive and creative and life will unfold with a lot more ease.

Find the practices that resonate most with you. For me daily prayer, affirmations, meditation, gratitude, Reiki and exercise are my go to practices. I add in others on days where I have more time, but those are my consistent practices.

If you currently don't have a daily spiritual practice, I invite you to start one today. Give it a try for the next month and see how life shifts and changes for you.

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Stay In Your Magic

9/7/2018

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Sometimes life can get tricky, it can get messy and it can seem to make no sense at all. It doesn't always smell like roses and look like rainbow unicorns. Sometimes it's easy to throw in the towel and think I'm done for now, I give up for now, I have no idea what I am doing. Do you know what I mean? That's when we need a shifter, a tool in our toolbox to help us get through the muck of life without getting stuck in it.

Today, September 11th, marks a tricky day for me, it's a bittersweet day. It's a day where I very much remember the horrific tragedy that we collectively experienced, and it also signifies for me the day that I decided to live my life. The day that I decided to be brave and have the courage to step into my own unique magic. Especially on this day, I remember and honor those that have fallen, as well as my decision to learn from that experience and to live life with more passion, more authenticity, more vulnerability, more fullness, to live whole-hearted.

It's a day to reconfirm the choice to shine brighter, to sprinkle some magic, to throw a little glitter at the mess, to laugh at the craziness, to recognize that life can be tricky and messy, but it can also be beautiful and magical. It's up to us to find our way through it, to not get stuck in the muck, to use our tools.

The Chopra Center recently posted this on Facebook..."Every person has their own magic, bringing something into this world that no one else can. Trust that you are exactly who and where you are supposed to be and life is unfolding as it should. When things get tricky, turn to meditation. It's the best way to reconnect with your magic and align with the power of the universe." Turn to your tools. Meditation, gratitude and faith are amazing shifters and game-changers.

Our faith can be tested when we experience hardships, illness, disappointment and loss. It's at these difficult times that we can either rely on our faith or turn from it. By holding onto our faith, its possible to see hard times as part of the journey and not as a punishment. It's a belief that there's more to life than what's in this physical world.

The door is opened for the best things to occur when you let go of your fears and hesitations and just move forward with faith. I believe that everything is more powerful when it starts with faith and trust. Faith and trust in yourself, in your intuition and in a greater plan.

Faith is about trusting the journey, believing that there's a plan, within this plan there are lessons and choices. Faith is about being in a place of yes. Trusting your intuition and sense of knowing to keep you in the flow of life, not resisting against it. Letting go, surrendering control and fear and living in a place of trust.

Life can be tricky, but stay in your magic. Stay in the flow and allow your faith, heart and intuition to guide you. And always sprinkle a little magic and pixie dust along the way.

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What Are You Disciplined To?

9/4/2018

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It's the first day of school here in Wisconsin. With the start of a new school year, my mind shifts toward getting back to a routine, a schedule. I look at it in a similar way to how we look at the new year when it rolls around. It's a time to look at life and consider what tasks need attention, what has been let go over the summer months, and how I want the year to proceed. It's time to hunker down, get more serious and to get more disciplined.

As I look at getting "more disciplined" I like to remind myself of something I learned a few years ago (I can't remember who said it), it goes like this...The question is not whether we are disciplined, we are all disciplined. The question is, what are you disciplined to? This hit home for me. It's true isn't it? We are all disciplined, it's just what are we disciplined to that's the question.

Well, that was powerful realization for me. At times I've considered myself to not be a disciplined person. This simple shift gave me a whole new perspective. I am disciplined, it’s not a matter of me being disciplined, it’s more a matter of what I am disciplined to. These simple little perspective shifts can be super impactful. They cause us to look at something from a different point of view, a little bit different angle, and sometimes that’s all we need in order to catch ourselves and to create a shift.

Am I disciplined to watching TV or am I disciplined or to exercising? Am I disciplined to social media or am I disciplined to visiting with a friend? Am I disciplined to eating out or am I disciplined to planning and making meals? Am I disciplined to reading the news or to reading a book?

This week I invite you to reflect on what it is you are disciplined to and whether those items are serving you. Do you desire to create a shift and discipline yourself toward something different? Something that might bring more positivity, passion, meaning, or impact?

Fall is a great time of year to let go of the things that aren't serving you and say yes to a new discipline. Shake up your routine and blend in some new disciplines!

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Your Beliefs Impact Your Genes

8/28/2018

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I love learning about impactful research being done in many different scientific areas. One of these areas of research is called epigenetics. New research in the area of epigenetics is demonstrating that our genes don't control us, that we control our genes.

What scientists are finding is that our beliefs can change our biology. Certain combinations of genes can be turned on or off depending greatly on our frame of mind...what your mind perceives and believes. Our environment, including our thoughts, our feelings, and our belief systems influences genetic activity.

One of the scientists pioneering this area of research is Dr. Bruce Lipton. He explains, "You have the gene, but depending on how you live, how you respond, what your belief systems are, the expression of gene could be modified. Genes don't control anything, that they are just blueprints. Whereas 'epigenetic control'...control above the genes...turns everything on its head. The environment influences the selection and reading of genes. A person's health isn't generally a reflection of genes, but how their environment is influencing them."

He says that, "Between one-third and two-thirds of all healing is down to the placebo effect, not therapies, drugs or surgery. The placebo is just a sugar-pill – the patient is healed by the belief they'll get better: positive thinking. The nocebo effect is equally powerful, caused by negative thoughts. The belief you have a terminal illness can actually cause you to die, and negative thinking is much more common. Not just from yourself, but also the thoughts of people who are around you."

It's awesome when science is able to bring forth evidence that demonstrates the power of our minds, our thoughts, words, feelings, beliefs and actions. It supports and reinforces practices that I have personally experienced the benefits of putting into action.

It's about being mindful, living in the present, choosing intentional practices for positivity and, maybe most importantly, undoing the subconscious programming that we've been cultured to believe.

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I Have To...

8/15/2018

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How often do you start a sentence with the words...I have to, I need to, I must, I've got to? I know that I sometimes catch myself using these phrases. Sometimes it's a simple combination of words, that we don't even realize we are saying, however the choice and the intention is important and impactful.

It's not only impacting other people, but also it is telling the story of who we are. Our words share our story and frame who we are and what we believe to be truth. Our words create and reinforce either a positive or negative perspective, and ultimately a story. What story are you telling about who you are everyday?

I have to do this and I have to do that. I think we might all be surprised at how many times we automatically default to this type of word choice. The words "I have to" contains a negative implication of an unwanted obligation.

Resetting the phrase to something like "I get to" or "I choose to" or "I want to" changes the connotation to a positive. It indicates positivity, acceptance, appreciation and gratitude. This subtle shift is powerful in our brain and the vibration that is sent out into the universe.

Is it "I have to go to the grocery store." or is it "I am choosing to go to the grocery store." Because truth is, we really don't have to do most things unless we choose to right? We don't have to go to the dentist, we don't have to go to a dinner party, we don't even have to go to work. We are making choices, choices that benefit us in some way. Turn it around for a moment and think of the choice and the benefit.

The words we choose are important. They are impactful to ourselves and to others and create our story and our world. I "get to" creates an entirely different life experience than "I have to" does. What are you creating? What do you want to create? I am working on switching the "have to's" to "I get to" or "I choose to". I invite you to work on creating this subtle word and perspective shift in your life as well.

And remember, today's challenges...the "I have to's" (yardwork, kids, jobs, family, friends) most times were yesterday's dreams...

Here is a short, less than two minute, video on shifting from the "have to" mindset to the "get to" mindset. Enjoy!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ra0QumqI79Y

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This Is Why We Practice

8/14/2018

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This is a post that I shared almost 3 year ago. I was thinking about it this week and decided to share it again. It's one of my favorite reminders. I hope you enjoy it!

Do you sometimes wait until there is some type of crisis or immediate need before taking care of important things? For instance, waiting until you have a cold to take care of yourself. You feel the symptoms begin to surface, so you try to get more rest, you eat better, you take your supplements, drink your tea and try to gear up to fend it off.

I work hard to take care of my spirit, mind and body, but there are times when I am slacking off and not practicing what I know. I recently read two pieces written by Danielle LaPorte that really resonated with me. I have combined them into one and I want to share it with you in this week's post. I hope that you find it as intriguing as I did. Here it is.

I travelled to Dharamshala, India with six friends to meet with The Dalai Lama. It was cell-altering and heart-expanding.

The week before our arrival, there had been a horrible event in which some monks were murdered -- most shockingly, by other monks. The story was on everyone's mind and in our small, private meeting with His Holiness, the first thing we did was offer our condolences. His response captivated me.

"Ah, yes, thank you for your thoughts," he said. "This is why we practice, for times like these when compassion is so necessary." He didn't nod in mutual disdain. He didn't show any drama. He was soft and ... practical.

This is why we practice.

For times like these.

You don't need to forgive until you need to forgive. You don't need nerves of steel until you need nerves of steel. You don't need to call on your reserves of compassion, or fortitude, or faith until you've used up everything else.This is why we practice.

This is why, even when life is ambling along nicely and there's food in our spiritual cupboard, we still make sure that we get to yoga, or the reading group, or Sunday services.

When we're healthy and happy we make sure to dance, we hit the court, we pick up the phone to check in, we drop by with something in hand.

When we're believing in the fairness and the glory of human nature and the so-called Fates, we keep seeking, and meditating on reality, and praying for healing even though nothing obvious ails us. We keep up with our spiritual practice.

We keep standing up to make our art even when we could be predictable pedestrians.

Because the day will most certainly come, as it does whether you are a whole-hearted Lover or in denial of Grace, that you will be struck down or ground down by life. It can come in tiny tearing heartbreaks five times a day, just walking through your neighbourhood. It could come in the name of tragedy that could only happen once in a lifetime.

And you will need to withdraw the insights that you put into your heart's escrow. And you will need to call on your people -- the unseen and the ones right in front of you -- to help you meet the day.

You will be interrupted.
You will be called on to expand.You will be asked who you are and why you are here.

This is why we practice.

Spiritual practice won’t stop crappy things from happening. Here’s the truly holistic picture: Life is full of crappy things, circumstances, feelings, emotions, and people with crazy-mean motives.

You can still get your heart broken when you’re enlightened. Illumination doesn’t spare the body — pundit Jiddu Krishnamurti dealt with wretched migraines, the beloved Thich Nhat Hanh recently suffered a debilitating stroke. Tragedies strike. Tsunamis engulf. Life hits, heals, caresses, and batters every one of us — the saints, the do-gooder’s, in sun salutations, and in repose.

But this...

Here's what soul practice does: It helps you handle the hard stuff when it comes. Every conscious in-breath/out-breath you take carves out space in your being for the ineffable mystery. And you really need to leave room for mystery if you want to stay sane. All of your dancing, and asanas, and sweaty finish lines are making it much easier to unfold, rather than grip and grind. The prayers, the declarations, the incantations… they’re an IV drip of grace, streaming into your nervous system.

Spiritual practice won't make you super human. But it will help you fall in love with your humanity.

You get to choose your response to even the things you can’t prevent. When you’re down on yourself because you can’t get over it, when the Creepy Creepertons are on your very last nerve, when you’re tired of being tired, or your heart is in pieces…the best self-help is self-compassion.

I love the "IV drip of grace" and the "you get to choose your response" and "you will need to withdraw the insights that you put into your heart's escrow" and "you will be called on to expand. You will be asked who you are and why you are here." Which ones stood out to you? I would love to hear your feedback.

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Let It Fall Away

Your Shift Will Make A Difference

Living With Intention

Step Away From The Screen

What Did I Do Spiritually Today?

Stay In Your Magic

What Are You Disciplined To?

Your Beliefs Impact Your Genes

I Have To...

This Is Why We Practice

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