Fighting for Your Life

A diagnosis comes

Swiftly

Harshly

Stalling our engines

Leaving us adrift

Spiraling down

Forcing us into

The fight for our life

As we crash

Flooding our psyche with

All that was

 All that is

All that we want to be

Clarity

The gift of the wreckage

Freedom

The constant

As we are liberated

Knowing who we truly are

And the privilege it is to be alive

On our darkest days

On our most triumphant days

Our heart remembers

It is all good

Clapping

Singing

Celebrating

LIFE.

 

I have observed myself saying in numerous conversations:  Your life is worth fighting for.  These are not terminally ill people, diagnosed with a disease which leaves them fighting for their life day in and day out, hoping and praying that they will beat the odds, doing whatever they must to stay here on this earth as they fully understand the gift of life.  These are people who have forgotten that they have choices to do things differently, to fly out of the cage door that they believe holds them captive not seeing that the cage door is always open; forgetting they are the captor and the liberator both.

Recalling some events of my life to friends who didn’t know me in my most destructive times, I shared how I began fantasizing about how I could kill myself not wanting to live the way I was living.  Then, a grace blew through me, showing me that my life was worth fighting for; and just as I had visualized ways of ending my life, I could use this very tool to imagine the possibilities, to create a life that would nourish my soul.  The clarity that came forward giving me a higher perspective, making known to me that I possessed the power within me to move mountains and the only mountain to move was actually me began my journey into living consciously, joyously and gratefully come what may. 

Since my earliest days on this earth, I was obsessed with death, worrying about my own death and the death of others who I loved, people from my community as well as strangers on the evening news and in the paper; the death of birds I found on the sidewalk or squirrels on the road.  I had a recurring dream about Nazis holding me captive, torturing me until they mercifully killed me in the gas chamber.  These dreams terrified me as a child, but I now see that my subconscious mind was showing me that life is a liberation walk, choice by choice, day by day until our last breath.  There are things in life that suck which we will do anything to avoid, feeling tortured and even wishing the pain would end – on some level wanting to die but ultimately, not wanting to live the kind of hell we are experiencing.  The intensity of this space takes us into another gear, the depths of who we truly are, the limitlessness of the soul.  This is a grace so fierce it forces us to fight for our life, to walk through that which we have run from.   

The invitation this day is to not wait for some diagnosis, some terminal disease to see that your life is worth fighting for.  Do what you must this day to bring more joy, more peace, more love into your life.  Hold the intention to love your life knowing it is possible and it is the greatest act of service to your Self and humanity.  Fight through old patterns and beliefs that keep you imprisoned.  Dismiss all that violates the truth of who you are – all that strips you of the beauty and abundance that is.  Fight the good fight with a heart wide open to the miracles of this day available to you and to all.  LOVE BIG! 

Upside Down

We walk through our world

Doing what we do

Seeing things as we see them

And suddenly

We find our world turned upside down

Nothing looks the same

Nothing is the same

We long for others to see what we now see

 But they simply can’t

As they remain upright

Walking the path they have been walking

Everything looks the same

Everything is the same

We are liberated

Remembering this new view

This new life

Is for us

We can’t take others with us

But we can cherish

The time shared

The love that forever connects us

No villains in this story

Just People

Living their lives

Navigating their paths

Upside down

Upright

As best we can.

 

There is a concrete beam in my living area that has become a prop for me to do hand stands and hang upside down.  I love the feeling of hanging upside down – my hands grounding me on the floor, my arms firing every muscle, my core engaged and my legs straight with my toes pointed against the beam.  Everything looks different from this position.  Everything is different at this angle.

This reminds me that wherever I am in my life affects the way I view the world and not everyone is exactly where I am so they can’t see what I see.  This requires me to honor my individual perspective and unique views; and in doing this, I can honor where others are and recognize that they see what they see.  This is liberating!  No need to make others bad or villains in my story rather seeing the beauty of people living their lives, navigating their paths upside or upright the best they can.

It is painful to long for others to see what we see.  It sucks that we can’t take others with us and must let go of what was.  This is life – a constant letting go and reaching for more, grieving, wishing things could stay the same and eventually accepting the new and delighting in it in ways that surprise us.  We can cherish the time shared and allow the love to forever connect us as we are grateful for the dance. 

The invitation this day is to appreciate your perspectives, how you view the world so that you can appreciate how others see.  None of us are upright or upside down at the same time; but in recognizing that each person’s journey causes shifts within and in the external world revealing different angels, we can stand fully present human to human.  We live with an understanding that transcends our desire for things to be as we want them to be and an expectation that others should see as we see.     

The Sacred Dance of Soul Companions

 

Beyond common interests

Beyond shared history

Beyond convention

Beyond reason

Our world

Collides with another

The familiarity undeniable

The connection instant

The easiness unparalleled

The timing not of this realm

Unplanned

Mystical

Lovely

Sacred

A dance so sweet

It must be soul.

 

There are those we travel a lifetime with – some are part of our family of origin and some we meet in childhood sharing history and roots – but some swoop into our lives and there is a richness beyond interpretation as if we know each other in a way that there is no way we should.  These soul companions usher us into our Self in ways that no one else can, expanding us with an exchange that awakens us, lighting the way to new paths within us and within the world.  We know there is nothing we have done to make this happen, a connection so deep that it can’t be boxed into the concept of friendship or an understanding on purely a human level.  We rest in each other’s presence, dancing a sacred dance that surprises us with a divine playfulness, an intimacy in the laughter, the tears, the words – all that is shared.  We are home with each other, an easiness that we have craved all of our lives and here it is nourishing us and freeing us.  This makes no sense and yet, it makes perfect sense when we drop into the silence of our heart.  So mystical.  So lovely.  So sacred.  A dance so sweet it must be soul. 

Beyond our human nature that wants to grasp, to hang on as tight as we can in an attempt to keep this connection.  Soul companions are with us as long as we need them.  Some encounters mere moments that are so profound we are transformed instantly.  Some experiences are seasonal, bringing inspiration and mirroring possibilities for our own life hatching. Some we dance with for years, the tempo shifting but the depth remaining so glorious we must say thank you all day long.   

The invitation this day is to thank the heavens for the sacred dance of soul companions and their angelic role in our lives, calling more of us to come forward and take a bow, reminding us that we matter and we are loved, and standing with us unconditionally wherever we are in any given moment.

Let your life Speak

 

Let your life speak

Reflecting the essence of who you are

The joy

The hope

The grace

The peace

The love

That is YOU

Expressing uniquely

As you show up for life

In this sacred dance

Doing what you do

Being all that you are

Holding nothing back

Bursting with the passion

A soul on fire for life

Taking the good with the bad

Holding the paradox

Grateful for this most precious gift

A magnificent adventure so grand

That it pulses with possibilities

Breath by breath

Day by day

This is your life

Let the curtain rise

Clearing anything obstructing the beauty

Take a bow.

 

Often, we are out of balanced, focused more on the external, believing our worth is solely measured by what we do; identified more by our work, our roles, how others see us than by the internal, remembering the truth of who we are, creatures of soul expressing uniquely as each of us.  The Quaker theologian and philosopher, William Penn, wrote: Let your life speak and the wisdom of this invitation continues to remind me that whatever we do in this world speaks to the essence of who we are.  Beyond an idea of how I should be living, the energy that I show up in, moment by moment, speaks in ways I can recognize and ways I simply cannot. 

To wake up each day acknowledging the gift that you are, the miracle of your life and live from that space ignites the passion within that is always there waiting for us to connect to it, use it and let it speak through us.  In this energy of truth, we can hold nothing back as passion bursts from us, souls on fire, doing what we do, being all that we are, enjoying the ride of this human journey which certainly will break our hearts and disappoint us AND fill our hearts beyond measure and excite the hell out of us with surprises that delight us in magical ways.

The invitation this day is to let your life speak of the love, the hope, the grace, the peace, the joy – the truth of who you are.  Take the good with the bad.  Hold the paradox.  Give thanks all day long.  Feel the possibilities for your life pulse through you:  mind, body, heart and soul.  Remember that this is your life, your magnificent adventure:  breath by breath, moment by moment, day by day.  Let the curtain rise, clearing anything obstructing the beauty you are, the wonder of this life and take a bow.

Let your life Speak

 

Let your life speak

Reflecting the essence of who you are

The joy

The hope

The grace

The peace

The love

That is YOU

Expressing uniquely

As you show up for life

In this sacred dance

Doing what you do

Being all that you are

Holding nothing back

Bursting with the passion

A soul on fire for life

Taking the good with the bad

Holding the paradox

Grateful for this most precious gift

A magnificent adventure so grand

That it pulses with possibilities

Breath by breath

Day by day

This is your life

Let the curtain rise

Clearing anything obstructing the beauty

Take a bow.

 

Often, we are out of balanced, focused more on the external, believing our worth is solely measured by what we do; identified more by our work, our roles, how others see us than by the internal, remembering the truth of who we are, creatures of soul expressing uniquely as each of us.  The Quaker theologian and philosopher, William Penn, wrote: Let your life speak and the wisdom of this invitation continues to remind me that whatever we do in this world speaks to the essence of who we are.  Beyond an idea of how I should be living, the energy that I show up in, moment by moment, speaks in ways I can recognize and ways I simply cannot. 

To wake up each day acknowledging the gift that you are, the miracle of your life and live from that space ignites the passion within that is always there waiting for us to connect to it, use it and let it speak through us.  In this energy of truth, we can hold nothing back as passion bursts from us, souls on fire, doing what we do, being all that we are, enjoying the ride of this human journey which certainly will break our hearts and disappoint us AND fill our hearts beyond measure and excite the hell out of us with surprises that delight us in magical ways.

The invitation this day is to let your life speak of the love, the hope, the grace, the peace, the joy – the truth of who you are.  Take the good with the bad.  Hold the paradox.  Give thanks all day long.  Feel the possibilities for your life pulse through you:  mind, body, heart and soul.  Remember that this is your life, your magnificent adventure:  breath by breath, moment by moment, day by day.  Let the curtain rise, clearing anything obstructing the beauty you are, the wonder of this life and take a bow.

Just for this Day

 

Keep your Heart light this day

Remembering the abiding JOY

That lives within

Knowing the greatest act of service

Is LOVING your life

Living in the TRUTH of who you are

A soul

ONE with all of Creation.

Welcome the JOY of being with friends

Receiving with gratitude all the abundance

Found in the seemingly ordinary moments

That are rich and precious.

Sip in the sunshine

The clouds

The skies

The winds

The rains

The beauty that holds you

And is not separate from you.

Stand on the Earth

With both feet grounded

In the power of the Great Mother

Who nourishes

Infuses us with courage, wisdom & strength

And can contain all the troubles that lie in your heart

Transforming the heaviness

If we dare to surrender it to her.

Laugh out loud

And feel the echo of your heart

Vibrate with those sharing in the moment

A simple yet profound gift

That fills us with play

And stays with us long after.

Rest in the silence within you

The eternal well

Shhhh…listen

Possibilities

Hatching from that which we bless

And that which we curse

The paradox of life

That we must hold

In order to be free.

Be kind to your Self

No matter what

Releasing the shame and guilt that imprisons

Acknowledging the essence of who you are

Pure goodness

Allowing your humanity

Not demanding perfection

Rather seeing the beauty

In the direct experiences

Open to the whole of your nature

Human and Divine.

Make peace with your body

Love and accept it

As it is the sacred vessel

That houses your Spirit

And carries you through your days

Not something to be diminished

But honored and revered.

Say all day long:

Today is the best day ever

And watch the best day unfold

Every single day

Come what may

True freedom

In unconditional living

Meeting life on life’s terms

While standing in the truth:

IT IS ALL GOOD.

Today is the BEST DAY!

The power of words

Of Self Talk

To invite

To awaken

To remember

The beauty of each day

Is unparalleled

As there is no greater gift

Than acknowledging the TRUTH:

Today is the BEST DAY

Every day is the BEST DAY

Because we are here

Alive…

 

A week or so ago, while chatting with a friend, I heard myself say aloud:  Today is the best day ever!  It was rainy outside and I had no plans igniting this excitement and enthusiasm but the passion poured from this truth making that day and every day:  The best day ever!!! 

One could argue that milestones throughout my life were the best day ever and I would agree; but I would add that every single day is the best day ever!  This truth doesn’t take away from those grand events; it acknowledges those big moments as well as the small moments – all of which are magnificent.  It helps us remember that every day is precious so we must extract the beauty, the goodness that is present no matter what.

My late-husband, John, used to say aloud every day, calling me when one of us was traveling to remind me:  There will never be another day just like this one so enjoy it!  He is no longer here on this earth, but I rest in the knowing that he saw that each day was the best day.  When my last breath is taken, I want those who love me to rest in knowing that I loved life on life’s terms, for what it is, seeing the beauty even in the tragedies and giving thanks for this life all of my days.  To me, this is leaving the richest of legacies as it is grounded in truth, that which is eternal and can’t ever be diminished by outside forces that blow through like a tornado changing the external landscape. 

Today and all your days, I invite you to say over and over out loud:  Today is the best day!  And watch how this opens your eyes so you can see the best, the beauty in each day.  Choose to see the best in your Self, in others, in this day as this creates miracles in your life that will feed you in ways nothing else can.  Remember, today is the best day ever because you are here…you are alive.  Ahhhhhh….sip that in…breath by breath.