Love your Body

All Abilities Day event leads to a shift in my own abilities. An image of the "Big Brian" from the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles. 

As the special education representative for my children’s middle school, I took on the challenge of managing an event called All Abilities Day. This is a time where students rotated through 3 stations of “disabilities” to get a glimpse of the experience of someone else’s life.  The day chosen in February was cancelled due to weather.  It was the “one day of the year (so far)” forecast to have massive thunderstorm activity.  The event was re-scheduled to May 2nd.  Needless to say, this was the complete opposite weather, as it was 97 degrees at the height of the day.

Because I had spear-headed the event for the past two years at my child’s elementary school, I was aware of the energy level I was to experience.  Oddly enough, those two past years were also rain days and were able to keep me cool during the day.  At 97 degrees, this year was not the case.  The event took place the entire school day, and at the last period, I began to have symptoms that I had not experienced before.  I had been walking the campus back and forth, from the outdoor blazing heat, to the indoor air-conditioned multi-purpose room.  The symptoms were that of heat exhaustion.

Having these symptoms forced me to relinquish my control of the event to another volunteer. Thankfully, I had a very well-versed on this event volunteer at this last period.  I had to sit in the shade and rest.  I knew that if I did not allow myself to take that time, my symptoms could get worse, even leading to passing out.  As the representative of this event, I made a wise decision not to let myself pass-out.

The days that followed were interesting.  Trying to do my normal day-to-day functions, with my typical energy level was challenging.  I was still having symptoms a week later and was surprised at how long it took my body to recover.

Here is what I discovered.  This event is one of my passions, a creation that I feel so strongly about.  If I do not cultivate my entire Being completely, those passions will fall short of manifestation.  Mind, Body, Spirit work is just that.  I know Spirit.  I know Mind.  I am not as familiar with Body.  This was a call to order for me.  If I do not want to complete the cycle of Wholeness, I can continue to ignore the necessity of this human vehicle.  To be Whole, I must recognize the gift of this human body and not take it for granted. Ironically, this is one of the messages I am trying to bring to students in All Abilities Day.  I have also been asking for prayer in this area, praying for stamina and vitality to keep up with my son’s Boy Scout activities. Attempting to create awareness for others, allowed me to create awareness in myself.  Sometimes prayers are answered in a wake-up call.

No Shades of Grey

Today my ex-husband of twelve years called me to chat. I knew he was going to call because he had tried to connect with me earlier in the week and I left him my cell number.

It really was a pleasant conversation; we caught up on each other's families and where we were living etc. He is still an avid golfer and lives on a golf course. He told me that he had developed a love of writing, had taken some writing classes and was quite good at it.

Then he told me that he was writing a novel in which the hero ends up living in Arkansas; his new home. I suspect this novel will be somewhat autobiographical and wondered if and how I would be represented in it. Figuring that he certainly had the right to show his point of view of our years together and the end of our marriage.

The truth is that when we decided to separate, it was more my idea than his. Also, I did not behave or speak as the kind, compassionate and loving person that I would have liked to have been or as I presented myself as being. Before he left the area but several years after our divorce, I made an appointment with him to apologize for my unkindness. It felt good to ask for forgiveness which he willingly gave.

Most of my early years, before any spiritual work, I lived in an "either-or" world. For me people were either good or bad; I recognized no shades of grey. (Never mind fifty shades.) Living in an either-or world makes life very small indeed.

Learning to see through the other person's eyes, is a great tool for resolving conflict in relationships. An even greater tool is to see a third way and a fourth way.

You can use this tool for resolving conflict with others, and you could also use it to resolve issues within yourself. In the case of a couple ending a marriage: she has one point of view, he has another, his friends have another, her friends have another, and the children have yet another. So many ways to see anything. Ultimately the only thing that is necessary is to be true to yourself, say "say what you need to say."

When resolving your own issues, you can look at the situation from the perspective of those closest to you, not by directly asking them but by asking yourself what advice would my three closest friends give me? If all three would give the same advice you have tapped into your intuition. If, on the other hand, even in your imagination, there are three or more points of view, you are free to choose. Wow! How liberating is that!

Today is a great day to practice living in an expanding universe. Get out of the box of your habitual thinking and try something new on. You might like it.

My Favorite Parenting Advice for this Mother's Day

You know that old saying, "It takes a village to raise a child"? I think that's true. And, also, I think it takes a village to support the parents.

One of my best sources of parenting inspiration and guidance is the Parent Forum and Rev. Pattie Mercado. She is my North Star when it comes to parenting insight. Here are some words of wisdom that I hold close to my heart as I walk along my parenting journey.

"Our children are our best mirrors to what's going on within us. 

Because really, everything is an inside job." ~ Rev. Pattie Mercado.

Did you know that?? We are so connected to our children that they act as perfect mirrors of our internal beliefs and thinking. Instead of trying to change them, it's a good idea to look within first and ask:

Why does this behavior bother me?
What do I believe about how my child is acting?
What is my work to do?

With this internal inquiry, we reveal a lot about our internal thought process and through recognition we have the opportunity to change our perspective. Now, that's not to say that we completely ignore our child's behavior. After all, it's our job as parents to act as tour guide in this world, pointing out potential dangers and local customs. But...

"Every experience is an opportunity to know myself better." ~ Rev. Pattie Mercado

Yes, it's true. Every experience we encounter as parents offers us (not our kids, not our spouse, not our neighbor or best friend) the opportunity to uncover our own beliefs, likes, dislikes, preferences and perspectives. And by knowing myself better, I get the opportunity to say, "Yes, this is true of me" or "No, this is something I want to change." Because, above all....

"I matter. You matter. Every choice you make matters." ~ Rev. Pattie Mercado

Yep! I matter. It matters how I parent my children. It matters how I choose to spend my money. It matters what I think. I know...sometimes it feels like you are just one little person in a whole sea of people, thoughts, Facebook posts. And you think...I think...my voice doesn't really matter. But, it does! It matters a lot! We are here on purpose. Our children chose us for a reason. Just remember...

"You are the perfect parent for your child." ~ Rev. Pattie Mercado

And it's true. You are. I am. Even in a sea of parenting advice and judgments, I know my child best and I can trust my intuition to make the best choice for my family. Yes, even when I feel like I made a mistake or I don't really know what the heck I'm doing, I am still the best parent for my child. The bond of mother (or father) and child is sacred.

So this Mother's Day, take a moment to let all these gems of wisdom sink in. Know you are right where you are supposed to be in this life, regardless of how it looks in the moment. And, if you want to receive more of Rev. Pattie's amazing and honoring conscious parenting wisdom, join us for the Parent Forum, Wednesday, June 11, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Lunch and child care is provided. Click HERE for more information.

Happy Mother's Day Friends!!

How to Be Guided by Intuition

Intuition is  my favorite topic right now.

Probably because I have consciously chosen to LIVE intuitively and follow it when it talks to me.

For years, I didn't recognize it, then I started recognizing it, but didn't act on it, simply because I didn't understand it.

It wasn't logical.  It wasn't always easy.

But, as I have grown spiritually, I realized how much I wasn't living the live I really wanted to be living.

So, I knew I had to live more intuitively and act on the guidance I am given.

In a short time, many amazing things have happened and I'm demonstrating over and over why listening to my intuition is the way to go in life.

Living intuitively has made such a difference in my life that I decided to create an episode about it on my YouTube channel and thought I'd share it here:

What about you?

How do you live intuitively?  Share in the comments below how intuition has worked in your life and whether or not you feel you live intuitively or not.