Redefining Love, part 2

No matter how hard we try, we cannot escape pain or suffering in our lives.  We also cannot escape the Truth.  One way or another, the Truth really does make you free...

I believe the key to reducing pain and suffering requires us all to recognize LOVE's power while understanding our own individual limitations and our own truth.  When we do, we begin to see that as our spirit, soul, and body aligns with our true heart's desires (vision), we unleash a power that redefines and transforms everything in it's path.

Where we can get off track is when we expect others to align with us.  Magic occurs when they do and suffering can occur when they don't.

So how do we stay on our Path?

How do we recognize the difference between life's challenges that try to take us off our Path where we learn and can overcome vs. real roadblocks designed to redirect us when we are actually off our Path?

Hmmmm.

The Truth is that only YOU will know the difference... because you are the only one who really knows your truth.

I believe God and the universe conspire to both challenge and teach us in an effort to shape our conviction (belief) and will.  Our ability to recognize and respond to these challenges refine us.  If we see these events through you're entire life's Perspective lens, we are often shown a very different Truth (in hindsight) that when accepted simply will Redefine Love.


Exhale.
Yea.................. ;)

This is what I've learned in 2012 (and yes, it is supposed to make you THINK).

My hope is that we all learn what we need so we will suffer less in 2013.

FEEL.    Write.     Believe.     Act.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

I hope you and your family and friends have a wonderfully healthy and happy Holiday Season!

Redefining Love

The cliches that all say things like 'with age comes wisdom' are all incredibly, fundamentally TRUE.  There's definitely something to be said for the perspective that comes with getting older.  Now I'm not ancient by any means yet but in my 40+ years I am coming to understand not only my own value but also WHAT I value... and that understanding is essentially about Redefining Love.

Love really IS patient and kind; believes all things; endures all things... and at its core: 

Love truly never ever fails.

The interesting thing now that's altered my mindset is that I now allow and apply these principles of love to myself.

I have realized that I'm no longer tolerant of not being loved fully which means that I have begun to rethink how I allow myself to be treated by all who are in my life.  That also means I am allowing myself to get out of my head and into my heart much more... I am recognizing the circumstances, words, or actions that hurt me and saying to those people, "That's not okay.  It's not okay for you to treat me with disrespect by not valuing me (my feelings); or not allow me to express my feelings without judgment; or simply to not care enough to recognize how your actions can or do hurt me."

I am no longer absorbing the emotional impact of the actions of others simply because I have the capacity to love them or understand them (their reasons why).  I am saying "No.  This is my boundary." or even scarier yet I am saying "This is how I feel" and actually telling the honest truth.  I am choosing to communicate differently.

At this point, it is both terrifying and yet freeing to Speak My Truth... to say to a boss, coworker, friend, spouse, family member, or acquaintance what or how I FEEL without the need to logically justify my response.  The catch however is that I am also learning to RELEASE all those people from my expectation of reaction or response in return.

Ahhhhaaaa - you knew there was a catch, right?

Yep.

You'll have to allow all those who are in your life and used to you behaving or reacting one way to get used to you responding in a new way... and that takes patience from both parties.  And it takes PRACTICE.

The miracle that results however is worth the uncomfortable work in process.

By choosing to redefine love for yourself, you are unleashing the power that LOVE is to create new or renewed RELATIONSHIP with the people in your life.  Again, the key here is love.  This is not about unloading every criticism or hurt you've ever felt, righting past wrongs or selfish motivations... nor is it about EXPECTATIONS.  Rather it is an opportunity to refine what and how you communicate so that you are doing your part to BE Present and Honest with everyone in your life.

So for this, there is only the present.  You are Writing Your Vision moment by moment through your choice to actively love:  Open Heart 101.

It really IS A Wonderful Life... and I am choosing to LIVE it.  By redefining love of and for ourselves, we each have the opportunity to experience real depth of connection with one another... and that's a beautiful, miraculous gift.

Happy Holidays!
angela

How did I get here, again?

My head hurts today... as does the rest of me.  I've been traveling for work pretty much non-stop for the last several months.  Not exactly sure how that came about to the extent that it has... is one of those "how did I get here?" questions.

Life can be so funny.  When I DO slow down long enough to allow my mind some peace, it's amazing the clarity I get.  Things like:

• Stress will kill you
• Bills don't pay themselves
• Dry cleaning shouldn't be your only method of laundry
• a dog wagging it's tail really brings me joy
• I do love my pillow

And then I circle back to the "why are you doing this?" question.  So then I start to ask myself, "well, yea... WHY exactly?"  This is immediately followed by the entire list of "HAVE TO's" that seem to dictate my every move lately.

Hmmmm...

Did I create the "Have To" list?

Am I just reacting because I'm overwhelmed?

Who exactly said I "had to" DO anything?

Hmmmm....

Time to REGROUP!  

Okay, so how exactly do I deconstruct what I've been doing and determine my 

Go Forward Strategy?

Simple.

I don't deconstruct anything.  Just need to let it go... AND get back to writing my vision for Today, this week, month and so on.

There's no point really in trying to figure out WHY.  I just need to change my behavior.

exhale

deep breath in

exhallllllleeeeee

It's really easy to beat ourselves up for things we haven't done, etc.  We ARE our own worst critics after all.  It's also easy to get lost in the past.  The truth is that there is ONLY now.  Only Today.  There's no guarantee for tomorrow though we'd all like to believe so... and yesterday really and truly is over.  So what about NOW?

I've written my vision for my future... revised it quite a few times already.  But I haven't written my Now lately.  So I am going to do that next.  Then I'm going to dust off my guitar and relearn my chords.

exhale

I've let "now" get away from me and right at this moment, I'm taking that back.  My life can't be about waiting forever for what I don't have nor dwelling on yesterday.  I know where I am going - I have my vision - but I'm missing out on today.  So enough already...

Time to live.

This moment.

This day.

Happy Friday all - I hope you all spend today PRESENT.

;) angela

THINK.     WRITE.     BELIEVE.     ACT.

Define "Complicated..."

Nowadays the two catch-phrases that annoy me the most are "It's complicated..." and "It is what it is..."  It seems as though people have become accustomed to indecisiveness.  Better to wait it out and see what happens, right?

NOT.

In politics, we see polling for everything.  Messaging is critical.  Same is often true in the corporate business world, in government, and lately even in spiritual conversations.  Yep, even there...

I find myself looking upward and asking:  "REALLY???"

What's sooooo complicated???

Truth is - I don't think it IS all THAT complicated.  I think it's all pretty simple.  Problem is we - humans - can complicate or dramatize almost anything.

SIDEBAR:  Have you seen those Liberty Mutual insurance commercials??  Totally crack me up because they are SO true.  Sometimes despite our best efforts, stuff still happens... :)

Take ANY situation or circumstance you're facing right now.  Chances are if you're thinking "it's complicated" that most likely means there's some decision you're putting off making.  You don't want to hurt someone.  You're afraid.  Or some other negative emotion that seems far worse than the current feeling.  Hmmm - yea.

Thing is we've become so conditioned to 'reacting' that we're often terrified of ACTING.

"Plan B... need a Plan B" is what I hear ALL the time.

I don't believe in Plan B.  I think Plan B is by definition putting it out there that you don't have any faith whatsoever in Plan A.

Faith by definition is "the substance of things HOPED FOR, the evidence of things NOT seen."  So why can't we just go with Plan A?  What are we so afraid of that we default to 'it's complicated?' Or 'it is what it is...?'

We're afraid of scenarios.  We all do it.  We go through the endless waterfall list of "possibilities" and get overwhelmed and stuck.  We are all so often fearful of the 'unknown' or worse yet 'what we THINK we know' that we'd rather just not face it.  Maybe if I wait long enough, someone else will decide... because then "I" don't have to be accountable for the choice.  "I" don't have to be the one causing the change which we equate with PAIN.

Uh huh.

The fear tells us that the status quo is FAR better than CHANGE...

Oh really?
Who told you that the equation is:

CHANGE = PAIN = BAD => Avoid PAIN ~ Avoid Change!

NOTE:  Think about ANY hero you may have.  What is the one thing they ALL have in common?


The funny thing is...

Change is a part of life.  There is nothing on this earth or in the heavens that isn't constantly in motion.  There's laws of attraction and energy. Nothing is ever created or destroyed... physics.  Mathematics.  Science.  And of course, Spirituality.  Even the bible tells us so.  When Moses asked "Who are you?"  God answered "I AM."

Not I was... or I will be... but I AM.

Present.  Constant.  A state of being not a state of been or be!  :)

We are ALL changing every second of every day so WHAT in the world is so scary???  Why would we settle for a false status quo (there's no such thing) in an attempt to stave off CHANGE?

Change is coming.

Change is here.

Change is GOOD... because it "IS."

The fascinating thing about the human condition is that we all long for change... to be better, get better... and yet?!!!?

See where I'm going here?? 

The greatest lessons I think we all learn in our lives is that when we TAKE A RISK the rewards - whether they are rewards in learning, maturity, finance, career, spirituality... (the list goes on) - ARE WORTH it on SOME level.  Always.  Every time.

As human BEINGS (not human doings), we have been fashioned to EXPERIENCE life.  That means that it is NEVER about the status quo.  Never.  Even when we are told, "Peace be still" that still requires ACTION not passivity.

Think about your life.
What's happening RIGHT NOW?

What is it that scares you the most?  Then ask yourself - WHY?  When we all start to break it down and actually DEFINE "Complicated" we can pretty quickly see that it really ISN'T.

THINK.  WRITE.   BELIEVE.   ACT.

Life's Little Things...

Today it's raining - down pouring really - in Austin.  It's one of those beautiful, cleansing summer rains that smells earthy, clean, and fresh.  It melts the heat and delivers a melody of calm, relaxing torrents.

I love a summer thunderstorm.

They remind me of my grandmother... As a child and throughout my life, it's no secret that I adored my grandmother.  I've often been asked what made her so special or what was it about her that I loved so much?  Well, it was a thousand little things.  But mostly it was her seemingly unending love for me.  A love that shone through in everything she did when I was near her.  How her face would light up when I walked in... the fact that she'd hug me so tightly and kiss me as if she'd not seen me in years even if it was only a few hours ago... it was her laugh and that she found humor in most things.  It was that she made time for me and when I was with her, I was the center of her world... that she SAW me.

As a child, it's a true wonder to receive honest love.  Love that says "you'll never disappoint me" "I think you hung the moon!" with genuine affection.

As an adult, the continual, unwavering gift of that type of love is a miracle.  It grounds and centers your very soul.

But what's so great about thunderstorms?

When I was a kid and even a teen, I'd often spend the night at Gram and Pap's... she and I would stay up late after Pap had dozed off in his chair.  Many a summer night, we'd go out and sit on their porch.  It was a wonderful porch with a real roof over head but also the old school aluminum awnings that extended the reach of the porch... the type of awning that echoed rain.  Gram and I would sit out there on that porch for hours talking, laughing, and usually eating some sort of fresh fruit.  She seemed to have an endless supply of grapes or oranges, plums, nectarines, cherries... and the occasional dollop of vanilla ice cream.  We'd sit and snack until the wee hours of the morning - especially in the summer time.  But most of all, one of our FAVORITE times to be outside was during a storm.  We'd sit out there on that porch and cackle like kids with each thunderclap as we'd jump out of our skin.  It was late one summer night - storming.  I kept sticking my arm out to feel the rain fall.  Gram just laughed at me... then she snuck up behind me and grabbed my shoulders as if to push me out in the rain.  I jumped sky high and she laughed hysterically.  I scowled back swearing I wasn't afraid which made her laugh all the more.  Then I challenged her back saying I was gonna go stand out in that storm!  She mischievously met my glare and dared me to do it.  "I WILL!" I said, sticking my arm out again.  "Go ahead!" she countered.  So I did. (of course, right, for those of you who know me - lol ;)  I marched down two whole steps out from under the awnings and stood facing the neighbors house and the hills in the back in the downpour.  Gram just laughed all the more!  Then a HUGE clap of thunder sent me flying right into her lap soaking wet.  She just kept laughing and said "that thunder's not gonna get you!  Come on!"  And just like that she grabbed my hand and we stood back out there in the rain - together.  It was perfect.

Suffice it to say, that's about all I remember - except that we both got cold and then ran down to the basement to jump in the shower just to get warm.  Post shower we had some tea and eventually went to bed.

Gram never said anything dramatic like "always dance in the rain" or "face your fears" or any number of other pearls of verbal wisdom.  She just LIVED... and often laughed about whatever she was doing. That's one of the many things that made her so unique and so special.

I can't ever remember not loving summer storms.  No matter where in the world I was or what I was doing, the sound of thunder and good torrential rain always makes me pause.  And every now and then I can't help myself - I go stand, kick a puddle, or do a little dance in the rain.  Just because...

My dream for today is for every person to take just a moment and really think about the people you LOVE.  Do you love with conditions? or do you just LOVE, letting your heart be FULL for that other soul? whether it's your children, grandchildren, spouse/partner, or friend?

Challenge yourself to SEE them and allow that overwhelming, overflowing depth of love to come pouring out - express it!  On your face, in your eyes, with your smile, and hug! SHOW them!  You've NO idea of the impact it will have... and for anyone who can, I highly encourage - just once - for you to stand in the rain.

[And for all you parents and grandparents, teach the children in your life to STAND in the RAIN... but don't just dare them to do it.  Stand out there with them!  You'll both never forget it, I promise you.]

At the end of our days, whenever that may be, it will be Life's Little Things that truly matter most.

Thanks Gram... for teaching me still.

THINK.     WRITE.     BELIEVE.     ACT.

WV is coming to the Big XII

For anyone who is a college football fan, there is NOTHING like the beginning of the season!  And this year, my beloved WVU Mountaineers are joining the Big XII Conference!

Look out WORLD, West Virginia is playing one game at a time on the road to win our first ever National Championship... and the people of WV cannot wait!

2012 West Virginia Mountaineers Football Schedule
Date		Opponent	Time/TV	Tickets
Saturday 09/01/12		Marshall Thundering Herd  Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, WV	12:00 p.m. ET FX	Buy Tickets
Saturday 09/08/12	---	Open Date	---	---
Saturday 09/15/12		James Madison Dukes  FedEx Field, Landover, MD	4:30 p.m. ET TV TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday 09/22/12		Maryland Terrapins  Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, WV	TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday 09/29/12		Baylor Bears (HC) Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, WV	TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday 10/06/12		at Texas Longhorns  Darrell K. Royal - TX Mem. Stadium, Austin, TX	TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday 10/13/12		at Texas Tech Red Raiders  Jones AT&T Stadium, Lubbock, TX	TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday 10/20/12		Kansas State Wildcats  Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, WV	TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday 10/27/12	---	Open Date	---	---
Saturday 11/03/12		TCU Horned Frogs  Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, WV	TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday 11/10/12		at Oklahoma State Cowboys  Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, OK	TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday 11/17/12		Oklahoma Sooners  Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, WV	TBA	Buy Tickets
Friday 11/23/12		at Iowa State Cyclones  Jack Trice Stadium, Ames, IA	3:30 p.m. ET ABC	Buy Tickets
Saturday 12/01/12		Kansas Jayhawks  Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, WV	TBA	Buy Tickets

Let's Goooooo Mountaineeeeeers!!!