Holy Imagination, BatGirl!

 Today I saw Barbie—the movie, not the toy—and it made me happy to think about those who have the imagination and know-how to bring fun ideas to life. In this case, it was our homegirl Greta Gerwig who brought Barbie to life. What fun! What imagination! 

It’s a continuation of the “what-if” theme I wrote about yesterday. Some “what-if”s are immensely sharable, like movies. They are ideas given form. Toys come to life, “why not?” isn’t rhetorical, barriers are permeable, and we get to grow and play and pretend.

I’m currently reading a series of essays by a prominent author, talking about the things in her life she’s drawn from; real-life scenarios and emotions, utilized as fodder for her imagination, and turned into wholly new situations and results. That’s something each of us can do as a journalling practice—start with real situations, then change the details to explore alternate endings. Parents failed you? Create the parent you wish you had, then imagine your future based on that changed reality. Who do you become? You made a bad, or a series of bad decisions? Change the past and imagine the present. What’s different? Is it better? Can you get there from here?

Today I experience all I imagined for myself. If I find anything lacking, can I imagine it becoming more like what I’ve longed for? Am I living the life I want to be living? Can I find gratitude in it?

I’m grateful for the imaginations of others, and I’m grateful for my own. I’m grateful to know the value of gratitude in it all as I utilize my own imagination in creating my own Barbieland (but mine is called Sandyland!).

What If…?

 I dwell in possibility….   Emily Dickinson

It’s fun to daydream. Daydreaming allows my mind to just float over different possibilities, giving me free rein to imagine all that could be. It’s how inventions come about. It’s where music is made and where art originates. It’s the path to making changes to one’s life in order to do better, live better, be better.

Where would I be without asking “what if?” Nothing would change, I wouldn’t be open to new experiences, and I would live in a stagnant morass with no breeze of possibility. Um, excuse me, but I want to always be open to whatever wonderful thing awaits me! 

That state of readiness isn’t the same as a lack of appreciation for where I’m at and what I have. I’m deeply grateful for my apartment, my car, my health, my friends, and my sweetheart. Life would be hard and lonely without the beauty of my life right now. I don’t seek change—I simply stand ready to enjoy all the richness of life, which includes making room for possibility.

What if I could learn a new skill? There are books, classes, and YouTube videos which are available to me. Boom! What if I didn’t have a poochy stomach? There are books, classes, and YouTube videos to help me take action. Boom! What if I want to travel? What if I were to save money rather than spending it so that the “what if” were to become a “been there, done that”? What if I were to be consciously aware of all the possibilities available to me right now? Would I have the nerve to say Yes, or would I be small and scared?  Boom, boom, and boom!

I choose Yes! I choose Possibility! I choose to dwell in What If! 

Just Get Over It, and Other Bad Advice

 Have you ever been in that space of darkness, where gratitude can’t be felt? Did you tell yourself to “just get over it” or did someone else give you the same bad advice? I’ve been guilty of both, sadly, and here’s the newsflash: it just isn’t that easy.

I’ve found, for myself, that focusing each morning (or afternoon, or evening) on those things for which I have gratitude can lift my spirits. In those times when I can’t find anything to be grateful for, I need to reach out to a friend, colleague, or my doctor. Sometimes we all just need a little help from outside of ourselves. 

Expressing gratitude is communication with my Creator. Not being able to find the good calls for reaching out to the Higher Realms as well. “Please help me to really see and appreciate all that is good and perfect, because I can’t see it right now” is a good, basic prayer, followed by “Thank you—I’ll try to trust that all is well.”

Sometimes there are long stretches of time where all seems dark and unmanageable. These “dark nights of the soul” are catalysts for major growth, although going through them is a major challenge. Trusting that all is well and all will be well is a spiritual exercise. These are especially the times when we need to reach out for help, even though they are the hardest times to do so. 

I write about this today for the ones who are experiencing that dissonance. As permanent as it feels right now, it is temporary. The clouds will lift, and you’ll once again experience the warmth of the Sunlight of the Spirit. Know that it is there, even in the midst of the darkest moments.

Close your ears to the ‘advice’ which comes unsolicited and without compassion, and trust the inner knowing that, as Julian of Ipswich said, “All will be well, and all will be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”

That means you.

It’s Been Awhile

I don’t usually miss writing my blogpost so many days in a row, so I have to look at my excuses. That’s a good exercise anyway, for anything and for any time I fail at my own expectations of myself. First for me is to accept myself wholly, whether or not I meet my own goals. I refuse to emotionally beat myself up — not any more. 

Self-flagellation used to be my default mode. I beat myself up so regularly, I was emotionally bruised all the time. I have that tendency still, occasionally, but I recognize it. When that happens, I can choose forgiveness and accept the grace to move forward. One little step at a time, I move out of ego-based fear into the Sunlight of the Spirit. That’s where I want to live, to grow, to thrive, to interact with others, and to fully be my truest, best self. That’s the invitation we all have. 

Today I’m grateful for fresh starts.I’m grateful for the willingness to accept the gift I’ve been given, and the desire to expand it. I’m grateful for the opportunity to share my thoughts, which also helps me to organize them into cogent thought-bubbles, rather than the random, unrelated brain bursts which happen then quickly disappear. 

Yes, it’s been awhile, but I’m back, and I am very grateful to be here!

Intuition➡️Inspiration

 Those of us who were raised in a Christian Sunday School heard mention of “the still, small voice”. There are other descriptions such as “gut-feeling” or “an inner-knowing”. Whatever it is, I take it to be my Higher Wisdom guiding me. It’s that sixth-sense, the feeling of “go here” or “don’t do that”, and I try to heed it’s advice. 

It takes practice to go from the urges in the moment arising from some egoic state of want or neediness to listen to the guidance from within, and follow it’s advice instead. It’s the solid ground which supports me and inspires me. When my footing is sure, I am more readily able to be open to the answer to the question of “now what?”.

Some decisions feel truly inspired, as if they are answers to my inner questions. I love when that happens! I feel like I’m in a space of true co-creation with my Creator. It comes from a very real application of another saying: “Let go and let God”. I usually realize this in retrospect, but sometimes I’m right in the moment, reveling in the perfection! 

Creating art, crafting, coming up with a new recipe or way of doing things, expanding my limiting beliefs of what is possible—these are moments of inspiration. I want to always be ready to try, to listen, to act, to take part in the everyday miracles of these holy processes.

Today, I will take the time to listen to my intuition—that still, small voice, that gut-feeling, the inner knowing directing my path as I take care of the mundane. There is always time to be inspired, and I’m deeply grateful for that.

Warts and All

 That’s how accepted and acceptable I am to my Creator—warts and all. Mistakes? Human. Missteps? Part of the deal. Tripped myself while walking? Pretty funny! Said something stupid? Acknowledge, atone,  and keep moving forward. 

This Life School is self-paced. I learn at whatever speed works for me, and it’s all good. I choose to try to grow, to experience new things, to dare to fail (an accomplishment for a closeted perfectionist) and to try again. Ofttimes there are so many classes available, I simply shut down. It’s okay! Take a breath and then make a decision. Keep moving forward—there’s so much to discover!

The Spirit of the Universe is a consistent force. It encourages growth, experimentation, and feeling all the ‘feels’. I get to be the one who walks, breathes, loves, tries and fails and tries again. This being human stuff is pretty amazing, and I don’t have any limits except natural laws and my own limiting beliefs. Respect the former, and challenge the latter. There’s so much more, all the time, everywhere!

Today I will enjoy the miracle of breath. I’ll take a shower and feel the sensation of the water washing over me. I  will follow my day’s plan to the best of my ability and will do so as fully aware as possibe, I will eat my meals joyfully, and I will endeavor to truly be wherever I am.

What a gift! I am loved and lovable, always, warts and all!

Appreciation

 Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.  Voltaire

I’ve found that when I can put myself in the place of another’s current culmination of their success, I can fully appreciate—at least as much as my imagination can support—what it took for them to have arrived at that place. I’m not claiming it as my own, but I am feeling the excellence of their own hard work and life experience. I am respecting their journey, which adds to my own.

More valuable than that, when I look at a person who has gone through their own dark night of the soul and emerged a changed person, I want to know them. I want to listen to them, and benefit from what they can now give from a place of having changed at a soul level. What did they experience? What happened? What did they do along the way? How did they manage?

When I listen to the stories of those who have triumphed, I receive the gift of hope for myself. When I find that I have been the one who emerges stronger and more aware, I want to be the person who shares that strength. I can’t do it for anyone else, just as no one could fight my battles for me. We’re all alone but together, if that makes sense.

Today, I am so grateful for having emerged from the battles I’ve faced; those experiences will aid me when new challenges arise, and they will. I will share my experiences, my hopes, and the strength I’ve gained as a result with anyone who asks, and I will listen to those who care enough to share their own. 

We lone beings are all stronger together, appreciating each other fully.