Ask, Listen And Connect

There are moments in life where it seems more difficult than others. The struggle seems to prevail over the joys that are abundant. Even though life may look this way at times, the picture is being viewed upside down.

Often when it seems that things aren't going well, it is then that we need to stop and listen. For if we keep going, we may trip over the rock before us instead of noticing it in our path. Sometimes the rock is there for navigation purposes and not just an obstacle in our path.

Too often we see the cloudy day and forget that the sun has been shining for the past 100 days. We see the rain as ruining our plans instead of nurturing the earth. In fact, as we already know, both the sunshine and the rain are needed in our life to make it complete.

Just know that when you spend some time in your day asking the questions and listening for answers, you will be pleasantly surprised. You are not as alone as you sometimes feel. You are not wondering this path without support, guidance and love.

Take a moment to ponder these things and connect with how much is there for you. Let go of the doubts, fears, and worries for those things only slow down your journey.


Blog Post & Images (c ) 3/23/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

Mindless Or Mindful

Walking through Blue Springs State Park yesterday, there were many squirrels running around, gathering nuts and making all kinds of noise in the brush. It was fun to just stop and watch them scurry about as if they were working quickly because of approaching danger or bad weather.

As we were walking along watching the squirrels, I heard comments from others saying, "I wonder what that is down there. It must be an armadillo or something." All the time, I am thinking that all these people have to do is just stop and observe what is around them. It was not that difficult to see the squirrels but you did have to stop for a moment.

Of course we observed people hurrying along the little board walk trail like they had to get all the park in in less than 1 hour or something. Most people were talking or had their phones out texting messages. Some were upset that they could not get close to the spring although from the viewing points, you could see quite a bit. Most were completely oblivious to the environment they were in as they walked along in a mindless fashion.

Then as we were walking back, a squirrel with a nut tucked in his mouth came running along the path in front of us. He was between where we were at and some other people coming our way. There is no way you could have missed him because you almost had to step over him. As we watched the squirrel with glee, we observed that no one else saw him. Everyone was too busy in their own little mindless worlds to watch something beautiful before their eyes.

It got me to think for a moment of just how mindless we as humans are in our day. Here was a perfect moment and place to just be mindful and sit back and observe all that was around everyone. To hear the birds sing, watch the squirrels play and run or listen to the wind rustle through the trees was a free gift that just wanted to be observed and accepted.

In our culture and society, we spend so many hours a day watching TV, playing on our iphones or other electronic devices that we fail to observe all that is around us. We are more concerned with what a screaming, angry pundit is saying on TV than we are indulging in all that is around us which shows us something greater than ourselves is there for our lives. As a culture, we are too busy rushing here and there that we cannot even take a moment to be mindful of all that is around us or that we can stop and breathe for one moment in time.

In return, we spend countless hours chasing false illusions of health care and endeavors that give us nothing in return. We spend our days walking around mindless which robs us of the enjoyable moments of life. Our lives are full of stress, to do lists and moments where our body just wants to say, enough already - please stop and let me rest!

When we go through our days being mindful, we begin to notice things that we never saw or heard before. As we mindfully observe these things, we begin to realize that life has so much more to offer and all we have to do is slow down and stop to take part in it. Being mindful is really that easy and that difficult to do.

So why not try something different this week. Take a day and find a park or some quiet place that you can just observe and be mindful. Maybe if you live in an area where the weather is not good, you could just stare out the window at the clouds or trees or whatever it is that you see. There are many ways to do this and finding them is being mindful because it means you are in the moment. If you do this, you might just surprise yourself in that it will offer so much to you that you never truly realized existed.

Further Reading on Mindfulness:

1. Mindful Of Our Moments
2. Mindfully Present
3. Author Ellen Langer on Mindfulness
   

Blog Post & Images (c) 1/4/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only

US Health Care Costs Skyrocket

According to HealthReform.gov, the United States (US) spent approximate $2.2 Trillion on health care in 2007 or $7421 per person. This comes to 16% of the GDP. Furthermore, health care costs doubled between 1996 and 2006. I could continue to state additional facts of how expensive health care is getting to be but we all know this. If this source for information like this does not interest you, than just do a google search on skyrocketing health care costs and you will find a great deal of information out there. Most of the statistics and information show the dramatic increase in health care costs and the projections indicate the costs are only going to rise.

The problem comes in, not in anything political or any of the other stuff that is reported and blogged about, but in how we actually view the paradigm of health care that we live in. Most of us, go through life thinking that a pill advertised on TV, or a medical procedure that is supposed to cure everything within us or the label that is placed on our condition gives us definitive proof that what we suffer from is real. This is where many of us stop in our quest for relief from health conditions affecting our lives.

The only thing that we are missing is why with all the money we are spending, are we not curing people? Why are we continuing to spend record amounts of money on all these things and yet not come away being healed from these things? Yes, you can suppress and manage symptoms but in most cases, you are not truly healing your body.

Yet, we as a nation have embraced these ideals as the answers to our health problems. Of course, I'm not discounting the medical advances we have made and the significant scientific understandings through research that we have discovered but at some point we all as a society and as individuals need to start asking some very difficult questions. We need to question why we continue to do the same things in health care and get the same results while costs skyrocket.

Often we fail to embrace all parts of the healing systems that we can. We segment everything into what a professional tells us is the answer when instead we need to stop, listen and feel to what is within us. We push ourselves constantly and ignore the messages the body tries to get us to listen to. We think that we have to make ourselves busier and push ourselves because that somehow makes us a more successful human. Many humans today do not even stop for a moment to take care of themselves and then they expect their bodies to perform and not get sick.

In many ways, we have not discovered the truth of healing health care. We have failed to see that answers we need come from within us and not necessarily from a pill, procedure, philosophy or person. We as a society and as individuals need to wake up and we need to wake up quickly.

I've been through some serious health challenges in my life including paralysis, depression, migraines, ulcers, anxiety attacks, severe rashes and itching. Many of these things I believed were life sentences and I felt for a long time that I would be on medication for the rest of my life. It never occurred to me at the time that there was a possibility I would find something that allowed me to move past these things and find a way to heal my own body.

Today, I am no longer on any medications. After a recent dental procedure, I took some antibiotics for a few days but outside of that, I had not been to a pharmacy in years. I no longer stock Tylenol or other over the counter products in the house because I do not need them.

In fact, a year ago my pulse was clocking in at a constant 99 beats per minute or higher but now my pulse rate is around the 70's. I didn't use drugs, procedures or new age concepts to change it. I used my inner awareness and inner healing to create lasting change within myself. I resolved the issues that needed to be resolved instead of hiding my head in the sand. It did help having a pulse meter that gave me inside information as to what was happening with my pulse.

Each person can choose to believe what they want to believe but please know that this is your belief system. It is your paradigm, not actually what is true and scientific proven fact. This is not about taking away pain but going into the pain and reclaiming the power, the energy and hearing the message of the pain to heal one's self in a very deep way. Many new age concepts think that "pain management" or "pain relief" is healing when in reality, you're just turning off the information flow from the body.

This is not about going to some individual and having them "heal you" but that you find the true healer within your own body and that you become more aware of who you are. It is about evolving as humans and becoming all that we are and all that we are meant to be. The answers to what we need do in fact lie within ourselves. It may be frightening to find them but if we ask, search and listen, we will find them.

Allowing Good Things In Our Life

Allowing things to happen in the way they need to is often easier to say than it is to do. It is easy to think that we do allow things in our lives but if we are truly honest with ourselves, we do often hold back. It is part of our human nature.

Many times, we ask for things in our life, whether it is for money to pay the bills, abundance in our life, a new job, or other changes we desire and need. We visualize and we pray and we talk about all of these things but yet, they never seem to show up. We then become discouraged thinking that we are not good enough to deserve these things and that is why they are not showing up.

When they do try to show up in our consciousness, we are often busy self sabotaging our lives that we don't see these things. It has been said that what we need for our lives is around us and within us. All we have to do is tap into it, turn it on, and allow it to come into full view.

One recent example within myself is that I was desiring the opportunity to do something I loved to do. Over and over I hoped for it, wished for it and tried hard to visualize it. I felt as if I was not getting anywhere. All of the sudden, my mind had one of those light bulb moments, where I realized that I already had what I needed for the opportunity I was seeking. All I had to do was to put it together. It was there all the time but since I was spending my energy hoping for it, I was missing what was there. I was not allowing it to unfold and happen.

Allowing is not always an easy thing for humans to do. We want to give ourselves the fake illusion that we are in control. We need nothing else because we are all powerful. It is true that we are powerful beyond comprehension but when that power turns into a road block for our lives, it holds us back from allowing things to happen. There is a difference between the power that helps move us forward the power that is from the ego.

To allow good things and the things we desire to come into our stream of consciousness, we need only to stop and search deep within. We are already engulfed by so many wonderful things. We just need to stop, seek and find. Yes, it most likely will entail great personal growth, but without that, we do not evolve as humans.

Take a moment throughout today and your days ahead to notice where you focus your energy. We all have things we must do in a day and sometimes what we feel we must do are not as they appear. Look at where your focus goes. Is this feeding the route to which you desire to go? Is it bringing you closer to what you seek in life? Is your life filled with ease and is it flowing?

Then, consider how you might change the slightest thing in your life which will bring your energy and focus in line with your desires. It could be a shift of thought and outlook. It could be a change in something you do in your day. It could be asking a simple question such as "how do I allow this into my life?". There are many things you could do and the possibilities are endless.

There is that part of us located deep within our body that is our compass and barometer. It prompts us to go forward, to listen to connections in life and help us find lighting for our path. If we tap into this powerful force within us, it will not only help us to become more consciously aware but will help us tap into that place of allowing things to happen in our life. It is our connection to the stream of consciousness we have for our lives. May we allow it.


*For more articles, check out the Mind Body Thoughts Blog