Reflections On My Birthday

Written By Don Shetterly

As I approach the day I entered this world, I'm drawn to the bigger view and purpose of my life.  If I live to the expected length of life, I'm well past half way through my life.  It makes me stop and pause to contemplate what this means.


I don't care how much I get ahead in this world to make someone else wealthy.  I've already been down that road and I saw how many employers (contract work and regular corporations) only care about their bottom line.  Their employees and contractors are human chum that can be replaced at any time.  I have no desire to be a part of that world any longer.

I don't care how many things I have in life.  In fact, I keep trying to de-clutter and reduce what I already have.  Things are not important to me.  They are temporary.  They are not the human experience to me.  I don't need the latest and greatest phone or electronics or the most beautiful and expensive house and car.  There is far much more important to me than material possessions.

It doesn't matter what the latest gossip of the day is or what celebrity has done what lately.  It doesn't matter if I'm up-to-date on the most recent news headline of the day, for most of it is just fear replicated over and over to the masses.

I see things more clearly now than I ever have in my life.  I see that friends and loved ones are what matters.  Losing people close to me makes all those that come into my life that much more special.

Experiences Are Far More Valuable...

I see memories and experiences being far more valuable than any possession I could buy.  They give me a richness and fullness in life that nothing in a store could ever do.

I see that purpose and personal growth far outweigh anything the masses push as being important.  I know there is more in life and I want to partake of every morsel I can get.

Life is much more about finding myself and growing and learning and loving every facet of life I can discover.  It is about awakening to so much more, not succumbing to the latest water-cooler talk that happens in our day.

I want to make a difference in this world and although I have friends who tell me that I have, I feel that there is so much more to accomplish.  I feel like I have a life that craves much more and sees more.  I feel more, and so things that others may discount become monumental to me.  I cannot hold a blind eye to them.  I cannot shut them off as if they do not exist.

As my life and years proceed, I'm learning to let go and realize that in letting go, I gain so much.  In the letting go of past pain, my life is healing and opening up in ways that I never even could believe were possibilities.

 

Twenty-six years ago today, my life came to a standstill.  I was paralyzed and on my last breaths of air as I tried to travel toward the bright white light.  I heard then, "it is not your time, " and now I understand more and more what those words meant so many years ago.

I have no clue what tomorrow holds for me, but I am content in knowing that today I allow my life to connect with others, hoping that I help them lift their own lives up from pain and despair.  I hope that by learning how to love myself, I can offer and show love to the world, healing it of the pain and distress it is experiencing.

May my life in the next year to come be more than it is today.  May I get to that year marker and look back in awe of possibilities I could not even fathom at this very moment today.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

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Moments Of My Day

Sometimes the days of my life seem to flash by quickly.  It is almost like a high speed film.  At times, I don't know which end is going which way.  It just feels to me like there is no tomorrow.

Sometimes in life, it is hard to make sense of everything.  There are moments that are confusing.  There are moments that appear very clear, and then fade away.  At times, I get the feeling that I just can't see everything, but yet I am living each moment as if I am.

Some days I long for answers, but it seems life is so busy, there is no time to hear them.  I wonder and question just how I reconcile time and purpose together.  They almost seem like strange bedfellows.  Yet, it feels like the pieces of a puzzle that should go together.

Stopping to smell the roses of life is essential.  Even though I thought I did this, I may be skipping this moment all too often in my life.  Even a life that doesn't seem to flow well, still needs time to step away and rest.  Life still needs to recharge and unhitch from the stresses of life.

Starting my morning in daily meditation helps.  Yet, I sometimes think that what I write makes no difference.  It is like it is meaningless to me.

Even though it may not be filled with all the answers I need at that moment, a morning meditation time is my way of stopping and allowing myself to connect with all that I need.  It is the moment where I allow everything into my life without prejudice, fear, or the business of my day and with an open heart.  It marks the beginning of focusing my moments, rather then allowing them to just pass me by.

I'm grateful that I stop in this moment of the day.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 1/14/13 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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What If Money Didn't Matter?

The other day I saw this come through on my twitter feed and I thought it was good enough to share.  We all want and need income, but sometimes we get so fixated upon money, that we lose site of everything else that matters in life.  Sometimes we look for direction in life, but instead we become focused on money, rather than the purpose behind our life.

As I am learning in my life, service to humanity plays a much bigger role in helping us connect with abundance.  When we find things that make us happy and inspire our heart, it is then that we will find true purpose in life.

This video, What If Money Didn't Matter, on facebook was a good reminder of these things.

Applying Heat To Our Lives

Earthbox Watering System
Applying Heat To Our Lives

One of the things I love to do is garden with the earthbox.  The other day I was setting up the automatic watering system as the plants are using a lot of water.  As I was working on setting this up, I was thinking about how this applies to life.  It is like a metaphor for difficulties in life

The automatic watering system has no moving parts, but one of the critical parts you must do when you install it is to heat the ends of the plastic tube up before inserting it on to the various junction pieces and transfer lines.  If you just push one end together with another, it may look like everything is fine, but it won't be long that it will come apart.  The hot summer heat of the sun will make it expand and the next thing you know, your connections will come undone.

In life, we sometimes have heat applied to our days.  In difficult moments, it feels like we have been put through the heat of everything possible.  We struggle to push our life together and keep our self going forward.  Some days it is all we can do to deal with the difficulties of life.

Much like the watering system that requires heated ends to securely bond together, our life sometimes requires heat to mold us into the person we are meant to be.  The more we understand who we are and what our purpose is, the more functional we are.  Without the heat of the difficulties in life, we may just be like a useless role of tubing sitting on the ground with no purpose.  As a piece of tubing, we may be hoping that we could water the plants, but without the heat, we would never see our purpose.

Are You Making Each Moment Count

Here is a great video that was forwarded on to me by a friend.  While I am not endorsing any of the products on the website that this video goes to, the video was very powerful and inspirational.  For this reason, I am including it on my blog.  What you decide to do what you see the video is solely up to you.

Some of the simplest things that we think don't really count in life, are the things that do.  I truly believe one person can make a big impact upon this world in a good way or a bad way.  It has been shown time and time again.  It is up to each one of us to have a positive impact upon the world.  We do this by being true to ourselves and authentic.

Have You Had Your Miracle Today?

Miracles Are Everywhere

While I would love to claim the following thoughts as my own, they come from reading Chapter 14 (page 177) from the book, You Are The Answer by Michael Tamura.  Some of these things about miracles, I have never heard stated in the way that he presented them.  I'm going to attempt to share and paraphrase them in my own words with how they impact my own learning and thought process.  As I look back to an earlier post on October 6, 2010, I can see just how far I have come in my understanding.

Miracles are extraordinary, but who defines what ordinary is. Think about this for a moment because what may be ordinary to me, might not be ordinary to someone else.  It is all relative through our own eyes and the experiences we have come to know in our own life. The beginning of miracles means wonderful which I find to be absolutely amazing.  I love it when words say what they mean and there could be no more perfect way to look at a miracle, but to see it as something wonderful.

Law Of Attraction Is Not A Christmas List

Law Of Attraction

Even though it is Christmas and the time to make and send your Christmas list to Santa, this is not a time to confuse the practice with abundance or the law of attraction.  Abundance is not about making a list of things you want and then expecting the universe to have them show up in your front yard.  I'm always amazed at the way people view abundance, even the people who teach these concepts for mega millions.

Even in the midst of conversations with people solely focused on abundance, they will claim that they do not equate abundance with a Christmas list, but yet they will turn around and teach this very same thing.  It is sad because as I have stated previously, abundance is about so much more than making a list and waiting for it to happen.  It truly is much more.


Aligning Yourself
Abundance is a state of being or a state of where you are at in your mind.  It is aligning yourself up with your true purpose for your life and becoming aware and conscious of what that is.  It is not about making a list of things that you feel you need, want or desire and then offering it up to the universe (or some higher power or God) and expecting the Fedex truck to deliver it to you.  Sorry, if I'm blowing your bubble, but we need to really be honest with the law of attraction and abundance.

Life Is Always There Giving

Life Is Always Giving
NC Trip Picture

Sometimes it is easy to question if we are truly connected to life or if life is connected to us.  There are so many abundance courses on the internet and new age gurus trying to convince everyone that you need to spend thousands of dollars to get somewhere in life.  While I know people purport to have stories that prove the validity of these things, I remain in question as to these "products" being the best thing since sliced bread.

In the book, You Are The Answer by Miachel Tamura, he states the following which I believe is a core truth of being connected to life in an abundant way.

Page 49 - Life is always there, giving; the only question is whether we are there to share in it.  At this stage of fulfilling our soul purpose, our needs become the needs of fulfilling life’s own purpose instead of our personal needs.  We begin to realize that, if we ask life to provide us with what we need to fulfill life’s purpose, it will provide us first with all that we need personally. After all, if we don’t survive, we wouldn’t be able to fulfill any other purpose, would we?

Top Book Reviews, Dec 2011 - You Are The Answer

You Are The Answer
Michael Tamura

If you would like to see other book reviews in this series, please check out the blog post on May 4, 2011.  On the 5th of every month, I post a new book review (or that is the plan at least) of books that I have been reading.

Many months ago, I was browsing through a Barnes And Noble bookstore and came across this book, You Are The Answer.  The book was one of those that really caught my attention on the shelf.  I purchased the book and added it to my stack of books to read.  Finally months later, I began to read it and I am so glad that I did.

This book is filled with common sense, down to earth thoughts about how to truly find yourself in life.  The subtitle of this book is Discovering And Fulfilling Your Soul's Purpose.  I had never heard of Michael Tamura until this point but what he says in this book makes sense.  It is written in such a plain language and with easy concepts so you really get what he is talking about in the book.

Some of my favorite sections in the book include some of the following pages.

Healing The Itchy Hand Rash, Day 5

Healing The Itchy
Hand Rash, Day 5

For background on this post, please begin at the blog post on November 6, 2011 (Healing The Itchy Hand Rash, Intro).

From My Personal Journal on October 14, 2011

Temporary Stay Of Relief


I feel like the weight of life isn't as heavy as it was a few days ago.  That's a big relief - a big load off of my shoulders.  However, I am faced with a new challenge.


My hand looks as if it has had boiling water dumped on it.  It appears as if it is bubbling up from somewhere underneat.  My hand appears twice its size.  It itches and burns constantly.  I have been through this before so I'm able to keep the fears at bay.  However I struggle to want to let anyone see me in this way.  

Do A Little Every Day In Life

I read a quote from "The Universe" today and it was rather timely and well stated. Here is the part that I especially liked. "Once you know what you want, then do something about it every day".

Too often, it is easy to sit there and say, we don't know which way to turn or what to do in life? We look to others to help us answer the questions of significance in life, when in all reality, what we need to do, is just do something every day.

I believe most of us know what it is that we need to do in life and where we are going. Yes, I do agree that we go through times of confusion and despair, but deep down within us is that spark of purpose for our life. It is the reason we exist and were born into this world.

Too often in our life, we succumb to fear and then instead of us moving forward, we are stopped dead in our tracks. The way to begin working towards what you want to do (i.e. your purpose) is by doing something about it every day! If you focus on it and take steps toward it, you will make progress.



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Are We Human?

These days, I feel tired and worn out with what goes on in the world around me. I see a bunch of greedy people all out for themselves hoping to either score "goodies", "lawsuit wins", "rewards" or "more control". It feels like no one is really even thinking about what lies ahead or what our actions will bring about tomorrow. In case you misunderstand me, this post is not about politics. It is much greater than that.

Most people don't even bother to ponder what life is about or why they are here. Some go to church once a Sunday and then exclaim they have the answer. Others, feel like they should deviate from the church and religion, only to bundle spirituality up into something that resembles that which they long to flee. You've got others that chase every ounce of snake oil offered up in philosophies, facebook forwarded messages and tabloid magazines. Yet, there are people who chase the corporate dream, hoping to save enough money for later years that they can enjoy if a heart attack or some other disease doesn't take them out first.

At the end of the day, we as humans spend very little time on what truly matters in life. We walk around with our heads in the clouds, acting as if we have the answers. We forget that life is more than just having the answers. Life is about searching, evolving and discovering all there is to know.

We can listen all day long to the speakers of our time and our location but if we fail to listen to what is within, what have we profited. We end up with a head full of regurgitated facts and a body so out of touch, that life is forever altered. The messages we seek are there within us, but yet we look to so many others, so many systems and so many ways of thought to find them.

I hope that we will begin to wake up as a human species and really and truly begin to understand that there is so much more out there. We are not the sum total of all that we can be. In fact, in many ways, we have only begun on our journey of discovery. My hope is that we as a human species will learn to harness the power of fear so that it will transform us into a more evolved human.

We should never settle for what we know today or what we think today is all about. For tomorrow may not come as we think it will. Life can change in the blink of an eye and the more we understand our purpose, our role and the process, the more we truly will become human.


Blog Post & Images (c) 4/9/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

Piers Morgan and Oprah Interview

I am not a great fan of Piers Morgan but since he was interviewing Oprah as his first guest last night, I decided to tune in. Believe me, I spend very little of my time watching any of the news networks. In many ways, I have personally found that it is just not worth my time to watch the news pundits hear themselves talk. This show, however, was interesting.

One of the key moments for me was when Piers Morgan was asking Oprah about her life, fame and money including her new network, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). She went on to explain and I'm paraphrasing here from memory, that she knows what her purpose is in life and why she came to this planet. She feels that her mission is to spread love and help people to evolve and become all that they can be. When she spoke about this, it was done so in a very humbling way but where Oprah was full of conviction.

In many ways, what she said is what I see in her life. Yes, I do realize she has done some of the fluff and stuff shows on TV and some feel she just does everything for the money. However, without the money, she would not be able to do many of the things she needs to do. It is like her vehicle into her life purpose. This entire thought process going on in my mind is kind of like my ah ha moment because I'm trying to figure out how to fulfill what I feel I came here to do but I am in the phase of trying to figure out the mechanics of it right now. I'll be writing more about that in another blog post.

Ever since I had the opportunity to be at the Oprah Show on Male Survivors which aired on November 5, Oprah has taken on an entirely different persona for me. She is no longer someone that I see on a TV screen and hear people talk about or write about. She is not just a person that is interviewed on TV by someone such as Piers Morgan or Barbara Walters. Oprah is much more than that. I remember sharing that space and energy with her a few months ago and seeing first hand who she truly was in person.

So as I sat there watching this interview last night, what she was saying matched up to the Oprah that I saw that day in her studio. It makes sense what she is saying and how she is living her life's purpose out. That is the most important thing any of us can do is by evolving and becoming who we are, we live out our purpose of why we came into this world. I personally believe there is so much more out there that we still do not understand. Where we spend our time and focus on life is essential on our personal growth and evolution.

And just for the record, I was pleasantly surprised at the job that Piers Morgan did in the interview with Oprah.


Further Reading:
Oprah, Tyler Perry and 200 Male Survivors Stand Together



Blog Post & Images (c) 1/18/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only

Created By Life's Experiences

Sometimes when you walk through life it feels like you are walking alone. Many around you don't seem to understand where you are coming from or where you are going. If anything, most do not seem to share the same passion you do of focusing on what matters in life.

It can be difficult to stay the course when it feels like you are on your own. It can be difficult to stay the course when it feels like you are the only one that gets the importance of things unseen. None of these moments are easy. It takes great courage and strength to stand up in the midst of prevailing winds.

For much of my life, I cursed what life had thrown at me. I cursed the fact that I was so highly sensitive. I struggled to understand, why me! It did not seem fair or just that I would have to live with the experiences of child sexual abuse. It did not seem fair that I would have to endure the hell of it and then heal from these parts of life.

Yet, I now am beginning to see this differently. If you would have told me what I am about to say a few years ago, you would have been taking your life into your own hands. Not only was this unfathomable but so full of pain, that it would have felt like a knife being stabbed and twisted in my heart.

You see, for the first time in my life, I realize that all these experiences I have been through have made me into who I am. As horrible as they were, I would not be the person I am, full of compassion, insight and purpose. Would I liked to have gone through life without this? The answer is YES! But I know that these challenges are making me into a human full of awareness, skills, abilities, sensitives, and compassion.

So as hard as it is for me to sometimes see the big picture, I know that I have been shown a different side of life. I know that I have walked through experiences that few truly understand. However, with the purpose I have in my life, I am glad I am who I am. It gives me great courage to take the steps I need to take in life.

(c) Don Shetterly 11/29/10 - Use by permission only.

Spending Time In Nature

Spending time in nature is one of the ways I find my center in life. It is where I feel most grounded. Everything that I am connected to in this universe, I can touch by being in nature.

There is something so peaceful about watching squirrels run and play or observing the birds frolic. Hearing the chirps of the different birds is like a symphony. Each chirp is unique and special. Each one offers a conversation.

The wind and breeze come and go. From a still point to the feeling on your face, it is a refreshing breath of oxygen to me. I enjoy watching the tops of the trees gently move from the breeze as if they are giving themselves a massage.

Even the grass glistens with dew in the early morning hours. As the sun begins to wake the day, the drops of dew glisten with brightness. The grass reminds me of its grounding to the earth that remains day after day.

The plants themselves offer growth from the ground. They remind me that when we are grounded in our life, we will grow. With the nourishment of rain, we stretch toward the sky. In different colors, I am as unique to the world as each blade of grass.

The water lays still when there is no wind. Yet, it appears that it is always moving underneath. With each angle, the view changes. What may be deep, might appear shallow. What may appear shallow, might be deep. So to is life, where I learn each day about all the many depths I hold within myself.

From the clouds in the sky, to the fortitude of the trees, I feel a sense of calmness, inner peace, and overall tranquility. I feel like no matter what happens, everything will be alright, just from observing nature. Nature shows me that even in the chaos of life, there is order, a sense of purpose and a natural flow.

Nature is special and no two moments of observation are ever the same. One day to the next, offers such a variety that not even the world's greatest movie producer could match in creativity. Unfortunately, so many of us miss these moments in life. It is a gift given to us without charge. Moments in nature show us abundance if we do not allow ourselves to miss them.

As I'm learning in my own life, I need to stop and observe nature. When I do stop and take this all in, I find those peaceful minutes of insight. A vast world of information and personal exploration awaits. In these moments, I see all that life has to offer, not what it lacks. Observing nature is the largest reset button in life that we can tap at a moment's notice.

May I never forget to immerse myself into nature each day.

May I listen to the messages, and observe all that nature has to offer me.

May I truly sense what it means to live in the moment of now, just like each part of nature does each day.

May I just accept and allow all that nature has to offer as I find centering and grounding for my day.


(Above Picture taken at Tropical Park, Miami, FL - (c) 02/11/07)


*Read other articles on Mind Body Thoughts Blog

More To The Journey

Even when we know where we are headed and we have a very good understanding of our purpose, there may still be roadblocks along our way. There may be things in our path that try to steer us off course or disorient us enough to question where we are at.

It does not mean we should abandon our journey or alter it. We should not give up. It may mean that we give our self additional time and allowance to continue on our travel. There may be more than meets the eye in this moment.

Just like fog that blankets a road, it makes a driver focus more on the white and yellow lines of the road. It makes our eyes focus but we take in as many boundary markers as possible, along the road. Yes, fog can be disorienting but if we slow down and follow the road closely, we will be able to continue on our journey.

We cannot expect to travel our journey at the speed of light every single day of our life. We must give our self time to absorb all that we will experience along our journey. For to speed through all of it too quickly, means we will be missing many things along our way.

Often we may find ourselves saying, "are we there yet?" We want to arrive at our destination. We get tired of the seemingly endless hours or days of travel. Again, the experience and journey of getting there are part of the journey. The travel is not separate from it.

For if we continue on our journey, we will get to where we are going. Even though it may take longer than expected, we will get there. And if we stop along the way to rest, we will still manage to arrive at our destination. For there is more to the journey than just the travel.

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

The Universe

What if you did have the power, the reach, and the glory?

What if you were given dominion over all things?

And what if eternity lay before you, brimming with love, friends, and laughter?

Yet still, one day, in all your radiance, bubbling over with giddy excitement, you tripped, fell, and got hurt - really hurt.

Would you give up on all of your dreams? Would you hate yourself? Would you forget life's magic and promise?

Or would you shrug it off, look ahead, and exclaim that it's "just a flesh wound"?

-- The Universe

For The New Year - Focus On Our Dreams

Let us focus in this year on our dreams, our aspirations, our hopes and our purpose. As we focus, allow our attention to turn towards one thing we can begin doing today to move us closer to all that we want for our lives.