Living Life Fully

     WOW, what a week this has been. It's been a week wherein I could have gotten plenty down about situations in my own life. However, one new friend living in Arkansas had severe storm damage. And two friends had significant and sudden deaths in their families. All that certainly yanks minor daily annoyances into perspective.
     This is leaving me feeling ever more adamant about letting people know how much they mean to us. Say "I love you" with reckless abandon (on a cosmic scale, we do all love each other because we are all one). Express feelings of appreciation. Look people in the eye. Smile. Be friendly. Expect the best of folks. Have some fun with folks you care about. Laugh. Life is way too short.
     I love you, my readers!!!!!!!!!!!!!
         Leta

Rest and Recovery

     I had an adventure this weekend to visit a friend who had had double knee-replacement surgery last week. Quite a bold surgical move, but the increasing pain made it the best option, and it was finally done. He also had some complications afterward, which resulted in his body recovering from more than "just" the knee replacements.
     My friend is up and walking nicely with a walker. He has long incisions with staples holding them closed to heal. He wants to be all well, recovered and back to his normal life NOW. He can get frustrated that the recovery is taking "so long."
     We had a couple of discussions about how humans generally grossly underestimate the amount of energy it takes to heal our bodies, be it a minor thing like a new tattoo or major surgery. We think that the more we force the issue (rehab, meds, whatever), the sooner we'll heal and be back to our routine. If you've ever had surgery or a muscle or ligament injury, you know that the body heals in its own long time. No amount of rushing, pushing or wishing makes it go faster.
     Our bodies are amazingly intelligent and thankfully, they do what needs to be done without our conscious guidance. What about adopting the attitude of supporting that intelligence with abundant rest, patience, peacefulness and appreciation rather than an exasperated "too slow!"?
      Blessings,
           Leta

Communication Problem

     This quote is from The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks (an outstanding book):
"Behind every communication problem is a sweaty ten-minute conversation you don't want to have. However, the moment you work up the courage to have it, you collect an instant reward in relief as well as open up a flow of communication that will allow you to resolve the situation."

     Holy cow. I was reviewing the book today to help prepare for a workshop I'll be doing soon, and I hit upon this quote. I had an example of this very thing this past weekend. Alas, I had been dragging around the fear of the "sweaty ten-minute conversation" for WAY longer than I'd care to admit. And yes, there was an "instant reward in relief" and the issue was resolved. Whew!
     Things such as this that we hang onto out of fear really do inhibit good from fully flowing to and through us. My mentor, Dr. Chris Michaels, is adamant about saying what needs to be said, within the same day (in the above example, I failed that miserably). But like all of life, this is a practice, and I am improving!
     Maybe you have something that needs to be said, today?!?!??
             Leta

Ungrow Up

     My friend Jeffrey Dunn used the title phrase in a recent email, talking about how he gave up his saxophone many years ago to "grow up," and now he's getting back into it, and he's going to ungrow up.
     I was talking with son Eliot the other day, having an unusual (for me) lament about assorted worries and feeling like an old fart. Our discussion of that ended with "this, too, shall pass." He referred me to this OK GO video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8w&feature=kp. This group's creativity and goofiness are great reminders that life is FUN!!
     Oh, dear, I do take life too seriously. And there's absolutely no good reason for it. I have a full, rich, healthy, love-filled life. I think I shall remember to have some FUN today. And tomorrow. And each day after that. Do give some consideration to how you may lighten up your life :)
     With smiles,
           Leta

Moving Forward

Words from Sally Robbins:
     "It's so easy for our human minds to come up with reasons to shelve our dreams. Too old, too broke, not enough training... blah, blah, blah. We can choose to listen to that critical voice, or we can choose to move forward anyway."
     While I was away on a week-long trip, someone I had seen in a band the weekend before I left died suddenly. While it was not someone I knew personally, it does give me reason to pause and consider. We are not guaranteed any particular amount of time here. Do I want to reach the end of my days here without having tried everything I can think of that may bring me joy? Do I want to live my days in worry, fear or stressed out (most likely about something over which I have no control)?
     Let's be among the those who reach the end with NO regrets. Join me on this 3-month intensive adventure: BE in Love With Your Life! Details here: http://www.believeenterprises.com/Spiritual_Development.html
     If you've made it this far, you know that the Universe has provided for you in amazing and bountiful ways, and that when you set your mind and heart to something, nothing is impossible. Join me. We are going to rock, have fun, laugh, grow, and dream.
     Ten,
         Leta

The Mixed Bag of Car Repairs

    As I draft this, I'm sitting at the car repair shop, getting an oil change in preparation for a big road trip. Focus as I did on "just an oil change," alas, such is not to be.
     Already I've been taken twice to my car to see things that must be fixed, both relatively minor. However, it was pointed out, fixing those things could point out further problems. And, of course, the threat of a breakdown "in the middle of nowhere" compels me to say, "OK, fix it." All the while, "$$$$$$$" are throbbing around my brain.
     I'm so grateful for my car ("my baby") and how wonderful and reliable it has been. This coming Thursday marks 10 years owning it. And I want to keep it for several more years.
     Why do I have such a rough time with a car repair bill? The only thing I can think of, really, is that we won't have enough money to pay for it, and that's silly.
     So here I go, making a "re-frame it" list:

• My car is my dream car, and I want to keep it healthy and happy, thus keeping me safe and secure.
• My car gives me priceless freedom and independence, but only if it is running well.
• I spend plenty of money maintaining ME. Why wouldn't I do that for my car, on which I am very dependent?
• Regular maintenance buys peace of mind.
• A repair bill is another opportunity for Spirit to provide us with the bounty to continue living well.

     I know I'll have achieved a major spiritual breakthrough when a car repair bill no longer causes me an internal gasp of distress. The final report, $676, and one of the problems I took it in for reappeared on the way home. Insert "gasp of distress" here.
     Knowing it will all work out just fine,
                  Leta

Freedom and Opportunity

     Words from Kathy Juline: "Despite an innate aversion to feeling hemmed in or constrained in any way, many of us place limits and boundaries on our life experience. We would not think of erecting an impenetrable barrier around our residence or setting a limit on how many miles away from home we allow ourselves to go, and we would likely make every effort to remove such restrictions if anyone tried to impose them on us. Yet instead of choosing to embrace the freedom that is our Divine nature, we often let ourselves stay within the confines of habits, routines, old hurts and conditioned behaviors. We remain trapped in ancient wounds."
     Here's an exciting opportunity to break free and fully embrace your Divine nature: my BE in Love with Your Life Program, running August thru October, 2014. Details are on my website, click here. Please check it out... it is guaranteed to raise your life to a whole new level of joy and inspiration!
      Blessings,
            Leta