Let's Hope This is the Bottom

     As I have moved through the grieving process relative to the election, I have placed my focus on the statement, "Love is the only solution." When I'm tempted to drift off into negativity, I just keep repeating, "love, love, love, love." I firmly believe that those of us who are conscious enough to know this as truth have a responsibility to promote love in the world. Those who hate are unconscious.
     I had an exceedingly comforting realization yesterday. I am a recovering addict. As such, I have personally hit, and witnessed many others hit, the "bottom." The bottom is a hellish place. In fact, it is so awful that, finally, the addict decides that changing is now a better option than to continue the addictive behavior. While it's a miserable place to be, it's also a place of hope, a place of choosing to find a better way to live.
     I hope that collectively we (U.S.) have hit bottom. That the racist and religion-inspired hatred (yes, that's an addiction) is having its last hurrah. Yes, it's ugly, but I believe that's not how we want to be as humans, and we'll find a better way. In my own recovery, hitting bottom was one of the best things that ever happened to me. Let's hope that's the case for our country.
     Love, love, love, love,
            Leta

What a Roller Coaster Ride is this October!

     I usually LOVE October. It's birthday month for both my husband and me. The weather is generally awesome. Having grown up in the heavily-forested mountains of Pennsylvania, I am still in love with fall colors. And then there's the baseball playoffs. With the Cubs in the playoffs this year, I am in baseball nirvana. I'd usually not ever want to rush through my most beloved month.
     However, this year, October can't be over quickly enough, getting us to and past Election Day. I am nauseous sick of all of it, both on a state and national level. I am embarrassed as an American that a vile person such as Donald Trump could get a major-party nomination. President Obama is the highest-quality human being to hold that office in decades, and I'm sick of hearing him being bashed. And I didn't even have the stomach to watch the debates!
     I've decided for my sanity to remove myself from any more political readings, news, etc. and to concentrate on enjoying the rest of this month. That includes a retreat weekend that will truly get me "away from it all," hallelujah.
     GO, CUBBIES!
          Leta

I Didn't Get Shot

     Does fear rule your life? This is a very powerful question to ponder. I believe we are way more influenced by fear in our daily living than we realize. As Albert Einstein stated, "The most important decision we make is whether we believe we live in a friendly or hostile universe."
     I was golfing with a group of women I did not know well, and in casual conversation, I mentioned that I was going to Chicago for a long weekend vacation (including Cubs game at Wrigley). The first thing one of the women said was, "I hope you don't get shot." I was flabbergasted. If that's not living from fear, I don't know what is.
     I totally believe that the Universe is as friendly as we make it. Living in fear attracts scary things. Living in friendliness attracts friends and good experiences. I've traveled all over the world and had outstanding experiences everywhere. To have refused these adventures out of fear would have stripped my life of its extraordinary richness.
     Please don't think your fears don't matter. They matter to you, obviously, but they also matter in the bigger picture. It's folks living from fear that increase hate, distrust, and violence in our world, the "us vs. them" mentality. We go a long way toward helping our world by making the decision for "friendly."
     Your friend,
           Leta
 

Living in Your Head or Your Heart?

     I highly recommend Dying to Be Me, a book by Anita Moorjani. She describes her near-death experience after dying (so it appeared to her family and doctors) from cancer and then returning to life, completely healed. She talks at length about what she learned from this happening. Here is a quote from page 147 of the book:

     When we live completely from the mind over a period of time, we lose touch with the infinite self, and then we begin to feel lost. This happens when we're in doing mode all the time, rather than being. The latter means living from the soul and is a state of allowing. It means letting ourselves be who and what we are without judgment. Being doesn't mean that we don't do anything. It's just that our actions stem from following our emotions and feelings while staying present in the moment. Doing, on the other hand, is future focused, with the mind creating a series of tasks that take us from here to there in order to achieve a particular outcome, regardless of our current emotional state.
     I have discovered that to determine whether my actions stem from "doing" or "being," I only need to look at the emotion behind my everyday decisions. Is it fear, or is it passion? If everything I do each day is driven by passion and a zest for living, then I'm "being," but if my actions are a result of fear, then I'm in "doing" mode.
     When we feel off track, we think there's something wrong with us--something we have to do or get in order to right ourselves--so we go searching outside for answers. We look to others in the hope that they'll fix us. We may feel better a a little while, but it's usually short-lived, and we eventually end up feeling worse. However, when we really start to tune in to who life intended us to be--and we're attuned to the emotions that motivate us--we connect with the soul of our magnificence. We feel clarity when we allow this connection and take our power back, and our lives start to work. 

           Being joyful,
               Leta

Thought for a New Day, New Week

     This comes from David Goldberg: "... consider that no amount of guilt can solve the past and no amount of anxiety can change the future."
     Relax, enjoy, be present.
            Leta

Paying Attention to our Bodies

     I was reading a Yoga for Healthy Aging column, and Jill Satterfield (yoga teacher) used this phrase: "the physical feeling of this is enough from the often-confused mental/emotional sense of this is enough." This really impacted me. Just last night I told a friend that I have this voice in my head that keeps saying, "You should do more." It drives me nuts.
     Our culture is SO about "not enough." We don't have enough, we don't do enough, we simply aren't enough. It drives me nuts. Because of this mentality surrounding us, as well as internal, family or other influences, we often override our body's sense of time-to-rest with the "often-confused" mentality to push ourselves more. This is not a good long-term plan--it leads to stress and all sorts of life complications. 
     Only we can decide when enough is enough, and then actually stop. This is a very valuable skill to cultivate. Ms. Satterfield closed with this: "listening to ourselves—body, heart and mind—is probably one of the most valuable supports we have in taking great care of ourselves."
     Self-care is not selfish!
              Leta 

Bumper Sticker LOL

     I do love reading bumper stickers. They offer everything from great wisdom to total foolishness. Last night I saw a great one that made me laugh out loud.
     This being a presidential election year, you often see stickers touting the person's chosen candidate. They usually include some sort of red/white/blue, stars and stripes, etc. This one had that colorful decoration, but this is what it said: 2016: We're Screwed. Still makes me laugh!
     Hope you find something today that makes you LOL!
               Leta