"Twinkle in my eye"

Not long ago, i met a wonderful woman who mentioned that she had a "twinkle in her eye."  I hadn't heard this line before, but i have to admit, it grabbed me like a freshly brewed expresso in the early morning hours..    I loved it.  As I hacked around the golf course the next day with my dad, I kept thinking about that line, usually after a good shot, mind you.  ( we can talk about the bad shot reactions another time ) Let that twinkle grow bigger and brighter by the day, I thought.  In her.  In all of us. We all want this, but what exactly are we talking about?

Franciscan Priest, Richard Rohr, said it perfectly : "Once you learn to live as your true self, you can never be satisfied with this charade again: it then feels so silly and superficial."

Our true nature is less about searching for that perfect "solution" that remains external, as i once thought,  but more about revealing our true nature from within.  it's like dusting away those cob webs in the attic, and discovering something you never knew even existed.  and like a rational person, you take this item to the folks on the antique road show and they tell you it's worth a lot of money.  you don't always no how to handle this startling news.  sometimes, you laugh saying "what, this old thing?  and sometimes you cry because you know whatever price they gave you, it's worth 100 times more.  that dusty box filled with sparkling sparkles had always been there, waiting patiently for your arrival.

And because i love food, i love to envoke food metaphors in my blogs. if we look at the very definition of who we are in terms of buffet, do we limit ourselves to one particular part of the table.  Oh, I am a Mash Potatoes GUY for sure or I am definately those strawberry cupcakes.  YEah, i love sweets.  that's my end of the table.  that's where i am most comfortable  Asparagus! Yuck.  Greens make me nervous.  Yes, this sounds silly of course, but we limit ourselves all the time, myself being the biggest offender.  sometimes, we know when the invisible barriers go up..  other times, we are completely oblivious.  The familiar self always keeps us closer to vegetables if that's our natural way, but we must acknowledge that for us to discover our true nature, one cannot rely on the familiar self to do that. it is after all, the familiar self that got us there in the first place.

so maybe that twinkly in they eye isn't so far off.  maybe even if we are mash potato people by design, we are open to trying out those greens.  after all, it's the greens that lead us to the most amazing discoveries.

Until next time,

Cotton Candy, Carnivals, and Canoes...OH MY!

My friend and I were discussing the concept of paddling in a canoe at our monthly spiritual inquiry class.  this was a flowing dialogue so i tweaked it a bit : saying we were already flowing downstream.  was paddling necessary ?  could we be just as fine to bring the oars in and just float downstream.

this is no small alteration.  since i have always identified myself with "too much effort" then the thought of bringing the oars into the boat and floating down stream was somewhat miraculous.  you mean, i could get everything i wanted without all the excess effort and carefully crafted agendas belonging to who knows who?...well then, sign me up.   My friend had a slightly different reaction.  she was scared to bring the oars in.  then what would happen, she said somewhat sheepishly.   she would lose control and to lose control is scary.  how else would things get done? hmmmm....

How we view this metaphor will be different for everyone since we are different people shaped by past experiences.  we honor these experiences for they have gotten us to where we are today but we also acknowledge that the patterns of our past may no longer serve us for the future. 

As i rehashed the scenario in my mind, i had visions of being a kid at the carnival.  in one hand, i held way too much cotton candy like any kid would and the other hand pointed to all the different rides i wanted to go on.  the cotton candy was special because of it's sweetness and it's lightness.  and i was energized knowing that i had the liberty to go on whatever ride i wanted......not what ride "I should go on" or what ride "others think i should go on."  in short, spontaneity begins to take shape.

we all like cotton candy and carnivals just like we want to live life in a more honest way.  and that means understanding our patterns, "our familiar self" but also allowing for the canoe to gently point in the direction of expansion.  so maybe after all, we can kick up those heels, put our shades on, and float to wherever life takes us.  Now that would be crazy !

Big Hugs All Around

How do we reveal ourselves to the world, to our friends, to complete strangers ? I had coffee with a friend of mine not long ago.  what stood out in my mind, and something we discussed in some joyful detail later on, was how we embraced.  The Hug is such a simple yet very intimate interaction between two humans, between two souls.  in it, there is much communication.  do we fully embrace?  do we square up our hips and dive right in, or does one hip hang back as if saying i'm not sure.  do the chests meet?   to be completely honest, i gave a "weak" hug, focusing more on the kiss.  ( nobody said this was easy ) we laughed about it later at a party.  Wanting to bring some closure to this, i went back to the scene of the crime and hugged her and her friends around the kitchen table - hips squared up and arms filled with conviction.   I was ready to hug.

what prevents us from fully hugging?  where in our body do we not fully embrace?  what part feels reluctant to come forward and reveal itself?  an honest inquiry into our true nature will allow us to shed light into those areas that seek refuge in the shadows.  the body has an excellent memory even when the mind has forgotten.   maybe it was a past relationship that broke our heart.  maybe it was a traumatic injury that caused us much anguish.  these past experiences linger in the dark and yet reveal themselves in our everyday life, like in a simple hug. 

When we move beyond the vulnerability, the fears, the need to seek protection, we have a great thing called a hug.  we don't worry about the past.  we don't worry about the future.  we simply hug. one soul to another.  just like God intended.

Ice Cream for all

This theme called ice cream :

As we fully allow the grace of god to come into our lives, our lives begin to shift in the most subtle and not so subtle of ways.  We begin to taste the real sweetness of life, much like that of ice cream.  We slow down to enjoy every spoon full  as it slowly melts in our mouth.  It is a texture we have never experienced before but our bellies say YES, GIVE ME MORE.

But don’t worry, this ice cream doesn’t add to our waste line.  It is the healthiest kind of ice cream.  In fact, It will satisfy the hungriest of appetites while trimming away all those extra pounds brought on by all that busy-ness that so often occupies our lives.  And keep in mind that this ice cream is something we can all share in.  Ice Cream for all.

And just when you thought it couldn’t taste any better, it does.  The ingredients that go into the ice cream become even more pure and true with each passing day and that taste we’ve all come to love grows exponentially.  Where do these heavenly ingredients come from you ask?  Take a seat.  We’ll talk some more.