Some thoughts at Sunset

Posted on June 25, 2012 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

sunset over the Hawaii Kai marina

Good Day, God!

All day the sun moves across the sky — but I only notice it at sunrise and sunset. Noticing is good! Cherishing the idea of a good day ending and a new day coming is even better. And I suppose that planning for those New Days is best yet.

Today was one of those days when I felt as if I was planning for our New Days. I subscribed (again) to Lumosity and also gave Kit a year’s subscription. I had tried these Brain Games before. But I got discouraged by how bad I was on a few of the games — like the verbal fluency one. I didn’t have the right attitude, God!

I had it backwards. Like most of us I wanted to do more of what I am good at — not work to improve what I am not good at. That’s an ongoing struggle, God.

The Brain Games are based on the fairly recent science of neuroplasticity that shows that our brains can grow new neurons — as a result of focused concentration. Yes, God, focused attention — i.e. WORK — is key.

That is probably why after devouring Noman Doidge’s book The Brain that Changes Itself, it has taken me two or three years to settle down to work at it. Well, Lumosity calls it “play” and I do like that repackaging.

But, preparing for the next New Day isn’t just about our brains, is it God. I am also strengthening my balancing muscles. I found this lovely hemispherical object that I stand on and balance — sometimes balancing for 5-to-10 seconds.

Ah, and then there is Centering. Sitting myself down, trying to be aware of Your Presence, and observing myself with compassion, or at least without judgment, asking for Your Help in all things.

Tagged with: balancing, brain games, lumosity, mental exercise, neuroplasticity
Posted in attitudes, Balancing and adjustments, becoming the change I wish to see, Centering Prayer, learning

In the Grips of the Spirit of Rightness!

Posted on June 24, 2012 by a moment with god — 2 Comments

tenacious beach flowers

Good Day, God!

Kit and I planned to celebrate our wedding anniversary this Thursday by going to Waikiki for dinner. We were planning to “settle” a driving-route dispute that arose the previous week by driving my route. I knew that wanting to prove I was right wasn’t a good way to celebrate our anniversary — but I was going to do it anyway. What gets into me?

Mostly God, Kit and I walk lovingly and peacefully through our separate universes. The difficulty comes when we are DRIVING together through the same universe. You can only drive one route. And every once in a while I really want it to be my route. Sigh.

Fortunately, a good Samaritan plumber was coming at that exact time, after his regular work day. It was a double blessing. We got our sink unstopped and I wasn’t able to push our “navigational” disagreement. We went to a nearby restaurant by a mutually agreed route.

I must say that finding myself possessed by a Spirit of Rightness is distressing. This is NOT a Good Spirit! And I see it at work all around me. People in the Grip of the Spirit of Rightness do not compromise. They do not look for win/win solutions. They make being Narrow Minded and Judgmental into a Virtue.

Sigh, being Right seems to give people permission to do horrible things to people who are “Not Right.” What is it the Paul said in his letter to the Romans: For ALL have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God.” Boy, is that true! And there is nothing like being in the Grip of the Spirit of Rightness to separate us from You and from One Another.

So, please God, pour out Your Holy Spirit of Love and Joy and Peace and Compassion on all of us humans — especially those of us who love the illusion of being “right.”

Tagged with: excuses to judge, The dangerous Spirit of Rightness, wanting to be RIGHT
Posted in attitudes, Changing, humility, respect

Grape Stomping

Posted on June 22, 2012 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Grape Stomping.

Posted in Uncategorized

Spiritual Directors and Spiritual Friends

Posted on June 21, 2012 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Looking down at June’s garden

Good Day, God!

I discovered that this lovely title had gone unused! And I want to rectify that. Oh, that everyone would have a spiritual director. . . well, especially a low key one like June.

Why? Because we all need help. Well, I need help, God, that’s why for me. I need someone to ask me how I’m doing and to slip in a gentle question that knocks me back off of comfortable dead center.

And — I wish this were not the case — I am a very proud person so I am not going to share well, even with friends who I pray with. Yes, writing this is sort of a confession. VPP do not want to appear pitiful. But, we are. And it is a relief to admit it and get on with whatever . . .

I have wonderful friends who would listen — and I do share a little, but I want to hear them, too. One on one is half half. Or at least that is my goal.

Ah, but with a Spiritual Director I feel free to make it all about me. I have “booked” an hour. And often it takes an hour of my speaking before I hear myself say something that I need to hear. Actually, God, I’m embarrassed to confess that I LOVE having a whole hour to talk about myself and my life and my struggles.

Well, there I am. Self absorbed. Except, God, that phrase is an unkind judgment that is designed to keep us silent. Silence is not a good thing, God! So, help me keep on taking my “inner laundry” to June for washing. . . and help me remember that You want to hear me, too.

Tagged with: inner laundry, silence is not good for our health, Spiritual Director
Posted in being heard into speaking, being together in a compassionate presence, health, hearing myself

Tidepools, Holes and the Ebb and Flow of Life

Posted on June 21, 2012 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Tidepools at Wawamalu

Good Day, God!

I started my day reading an article about Princeton professor Gerta Keller and the debate about the causes of the extinction of the dinosaurs. Could it have been a Big asteroid? Or massive volcanic activity in the Deccan Traps? Oh MY!

Next came a lovely walk around my neighborhood. Then a walk at the beach in Wawamalu. It was low tide and so the tide pools were more accessible — filled with tiny fish.

Meanwhile, my friend mentioned the Hawaiian idea that we humans have three pikos. I knew that piko was the Hawaiian word for belly button — but I didn’t know that there is another piko in our head and also a piko in our genital area. My friend had learned this in a talk a few days ago and said she felt uneasy about it.

In talking about it, she explained that the middle piko is our connection with our Past, the bottom piko connects to our Future, and the top piko connects to You. Then she stopped and said, “But what about our Present?”

My three “found” object from the beach

Hmm. Good question! Then it was, like, OH! The Past is to Nourish our Present. The Future is to Inspire our Present and God is to Guide our Present. Three Pikos working together. I love it, God!

Then I pulled out the three objects I had picked up on the beach. A beverage pull tab, a shell fragment and an old smooth piece of coral. What do they all share? A HOLE!

For years, God, I have asked You to patch the Holes in People’s’ Souls. But now I am seeing Pikos/Holes in a whole new light. Surely, God, You want to reclaim the old torn holes in our souls! You want to Pour Your Love Through them. In. Through. Out. Ah!

You are The Great I AM. Thank You!

Tagged with: Openings, Piko Connectors, Torn Holes in our Souls
Posted in Choosing Meaning, clear waterways, connections, healing

Unleashing Grandmothers — around the World

Posted on June 20, 2012 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Bunker Roy: creator of the barefoot colleges

Good Day, God!

Thank You for people like Bunker Roy! As he tells it, he had graduated from prestigious schools in India and had the world open to him — when he decided to go and see what village life was like.

His mother said WHAT? The villagers said WHY? But out of his time in the village came the barefoot colleges— schools where illiterate women are taught to become solar engineers and more. Not only that, but these women (many or most of them grandmothers) go out to train other women to electrify their villages in India.

Grandmothers have gone to countries where there is no common language. But, by body language and sign language the women teach and learn. As Roy said about one of these women: “She left, a Grandmother. She returned, a Tiger!”

Bunker Roy with a puppet made out of recycled World Bank reports

Watching his TED Talk was a moving experience and I especially remember two comments. The first was that they found men to be untrainable for positions in the college. Men only wanted a certificate so they could go find work in the city.

The second comment was: “Our schools teach at the best time for the students — not the best time for the teachers.” And there was a photo of children who worked all day, learning at night.

But here is my real “takeaway,” God: What about America’s grandmothers?

Yikes! No sooner had I written that than I remembered the recent invitation that I turned down to help with my Rotary Club’s literacy program! Oh Dear! Oh Drat! I am tempted to call back and sign up. Yes, God, I had better pray about what THIS grandmother could be doing.

Tagged with: barefoot colleges, Bunker Roy, The power of Grandmothers
Posted in Help me to see, learning, Ongoing Transformation

Carousels and the Delight of Daily Life

Posted on June 19, 2012 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

a carousel in Honfleur, France

Good Day, God!

I have always loved carousels. I can still remember the steam calliope in the hills of Berkeley with its crashing circus music and majestic animals circling round and round. Aah! The gentle rides of days gone by. No roller coasters for me, God!

Now that I think of it, I have been fairly consistent. For escape fiction I read romances — not mysteries. I don’t go to war movies or horror movies. I like my adrenaline levels low.

Actually, God, just this morning I thought that I might resemble a carousel myself. I was seeing the horses and lions and tigers and elephants as Parts of myself. Then I thought, Sheesh! Lots of motion — up and down and around and around — but no progress.

But, now I am sitting here and wondering if “progress” isn’t a fairly recent concept. I wonder if it came in with the railroads? There is something quite linear about most concepts of progress . . . linear and constraining. I like this thought.

Today, God, I jogged in the morning and cleaned up two “hot” spots in my home and office. Having those hot spots “undone” left me feeling “out of balance.” So now that they are cleaned up I feel much more “balanced.” I also feel satisfied. I discovered that I enjoying doing them. Before, after a day like today I might have thought “I’m making progress!” But now I am smiling and feeling pleased that today I really enjoyed the music and the motion of my carousel!

Tagged with: Progress as a recent concept? Balance or Progress
Posted in attunement, Balancing and adjustments, delight

Diamond Head and Me — A Different View Point

Posted on June 18, 2012 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Diamond Head from the ewa end of Waikiki — not my usual view point

Good Day, God!

Here I am at home with nothing pressing to do. Amazing! Today was a full day but tomorrow is almost empty. I am smiling . . . loving the idea of being home all day.

Somewhat to my surprise, I am looking forward to the joys of organizing myself. I am taking a lesson from the book Redirect: The Surprising New Science of Psychological Change.

In the past I have labeled myself Disorganized. And to be honest, God, as I look around my office right now, that might be a fairly accurate label. But labels can be destructive. In the book Redirect, the author points out that negative judgments about ourselves can slide into vicious cycles. Thinking we can’t do something, we ease up on trying to do it. Worse yet, if we accept it as a Core Part of ourselves, we don’t even consider change!

I take great comfort in the fact that You are all about change, God! Furthermore, You never give up on us! And you tell us that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

Ah, but we have to say YES. Yes to You. And Yes to Changing. So, YES, God, YES!

I am choosing — with Your Help — to reject the idea that I am not an organized person. I also have to reject all the negative stereotypes I have about Uber Organized People. Could I really fear becoming too organized? Yikes!

Hmm. So, I am beginning to see, God, that I have Inner Piles of Negative Assumptions that must be processed — before or as I process the piles of paper. Thank You, God, for small first steps and new view points.

Tagged with: Diamond Head, Inner Assumptions, new view points, Redirect by Timothy Wilson
Posted in accepting my need for help, Books, Changing, changing who I want to become, Perspective, Rethinking

Tugging My Life Back Toward Balance

Posted on June 17, 2012 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Hau Tree blossom

Good Day, God!

How wonderful is the Gift of Life — and how Hard it is to live a Balanced Life! Sigh, that is not so much a complaint as a “re-dawning” realization.

The last 12 days or so have been tilted toward OTHERS –wonderful “others” to be sure, God! Still, the part of me that is responsible for my Care and Feeding (or not feeding as the case may be) is unhappy with me.

So, once again I am digging throughDesk Piles and setting up my calendar. Determined to INVEST more time in daily maintenance and self care. Investing is a good word because — just as with money — I find it more fun to spend than to invest.

beginning buds on a shower tree

Hmm. Perhaps it isn’t so much a tug-of-war between Ms. Grasshopper and Ms. Ant as it is about identifying and then blending and balancing their virtues. I think I need a negotiated Peace Treaty that clearly spells out Time and Energy for BOTH of them.

And, maybe I also need to “redefine” Ant behaviors so that they are more attractive. Hmm. Ant activities are filed under boring, dull and tedious. Sigh. Alas, they are also necessary to a well-run life.

Now I am thinking of Edward De Bono and his six colored thinking hats. De Bono used them to represent various patterns of thinking. But, I could adapt them to my purposes. I could find a green eye shade to put on when I do my banking and accounting — a running cap of Kit’s for exercising — and a headband for giving.

Yes, God! Even Ms. Ant can have fun! Old and clearly dysfunctional filing categories can be re-envisioned and re-created. With Your Help I can create New wineskins for New Wine.