Saturday, March 28, 2009

Opportunity + Preparedness = Good Luck

These past few weeks, I’ve been working with my Life Coach, Quanita Munday from Nzuzu, on the goals of accepting change and preparing for the next big move in my career coming to fruition in a few weeks.

Quanita, had recommended a book called The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire - Harnessing the Infinite Power of Coincidence, by Deepak Chopra as source of relaxation about being prepared for this change.

I’ve put together a few captions from that book that have inspired me and directed me to make the right choice in my career:

“Seeing the web of coincidence in our lives, however, is just the first stage in understanding and living synchrodestiny. The next stage is to develop an awareness of coincidences while they are happening. It is easy to see them in hindsight, but if you can catch coincidences at the moment they occur, you are better positioned to take advantage of the opportunities they may be presenting. Also, awareness translates into energy. The more attention you give to coincidences, the more likely they are to appear, which means you begin to gain greater and greater access to the messages being sent to you about the path and direction of your life.” [emphasis added]

“Something similar happens whenever you touch another object. Your energy fields (and electron clouds) meet, small portions meld, and then you separate. Although you perceive yourself to be whole, you have lost a bit of your energy field to the object, and have gained a bit of its energy field in return. … We are all correlated with one another.”

“Examples of synchronicity can be found most often in the animal world because animals are more in touch the essential nature of things. We humans lose our sense of connectedness in a welter of concerns about rent payments, which car to buy, or any of a million other distractions. As soon as we develop an ego, a sense of “I” that is different from everyone else, those connections are obscured.”

“We live like actors in a play who are given only one line at a time, going through the motions without understanding the full story. But when you get in touch with your soul, you see the whole script for the drama. You understand. You still participate in the story, but now you participate joyously, consciously, and fully.”

“Notice the coincidences in your life. Coincidences are messages. They are clues from God or spirit or nonlocal reality, urging you to break out of your karmic conditioning, your familiar patterns of thinking.”

“…‘Change favors the prepared mind.’ This can be converted into a simple equation: Opportunity + Preparedness = Good Luck.”

“Am I being true to myself?”

“First, say to yourself, “I’m totally independent of the good or bad opinions of others.” Second: “I’m beneath no one.” Third: “I’m fearless in the face of any and all challenges.”

“We spend our lives seeking pleasure and avoiding pain. The things that bring pleasure or pain are different for each of us. Pleasure and pain flow from the needs that you have. … It’s all about perception and interpretation.”

Thanks for reading,

Alex


Monday, March 23, 2009

My New Snuggie



Look at my button!

I bought a Snuggie this week and doctored it up! I added a pull string to actually make a collar so that it doesn't slip off my shoulders, and then added a button and a lock of ribbon to help draw up the bottom part, so I wont' be walking all over it. This is all in preparation for a Snuggie Bar Crawl on Mt. Adams that I'm going to try and make Saturday night after work this weekend.



















Hood wrap.



Hood wrap in action.


Thanks for reading,


Alex

Thursday, March 12, 2009

I LOVE mail!


Yesterday, I received a very interesting letter in the mail. As usual, my mail was addressed to me, but this particular inspirational note was also written in my handwriting. Hmm…. Curiously, I opened it, thinking at first I had made the mistake of switching the recipient and sender address locations. However, to my surprise, this letter was indeed intended to come to me.


Entitled as Two Thousand Nine, and starting off as Dear Alex, I resolve to …


I remember that Kate Harrington had invited me to her New Year’s Eve Party, and one of the many events during the night was to write oneself a memorandum of what resolutions one was to keep to one’s self.


The rest of my letter was as follows:



  1. Make many new recipes from my cook books
  2. Find a job that makes me happy
  3. Learn to play the ukulele better
  4. Help my avocado tree grow
  5. Dust around the house
  6. Plant a new type of veggie


Live, Laugh, Love,


Alex



Thanks for reading,


Alex



Saturday, March 7, 2009

if the Buddha dated

After a several month hiatus from blogging – mainly from work, relationship changes, and the prospect of locating a future career outside of Cincinnati- I wanted to include a listing of several, more meaningful, passages that I found in a book entitled if the Buddha dated – a Handbook for Finding Love on a Spiritual Path. By Charlotte Kasl, Ph.D.


This book was lent to me by a wonderful woman, while we were struggling with the unraveling of our romantic relationship. I think, and hope, that Rachel lent me this book as a way to gain insight into her heart and mind, which I later learned were in conflict with one in other over whether to continue our romantic endeavor or to change our path of life. We are not on different paths.


This is by no means a complete synopsis of the 49 (2-4 page) chapters, but rather a collection of interesting and meaningful passages that I took away.


“Too often, we try to mold people into what we want them to be rather then honoring them as they are.”


“The spiritual lover doesn’t want a chase or a competition – he or she wants a lover who wants them back. They want to create a shared union and feel the sweetness of connection.” (emphasis added).


“When you say good-bye to someone or decide not to see them again, remember you are a moment in their story. Make it a story that doesn’t leave a scar.”


“… Love relationships thrive when both partners support, trust, and yield to the other partner’s path. Adaptability, devotion and unconditional support given in equal measure to each other bring the essence of equality.”


“Unresolved losses and conflict live in us as a form of energy.”


“When we crawl in love we are more likely to find the true fire of hearts meeting because our bond is based on a wide array of experiences, time together, familiarity, and the ability to talk over conflict.”


“I am filled by the light of a thousand angels
Softening my way, softening my way


I am filled by the light of a thousand angles,
softening my way to you.


I am washed by the tears of a thousand angels

Softening my way, softening my way

I am washed by the tears of a thousand rainbows,

Softening my way to you.


- A Dance of Universal Peace”


“Our task is to fearlessly, and with great compassion, listen to what our body, mind, and heart are saying and remember that obsessive thinking keeps us locked in fear. If you’re caught in fear, call forth your adult self to remind you that you managed your life before you met this person, and you are not dependent on him or her. You can get out of bed, dress yourself, feed yourself, go to work, and take yourself to the movies. It’s an illusion to believe that you need him or her so desperately, an echo from childhood.”


“In the journey toward finding your beloved, there may be several endings and new beginnings. They are part of the same circle. The grace we bring to leaving a relationship will help us gently untie the cord and let go. Forgiving ourselves and our former partners frees us to love more wisely the next time.” (emphasis added).


Thanks for reading,


Alex