I JUST AIN'T GOT TIME

Ever hear anyone say that I don't have the time. I have always been amazed at how us human beings can come up with a reason to not do something. And myself included, I see how we manage to waste hours, days, even years in our life. And I suppose that is okay if you want to do that. I know I have days when I just decide to loll about and do nothing. Nothing wrong with that until I find myself doing way to much of it. But there are some things we all need to take time to do. I have talked with many friends at a time in their lives when they were just so stressed out from whatever reasons they came to me and would ask-How do I get past these feelings of being stressed out all the time? Well, my answer to them was this... Hey, take a day if you can and just go for a walk out in nature somewhere. Make it a place where you can find solitude and some "alone" time. Then just spend the day just "being". Just taking in all the beauty and wonders of Mother Earth with no thoughts of anxiety. Forget the job, forget the troubles, forget the stress etc and just Be. And nine out of ten times this is the response I would get....I'd love to do that but I just don't have the time. Then they go into detail of all the reasons they can't do it. The job keeps me working all the time, the kids are a hassle, I need the money cause the bills are unpaid. Etc, etc. So when they said that, I would suggest that if they could not get a "free" day then just take a couple of hours to do it. Usually I got the same response, I just ain't got the time right now. And that was when I wished them well and just wondered to myself. They have just spent a couple of hours with me going over all that is "wrong" with their lives. Instead they could have spent those 2 hours for a walk in the park. I also wondered to myself. When they get home and later after dinner I bet they turn on the tv and spend 3 or 4 hours or more watching some silly movie like "Ragin Cajon Redneck Moonshine Gators. Hey folks I am not making this title up. There actually was a movie with that title. And of course when I saw it listed I just had to watch the first part of it just to see how really dumb it was. Yep, guess I wasted an hour at least til I turned it off. Just an example of how we think we don't have time to attune ourselves with nature and all the beauty around us. Then we sit in front of a tv set and waste all kinds of time. Hey, I'm just as guilty as the rest of us in this regard. But I have learned to take responsibility and not to say I ain't got the time. Instead I try to take time to do what is important but when I don't I just fess up and say  I had the time but chose not to use it. Time itself is an illusion but it is indeed a necessary one. So may we all take our time and remember to do something positive with it as much as we can. Like right now get off the computer and write an old friend to just say hello. Or to go for a stroll and smile at everyone you meet. Best of all just take the moment and do something nice for yourself by doing a good deed for another. There is really no time like the time at hand. May this new week bring all of you beautiful people much love, joy, and wisdom!

BLUES STOP KNOCKING AT MY DOOR

These damned blues just keep on knocking
At my door


Storm clouds gathering ominously
Settle in my soul's
Deepest core


But just when I feel I can't take
It any more


These wings of Love
Lead me back home


And with that these damned blues
Are forever gone




Would you join me today and hop on for that enchanted journey that will one day take all of us back home? The paths we take are varied and oh so personal. Why not choose a path that gives as much love as one possibly can? It won't be easy, seems like nothing in this life is easy. But it will be rewarding. Right now, take a moment to yourself. Fill that moment with all the love you can imagine. Rest in it, take joy in it, and take shelter in it! Then breathe out that bubble of love and share it with the world. The wings of love will do the rest! All my very best to each one of you beautiful people.

THE PRICE OF LOVE

I was looking through an old stack of pages from the Science of Mind magazine and ran across this one I wish to share with you today. The page I speak of is one from a daily affirmation series. It begins with a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson from one of his books titled "The Method of Nature". The quote is as follows: 
" He who is in love is wise and is becoming wiser, sees newly every time he looks at the object beloved, drawing from it with his eyes and his mind those virtues which it possesses."


Next on the page is a quote from the SOM textbook. It reads as follows:
If we look at love long enough, we shall become lovely, for this is the way of love.


Next on the page are 3 paragraphs on the subject of the price of love. Unfortunately I do not know what author wrote this. SOM has several different writers who do the daily affirmations. But since I only have the one page I have no idea who wrote this. I only know it was from an issue in May of 20004. I'm sure whoever did write this will not mind me using it today.


THE PRICE OF LOVE


Kahlil Gibran, in his book The Prophet, said that unconditional love is not to be perceived as converging two islands into one. In love the two must remain distinct, individual, and be where the one water of love washes upon their shores. The price of love includes retaining our own individuality, as we allow the other the same right. There is an absence of love in the one who says, if you love me, you will, or will not do a certain thing; will or will not be a certain way.
 Real love requires us to retain our identity, live with integrity, perform in strength, and offer protection, shelter, and support. The price of love prevents us from allowing ourselves to be manipulated, and thereby becoming shapeless, characterless, and unable to function from truth. Love is present when one can say, "I allow you all of the space you require to be yourself, because that is the only way I can mirror your gift to my life."
 When I feel loved, I know I can safely tell you how I feel, what I think, and reveal to you the poetry of my dreams. Since I know you are for me, and know you believe I can become what I want to be, I want you to know my past limitations do not bind me. You can count on me to grow. You can count on me to be there if you fall. I will catch you and put your feet back on the path you have chosen----as you would do for me. This is the price of love. Because my love for you comes from the Cosmic Sea, I have endless currency to pay the price.


Next on the page is the daily affirmation itself. It says; Today I am reborn in the river of your love, washing the shores of my soul.


After rereading the entire page a bit ago I just felt it was something that all of us could maybe take to heart. I remain a Dreamer, And will be until the day I take my final breath as a human being.  Just imagine if every single human being alive would right now choose to pay the price of love. Wouldn't that be grand? I sure wish I had the ability to write like this author did. I will never be a professional writer, but I plan on continuing to chase my dreams of seeing a world full of only loving folks. May all of us decide to choose love over everything else. Give love, accept love, be love. I bless you all with thoughts for a peaceful, loving, and joyous moment. Right here, right now!

THE THRIFTSTORE POETS

I would like to take this opportunity to share with you info on a friend of mine's musical work. I met Chris through this blog years ago. At the time he was beginning to focus on his musical talents. He got the band together and I have watched from afar as his talents as well as the others in the band have grown. BTW I just love the name of the group--The Thriftstore poets. (I love it Chris) The band is made up of himself as well as Franklin Ledgerwood, J.D. Fox, Jeff Little, and Curtis Baker. The members hail from Cushing Oklahoma. Chris has informed me that the band is going through some changes at the moment. But the songs which I give you the link to was performed by all of the above. At least I think they were all in at the recording session. What I love most is that the songs are original. On the 5 tracks included Chris wrote "Seasons", "A Better Way" and "Something Better". Franklin wrote "So I'll Ask", and "Devils Game". I personally know that much hard work was done by the band in getting these songs together. It took over 2 years to write the songs, put music to them, and record them. Most of us when we hear music we love we really don't think about all the hard work that someone had to do to get the tunes to us. Chris and the other "Poets" have paid their dues so to speak. I know they have played many venues over the years. Trying to hold down a regular job for these good folks had to make it even harder to find time to commit to the music. So my hope is that you will give them a listen. If you are like me good music is the tonic that heals my weary mind and body at times. To hear the songs click on the link www.chrisledgerwood.bandcamp.com . You are also invited to visit Chris here  www.facebook.com/thriftstorepoets.  And to visit Chris on his blog www.christopherstruth.blogspot.com  Chris Old buddy, my hat is off to you and the hard working band members. I love your music and your message. I remain a bit jealous cause I want to so badly be able to play a guitar and sing but alas I guess I wasn't there when that talent was granted! But who knows, maybe one day I will be able to write a song that you want to record! I hope all of you folks who visit Chris will enjoy his music as much as I do! Thank you Chris.

FREEDOM...JUST ANOTHER WORD FOR NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE

I wonder if you think of yourself as being free. I mean really free. For a long while now I have considered myself free. But here lately I've had to take a long hard look just to see if I have been living a lie. Once again I am trying my best to taker an honest look at that path which leads back to myself. I admit that this path I speak of is one that I detest at times. Seems as if this life is much easier if I continue to live the lie instead of being totally honest with myself.  But a small still voice whispers to me both day and night. I hear this voice whether I am awake, asleep, or anything in between. And it says, no rather demands, that I once again need to be honest with myself. As I try my best to turn a deaf ear to the voice it just will not let up. It continues to beckon me into the still of the moment where my true identity lies. Knowing this voice is my key to being really free, still I try to ignore it. But as it keeps calling I can no longer spin that lie that seems to make for an easier existence as a human being. I am reluctant yet compelled to take heed and listen. I fight back my little Ego Self and I do listen. The voice says to me....Can't you see that the verse from the song Me and Bobby McGee  says it all. Remember the words? Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose, and nothing ain't worth nothing but its free..... Those words ring loudly in both my mind and my heart. Have I really been free any of tis time? So many things take our freedom from us bit by bit. Will money set you free? I don't think so but I do know how it can cause you to not be free. Can any material things make you free/ I don't think so. If anything they just add another link in the chain that keeps one from being free. Do you ever worry about someone breaking in your house? Taking all the great stuff you have acquired over the years. Do you ever feel like something bad is going to happen to your IRA account? That maybe someone will steal your identity and run up big debts? That the bank will fail and close its doors leaving you without any money. Do you ever worry that your wife or husband will be taken from you? I could go on but the point I am making is that to be truly free I think one must learn to be content in this One Eternal Moment. Just imagine for a minute that you wake up tomorrow and have nothing in this world except the clothes you are in. That's right, no house, no car, no money, no one to stand beside you. Only you and the world around you. Do you think you could be happy at that moment? I wonder, I really do. I am sure that if that was to happen to me I would at first be terrified. But maybe, just maybe, I would be able to just take it all in and see the beauty in everything. I'm sure it would take me a time to get to that point and I even doubt my ability to do so. I like to think I could but I also know it would be such a great task to overcome that I may not ever get there. I recall a story from the Bible about Jesus and his ministry. In the story he was greeted by a very wealthy man who came to Jesus wanting to know what he must do to follow his teachings. The man was blessed with all the material assets one could have hoped for. But the answer he received from Jesus was that if he truly wanted to follow the doctrines of the ministry he should give away all his money, his estates, and all material wealth. Then he would be free to follow the path of freedom. When he heard this he was saddened and walked away from Jesus because he could not give up his possessions. This story could be symbolic for many of us. Not to follow Jesus or any creed but to find true freedom. Maybe the only way to become truly free is to have nothing else to lose. So do you consider yourself free? As for me I am still working on that. Luckily I suppose, I don't have much left to lose these days. And as I ponder these feelings about being free I do think I am on the right path. My hope for all of you is that you do find yourself "free". I imagine that being free or how one defines freedom will be different for each of us. I don't expect anyone to give up all their possessions to find freedom. And I don't intend to get to the point where I have only the clothes I'm wearing but it could happen. Of that I am sure. When I was around 10 years old I did experience that situation firsthand. One night I had stayed at my sister and brother-in-laws house. The next morning when they drove me home we were greeted with a sight that shook my soul. Where our modest home had stood there were now only a big pile of ashes. The house had caught fire in the middle of the night and burned to the ground. Fortunately my  mom and my stepdad had awoken and gotten out safely. No one was injured but everything we had was destroyed. At 10 years of age I was faced with the fact that the only thing I owned was the clothes I was wearing. Of course it was very traumatic but I am sure I probably handled that better then than I would have handled it say when I was in my 30's. I do remember though the outpouring of love and generosity of the community who rushed to our family's aid. Back in those days people always helped others. I remember seeing my stepdad taking some money from one of our neighbors outstretched hand with tears in his eyes. I was so touched even at this early age at the power of love. Within days I had more clothes than I had before the fire. Our community's outpouring of unconditional love in supplying us food clothes and money settled down deep in my soul even though I did not realize it then. And for a fleeting moment, as I got out of the car and walked toward the pile of ashes on the day of the fire I was free. It sure didn't feel like I was free, but looking back now I see what real freedom means. My dream is that one day soon the whole world will get back to being filled with people such as those generous neighbors of ours! If you will, take a quick moment and do a little something nice for someone. And as you do this I think you will have a small taste of being free! Much love to all of you