POSITIVE THOUGHTS Deep Sustenance (an excerpt) Oriah It doesnt interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls away. Tell me, have you been where hope and faith cannot find you? What sustains you when all that you have relied upon, inner and outer, falls away? How do you get through? How do you take the next breath? Most of the time, I am buoyed up by hope: I have hope that my sons will find what they love and a way to live it; I have hope that my work will continue to challenge me and offer something of value to others. Oh, I also have hope that we will use our will and imagination to bring peace to parts of the world torn by war and to develop technologies and ways of living that are in alignment with the earth. But the truth is that most of the time, the hopes that move me toward life with arms wide open are smaller, particular, and very human: I have hope that I will, someday, exercise on a regular basis; I have hope that I will once again feel the delicious excitement of falling in love; I have hope that my skin will clear up. I will learn how to rollerblade gracefully, and I will be kissed again by a man who takes my breath away. I have hope that I will find the time today to walk by the lake and feed the ducks. There is, of course, a risk in focusing on what we hope for--we can fall into the daydream, missing what we have. But our ability to imagine, to anticipate, is part of what makes us human. Anyone who has ever made love knows that part of the pleasure is in anticipating both the familiar and the unknown. The pleasure and intimacy of lovemaking are deepened when I am able to slow down and consciously savor the sharp taste of the moment in between, the second just before, the place where the breath catches in anticipation. Hoping and anticipating can deepen our experience of the moment, motivate us to act or sit still. I do my daily meditation not only because it brings me insight and a sense of calmness as I do it, but because I have hope that it will enable me to be more present in my daily living. Living in the present moment fully and having hope for what is to come next are not mutually exclusive. Sometimes, when the moment at hand is difficult, having hope that it will change is what makes it possible to be present. And sometimes, there is no hope. When I am lying in bed, ill again after months of doing all I know to stay well, I feel no hope that I will ever have normal, daily health. When my son once again skips classes, I lost hope that he will find his way within the school system. Sometimes, when I ache with loneliness, I have no hope that I will find a partner with whom to share my life. But there is still faith. Sometimes, when hope is gone, I can breathe into my heart and find there the faith that sustains me, faith that is fueled by the moments when I or others are able to find what is good, what is funny, sweet, and tender in life, despite deep wounds and overwhelming difficulties. It is the courage of the human spirit and the relentless persistence of life all around us that gives me faith. So I have faith that even if my health is never strong, even if my son continues to flounder in his schooling, even if I never come together with the husband of my heart and hearth--it will be okay, truly okay. Life will continue, and it will conspire with its beauty to pull me back to hope. This is my faith. Living with hope is living with anticipation of what can be. Living with faith is relaxing into what is that cannot be changed by our will, and knowing that life in its fullness is good. Always remember, your presents is a present to the world. You’ll make it through whatever comrs along. Be positive in all that you think, say, and do. The following are actions to take, things to contemplate, and simple philosophies that can help all of us have a life that is as full and positive as possible regardless of how long we are here in this lifetime. 1. Give and experience as much love as possible. Love is probably the best gift we can give to ourselves first, then to others in our lifetimes. It behooves us all to learn to fully love ourselves first, and, in a more humanitarian way, to all those with whom we come into contact. It is not often easy for us to give unconditional love to others, in part due to the way we learned about love from our parents and society growing up. To change that, and give at least the brotherly form of love to all we meet and know, is to practice true acceptance, and it will come back to us often. 2. Forgive and let go of all you feel has wronged you. Let it go. Make a list of all the people from childhood to the present you feel hurt or wronged you in some way. It is sometimes helpful to ask yourself if you had any responsibility in the way things occurred. Then let it go. Write them a letter stating you forgive them (which can be mailed or thrown away after writing). Get yourself complete with the past. Just one negative grudge or ill feeling held on to can make it very hard for you to have any truly positive and successful relationships now or in the future. 3. Do what you are good at and love to do. If you are sitting behind a desk from eight to five every day working for someone else, and you dislike your job or your working environment, take steps to change it! Write out what you are good at and what you really love in your heart to do. Then go after it! If it means changing jobs, locations, or working for yourself, do it. Being true to yourself and your God-given talents and desires will make your life so much happier in the end that it will be worth it. When you can say that you love your work and those you work with, you will have a much more stress-free life, and the legacy you leave behind will be great and cherished by the people you touched with your genuine actions and words. 4. Be positive in all that you think, say, and do. Get rid of any guilt feelings you have, develop and trust your intuition, learn to quit worrying, visualize and affirm being successful and prosperous, develop and keep great faith, learn to deal with anger so it is not destructive to you or others, be totally responsible, learn to identify and control your stress, live one day at a time, and finally, trust a higher power or Universal Law to help you in your life journey and give you some support along the way. The choice is ours how we live our lives. Many believe that the true foundation of all that is great and lasting in the world is based on love. Love is a core value. And it is always there as a choice for us to use in our lives or not. Only one life that soon is past; Only whats done with love will last. Dennis R. Tesdell is an experienced personal development and self-care coach as well as an author on personal growth, self-care and self improvement issues. “Love youtself. Forgive yourself. Be true to yourself. How you treat yourself sets the standard for how others treat you.” Steve Marashell
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 17:07:05 +0000
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