"Truth, like gold, is to be obtained not by its growth, but by washing away from it all that is not gold." – Leo Tolstoy

How difficult is it for us to break free of conventional wisdom and allow the wisdom from within to drive our forces? Why is it we use our eyes to determine how much intimacy we will allow ourselves. Why is that we, for the most part, feel compelled to categorize-to keep our feelings "safe"? I mention that fact that I believe that the heart has many, many rooms....some are filled, but most are empty. There is enough room to love many-why is so hard for our society to grasp. It feel so natural. And, as I have learned, ALL relationships are assignments. So may be short-lived,while others may be life-long assignments. There is a symmetry to this and balance for our spirit. And, as Maude says, "Go out and love some more."

Your job

The number one thing is to decide what it is you want to do...precisely. If it requires more education, then sign up today and get started. The secret behind it all, is that you will be led to your work...it may not look like you envisioned, but it will. As you evolve, so will your work. There is nothing outside of yourself that will bring you salvation...it is an inside job. It is what you "give" is the most important, --your time, your talent, your willingness....give with NO expectations other than your willingness to do so. Toxic people are full of fear---that is all. You do not have to participate in their fearfulness but you do need to have compassion and empathy for their struggle. You cannot save anyone expect yourself.....this is a hard lesson - simply, be the example...that it your ultimate job.

Being certain

"No great deed, private or public, has ever been undertaken in a bliss of certainty."
– Leon Wieseltier

The lessons we teach....

As I sat with woman yesrterday at lunch, someone whom I have great respect for, and discussed what possible opportunities she has as she has left working for the county and wants more adventure in her life. I thought what possible roads she might pursue and then she asked how do I do what I do. After a long pause I said that I did not know why things happen the way they do for me, but I do know that I have to get myself out of the way when thinking about the future. Somehow my intention is manifested through my ability to organize and follow through. I do know that it is ALL about the "giving" and not the receiving. There is nothing out there that will make me whole and complete. That is an inside job and thankfully, through the many women in my life, I have learned that lesson. I say that one needs only to have the willingness for things to change and not h=to have an attachment to the way you think things out to be. It's what work for me. What about you?

The lessons we teach are the ones we need most to learn. -Richard Bach, Illusions

Saturday

Spent three hours at the Beverly Hot springs today....longing to soak in the only natural hot springs in LA....get a body scrub and massage....it does so much for the body as well as the spirit. Try it and give yourself plenty of time to relax and meditate while there.

Politics

Monday, August 17, 2009

So we're ditching the public option? UGH!!! Current mood: cantankerous Category: News and Politics Guys, The following essay was written by Michael Mooney, a colleague of mine in social activism. Mooney is best known for his work in HIV/AIDS and nutrition. He's got a brilliant, sometimes recalcitrant perspective on a whole variety of issues. Here's his take on the public option, written just prior to our getting word that Obama may drop his push for the public inclusion and focus on the private options. I love what Michael has to say: ------------------------------------- Yeah – the ....US.... government can’t run anything right, especially something so complex as health care. And of course, they can’t do it as well as Blue Cross, Blue Shield or ..Aetna... But think about it …...... This morning I was awoken by my alarm clock powered by electricity generated by the public power monopoly regulated by the U.S. Department of Energy. I then took a shower in the clean water provided by a municipal water utility. After that, I turned on the TV to one of the FCC-regulated channels to see what the National Weather Service of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration determined the weather was going to be like, using satellites designed, built, and launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. I watched this while eating my breakfast of U.S. Department of Agriculture-inspected food and taking the drugs which have been determined as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. At the appropriate time, as regulated by the U.S. Congress and kept accurate by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the U.S. Naval Observatory, I get into my National Highway Traffic Safety Administration-approved automobile and set out to work on the roads build by the local, state, and federal Departments of Transportation, possibly stopping to purchase additional fuel of a quality level determined by the Environmental Protection Agency, using legal tender issued by the Federal Reserve Bank. On the way out the door I deposit any mail I have to be sent out via the U.S. Postal Service and drop the kids off at the public school. After spending another day not being maimed or killed at work thanks to the workplace regulations imposed by the Department of Labor and the Occupational Safety and Health administration, enjoying another two meals which again do not kill me because of the USDA, I drive my NHTSA car back home on the DOT roads, to my house which has not burned down in my absence because of the state and local building codes and Fire Marshal's inspection, and which has not been plundered of all its valuables thanks to the local police department. And then I log on to the internet -- which was developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration -- and post on Freerepublic.com and Fox News forums about how SOCIALISM in medicine is BAD because the government can't do anything right..... .. .. Michael Mooney.... www.michaelmooney.net

"Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out."
– James Bryant Conant