Abraham Fun with Karen Williams
soulsongkaren@cfl.rr.com
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Abraham Fun
What About Empaths Who Feel Other People's "Stuff?"
Here's a thought-provoking question from a reader:
"I, too, have been studying Abraham's teachings. Have you ever heard them comment on Empaths or Highly Sensitive People and overwhelm? Well being abounds for all, but what if you are feeling stuff that isn't yours? Do you have any thoughts about that? Am searching for some guidance for empaths."
I love this question because I, too, am an empath. My sensitivity doesn't necessarily concern other people, though. I seem to be an empath with regard to the earth in certain ways, as I can "feel" it when a significant earthquake is about to occur anywhere around the planet. I'm often amazed that other people don't feel what I'm feeling before earthquakes. When it became apparent to me years ago that other people did not feel what I felt, I kept my trap shut about this sensitivity. When I did confide in someone, they would most likely tell me that it was a remarkable "gift."
But it didn't feel like a "gift," because I didn't like the intense agitation I felt before an earthquake, even though I felt delightful calm after it was over. At any rate, when I discovered the teachings of Abraham-Hicks some eight years ago, I knew that if I ever had a question to ask them, it would concern this empathetic tendency.
Well, I'd like to say that I went to an Abraham workshop, was chosen for the hot seat, and asked them to explain this puzzling phenomenon. However, I've been to only two workshops ever, and frankly, I found I really didn't want to weird Abraham out by asking about this.
Ha! Nobody could actually weird Abraham out. I just said that to see if you were awake. What's weirder, in a conventional sense, than they are? Plus, they say they've seen everything human, so I don't suppose they'd come up empty-handed as far as answers go. But frankly, I've never asked about this or heard them address it.
So, I'll fly by the seat of my pants here (cheaper than flying Continental), knowing that the answer straight from the horse's mouth will probably turn up on the next Abraham CD of the month.
As I immersed myself in the Abe teachings, I realized that there was an all-important question to ask myself about being an empath: "Do you like it?" My immediate answer was "No." So I then knew that being an empath was "contrast" for me in Abraham terminology. I knew that I wanted the opposite: I wanted to feel ordinary when earthquakes occur.
So, I gave up thinking about being an empath in any way that I could. When I noticed myself "picking up" on events in the earth's crust, I would shrug it off, simply offering up a prayer for those affected. I stopped reporting upcoming events to any online Richter scale scholars. I stopped wondering why I had this ability or where it came from. I stopped feeling frustrated or perplexed about it. I turned my attention away from this little mystery of life in any way I could.
The Earth doesn't seem to care that I don't want to feel its pain. It has never once tried to make me feel bad about it, except for that one time a neighborhood house disappeared in a Florida sinkhole. And actually, I don't think that was really about me.
Now, it may be easier to move beyond being an earth empath than being a people empath, for people often appreciate others feeling their emotional pain. "Misery loves company," as the saying goes. In addition, the quality of feeling what others feel is encouraged and applauded in our culture. It is considered to be a valuable, unselfish trait. But since we now know from Abraham that "nothing good comes from feeling bad," we realize that sharing in someone else's negative emotions doesn't help them, and it certainly doesn't help us.
So, I would say to the person who asked this question — and to various friends I've had over the years who would pick up on people's unhappy energy and would become nauseated, needing to hastily exit a room: Take your focus off of this tendency. Shrug it off while deliberately choosing good-feeling thoughts in all arenas of life. As you thus become a little happier, and a little happier, and a little happier still, you will not have experiential access to the downer energy of others. (Now, you might have access to others' feel-good energy, but who could complain about that?)
As I've taken this sort of approach, I've found that I have far fewer sensitive episodes. In fact, Mark recently asked me if I knew about a certain significant earthquake that occurred in another country, and with amazement I replied, "No, that one sneaked by me!" (Actually I said, "...snuck by me," but that's probably lousy English.)
I was so pleased that I'd brought myself to a consistently sufficiently happy vibration that I'm less of a match to feeling others' pain. Even that of Mother Nature, of Mother Earth. You're on your own, baby. And I think you can handle it just fine.
Maybe Van Gogh was an empath — at least on starry, starry nights.
(National Gallery, Washington, D.C.)
"I, too, have been studying Abraham's teachings. Have you ever heard them comment on Empaths or Highly Sensitive People and overwhelm? Well being abounds for all, but what if you are feeling stuff that isn't yours? Do you have any thoughts about that? Am searching for some guidance for empaths."
I love this question because I, too, am an empath. My sensitivity doesn't necessarily concern other people, though. I seem to be an empath with regard to the earth in certain ways, as I can "feel" it when a significant earthquake is about to occur anywhere around the planet. I'm often amazed that other people don't feel what I'm feeling before earthquakes. When it became apparent to me years ago that other people did not feel what I felt, I kept my trap shut about this sensitivity. When I did confide in someone, they would most likely tell me that it was a remarkable "gift."
But it didn't feel like a "gift," because I didn't like the intense agitation I felt before an earthquake, even though I felt delightful calm after it was over. At any rate, when I discovered the teachings of Abraham-Hicks some eight years ago, I knew that if I ever had a question to ask them, it would concern this empathetic tendency.
Well, I'd like to say that I went to an Abraham workshop, was chosen for the hot seat, and asked them to explain this puzzling phenomenon. However, I've been to only two workshops ever, and frankly, I found I really didn't want to weird Abraham out by asking about this.
Ha! Nobody could actually weird Abraham out. I just said that to see if you were awake. What's weirder, in a conventional sense, than they are? Plus, they say they've seen everything human, so I don't suppose they'd come up empty-handed as far as answers go. But frankly, I've never asked about this or heard them address it.
So, I'll fly by the seat of my pants here (cheaper than flying Continental), knowing that the answer straight from the horse's mouth will probably turn up on the next Abraham CD of the month.
As I immersed myself in the Abe teachings, I realized that there was an all-important question to ask myself about being an empath: "Do you like it?" My immediate answer was "No." So I then knew that being an empath was "contrast" for me in Abraham terminology. I knew that I wanted the opposite: I wanted to feel ordinary when earthquakes occur.
So, I gave up thinking about being an empath in any way that I could. When I noticed myself "picking up" on events in the earth's crust, I would shrug it off, simply offering up a prayer for those affected. I stopped reporting upcoming events to any online Richter scale scholars. I stopped wondering why I had this ability or where it came from. I stopped feeling frustrated or perplexed about it. I turned my attention away from this little mystery of life in any way I could.
The Earth doesn't seem to care that I don't want to feel its pain. It has never once tried to make me feel bad about it, except for that one time a neighborhood house disappeared in a Florida sinkhole. And actually, I don't think that was really about me.
Now, it may be easier to move beyond being an earth empath than being a people empath, for people often appreciate others feeling their emotional pain. "Misery loves company," as the saying goes. In addition, the quality of feeling what others feel is encouraged and applauded in our culture. It is considered to be a valuable, unselfish trait. But since we now know from Abraham that "nothing good comes from feeling bad," we realize that sharing in someone else's negative emotions doesn't help them, and it certainly doesn't help us.
So, I would say to the person who asked this question — and to various friends I've had over the years who would pick up on people's unhappy energy and would become nauseated, needing to hastily exit a room: Take your focus off of this tendency. Shrug it off while deliberately choosing good-feeling thoughts in all arenas of life. As you thus become a little happier, and a little happier, and a little happier still, you will not have experiential access to the downer energy of others. (Now, you might have access to others' feel-good energy, but who could complain about that?)
As I've taken this sort of approach, I've found that I have far fewer sensitive episodes. In fact, Mark recently asked me if I knew about a certain significant earthquake that occurred in another country, and with amazement I replied, "No, that one sneaked by me!" (Actually I said, "...snuck by me," but that's probably lousy English.)
I was so pleased that I'd brought myself to a consistently sufficiently happy vibration that I'm less of a match to feeling others' pain. Even that of Mother Nature, of Mother Earth. You're on your own, baby. And I think you can handle it just fine.
Maybe Van Gogh was an empath — at least on starry, starry nights.
(National Gallery, Washington, D.C.)
More on Despair
I appreciate the excellent comments in response to yesterday's blog post about despair.
I'd like to go over some of the suggestions that were shared:
—When feeling out of sorts, take some time to sit and write — possibly with paper and pen — what you've been thinking about until you notice thoughts that were likely bringing you down. Once you've identified those thoughts, then reach for thoughts that feel somewhat better — and better — and better yet on that topic.
—When you notice yourself thinking negative thoughts, tell yourself to "STOP" and reach for some thoughts of appreciation, etc.
—Change the way you label the "dead zone." Find something that has a more positive and temporary connotation.
Now, if you still aren't recognizing what you were thinking about to put yourself in a bad-feeling state, then you might try something I once heard a psychologist share. She had been self-imprisoned in her home at one time due to panic disorder, and she moved beyond it sufficiently to become a therapist. However, she still sometimes experienced intense "free-floating" anxiety. When that came about, seemingly out of thin air, she would say to herself, "Oh, I'm having an anxiety attack," and she would simply be OK with it while turning her attention elsewhere as best she could. She had trained herself not to react to the negative emotional state, trying to analyze it, fight it, or feeling frustrated about it. She would shrug it off, saying to herself, "Well, here it is again. No big deal. Thankfully I don't experience this all the time. And thankfully I can use what I've experienced to help others."
Another potentially helpful habit: BE PROACTIVE. Nip negative emotional states in the bud by deliberately injecting good-feeling thoughts throughout your day. Make it a priority to think thoughts of appreciation, fantasy, or pleasant memories, regardless of how you're feeling emotionally. If you will do this, you will find yourself in those extremely bad-feeling places much less frequently, and they won't last as long when you do go there.
I have never found any tool or gadget as helpful for adding good-feeling thoughts to my day as my handy-dandy clicker. Some friends who are using it agreed with me that I could call it the magic clicker or the miracle clicker, for it truly helps to change patterns of thought if used consistently. I'm becoming addicted to it (in a good way). I wear it all day, every day, and I've even pondered attaching it to my jammies, so I can click as I go night-night. :>
Click each time you add a good-feeling thought to your vibration. You'll be glad to see how quickly they add up and how much they'll improve your mood and your circumstances.
I'd like to go over some of the suggestions that were shared:
—When feeling out of sorts, take some time to sit and write — possibly with paper and pen — what you've been thinking about until you notice thoughts that were likely bringing you down. Once you've identified those thoughts, then reach for thoughts that feel somewhat better — and better — and better yet on that topic.
—When you notice yourself thinking negative thoughts, tell yourself to "STOP" and reach for some thoughts of appreciation, etc.
—Change the way you label the "dead zone." Find something that has a more positive and temporary connotation.
Now, if you still aren't recognizing what you were thinking about to put yourself in a bad-feeling state, then you might try something I once heard a psychologist share. She had been self-imprisoned in her home at one time due to panic disorder, and she moved beyond it sufficiently to become a therapist. However, she still sometimes experienced intense "free-floating" anxiety. When that came about, seemingly out of thin air, she would say to herself, "Oh, I'm having an anxiety attack," and she would simply be OK with it while turning her attention elsewhere as best she could. She had trained herself not to react to the negative emotional state, trying to analyze it, fight it, or feeling frustrated about it. She would shrug it off, saying to herself, "Well, here it is again. No big deal. Thankfully I don't experience this all the time. And thankfully I can use what I've experienced to help others."
Another potentially helpful habit: BE PROACTIVE. Nip negative emotional states in the bud by deliberately injecting good-feeling thoughts throughout your day. Make it a priority to think thoughts of appreciation, fantasy, or pleasant memories, regardless of how you're feeling emotionally. If you will do this, you will find yourself in those extremely bad-feeling places much less frequently, and they won't last as long when you do go there.
I have never found any tool or gadget as helpful for adding good-feeling thoughts to my day as my handy-dandy clicker. Some friends who are using it agreed with me that I could call it the magic clicker or the miracle clicker, for it truly helps to change patterns of thought if used consistently. I'm becoming addicted to it (in a good way). I wear it all day, every day, and I've even pondered attaching it to my jammies, so I can click as I go night-night. :>
Click each time you add a good-feeling thought to your vibration. You'll be glad to see how quickly they add up and how much they'll improve your mood and your circumstances.
What About Despair?
Thanks to a reader for this question:
"Despair: the feeling that everything is wrong and nothing will turn out well.
Do you experience this? We've all heard of cell phone 'dead zones.' Sometimes I enter a personal dead zone. Here's how it works...
I'm going about my day, doing the next thing, perhaps even walking in the present reality of God's kingdom and mindful of the fullness of life and spiritual abundance within me...and then suddenly the dead zone...a surge of despair and emptiness and aloneness and despondency sweeps over me.....
I am contacted by many people who express despair. So, I have some questions. Do you experience despair? What is it like for you? Does it take some specific form such as the ways I descried mine above?
Also, are feelings of despair a sign of failure - as in you're just not "getting it" or otherwise you wouldn't be experiencing such negative thoughts or feelings? What exactly is "despair" beyond the above definition? Where does it come from? What causes it? What is the way you deal with it?
Whatever it is, is despair simply a part of being human? Karen, Just wondering if you had any thoughts on this?"
——————————————————
"Despair: the feeling that everything is wrong and nothing will turn out well.
Do you experience this? We've all heard of cell phone 'dead zones.' Sometimes I enter a personal dead zone. Here's how it works...
I'm going about my day, doing the next thing, perhaps even walking in the present reality of God's kingdom and mindful of the fullness of life and spiritual abundance within me...and then suddenly the dead zone...a surge of despair and emptiness and aloneness and despondency sweeps over me.....
I am contacted by many people who express despair. So, I have some questions. Do you experience despair? What is it like for you? Does it take some specific form such as the ways I descried mine above?
Also, are feelings of despair a sign of failure - as in you're just not "getting it" or otherwise you wouldn't be experiencing such negative thoughts or feelings? What exactly is "despair" beyond the above definition? Where does it come from? What causes it? What is the way you deal with it?
Whatever it is, is despair simply a part of being human? Karen, Just wondering if you had any thoughts on this?"
——————————————————
Despair is a feeling of immense disillusionment with life, we could say. On the emotional scale that Abraham published in their first Hay House book, Ask and It Is Given, despair is listed in last place as far as feeling good is concerned. It's #22, along with its buddies, fear, grief, depression, and powerlessness (p. 114).
I personally do not experience despair, but I may well have experienced it at earlier times in my life. I'm not inclined to go back and evaluate that, for I've now trained myself to think only about the good-feeling times in my past. Nothing good comes from feeling bad or from remembering times when we felt bad.
I do know that sometimes negative emotions, such as fear, grief, and despair, can seem to come upon people out of the blue — as if we've entered a "dead zone." We know that our feelings come from our thoughts, so there must have been some major thoughts of what we don't like and don't want accumulating in our vibrational offering, even along with thoughts of appreciation and abundance. Then, we may run head-long into some unhappy thoughts/ thought forms from other people. (Like attracts like, and as our unhappy thoughts gain some momentum, they can draw others to themselves.) At that point, we feel heightened emotional discomfort,which is, of course, our Inner Being's way of urging us to find somewhere else to place our attention.
Despair certainly can be part of being human, but as we learn to move up the vibrational scale by choosing thoughts that feel a little better...and a little better...and a little better yet, it doesn't need to be part of our experience. If we do feel despair or its cohort emotions, though, we can be thankful that our emotional guidance system is alive and well and nudging us to focus our attention differently. We can also be thankful that as we practice choosing better-feeling thoughts, we will not continue to dip that low on the emotional scale.
Many people do experience despair, and it's always, as far as I can tell, a result of how they've been focusing their attention, their habitual patterns of thought. Further, a person who has intense desires, who is a "powerful wanter" in Abraham terminology, will be more prone to despair than those with fewer desires if both groups are focusing in ways that don't allow their desires to find them. A "powerful wanter" has more to potentially feel frustration and disillusionment about than someone who has fewer goals and desires that are calling to him/her.
How does one move beyond despair? It's the same way that one moves beyond every emotion to a better-feeling one: deliberately thinking thoughts that feel a bit better, as mentioned above. Let's tinker with a few thoughts that might come up:
"I suddenly feel despair right now. I feel like I'm a victim of these emotional states that seem to descend on me.
Actually, I don't feel despair all the time. Sometimes I feel fine. It's just that when I'm in a negative emotional state, it feels as if I'm always here. I can remind myself that's not true.
I know that negative emotions are valuable feed-back from my Inner Being, alerting me that I've been focusing, off-and-on, on circumstances that I don't like and I don't want. They're like the pain receptors in my fingers that alert me to take my hand off a hot stove. They serve an important function.
Despair doesn't mean I'm a failure in my spiritual practice. It simply means that my guidance system is alive and well. That's actually a good thing. I wouldn't want my fingertips to become numb, and I wouldn't want my emotional guidance to be numb, either.
I'm going to deliberately think some feel-better thoughts right now. I'm going to focus on some pleasant memories or something that I hope for in the future. Maybe I'll also try to find something to appreciate in this moment. As I practice some better feeling thoughts, I'll magnetize better feeling thoughts and thought-forms, and I'll gain momentum in feeling some relief.
My goal isn't to try to think thoughts of glee and jubilation. I'm simply aiming to focus my attention in ways that feel a little better than where I am. Through this simple process, I can begin moving up the emotional scale. Thinking slightly better-feeling thoughts is a tool I can use wherever I find myself on the scale — in anger, blame, disappointment, or even boredom. Through this process, I can train myself to feel better...and better...and better yet.
As I take my emotional journey upward, I will notice my circumstances changing to more of what I like and want. My dreams and desires will start to come within reach. But those manifestations will simply be the icing on the cake, for it just feels so good to feel good. And now I know how to get there.
It suddenly matters less where I am right now, since I know how to get where I want to go. "
——————————————
I'm thankful for the opportunity to respond to my reader's question and for Abraham-Hicks, who share the most brilliant psychology in the known (and unknown) Universe. Abe, you rock!
Logo by C.J. Martin
(mavericksdesign@gmail.com)
I personally do not experience despair, but I may well have experienced it at earlier times in my life. I'm not inclined to go back and evaluate that, for I've now trained myself to think only about the good-feeling times in my past. Nothing good comes from feeling bad or from remembering times when we felt bad.
I do know that sometimes negative emotions, such as fear, grief, and despair, can seem to come upon people out of the blue — as if we've entered a "dead zone." We know that our feelings come from our thoughts, so there must have been some major thoughts of what we don't like and don't want accumulating in our vibrational offering, even along with thoughts of appreciation and abundance. Then, we may run head-long into some unhappy thoughts/ thought forms from other people. (Like attracts like, and as our unhappy thoughts gain some momentum, they can draw others to themselves.) At that point, we feel heightened emotional discomfort,which is, of course, our Inner Being's way of urging us to find somewhere else to place our attention.
Despair certainly can be part of being human, but as we learn to move up the vibrational scale by choosing thoughts that feel a little better...and a little better...and a little better yet, it doesn't need to be part of our experience. If we do feel despair or its cohort emotions, though, we can be thankful that our emotional guidance system is alive and well and nudging us to focus our attention differently. We can also be thankful that as we practice choosing better-feeling thoughts, we will not continue to dip that low on the emotional scale.
Many people do experience despair, and it's always, as far as I can tell, a result of how they've been focusing their attention, their habitual patterns of thought. Further, a person who has intense desires, who is a "powerful wanter" in Abraham terminology, will be more prone to despair than those with fewer desires if both groups are focusing in ways that don't allow their desires to find them. A "powerful wanter" has more to potentially feel frustration and disillusionment about than someone who has fewer goals and desires that are calling to him/her.
How does one move beyond despair? It's the same way that one moves beyond every emotion to a better-feeling one: deliberately thinking thoughts that feel a bit better, as mentioned above. Let's tinker with a few thoughts that might come up:
"I suddenly feel despair right now. I feel like I'm a victim of these emotional states that seem to descend on me.
Actually, I don't feel despair all the time. Sometimes I feel fine. It's just that when I'm in a negative emotional state, it feels as if I'm always here. I can remind myself that's not true.
I know that negative emotions are valuable feed-back from my Inner Being, alerting me that I've been focusing, off-and-on, on circumstances that I don't like and I don't want. They're like the pain receptors in my fingers that alert me to take my hand off a hot stove. They serve an important function.
Despair doesn't mean I'm a failure in my spiritual practice. It simply means that my guidance system is alive and well. That's actually a good thing. I wouldn't want my fingertips to become numb, and I wouldn't want my emotional guidance to be numb, either.
I'm going to deliberately think some feel-better thoughts right now. I'm going to focus on some pleasant memories or something that I hope for in the future. Maybe I'll also try to find something to appreciate in this moment. As I practice some better feeling thoughts, I'll magnetize better feeling thoughts and thought-forms, and I'll gain momentum in feeling some relief.
My goal isn't to try to think thoughts of glee and jubilation. I'm simply aiming to focus my attention in ways that feel a little better than where I am. Through this simple process, I can begin moving up the emotional scale. Thinking slightly better-feeling thoughts is a tool I can use wherever I find myself on the scale — in anger, blame, disappointment, or even boredom. Through this process, I can train myself to feel better...and better...and better yet.
As I take my emotional journey upward, I will notice my circumstances changing to more of what I like and want. My dreams and desires will start to come within reach. But those manifestations will simply be the icing on the cake, for it just feels so good to feel good. And now I know how to get there.
It suddenly matters less where I am right now, since I know how to get where I want to go. "
——————————————
I'm thankful for the opportunity to respond to my reader's question and for Abraham-Hicks, who share the most brilliant psychology in the known (and unknown) Universe. Abe, you rock!
Logo by C.J. Martin
(mavericksdesign@gmail.com)
Trouble at Work
Thanks to a reader for this question:
"Of late there are many tensions at my work place due to some very inhumanistic proposals on work hours, leave and pay structures by the management. This makes me feel disheartened and uncomfortable. As this is a management decision, there is little I can do. I have been trying to keep away from discussions and presentations made on the subject, but find myself worried and often drawn into it. I am looking forward to attracting a wonderful job and a great pay with a fantastic work culture. Though I see good things about the place where I work now, I am not able to stay in that good feeling thought for long.
Please help"
————-
This is a scenario that many people seem to experience in various work contexts. Due to the decisions of higher-ups, people feel that they are going to be — or already are — treated with discourtesy and lack of fairness. They may feel powerless to influence decisions made by people in authority, and they may also feel that there is no viable options with regard to other jobs.
Well, that stinks. What can be done?
I know this will come as a shock, but I suggest a change in thoughts. Nothing good comes from feeling bad about any situation, and as a person shifts his/her perspective even slightly, the circumstances will improve — either that or new, more-pleasing circumstances will present themselves.
Let's tinker a bit with the scenario:
"Of late there are many tensions at my work place due to some very inhumanistic proposals on work hours, leave and pay structures by the management. I don't like what is developing, and other workers share my concern. Thankfully, I'm not alone in this.
"This makes me feel disheartened and uncomfortable when I think about it, but it helps to know that I am free to turn my thoughts elsewhere, and I am free to envision my work environment the way I would like it would be.
"As this is a management situation, there is little I can do. I have been trying to keep away from discussions and presentations made on the subject but find myself worried and often drawn into it. It seems that management is proposing things that are inadvisable for the long-term stability of the company, and it's possible that someone in power will think about the importance of worker satisfaction and suggest a new approach. Surely this will seem obvious to someone. Meanwhile, I'll continue to focus as much as I can on my work and allow the others to engage in this controversy. Since it doesn't feel good to me, I'll sidestep it as best I can.
"I am looking forward to attracting a wonderful job and a great pay with a fantastic work culture. I know it's possible, for I know of other people who have manifested such circumstances. I'm going to spend time every day deliberately envisioning how I want my work place to be. I'll visualize myself looking forward to work each day, making good friends of co-workers, getting along fine with management, and feeling a deep sense of accomplishment about what I do. I will craft this scenario in my mind, adding whatever good-feeling details occur to me daily.
"Though I see good things about the place where I work now, I am not able to stay in that good-feeling thought for long. But at least I can find those few things to briefly feel good about. That's actually a big step in the right direction. This is a skill that I can develop, and I believe it will serve me very well. I will take some time each day, maybe at lunch time, to deliberately go on a "hunt" for more things to appreciate about my work. I'll make it like a fun game, a treasure hunt. And when I find a new aspect to feel grateful about, I'll laughingly pat myself on the back. Maybe I'll keep a notebook, too, where I list the positive aspects of my work environment, and I'll go over it each day.
"Maybe I'm not yet proficient in seeing the pleasing aspects of my surroundings, but so what? I understand that as I practice this, it will become more automatic, and I'll be in a position to watch my environment improve.
"I'm so glad I know about Law of Attraction and that no matter where I find myself, I can eventually get to where I want to go by step-by-step altering my thoughts. This is the key to a life of thriving, and I'm happy that I can practice and then watch this work scenario change for the better...and better...and better yet.
"My work has caused me to shoot off many rockets of desire for an absolutely optimal situation, and that improved environment is waiting for me in my vibrational escrow. All I need to do now is let it manifest through the magnificent power of my happier thoughts."
My day lily bulbs don't feel daunted by the soil — they simply keep their focus on the sky and move up into the fresh air.
"Of late there are many tensions at my work place due to some very inhumanistic proposals on work hours, leave and pay structures by the management. This makes me feel disheartened and uncomfortable. As this is a management decision, there is little I can do. I have been trying to keep away from discussions and presentations made on the subject, but find myself worried and often drawn into it. I am looking forward to attracting a wonderful job and a great pay with a fantastic work culture. Though I see good things about the place where I work now, I am not able to stay in that good feeling thought for long.
Please help
"————-
This is a scenario that many people seem to experience in various work contexts. Due to the decisions of higher-ups, people feel that they are going to be — or already are — treated with discourtesy and lack of fairness. They may feel powerless to influence decisions made by people in authority, and they may also feel that there is no viable options with regard to other jobs.
Well, that stinks. What can be done?
I know this will come as a shock, but I suggest a change in thoughts.
Nothing good comes from feeling bad about any situation, and as a person shifts his/her perspective even slightly, the circumstances will improve — either that or new, more-pleasing circumstances will present themselves. Let's tinker a bit with the scenario:
"Of late there are many tensions at my work place due to some very inhumanistic proposals on work hours, leave and pay structures by the management. I don't like what is developing, and other workers share my concern. Thankfully, I'm not alone in this.
"This makes me feel disheartened and uncomfortable when I think about it, but it helps to know that I am free to turn my thoughts elsewhere, and I am free to envision my work environment the way I would like it would be.
"As this is a management situation, there is little I can do. I have been trying to keep away from discussions and presentations made on the subject but find myself worried and often drawn into it. It seems that management is proposing things that are inadvisable for the long-term stability of the company, and it's possible that someone in power will think about the importance of worker satisfaction and suggest a new approach. Surely this will seem obvious to someone. Meanwhile, I'll continue to focus as much as I can on my work and allow the others to engage in this controversy. Since it doesn't feel good to me, I'll sidestep it as best I can.
"I am looking forward to attracting a wonderful job and a great pay with a fantastic work culture. I know it's possible, for I know of other people who have manifested such circumstances. I'm going to spend time every day deliberately envisioning how I want my work place to be. I'll visualize myself looking forward to work each day, making good friends of co-workers, getting along fine with management, and feeling a deep sense of accomplishment about what I do. I will craft this scenario in my mind, adding whatever good-feeling details occur to me daily.
"Though I see good things about the place where I work now, I am not able to stay in that good-feeling thought for long. But at least I can find those few things to briefly feel good about. That's actually a big step in the right direction. This is a skill that I can develop, and I believe it will serve me very well. I will take some time each day, maybe at lunch time, to deliberately go on a "hunt" for more things to appreciate about my work. I'll make it like a fun game, a treasure hunt. And when I find a new aspect to feel grateful about, I'll laughingly pat myself on the back. Maybe I'll keep a notebook, too, where I list the positive aspects of my work environment, and I'll go over it each day.
"Maybe I'm not yet proficient in seeing the pleasing aspects of my surroundings, but so what? I understand that as I practice this, it will become more automatic, and I'll be in a position to watch my environment improve.
"I'm so glad I know about Law of Attraction and that no matter where I find myself, I can eventually get to where I want to go by step-by-step altering my thoughts. This is the key to a life of thriving, and I'm happy that I can practice and then watch this work scenario change for the better...and better...and better yet.
"My work has caused me to shoot off many rockets of desire for an absolutely optimal situation, and that improved environment is waiting for me in my vibrational escrow. All I need to do now is let it manifest through the magnificent power of my happier thoughts."
My day lily bulbs don't feel daunted by the soil — they simply keep their focus on the sky and move up into the fresh air.
Why Would We Create Trouble for Ourselves?
"My wife just recently lost her eyesight — completely blind at age 65. Why would anyone want to CREATE THAT handicap? We are dealing with it best we can. Any suggestions are appreciated."
I'm eager to reply to this question received from a reader, for I think many people hold the idea that we somehow deliberately create problems and trouble for ourselves at times. Why on earth would we do that?
Well, the answer is that we do not do that — we do not deliberately hurt or sabotage ourselves. Rather, we draw unwanted experiences and conditions to us simply because we're not aware of how things work. We don't understand how we get what we get.
If it weren't for "bad luck," some people would have no "luck" at all.
Mark and I were recently discussing someone who ever seems to have a string of bad luck. "How can anyone have THAT much go wrong?" Mark marveled. I replied that I think it's owing to the preponderance of well-being on the planet that more people don't have far more things going wrong, for most people are playing the game of life without the rule book. And the rule book states: "Whatever you consistently focus upon will show up in your experience — that or something equally wanted or unwanted — courtesy of Law of Attraction."
One of the most fitting all-time analogies from Abraham-Hicks is the buffet. Life is like an exotic buffet table with all sorts of scrumptious delicacies as well as some fried worms, sautéed toad skins, and pickled tarantulas. The logical thing to do is to move around the table, placing on our plate the pleasing delicacies while ignoring the food we find, uh, disgusting. This type of approach — selecting the pleasing while ignoring the displeasing — is a ticket to thriving.
But we've probably spent a few years or decades approaching things differently. We stand at the buffet table, horrified by some of the unwanted things there. We call others over to point out how weird and gross these items are. We talk about how we'd never want to eat such things in a million years. We summon the management to berate them for placing such icky items on the buffet table in the first place. We spend so much time looking at the fried worms that we lose our appetite and turn away from the fresh salads, creamy mashed potatoes, and chocolate cake that awaited us.
And then it happens. Just as we go outside to await a taxi to whisk us away from the atrocious place that calls itself a restaurant, we notice that some juice from some of the icky foods has gotten on our clothes. We smell bad! And what's this in our pocket? Omigosh, a tarantula that is merely drunk, not pickled! Ewwwwwwww!
The crucial message of negative emotions
We all do it at times — we give our attention to things that are unwanted and feel upset, irritated, vulnerable, grossed-out, or a range of other negative emotions. The negative emotions tell us that we're directing our thoughts in ways that will not serve us well. Our negative emotions tell us to look over at the fresh fruit platter and start to feel better. But we're perhaps locked into the habit of thinking we should be vigilant and aware of the sautéed toad skins, lest they jump on to our plate. And, voilà, through the Law of Attraction, those skins somehow find a way of doing just that.
As I mentioned recently on my Facebook page, every serious illness gives much warning before it manifests. The warning is in the form of negative emotion, which is generated by thoughts that focus on what is not wanted and not liked. After a while, the negative emotion can take the form of an illness, impairment, or some other equally unwanted experience.
So, the bad news is that we (almost totally unwittingly) draw unwanted conditions to us by our habits of thought. But that's also the good news, for by reversing our habits of thought, any unwanted condition can also be reversed. Abraham is ever ready to point out that no matter where we are, we can ALWAYS get to where we want to go. Always. No exceptions — no time, never!
Health can be restored
To return to our reader's question, his wife's blindness can be reversed. As she deliberately, decisively directs her attention AWAY from the problem(s) and on to things that feel good when she thinks about them, her natural well-being will gradually return.
In this case, the buffet table probably holds plenty of things to ignore: analysis and re-analysis of the eye trouble, frustration with doctors and other practitioners, berating oneself for not anticipating this situation, questioning "Why me?" That same buffet table offers much to select and savor: all the good vision of the past 60+ years, a solicitous mate, all that's available for vision-impaired people these days, and an appreciation that this can be changed via exploring and applying Law of Attraction.
It's all about mental focus. By gently, consistently re-directing her mental focus, our friend's wife can gently, consistently manifest literal visual focus far more to her liking.
And I'm sure I join with my other readers in wishing her the very best.
All that we want is ever flowing toward us. Our part is to remove our attention from what's wrong and thus allow our good to reach us.
I'm eager to reply to this question received from a reader, for I think many people hold the idea that we somehow deliberately create problems and trouble for ourselves at times. Why on earth would we do that?
Well, the answer is that we do not do that — we do not deliberately hurt or sabotage ourselves. Rather, we draw unwanted experiences and conditions to us simply because we're not aware of how things work. We don't understand how we get what we get.
If it weren't for "bad luck," some people would have no "luck" at all.
Mark and I were recently discussing someone who ever seems to have a string of bad luck. "How can anyone have THAT much go wrong?" Mark marveled. I replied that I think it's owing to the preponderance of well-being on the planet that more people don't have far more things going wrong, for most people are playing the game of life without the rule book. And the rule book states: "Whatever you consistently focus upon will show up in your experience — that or something equally wanted or unwanted — courtesy of Law of Attraction."
One of the most fitting all-time analogies from Abraham-Hicks is the buffet. Life is like an exotic buffet table with all sorts of scrumptious delicacies as well as some fried worms, sautéed toad skins, and pickled tarantulas. The logical thing to do is to move around the table, placing on our plate the pleasing delicacies while ignoring the food we find, uh, disgusting. This type of approach — selecting the pleasing while ignoring the displeasing — is a ticket to thriving.
But we've probably spent a few years or decades approaching things differently. We stand at the buffet table, horrified by some of the unwanted things there. We call others over to point out how weird and gross these items are. We talk about how we'd never want to eat such things in a million years. We summon the management to berate them for placing such icky items on the buffet table in the first place. We spend so much time looking at the fried worms that we lose our appetite and turn away from the fresh salads, creamy mashed potatoes, and chocolate cake that awaited us.
And then it happens. Just as we go outside to await a taxi to whisk us away from the atrocious place that calls itself a restaurant, we notice that some juice from some of the icky foods has gotten on our clothes. We smell bad! And what's this in our pocket? Omigosh, a tarantula that is merely drunk, not pickled! Ewwwwwwww!
The crucial message of negative emotions
We all do it at times — we give our attention to things that are unwanted and feel upset, irritated, vulnerable, grossed-out, or a range of other negative emotions. The negative emotions tell us that we're directing our thoughts in ways that will not serve us well. Our negative emotions tell us to look over at the fresh fruit platter and start to feel better. But we're perhaps locked into the habit of thinking we should be vigilant and aware of the sautéed toad skins, lest they jump on to our plate. And, voilà, through the Law of Attraction, those skins somehow find a way of doing just that.
As I mentioned recently on my Facebook page, every serious illness gives much warning before it manifests. The warning is in the form of negative emotion, which is generated by thoughts that focus on what is not wanted and not liked. After a while, the negative emotion can take the form of an illness, impairment, or some other equally unwanted experience.
So, the bad news is that we (almost totally unwittingly) draw unwanted conditions to us by our habits of thought. But that's also the good news, for by reversing our habits of thought, any unwanted condition can also be reversed. Abraham is ever ready to point out that no matter where we are, we can ALWAYS get to where we want to go. Always. No exceptions — no time, never!
Health can be restored
To return to our reader's question, his wife's blindness can be reversed. As she deliberately, decisively directs her attention AWAY from the problem(s) and on to things that feel good when she thinks about them, her natural well-being will gradually return.
In this case, the buffet table probably holds plenty of things to ignore: analysis and re-analysis of the eye trouble, frustration with doctors and other practitioners, berating oneself for not anticipating this situation, questioning "Why me?" That same buffet table offers much to select and savor: all the good vision of the past 60+ years, a solicitous mate, all that's available for vision-impaired people these days, and an appreciation that this can be changed via exploring and applying Law of Attraction.
It's all about mental focus. By gently, consistently re-directing her mental focus, our friend's wife can gently, consistently manifest literal visual focus far more to her liking.
And I'm sure I join with my other readers in wishing her the very best.
All that we want is ever flowing toward us. Our part is to remove our attention from what's wrong and thus allow our good to reach us.
Sports and Life
Mark and I have been attending Orlando Magic basketball games for quite a while now, and we've been season ticket holders for the past three years.At left is a picture Mark snapped of me in 2004, where Rich DeVos, owner of the Magic and co-founder of the Amway Corporation, can be seen in the suit and tie at the top of my head.
More than 20 years ago, the DeVos family came to Florida looking to buy a major league baseball team. When an opportunity came to purchase the fledgling Orlando Magic franchise, they went for basketball instead. They're truly a wonderful family and tremendous asset to the Orlando community. An accountant friend who works at Orlando's University of Central Florida (50,000 students) says the DeVoses have given so many millions to that university that people have almost lost count!
Who wants to be a billionaire?
Mark and I are preparing to attend the final home game of the season for the Orlando Magic tonight as they try valiantly for a win over the L.A. Lakers, thus enabling them to stay in the contest for the NBA National Championship. The Magic have never made it this close to a championship, and it's do or die tonight, so-to-speak. If the Magic win, they will play another game or two versus the Lakers on their home court, with the biggest Laker fan, Jack Nicholson, cheering and booing from the sidelines. One team or the other must win four games to win the series, and L.A. already has three under its belt.
All sports, including those on the professional level, are representative of life in general, in that there are always things about them to appreciate and always things about them to complain about. So, which will we choose?
The coach: I must admit that I have fallen prey at times, much to Mark's surprise, to feeling significant criticism for the coach of the Orlando Magic, Stan Van Gundy. He's a hot head, a nervous nelly, a pessimist to the core, it seems. So what? I remind myself. He's taken this team to unprecedented victories and given the City of Orlando many reasons to celebrate. Ah-h-h, that feels a lot better.
The tickets: in a word, expensive unless you want to be sitting in the "nosebleed section" mainly watching the game on the giant monitor in the middle of the arena. So what? Mark and I look forward to each "date night" that we have for the games, and simply being season ticket holders reminds us of how prosperous we're becoming. Ah-h-h, that feels a lot better than carping about prices.
The fans: some of them drink too much, some of them yell too loudly (in my estimation), some of them have been known to literally knock each other down to retrieve a team t-shirt that the "Jet Blue Crew" launches into the crowd during time-outs. So what? Overall, it's a tremendously cheerful and convivial experience to attend a game. You don't see many people who are down-in-the mouth come out to cheer on their team. And then it's fun spotting celebrities in the crowd: Tiger Woods, Ludacris, Lil Wayne, Rhianna, Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat, and Tim Tebow, star quarterback of the University of Florida, to name a few of late. Ah-h-h-h, that feels way better than recalling how my purse has sometimes ended up sitting in a puddle of someone's spilled beer.
The arena: Scrunched up seats, slow access to the restaurants and clubs. So what? Orlando is building a new arena that will be ready in autumn 2010. I can put up with some burly guy spilling over part-way into my seat for one more year. Besides, it gives me an excuse to snuggle with slim and trim Mark on the other side of me. M-m-m-m-m.
So, tonight two fine coaches and their teams (including uber-athlete Kobe Bryant for L.A.) will lock horns, perhaps for the final time. It's Phil Jackson, who will likely go down in history as the greatest NBA coach, vs. the Magic's Stan Van Gundy. Since Phil Jackson is well known for his study of Zen meditation, he may have the edge over our easily agitated Van Gundy. However, one can never really know how a person is feeling inside. It could all be an act with Van Gundy, and maybe Phil isn't as still as he seems.
You can never really know how any other person is thinking and thus vibrating and thus setting themselves up to attract. But that's a topic for another time. Right now, I must gear up for some fun and a win, or at least some fun. There's just so darn much to appreciate.
Is Competition Good or Bad?
At our recent Abraham-Hicks discussion group, we talked for a while about competition. Is it beneficial? Is it harmful? Does it foster an "us vs. them" mentality or is it simply all in good fun?
At the moment I would have to say that competition, in sports at least, is utterly counter-productive and should be immediately outlawed. But since our Orlando Magic basketball team just lost Games #1 and #2 of the NBA finals to the L.A. Lakers, I am perhaps momentarily viewing the issue with a jaundiced eye.
"Well, what about competition?" Mark asked me after our Abraham meeting. "Is it good or bad?"
Mark and Sports
Mark loves sports and participated in many in years past, so I knew he was preferring I say that competition is good. I knew he was somewhat unsettled by my recent admission that, although we attend the Orlando Magic home games, I'm not of the blind faith/loyal fan mentality these days. I love the games, but I go more for the overall experience than to rabidly root on our team. I enjoy seeing the athleticism presented by teams from around the country and by players on those teams who are increasingly from around the world. I go for the fun of being part of a large, happy crowd. I go because it's a night out with my feller. I go, OK, for the sausage dogs, popcorn, and Bud Lite.
But that's my personal preference. With regard to the overall issue of competition, I told Mark that I consider it to be neither good nor bad. It's all in how an individual views it. If a person competes basically for the fun of it and savors the wins while shrugging off the losses, competition is a fine thing for him/her. On the other hand, if a person competes out of a sense of trying to prove their worth through winning and then feeling horrible over a loss, well, it's like any other action taken from a sense of lack or unworthiness — nothing good will ultimately come of it.
The same goes for spectators. If they can enjoy their team's wins and shrug off their losses, it's fine and dandy. But if they become stressed, upset, or vindictive when their team loses, maybe they should find another pastime. Or better yet, learn to see competition in a more relaxed way that emphasizes the fun of it and de-emphasizes the intensity.
Kids and Competition
One aspect of competition that was brought up in our meeting is that of young children competing. A woman said she is shocked to see how parents push their children to win in sports and berate them over mistakes. Yep, it happens. In fact, the out of control behavior of some parents at Little League games and such is legendary.
What can we do about such behavior? Well, let's model something different. We can be the change we want to see in the world, as Gandhi aptly put it. We can adopt more relaxed attitudes about all of life's ups and downs — not just in the realm of competition but in the realm of work, living up to people's standards, living up to our own standards, and overall achievement. We can stress less and chill more. We can stop aiming to be perfect and start aiming to be perfectly happy.
Accomplishment in any area of life is good only insofar as it feels good to the accomplisher. Once it begins to elicit a feeling of much pressure, stress, boredom, or fatigue, well, it's not doing anyone any good.
Despite the messages we may have grown up with, we are not here to perform, unless performing feels wonderful. We're not here to live up to any sort of ideal, unless that process somehow feels fun and easy. We're not here to have a statue erected in our memory unless what we were doing to merit the statue was utterly fun in its own right.
We are here for the joyful adventure of this time and place, and that adventure is a combination of pursuits and pleasures unique to each individual.
What to Say to a Child?
What would I say to a child who has been doggedly pushed by a parent into doing a sport or other activity that they don't enjoy? I'd say to try to make the best of it for now. Make some friends of the other kids involved. Find some things to laugh about. Ignore criticism as best you can. Know that you need not adopt any attitudes displayed by adults if they don't seem right for you.
I would also say, "I'm sorry," for I once pushed one of my kids to do something they clearly didn't want to do. Basically, I cajoled the child to perform so that I could feel proud. The whole thing aptly blew up in my face.
I was one of the lucky ones. After that experience, I "got it." I realized the importance of allowing children to follow their own interests, and I ultimately went along with everything from obsessions with Nintendo games to singing lessons to rock-climbing to diving off cliffs.
We can't change the world and, when it comes right down to it, the world doesn't seem to want to be changed. But we can increasingly organize our lives around this cardinal rule: Nothing good comes from feeling emotionally bad, and nothing bad comes from feeling emotionally good. From that place and that place alone, we can now know how to address any issue that arises.
Now, who wants to play a game of Scrabble? I promise not to fling the board and tiles across the room if I lose.
Hopefully this child found joy in being Picasso's model, or at least made the best of it and enjoyed the paella.
At the moment I would have to say that competition, in sports at least, is utterly counter-productive and should be immediately outlawed. But since our Orlando Magic basketball team just lost Games #1 and #2 of the NBA finals to the L.A. Lakers, I am perhaps momentarily viewing the issue with a jaundiced eye.
"Well, what about competition?" Mark asked me after our Abraham meeting. "Is it good or bad?"
Mark and Sports
Mark loves sports and participated in many in years past, so I knew he was preferring I say that competition is good. I knew he was somewhat unsettled by my recent admission that, although we attend the Orlando Magic home games, I'm not of the blind faith/loyal fan mentality these days. I love the games, but I go more for the overall experience than to rabidly root on our team. I enjoy seeing the athleticism presented by teams from around the country and by players on those teams who are increasingly from around the world. I go for the fun of being part of a large, happy crowd. I go because it's a night out with my feller. I go, OK, for the sausage dogs, popcorn, and Bud Lite.
But that's my personal preference. With regard to the overall issue of competition, I told Mark that I consider it to be neither good nor bad. It's all in how an individual views it. If a person competes basically for the fun of it and savors the wins while shrugging off the losses, competition is a fine thing for him/her. On the other hand, if a person competes out of a sense of trying to prove their worth through winning and then feeling horrible over a loss, well, it's like any other action taken from a sense of lack or unworthiness — nothing good will ultimately come of it.
The same goes for spectators. If they can enjoy their team's wins and shrug off their losses, it's fine and dandy. But if they become stressed, upset, or vindictive when their team loses, maybe they should find another pastime. Or better yet, learn to see competition in a more relaxed way that emphasizes the fun of it and de-emphasizes the intensity.
Kids and Competition
One aspect of competition that was brought up in our meeting is that of young children competing. A woman said she is shocked to see how parents push their children to win in sports and berate them over mistakes. Yep, it happens. In fact, the out of control behavior of some parents at Little League games and such is legendary.
What can we do about such behavior? Well, let's model something different. We can be the change we want to see in the world, as Gandhi aptly put it. We can adopt more relaxed attitudes about all of life's ups and downs — not just in the realm of competition but in the realm of work, living up to people's standards, living up to our own standards, and overall achievement. We can stress less and chill more. We can stop aiming to be perfect and start aiming to be perfectly happy.
Accomplishment in any area of life is good only insofar as it feels good to the accomplisher. Once it begins to elicit a feeling of much pressure, stress, boredom, or fatigue, well, it's not doing anyone any good.
Despite the messages we may have grown up with, we are not here to perform, unless performing feels wonderful. We're not here to live up to any sort of ideal, unless that process somehow feels fun and easy. We're not here to have a statue erected in our memory unless what we were doing to merit the statue was utterly fun in its own right.
We are here for the joyful adventure of this time and place, and that adventure is a combination of pursuits and pleasures unique to each individual.
What to Say to a Child?
What would I say to a child who has been doggedly pushed by a parent into doing a sport or other activity that they don't enjoy? I'd say to try to make the best of it for now. Make some friends of the other kids involved. Find some things to laugh about. Ignore criticism as best you can. Know that you need not adopt any attitudes displayed by adults if they don't seem right for you.
I would also say, "I'm sorry," for I once pushed one of my kids to do something they clearly didn't want to do. Basically, I cajoled the child to perform so that I could feel proud. The whole thing aptly blew up in my face.
I was one of the lucky ones. After that experience, I "got it." I realized the importance of allowing children to follow their own interests, and I ultimately went along with everything from obsessions with Nintendo games to singing lessons to rock-climbing to diving off cliffs.
We can't change the world and, when it comes right down to it, the world doesn't seem to want to be changed. But we can increasingly organize our lives around this cardinal rule: Nothing good comes from feeling emotionally bad, and nothing bad comes from feeling emotionally good. From that place and that place alone, we can now know how to address any issue that arises.
Now, who wants to play a game of Scrabble? I promise not to fling the board and tiles across the room if I lose.
Hopefully this child found joy in being Picasso's model, or at least made the best of it and enjoyed the paella.
Make It Click - Podcast
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Played: 41 | Download | Duration: 00:00:00
Podcast about Washington, D.C., fine art, and thought-clickers
Make It Click
Mark and I had a heckuva good time on our recent trip to Washington, D.C., for an annual convention we attended for his work. I hadn't been in that town since I marched in protest of the Vietnam War in 1970. Our Quaker college in Indiana had bused us to the Capitol, where we encountered thousands upon thousands of other young people jostling for a spot somewhere amongst the cherry trees and statues. I had hoped to do a little sight-seeing on that trip, but the tear gas got in my way.
This time, I saw Washington atop a red double-decker bus — not much more comfortable than the school bus that had taken us to the Capitol in 1970, but this time, it was an atmosphere of relaxed tourism, not tear-ism. (That gas was pungent.) On this visit, we hoofed around to various congressional offices to speak with our senators or representatives, or rather with their underlings, all of whom looked to be under 17 — so "underlings" is a play on words, I reckon.
A highlight of our trip was a visit to the National Gallery of Art. Omigosh — the Rembrandts, the Renoirs, the Picassos, the Warhols! Since my daughter, Emily, is an art-history major, I was delighted that visitors were allowed to take photos of most of the paintings. From the Dutch masters to the French impressionists to the Jackson Pollocks, I took photo after photo with my humble camera phone to share with Emily.
Alas, my phone has a function that yells,"Say cheese!" right before it snaps the picture. So there I was, taking a photo of the likes of Van Gogh's self-portrait, and the gadget is telling him to "Say cheese!" Some of the other visitors laughed at the scenario, but not all of them.
Here is a Picasso. Apparently it pictures a circus family. Mark conjectures they've lost their way to the next town, and the woman is trying to remove her attention from the confusion until the others find their map and/or navigation device.
I'll have more photos of priceless artworks to use on future blog postings. Somehow, they all seem to lean to the right, which my politically conservative family will no doubt applaud.
I was feeling so appreciative of all that we saw and experienced (and ate) on our trip, that I whipped out my trusty thought-clicker on the plane ride home and began counting happy thoughts. I stirred up such a rampage of appreciation that I couldn't stop thinking grateful thoughts and clicking, even when Mark and I reached home. (My geraniums are still blooming — click; we did indeed remember to turn off the coffee pot before we left — click; the roach bait hasn't been touched — click, or at least, half a click.)
Lately, I've been reaching for my handy dandy thought-clicker first thing in the morning, right after I don my glasses so that I can find the gadget. I've been attaching it to the waistband of my apparel using a metal spherical device that previously held my car keys and attached to my purse. That was before my daughter, Emily, (ahem!) took my car (ahem!) off to college to study art history. (Emily, not the car.)
But who needs car keys when you can have a clicker that will aid you in thinking happy thoughts that will aid you in manifesting exciting trips to interesting places such as the National Gallery of Art? And Emily and the car will simply have to resign themselves to drooling over the tilting photos.
This time, I saw Washington atop a red double-decker bus — not much more comfortable than the school bus that had taken us to the Capitol in 1970, but this time, it was an atmosphere of relaxed tourism, not tear-ism. (That gas was pungent.) On this visit, we hoofed around to various congressional offices to speak with our senators or representatives, or rather with their underlings, all of whom looked to be under 17 — so "underlings" is a play on words, I reckon.
A highlight of our trip was a visit to the National Gallery of Art. Omigosh — the Rembrandts, the Renoirs, the Picassos, the Warhols! Since my daughter, Emily, is an art-history major, I was delighted that visitors were allowed to take photos of most of the paintings. From the Dutch masters to the French impressionists to the Jackson Pollocks, I took photo after photo with my humble camera phone to share with Emily.Alas, my phone has a function that yells,"Say cheese!" right before it snaps the picture. So there I was, taking a photo of the likes of Van Gogh's self-portrait, and the gadget is telling him to "Say cheese!" Some of the other visitors laughed at the scenario, but not all of them.
Here is a Picasso. Apparently it pictures a circus family. Mark conjectures they've lost their way to the next town, and the woman is trying to remove her attention from the confusion until the others find their map and/or navigation device.
I'll have more photos of priceless artworks to use on future blog postings. Somehow, they all seem to lean to the right, which my politically conservative family will no doubt applaud.
I was feeling so appreciative of all that we saw and experienced (and ate) on our trip, that I whipped out my trusty thought-clicker on the plane ride home and began counting happy thoughts. I stirred up such a rampage of appreciation that I couldn't stop thinking grateful thoughts and clicking, even when Mark and I reached home. (My geraniums are still blooming — click; we did indeed remember to turn off the coffee pot before we left — click; the roach bait hasn't been touched — click, or at least, half a click.)
Lately, I've been reaching for my handy dandy thought-clicker first thing in the morning, right after I don my glasses so that I can find the gadget. I've been attaching it to the waistband of my apparel using a metal spherical device that previously held my car keys and attached to my purse. That was before my daughter, Emily, (ahem!) took my car (ahem!) off to college to study art history. (Emily, not the car.)
But who needs car keys when you can have a clicker that will aid you in thinking happy thoughts that will aid you in manifesting exciting trips to interesting places such as the National Gallery of Art? And Emily and the car will simply have to resign themselves to drooling over the tilting photos.
Can We Become Over-Zealous With Positive Focus? (MP3 file)
Played: 57 | Download | Duration: 00:00:00
Here's a podcast of the previous entry.