Hi Friends and family,
Well it is that time of year to see where we have been and to figure out where we are going. When I say we, of course I mean me! This year has been a challenging one as 2009 was, but with a few new twists. So how challenging was 2010, in my minds eye, quite challenging. If it wasn't enough that doing business is tough, doing it with a sense of optimism was a rough road to hoe.
So here we are, sitting in our cozy, warm homes trying to figure out what worked and what didn't. I love the Dr. Phil expression,"how's that working for you". It really gives one a pause to sit back and think about this past year. So here is what I came up with.
1. It still pays to out your best face forward, in tough times, especially tough times no one wants to see a sour puss. So do your best to feel it and in so doing, if you feel positive, your face will reflect it and just may turn a not so good day into a better one. What I am saying here is that by improving your mindset, you will also improve your prospects.
2. The old saying of turning lemons into lemonade holds true. Sometimes you really get dealt a terrible hand and there no way way of escaping your fate. So either you get back into bed, pull the covers over and just give in. Or, you do what my friend Ila did and take the tough news and decide to call the shots over her situation. The decision is yours, do you let someone else write the final chapter or chapters to your story, or are you the author. I can tell you with a high degree of certainty that you are in a better position to control your life than some well meaning friend or stranger. And it means nothing if you screw up, we all screw up, but I would rather own my mistakes than someone elses.
3. If you don't like where you are, you either change your "where "or change your perspective. Your paradigm or view of your life speaks volumes of who you are and where you are going. Life is not always fair and it certainly is not always good news. There stumbling blocks we all need to navigate or avoid entirely. Once you have been burned, I am sure you won't revisit that place again. But in case you do, it is important to learn the lessons these pit stops of negativity have for you. It is a universal law that you will embrace that which you need the least until you learn to no to step into that "stuff" again and again. So one thing you need to do is decide right now, what is my life to be, how do I see myself. Forget about this moment, it is time to get past any negativity and that includes toxic people and move forward, certain in your path that for however long I am here I will do what is positive and life affirming and be an example of who I am and what my life stands for, plain and simple.
So to all of you, those I know and love, and those I hope to come to know and love, I wish good health, joy and abundance in 2011. The new year is going to be better that 2010 and in so doing
allow us to pursue that which enriches not only our lives, but those of whom we love and cherish.
Now I am sure you are waiting for the other points of this post, and they will be forth coming, but for now, please those of you I hold close and dear, learn the lessons the give and embrace these tidbits of wisdom for whatever they say to you. For in the last analysis, it is you who steers your ship of life, so do it with deliberative concern for not only your place here but for those of us who may not be as fortunate to even have a ship.
Happy New Year,
Robb
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
THANKSGIVING 2010 BEING PRESENT IN YOUR LIFE
Hi Friends and Family,
I am so fortunate to be able to chat with you from time to time, I would like to be here more often, but as my daughter explains it, "life is complicated". Well maybe it is and maybe it isn't. I would like to believe that life really is what you choose it to be. Maybe a better way of putting would be life is a series of events that we choose the outcome. Better? Well let's just see.
I have a dear friend Ila, now we don't see much of each other even though we have been a part of each others life for the better part of 50+ years. But when we do see each other, it is as if life and time has stood still. Maybe that is what we want to see or maybe we see in each other the people we hoped to be. There is a great comfort factor in a shared past and a clarity that is just not there in any other relationship.
Now Ila is facing some difficult challenges, and as you would expect she is handing it with her
usual grace and wit. She is a wonderful and class lady and I hope and pray that all the wonderful prayers for her will be answered. And that once again she will be returned to good health. I think Ila knows that she is loved and that her support system will come through.
All this leads me to the crux of my post. That being it is not enough to just go thru the motions of your life, you really, really have to take life by the straps and hold on for dear life for the ride of a
that may take you down some scary paths into unknown territory, but one that is so worth the angst it places upon you. Either you are an observer or your are a player, the choice is yours. You are either in the game or in the stands. Which is it? The choice is yours, do you have the inner strength to live a full life, or will you wither under its demands.
This leads us "to being present in your life", I love this term, it is one I am once so comfortable with and at the same instant I feel the knots in my stomach. Life is not a straight line, and well travelled road. No life is full of twists, turns and detour signs and pot holes. We life an easy trip, don't we? Unfortunately life, all life is not made so, it is filled with unanswered questions, spiritual scarcity and the uneasiness of a faith that asks questions in human time, but gives us answers in spiritual time. This is the one that is so difficult to reconcile.
There is an answer, and it has been there for us our entire lives. In fact we are told this even before we leave our womby home, unfortunately for us, we forget it in the rush to get out and into the "real" world that beckons us. What we forget is to live the life we have, to enjoy the love and community we are presented with. We literally throw way so much happiness and joy that it boggles the imagination and confuses us that we forget the purpose of our Earthly stay. What do we do and how do we do it. Well, that is a tough one, it is different for each of one us. But in general terms it is called, "Being Present In Your Life".
What this means is, live the life you have, enjoy who you are, love where you are or at least learn to appreciate you are where you are because of the choices you have made and finally if where you are is not what you thought your life was meant to be, then conscientiously work to change it. Not easy your probably saying, well yes and no. It may not be easy to change your life's circumstances all at once, but what you can do is appreciate and enjoy those moments that do bring you joy and peace. Look for the good in your life, seek the contentment of true friendship, befriend someone who like you is a little farblungit, lost!
So for today, be present in your life, and really try to understand you are much more than you think, you so much more than just for material wealth and that as you love others, the love you seek will seek you. There is a real attraction that occurs as your paradigm or view of life changes.
Try it and see what happens, let me know what you think, send me a comment, even if you think I am full of it, not a problem for me, any response is a good one. And finally include a prayer of good health and recovery for my dear friend Ila. She is too proud to ask you herself, so let me be her surrogate and get out the word. This is what friends so, and she has so many friends that I know that this chain of love is strong and that it will do what we all want it to do, send a perfect healing to our Ila,
Best wishes for a happy and loving Thanksgiving,
Robb
I am so fortunate to be able to chat with you from time to time, I would like to be here more often, but as my daughter explains it, "life is complicated". Well maybe it is and maybe it isn't. I would like to believe that life really is what you choose it to be. Maybe a better way of putting would be life is a series of events that we choose the outcome. Better? Well let's just see.
I have a dear friend Ila, now we don't see much of each other even though we have been a part of each others life for the better part of 50+ years. But when we do see each other, it is as if life and time has stood still. Maybe that is what we want to see or maybe we see in each other the people we hoped to be. There is a great comfort factor in a shared past and a clarity that is just not there in any other relationship.
Now Ila is facing some difficult challenges, and as you would expect she is handing it with her
usual grace and wit. She is a wonderful and class lady and I hope and pray that all the wonderful prayers for her will be answered. And that once again she will be returned to good health. I think Ila knows that she is loved and that her support system will come through.
All this leads me to the crux of my post. That being it is not enough to just go thru the motions of your life, you really, really have to take life by the straps and hold on for dear life for the ride of a
that may take you down some scary paths into unknown territory, but one that is so worth the angst it places upon you. Either you are an observer or your are a player, the choice is yours. You are either in the game or in the stands. Which is it? The choice is yours, do you have the inner strength to live a full life, or will you wither under its demands.
This leads us "to being present in your life", I love this term, it is one I am once so comfortable with and at the same instant I feel the knots in my stomach. Life is not a straight line, and well travelled road. No life is full of twists, turns and detour signs and pot holes. We life an easy trip, don't we? Unfortunately life, all life is not made so, it is filled with unanswered questions, spiritual scarcity and the uneasiness of a faith that asks questions in human time, but gives us answers in spiritual time. This is the one that is so difficult to reconcile.
There is an answer, and it has been there for us our entire lives. In fact we are told this even before we leave our womby home, unfortunately for us, we forget it in the rush to get out and into the "real" world that beckons us. What we forget is to live the life we have, to enjoy the love and community we are presented with. We literally throw way so much happiness and joy that it boggles the imagination and confuses us that we forget the purpose of our Earthly stay. What do we do and how do we do it. Well, that is a tough one, it is different for each of one us. But in general terms it is called, "Being Present In Your Life".
What this means is, live the life you have, enjoy who you are, love where you are or at least learn to appreciate you are where you are because of the choices you have made and finally if where you are is not what you thought your life was meant to be, then conscientiously work to change it. Not easy your probably saying, well yes and no. It may not be easy to change your life's circumstances all at once, but what you can do is appreciate and enjoy those moments that do bring you joy and peace. Look for the good in your life, seek the contentment of true friendship, befriend someone who like you is a little farblungit, lost!
So for today, be present in your life, and really try to understand you are much more than you think, you so much more than just for material wealth and that as you love others, the love you seek will seek you. There is a real attraction that occurs as your paradigm or view of life changes.
Try it and see what happens, let me know what you think, send me a comment, even if you think I am full of it, not a problem for me, any response is a good one. And finally include a prayer of good health and recovery for my dear friend Ila. She is too proud to ask you herself, so let me be her surrogate and get out the word. This is what friends so, and she has so many friends that I know that this chain of love is strong and that it will do what we all want it to do, send a perfect healing to our Ila,
Best wishes for a happy and loving Thanksgiving,
Robb
Sunday, September 19, 2010
FAITH vs RELIGION
Good Evening!
In Christopher Hitchens controversial book, God Is Not Great, he writes an indictment a case against God as the biggest perpetrator of hatred and murder in the civilized world. And although he makes a salient point that the death of so many innocents has been name of God, he looses the main argument( i believe) that it is not God that is to blame, but that it is man and his institutions that misunderstands the whole point of religion and therefore has made a mockery of it.
So the case I am about to layout is quite clear and straight forward. Faith is a belief system in which its participants recognize it ideas and precepts and conclude that is is a good way to lead a life affirming existence on Earth. They have complete free will in how they live by these ideas and are totally responsible for their actions. Religion on the other hand is a political system set up with a rigid set of rules and laws within a structured framework with a hierarchy to carry them out.
Within the faith system, you are on your own, you decide (based on your upbringing) the most basic of rules. What is right or wrong, good and bad, not black or white, but understanding the nuances that help you distinguish and navigate the differences. Religion on the other hand also helps you understand that there is good and evil in the world, the difference being they (through their peer pressure) dictate all the rules of engagement and therefore usurp you if the joy and responsibility of knowing the real differences and therefore blind you to some very important facts. Even within the structured religion of Judaism, it is a stated fact that all righteous people will have a share in the "world to come". There is no requisite for converting to their faith to earn the right to this after-life, in fact of all the worlds major religions, they discourage proselytizing, the finding of converts. All of the other major religions encourage, even demand fealty to their faith as the price for access to this special place!
Religion defines what is good and bad and therefore when it comes to killing of another human being (the word is murder as distinguished from kill). Who is considered OK to kill. We certainly do not want to kill the good people. The good (white) vs the bad (black, brown, yellow) you get the picture. Or there are the good blacks and the bad yellows, or any other group or individual they deem worthy of living. Religions like governments dictate who is good and who is evil. Faith has no such dictates. They only demand honestly, integrity and a high ethical center to participate and even on these bedrock values they have some wiggle room. There are religions out there who have no compunction about telling you who should be killed, and rail against persons or even other religions to drive home the point.
Do you get where I am going here. Is it starting to sink in. I am not indicting any specific religion (although I think you know who you are), rather I am making the distinction between faith based living and religion based living and showing you the inconsistencies and the danger of the latter. If you think of the histories of the world, their culture, mores and religions it is becoming painfully clear that there is huge elephant in the living room of the world. It can no longer be ignored on the pain of wholesale flight of peoples away from organized religions and this is a problem.
First, religion is not necessarily all that bad, it isn't all that good either. Religion, especially when we are young can be a character building experience, it can give us the values and ideas to be better people and therefore better citizens and stewards of this fragile place called Earth. The problem as I see it lays in the organization of religion and the humans who run it. We have leaders that have strayed far from the ethical path down a road of their own making, filled with all the all to common frailties we have come to identify with all the ills we encounter on a daily basis. All too often the rules are twisted or worse corrupted to make them all but unrecognizable and that makes them all the more deadly. Any religion that preaches superiority over another, or encourages its adherents to commit killings in the name of their God not only diminishes their Deity but also turns the dictates of their religion into meaningless dribble unintelligible to only the least of them who would follow any fools world into hell!
Second, even if your give religion its due as a framework of ethical living, you have to take the crap with carnations. And in so doing you have negated any good that could have become from teaching our youth the difference between right and wrong, good and bad. They only learn a warped version of life which could never serve them in good steed. So now we understand that man inspired religion is a corruption of man's search for meaning, stifling all human achievement and that faith, opens the doors of our minds to endless possibilities and to a better, endless and joyful future.
So what we have is a Mexican stand off so to speak. Well not really, what we have is a clear choice, either take religion full strength as is with all its foibles, warts and all. Or we have our faith, based on the true, good tenants of our religion. Stripped of all its mendacity's, double talk, hypocrisy, faith gives us all we need to be the people we were meant to grow up to be within the context of a world, not of out making, allowing for a Creator or not, but acknowledging the possibility that something bigger than us does exist, that makes all we see, feel, do and create seem a little inspired (in spirit) and therefore beyond the human mind to comprehend.
Have a great week,
Robb
In Christopher Hitchens controversial book, God Is Not Great, he writes an indictment a case against God as the biggest perpetrator of hatred and murder in the civilized world. And although he makes a salient point that the death of so many innocents has been name of God, he looses the main argument( i believe) that it is not God that is to blame, but that it is man and his institutions that misunderstands the whole point of religion and therefore has made a mockery of it.
So the case I am about to layout is quite clear and straight forward. Faith is a belief system in which its participants recognize it ideas and precepts and conclude that is is a good way to lead a life affirming existence on Earth. They have complete free will in how they live by these ideas and are totally responsible for their actions. Religion on the other hand is a political system set up with a rigid set of rules and laws within a structured framework with a hierarchy to carry them out.
Within the faith system, you are on your own, you decide (based on your upbringing) the most basic of rules. What is right or wrong, good and bad, not black or white, but understanding the nuances that help you distinguish and navigate the differences. Religion on the other hand also helps you understand that there is good and evil in the world, the difference being they (through their peer pressure) dictate all the rules of engagement and therefore usurp you if the joy and responsibility of knowing the real differences and therefore blind you to some very important facts. Even within the structured religion of Judaism, it is a stated fact that all righteous people will have a share in the "world to come". There is no requisite for converting to their faith to earn the right to this after-life, in fact of all the worlds major religions, they discourage proselytizing, the finding of converts. All of the other major religions encourage, even demand fealty to their faith as the price for access to this special place!
Religion defines what is good and bad and therefore when it comes to killing of another human being (the word is murder as distinguished from kill). Who is considered OK to kill. We certainly do not want to kill the good people. The good (white) vs the bad (black, brown, yellow) you get the picture. Or there are the good blacks and the bad yellows, or any other group or individual they deem worthy of living. Religions like governments dictate who is good and who is evil. Faith has no such dictates. They only demand honestly, integrity and a high ethical center to participate and even on these bedrock values they have some wiggle room. There are religions out there who have no compunction about telling you who should be killed, and rail against persons or even other religions to drive home the point.
Do you get where I am going here. Is it starting to sink in. I am not indicting any specific religion (although I think you know who you are), rather I am making the distinction between faith based living and religion based living and showing you the inconsistencies and the danger of the latter. If you think of the histories of the world, their culture, mores and religions it is becoming painfully clear that there is huge elephant in the living room of the world. It can no longer be ignored on the pain of wholesale flight of peoples away from organized religions and this is a problem.
First, religion is not necessarily all that bad, it isn't all that good either. Religion, especially when we are young can be a character building experience, it can give us the values and ideas to be better people and therefore better citizens and stewards of this fragile place called Earth. The problem as I see it lays in the organization of religion and the humans who run it. We have leaders that have strayed far from the ethical path down a road of their own making, filled with all the all to common frailties we have come to identify with all the ills we encounter on a daily basis. All too often the rules are twisted or worse corrupted to make them all but unrecognizable and that makes them all the more deadly. Any religion that preaches superiority over another, or encourages its adherents to commit killings in the name of their God not only diminishes their Deity but also turns the dictates of their religion into meaningless dribble unintelligible to only the least of them who would follow any fools world into hell!
Second, even if your give religion its due as a framework of ethical living, you have to take the crap with carnations. And in so doing you have negated any good that could have become from teaching our youth the difference between right and wrong, good and bad. They only learn a warped version of life which could never serve them in good steed. So now we understand that man inspired religion is a corruption of man's search for meaning, stifling all human achievement and that faith, opens the doors of our minds to endless possibilities and to a better, endless and joyful future.
So what we have is a Mexican stand off so to speak. Well not really, what we have is a clear choice, either take religion full strength as is with all its foibles, warts and all. Or we have our faith, based on the true, good tenants of our religion. Stripped of all its mendacity's, double talk, hypocrisy, faith gives us all we need to be the people we were meant to grow up to be within the context of a world, not of out making, allowing for a Creator or not, but acknowledging the possibility that something bigger than us does exist, that makes all we see, feel, do and create seem a little inspired (in spirit) and therefore beyond the human mind to comprehend.
Have a great week,
Robb
Thursday, September 2, 2010
SEPTEMBER , 2010
ON THE IMPORTANCE OF LIVING IN THE PRESENT
Good Morning,
I hope all of my followers are enjoying the last days of Summer, as we get ready to enter the Fall season, this is a great time to hang out with ourselves and take stock of where we have been this year and to look forward to the coming days that lay ahead keeping in mind that to look too far into the future robs us of our most valued commodity, that being the present.
I am reminded of a quote I recently read from the great philosopher Lin Yutang. Although not known as a philosopher in the traditional sense, a philosopher none the less. "revere inaction as much as action, involve humor to maintain a healthy attitude and never forget that there will always be plenty of fools around who are willing __ indeed eager __ to be busy, to make themselves useful, and to exercise power while you bask in the simple joys of existence".
Quite a quote you may be thinking, and I would concur, I believe Yu was on to something as I read further his writings on the importance of living . I myself have been busy of late in creating my own philosophy so to speak (though I would hasten to add that I am also not a philosopher in the traditional sense). But by not being a true philosophy also frees me from the constraints of academic handcuffs and in so doing allows me to posit are more common sense view of life on planet Earth.
Having explained where I am not headed, let me layout the map of my journey. I was at a friends house for a BBQ and during what can only be explained as a most joyful evening, we were talking and complaining about our lives. All of us being in our late 50's and early 60's, we all felt we had a pretty good slant on life and where we all fit in. As usual as you can imagine, the conversation came around to my blogging on life's challenges and how we all contribute ( whether we think we do or not), to our place and our life's circumstance.
I started out with a quote that for better or worse has become associated with my writings. "If you are what you do, then if you don't you are not". One of the guests quipped, "I never thought of my life as such, but I really am what I do, and if I didn't do my work, where would I be". He looked at me in with that wanting look, as if to say, "you hit my life on the head, you really understand where I am, and where I am is not at all where I want to be. I am so much more than my work, but also I am so much about my work". I could see the searching in his voice and eyes. Then I said, " that is the whole point of what I write about", we are all so much more than what we do, or what we have.
I knew this was going to be an interesting evening, though even I did not fathom how much it would be. I started out by explaining that you couldn't possibly be the sum total of your work or things for that very reason, for without our profession or things, out lives wouldn't couldn't possibly even exist. That for each and everyone of us, there is one overreaching idea that puts us exactly where we are and the whole point of this will forever and always "why" we even here! In the amazingly funny and poignant movie, The City Slickers, the scene where Billy Crystal's character Mitch and Jack Palance's character Curly are having the famous bonding moment when Curly brilliantly posits lives eternal truth, that there is just one thing that makes us who we are and that plants us firmly in the ground, but places out minds and souls in the Heavens. What is this point, what is the secret to our existence her on Earth, what is our raison d' etre, out reason for being?
Curly points his crooked index finger and drolly says, that is it, this is the one thing that makes our lives complete, well what is it Mitch exalts Curly to reveal. Curly says, " that is for you to figure out, that is your quest, that is your holy grail". Well at the party I was at it finally hit me like a ton of bricks, I finally figured out what the "Secret" really is. I can tell you it is not found a book by that name, in fact it is found in many books, in many faiths and in many philosophies. I am sure you are very curious by now, and I won't hold you in suspense any longer.
What I figured out that Sunday evening in the company of friends, what had alluded me for most of my adult life, what I has thought about, what I saw on the fringes of my existence was, Joy.
Yes, plain and not so simple the answer is joy. How to live a life of joy and fulfillment and equally important, how help others live their lives and find their joy. Mind blowing huh, well for me, this was it, this was the whole point of the story. This was my Moses on the mountain top story, my Stanley finding Livingston epic, my digging in the sands of time and coming up with the parchment to my story. What was coming out of my mouth was the thing I had been searching for, but for whatever reason, it never reached the inner recesses of my spirit, my soul like this did.
Well this moment absolutely just blew me away, it shouldn't have, but it did. I had been writing about this very ideas for the better part of a year, yet in this moment, at this place, it all came together like a lighting bolt hitting a tree and alighting it. To say it was a "light bulb" moment would be an understatement, yet at the same time, it was so simple, so right there in front of me, so I get it, I really get.
Do you get it, do you get your time and purpose here. Do you think for a second that this is just chance, all happenstance. That the forces of nature and history just places you here randomly. Not for second friend do you get to just take for granted your being here at this time and place. Now it is your turn to travel to that place where you life comes together, where you ponder and think about all that you are about. What are you going to do, where are you going, and better yet, where are you!
I guess this may be a tad much for some, but I think not. In any case you no longer have an excuse for your life, do with what you will, but I hope I have made you think about. It may be a bit uncomfortable, but who said life was easy, who said it couldn't get messy and I can't remember my parents ever saying that life wassn't messy.
Enjoy your time and may the new year bring you, happiness, joy and of course peace.
L' Shana Tova,
Robb
Good Morning,
I hope all of my followers are enjoying the last days of Summer, as we get ready to enter the Fall season, this is a great time to hang out with ourselves and take stock of where we have been this year and to look forward to the coming days that lay ahead keeping in mind that to look too far into the future robs us of our most valued commodity, that being the present.
I am reminded of a quote I recently read from the great philosopher Lin Yutang. Although not known as a philosopher in the traditional sense, a philosopher none the less. "revere inaction as much as action, involve humor to maintain a healthy attitude and never forget that there will always be plenty of fools around who are willing __ indeed eager __ to be busy, to make themselves useful, and to exercise power while you bask in the simple joys of existence".
Quite a quote you may be thinking, and I would concur, I believe Yu was on to something as I read further his writings on the importance of living . I myself have been busy of late in creating my own philosophy so to speak (though I would hasten to add that I am also not a philosopher in the traditional sense). But by not being a true philosophy also frees me from the constraints of academic handcuffs and in so doing allows me to posit are more common sense view of life on planet Earth.
Having explained where I am not headed, let me layout the map of my journey. I was at a friends house for a BBQ and during what can only be explained as a most joyful evening, we were talking and complaining about our lives. All of us being in our late 50's and early 60's, we all felt we had a pretty good slant on life and where we all fit in. As usual as you can imagine, the conversation came around to my blogging on life's challenges and how we all contribute ( whether we think we do or not), to our place and our life's circumstance.
I started out with a quote that for better or worse has become associated with my writings. "If you are what you do, then if you don't you are not". One of the guests quipped, "I never thought of my life as such, but I really am what I do, and if I didn't do my work, where would I be". He looked at me in with that wanting look, as if to say, "you hit my life on the head, you really understand where I am, and where I am is not at all where I want to be. I am so much more than my work, but also I am so much about my work". I could see the searching in his voice and eyes. Then I said, " that is the whole point of what I write about", we are all so much more than what we do, or what we have.
I knew this was going to be an interesting evening, though even I did not fathom how much it would be. I started out by explaining that you couldn't possibly be the sum total of your work or things for that very reason, for without our profession or things, out lives wouldn't couldn't possibly even exist. That for each and everyone of us, there is one overreaching idea that puts us exactly where we are and the whole point of this will forever and always "why" we even here! In the amazingly funny and poignant movie, The City Slickers, the scene where Billy Crystal's character Mitch and Jack Palance's character Curly are having the famous bonding moment when Curly brilliantly posits lives eternal truth, that there is just one thing that makes us who we are and that plants us firmly in the ground, but places out minds and souls in the Heavens. What is this point, what is the secret to our existence her on Earth, what is our raison d' etre, out reason for being?
Curly points his crooked index finger and drolly says, that is it, this is the one thing that makes our lives complete, well what is it Mitch exalts Curly to reveal. Curly says, " that is for you to figure out, that is your quest, that is your holy grail". Well at the party I was at it finally hit me like a ton of bricks, I finally figured out what the "Secret" really is. I can tell you it is not found a book by that name, in fact it is found in many books, in many faiths and in many philosophies. I am sure you are very curious by now, and I won't hold you in suspense any longer.
What I figured out that Sunday evening in the company of friends, what had alluded me for most of my adult life, what I has thought about, what I saw on the fringes of my existence was, Joy.
Yes, plain and not so simple the answer is joy. How to live a life of joy and fulfillment and equally important, how help others live their lives and find their joy. Mind blowing huh, well for me, this was it, this was the whole point of the story. This was my Moses on the mountain top story, my Stanley finding Livingston epic, my digging in the sands of time and coming up with the parchment to my story. What was coming out of my mouth was the thing I had been searching for, but for whatever reason, it never reached the inner recesses of my spirit, my soul like this did.
Well this moment absolutely just blew me away, it shouldn't have, but it did. I had been writing about this very ideas for the better part of a year, yet in this moment, at this place, it all came together like a lighting bolt hitting a tree and alighting it. To say it was a "light bulb" moment would be an understatement, yet at the same time, it was so simple, so right there in front of me, so I get it, I really get.
Do you get it, do you get your time and purpose here. Do you think for a second that this is just chance, all happenstance. That the forces of nature and history just places you here randomly. Not for second friend do you get to just take for granted your being here at this time and place. Now it is your turn to travel to that place where you life comes together, where you ponder and think about all that you are about. What are you going to do, where are you going, and better yet, where are you!
I guess this may be a tad much for some, but I think not. In any case you no longer have an excuse for your life, do with what you will, but I hope I have made you think about. It may be a bit uncomfortable, but who said life was easy, who said it couldn't get messy and I can't remember my parents ever saying that life wassn't messy.
Enjoy your time and may the new year bring you, happiness, joy and of course peace.
L' Shana Tova,
Robb
Monday, August 23, 2010
MONDAY - AUGUST 23, 2010
So life isn't easy! Is it supposed to be easy and carefree. Is someone else's life so much better than yours. So much so that you would be willing to leave your so called miserable life for some unknown but presumably better one?
What a great question to start the week off! We often see our lives as a collection of unrelated events, chapters in a book without a common thread. Is this you, are you the only one out there in life who is untethered to a memory, or is missing the link or connection to someone or something. Not likely, although you may think you are. Wandering around through time and space without a clue as to your purpose or worse, without any idea of who you really are or where you come from.
Sounds a bit scary huh? Well it need not be, in fact your so-called purposeless life is so much more than you can even imagine, of course it is or you wouldn't feel so abandoned. Is that the right word, abandoned. I though so. We often feel so alone, so alone that is is actually so smothering that we can't even breathe. So alone that the where there was even a glimmer of light,, is now virtual blackness. Though it sounds bleak, there is hope, so much hope if you will only turn the page of your story book, walk that extra few feet, seek out that one best friend you have avoided most of your life, a life filled with so much promise, only so see it dashed on the rocks of desperation and lost opportunity.
Some of us never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. ( not my words, actually Abba Eban). In any case, it is time to awaken from your stupor, time to shake off the sands of depression and wake up to the life you were meant to have. A life full of joy, love and unimaginable happiness. A life to full, that there is just no room for that old, suffocating and unrelenting life of fear you have lived your whole life. A life so colorful and bright that it would take a canvas the size of our planet Earth to hold all the joy you now possess.
So now that you know ( you always knew), what you need to see, do and accomplish, go and do it. Shake off the old obsessions that have shackled you your whole life. I don't care what your excused were or are, it is over. You no longer have an excuse for living under a rock of desperation, fear and self-loathing. Here is your passport to that life which you have always seen for yourself. That life that has no room for sadness, fear and loneliness. You will moments of being alone, but you don't have to be lonely. You may have had your heart broken, but it doesn't mean you are a broken and shattered soul. Come on, what do you really want? You know it is up to you, it always has been. I don't care who or what you have been listening to. Actually it has always been up to you en though you may not have thought you had the power to break those negative bonds).
So for today and the days ahead, make a conscience decision to listen to your better voice. You have this choice, listen to that loud, nasty and negative darkness, or listen to the soft, whispering lightness that is barely a breath. A voice to light, and yet it pierces your soul to open you to that goodness and joy you want, but deny yourself. So in the last analysis, you decide what and where you will be. So what it is? Where will you be 24 hours from now?
Choose joy, choose joy over sorrow, happiness over sadness and abundance over lack. It is all up to you, it is your responsibility, respond with ability.
What a great question to start the week off! We often see our lives as a collection of unrelated events, chapters in a book without a common thread. Is this you, are you the only one out there in life who is untethered to a memory, or is missing the link or connection to someone or something. Not likely, although you may think you are. Wandering around through time and space without a clue as to your purpose or worse, without any idea of who you really are or where you come from.
Sounds a bit scary huh? Well it need not be, in fact your so-called purposeless life is so much more than you can even imagine, of course it is or you wouldn't feel so abandoned. Is that the right word, abandoned. I though so. We often feel so alone, so alone that is is actually so smothering that we can't even breathe. So alone that the where there was even a glimmer of light,, is now virtual blackness. Though it sounds bleak, there is hope, so much hope if you will only turn the page of your story book, walk that extra few feet, seek out that one best friend you have avoided most of your life, a life filled with so much promise, only so see it dashed on the rocks of desperation and lost opportunity.
Some of us never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. ( not my words, actually Abba Eban). In any case, it is time to awaken from your stupor, time to shake off the sands of depression and wake up to the life you were meant to have. A life full of joy, love and unimaginable happiness. A life to full, that there is just no room for that old, suffocating and unrelenting life of fear you have lived your whole life. A life so colorful and bright that it would take a canvas the size of our planet Earth to hold all the joy you now possess.
So now that you know ( you always knew), what you need to see, do and accomplish, go and do it. Shake off the old obsessions that have shackled you your whole life. I don't care what your excused were or are, it is over. You no longer have an excuse for living under a rock of desperation, fear and self-loathing. Here is your passport to that life which you have always seen for yourself. That life that has no room for sadness, fear and loneliness. You will moments of being alone, but you don't have to be lonely. You may have had your heart broken, but it doesn't mean you are a broken and shattered soul. Come on, what do you really want? You know it is up to you, it always has been. I don't care who or what you have been listening to. Actually it has always been up to you en though you may not have thought you had the power to break those negative bonds).
So for today and the days ahead, make a conscience decision to listen to your better voice. You have this choice, listen to that loud, nasty and negative darkness, or listen to the soft, whispering lightness that is barely a breath. A voice to light, and yet it pierces your soul to open you to that goodness and joy you want, but deny yourself. So in the last analysis, you decide what and where you will be. So what it is? Where will you be 24 hours from now?
Choose joy, choose joy over sorrow, happiness over sadness and abundance over lack. It is all up to you, it is your responsibility, respond with ability.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
AUGUST 1, 2010 - CHASING RAINBOWS BY GINGER ESLER
Good Morning,
This week's post comes to us from a wonderful woman who recently passed away. My wife was reading the paper and came across this article and thought it would be of interest to my readers. As usual she was so correct, I guess that is my we have lasted these past 25 years.
CHASING RAINBOWS
I believe it takes a long time to become the person you want to be, so don't be in such a hurry, it will come to you,, I promise.
I believe you can keep going long after you think you can't. You are all you believe, if you think you can you can, if you think you can't, well you get the picture.
I believe that either you control your attitude or it will control you. You may not always have a say in where you are on your life's journey, but you sure as heck control how you will deal with it.
I believe that our heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done regardless of circumstances. Heroism is not a convenience of conscience, it is not an absence of fear, rather a decision to act regardless of the consequences and in the face of the very fear that would in other times would immobilize you.
I believe that money and materialism is a lousy way to keep score. If you are what you have, then if you don't you are not. Makes no sense!
I believe that sometimes the vary people you expect to slap you when you are down, will be the ones to lend you a hand to get you back up.
I believe that no matter how badly broken your heart is, the world does not stop to help you in your grief. What the universe does do is help you heal and in so doing reminds you that though your heart may be broken, doesn't mean you are broke.
I believe that the background and circumstances may have influenced who you are, but do not have to define you and in so doing allow you to become responsible for who you are and what you become.
I believe that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out, you find the strength to help.
I believe that credentials on a wall do not make you a decent human being. It is the credentials on your soul that define what you are as a human being.
Thank you Ginger Esler, and may you find peace and joy.
Be well, and have a joyful week,
Robb
This week's post comes to us from a wonderful woman who recently passed away. My wife was reading the paper and came across this article and thought it would be of interest to my readers. As usual she was so correct, I guess that is my we have lasted these past 25 years.
CHASING RAINBOWS
I believe it takes a long time to become the person you want to be, so don't be in such a hurry, it will come to you,, I promise.
I believe you can keep going long after you think you can't. You are all you believe, if you think you can you can, if you think you can't, well you get the picture.
I believe that either you control your attitude or it will control you. You may not always have a say in where you are on your life's journey, but you sure as heck control how you will deal with it.
I believe that our heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done regardless of circumstances. Heroism is not a convenience of conscience, it is not an absence of fear, rather a decision to act regardless of the consequences and in the face of the very fear that would in other times would immobilize you.
I believe that money and materialism is a lousy way to keep score. If you are what you have, then if you don't you are not. Makes no sense!
I believe that sometimes the vary people you expect to slap you when you are down, will be the ones to lend you a hand to get you back up.
I believe that no matter how badly broken your heart is, the world does not stop to help you in your grief. What the universe does do is help you heal and in so doing reminds you that though your heart may be broken, doesn't mean you are broke.
I believe that the background and circumstances may have influenced who you are, but do not have to define you and in so doing allow you to become responsible for who you are and what you become.
I believe that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out, you find the strength to help.
I believe that credentials on a wall do not make you a decent human being. It is the credentials on your soul that define what you are as a human being.
Thank you Ginger Esler, and may you find peace and joy.
Be well, and have a joyful week,
Robb
Sunday, July 25, 2010
THE LAW OF UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES
GOOD MORNING!
I hope all of you are having a great weekend, Sunday is still with us, so make the most of it. That is a great way to look at life, you have one day left, so make the most of the time you have.
My posting today deals with, and I love this title, "The Law of Unintended Consequences". Is that expression a load of crap or what. Everything in life has a consequence. When you wake up in the morning, " do I get up or do I roll over for a few more minutes". " Do I wear heavy wool when it is 90 degrees out, or do I wear light and airy cotton".
Is society not only tell us that we escape responsibility not only from our physical life, but now we escape that same responsibility from our spiritual life. I don't think so. Who are they kidding, the law should read as, "The Law of Intended Consequences". You can't escape responsibility just like you can't escape falling in love and getting hurt, it is an essential part of life, one which would render your whole existence meaningless if it didn't exist.
You have to take responsibility for all that you are, you have to own your decisions and live with the consequences. Now you don't have to carry around things you do as if it was baggage, but you do have to acknowledge that it is out there, understand it, embrace it, and if it becomes too much to bear, carry around, then just out it down because even if it is a negative piece of baggage, there is something to be learned, not just by you, but others on their journey. And the pathway you are on, will be trodden by others I assure you, and they also will benefit from your baggage and they will (after a while) make it there own.
Did you ever feel as if a weight has been lifted from you, that all of a sudden you understand, at least for the moment your place, your purpose in this life. Well, what do you think that is, well I will tell you, it is just some else picking up your baggage (there life lesson) and relieving you of that particular burden, that is of course if you have the understanding and the awareness to put the dam baggage down. Sounds easy, but you already know where I am going here, it is never easy, certainly never as easy as I make it sound here. Yet, it really is that easy. Here let me give you and example of what I am getting back.
We all walk through life with certain baggage, emotional and physical, no getting around it, some of us deal more effectively with it that others, but it is with us just the same. The emotional scarring from people, we oft times feel unwanted, unloved as if we are in the wrong family as it were. We also have real physical scarring, as if the emotional scratch could actually be seen on our physical being, much tougher to deal with. There is a point to this lesson, to the pain (both kinds), and it is a teaching moment, a lesson to be learned, but like Sigmund Freud's psycho- analysis, not meant as a way of life, but a teachable tool. Not to used as an all encompassing discipline, but as an adjunct to dealing with life's challenges.
You are suppose to understand it, learn its lessons, but you are also to put it down and move on, not carry it around with you like a medallion around your neck for a lifetime. Do you realize how many chains you carry, weighing you down. After a lifetime, that is a lot to deal with and you wonder why life seems to heavy, difficult and challenging? Isn't time loosen the chains, to remove the burdens of life, (physical, emotional and spiritual)? I think so, I think the reason we read blogs, books and articles on this subject is because we are looking for answers, keys to open the door and escape the pain and sorrows of our life. The problem is not the pain, but how we perceive it, what we do with it and how to dispose of it once we understand what it is all about.
So for today, just understand what your burdens are and also what they are not. You were not born into this universe to experience pain, sorrow and lack. You were born to have a life of Joy, Happiness and Abundance. What has happened is that you did not understand the laws and rules of life, or maybe you lost or misplaced them. In any case here is a 2nd chance or 3rd or 4th one to get it right and not only move forward, (sometimes it is just good to stay where you are and experience your life in the moment), to just live within your skin, maybe for the first time and learn to appreciate who you really are. You maybe pleasantly surprised and maybe not, but at least you learn to know yourself and if what you are or who you are are not where you are, than do something about, don't wallow win pity, don't complain how unfair life is, you have a million followers with the same addiction. Just take responsibility for who what and where you are, embrace it, but if it is not your cup of tea, don't let it define you and put it where it belongs. But for g-d's sake don't carry it around with you all the time. No one is required to go through life with the burdens you choose to carry, yes choose. Life is after all a choice, what do you choose for yourself? And yes life is what you choose and it is full of intended consequences.
Have a wonderful day!
Robb
I hope all of you are having a great weekend, Sunday is still with us, so make the most of it. That is a great way to look at life, you have one day left, so make the most of the time you have.
My posting today deals with, and I love this title, "The Law of Unintended Consequences". Is that expression a load of crap or what. Everything in life has a consequence. When you wake up in the morning, " do I get up or do I roll over for a few more minutes". " Do I wear heavy wool when it is 90 degrees out, or do I wear light and airy cotton".
Is society not only tell us that we escape responsibility not only from our physical life, but now we escape that same responsibility from our spiritual life. I don't think so. Who are they kidding, the law should read as, "The Law of Intended Consequences". You can't escape responsibility just like you can't escape falling in love and getting hurt, it is an essential part of life, one which would render your whole existence meaningless if it didn't exist.
You have to take responsibility for all that you are, you have to own your decisions and live with the consequences. Now you don't have to carry around things you do as if it was baggage, but you do have to acknowledge that it is out there, understand it, embrace it, and if it becomes too much to bear, carry around, then just out it down because even if it is a negative piece of baggage, there is something to be learned, not just by you, but others on their journey. And the pathway you are on, will be trodden by others I assure you, and they also will benefit from your baggage and they will (after a while) make it there own.
Did you ever feel as if a weight has been lifted from you, that all of a sudden you understand, at least for the moment your place, your purpose in this life. Well, what do you think that is, well I will tell you, it is just some else picking up your baggage (there life lesson) and relieving you of that particular burden, that is of course if you have the understanding and the awareness to put the dam baggage down. Sounds easy, but you already know where I am going here, it is never easy, certainly never as easy as I make it sound here. Yet, it really is that easy. Here let me give you and example of what I am getting back.
We all walk through life with certain baggage, emotional and physical, no getting around it, some of us deal more effectively with it that others, but it is with us just the same. The emotional scarring from people, we oft times feel unwanted, unloved as if we are in the wrong family as it were. We also have real physical scarring, as if the emotional scratch could actually be seen on our physical being, much tougher to deal with. There is a point to this lesson, to the pain (both kinds), and it is a teaching moment, a lesson to be learned, but like Sigmund Freud's psycho- analysis, not meant as a way of life, but a teachable tool. Not to used as an all encompassing discipline, but as an adjunct to dealing with life's challenges.
You are suppose to understand it, learn its lessons, but you are also to put it down and move on, not carry it around with you like a medallion around your neck for a lifetime. Do you realize how many chains you carry, weighing you down. After a lifetime, that is a lot to deal with and you wonder why life seems to heavy, difficult and challenging? Isn't time loosen the chains, to remove the burdens of life, (physical, emotional and spiritual)? I think so, I think the reason we read blogs, books and articles on this subject is because we are looking for answers, keys to open the door and escape the pain and sorrows of our life. The problem is not the pain, but how we perceive it, what we do with it and how to dispose of it once we understand what it is all about.
So for today, just understand what your burdens are and also what they are not. You were not born into this universe to experience pain, sorrow and lack. You were born to have a life of Joy, Happiness and Abundance. What has happened is that you did not understand the laws and rules of life, or maybe you lost or misplaced them. In any case here is a 2nd chance or 3rd or 4th one to get it right and not only move forward, (sometimes it is just good to stay where you are and experience your life in the moment), to just live within your skin, maybe for the first time and learn to appreciate who you really are. You maybe pleasantly surprised and maybe not, but at least you learn to know yourself and if what you are or who you are are not where you are, than do something about, don't wallow win pity, don't complain how unfair life is, you have a million followers with the same addiction. Just take responsibility for who what and where you are, embrace it, but if it is not your cup of tea, don't let it define you and put it where it belongs. But for g-d's sake don't carry it around with you all the time. No one is required to go through life with the burdens you choose to carry, yes choose. Life is after all a choice, what do you choose for yourself? And yes life is what you choose and it is full of intended consequences.
Have a wonderful day!
Robb
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
WEEKEND OF JULY 21-23, 2010
GOOD EVENING FRIENDS!
I was asked about pain. How you can you be so upbeat and happy in a world of pain. It is all around you. Sickness, heartaches, disappointment and betrayal. Yes, it is quite a lot to take in as you try to live your life, as you travel the pathway on your journey to joy.
Joy is not the absence of pain, rather it is the acknowledgement of sorrow, but your willingness to push in the face of adversity. It is the ability to recognize what your pain is and still pursue your goals and live the life you have dreamed of. Tough road to hoe, yet you do it anyway.
Did you ever have sweater, not a smooth, buttery rich Cashmere one, but a woolly, itchy one that just makes your skin crawl. I had one, still do. Every now and then I try it one, it is so beautiful. Rich in color, and it fits so good. One problem though, every time I try the dam thing on, I can't wait to tear it off me.
To me that sweater represents pain. How you may be thinking, Robb is really reaching on this one. How the hell can life lived with intense, paralyzing pain have anything to do with an itchy sweater. Well, I say, give a second here and I promise you I will get to the point. As I was saying, I keep taking out the dam sweater and trying it on knowing full well that I can't stand it. It still is going to itch, it still makes my skin crawl, and I still can't wear for more than a few moments at best. Well, that is the point isn't it. No matter how uncomfortable that sweater is, I still keep trying to deal with the discomfort, the pain as it were.
The same with pain. whether it is the death of a loved one, the disappointment of love, a bad business deal, or even something as trivial as the loss of teddy bear. We all feel an emptiness when we deal with pain. We eat too much, drive too fast, buy stuff thinking that it will fill the void in our lives. But to no avail, no matter what we do to ourselves or for ourselves, the pain is still there. We can't escape no matter. We even punish ourselves thinking that this will free us from the pain. Our obsessions are our ticket out, but of course it never is, never will be.
So what we find out, the lucky ones anyway, is there is no magic pill, no book, or CD or guru who can help us through the maze of pain. It is there, and will stay with us like a friend until we are able to seal with it, look it in the eye and embrace it. For those who fail to recognize the pain, the loves are spent in obsessive, over indulgence behavior in order to mask the pain, bury it under layers of food, stuff, and possessions.
So what does an old itchy sweater have to do with this, I have a point, I promise you. Well get to it already, I can hear all of you out there in Blogdom. well, here it is. The fact that the wool sweater will never bring me joy, that I will never enjoy wearing it and believe me I have done just that. I thought (wrongly) that if I would just give it one more try, wear for just a few moments more I could get used to it. I tried and and I tried, yet I could never get used that scratchy, itchy uncomfortable feeling. But I did come to the realization that even though I can never get used to wearing that wool sweater, I have tried to do it, that is all I can do. Now I know I will never, ever wear that sweater, in that knowing, I have had a sense of relief, a sense of resignation, a sense of peace that though I don't like that sweater, and I am sure there are countless others who feel the same ( so I am not alone), I understand in my heart of hearts that I now know this to be a fact of my life, and I am willing to live with it and go on with my life. No longer is that itchy wool sweater holding me back, no longer am I using that sweater as an excuse for not getting on with my life, besides there are other sweaters to be sure that I will be able to wear.
The point of the story is this, there is no escaping the pain of life's travails, there will always be "an itchy wool sweater" in our lives. You either have to put it on and maybe you can live with the discomfort, it really didn't kill you did it. Or you can decide that you can't live with the pain, but you can acknowledge it's existence, embrace it, try it on and then out it away with the knowledge that you have seen it, felt it, put it on and decided that although living with pain every single moment of your life is something that you have decided is something that is not for you. But you are not running from it, your are not trying to dull the pain (through food, drugs or shopping), but rather you have decided that it is here, it is not going away, yet it will no longer be your life. It now has a place on your shelf of life, and maybe every now and then you will take it off the shelf and try it on, or maybe you won't. At least you can now be honest and know that it is there, and even though it is not something you care to have with you everyday of your life, 24/7, you are able to for the first time perhaps to move on, move forward and live your life as you have always imagined, cognisant of the pain, but not defined by it.
So for today, for this weekend, take out that itchy, scratchy old sweater. Try it on, see where you are on the scale of life. Wear it, put it back on the shelf in the back of the closet, either way, you are now ready to live again, unencumbered, shackled by the past and to move forward on your journey to joy!
Have a great weekend,
Robb
I was asked about pain. How you can you be so upbeat and happy in a world of pain. It is all around you. Sickness, heartaches, disappointment and betrayal. Yes, it is quite a lot to take in as you try to live your life, as you travel the pathway on your journey to joy.
Joy is not the absence of pain, rather it is the acknowledgement of sorrow, but your willingness to push in the face of adversity. It is the ability to recognize what your pain is and still pursue your goals and live the life you have dreamed of. Tough road to hoe, yet you do it anyway.
Did you ever have sweater, not a smooth, buttery rich Cashmere one, but a woolly, itchy one that just makes your skin crawl. I had one, still do. Every now and then I try it one, it is so beautiful. Rich in color, and it fits so good. One problem though, every time I try the dam thing on, I can't wait to tear it off me.
To me that sweater represents pain. How you may be thinking, Robb is really reaching on this one. How the hell can life lived with intense, paralyzing pain have anything to do with an itchy sweater. Well, I say, give a second here and I promise you I will get to the point. As I was saying, I keep taking out the dam sweater and trying it on knowing full well that I can't stand it. It still is going to itch, it still makes my skin crawl, and I still can't wear for more than a few moments at best. Well, that is the point isn't it. No matter how uncomfortable that sweater is, I still keep trying to deal with the discomfort, the pain as it were.
The same with pain. whether it is the death of a loved one, the disappointment of love, a bad business deal, or even something as trivial as the loss of teddy bear. We all feel an emptiness when we deal with pain. We eat too much, drive too fast, buy stuff thinking that it will fill the void in our lives. But to no avail, no matter what we do to ourselves or for ourselves, the pain is still there. We can't escape no matter. We even punish ourselves thinking that this will free us from the pain. Our obsessions are our ticket out, but of course it never is, never will be.
So what we find out, the lucky ones anyway, is there is no magic pill, no book, or CD or guru who can help us through the maze of pain. It is there, and will stay with us like a friend until we are able to seal with it, look it in the eye and embrace it. For those who fail to recognize the pain, the loves are spent in obsessive, over indulgence behavior in order to mask the pain, bury it under layers of food, stuff, and possessions.
So what does an old itchy sweater have to do with this, I have a point, I promise you. Well get to it already, I can hear all of you out there in Blogdom. well, here it is. The fact that the wool sweater will never bring me joy, that I will never enjoy wearing it and believe me I have done just that. I thought (wrongly) that if I would just give it one more try, wear for just a few moments more I could get used to it. I tried and and I tried, yet I could never get used that scratchy, itchy uncomfortable feeling. But I did come to the realization that even though I can never get used to wearing that wool sweater, I have tried to do it, that is all I can do. Now I know I will never, ever wear that sweater, in that knowing, I have had a sense of relief, a sense of resignation, a sense of peace that though I don't like that sweater, and I am sure there are countless others who feel the same ( so I am not alone), I understand in my heart of hearts that I now know this to be a fact of my life, and I am willing to live with it and go on with my life. No longer is that itchy wool sweater holding me back, no longer am I using that sweater as an excuse for not getting on with my life, besides there are other sweaters to be sure that I will be able to wear.
The point of the story is this, there is no escaping the pain of life's travails, there will always be "an itchy wool sweater" in our lives. You either have to put it on and maybe you can live with the discomfort, it really didn't kill you did it. Or you can decide that you can't live with the pain, but you can acknowledge it's existence, embrace it, try it on and then out it away with the knowledge that you have seen it, felt it, put it on and decided that although living with pain every single moment of your life is something that you have decided is something that is not for you. But you are not running from it, your are not trying to dull the pain (through food, drugs or shopping), but rather you have decided that it is here, it is not going away, yet it will no longer be your life. It now has a place on your shelf of life, and maybe every now and then you will take it off the shelf and try it on, or maybe you won't. At least you can now be honest and know that it is there, and even though it is not something you care to have with you everyday of your life, 24/7, you are able to for the first time perhaps to move on, move forward and live your life as you have always imagined, cognisant of the pain, but not defined by it.
So for today, for this weekend, take out that itchy, scratchy old sweater. Try it on, see where you are on the scale of life. Wear it, put it back on the shelf in the back of the closet, either way, you are now ready to live again, unencumbered, shackled by the past and to move forward on your journey to joy!
Have a great weekend,
Robb
Sunday, July 18, 2010
WEEK OF JULY 8-15, 2010
GOOD MORNING!
We often live our lives the way we read a book. We rush through the pages and chapters only to get to the end of the story to find out we either didn't "get it" or missed so much of the real story. Ever get into a group discussion, nothing formal, where a few friends talk wildly about a book they just read. You get excited and run out to get a copy of the latest tome.
You sit down, determined to really get into it. You wear comfortable clothes, choose your favorite chair, good light, maybe even a refreshing drink. You are psyched and ready for the journey into pleasure only a good book can take you. Then, you fall into your usual trap.
You read a bit, have a few interruptions, and then you fast forward your reading from pleasure to drudgery. You have to get through this, finish this assignment and instead of pleasuring your mind and nurturing your soul, you again become obsessed with finishing the task, getting to the end, instead of enjoying the journey. You get behind the wheel of your car and put the pedal to the metal in order to get to the last page, to the finish line, to your destination.
Unfortunately, you just happened to miss the entire trip. You zoomed past the whole point of the story. You missed the colors of the sky, the aroma of the wild flowers, the people and towns along the way. You did not stop to taste the local fare or even take in latest incarnation of "Our Town" by the Dootyville players.
See where I am going, do you get the point? Sure you do. You know you need to slow down, smell the roses and give the love of your life a bear hug. ( Don't have someone special, hug a parent or a friend), you will bring untold pleasure and a measure of certainty that will be welcomed, also you will add a aura of surprise to your life.
You can't live in the present ( if only I do this or that), you can't live in the past ( i was so hurt by so and so), you can only live in the here and now and I mean you can only have this moment. What are you waiting for, life does not get any better than it is right now. Sometimes you just have to get out of your own way, you have to catch up with your present. That is all you really have. You have to decide what that now will be. You have to write your book, you have to write, edit and publish your story. If you leave it to others, I can assure you with a high degree of certainty that you will not be happy with the finished product!
So for now, slow down, if you are in a relationship that leaves you wanting, either change how you view it ( your paradigm) or change your address. You will be adding a positive dimension to your life's journey, and that can only lead you closer to your true path on the journey to joy. If you are hurt, a live nerve, realize the world is full of survivors, broken hearters, who like you hit a wall only to find a doorway through the pain and disappointment.
Have a great week!
Robb
We often live our lives the way we read a book. We rush through the pages and chapters only to get to the end of the story to find out we either didn't "get it" or missed so much of the real story. Ever get into a group discussion, nothing formal, where a few friends talk wildly about a book they just read. You get excited and run out to get a copy of the latest tome.
You sit down, determined to really get into it. You wear comfortable clothes, choose your favorite chair, good light, maybe even a refreshing drink. You are psyched and ready for the journey into pleasure only a good book can take you. Then, you fall into your usual trap.
You read a bit, have a few interruptions, and then you fast forward your reading from pleasure to drudgery. You have to get through this, finish this assignment and instead of pleasuring your mind and nurturing your soul, you again become obsessed with finishing the task, getting to the end, instead of enjoying the journey. You get behind the wheel of your car and put the pedal to the metal in order to get to the last page, to the finish line, to your destination.
Unfortunately, you just happened to miss the entire trip. You zoomed past the whole point of the story. You missed the colors of the sky, the aroma of the wild flowers, the people and towns along the way. You did not stop to taste the local fare or even take in latest incarnation of "Our Town" by the Dootyville players.
See where I am going, do you get the point? Sure you do. You know you need to slow down, smell the roses and give the love of your life a bear hug. ( Don't have someone special, hug a parent or a friend), you will bring untold pleasure and a measure of certainty that will be welcomed, also you will add a aura of surprise to your life.
You can't live in the present ( if only I do this or that), you can't live in the past ( i was so hurt by so and so), you can only live in the here and now and I mean you can only have this moment. What are you waiting for, life does not get any better than it is right now. Sometimes you just have to get out of your own way, you have to catch up with your present. That is all you really have. You have to decide what that now will be. You have to write your book, you have to write, edit and publish your story. If you leave it to others, I can assure you with a high degree of certainty that you will not be happy with the finished product!
So for now, slow down, if you are in a relationship that leaves you wanting, either change how you view it ( your paradigm) or change your address. You will be adding a positive dimension to your life's journey, and that can only lead you closer to your true path on the journey to joy. If you are hurt, a live nerve, realize the world is full of survivors, broken hearters, who like you hit a wall only to find a doorway through the pain and disappointment.
Have a great week!
Robb
Friday, June 25, 2010
WEEKEND JUNE 25-27, 2010
Hi Friends,
I have missed speaking to you, I have been otherwise involved with my new book project. hope you all have a chance to check out my Facebook page where I am able to post snippets on a more regular basis.
Today's blog deal with a concept I have been reading about. I call it 'Soul Sculpting". Not a new concept, but new for me and my readers. Essentially, Soul Sculpting is inward change to our outward view of life. A paradigm shift if you will. It is like taking a pre-programed seed or in my case the soul and instead of just accepting your spiritual life as it has been created, taking control and editing it so to speak and changing where on your spiritual journey you happen to be.
Another way of saying this is you can be sitting in a movie theater and watch you life with someone else playing you. Whether you like the movie or scene is irrelevant, you movie or life as it were will play out no matter your feeling. Or you can write, direct and star in your own life, and if you don't like a scene or even the ending you can shout cut, do a re-write and see how it plays out. Sounds like a good way to view life to me, how about you?
So "Soul Sculpting" is just that. It is taking your seed of life, the soul and shaping, cultivating, and chiseling your way to the life you see yourself having, not some else's version of you. You have the tools, and the talent. Do you have the time and patience to take on the most important work of your life. This is a question I can't answer for you, it is the whole point of life. Do you want to write your book, your script? So you want to complete your picture, your puzzle. Not an easy question, one fraught with danger and disappointment, and excitement and liberation of your spirit
This is a Big deal, one you need to take some time thinking about. But the lesson is simple, either you want to control your own life, and take responsibility for writing the story or you are willing to let soemone else do it and just complain about how unfair life is.
It is all up to you!
Have a great weekend, and a belated Happy Father's Day to all my followers.
Robb
I have missed speaking to you, I have been otherwise involved with my new book project. hope you all have a chance to check out my Facebook page where I am able to post snippets on a more regular basis.
Today's blog deal with a concept I have been reading about. I call it 'Soul Sculpting". Not a new concept, but new for me and my readers. Essentially, Soul Sculpting is inward change to our outward view of life. A paradigm shift if you will. It is like taking a pre-programed seed or in my case the soul and instead of just accepting your spiritual life as it has been created, taking control and editing it so to speak and changing where on your spiritual journey you happen to be.
Another way of saying this is you can be sitting in a movie theater and watch you life with someone else playing you. Whether you like the movie or scene is irrelevant, you movie or life as it were will play out no matter your feeling. Or you can write, direct and star in your own life, and if you don't like a scene or even the ending you can shout cut, do a re-write and see how it plays out. Sounds like a good way to view life to me, how about you?
So "Soul Sculpting" is just that. It is taking your seed of life, the soul and shaping, cultivating, and chiseling your way to the life you see yourself having, not some else's version of you. You have the tools, and the talent. Do you have the time and patience to take on the most important work of your life. This is a question I can't answer for you, it is the whole point of life. Do you want to write your book, your script? So you want to complete your picture, your puzzle. Not an easy question, one fraught with danger and disappointment, and excitement and liberation of your spirit
This is a Big deal, one you need to take some time thinking about. But the lesson is simple, either you want to control your own life, and take responsibility for writing the story or you are willing to let soemone else do it and just complain about how unfair life is.
It is all up to you!
Have a great weekend, and a belated Happy Father's Day to all my followers.
Robb
Friday, May 21, 2010
WEEKEND MAY 21-23, 2010
SPIRITUAL PERSCRIPTION FOR LIFE #1 ...... BEING IN THE MOMENT
Good Afternoon,
I am sure everyone is looking forward to the weekend, this is a great time to rest, relax and recharge. It is also time to reflect on our spiritual journey and take notice where we are relative to where we see ourselves. The best way to say this is, 'Being in the Moment".
So here are 5 ways for staying in the (spiritual) moment.
1. CHILDREN. There's no one better at being present than a child. I love to watch my grandson as he plays and interacts with other children. he hasn't a thought about what happened yesterday, he isn't concerned with tomorrow, his only thought is to run, spin and fall down. What could be more important in this world. he runs to meet the day, he gives the world a spin and when it stops he gathers all his strength and picks it up. Not a bad philosophy. Be a child and just see what happens!
2. Cats. I am not really a cat lover, but I love watching cats. You have to wonder what in the world is going thru their minds. You know they think of themselves in terms so much different than we think. They are so confident, they march forward. They are fearless, you just sense the lion within. And when they find what they want, they just ponce and enjoy. You know they are not thinking about what they ate earlier, they sure are not concerned about knocking over my wife's favorite vase. They are all about now. Be like a cat and just let things happen.
3. Dessert. I really know how to eat dessert. Actually, of all the people I know, I truly savor every spoon and fork full. I close my eyes and I allow my mouth and tongue to sense every sensation of taste. be it salty or sweet, warm or cool. Where many people gobble, I tend to savor every morsel. I am immediately transported to another dimension away from the nonsensical realities that get in our way. The next time you eat dessert or anything, try not to think about anything else, don't read, don't talk to anyone. just experience the food.
4. Zen Sweeper. It has been said that the only two jobs of a Zen monk are sitting (meditation) and sweeping. Cleaning is a daily ritual of a Zen monk, one of their most important daily practices. They sweep or rake, and they try to do nothing else. They aren't thinking of how Zen they are, the sweeping is the Zen thing. The next time you sweep or any chore, try concentrating on the work, on the dust, on the motion, on the sensation.
5. Yourself, or loose yourself in something. You've been in the moment plenty of times. You may not have been aware of it, but you have just the same. Can you remember the last time you lost yourself in a task? Not lost in thought (we all do this a lot as we get older), but lost in the doing of the task itself. you were concentrating fully, you thought of nothing else. The world just dissolved. You know, you were in the zone, totally immersed in your work, so connected. It doesn't much matter whether it was work, play, or just fixing that squeaky door hinge, anything. Next time, try to remember that feeling, that connectedness, and then replicate it.
OK, so maybe I got a little carried away, but i think you get the point. Just try it, maybe you will like it so much that you will want to repeat the experience again and again, and again.
Have a joyful weekend,
Robb
Good Afternoon,
I am sure everyone is looking forward to the weekend, this is a great time to rest, relax and recharge. It is also time to reflect on our spiritual journey and take notice where we are relative to where we see ourselves. The best way to say this is, 'Being in the Moment".
So here are 5 ways for staying in the (spiritual) moment.
1. CHILDREN. There's no one better at being present than a child. I love to watch my grandson as he plays and interacts with other children. he hasn't a thought about what happened yesterday, he isn't concerned with tomorrow, his only thought is to run, spin and fall down. What could be more important in this world. he runs to meet the day, he gives the world a spin and when it stops he gathers all his strength and picks it up. Not a bad philosophy. Be a child and just see what happens!
2. Cats. I am not really a cat lover, but I love watching cats. You have to wonder what in the world is going thru their minds. You know they think of themselves in terms so much different than we think. They are so confident, they march forward. They are fearless, you just sense the lion within. And when they find what they want, they just ponce and enjoy. You know they are not thinking about what they ate earlier, they sure are not concerned about knocking over my wife's favorite vase. They are all about now. Be like a cat and just let things happen.
3. Dessert. I really know how to eat dessert. Actually, of all the people I know, I truly savor every spoon and fork full. I close my eyes and I allow my mouth and tongue to sense every sensation of taste. be it salty or sweet, warm or cool. Where many people gobble, I tend to savor every morsel. I am immediately transported to another dimension away from the nonsensical realities that get in our way. The next time you eat dessert or anything, try not to think about anything else, don't read, don't talk to anyone. just experience the food.
4. Zen Sweeper. It has been said that the only two jobs of a Zen monk are sitting (meditation) and sweeping. Cleaning is a daily ritual of a Zen monk, one of their most important daily practices. They sweep or rake, and they try to do nothing else. They aren't thinking of how Zen they are, the sweeping is the Zen thing. The next time you sweep or any chore, try concentrating on the work, on the dust, on the motion, on the sensation.
5. Yourself, or loose yourself in something. You've been in the moment plenty of times. You may not have been aware of it, but you have just the same. Can you remember the last time you lost yourself in a task? Not lost in thought (we all do this a lot as we get older), but lost in the doing of the task itself. you were concentrating fully, you thought of nothing else. The world just dissolved. You know, you were in the zone, totally immersed in your work, so connected. It doesn't much matter whether it was work, play, or just fixing that squeaky door hinge, anything. Next time, try to remember that feeling, that connectedness, and then replicate it.
OK, so maybe I got a little carried away, but i think you get the point. Just try it, maybe you will like it so much that you will want to repeat the experience again and again, and again.
Have a joyful weekend,
Robb
Friday, May 14, 2010
WEEKEND MAY 14-16, 2010
SPIRITUALLY FIT FOR LIFE
GOOD EVENING!
It is nice to be back with my fellow travelers. It seems our journey to spiritual nirvana has had it shares of bumps and detours. Not a problem, this will happen from time to time. and it actually a good thing as it keeps us grounded and in the moment.
I was driving down I-294 this morning when it dawned on me, what I have been trying to say in these postings is so much simpler than I would have thought. The metaphor that I have been searching for was right there in front of me.
As you may or may not know, is that I try to work out everyday. Not just to loose a few pounds, but to clear my mind for the tasks that Lay ahead each day. Some days are more taxing than others, some mentally, some physically. What I have been trying to do is to find the "real Robb Packer" stealthily hidden beneath what I see in the shower each and every morning. Now this may in fact be an exercise in futility, but I try everyday none the less.
Then it hit me like a ton of bricks! I can try all I want, but eventually I put back on those precarious pounds and then I start up that familiar hill once again. Why I thought, can't I strip away the spiritual fat to find the true soul of my being. Now stay with me for moment. It is really that simple. Instead of just running and working out to stay ahead of the fat demons, you can do the same for your spiritual well being.
Now you have a heart with limited ability and endurance, and you certainly workout to the best of your capability. But there is a point when you can only take your physicality so far. Not so with your spirituality and soul. Your soul is immortal and your spirit once cleaned of all the layers of spiritual fat, becomes a beacon of light and joy so intense as to burn away all your fears and sorrows with laser like intensity. You need to strip away the emotional fat to find the true you _____ soul, your spiritual heart! To find the real you strong, confident and secure.
So if you need to get into good physical condition, you diet, eat what is good for you and you workout. But if you need to get into good spiritual shape, you also need a good diet, eat what is good for you and also workout. The difference being, your diet is rich in spiritual readings, you drink the words of the great spiritualists, and you workout your heart, mind and soul. How you do this I hope to be your guide on this journey. The first thing, the most important idea you need to embrace is to know that you have within in you all the answers you will ever need. All you have to see it to believe it. And through words I post, my wish is to hasten your way down this path to a place that you already know exists and with patience you will see what is. That you will learn to live in the moment and in so doing find the peace and light to take you home, home to where your joy, happiness and abundance resides.
More to follow, I may be on a roll,
Joy and Peace,
Robb
GOOD EVENING!
It is nice to be back with my fellow travelers. It seems our journey to spiritual nirvana has had it shares of bumps and detours. Not a problem, this will happen from time to time. and it actually a good thing as it keeps us grounded and in the moment.
I was driving down I-294 this morning when it dawned on me, what I have been trying to say in these postings is so much simpler than I would have thought. The metaphor that I have been searching for was right there in front of me.
As you may or may not know, is that I try to work out everyday. Not just to loose a few pounds, but to clear my mind for the tasks that Lay ahead each day. Some days are more taxing than others, some mentally, some physically. What I have been trying to do is to find the "real Robb Packer" stealthily hidden beneath what I see in the shower each and every morning. Now this may in fact be an exercise in futility, but I try everyday none the less.
Then it hit me like a ton of bricks! I can try all I want, but eventually I put back on those precarious pounds and then I start up that familiar hill once again. Why I thought, can't I strip away the spiritual fat to find the true soul of my being. Now stay with me for moment. It is really that simple. Instead of just running and working out to stay ahead of the fat demons, you can do the same for your spiritual well being.
Now you have a heart with limited ability and endurance, and you certainly workout to the best of your capability. But there is a point when you can only take your physicality so far. Not so with your spirituality and soul. Your soul is immortal and your spirit once cleaned of all the layers of spiritual fat, becomes a beacon of light and joy so intense as to burn away all your fears and sorrows with laser like intensity. You need to strip away the emotional fat to find the true you _____ soul, your spiritual heart! To find the real you strong, confident and secure.
So if you need to get into good physical condition, you diet, eat what is good for you and you workout. But if you need to get into good spiritual shape, you also need a good diet, eat what is good for you and also workout. The difference being, your diet is rich in spiritual readings, you drink the words of the great spiritualists, and you workout your heart, mind and soul. How you do this I hope to be your guide on this journey. The first thing, the most important idea you need to embrace is to know that you have within in you all the answers you will ever need. All you have to see it to believe it. And through words I post, my wish is to hasten your way down this path to a place that you already know exists and with patience you will see what is. That you will learn to live in the moment and in so doing find the peace and light to take you home, home to where your joy, happiness and abundance resides.
More to follow, I may be on a roll,
Joy and Peace,
Robb
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
APRIL 20-30, 2010
GOOD EVENING FRIENDS,
Sometimes there really is no rhyme or reason to the way our lives move along the meandering path that is our journey of life. Those unexpected turns and detours that pop up now and again are just enough of a reason to think about our lives, and all those amazing people interact with. Sometimes loving, often challenging and at times irritating, these teachers and guides are here for a specific purpose. Unfortunately for many of us, we are in such a hurry, we leave little time to hear their message. So we go on making the same mistakes, get involved with people we "know" are all wrong for us, and in the end we not only not get to where we need to be on our path to an inspired life, we actually loose a step or two along the way and end up further from our goals.
Why do we not heed their sage advise? Why do we ignore the very people sent to help us, the ones we really need to help us understand the unknowable we invariably come up against on this path we have come upon. Why? I will tell you why, the same reason chocolate and ice cream are favored over salad and broccoli. We like what we know is bad for us. The same with people, we are attracted to that which will "kill our soul instead of lifting our spirit". Think about it, don't you often choose a food, journey or people you know in your heart of hearts are the absolutely worse man or woman you instinctively feel is a major mistake. We are attracted to that which will bring us down instead of helping us soar. Go figure. Intelligent people who grab failure on the threshold of success. Friends who choose self-destructive behaviors over self-healing beingness.
This is a lot to take in, but suffice it to say that we become what we most despise. But this is not a lock, we don't have to choose destructive behavior over constructive lifeness. What I mean, we still have control over our lives. We still call the shots, even if they are misguided and inherently against our best interests. We still write our stories, the words to our music and the melodies we call life. But sometimes, just sometimes life is just that, life happens whether we get it or not. It just that way sometimes. So the best we can do, the most that we are capable of is to listen to that which speaks to your heart and soul. Trust yourself and your intuition to know you better, certainly better than the intentions of others who haven't a clue as to your beingness.
So for now, when these life lessons present themselves in the guise of friends or foes, just listen to not what they are saying, but why they are in your life at this moment. Take what they say to heart, learn the lessons that present themselves to you. Give them a chance to help you, after all they are here for a reason, you called for them, So no matter what, see what they are trying to say to you, what are they trying to teach you.
Have a wonderful evening,
Robb
Sometimes there really is no rhyme or reason to the way our lives move along the meandering path that is our journey of life. Those unexpected turns and detours that pop up now and again are just enough of a reason to think about our lives, and all those amazing people interact with. Sometimes loving, often challenging and at times irritating, these teachers and guides are here for a specific purpose. Unfortunately for many of us, we are in such a hurry, we leave little time to hear their message. So we go on making the same mistakes, get involved with people we "know" are all wrong for us, and in the end we not only not get to where we need to be on our path to an inspired life, we actually loose a step or two along the way and end up further from our goals.
Why do we not heed their sage advise? Why do we ignore the very people sent to help us, the ones we really need to help us understand the unknowable we invariably come up against on this path we have come upon. Why? I will tell you why, the same reason chocolate and ice cream are favored over salad and broccoli. We like what we know is bad for us. The same with people, we are attracted to that which will "kill our soul instead of lifting our spirit". Think about it, don't you often choose a food, journey or people you know in your heart of hearts are the absolutely worse man or woman you instinctively feel is a major mistake. We are attracted to that which will bring us down instead of helping us soar. Go figure. Intelligent people who grab failure on the threshold of success. Friends who choose self-destructive behaviors over self-healing beingness.
This is a lot to take in, but suffice it to say that we become what we most despise. But this is not a lock, we don't have to choose destructive behavior over constructive lifeness. What I mean, we still have control over our lives. We still call the shots, even if they are misguided and inherently against our best interests. We still write our stories, the words to our music and the melodies we call life. But sometimes, just sometimes life is just that, life happens whether we get it or not. It just that way sometimes. So the best we can do, the most that we are capable of is to listen to that which speaks to your heart and soul. Trust yourself and your intuition to know you better, certainly better than the intentions of others who haven't a clue as to your beingness.
So for now, when these life lessons present themselves in the guise of friends or foes, just listen to not what they are saying, but why they are in your life at this moment. Take what they say to heart, learn the lessons that present themselves to you. Give them a chance to help you, after all they are here for a reason, you called for them, So no matter what, see what they are trying to say to you, what are they trying to teach you.
Have a wonderful evening,
Robb
Sunday, April 4, 2010
SUNDAY APRIL 4, 2010
GOOD MORNING!
Just look up! We are often told, that in life you need to look around you for the answers. The faithful tell us to look up for inspiration, we are not to look backwards, because that is the past and we should live in the present. And of course you do need to look forward to see your real life.
But I am here to tell one and all, and not be arrogant, you need to look inside. The clues may be around you, but the answers are inside you. Maybe deep inside, but none the less that is where your truth resides. Truth is another of those oddities of life, we all seem to have it, and we are certain that ours is the real thing as it were. What do you think? Is my truth your truth, is the person next to you the holder of the Grail. Does the next book you read hold the key to your life's wants, needs and desires. I think not, in fact you could say with a high degree of certainty, that the only real truth (other than 2+2=4), is what you know, or what you feel is right, and then it is only right for you.
I would posit that your life's experience dictates your truth and understanding of your world. It is this perspective or view that colors what you see and what it ultimately means. So what I am saying is this, be comfortable in your convictions, feel certain of its outcome, just remember what is good and relevant for you, couldn't possibly be right for your spouse, mate or best friends. Sure you share a common background, shared values and similar experiences, but the way you view them are entirely different, it couldn't possibly any other way.
So please enjoy the weekend with your loved ones, or even just by yourself. Talk, take a walk, or read that book you have been trying to start. Try to suspend judgement for at least an hour, then do it for another hour and see where this goes. Just know in your heart of hearts that you are valued, you are loved and you matter. What any emptier place this world would be without you.
Have a joyful day,
Robb
Just look up! We are often told, that in life you need to look around you for the answers. The faithful tell us to look up for inspiration, we are not to look backwards, because that is the past and we should live in the present. And of course you do need to look forward to see your real life.
But I am here to tell one and all, and not be arrogant, you need to look inside. The clues may be around you, but the answers are inside you. Maybe deep inside, but none the less that is where your truth resides. Truth is another of those oddities of life, we all seem to have it, and we are certain that ours is the real thing as it were. What do you think? Is my truth your truth, is the person next to you the holder of the Grail. Does the next book you read hold the key to your life's wants, needs and desires. I think not, in fact you could say with a high degree of certainty, that the only real truth (other than 2+2=4), is what you know, or what you feel is right, and then it is only right for you.
I would posit that your life's experience dictates your truth and understanding of your world. It is this perspective or view that colors what you see and what it ultimately means. So what I am saying is this, be comfortable in your convictions, feel certain of its outcome, just remember what is good and relevant for you, couldn't possibly be right for your spouse, mate or best friends. Sure you share a common background, shared values and similar experiences, but the way you view them are entirely different, it couldn't possibly any other way.
So please enjoy the weekend with your loved ones, or even just by yourself. Talk, take a walk, or read that book you have been trying to start. Try to suspend judgement for at least an hour, then do it for another hour and see where this goes. Just know in your heart of hearts that you are valued, you are loved and you matter. What any emptier place this world would be without you.
Have a joyful day,
Robb
Friday, March 26, 2010
FRIDAY MARCH 26,2010
GOOD AFTERNOON!
Getting out of your own way.
Often when we get confused or loose focus, we tend to blame everyone but the person causing all the distraction. Unfortunately for most of us, all we have to do is look no further than the closest mirror to find the culprit lurking in the background, foiling all we try to achieve.
So now that we have uncovered this sinister threat, the usurper of our brightest ideas and our loftiest dreams, we can confront them, embrace them, understand them and just let them go! Look them straight in the eye and ask, "why are you trying to sabotage me and all that is meaningful in my life", easy question, no easy answer. Hard to accept that we are often our own worse enemies, and to make matters worse, we often cheer on our own demise.
So what can you do, what do you want to do, what do you need to do. I think you know, and if you just take a few moments and quiet your crazy, busy mind, all that you need to confront this personal evil will manifest itself, and with concentration, you can make it all go away or at least contain it enough to deal with this toxicity at later time when you are emotionally stronger.
So take this weekend to examine your demons, and one by one confront them, embrace them and dismiss them, I can assure you with a high degree of certainty, that you will wake up Monday morning if not a different person, one that has a better perceptive on your life, and in so being a much stronger self with a brighter today.
Have a joyful day and weekend,
Robb
Getting out of your own way.
Often when we get confused or loose focus, we tend to blame everyone but the person causing all the distraction. Unfortunately for most of us, all we have to do is look no further than the closest mirror to find the culprit lurking in the background, foiling all we try to achieve.
So now that we have uncovered this sinister threat, the usurper of our brightest ideas and our loftiest dreams, we can confront them, embrace them, understand them and just let them go! Look them straight in the eye and ask, "why are you trying to sabotage me and all that is meaningful in my life", easy question, no easy answer. Hard to accept that we are often our own worse enemies, and to make matters worse, we often cheer on our own demise.
So what can you do, what do you want to do, what do you need to do. I think you know, and if you just take a few moments and quiet your crazy, busy mind, all that you need to confront this personal evil will manifest itself, and with concentration, you can make it all go away or at least contain it enough to deal with this toxicity at later time when you are emotionally stronger.
So take this weekend to examine your demons, and one by one confront them, embrace them and dismiss them, I can assure you with a high degree of certainty, that you will wake up Monday morning if not a different person, one that has a better perceptive on your life, and in so being a much stronger self with a brighter today.
Have a joyful day and weekend,
Robb
Thursday, March 25, 2010
THURSDAY MARCH 25, 2010
GOOD MORNING!
I thought today we could all use a poem, so here I go,
In the morning sunrise,
And in the evening setting sun,
When we start our journey,
Thou the trip is never done,
Thou I may falter,
And my steps unsteady,
I gaze into your eyes,
A smile always ready,
I know in my heart of hearts,
You are there for me,
With a nurturing gaze,
Knowing I'm not an I but a we,
So now you understand that love never ends,
To be a in a circle of true, old friends!
Have a joyful day,
Robb
I thought today we could all use a poem, so here I go,
In the morning sunrise,
And in the evening setting sun,
When we start our journey,
Thou the trip is never done,
Thou I may falter,
And my steps unsteady,
I gaze into your eyes,
A smile always ready,
I know in my heart of hearts,
You are there for me,
With a nurturing gaze,
Knowing I'm not an I but a we,
So now you understand that love never ends,
To be a in a circle of true, old friends!
Have a joyful day,
Robb
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
WEDNESDAY MARCH 24, 2010
GOOD AFTERNOON,
We often finds ourselves lost, confounded by the way we view life. Our perspective or vantage colors all they we do, think and feel. So it is so so important to be. To be, what in the heck does this mean, to be!. What I am referring to is to be, as in, "to be or not to be, that is the question". Still don't understand? Well, then let's take a look at my perspective and maybe you will get it.
I life is so daunting, which it can be at times, how do we not loose our way, you know farblunged as my beloved dad used to say. It is getting lost, not on a literal trail, but on our spiritual journey. It is loosing our spiritual compass, not setting our spiritual GPS, so we do literally get lost. We make excuses for what is just a cosmic event. We say we don't understand, or we pout that "know one understands me". We start to think that we don't belong, we don't fit, so much so that we begin to wish we were someone else. Now here is where the danger is, why would you want to be someone else, don't you understand how perfect and wonderful you are. How empty the world would be without you, how your being would create a void so huge, that it is incomprehensible how much your absence would be felt?
Here is the senario I am speaking of, you begin to feel worthless, ( how rediculous), life looses meaning, you start to see your life as a mistake or worse that you should have never been born. Have you never seen "Its A Wonderful Life", well, take some advise and leave this post til later and go rent the DVD and watch it. Belelive me, it this doesn't give you perspective on your life, well you will see what I am getting at. So life sucks, it has little or know meaning, you wish you were someone else. Do have any idead on a given day how many people feel this way? Guess? You will never guess because most folks feel this at some point in their lives.
The problem is since so many people are having this life fracturing expirence at the same time, as soon as you wish to be someone else, your spiritual being, the person you actually are (without the skin), begins to leave your body and starts to look for vessel that truly represents who you are. And when that happens, watch out, what you are about to expirence is nothing short of cosmic shock syndrome. What I am saying here is that events start to happen, events that your couldn't possibly have seen, unfortunatly for you, the person you are, the person you longer care to be, the person that you soon will cease to inhabit looks pretty good to the person to your right who is having a life fracturing crisis of their own, and your being appears to be a perfect fit for them.
And before you realize that you are just fine and that what you are about is exactly where you should be, your spiritual being is gone, taken by that person who see's in you, exactly what you thought you were lacking. They see in your beingness, all the answers that you seek, in so many words, things start to just fall into place.
The point here is this, be careful for what you wish for; be careful for what you want, find out your needs, not your wants. They are not the same, well usually they are not the same. You are more perfect than you think, you are defintely more perfect than what others think, and here is the rub, it is only important how you see yourself, not what others place on your silloutte. See yourself as the universe looks at you, a near perfect being in search of possiblilties.
So the next time you get the mistaken notion that "Iwish I was someone else", think again, and realize what a great loss you would be to yourself and all who love you, and we all love you.
Have a joyful day,
Robb
We often finds ourselves lost, confounded by the way we view life. Our perspective or vantage colors all they we do, think and feel. So it is so so important to be. To be, what in the heck does this mean, to be!. What I am referring to is to be, as in, "to be or not to be, that is the question". Still don't understand? Well, then let's take a look at my perspective and maybe you will get it.
I life is so daunting, which it can be at times, how do we not loose our way, you know farblunged as my beloved dad used to say. It is getting lost, not on a literal trail, but on our spiritual journey. It is loosing our spiritual compass, not setting our spiritual GPS, so we do literally get lost. We make excuses for what is just a cosmic event. We say we don't understand, or we pout that "know one understands me". We start to think that we don't belong, we don't fit, so much so that we begin to wish we were someone else. Now here is where the danger is, why would you want to be someone else, don't you understand how perfect and wonderful you are. How empty the world would be without you, how your being would create a void so huge, that it is incomprehensible how much your absence would be felt?
Here is the senario I am speaking of, you begin to feel worthless, ( how rediculous), life looses meaning, you start to see your life as a mistake or worse that you should have never been born. Have you never seen "Its A Wonderful Life", well, take some advise and leave this post til later and go rent the DVD and watch it. Belelive me, it this doesn't give you perspective on your life, well you will see what I am getting at. So life sucks, it has little or know meaning, you wish you were someone else. Do have any idead on a given day how many people feel this way? Guess? You will never guess because most folks feel this at some point in their lives.
The problem is since so many people are having this life fracturing expirence at the same time, as soon as you wish to be someone else, your spiritual being, the person you actually are (without the skin), begins to leave your body and starts to look for vessel that truly represents who you are. And when that happens, watch out, what you are about to expirence is nothing short of cosmic shock syndrome. What I am saying here is that events start to happen, events that your couldn't possibly have seen, unfortunatly for you, the person you are, the person you longer care to be, the person that you soon will cease to inhabit looks pretty good to the person to your right who is having a life fracturing crisis of their own, and your being appears to be a perfect fit for them.
And before you realize that you are just fine and that what you are about is exactly where you should be, your spiritual being is gone, taken by that person who see's in you, exactly what you thought you were lacking. They see in your beingness, all the answers that you seek, in so many words, things start to just fall into place.
The point here is this, be careful for what you wish for; be careful for what you want, find out your needs, not your wants. They are not the same, well usually they are not the same. You are more perfect than you think, you are defintely more perfect than what others think, and here is the rub, it is only important how you see yourself, not what others place on your silloutte. See yourself as the universe looks at you, a near perfect being in search of possiblilties.
So the next time you get the mistaken notion that "Iwish I was someone else", think again, and realize what a great loss you would be to yourself and all who love you, and we all love you.
Have a joyful day,
Robb
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
WEDNESDAY MARCH 23, 2010
GOOD AFTERNOON!
Its a new day, and so it time for another step down your path of joy, happiness and enlightenment. Did you you start this morning with your joy and gratitude mantra. I know it sounds silly, but you will find that asking for joy will hasten its coming down your path to meet you. All these suggestions are here not to limit your journey, but to enhance it and in so doing, embolden you to continue down this pathway and forward to your dream.
This morning you will want to continue with your mantra and add a new dimension to it. What do want out of life, what is next on your wish list, remember if you don't ask for it, it will never materialize, it won't manifest itself and will limit what you receive. I like adding gratitude to my morning request. It reinforces everything you have done before, and allows the joy energy to flow in your direction. Sooooo for tomorrow morning,start with, I choose joy, I choose gratitude for all that I was, all that I am and all that I will be. Tweak this mantra to fit your personality and try for a week or a month and see how it works for you.
So open this door and walk through and soon you will find other doors and opportunities opening for you. And as you travel this pathway on your journey, you will feel the rush of emotion not felt it a very long time, and a sense of well being. A calm and excitement all at once.
Have a joyful day!
Robb
Its a new day, and so it time for another step down your path of joy, happiness and enlightenment. Did you you start this morning with your joy and gratitude mantra. I know it sounds silly, but you will find that asking for joy will hasten its coming down your path to meet you. All these suggestions are here not to limit your journey, but to enhance it and in so doing, embolden you to continue down this pathway and forward to your dream.
This morning you will want to continue with your mantra and add a new dimension to it. What do want out of life, what is next on your wish list, remember if you don't ask for it, it will never materialize, it won't manifest itself and will limit what you receive. I like adding gratitude to my morning request. It reinforces everything you have done before, and allows the joy energy to flow in your direction. Sooooo for tomorrow morning,start with, I choose joy, I choose gratitude for all that I was, all that I am and all that I will be. Tweak this mantra to fit your personality and try for a week or a month and see how it works for you.
So open this door and walk through and soon you will find other doors and opportunities opening for you. And as you travel this pathway on your journey, you will feel the rush of emotion not felt it a very long time, and a sense of well being. A calm and excitement all at once.
Have a joyful day!
Robb
Monday, March 22, 2010
MONDAY MARCH 22, 2010
GOOD EVENING!
To continue with yesterday's post, living a life of joy, fulfillment and enlightenment takes action. This is not a passive path, rather it is an act of faith and courage to go beyond your own world and travel to regions in your mind that are heretofore unknown, or at least areas you haven't passed in quite a while, possibly since you first arrived here. So what can you do in order to pursue this road. What lessons do I need to learn in order to make all my efforts take hold.
If a journey of a lifetime begins with a single step, then that is what you must do. Your first step is to acknowledge your life and where you are, and to lay out a map as it were to where you want to be (spiritually). Set up a series of guideposts that will illuminate your path, show you the way and help you when you occasionally get a little lost. With the help of these set points, you will be able to confidently move your life along a path of your choosing, but also acknowledge when you are befuddled, so that you can right your sail so to speak.
It is ok to get lost, it can even be helpful in understanding yourself and where you are. It is kind of like taking an accounting of what you are about, seeing how it is working for you and make whatever adjustments necessary for the moment. See, simple, huh, well not so simple, but I hope this is beginning to make some sense. I promise you it will all all into place after a while, and when it does, the clouds will lift off your head and you will see, feel, taste, smell and hear life as you have never experienced before.
So for now, start each morning with a mantra of your own creation, I like to start by choosing joy, and then I add happiness, abundance and light. You will find as you build your own Joy Handbook, filling it with stories, phrases, pictures, flowers, photos or whatever brings meaning to you, it will begin to take shape and the foundation of a truly joyful beingness will form from the confusion you once felt to the clarity of purpose you begin to become.
Have a joyful week,
Robb
To continue with yesterday's post, living a life of joy, fulfillment and enlightenment takes action. This is not a passive path, rather it is an act of faith and courage to go beyond your own world and travel to regions in your mind that are heretofore unknown, or at least areas you haven't passed in quite a while, possibly since you first arrived here. So what can you do in order to pursue this road. What lessons do I need to learn in order to make all my efforts take hold.
If a journey of a lifetime begins with a single step, then that is what you must do. Your first step is to acknowledge your life and where you are, and to lay out a map as it were to where you want to be (spiritually). Set up a series of guideposts that will illuminate your path, show you the way and help you when you occasionally get a little lost. With the help of these set points, you will be able to confidently move your life along a path of your choosing, but also acknowledge when you are befuddled, so that you can right your sail so to speak.
It is ok to get lost, it can even be helpful in understanding yourself and where you are. It is kind of like taking an accounting of what you are about, seeing how it is working for you and make whatever adjustments necessary for the moment. See, simple, huh, well not so simple, but I hope this is beginning to make some sense. I promise you it will all all into place after a while, and when it does, the clouds will lift off your head and you will see, feel, taste, smell and hear life as you have never experienced before.
So for now, start each morning with a mantra of your own creation, I like to start by choosing joy, and then I add happiness, abundance and light. You will find as you build your own Joy Handbook, filling it with stories, phrases, pictures, flowers, photos or whatever brings meaning to you, it will begin to take shape and the foundation of a truly joyful beingness will form from the confusion you once felt to the clarity of purpose you begin to become.
Have a joyful week,
Robb
Sunday, March 21, 2010
WEEKEND OF MARCH 19-21, 2010
Hi Friends,
Living a joyful life is not an easy task. Fortunately, we are quire able to start living joyfully right at this moment, and in this moment. We start by finding the joy on a daily basis, look for something to be joyful about, look for something to be grateful for and look for something to just smile at.
Not to daunting a task I grant you. But one that appears to be without answer by virtue of the fact that few of us are able to live in this manner. it is not that we choose misery, sadness and a total lack of connection to our fellow beings. Nor is it due to a lack of desire to reach a higher level of spirituality. No I believe it is because we have somehow forgotten what it is like to be joyful and feel happiness. Yes, I know look at children, see how effortlessly they romp and play and exhibit all the joy and happiness possible in their little worlds. Ever wonder why? Ever wonder what in the world do these little people know that we oh so sophisticated beings don't?
Actually, this is a simple one, the answer is they have the book, or better put, they have the Handbook of Joy, a manual if you will that spells out what you need to know to live a fully functional, self actualized life of joy and happiness. So where is this book you speak of, in fact you are probably asking yourself, where is my book, did I ever have such a book, and if I had it and lost it, where do I get my copy back? Can I get it on Amazon, do I go to a used book store, or better yet, is it in my parents basement gathering decades of dust just waiting for the time that I really need it. And finally, why did I leave it, did I even read it, and if I did read it, why did I not learn the lessons it tried to impart to me?
So now we are getting somewhere. Where you are asking yourself are we getting. I don't feel anymore joy than when I got to this Blog. In fact, now I think I am feeling worse than I did a few moments ago. Or at least i think I feel worse, and even if I do not feel worse, I certainly don't feel any better. Well, you should feel better, in fact you should feel ecstatic because you now have within your reach, for the first time maybe, the very key to finding your joy and happiness, the key to a puzzle that has been vexing and in some cases down right impossible to not only understand, but before now, even understand.
So starting this evening, I will try my best to bring you clues and answers to your life's most puzzling questions, and in the most straight forward manner, give you a road map that you can embrace, follow, and at times adjust to your personal needs or even ignore, that I hope will help you find your way, your joy and happiness. I will endeavor to impart to you the information and material I have culled along my own journey to Joy and Happiness, and hope you will be the beneficiaries of this work. I suspect that much of what I will say will not be new, in fact I have tried to find nuggets of wisdom, snippets of information that will speed you on your way towards a life of fulfillment and enlightenment.
So here is my first suggestion for you, look for joy in your life, and if you can't seem to find it just yet, so what I did so many months ago, I start each morning by saying, " I have a choice today, this morning, and I choose joy!" This simple mantra is so simple and so right on the money. Try it for 30 days, yes everything takes just about 30 days to take hold. Then you will join this mantra with another, than another and still yet another. And before you know it, you will be writing your own handbook of joy, and by living this new life, looking for joy and happiness a funny thing happens. I think you know what I mean, it is amazing, when you start looking for happiness, how often you begin to find it. And once you start to find it here and there, you will find it everywhere as long as your eyes and heart are open. So for now begin to open your heart, your mind and your soul and let the joy in. Let it in every moment, every hour, every day. Just let it in........................
Have a joyful day,
Robb
Living a joyful life is not an easy task. Fortunately, we are quire able to start living joyfully right at this moment, and in this moment. We start by finding the joy on a daily basis, look for something to be joyful about, look for something to be grateful for and look for something to just smile at.
Not to daunting a task I grant you. But one that appears to be without answer by virtue of the fact that few of us are able to live in this manner. it is not that we choose misery, sadness and a total lack of connection to our fellow beings. Nor is it due to a lack of desire to reach a higher level of spirituality. No I believe it is because we have somehow forgotten what it is like to be joyful and feel happiness. Yes, I know look at children, see how effortlessly they romp and play and exhibit all the joy and happiness possible in their little worlds. Ever wonder why? Ever wonder what in the world do these little people know that we oh so sophisticated beings don't?
Actually, this is a simple one, the answer is they have the book, or better put, they have the Handbook of Joy, a manual if you will that spells out what you need to know to live a fully functional, self actualized life of joy and happiness. So where is this book you speak of, in fact you are probably asking yourself, where is my book, did I ever have such a book, and if I had it and lost it, where do I get my copy back? Can I get it on Amazon, do I go to a used book store, or better yet, is it in my parents basement gathering decades of dust just waiting for the time that I really need it. And finally, why did I leave it, did I even read it, and if I did read it, why did I not learn the lessons it tried to impart to me?
So now we are getting somewhere. Where you are asking yourself are we getting. I don't feel anymore joy than when I got to this Blog. In fact, now I think I am feeling worse than I did a few moments ago. Or at least i think I feel worse, and even if I do not feel worse, I certainly don't feel any better. Well, you should feel better, in fact you should feel ecstatic because you now have within your reach, for the first time maybe, the very key to finding your joy and happiness, the key to a puzzle that has been vexing and in some cases down right impossible to not only understand, but before now, even understand.
So starting this evening, I will try my best to bring you clues and answers to your life's most puzzling questions, and in the most straight forward manner, give you a road map that you can embrace, follow, and at times adjust to your personal needs or even ignore, that I hope will help you find your way, your joy and happiness. I will endeavor to impart to you the information and material I have culled along my own journey to Joy and Happiness, and hope you will be the beneficiaries of this work. I suspect that much of what I will say will not be new, in fact I have tried to find nuggets of wisdom, snippets of information that will speed you on your way towards a life of fulfillment and enlightenment.
So here is my first suggestion for you, look for joy in your life, and if you can't seem to find it just yet, so what I did so many months ago, I start each morning by saying, " I have a choice today, this morning, and I choose joy!" This simple mantra is so simple and so right on the money. Try it for 30 days, yes everything takes just about 30 days to take hold. Then you will join this mantra with another, than another and still yet another. And before you know it, you will be writing your own handbook of joy, and by living this new life, looking for joy and happiness a funny thing happens. I think you know what I mean, it is amazing, when you start looking for happiness, how often you begin to find it. And once you start to find it here and there, you will find it everywhere as long as your eyes and heart are open. So for now begin to open your heart, your mind and your soul and let the joy in. Let it in every moment, every hour, every day. Just let it in........................
Have a joyful day,
Robb
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
THURSDAY MARCH 17, 2010
HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!
My wish for you this day is to take whatever opportunities that come your way and do the most with what you have. What I mean is, loose the fear you carry deep inside and open that scary door of the mysterious world that is your potential , the potential to be, to have and to become what you already are deep in your soul.
So how do we open doors that we know to be good for us, the doors that give us the greatest of joy and enlightenment, yet keep us grounded and real? I would answer, what do you want, what do you want to do, is it really that simple, of course it is. All you need to do what you are already doing, just keep plodding along on your spiritual road trip, the journey will pass the very opportunities and choices you desire, but as yet been unable to manifest due to your inability to take these chances and see the sign posts up ahead that give you the reasoning to fathom out what they mean, where they go and ultimately where they take you. Beware of what you wish for, you may get it the old adage says.
So here is your big hint, take one goal or view you have of your life as it is or as it should be, and pursue this road for a bit and see how this works for you. Is it all you thought, is it less or is it nothing close. Take a step, take a chance and see for the first time with a clarity of soul, what it is that you truly seek. Embrace it, nurture it and take it all in and make part of your being. Does it fulfill what you need, does it answer a question, does it clarify an idea, does it move you down your path to Joy! Well does it, does it do what you want, does it do what you need! Take a moment, actually take about 15 moments and allow your tired and busy mind to take stock of this turn of events. Quiet your mind, quiet your soul, quiet your life, let it all sink in and then, and only then will all this we speak of make any modicum of sense, does it fit, does it speak to your beingness.
So for today, put on something green, march in a parade, have a chat with a friend, better yet, call a friend and see how they are doing on their spiritual journey. You never, ever know when you may have the answer to their emotional quandary. Maybe it is you that helps them open the door. Share your story, it often lets others that they are not alone.
Have a joyful day,
Robb
My wish for you this day is to take whatever opportunities that come your way and do the most with what you have. What I mean is, loose the fear you carry deep inside and open that scary door of the mysterious world that is your potential , the potential to be, to have and to become what you already are deep in your soul.
So how do we open doors that we know to be good for us, the doors that give us the greatest of joy and enlightenment, yet keep us grounded and real? I would answer, what do you want, what do you want to do, is it really that simple, of course it is. All you need to do what you are already doing, just keep plodding along on your spiritual road trip, the journey will pass the very opportunities and choices you desire, but as yet been unable to manifest due to your inability to take these chances and see the sign posts up ahead that give you the reasoning to fathom out what they mean, where they go and ultimately where they take you. Beware of what you wish for, you may get it the old adage says.
So here is your big hint, take one goal or view you have of your life as it is or as it should be, and pursue this road for a bit and see how this works for you. Is it all you thought, is it less or is it nothing close. Take a step, take a chance and see for the first time with a clarity of soul, what it is that you truly seek. Embrace it, nurture it and take it all in and make part of your being. Does it fulfill what you need, does it answer a question, does it clarify an idea, does it move you down your path to Joy! Well does it, does it do what you want, does it do what you need! Take a moment, actually take about 15 moments and allow your tired and busy mind to take stock of this turn of events. Quiet your mind, quiet your soul, quiet your life, let it all sink in and then, and only then will all this we speak of make any modicum of sense, does it fit, does it speak to your beingness.
So for today, put on something green, march in a parade, have a chat with a friend, better yet, call a friend and see how they are doing on their spiritual journey. You never, ever know when you may have the answer to their emotional quandary. Maybe it is you that helps them open the door. Share your story, it often lets others that they are not alone.
Have a joyful day,
Robb
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
TUESDAY MARCH 16, 2010
GOOD EVENING!
I was working with a wonderful realtor this afternoon inspecting a condo for a very nice couple.
All of a sudden we started talking about some very emotional ideas and she became a little "faclempted". Don't worry if you don't know this word, it means chocked up, misty or some close equivalent. She started to apologize and I stopped her and said why are you sorry, no need to excuse yourself in front of me. I tried to assure her that I have been around my fair share of "in the moment" women and that expressing herself or even better, not holding it in was not only ok, it is was the healthy thing to do.
The point I was getting at, is that we, I mean all of us, often make excuses for our behavior. When what we should be doing is the opposite, and in this I just mean, if we let our true selves out for more than just an occasional "spiritual walk"we would all feel a heck of alot better. Imagine if you will, a typically stressful day, and all you want to do is yell at the gods and get it all off your collective chests. Well, since you can't go about screaming in the middle of your office or in court, then there must be a place you can. It is so simple, you don't have to go anywhere, you just have to go to yourself. This takes a bit of practice, but with a little bit of time, you will be able to let off steam, scream or cry all without anyone or with everyone knowing. It is up to you, you make the call. Share or not to share, just let those feelings take you where you have to go.
There has to be a reason you need a release, it makes no difference what the reason, just the fact that you are reaching out emotionally is enough of a reason. So the choice is yours, leave it buried deep inside, or let it come to the surface when you decide, you make the call, the control is in your hands and heart. As your soul speaks so you respond, as you need so you will travel this road.
So the next time the feeling bubbles up to the surface, let it come, let it come with all the force you can muster. Embrace, acknowledge it and then let it go!
Have a joyful evening,
Robb
I was working with a wonderful realtor this afternoon inspecting a condo for a very nice couple.
All of a sudden we started talking about some very emotional ideas and she became a little "faclempted". Don't worry if you don't know this word, it means chocked up, misty or some close equivalent. She started to apologize and I stopped her and said why are you sorry, no need to excuse yourself in front of me. I tried to assure her that I have been around my fair share of "in the moment" women and that expressing herself or even better, not holding it in was not only ok, it is was the healthy thing to do.
The point I was getting at, is that we, I mean all of us, often make excuses for our behavior. When what we should be doing is the opposite, and in this I just mean, if we let our true selves out for more than just an occasional "spiritual walk"we would all feel a heck of alot better. Imagine if you will, a typically stressful day, and all you want to do is yell at the gods and get it all off your collective chests. Well, since you can't go about screaming in the middle of your office or in court, then there must be a place you can. It is so simple, you don't have to go anywhere, you just have to go to yourself. This takes a bit of practice, but with a little bit of time, you will be able to let off steam, scream or cry all without anyone or with everyone knowing. It is up to you, you make the call. Share or not to share, just let those feelings take you where you have to go.
There has to be a reason you need a release, it makes no difference what the reason, just the fact that you are reaching out emotionally is enough of a reason. So the choice is yours, leave it buried deep inside, or let it come to the surface when you decide, you make the call, the control is in your hands and heart. As your soul speaks so you respond, as you need so you will travel this road.
So the next time the feeling bubbles up to the surface, let it come, let it come with all the force you can muster. Embrace, acknowledge it and then let it go!
Have a joyful evening,
Robb
Monday, March 15, 2010
TUESDAY MARCH 15, 2010
Good Evening Friends,
We often walk through doors, we open windows, we do all manner of things, both physically and metaphorically to get from one place to another. What I mean is, we take whatever routes necessary transform ourselves and this our lives in order to move to the next level, the next step on our journey.
Going through doors and opening windows are oh so spiritual, and yet they are grounded in our Earthly experience, that using these portals to get from one form to another seems so exotic, yet it is the basis of all life. So how do we travel to the one place we know will bring us all the happiness we desire and at the same time share this great gift with all whom we love.
And there is the rub, it would seem there is a conflict with getting all this happiness and joy, why wouldn't you want to share it You may think this simple, yet it is anything but. To get to give is the essence of a full functioning life, so why do we find this simple gift to tough to give. Well, if you can answer this one, then you are one up on me. You would think that having all you need would naturally lend itself to giving, but this is not the case, or it must be that we are all so selfish that the idea of sharing what we now know is so valuable, that it is all but impossible to do.
But you know better, getting to give, acquiring to share is of course the most spiritual act we can do. Yet we have trouble with this whole idea of giving, giving of ourselves, not our treasure, but of our being, of our soul. So for today, before going to bed, rest your soul for 10 minutes and see if tales you to the level you require to sleep the sleep of dreams.
Have a joyful evening,
Robb
We often walk through doors, we open windows, we do all manner of things, both physically and metaphorically to get from one place to another. What I mean is, we take whatever routes necessary transform ourselves and this our lives in order to move to the next level, the next step on our journey.
Going through doors and opening windows are oh so spiritual, and yet they are grounded in our Earthly experience, that using these portals to get from one form to another seems so exotic, yet it is the basis of all life. So how do we travel to the one place we know will bring us all the happiness we desire and at the same time share this great gift with all whom we love.
And there is the rub, it would seem there is a conflict with getting all this happiness and joy, why wouldn't you want to share it You may think this simple, yet it is anything but. To get to give is the essence of a full functioning life, so why do we find this simple gift to tough to give. Well, if you can answer this one, then you are one up on me. You would think that having all you need would naturally lend itself to giving, but this is not the case, or it must be that we are all so selfish that the idea of sharing what we now know is so valuable, that it is all but impossible to do.
But you know better, getting to give, acquiring to share is of course the most spiritual act we can do. Yet we have trouble with this whole idea of giving, giving of ourselves, not our treasure, but of our being, of our soul. So for today, before going to bed, rest your soul for 10 minutes and see if tales you to the level you require to sleep the sleep of dreams.
Have a joyful evening,
Robb
Saturday, March 13, 2010
WEEKEND OF MARCH 12-14, 2010
HI FRIENDS,
This weekend we come to our semi annual ritual of setting our clock. In the Winter we set them forward and in the Spring we set them forward. Very orderly as it were, the seasons pass in just the correct order, season after season, year after year. There never is a misstep, never a thought as to where we are in the celestial calendar of our time.
It occurred to me that here is a wonderful time out that Nature gives us twice a year and we never, ever give this opportunity a second thought. Has it ever passed your notice that we set our physical clocks twice a year for a reason, a reason that goes unnoticed, under the radar as it were. Why are we missing this amazing chance to reset our Spiritual Clocks? Why are we passing up the only real opportunity to see you lives in real terms and see where we are going. I find it strange (odd) that with all the rushing here and there just surviving, some call this life, that we miss such a wonderful gift, a gift of a time out.
So what I am saying is, take this gift, and set your inner clocks to your dreams, set your clock to your new realty. Set you life forward, forget about yesterday, tomorrow has yet to appear. Set your life forward today, stop living in the past, stop living in the present. All you have is now, today, this moment. This is setting yourself forward into now, this is setting yourself free.
Have a joyful weekend,
Robb
This weekend we come to our semi annual ritual of setting our clock. In the Winter we set them forward and in the Spring we set them forward. Very orderly as it were, the seasons pass in just the correct order, season after season, year after year. There never is a misstep, never a thought as to where we are in the celestial calendar of our time.
It occurred to me that here is a wonderful time out that Nature gives us twice a year and we never, ever give this opportunity a second thought. Has it ever passed your notice that we set our physical clocks twice a year for a reason, a reason that goes unnoticed, under the radar as it were. Why are we missing this amazing chance to reset our Spiritual Clocks? Why are we passing up the only real opportunity to see you lives in real terms and see where we are going. I find it strange (odd) that with all the rushing here and there just surviving, some call this life, that we miss such a wonderful gift, a gift of a time out.
So what I am saying is, take this gift, and set your inner clocks to your dreams, set your clock to your new realty. Set you life forward, forget about yesterday, tomorrow has yet to appear. Set your life forward today, stop living in the past, stop living in the present. All you have is now, today, this moment. This is setting yourself forward into now, this is setting yourself free.
Have a joyful weekend,
Robb
Thursday, March 11, 2010
THURSDAY MARCH 11, 2010
GOOD MORNING!
Answers
We as a culture are obsessed with having all the answers, getting the answers, and knowing the answers to their life as well as your life...... Yes, it is not enough to have their answers, they most certainly have the answers to your life questions too!
Sounds silly right, I bet you are asking yourself right at this moment, how can someone else possibly have the answers to your life, when they sure as heck not figured out their own. In other words, who do you think you are, where did you get the nerve to postulate on my status when sure as sh**t you haven't figured out yours. Whewwwwwwww, OK, let's just chill and take a moment, glad we got that off our collective chests.
So what is a one spiritual being having a human experience to do about figuring out what it is all about, and how do we connect to that feeling, that beingness that helps us define what it is we do and what we are? Now we are getting somewhere, you have to admit, that you often require a question, in order to evoke the right response or answers. Why do we have to make huge strides in our lives, when just taking small, baby steps will get you where you need to be.
Believe me the world is round, we all get there eventually, the difference in the knowing is in order to be, you have to know. And in order to know you have have a sense of where you are. You have often heard me say that you need to know where you are in order to know how to get where you are going. In other words, you need a set point, a place where you start. Now you may be saying, this is not where I want to be, but quite often where you are is where you need to be, a place to gain perspective. believe me, you really, really need perspective in order to get on with your life, in order to know what you want, but more importantly what you need. A need vs. a want, (keep this idea at the forefront of your being at all times).
You get the answers You need when you allow your self to heal. We all are in need of healing. We just need to acknowledge the need. We think of healing, as if it only applies to a physical cause, but more often than not if it is a direct consequent of a spiritual riff of our soul. Now I know this is a big one, but this is the key point of my posting. This is why getting deep into ourselves, without getting lost in the minutia of the idea and less to the root cause. So look for the most obvious feeling or intuition to get to your root. Better put, look for the door that opens up to your being, and in so doing gives you a peak, then a look into the you that defines your life, herein lays the answers you seek and over time as you move in the direction of your being, you begin to find the answers to your life questions.
So for today, open that door, even just a peek and see what lays beyond, you may be pleasantly surprised that what you thought you wanted wasn't even close to your need. So let it just flow over you like a wave, let it take you where you need to go.
Have a joyful day,
Robb
Answers
We as a culture are obsessed with having all the answers, getting the answers, and knowing the answers to their life as well as your life...... Yes, it is not enough to have their answers, they most certainly have the answers to your life questions too!
Sounds silly right, I bet you are asking yourself right at this moment, how can someone else possibly have the answers to your life, when they sure as heck not figured out their own. In other words, who do you think you are, where did you get the nerve to postulate on my status when sure as sh**t you haven't figured out yours. Whewwwwwwww, OK, let's just chill and take a moment, glad we got that off our collective chests.
So what is a one spiritual being having a human experience to do about figuring out what it is all about, and how do we connect to that feeling, that beingness that helps us define what it is we do and what we are? Now we are getting somewhere, you have to admit, that you often require a question, in order to evoke the right response or answers. Why do we have to make huge strides in our lives, when just taking small, baby steps will get you where you need to be.
Believe me the world is round, we all get there eventually, the difference in the knowing is in order to be, you have to know. And in order to know you have have a sense of where you are. You have often heard me say that you need to know where you are in order to know how to get where you are going. In other words, you need a set point, a place where you start. Now you may be saying, this is not where I want to be, but quite often where you are is where you need to be, a place to gain perspective. believe me, you really, really need perspective in order to get on with your life, in order to know what you want, but more importantly what you need. A need vs. a want, (keep this idea at the forefront of your being at all times).
You get the answers You need when you allow your self to heal. We all are in need of healing. We just need to acknowledge the need. We think of healing, as if it only applies to a physical cause, but more often than not if it is a direct consequent of a spiritual riff of our soul. Now I know this is a big one, but this is the key point of my posting. This is why getting deep into ourselves, without getting lost in the minutia of the idea and less to the root cause. So look for the most obvious feeling or intuition to get to your root. Better put, look for the door that opens up to your being, and in so doing gives you a peak, then a look into the you that defines your life, herein lays the answers you seek and over time as you move in the direction of your being, you begin to find the answers to your life questions.
So for today, open that door, even just a peek and see what lays beyond, you may be pleasantly surprised that what you thought you wanted wasn't even close to your need. So let it just flow over you like a wave, let it take you where you need to go.
Have a joyful day,
Robb
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
WEDNESDAY MARCH 10, 2010
GOOD EVENING!
Life is simple, really it is, it is we who make it complicated, difficult and painful. Now this is not to say that we cause our own pain, we don't wish for our loved ones to become ill of worse to pass on. No, what I mean is we often take a challenging episode on our spiritual road trip and make it more so. It is we who throw up road blocks, it is we who drive over the rut in the road, it is we who hit the tree. As Pogo used to say, "I have seen the enemy and he is me"!
Why do we sabotage ourselves? Do we wish for failure? Do we really want a life of lack instead of abundance? I am sure you are asking yourself, who would want a life of sorrow if you could have a life of joy? I am sure the logic is killing you, but many people are afraid of success, afraid of having a life filled with their hearts desire. A life shared with that someone special, that one person that completes them. But time and again we screw up, we drop the ball, we just make bad decisions.
We say we want all these wonderful things, we want to meet their soul-mate, we want a life of fulfilled promise, but for some unknown reason, when we have the opportunity to pursue path, we choose another. It is as if we feel unworthy of a life that has meaning, a life that fill our desires, a life of unbounded joy.
But the fact is, this is our destiny, this is our legacy, this is our birthright. This is the life the Creator has promised, layed out for us, set out feet upon this path. All we have to do is place one foot in front of the next, read the sign posts, take advantage of the opportunities presented and move forward in the direction of our dreams, goals and aspirations. Do you have the courage to walk through that door, do you have the guts to take the road less travelled, but is the right one for you, do have enough faith in yourself to follow your spiritual compass, your soulful GPS???
It really is all up to you. i know you have what it takes. Your loved ones certainly understand what you are going through, but have confidence in your ability. Why don't you. Why don't you believe that you can, yes we can and yes you can. You just have to believe that you have what it takes to get through the next bump in the road ( just an opportunity is disguise). You just have to tell yourself that you can. Yes, it is that easy. Just do it! And do it now, not tomorrow, not next week, not in an hour.
Just for today, when you wake up, tell yourself that you are in charge of your life. Does not mean that it is any easier, it just means you have decided to sign up with yourself, you have made up your mind that you will drive your car, and not just be the passenger. Sometimes you just have to take over the wheel and take charge! I have faith you can do this, so just decide that you will.
Have a joyful evening,
Robb
Life is simple, really it is, it is we who make it complicated, difficult and painful. Now this is not to say that we cause our own pain, we don't wish for our loved ones to become ill of worse to pass on. No, what I mean is we often take a challenging episode on our spiritual road trip and make it more so. It is we who throw up road blocks, it is we who drive over the rut in the road, it is we who hit the tree. As Pogo used to say, "I have seen the enemy and he is me"!
Why do we sabotage ourselves? Do we wish for failure? Do we really want a life of lack instead of abundance? I am sure you are asking yourself, who would want a life of sorrow if you could have a life of joy? I am sure the logic is killing you, but many people are afraid of success, afraid of having a life filled with their hearts desire. A life shared with that someone special, that one person that completes them. But time and again we screw up, we drop the ball, we just make bad decisions.
We say we want all these wonderful things, we want to meet their soul-mate, we want a life of fulfilled promise, but for some unknown reason, when we have the opportunity to pursue path, we choose another. It is as if we feel unworthy of a life that has meaning, a life that fill our desires, a life of unbounded joy.
But the fact is, this is our destiny, this is our legacy, this is our birthright. This is the life the Creator has promised, layed out for us, set out feet upon this path. All we have to do is place one foot in front of the next, read the sign posts, take advantage of the opportunities presented and move forward in the direction of our dreams, goals and aspirations. Do you have the courage to walk through that door, do you have the guts to take the road less travelled, but is the right one for you, do have enough faith in yourself to follow your spiritual compass, your soulful GPS???
It really is all up to you. i know you have what it takes. Your loved ones certainly understand what you are going through, but have confidence in your ability. Why don't you. Why don't you believe that you can, yes we can and yes you can. You just have to believe that you have what it takes to get through the next bump in the road ( just an opportunity is disguise). You just have to tell yourself that you can. Yes, it is that easy. Just do it! And do it now, not tomorrow, not next week, not in an hour.
Just for today, when you wake up, tell yourself that you are in charge of your life. Does not mean that it is any easier, it just means you have decided to sign up with yourself, you have made up your mind that you will drive your car, and not just be the passenger. Sometimes you just have to take over the wheel and take charge! I have faith you can do this, so just decide that you will.
Have a joyful evening,
Robb
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
TUESDAY MARCH 9, 2010
GOOD EVENING FRIENDS!
It has been a long day, but I couldn't let a day go by without letting you all know how important you all are to me. There is not a day go by that a friend of mine doesn't reach out and touch me in some way, big or small, raging issue or just a kind word. I can't tell how much this touches me, and encourages me to go further and stretch my spiritual being.
I was speaking of joy the other day on my Facebook page, to say I have hit upon an idea that touches the soul would be an understatement. At least I think I am getting close to something. So we now understand that the true measure of joy, is the ability to look past the pain we are going through, and have the ability to see the other side where all the possibilities of life dwell. This choice is the first step in healing, thus giving yourself permission to embrace all the pain you have accepted and are now ready to let go and advance from a place of pain and sorrow, to a place of happiness and joy! To go from what was to a place where it can be. And in this moment, you begin to heal, gain strength and confidence as you move in the direction of your hopes and dreams.
The Door
Next you need to pass through the Door. This is the scary part, the unknown is always scary as it should be. This is an opportunity to go where you need to go, but have been unable to get off this spot you have clung to, a spot so painful, but familiar. It is this familiarity that gives us comfort in its knowing, as its counterpart, we feel great pain from the same source of comfort. But we persevere, we move forward in this direction, sure of our goal, positive that through the pain, will come comfort we seek, and the illumination the light we yearn for. So go through the Door, step, stumble, but go forward, see where it leads, is it what you seek, or is it another bend in the road that takes you to yet another direction and through another door where the light is yet still waiting.
have faith that you seek is there, and where you tarry will not be in vain. Have faith, have joy and have a life filled with happiness and love.
Have a joyful evening,
Robb
It has been a long day, but I couldn't let a day go by without letting you all know how important you all are to me. There is not a day go by that a friend of mine doesn't reach out and touch me in some way, big or small, raging issue or just a kind word. I can't tell how much this touches me, and encourages me to go further and stretch my spiritual being.
I was speaking of joy the other day on my Facebook page, to say I have hit upon an idea that touches the soul would be an understatement. At least I think I am getting close to something. So we now understand that the true measure of joy, is the ability to look past the pain we are going through, and have the ability to see the other side where all the possibilities of life dwell. This choice is the first step in healing, thus giving yourself permission to embrace all the pain you have accepted and are now ready to let go and advance from a place of pain and sorrow, to a place of happiness and joy! To go from what was to a place where it can be. And in this moment, you begin to heal, gain strength and confidence as you move in the direction of your hopes and dreams.
The Door
Next you need to pass through the Door. This is the scary part, the unknown is always scary as it should be. This is an opportunity to go where you need to go, but have been unable to get off this spot you have clung to, a spot so painful, but familiar. It is this familiarity that gives us comfort in its knowing, as its counterpart, we feel great pain from the same source of comfort. But we persevere, we move forward in this direction, sure of our goal, positive that through the pain, will come comfort we seek, and the illumination the light we yearn for. So go through the Door, step, stumble, but go forward, see where it leads, is it what you seek, or is it another bend in the road that takes you to yet another direction and through another door where the light is yet still waiting.
have faith that you seek is there, and where you tarry will not be in vain. Have faith, have joy and have a life filled with happiness and love.
Have a joyful evening,
Robb
Monday, March 8, 2010
MONDAY MARCH 8, 2010
GOOD MORNING!
Today let's talk about the "Rules of Life". Catchy title huh? So what are these rules and where do they come from.
Well they come from the Universe, the what is a little more difficult, but of course we all know the more difficult just takes a little longer.
So here we go,
1. If in doubt don't.
2. Never miss an opportunity to take advantage of an opportunity.
3. Life is short, don't use 100 words when 20 will do, ( I need to remember this one).
4. Love is the answer, and it is infectious, so next time you see someone you care about, hug them and tell them. (spread the love)
5. The world is round, if you miss it, it will reappear again, the good and the bad.
6. Your words are like bullets, choose them wisely, aim carefully and remember they can kill.
7. Every morning you have a choice, choose joy over sorrow, choose happiness over sadness, choose abundance over scarcity.
8. See the possibility in everything.
9. If you think you can you can, if you think you can't, well this is also true.
10. You can't fill a spiritual void with material objects, so if you are digging a misery hole, just stop, pick yourself up, dust yourself and get moving.
More rules to come, if you have others, please let me know.
Have a joyful day,
Robb
Copyright 2010, from "Rules of Life" by Robb Packer 2010
Today let's talk about the "Rules of Life". Catchy title huh? So what are these rules and where do they come from.
Well they come from the Universe, the what is a little more difficult, but of course we all know the more difficult just takes a little longer.
So here we go,
1. If in doubt don't.
2. Never miss an opportunity to take advantage of an opportunity.
3. Life is short, don't use 100 words when 20 will do, ( I need to remember this one).
4. Love is the answer, and it is infectious, so next time you see someone you care about, hug them and tell them. (spread the love)
5. The world is round, if you miss it, it will reappear again, the good and the bad.
6. Your words are like bullets, choose them wisely, aim carefully and remember they can kill.
7. Every morning you have a choice, choose joy over sorrow, choose happiness over sadness, choose abundance over scarcity.
8. See the possibility in everything.
9. If you think you can you can, if you think you can't, well this is also true.
10. You can't fill a spiritual void with material objects, so if you are digging a misery hole, just stop, pick yourself up, dust yourself and get moving.
More rules to come, if you have others, please let me know.
Have a joyful day,
Robb
Copyright 2010, from "Rules of Life" by Robb Packer 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
FRIDAY MARCH 5, 2010
GOOD MORNING!
We often read of the light, a light that burns that is not consumed, a light unto the World. The light we speak of spiritually, is not our usual lights we have come to recognize. These are not the lights on the street that light the way, but do show us the true path we seek. These are not the lights of the holidays we celebrate, that we come to relate to our family and friends, but a light that shines brightly none the less that illuminates the darkness in all of us, what we hide from our loved ones and ourselves.
What I am alluding to, spiritually speaking is the light of Creation, the Big Bang if you will. The light or flame within all of us. The light resides in our soul and signals our recollection of our past lives and signals a recognition on a solely spiritual level we may not even be aware of, yet allows us to "know" that special person. It allows that feeling, that intuition we talk about, kismet!
In a world of great changes and uncertainty, we are often lost on our journey and the sign posts are not as clear as we would like them to be, it our spiritual soundings that are the difference between lost and found. The difference of a life of wandering aimlessly in the darkness or a life of unparalleled light of advancing along the path with a high degree of certainty and joy.
So for today and this weekend, connect to your inner compass, follow your spiritual GPS and see where you are going and then move a little further along, then a little further along the path of light and happiness toward unfettered joy!
Have a joyful day!
Robb
We often read of the light, a light that burns that is not consumed, a light unto the World. The light we speak of spiritually, is not our usual lights we have come to recognize. These are not the lights on the street that light the way, but do show us the true path we seek. These are not the lights of the holidays we celebrate, that we come to relate to our family and friends, but a light that shines brightly none the less that illuminates the darkness in all of us, what we hide from our loved ones and ourselves.
What I am alluding to, spiritually speaking is the light of Creation, the Big Bang if you will. The light or flame within all of us. The light resides in our soul and signals our recollection of our past lives and signals a recognition on a solely spiritual level we may not even be aware of, yet allows us to "know" that special person. It allows that feeling, that intuition we talk about, kismet!
In a world of great changes and uncertainty, we are often lost on our journey and the sign posts are not as clear as we would like them to be, it our spiritual soundings that are the difference between lost and found. The difference of a life of wandering aimlessly in the darkness or a life of unparalleled light of advancing along the path with a high degree of certainty and joy.
So for today and this weekend, connect to your inner compass, follow your spiritual GPS and see where you are going and then move a little further along, then a little further along the path of light and happiness toward unfettered joy!
Have a joyful day!
Robb
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
WEDNESDAY MARCH 3, 2010
GOOD MORNING!
Forever,
Forever is an interesting idea. Nothing is forever, nothing lasts, which brings me to an observation based on a lot of complaining I have been hearing of late. I don't mean the usual complaining, the every day kind of complaining, I am speaking of the forever kind of complaining.
What you may be asking yourself is he writing about, well as in most short statements I tend to make, there is a whole lot of feeling and reasoning behind my statement. Not that I am cryptic, I don't think it is that deep, but I do mean you have to put forth some effort to fathom it out. So back to the statement nothing lasts forever, or nothing is forever. What I am trying to say is in our little world nothing good or nothing bad lasts, and of course this is good and bad.
Good, because we have all been through tough times, sad times or just trying times. So it is good to know and understand that these bumps in the road, these trees that seem to pop up on our Spiritual Road Trip are just that, just a bump, a minor distraction that sooner or later we will get past, get around or get over and then be able to move on. The best I can say about this period we all seem to go through (many times), learn, just learn and listen to the lessons the Universe is sending out to you, take it all in, quiet your mind and let it surround you, let it embrace you, and then just let it go. Yes, you need to engage even in your saddest of moments in order to move on and move past it.
As for the good times, the best of times, these also do not last forever. The point of this statement is less profound, and quite simple. You know a good time when it is over, you just don't always appreciate it when you are living it, and therefore you think the person or time will aways be there. But as with the bad times, the good times by there very definition are a limited view of life. How can this be, my life for however it is, extends to my years and beyond, the problem with this thought pattern is that it not only extends past yours, you are part of a much bigger thought pattern and of course it is this Universal Consciousness that we speak of and in so doing we see our reality set against the backdrop of a much larger Cosmos.
Seen in this much larger picture will enable all of us, but especially YOU, to better understand the YING and Yang, the UPS and DOWNS, the good and bad, that your journey will inevitably pass through. And this is good, it is all good because the acknowledgement of the Reality of Cosmos allows us to get off our spiritual tush and move forward in the direction of our spiritual set points, that as we gather these or rather as we attain Ordinary World Levels of Conscious Reality, we start to become more of ourselves and in so doing begin to see the value, the goodness of our spiritual being which allow us to fulfill whatever your Puzzle reveals.
Have a wonderful, light filled day,
Robb
Forever,
Forever is an interesting idea. Nothing is forever, nothing lasts, which brings me to an observation based on a lot of complaining I have been hearing of late. I don't mean the usual complaining, the every day kind of complaining, I am speaking of the forever kind of complaining.
What you may be asking yourself is he writing about, well as in most short statements I tend to make, there is a whole lot of feeling and reasoning behind my statement. Not that I am cryptic, I don't think it is that deep, but I do mean you have to put forth some effort to fathom it out. So back to the statement nothing lasts forever, or nothing is forever. What I am trying to say is in our little world nothing good or nothing bad lasts, and of course this is good and bad.
Good, because we have all been through tough times, sad times or just trying times. So it is good to know and understand that these bumps in the road, these trees that seem to pop up on our Spiritual Road Trip are just that, just a bump, a minor distraction that sooner or later we will get past, get around or get over and then be able to move on. The best I can say about this period we all seem to go through (many times), learn, just learn and listen to the lessons the Universe is sending out to you, take it all in, quiet your mind and let it surround you, let it embrace you, and then just let it go. Yes, you need to engage even in your saddest of moments in order to move on and move past it.
As for the good times, the best of times, these also do not last forever. The point of this statement is less profound, and quite simple. You know a good time when it is over, you just don't always appreciate it when you are living it, and therefore you think the person or time will aways be there. But as with the bad times, the good times by there very definition are a limited view of life. How can this be, my life for however it is, extends to my years and beyond, the problem with this thought pattern is that it not only extends past yours, you are part of a much bigger thought pattern and of course it is this Universal Consciousness that we speak of and in so doing we see our reality set against the backdrop of a much larger Cosmos.
Seen in this much larger picture will enable all of us, but especially YOU, to better understand the YING and Yang, the UPS and DOWNS, the good and bad, that your journey will inevitably pass through. And this is good, it is all good because the acknowledgement of the Reality of Cosmos allows us to get off our spiritual tush and move forward in the direction of our spiritual set points, that as we gather these or rather as we attain Ordinary World Levels of Conscious Reality, we start to become more of ourselves and in so doing begin to see the value, the goodness of our spiritual being which allow us to fulfill whatever your Puzzle reveals.
Have a wonderful, light filled day,
Robb
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
TUESDAY MARCH 2, 2010
Good Morning!
First, today is my sister Cindy's birthday, so I want you all to wish her a Joyful and Happy Birthday. Second, I want to start today's blog with a most intriguing notion.
Imagine if you will you are traveling along a well trodden path, one that you have quite a bit of similarity with. Next, imagine this road instead of leading you towards the usual events and challenges of your day, is actually leading away from them to towards a new level of consciousness. Everywhere you go, everywhere you turn you see nothing but opportunity for growth and understanding, for we all understand the great philosophical conundrum we have when we seek just for the sake of enriching our own minds without the slightest notion of sharing this great knowledge with others. It would be as if all you ever wanted to do was to gain great wealth without sharing it. Getting to keep vs, getting to give.
Well, I guess this is quite a mouthful, but you have to excuse me because when I get on a rant, i tend to take to its least logical conclusion. And I apologize for running on, but just sometimes it takes a few more words to get my thoughts across. So to continue, as you meander down this road, your thoughts and mind open to unlimited ideas and your spiritual barometer goes through the top of your head to quite literally the Cosmos as you for the very first time achieve a clarity of source that has you glued to your spot, unable to move as you try to take it all in.
Wow! Can you imagine the feelings of escaping your mortal coil if only for the briefest of moments, and at the same time have your feet so firmly planted on Terra firma that it all makes sense for the first time. Well, you can have this, and you can experience this whenever you want. All you have to do is call upon your spiritual reserves and let your mind and soul connect. It is this intersect where all the good stuff happens, it is kind of like laying out a map, then you read and follow it. The intersect is where the map is designed and you are the vessel to make it all happen.
So for just today, let the natural abilities that you already possess carry you over to that plane you seem to be searching for and find out if these are the answers you seek, if not continue a little further down the path until you do.
Have a joyful day.
Robb
First, today is my sister Cindy's birthday, so I want you all to wish her a Joyful and Happy Birthday. Second, I want to start today's blog with a most intriguing notion.
Imagine if you will you are traveling along a well trodden path, one that you have quite a bit of similarity with. Next, imagine this road instead of leading you towards the usual events and challenges of your day, is actually leading away from them to towards a new level of consciousness. Everywhere you go, everywhere you turn you see nothing but opportunity for growth and understanding, for we all understand the great philosophical conundrum we have when we seek just for the sake of enriching our own minds without the slightest notion of sharing this great knowledge with others. It would be as if all you ever wanted to do was to gain great wealth without sharing it. Getting to keep vs, getting to give.
Well, I guess this is quite a mouthful, but you have to excuse me because when I get on a rant, i tend to take to its least logical conclusion. And I apologize for running on, but just sometimes it takes a few more words to get my thoughts across. So to continue, as you meander down this road, your thoughts and mind open to unlimited ideas and your spiritual barometer goes through the top of your head to quite literally the Cosmos as you for the very first time achieve a clarity of source that has you glued to your spot, unable to move as you try to take it all in.
Wow! Can you imagine the feelings of escaping your mortal coil if only for the briefest of moments, and at the same time have your feet so firmly planted on Terra firma that it all makes sense for the first time. Well, you can have this, and you can experience this whenever you want. All you have to do is call upon your spiritual reserves and let your mind and soul connect. It is this intersect where all the good stuff happens, it is kind of like laying out a map, then you read and follow it. The intersect is where the map is designed and you are the vessel to make it all happen.
So for just today, let the natural abilities that you already possess carry you over to that plane you seem to be searching for and find out if these are the answers you seek, if not continue a little further down the path until you do.
Have a joyful day.
Robb
Monday, March 1, 2010
MONDAY MARCH 1, 2010
A SPECIAL GOOD MORNING!
Why so special you ask? Why not? I love answering a question with a question, it is my way I guess. Actually what is so special is the beginning of the month, any month, but March is the harbinger of Spring. And Spring is the rebirth of life. I love beginnings, they are so optimistic, so promising. The idea of new beginnings, starting a new journey, just starting anew, is so enticing, don't you think? or is it just me.
If this isn't a metaphor for life, I don't know what is. here is your chance to wipe your slate clean, so try on a new persona, to become the you, the you have always hoped and dreamed of being. Or maybe it is just a new month, a new day or a new year. And your life goes on as usual, no change, no learning, no great epiphany! And this is OK too. No one ever said that your life has to make sense, even to you, no one said there has to be growth and meaning and connection to your fellow human or even to the Cosmos.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with just being, sometimes just being is exactly where we need to be, sometimes just being helps us get out spiritual bearings and allow us to take in life, life so full and intense that we need this moment or series of moments to catch up with ourselves. Sometimes, what we need, what we are searching for is right there in front of us, next to us, deep inside us, and all we need to do is just be.......just be........just be.
So just for today, stop listening to all the experts, out family, our friends who keep insisting they know what is best for you, you know what is best for you. Take this time, this moment to just be and listen for the answers, if they don't come in rapid succession, don't worry, they will, they will.
Have a joyful day,
Robb
Why so special you ask? Why not? I love answering a question with a question, it is my way I guess. Actually what is so special is the beginning of the month, any month, but March is the harbinger of Spring. And Spring is the rebirth of life. I love beginnings, they are so optimistic, so promising. The idea of new beginnings, starting a new journey, just starting anew, is so enticing, don't you think? or is it just me.
If this isn't a metaphor for life, I don't know what is. here is your chance to wipe your slate clean, so try on a new persona, to become the you, the you have always hoped and dreamed of being. Or maybe it is just a new month, a new day or a new year. And your life goes on as usual, no change, no learning, no great epiphany! And this is OK too. No one ever said that your life has to make sense, even to you, no one said there has to be growth and meaning and connection to your fellow human or even to the Cosmos.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with just being, sometimes just being is exactly where we need to be, sometimes just being helps us get out spiritual bearings and allow us to take in life, life so full and intense that we need this moment or series of moments to catch up with ourselves. Sometimes, what we need, what we are searching for is right there in front of us, next to us, deep inside us, and all we need to do is just be.......just be........just be.
So just for today, stop listening to all the experts, out family, our friends who keep insisting they know what is best for you, you know what is best for you. Take this time, this moment to just be and listen for the answers, if they don't come in rapid succession, don't worry, they will, they will.
Have a joyful day,
Robb
Friday, February 26, 2010
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 26, 2010
Good Afternoon!
In honor of the upcoming weekend, I going to be short and meaningful. This next posting is very concentrated, so if yo have questions or comments, please feel free to post them.
In life, the recipe is quite simple. Half the battle is just showing up! You can have all the breaks, all the brains, all the preparation. But this all for naught unless you enter the arena, engage in battle and fight for your beliefs. It all comes down to what you truly feel is your reality. What is your battle cry. What do you stand for. With out the fancy clothes, the shiny car, the great stock portfolio, what are you stripped of all your material worth.
So for today and into the weekend, take some time for yourself and for your partner, and ponder the intangibles that define you, not what others think, but what you think of your life and yourself. It is a very interesting exercise and one I can assure you with a high degree of confidence, will yield huge dividends to use a terrible metaphor.
Find your quiet space, light a candle, lower the blinds and dim the light, now just relax, breathe in and out until you quiet your mind............just let it all go, concentrate on your breathing. You are not what they say, you are not what you have, wear or do. So then, what are you, who are you.
Remember, no one writes your story but you, so what will you write about you? What do you want others to know, or just your loved ones, and maybe what do you want to tell yourself!
Have a joyful weekend, see you on Monday,
Robb
In honor of the upcoming weekend, I going to be short and meaningful. This next posting is very concentrated, so if yo have questions or comments, please feel free to post them.
In life, the recipe is quite simple. Half the battle is just showing up! You can have all the breaks, all the brains, all the preparation. But this all for naught unless you enter the arena, engage in battle and fight for your beliefs. It all comes down to what you truly feel is your reality. What is your battle cry. What do you stand for. With out the fancy clothes, the shiny car, the great stock portfolio, what are you stripped of all your material worth.
So for today and into the weekend, take some time for yourself and for your partner, and ponder the intangibles that define you, not what others think, but what you think of your life and yourself. It is a very interesting exercise and one I can assure you with a high degree of confidence, will yield huge dividends to use a terrible metaphor.
Find your quiet space, light a candle, lower the blinds and dim the light, now just relax, breathe in and out until you quiet your mind............just let it all go, concentrate on your breathing. You are not what they say, you are not what you have, wear or do. So then, what are you, who are you.
Remember, no one writes your story but you, so what will you write about you? What do you want others to know, or just your loved ones, and maybe what do you want to tell yourself!
Have a joyful weekend, see you on Monday,
Robb
Thursday, February 25, 2010
THRUSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2010
Good Evening,
I was thinking about the title of my new book, "The Puzzle". You may want to know how I chose the name and more importantly, why? he how is pretty straight forward. I was thinking of a word that all at once would give meaning and at the same time tie the whole idea of the individual and we bring our lives into the light of Joy. Or another way of putting it, there must be a simple, clear and straight forward approach to reaching something we know, something we feel, yet something we cannot quantify.
I was sitting in Temple during the High Holidays in 2005, when our spiritual leader, Marc Belgrad began his sermon ( he is the best) on "Where Is God?" Great topic, Rabbi Marc is always at the top of his game so to speak when he speaks to his flock. As he begins to speak, the congregation is in hushed silence, hanging on every word, every syllable, and every sentence. he speaks for about 30 minutes, it is never enough, but as he gets into the gist of his message, one word stands out. Jigsaw puzzles. He makes a brief reference about the Creator and the pieces of the Cosmos and how the handy work of God is everywhere. And here I am thinking, what a great metaphor, it all comes together for me, it all begins to make sense.
Here is what I have finally figured out. Life, meaning your life, is like one of those huge jigsaw puzzles. You all know what I mean, you go into a hobby store, (yes they really have a store just for jigsaw puzzles), you see the picture on the front of the box, it is a nice picture, even a strikingly beautiful picture. Your life is what this picture is about, at least the idea of your life will be when the pieces of your puzzle are all put together. But you open the box and what do you see? Well did you expect all the pieces would be put together? Or did you expect to see hundreds, maybe thousands of little pieces that represent your life just sitting there in a pile just waiting for you to come along. (You were hoping they would show you the complete picture, didn't you)!
You know they go together, but they aren't together just yet. You have a pretty good idea of what it should look like when it is finished, when it is complete, but it is a long way from finished. Sometimes it is easier, sometimes you go to the store, see your puzzle, bring it home, take off the cover, lay out the pieces. At this point some of you can actually visualize how it all comes together, maybe your life has been just that, you see things and they make sense straight away, right from the get go. But the fact is, though people like you exist, and we love you when we meet you, for the vast majority, we have to struggle to put the pieces of our lives together one feeling, one emotion, one idea and one flicker of light at a time. And this is OK, it is more than OK, it is good. Because in the struggle to figure out where we fit in, we learn all the lessons our puzzle has been telling us. Not in so many words mind you, but as you fit another piece into the next, and then another, and another, you picture, your life starts to come into focus. Piece by piece it starts to make sense to you and for many of us, the light bulb starts to glow, the more pieces we fit together, the longer and brighter the light.
So for just today, believe that all that has happened, all that you have been through has a purpose, the sooner you put your puzzle together, the sooner you see the answers, or at the very least you begin to stop groping in the darkness and come into the light where all is illuminated.
Have a joyful evening!
Robb
I was thinking about the title of my new book, "The Puzzle". You may want to know how I chose the name and more importantly, why? he how is pretty straight forward. I was thinking of a word that all at once would give meaning and at the same time tie the whole idea of the individual and we bring our lives into the light of Joy. Or another way of putting it, there must be a simple, clear and straight forward approach to reaching something we know, something we feel, yet something we cannot quantify.
I was sitting in Temple during the High Holidays in 2005, when our spiritual leader, Marc Belgrad began his sermon ( he is the best) on "Where Is God?" Great topic, Rabbi Marc is always at the top of his game so to speak when he speaks to his flock. As he begins to speak, the congregation is in hushed silence, hanging on every word, every syllable, and every sentence. he speaks for about 30 minutes, it is never enough, but as he gets into the gist of his message, one word stands out. Jigsaw puzzles. He makes a brief reference about the Creator and the pieces of the Cosmos and how the handy work of God is everywhere. And here I am thinking, what a great metaphor, it all comes together for me, it all begins to make sense.
Here is what I have finally figured out. Life, meaning your life, is like one of those huge jigsaw puzzles. You all know what I mean, you go into a hobby store, (yes they really have a store just for jigsaw puzzles), you see the picture on the front of the box, it is a nice picture, even a strikingly beautiful picture. Your life is what this picture is about, at least the idea of your life will be when the pieces of your puzzle are all put together. But you open the box and what do you see? Well did you expect all the pieces would be put together? Or did you expect to see hundreds, maybe thousands of little pieces that represent your life just sitting there in a pile just waiting for you to come along. (You were hoping they would show you the complete picture, didn't you)!
You know they go together, but they aren't together just yet. You have a pretty good idea of what it should look like when it is finished, when it is complete, but it is a long way from finished. Sometimes it is easier, sometimes you go to the store, see your puzzle, bring it home, take off the cover, lay out the pieces. At this point some of you can actually visualize how it all comes together, maybe your life has been just that, you see things and they make sense straight away, right from the get go. But the fact is, though people like you exist, and we love you when we meet you, for the vast majority, we have to struggle to put the pieces of our lives together one feeling, one emotion, one idea and one flicker of light at a time. And this is OK, it is more than OK, it is good. Because in the struggle to figure out where we fit in, we learn all the lessons our puzzle has been telling us. Not in so many words mind you, but as you fit another piece into the next, and then another, and another, you picture, your life starts to come into focus. Piece by piece it starts to make sense to you and for many of us, the light bulb starts to glow, the more pieces we fit together, the longer and brighter the light.
So for just today, believe that all that has happened, all that you have been through has a purpose, the sooner you put your puzzle together, the sooner you see the answers, or at the very least you begin to stop groping in the darkness and come into the light where all is illuminated.
Have a joyful evening!
Robb
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 24, 2010
GOOD EVENING!
It dawned on me today that more often than not we are looking, searching for that light, the knowledge, that special scroll that contains all the secrets to a full filling and joyful life. I am sure if you are like most of us residents of planet Earth this question has passed through your thoughts on at least one or more occasions. Why do you think we spend so much time and energy asking for what may very well be right within your reach, so close you can almost savor the aroma, sense the feeling as if it were a breeze gently embracing you. Giving you that ultimate feeling of being loved and belonging.
It would be an understatement to say that all that you were, are or will be is right there, right here, right where you are standing. You turn around, you search your immediate surroundings, but you are no closer to discovering your true purpose, your Reason de Etre, your reason for being than you were a minute ago. You scratch your head, you start thinking that you missed something, you retrace your steps, but still can't find this elusive feeling.
Suddenly, you remember the parable of the apple seed and the soul. If you don't recall this ancient story, I will tell it to you. The sages thousands of years ago determined through prayer and meditation that the origins of life and the secret to happiness and unbounded joy lay within the soul. Just as the apple seed holds all that the apple tree will ever be and bring forth, its bark, trunk, blossoms, leaves, branches and ultimately fruit, the same hold true of the soul. That immortal substance that contains all of the essence of life and is the blue print, road map for your life. All that you will become, and hope to be is wrapped up in the seed known as your soul.
The only difference between the seed of a mighty oak tree and your soul is that although that all that your life will be is contained in the soul, the oak tree as no free will or choice, but you do. You can reprogram your soul so to speak by making certain choices, or taking a different road than the one you are currently on. That is a pretty major difference, and one that is the main difference between man and nature. It is also one that you have to fight against and for if you want to lead the life you were meant to live. Free will, at once the most sought after of all the attributes a human has, yet one that often holds you back. It is scary to think you really have control of your life, it is so much easier to have someone else make the "big" decisions in your, it really lets you know that you are in charge of your Puzzle, you are the boss, you are the star in your movie.
So for now, relax, and think about the seed of the mighty oak and the seed of your life, your soul, remember it contains all the answers to all your secrets, but do you dare ask the questions, do you dare seek the answers, intriguing.
Have a joyful evening,
Robb
It dawned on me today that more often than not we are looking, searching for that light, the knowledge, that special scroll that contains all the secrets to a full filling and joyful life. I am sure if you are like most of us residents of planet Earth this question has passed through your thoughts on at least one or more occasions. Why do you think we spend so much time and energy asking for what may very well be right within your reach, so close you can almost savor the aroma, sense the feeling as if it were a breeze gently embracing you. Giving you that ultimate feeling of being loved and belonging.
It would be an understatement to say that all that you were, are or will be is right there, right here, right where you are standing. You turn around, you search your immediate surroundings, but you are no closer to discovering your true purpose, your Reason de Etre, your reason for being than you were a minute ago. You scratch your head, you start thinking that you missed something, you retrace your steps, but still can't find this elusive feeling.
Suddenly, you remember the parable of the apple seed and the soul. If you don't recall this ancient story, I will tell it to you. The sages thousands of years ago determined through prayer and meditation that the origins of life and the secret to happiness and unbounded joy lay within the soul. Just as the apple seed holds all that the apple tree will ever be and bring forth, its bark, trunk, blossoms, leaves, branches and ultimately fruit, the same hold true of the soul. That immortal substance that contains all of the essence of life and is the blue print, road map for your life. All that you will become, and hope to be is wrapped up in the seed known as your soul.
The only difference between the seed of a mighty oak tree and your soul is that although that all that your life will be is contained in the soul, the oak tree as no free will or choice, but you do. You can reprogram your soul so to speak by making certain choices, or taking a different road than the one you are currently on. That is a pretty major difference, and one that is the main difference between man and nature. It is also one that you have to fight against and for if you want to lead the life you were meant to live. Free will, at once the most sought after of all the attributes a human has, yet one that often holds you back. It is scary to think you really have control of your life, it is so much easier to have someone else make the "big" decisions in your, it really lets you know that you are in charge of your Puzzle, you are the boss, you are the star in your movie.
So for now, relax, and think about the seed of the mighty oak and the seed of your life, your soul, remember it contains all the answers to all your secrets, but do you dare ask the questions, do you dare seek the answers, intriguing.
Have a joyful evening,
Robb
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