Great Expectations

Sometimes I think it is easy to expect too much of ourselves, other people, life itself… and perhaps even God. Expectations, in short, are demands. They are the transformations of what we hope for into something that we want. That want becomes need. The things we once hoped for become things that we “need”. We start to think that “need” must be fulfilled in a specific way—a specific way that we come to expect. If the fulfillment does not come via the expected method, then there is no satisfaction but disappointment. This disappointment often turns into a dark spiral of resentment and bitterness. Such a spiral squelches hope.

So, what exactly is the difference between hope and expectation? Perhaps expectation is a sign of needing to be in control, whereas hope is open-ended? Hope is a request versus a demand. A person who is in hope is also in patience. This means that he or she is waiting for what he or she is hoping for to come organically in its truest, healthiest form. This patience is not passively waiting, but something active. It is using the time in between to prepare for that thing hoped for (in whatever form it is ultimately given).

 Things to think about: Are there unmet expectations in your life that have turned into resentments? If so, what steps can be taken to walk in hope again?

(image from daysoftheyear.com via google images)

It’s Complicated…

Life is complicated. It is also complex. And so it is often confusing. And it often becomes even more confusing the more we, the ever curious, ever controlling, either try to figure it out or try to resist how it is unfolding.

Lately, I’ve been wondering if life is really as confusing as we sometimes make it out to be. Perhaps “confusing” is the wrong word? Perhaps the better word to describe how life can be is “intricate”. Life is so intricate that it appears confusing. What if the many troublesome and exasperating paths we see and take are really the cracks surrounding fantastically colorful pieces of a masterful mosaic?

I’m not a big believer in Fate, but more so in Destiny. I believe every person is born with a gift to the world that only that person can give. However, every person has choices to make and those choices create the individual. Not only do they create the individual, but these choices also shape the world around the individual, if only minutely.

Often we wonder, in any given circumstance, which choice is the right one? Often there is no straightforward answer. Life becomes “confusing”. What if when these choices (or “crossroads”) come, Life is asking us to use our inner compasses for guidance? The inner compass’s North is Peace. What decision puts the soul, if not the mind, at rest? When I say “peace” and “rest”, I don’t mean what is “blissful”, but what is “right”; Will the decision encourage and foster goodness (or no harm) for the individual and for the people in his or her life?

We as human beings, because of the unique gifts of reason and free will, have the privilege of being able to choose. Whether you believe these gifts were given by Nature or by God, they cannot be ignored or taken for granted. Our choices can either build or destroy on a small or large scale.

Something to try: When approaching a choice, big or small, evaluate your options by pausing to envision the potential (key word) consequences , or results, of each choice. As you envision each result, what does your gut, deep down at your core, tell you is the best choice? Where do you find peace?

Find Your Direction (from Encyclopdia Britannica)

Hidden

There are paintings hanging in galleries and in homes that are not what they seem at first glance. Imagine a painting of treacherous, yet breathtaking mountains. Gaze a little longer, perhaps even take a step or two back, and see there are not only mountains but a goddess in repose.

Even that image is not all to be seen. She is at rest but not asleep. Looking closer, she is teeming with life. The birds, the deer, the bears and the foxes find sanctuary in the world she creates, the home she offers.

Examining one’s self and learning what it means to be is like looking at one of these paintings. Seeing another human being is like gazing at one of these paintings. Pause. Take more than a glance. What do you see?

Claim

Claim v. from the Latin “clamare” – to cry out, to shout: 1. to ask for as one’s own; to take as rightful owner 2. to call for 3. to state as a fact (The Merriam-Webster Dictionary New Edition, 2004)

 

( mysticinvestigations.com)

 

Ask for nothing

Ask for everything

It is yours

It is mine

It is ours

To have

To hold

Always

Forever

Close

Far

Ask for everything

Ask for nothing

It is ours

It is mine

It is yours

To care

To keep

Treasure

Cherish

Today

Tomorrow

Ask for the ocean

Ask for the wind

It is yours

It is mine

It is ours

Ask for the sun

Ask for the trees

It is ours

It is mine

It is yours

Ask for peace

Ask for hope

Ask for dreams

Ask for Freedom

Ask for Heaven

Ask for God

Ask for none

Ask for all

Claim what is

Yours

Mine

Ours

Miracle

Incredible

Remarkable

Brilliant

Radiant

 

Stars’ dust lights your eyes

Their pulse is in your veins

Miracle

Miracle

That’s all there is to say…

“Stars” Pauline Moss via google images

 

The Wild

What is this spirit so restless?

This spirit so constantly stirs,

scratches,

and moans for release.

 

It cannot speak,

only cry,

only howl when its lost companions jewel the night.

 

What is this spirit so restless?

This spirit so constantly paces,

pants,

and gnaws for escape.

 

It will not speak,

only stare,

only gaze into a void full of promise.

 

What is this spirit so restless?

This spirit so constantly wants,

wishes,

and craves its freedom

to run,

to hunt,

to soar

and to conquer all within its sight.

What is this spirit so restless?

 

 

 

The River Being

There is a river flowing through every beating heart, pulsing soul and whirring mind. This river runs deep, reaching unbelievable fathoms.

Fathoms.

In the quiet one can hear their river roar,

coursing and crashing over rocks,

threading through their

The river of being.

valleys, meadows and mountains of being.

It floods. It recedes.

It carries. It overwhelms.

It feeds. It destroys.

It is alive.

Others can catch the faintest sound of another’s river, their calm currents, their rush,

Creating  a terrific moment,

changing one’s course forever.

Inspiration

Inspiration may strike and give an electric charge that will spark, then ignite and start a fire that is just the beginning of a wild conflagration. Inspiration may fall, rattled by the smallest of quakes commissioned by the universe, and land in hands destined for opportunity. Inspiration may overwhelm the parched soul like a typhoon; or Inspiration may simply come, humbly knock upon the heart’s door and wait patiently for an answer.

However, once invited in, Inspiration will not take over. No, Inspiration may simply ask a question in a soft voice with the hope of beginning a casual conversation that will lead into something deeper, something from which life can bloom…a relationship, a friendship of the truest and purest nature. Time with Inspiration is always fulfilling, no matter how long the visit. When the moment comes to pass that it is time to say good-bye, an emptiness starts to creep into the place Inspiration’s voice once filled. Inspiration will smile at the door and invite you to call anytime, then with a light kiss say, “I will see you soon.”

The next day passes and Inspiration does not come. Another day and then a week may go by and still Inspiration does not come. Is it time to call? Can Inspiration be asked to come? More time passes…call? No. Inspiration will come.

Finally the day comes and there is a soft knock upon the door. Inspiration is there with a smile. You think: How could I have gone so long without seeing that smile? You tell Inspiration, “I’m glad you came.”

Inspiration sits down. “I would have come sooner had you asked me to.”

Inspiration will knock upon the heart’s door.

Leap

Dreaming is easy. Talking is easier. Taking action, making  a move, requires effort and intention.

Taking action with the intention of progress requires moving beyond a certain point, beyond a boundary. Moving beyond boundaries is risky  and risks are frightening because their outcomes, by definition, are never certain. However, progress must be made in order for there to be growth and so risks must be taken…with discernment.

I’ve written quite a bit about stepping outside of one’s comfort zone. I continue to write this way because it is one of my biggest battles. As much as I have a heart for adventure and dream about “achieving my dreams” I’m scared stiff, and sometimes even refuse to budge, when it comes to having to step out of my personal bubble in order to step into what I’ve been dreaming about.

I do not want to live paralyzed by fear. I must be brave and use the fear I have to propel myself forward. It is something to conquer, not submit to.

This image has stuck with me since I was little.

And perhaps the step that I have been fearing to take is actually the one that will take me into freedom? I do not want to miss that moment.

I want to leap. I want to fall. I want to fly…

Beauty and the Beast

It has been a while…

I have been avoiding writing…avoiding what makes me happy? That makes a lot of sense. We humans are complex creatures…

I’ve been hurting myself a lot lately…probably others too…

I’m sorry…

I haven’t been taking my own advice…loving myself for me…being…breaking outside the confines of insecurity and allowing the Beauty created in me free…Nope…

I’ve nestled myself in a cave of anger, dissatisfaction, self-pity and excuses–No more!

This life is not just about me…I want to give back to the world given to me…

Family…friends…co-workers…even strangers that I meet because they have become a part of my world if only briefly…

It’s difficult though…fighting what comes naturally…even if it is destructive…

This will be a life-long process…

One determined by daily choices…

Beauty or Beast?…

Life or Death?…