There Was a Time

When folks were cordial to one another.
When manners mattered.
When there was a standard of dress.
When people danced to songs. Together.
When men were brave.
When standards stood.
When we shook hands.
When diplomats would negotiate
with citizens in mind.
When history mattered.
When literature was read.
When we were proud of our trades.
When apprenticeship counted.
When men tipped their hats and opened doors for women,
and women didn't mind an open door.
Old folks mattered.
When social distancing meant a first date.

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Somewhere in the Gap

My life has been sculpted by a handful of men. And as I related to Dr. Matthew Hinsley stories about all these mentors, he asked me: "How did you know which mentor to follow?" 

The answer to this question is somewhere in the seeking part. You see, two percenters* all seem to be (spiritual) seekers. And seekers seem to find answers in the gap. 

Oh yes – the gap. Let me tell you about that one.

 I was at a gathering in Bentonville Arkansas, and at the gathering there was a farmer talking about his experience with meditation. "His mornings, he said, often began surrounded by the reverberation of a diesel tractor as he accomplished his tasks around the farm. When he parked the tractor and shut it down, he said, there was a moment of perfect silence." 

He called that moment of silence the gap, and explained that that was where he  found the answers to his prayers. In the silence. In the gap.

What begins as a hunch gradually becomes inspiration, and that ultimately becomes a working part of the mind. Over time we begin to rely upon it. 

The discipline of journaling, and meditation, prayer and quiet times. Answers to our prayers- somewhere in the gap.

*Those folks who seem to have the ability to use the power of humility.  And humility is, by my definition, an honestly that is spiritually driven.

More Than Merely Pandemic

The flu is contagious. Coronavirus highly so. When contagion is spread throughout the world it's called a pandemic.Follow me here:I quote from Bill Wilson: "Fears set in motion trains of circumstances that brought us misfortune we felt we didn't deserve. But did not we, set the ball rolling?"Suppose that anxiety (fear) is contagious. That fear, not flu is the greatest source of danger that we face in the world today. Suppose rage is caused by fear,  and fear is created by rage. The cycle is endless.Let's end the contagion today. A vaccine made from a moment of joy that sets a positive ball in motion!

Plague of the Negative Bias

The Nielsen Norman group states: "Negativity bias is the tendency for humans to give more weight to negative experiences."

So, If our dominant thoughts shape our material environment, we may be attracting misfortune more often than we attract good fortune to our lives. 

Listen to the banter in your head for a while. Try that for a day. Mostly gossip? Negative messages of one kind or another? Is every sniffle a sign of virus? Is every appointment designed to avoid imagined peril? What about the state of our nations? The state of our economy and  it's effect on you? Painting with a negative brush or a positive one?

Important stuff you see, because I believe we are apt to attract our dominant thoughts.

Is the life you were imagining the one you wish to have? Are you imagining glorious outcomes or dire outcomes?

Join me this November for a 21 day exercise in positivity. Join me on a dream quest. Let's attract wealth of many kinds.

The Nuts and Bolts of Calmness

First we must wish to be calm. Then we must wish to remain so. (A decision has to be made).A morning prayer recited.Listing things that make us grateful.Guided meditation.A reading for the day.

These are all activities that still the mind. And these moments of stillness are the treasure we are seeking. Moments of calm. Priceless.Now we've established that we can be calm. Next the task of remaining calm.A worrisome thought has a beginning. And all of those beginnings sound something like this: "what's going to happen to me when"… (Fill in the blank with negativity).So it's our job to identify the beginning of a negative thought and stop it in its tracks. You see, I control my mind, my mind does not control me.So when a worrisome thought begins, I stop it by saying "No!!" Then I recall the morning moment of calm.A quick prayerListing a gratitudeReturn to the treasure of the quiet time of day.Decide to be calmIdentify negativityStop it in its tracksRepeat Repeat Repeat.

Calm At All Costs

I was following the thread of an idea in the last few blogs: size matters. Physical size matters of course, but what is the advantage to being emotionally small? And what indeed is emotional smallness?First let me state that for me emotional smallness comes from a discipline that attempts to create spiritual strength.Early morning prayer, early morning meditation, early morning exercises in gratitude, are all things that I use to start the day. Spiritual push-ups if you will.And from these periods of spiritual exercise comes moments of calmness. And that is the result of prayer and meditation. Maybe just a moment, maybe just a small gap of silence, but that can be the foundation to which I will return throughout the day when I find that I am no longer calm.And these days are filled with events that are certain to ruffle our feathers.One of the intentions that came from the 21 day discipline is to remain calm at all times…calm at any costs. The ego has to go. Worry starts with this phrase “𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙈𝙀??”It is my sincere hope that my assistant Jeanne Smith reminds me that I intend to write about the nuts and bolts of remaining calm in my next blog.The nuts and bolts of calmness…Next time. 

The Dichotomy of a Spiritual Goal

During a conversation with Rabbi Byron Sherwin (of blessed memory), I stated that I set spiritual goals. He correctly observed that one can't attain spiritual goals, one can only hope to perceive them.I can, however, develop spiritual exercises that are attainable, and hope that these positive actions will create positive outcomes. So let's develop some spiritual routines and set some intentions for these routines.

How about a prayer routine made up of two prayers?Here is my intention:Upon awakening I'll practice this routine. (Insert prayers here) I'll do this every day.How about another routine? Another prayer routine, this one made up of one prayer to be used when I begin to think of someone I despise, or when I feel jealousy or anger toward another human being. Make it a simple one something that'll stop the negativity in its tracks. My early mentor said that I could use this: "God bless the SOB."Or something a little more eloquent like "God bless Joe." The intention, of course is to use the prayer to abate negative emotion toward another.How about a routine made up of a positive affirmation? "I feel healthy, I feel happy, I feel great!" The intention being to stop fears of failing health.And one more: this routine is simple. Comprised of one word: "No!"The Intention Is to force your mind to stop spinning into a future full of negative results. When a worrisome thought begins, we identify it, then stop it by saying the word no every time it begins again. "What's going to happen when-" "No!" "What's going to happen if-" "No!" Worrisome thoughts? First I see them, then I stop them.And ultimately - as my spirit becomes stronger, my ego becomes small. 

Size Matters Still

Returning to our discussion of a disciplined life: Older must be smaller. Physicality Is easy to discern. Much is accomplished by losing weight as we age. TV is full of it.But how do we make less in other areas and bring strength to the aging process? How can emotional lessening be accomplished? And how can this accomplishment make us more complete?

"Spirit first", as my good friend, Troy Dillinger, is apt to say. My seventh decade has been focused on my spiritual ripening. Having spiritual discipline allows me to mellow - it just follows, that when I focus on creating and maintaining an attitude of gratitude, my emotional self takes on a whole new complexion. I am unfettered, not ruffled; I can look the world in the eye.I will become more sensible, tactful, considerate, and humble. And all of this comes as I practice a spiritual discipline, and begin to lose interest in myself and gain interest in others.So let's talk about the spiritual discipline…More next week.