Trying to sleep.
No luck.
Those pesky thoughts of things gone by
keep swirling In my mind.
Some are good, but many are bad.
How to stop them taking command.
They are uninvited guests for sure.
But …
do I have this all wrong?
Maybe they’re nothing to fear.
Just a map of my life so far
showing me where I’ve been
and where I need to be.
In the mind there is a door that leads to a secret room where regrets are stored.
It’s said, “Don’t open that door.”
Sometimes the curious nature of humans causes the door to be opened just a little bit.
What happens then is chaos and utter misery.
I say, “Open that damn door and let the regrets be Free.”
Without negative energy, regrets become life lessons learned,
And simply blow away in the breeze.
Come out, come out, wherever you are and let’s dance in the light. Summer or winter nature has a way of rousing our spirits and chasing away the gloom far from our lives.
Stay out of the dark places of your mind and let nature heal. In the trees, flowers and bushes, oh the breathtaking beauty is everywhere lifting us higher and higher.
Get up, get out, and just breathe.
“We are stars wrapped in skin. The light you are seeking has always been within.” ~ Rumi
“Know that the only important house to clean is your mind.”
~ Byron Katie
Just like our computers we need to occasionally clear our cache memory of hidden thoughts that can make us unhappy. We all store our thoughts in this cache and it makes it convenient for our egos to grab them fast putting us in worry unhappy mode. Sometimes we’re going about our day just fine when all of a sudden we see or hear something that makes those thoughts pop out seemingly out of nowhere. And sometimes thought gremlins visit us at night when we are supposed to be sleeping. If this happens too often then it’s a sign we need to clear our mind’s cache.
There are many ways to clear your mind. Try expressing your thoughts by writing or drawing. Talk with a trusted friend. Some people love to run, or swim. I like yoga and mindful meditation, and of course, writing. The key is to find what works for you. And the key is to become aware of your feelings before those feelings become aware of you. Letting your cache get clogged up will make you miserable.
The world we live in is an upside down place with many challenges, and that makes it super important that we take good care of ourselves. You, my beautiful humans, are unique. There is no one on earth like you, and when you’re gone no one will ever be able to replace you. Please take good care of your wonderful precious mind and live your life free and happy even if sometimes like me, you are slipping and sliding along your journey.
“The mind is like water. When it’s turbulent, it’s difficult to see. When it’s calm, everything becomes clear.” ~ Prasad Mahes
“Half of life is lost in charming others. The other half is lost in going through anxieties caused by others. Leave this play. You have played enough!” ~Rumi
It’s never a party when egos meet. In fact, it can be a pretty bad sight indeed. You see, the ego is always ready for a fight, letting us think it’s simply protecting us when in fact, it’s actually bullying us. Sounds weird I know. But not so when you realize that the ego is that critical thinking part of us that’s always watching, conniving, deciding who did what to us, what we should do to them, who we are, who they are, etc.
We all have different egos. Some make us think we’re better than others, and some make us think we are less. And usually we have a combination to fit different needs as they arise. The main thing is that we are not our egos. We are the higher self inside of us: Our Spirit. But why is the Spirit so quiet and seems to do nothing to stop our crazy egos’ chatter, and ruining our relationships? Because the Spirit believes in our free will where as the ego believes in harassing us into submission.
Now, when egos meet, each has an agenda that is self serving and certainly not thinking of the greater good. You can see why problems don’t get solved and we have so much trouble living in harmony with one another.
So what do we do? I really don’t think we can get rid of our egos even though some have said that they have. The best I have found is to tame it. Our quiet Spirit will come alive if asked. Once you work with your Spirit and listen closely to what it has to say, you will be free to live the life you were born to live. But remember, you have free will; you have to ask for the help you need.
Listening to the ego and engaging with other egos will cause you to waste your life, and take you very far away from the path you should be following. This is your one and only life; don’t waste it on your ego, or fall victim to other egos.
“Once you can tame your ego mind, you are able to see clearly the path you were born to follow.” ~Roxana Jones
“You must learn a new way to think before you can master a new way to be.” ~ Marianne Williamson
We come into this world prewired and that wiring gets shaped by our family and the outside world. This is all good when our wiring is mostly positive, but when our wiring is pretty much negative… that’s not so good.
The good news is we can rewire our brains by how we choose to think. We are who we are, but if there are things we want to change about ourselves such as being happier, kinder, compassionate, and patient beings we can do that. It all just takes willingness and a lot of practicing in order to make rewiring possible. There are therapists, books, articles etc. out there to help along the way.
A good start is simply learning to be more mindful. Don’t be too hard on yourself when you slip back into your old ways. I do that more than I like to admit. I don’t like it when I slip back, but I remind myself that it’s my default wiring kicking in. Recognizing slipping back shows rewiring is developing and that’s good because you’re getting somewhere, and that’s what it’s all about.
Anything is possible if you really want it.
“Neurons that fire together wire together. You can rewire your brain for higher consciousness by focusing on love.” ~ Deepak Chopra
Dealing with baggage can be a real pain. We stuff things in that we don’t know if we’ll really need, and it tends to get heavy. We carry it and drag it all over the place, and we wonder why we packed what we packed. Now that’s real physical baggage. What about emotional baggage? We can sure pack a lot of emotional baggage during our journey, and it’s not just us doing the packing. Like physical bags, emotional baggage can get very difficult to handle.
We start out with our parents packing all kinds of things into a bag for us. Now, our parents don’t mean us any harm. I’m speaking of course about most parents. I realize there are exceptions. Parents in fact usually want the best for us. But they only know what they know and are doing the best they can. That being said, guilt and all kinds of rules of who and what we should be and believe in get stuffed in there. This can cause a lot of confusion in our minds where we sometimes come up short of their expectations and maybe our own. Other family members can also add to our load.
As we travel along this journey we experience many negative situations in the form of friends, lovers, co-workers, and complete strangers. All of these people and the experiences they bring get stuffed in our bags causing us to become overwhelmed. The baggage just becomes too much for us to cart around and we can become sick. We don’t know what to do and start to feel that we are stuck with this baggage forever.
Have you ever thought about just letting go of the baggage? Walking away from it, or imagining pushing it off a cliff? You can do all of these things. Just because a bag was packed for you and grew along the way, doesn’t mean you have to keep it anymore. You just have to let go. It’s that simple. By letting go you stop being a prisoner of your mind. If you let go of all your baggage you start living in the present and you let the past be just that.
I know you can do it. You can be happy and free. You might not realize it, but you and only you have the power to make any change you want to in your life. Once you realize this you can start to really live the life you were meant to live. Come on, use your power and live a full life, and get rid of the baggage that is holding you back.
“At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.” ~ Lao Tzu
Sometimes we have to ask ourselves if what the mind is telling us is really true. The mind conspires with the ego and is not a reliable source. Better to ask our Spirit instead.
Have you ever noticed that when you are super stressed out you eventually start to feel sick? That’s because worry, anxiety, expectations, being a perfectionist, depression, fear–just all kinds of negative emotions can make you physically and mentally sick.
Your mind can do all kinds of terrific things, but it can also sabotage you from time to time. That’s why you need to check your thinking daily to make sure it isn’t scheming with ego to ruin your health. The mind and body are in a relationship and when it’s on the rocks, Some kind of counseling might be needed.
When the mind won’t turn off all the negative chatter and you feel drained, it’s time to take action. Try taking a walk, or if you’re in good shape, then some real physical exercise. Swimming is a good way to de-stress and pretty easy on the body. And like I always say, becoming one with nature is very peaceful. Take the focus off of you and put it on something positive. Soon you will notice the mind will shut up.
Get real with yourself and realize that you only have so much time on this earth, and that time is ticking away. Don’t let an out of control negative mind make you sick. Who knows, maybe life threatening illnesses are caused by how we think. Wouldn’t that be something if we could stop them from happening with how we think?
You are in control of what is going on in your life. So check your thinking just like you should check the engine light in your car when it’s annoying you. The goal here is to make sure that all systems are a go so you can have a long, healthy, and happy life.
And… if all else fails, just laugh. It will always be the best medicine.
Life as a Garden 