The Shift. . .

" Who cares what banks fail in Yonkers as long as you have the kiss that conquers."-
George & Ira Gershwin, 1932

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's words at his inauguration on March 4, 1933, still ring true:
"This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself - nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance."

"The problem with most people is that they lose control of their emotions....The victim represses, the warrior refrains."- Don Miguel Ruiz

We are truly surrounded by wonder and beauty; we live completely within it. But we are focused on other things. It's like that drawing of a vase, or is it two faces? A shift in perspective yields a completely different picture. It is possible to learn to dwell in a wondrous world, by shifting our attention. It begins with noticing: noticing the unexamined circus of automatic thoughts in our minds. How many unexamined beliefs and directives are running your life? We are exiled in practicality, but life is more than eating. Practicality should be our efficient servant not our master imperative. Vigilance and worry were never designed to be more than temporary strategies - they are not a healthy lifestyle. Pause. Go inside to your heart. Think of something that you love. Breathe. Breathe deeper. The still small voice within is patient. It never interrupts. Perhaps it is worth listening to. Anyone, any situation is made bearable once you simply accept it as it is.
A L O H A ! Cloudia