A Single Act of Kindness
Little Choices Matter
Which Universe?
Seeing the World with Sacred Eyes
“The way we see the world shapes the way we treat it.
If a mountain is a deity, not a pile of ore; if a river is one of the veins of the land, not potential irrigation water; if a forest is a sacred grove, not timber; if other species are biological kin, not resources; or if the planet is our mother, not an opportunity – then we will treat each other with greater respect. Thus is the challenge, to look at the world from a different perspective.”
~David Suzuki
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I climbed up Buffalo Ridge yesterday. I nicknamed this ridge that shelters our home to the southeast Buffalo Ridge months ago – it just has the energy of buffalo roaming free for me. Well, yesterday I climbed to the top of Buffalo Ridge. And now, as I stare out my window at that ridge, it looks completely different to me. Maybe it’s because I’ve been talking about climbing this ridge for 2 years and I FINALLY did it! Yes, that’s part of the change.
But my internal shift involves more than just accomplishing something that I set out to do; Buffalo Ridge is now known to me in a completely different way. I have an intimate relationship with this ridge now; I look at Buffalo Ridge and see the rocks I scrambled over to reach the very top. And I see the circle of old pines that I sat beneath and rested. I remember startling the deer that were bedded down on its slope in the heat of mid-day. And I remember all the cactus just on the verge of blooming as well as the little white flowers already in full bloom.
Today I look out the window and I don’t see a ridge that I climbed. Instead I see an ally that watches over my home and neighborhood. I see a friend who shared some beautiful secrets with me. I am connected to Buffalo Ridge in a new way, and it will never again look like ‘just a hill’ to me!
Heart Power
I want to share a great Video on the Power of the Human Heart, Center of Unity Consciousness. The value of energetic coherence is explained. And tons of info from the Institute of HeartMath is shared.
This new research into the energies of the human heart is amazing. And it’s quite different from what I learned about the human heart in Nursing School. Feels expansive and true to me. What else is your heart capable of? 🙂
The View From Here
I am pondering today: How much do my “views” about the world actually shape my future experiences in the world? How much do my beliefs about the world and how life works create the form my future takes? Do I usually get what I believe I will get?
This seems especially relevant to me right now as the U.S. enters the home stretch of a particularly nasty and malicious presidential election. And it’s also an election where the 2 main presidential candidates have very different viewpoints about the world and how it all “works.” So, which viewpoint do I vote for – Obama’s or Romney’s? Does my vote even matter? How much might this one little choice alter my future?
Years ago, 2 amazing change agents named Jerry Weinberg and Jean McLendon introduced me to an eye-opening model of perception and reality:
Malicious, Stupid or Kind Universe?
Do I see my world as Mean and malicious? Do I believe that people are out to hurt me and reject me? Do events seem to conspire against me? Do I live in fear that God is watching and waiting to punish me?
Or is my world Stupid? Does everyone I meet seem to be a moron? Do I believe that I am the only one that knows what’s going on around here – is everyone else just too stupid to see the truth?
Or do I live in a Kind world? Are people basically caring and kind? Do people want to assist me and help me? Is God supporting me and helping me in every moment?
(I believe this model was originally created by psychotherapist Virginia Satir)
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I LOVE this model of the Universe! When I take the time to use it, I realize just how much I can sabotage myself by approaching the world like it is out to hurt me or trip me up and get in my way.
Remembering this model, and asking myself just one simple question can jerk me right out of my “story” about whatever is happening in my personal life OR in world events today that bothers me:
“Which Universe am I living in today?”
Asking which Universe I find myself in right now, helps me stop whining and blaming others. Then I can back up and gain a bit of perspective. And when I ask this question a lot, I begin to see how I add to my own misery every time I approach the world from any space other than kindness and benevolence.
What happens when I assume a kind Universe, a benevolent God who is just waiting to help and support me? What happens to my day?
And what would happen if I choose to make kindness my religion?
“My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.”
–Dalai Lama
My heart opens whenever I see this quote from the Dalai Lama. And that’s the energy I feel emanating from the Dalai Lama; pure kindness. I bet HE inhabits a kind and caring Universe most days. 🙂
So, here I sit pondering my personal life and global events… How much does my viewpoint matter? Do my choices make any difference?
I choose YES! I choose to matter –
because in my world, change happens one kind little choice at a time.