NaBloPoMo: Make...a Mistake? Who Me?! ;)

Images from clip art

I couldn't resist the title! Hope you don't mind, though I was actually making fun of myself. You can read it as if you are the 'me' if you wish to! ;)

Today's NaBloPoMo prompt is as follows: "What was the last mistake you made? How did you try to fix it?"

I can't recall the last mistake I did so will answer generally.

I have, as we all have, made mistakes. In my case at least, many! Despite that, for some reason I still have to rack my brain as to what kind of recent mistake I made, yet alone any that I can write about!

Sometimes a mistake can be in the form of speaking impulsively, speaking one's mind, speaking one's truth, and at times speaking 'the' truth. There is a difference! At times speaking up is inappropriate and at other times, people can't handle it.

I would say my biggest mistakes other than that are when I do not trust and follow my intuition. I have come to learn that it is ALWAYS right! Yes, you read that right and it can be NO other way!

After all intuition comes from Spirit. I am not speaking about hallucinogenic voices or the like after all!

Though I would rather speak about what I did right, I will cite you at least one example, a big one, from my life.

In past, I have dated mostly the "wrong men". "How can you say that?" you may wonder. Hindsight is one of the best teachers in terms of lessons learned the hard way and unfortunately I did not necessarily learn from others' mistakes.

I primarily attracted men who were emotionally unavailable, i.e., an alcoholic, a pathological liar, a possessive man - dangerous! - a philanderer, and one with an emotional connection to an ex-girlfriend and another woman who liked him.

Truly I am embarrassed to admit all that; however, if it serves to help at least one person in this, then I am glad to have done so. Let me explain why -

Life is a mirror and everything we see and witness is a projection (think movie screen) of ourselves, namely our minds. You may have a challenging time believing this if you may be faith-based; however, I am telling you 'the' truth and there is a difference, i.e., what is indeed true!

Known as the 'law of attraction' it is basically the principle of like attracting like. This includes like-minded people, whether men and/or women, etc. And yes, to some degree opposites attract, though I am speaking here on an energetic level in terms of vibes.

Read my worst-case scenarios.

If I had trusted my intuition, my gut instinct, I would have never gone out with either the alcoholic or the possessive man.

However, even in worst-case scenarios, there are always lessons, albeit harsh, to be learned. And sometimes you have to - okay, I have to - learn the hard way in order to get it. I'm learning though...I think! ;)

What kind of mistakes do you tend to make? Can you 'correct' them and/or do you learn from them?

A New Angle on 'You' or is that 'Me?' ;)

Photo from clipart

Today's interesting and unusual writing prompt is as follows, "Take a post or scene you've written and find a new way in by rewriting with another angle."

Well that's quite a challenge when you - or in this case I - have written quite a number of posts already! Which one do you, or in this case I, choose?! (Should that be ?! or !?) ;)

Tribute ... to You!, a post written on November 9, 2012 - http://www.xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2012/11/tribute-to-you.html - featured an inspired poem that came as a result of a relationship I had with an ex-boyfriend. I thought he was the beginning of a change in the men I seemed to choose, i.e., be in relationship with.

I'll repeat it here for your benefit. The original poem simply entitled "You" is as follows, though I’ve had several slightly different versions of the poem's ending:

You,
a perfect reflection of me
A reminder of my own glory
as I see [slight pause] your inner and outer beauty

You,
a mirror
of my thoughts
my feelings
my desires?

Oh, how I am in awe of you
and thus me as you

You,
who reflect that which is pure and deep
and light and love and happiness
within me

You,
whom I cherish with all my heart
my mind and spirit

Thank you,
thank you for being you
and all that which you are

God bless,
God bless you
and thus me
as our spirits intertwine*
and become one

WOW!
I am in love!
I am in love with life
with God
with you
and thus me

Again thank you,
thank you for being you
and all that which you are. ©

*intuitive movements with my hands here like a DNA/RNA spiral

So, on a slightly different angle, a different take or perspective, how about this:

Tribute ... to Me! Well, that sounds rather weird or the title would definitely need to be changed, to what I do not know, yet! ;)

Me,
a perfect reflection of you,
A reminder of your own glory
as you see [slight pause] my inner and outer beauty

Me,
a mirror
of your thoughts
your feelings
your desires?

Oh, how you are in awe of me
and thus you as me

Me,
who reflect that which is pure and deep
and light and love and happiness
within you

Me,
whom you cherish with all your heart
your mind and spirit

Thank me,
thank me for being me
and all that which I am

God bless,
God bless me
and thus you
as our spirits intertwine*
and become one

WOW!
You are in love!
You are in love with life
with God
with me
and thus you

Again thank me,
thank me for being me
and all that which I am. ©

*intuitive movements with my hands here like a DNA/RNA spiral

Ok, now be honest here, which version do you like better or better yet, which do you find most grabs your attention? Is more inspiring?

P.S. I ended up enjoying this post 'cause it gave me a brilliant idea if and when I publish this in future. And I need to remind myself to send it to a local singer so she can make it into a song! ;) <3

Part 1: Peace in Times of War

Years ago, sometime after the Bosnian war which lasted almost four years, my parents and I visited an area of Croatia (part of the former Bosnia and Herzegovina region. And, if I understand correctly, now known as Serbia.)

This country known for its mild Mediterranean weather was too hot and dry for me. The somewhat barren landscape, sparsely populated with vegetation (grasses) matched the desolate buildings of which there were many, at least what remained of them.

Remnants of (what I presume were residential) brick buildings with shattered windows dotted the road and countryside. It was not a pretty sight. (I still have photos that portray the aftereffects of that stark landscape, though I have them just as clearly etched in my mind.)

Was I as shocked and horrified as those buildings were (metaphorically speaking of course)? Were people living there during the bombings/explosions?

There are many civilians who question war, people like you and me. What is the purpose? Do we need it? Is it just an excuse for atrocities such as genocide and rape?

I have come to see and understand that what we experience as (so-called) reality is actually a reflection of our being. That is, what we think and feel is projected outside of us. Thus, the outer world, our outer world is a reflection of our inner world. This is experienced both individually and collectively.

If you dislike and/or disagree with these words, I totally understand. I used to! However, I have come to learn that this is indeed the case, whether we like it or not. In fact, I learned (the beginnings of) this phenomenon during a course on counselling skills.

There is a term known in the counselling and psychotherapy field as “transference.” This occurs when a client projects (i.e., transfers) their feelings and desires onto their counsellor or psychotherapist. It occurs at an unconscious level and can display in various ways, whether through feelings of love, fear, hate, or anything in between.

Thus, the state(s) of our being in our thoughts and feelings are important as it is the beginning of the ripple effect. Can you imagine the effect positively or negatively rippling in relation to that of a group of people whether in a family/home, at work, in meetings, in a village, town, city, or country? Use your imagination here or think of instances in your world.

Instead of judging others with eyes – and words – of anger or hate, we can choose to focus our thoughts and speech with compassionate and empathic tones. We can choose peace/love/joy/happiness or conflict/tension/hatred/anger in this moment, and this one, and the next, and so on. Hopefully peace, love, and joy will reign over conflict, tension, hatred, and even war.

It has been declared by an international spiritual teacher and author that peace will reign in our time. It is hard to imagine with all the wars and conflicts we have taking place in our everyday lives. Regardless, why not focus on peace...within ourselves first? Then let the ripples spread out...

Let's start today with Remembrance Day in Canada, and Veterans Day in the States: a moment of silence, of peace, of stillness - one (1) minute on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

How can we avoid conflict and tension in the world? How can we cultivate peace and keep it in our hearts and minds? To be continued ...

Tribute ... to You!

Image of showbiz mirror

In my previous posting (You ... and Me!), I referred to a poem I wrote a number of years ago.

My poem applies to anyone and everyone, whether from the eyes of a man or woman, young or old, artist or engineer, President of a company or nation, or employee or citizen, and so on.

Now I know a lot of people may be aware of this already. However, I believe there are also a lot of people who don't or may not, and in particular when they get angry: name-calling or bullying (however subtle) or the like. Sometimes we just plain forget...myself included!

There's an expression that there are four fingers pointing back towards you (yourself) when you are pointing at someone. I speak figuratively here of course, i.e., on a mental and emotional level.

So reflect on these words (below) with that in mind:

You,
a perfect reflection of me
A reminder of my own glory
as I see [slight pause] your inner and outer beauty

You,
a mirror
of my thoughts
my feelings
my desires?

Oh, how I am in awe of you
and thus me as you

You,
who reflect that which is pure and deep
and light and love and happiness
within me

You,
whom I cherish with all my heart
my mind and spirit

Thank you,
thank you for being you
and all that which you are

God bless,
God bless you
and thus me
as our spirits intertwine*
and become one

Wow!
I am in love!
I am in love with life
with God
with you
and thus me

Again thank you,
thank you for being you
and all that which you are. ©

*intuitive movements with my hands here like a DNA/RNA spiral

So next time you are prone to judge and/or criticize someone, silently or out loud, think twice: is this a trait you dislike, perhaps even hate about yourself?

How do you tend to see others? With what kind of eyes?

You ... and Me!

I think of a senior I met about two weeks ago while waiting for an appointment with my M.D. He complained and complained, mainly reminiscing about the "good old days" – can anyone relate? ; ) – and possible wars in the Middle East. No wonder he was unhappy! (More about that in a future blog post, likely near the end of December.)

Now I know, as one of my inspired poems (that I wrote a number of years ago) reflect, what I see in others – so-called good and bad – are qualities that I like and admire as well as dislike and detest about myself. (I wish I knew that in my teens!)

Though I have done my share of 'bitching' – sorry but I require at least one (powerful) synonym here – and complaining, I realize it’s usually relatively fruitless. All it does is attract more of the same: think fleas.

Did you notice when you complain, other people (tend to) commiserate around you? That is exactly what I mean. What you think about, talk about, and feel expands or increases in intensity and/or duration or frequency of episodes, whether pain, guilt, sadness, etc. This means that the particular situation or issue worsens if you constantly nag about it.

So, how does one change the situation?

Well, perhaps there is truth in the adage – that (word) just came to me intuitively – “Act enthusiastic and you’ll be enthusiastic,” a phrase Dale Carnegie coined. (I actually won a Dale Carnegie award for “stage impromptu acting” demonstrating that very principle!)

I’ve noticed effects of this principle working in my life for the past month since I’ve become increasingly calm and happy, happier in fact than I’ve been on a consistent basis in a long time. As a result, my life has flowed with ease and grace.

Consequently, I move through life easier too (literally!) – my recent move attested to that (which you can read about in my previous posting) – with a more open and loving heart, rather than a fearful one.

In fact, even the one-day job action in the form of a strike protest last week that I participated in (being a union member of a nonprofit agency) was peaceful. I purposely focused on being happy and peaceful, sending waves (including literal hand wave gestures) of love to people while handing out a leaflet, a decal, and a chocolate heart (to symbolize being “the heart and soul of our community” (in terms of the work we do). How appropriate though I didn’t even think of that at the time! ; )

Through my actions, I consciously chose to remain in a state of love and peace, and even joy. This may have rippled to the other CUPE members who attended along with BCGEU employees and some family members and friends.

Though the photo depicted a different state of my being – the sun was in my eyes – I know my emotional and mental state had a positive impact on the community (to people I encountered as well as colleagues and union members). We all impact each other, especially with the words we speak.

Whether you or I are in an open, expanded state or a closed, contracted space, we each draw to us similar vibrations of people and situations in our lives. If you don’t believe me, experiment. If not on yourself, observe others and notice what occurs.

What have you noticed when you sway either way, towards the light or the dark in the emotional realm?