I don't know anyone who is peace FULL. Full of peace. I'm not, but when I do a full 360 around my life, I find the peace, if I choose to see it.
We are the sum total of what we bring to each moment. If I bring myself - in reliance with my Higher Power - in a fit body, unburdened by resentments, and ready to go forward, I will see life as the blessing it is, no matter what.
What scars do you have? Was it foolishness or are they marks of wisdom, learning and beauty?
Friends today, what sort of stretching and growing are you allowing yourself to do and does it help you not suffer or become bitter? Where do you allow yourself to blow your lid? To share the challenging emotions and where do you force yourself to keep them quiet?
The tools I use to drag myself down, I use on others with equal fervor. That the human system functions in health and harmony at all - the individual body or One Spirit itself - is a miracle.
"Self" is a destination, and self-love is a way of arriving there.
Who made the list?
When I'm with someone who has a curiosity about life, a sense of humor and intelligence, it is a source of energy for me. Then they do something human or less than perfect and go from my Nice List to my Naughty List - an energy drain.
What about me? How many times have I decided I'm just not good enough to make the list?
How do you define quality and are you direct about it?
I look around my life and feel pleased with where I am and have some understanding of who I am. What is there in your life that feels just right?
Sometimes carrying on is the only way. Allow a moment of gratitude for what you are able to do today.
If I take a hard look at what causes me despair I see I have swatted away many hands that may have helped me understand how to do better.
Friends, if there is any sort of faith in your life that overcomes despair hang on to it, allow yourself to explore it, listen.
Listen when people speak. Soften your voice when you feel yourself becoming harsh and judgmental. Grow into silence and allow it to create a space for awareness and understanding of self and other.
Where do you feel valued and under-valued? How many friends do you have that are true friends? Do you have any? Do you find that it's easier to be superficial with your friends and family members out of duty than to create a true, definite love, a deep caring and authentic expression of who you are?
When you look back over the landscape of your life, do you see and feel love or difficulty? I was the difficult one because I questioned authority, but it rolled forward as normal. What's normal when it's nonsense?
"This story went well because of my connection to you."
Is it possible to be angry or frustrated and still be kind and respectful to those we are angry with or frustrated by? And if we practice kindness and respect, how long will our emotional sobriety last?
What roles do you play? How selectively do you spend your energy and how often are you depleted? What have you received that builds you up and is it a balanced exchange?
Challenge, compensation and balance in relationship.
Talking with a friend or asking for guidance from your Higher Power, do you listen, or do you just keep talking?
How do we balance vigilance with control, safety with enjoyment, security with freedom? Must we define chaos and reason a path through it, or can we keep it simple?