These are our thoughts feelings and experiences. We accept responsibility for them. We understand your journey may be different. We honor and respect that. Wishing you effortless joy. Eloise and Jake
If you want to feel good...listen to this:
This is a You Tube video about 2 guys who went around the world getting street singers to all sing the same song, and then they dubbed them all together into one version of that song. Feel good....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM&feature=email
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
gus
These are our thoughts feelings and experiences. We accept responsibility for them. We understand your journey may be different. We honor and respect that. Wishing you effortless joy. Eloise and Jake
Short blog for all of you who have asked. Gus's lump has gone away. Took him to our vet, who treated it holistically. 10 days later the lump was gone.
He continues to be sweet and adorable. He sleeps with us again. And I am peaceful with him.
My face heals, and the numb area is decreasing a little each week.
Still looking for that right trainer.
Short blog for all of you who have asked. Gus's lump has gone away. Took him to our vet, who treated it holistically. 10 days later the lump was gone.
He continues to be sweet and adorable. He sleeps with us again. And I am peaceful with him.
My face heals, and the numb area is decreasing a little each week.
Still looking for that right trainer.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
if you are having fun you don’t grow old
These are our thoughts feelings and experiences. We accept responsibility for them. We understand your journey may be different. We honor and respect that. Wishing you effortless joy. Eloise and Jake
Sometimes we have moments we all want to remember.
Then we don’t. We forget. (Till something else comes along and reminds us of it.)
Well last night I had a moment that I wanted to remember.
A little history: Rich periodically will put on his Eagles CD and turn it up and there are one or two songs on the album that when I hear them, I always stop what I am doing and come find him. (And we dance and hum and feel grateful) Link is at end of email, and on link list.
Well during one of those moments I had a great idea. I would get Richard tickets to the concert, for Christmas. So I did, and we went last night
During the concert I was just overwhelmed with gratefulness that I got to experience such a great thing. Now these guys have been around since we were young. And each has done something unique on their own: Tim B Schmidt, Glen Frey, Don Henley, and my favorite Joe Walsh. And yet, still get along, still play music, and still do it so good.(and do it sober now) I mean they do it in a way that just makes you go wow. It was at that moment that I was so grateful for growing up in the generation I did with the music we did. I am grateful for the times of being a band groupie. I am grateful for the number of family and friends who love music, and I am grateful just for friends and family and for experiences throughout our lives. We are so lucky to have had and do have on a regular basis, such joy. It was a moment in time that I wish we could have shared. It was a feeling that I wanted to come home and put into words, and say: “NEVER EVER settle for anything less than that joy”. I am so blessed so fortunate to have so much joy, at home, with our dogs, with our family with our friends, at work, at play when we sleep, and just anytime we breathe.
Now most of you know that we have known pain. And we have known loss and suffering and heartaches and feelings of failure. We have fallen down and have gotten back up, and we both have been determined over our lives to find that constant sense of peace, of joy: effortless joy.
Maybe when you get old your values change, your desires change, perception changes. But for now life is good, we feel joy. We love all that has been given to us or loaned to us. Not sure when we will have to give it back. But for now, I am just grateful for the feelings. Wish you all could have been there with us…Wish you all have those moments where you just feel high from raw gratefulness and joy. WE wish you:
NO MORE CLOUDY DAYS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2ckN_GREtU
ONE OF THESE NIGHTS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0v3QuyJUPB4
and for those of you who have never had a song dedicated to ya.. from the good ole days: FUNK 49
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3lEqVAroX4&feature=PlayList&p=721945A6B42DB7EE&playnext=1&index=8
Moral of the story… if you are having fun you don’t grow old. And if you do get old, you don’t notice and you don’t care. I think it is all more fun when you are 60!
Sometimes we have moments we all want to remember.
Then we don’t. We forget. (Till something else comes along and reminds us of it.)
Well last night I had a moment that I wanted to remember.
A little history: Rich periodically will put on his Eagles CD and turn it up and there are one or two songs on the album that when I hear them, I always stop what I am doing and come find him. (And we dance and hum and feel grateful) Link is at end of email, and on link list.
Well during one of those moments I had a great idea. I would get Richard tickets to the concert, for Christmas. So I did, and we went last night
During the concert I was just overwhelmed with gratefulness that I got to experience such a great thing. Now these guys have been around since we were young. And each has done something unique on their own: Tim B Schmidt, Glen Frey, Don Henley, and my favorite Joe Walsh. And yet, still get along, still play music, and still do it so good.(and do it sober now) I mean they do it in a way that just makes you go wow. It was at that moment that I was so grateful for growing up in the generation I did with the music we did. I am grateful for the times of being a band groupie. I am grateful for the number of family and friends who love music, and I am grateful just for friends and family and for experiences throughout our lives. We are so lucky to have had and do have on a regular basis, such joy. It was a moment in time that I wish we could have shared. It was a feeling that I wanted to come home and put into words, and say: “NEVER EVER settle for anything less than that joy”. I am so blessed so fortunate to have so much joy, at home, with our dogs, with our family with our friends, at work, at play when we sleep, and just anytime we breathe.
Now most of you know that we have known pain. And we have known loss and suffering and heartaches and feelings of failure. We have fallen down and have gotten back up, and we both have been determined over our lives to find that constant sense of peace, of joy: effortless joy.
Maybe when you get old your values change, your desires change, perception changes. But for now life is good, we feel joy. We love all that has been given to us or loaned to us. Not sure when we will have to give it back. But for now, I am just grateful for the feelings. Wish you all could have been there with us…Wish you all have those moments where you just feel high from raw gratefulness and joy. WE wish you:
NO MORE CLOUDY DAYS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2ckN_GREtU
ONE OF THESE NIGHTS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0v3QuyJUPB4
and for those of you who have never had a song dedicated to ya.. from the good ole days: FUNK 49
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3lEqVAroX4&feature=PlayList&p=721945A6B42DB7EE&playnext=1&index=8
Moral of the story… if you are having fun you don’t grow old. And if you do get old, you don’t notice and you don’t care. I think it is all more fun when you are 60!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
The Contender
These are our thoughts feelings and experiences. We accept responsibility for them. We understand your journey may be different. We honor and respect that. Wishing you effortless joy. Eloise and Jake
After writing the last blog I re watched the DVD “THE CONTENDER” with Gary Oldman, Joan Allen, Jeff Bridges and Christian Slater. It was about a female being asked to be a vice presidential candidate and what she had to go through to be approved.
The reviews of the movie were bad (made in 2000) but I found it to be an excellent example of “not reacting”. She was accused of horrendous things, but didn’t react. Instead she took a stand by saying “no comment” I couldn’t imagine the strength it took for her not to react with rage. But after watching it twice, I feel nothing but respect for the character she portrayed. I would encourage any of you reading this, who wants to be challenged by an idealistic portrayal of our politics. It inspired strength in me.
On another note I am always amazed by the things that come out of my mouth that later I regret. And the time I spend beating myself up, and then realizing I was simply reacting to things that are deep seated and obscure. I believe in this non anxious parasympathetic nervous system state of calm and peace, but continue to live in an impulsive reactive state. I then spend endless amounts of energy and time wondering: “where in the hell did that come from?”.
Then I realize AGAIN, that all things are as they are supposed to be. And the comment was meant to be said, and I am meant to become aware of a feeling and a past situation that contributed to the feeling, and then I am allowed to choose to continue in that feeling or not. And it is only possible to return to peace and calm and quiet by being quiet and peaceful.
Simultaneously I am struggling with the concept of “fighting”. Is that an old energy, and is there a time and place for it any where in today’s society?
I am conditioned to think there are certain things worth fighting for, but I am wondering if there is a difference between things worth fighting for, and things worth dying for. Some of my mentors imply that fighting is an obsolete effort, and that power now comes through peace and love. If that be the case, why does there continue to be so much violence in the animal kingdom?
After writing the last blog I re watched the DVD “THE CONTENDER” with Gary Oldman, Joan Allen, Jeff Bridges and Christian Slater. It was about a female being asked to be a vice presidential candidate and what she had to go through to be approved.
The reviews of the movie were bad (made in 2000) but I found it to be an excellent example of “not reacting”. She was accused of horrendous things, but didn’t react. Instead she took a stand by saying “no comment” I couldn’t imagine the strength it took for her not to react with rage. But after watching it twice, I feel nothing but respect for the character she portrayed. I would encourage any of you reading this, who wants to be challenged by an idealistic portrayal of our politics. It inspired strength in me.
On another note I am always amazed by the things that come out of my mouth that later I regret. And the time I spend beating myself up, and then realizing I was simply reacting to things that are deep seated and obscure. I believe in this non anxious parasympathetic nervous system state of calm and peace, but continue to live in an impulsive reactive state. I then spend endless amounts of energy and time wondering: “where in the hell did that come from?”.
Then I realize AGAIN, that all things are as they are supposed to be. And the comment was meant to be said, and I am meant to become aware of a feeling and a past situation that contributed to the feeling, and then I am allowed to choose to continue in that feeling or not. And it is only possible to return to peace and calm and quiet by being quiet and peaceful.
Simultaneously I am struggling with the concept of “fighting”. Is that an old energy, and is there a time and place for it any where in today’s society?
I am conditioned to think there are certain things worth fighting for, but I am wondering if there is a difference between things worth fighting for, and things worth dying for. Some of my mentors imply that fighting is an obsolete effort, and that power now comes through peace and love. If that be the case, why does there continue to be so much violence in the animal kingdom?
It all is as it is suppose to be.
These are our thoughts feelings and experiences. We accept responsibility for them. We understand your journey may be different. We honor and respect that. Wishing you effortless joy. Eloise and Jake
It all is as it is suppose to be.
I have been processing the concept of reaction. What is a reaction? A reaction is the body’s way of communicating with you. And when we react, we need to listen.
One of mentors spent forever trying to get me “out of my head” and into my body. She kept saying: listen to your body.
As I have been doing that, I am beginning to get the sense that a reaction serves two purposes.
One is a red flag that we still have an issue to process from our past. And two it is a spiritual warning that there is something in your immediate present that is a threat to you.
Either one takes your power from you. Now I do not think we have control over the actual reaction. But I think we have absolute control over the intensity of the reaction and the action that we assign to that reaction.
Reactions are usually a sympathetic nervous system (SNS) response that can be reversed with a parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) response. To make it simple SNS speeds things up. You feel stress, your heart speeds up, your blood pressure goes up, you feel anxious and you suffer the long term consequences of stress. PNS slows things down allowing a feeling of peace and calm.
Triggering the PBS takes practice. Things like yoga, breathing, meditating and other QUIET activities foster PNS outcomes. Practicing PNS behaviors allows one to regain control over SNS quicker and easier.
Now for those of you who need to think through things… thinking is far more rational when the PNS is in control. (the peaceful pondering) Thinking through a situation while your heart is beating wildly, rarely produces intelligent behaviors.
So as you find yourself in a situation, where you want to react. Sit calmly, breathe and allow it to be as it is suppose to be. Do not react in SNS state; react with calm and thought and peace.
If you have read the previous blogs about gus….then you might find this interesting:
A SNS reaction would have been to put him down (fear). However…. Last night we found a large lump in gus's neck area last night.. we are not sure how long it has been there.. but if it was there in november.. it would surely explain his reaction to me...will keep you posted…….
It all is as it is suppose to be.
I have been processing the concept of reaction. What is a reaction? A reaction is the body’s way of communicating with you. And when we react, we need to listen.
One of mentors spent forever trying to get me “out of my head” and into my body. She kept saying: listen to your body.
As I have been doing that, I am beginning to get the sense that a reaction serves two purposes.
One is a red flag that we still have an issue to process from our past. And two it is a spiritual warning that there is something in your immediate present that is a threat to you.
Either one takes your power from you. Now I do not think we have control over the actual reaction. But I think we have absolute control over the intensity of the reaction and the action that we assign to that reaction.
Reactions are usually a sympathetic nervous system (SNS) response that can be reversed with a parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) response. To make it simple SNS speeds things up. You feel stress, your heart speeds up, your blood pressure goes up, you feel anxious and you suffer the long term consequences of stress. PNS slows things down allowing a feeling of peace and calm.
Triggering the PBS takes practice. Things like yoga, breathing, meditating and other QUIET activities foster PNS outcomes. Practicing PNS behaviors allows one to regain control over SNS quicker and easier.
Now for those of you who need to think through things… thinking is far more rational when the PNS is in control. (the peaceful pondering) Thinking through a situation while your heart is beating wildly, rarely produces intelligent behaviors.
So as you find yourself in a situation, where you want to react. Sit calmly, breathe and allow it to be as it is suppose to be. Do not react in SNS state; react with calm and thought and peace.
If you have read the previous blogs about gus….then you might find this interesting:
A SNS reaction would have been to put him down (fear). However…. Last night we found a large lump in gus's neck area last night.. we are not sure how long it has been there.. but if it was there in november.. it would surely explain his reaction to me...will keep you posted…….
Monday, January 5, 2009
Paradox: Never settle, but always be satisfied
These are our thoughts feelings and experiences. We accept responsibility for them. We understand your journey may be different. We honor and respect that. Wishing you effortless joy. Eloise and Jake
Paradox: Never settle, but always be satisfied
I am always amazed by the duality of life. When I wrote the book “If you stand in the middle you won’t fall down”, I pictured a seesaw. My image of the seesaw was all about managing the ups and downs of life. My original premise was that if you let go of what you could not control and took on responsibility for what you did (your own thoughts, feelings and behavior) life would be balanced and good. (And that is still true today)
Today the image and function of a seesaw continues to have meaning. I am now, not only finding the balance between polar opposites but am I learning to live with them both simultaneously.
I went to bed asking in prayer for wisdom from my higher power. I woke up today with this thought on my mind. What first came to me was: Never settle, but always be satisfied. Believe you can have it all, but be happy with what you have. Dream big, but live simply.
Over my life time I have lived at those polar ends. I have settled, and found misery lingering about. And at other times I have worked long and hard to have it all, desperately falling short in a state of fatigue. But now it seems that the less I do the more I have. It is about being not about doing.
I want less stuff and more memories. I want more life, less stress. I am still, but I am experiencing more. Let me say that again. I am still but I am experiencing more. Being “still” is about knowing what you want, and weeding out all of the things you think you want, but really don’t. Being still is about moving forward in a different direction. There is nothing more powerful than being still and being quiet. The paradox is that when you begin a day with a list of endless things to do, and unrealistic demands from those around you, that more gets done, and more quality surrounds those tasks.
Today, if you are reading this, and you feel overwhelmed with all you have to do; then do nothing for a few minutes except get quiet, be grateful, and be fully present in the moment.
The list doesn’t change, but the power the list has over you will. Then commit to having fun. You can only do what you can do, and it is all as it is suppose to be.
Paradox: Never settle, but always be satisfied
I am always amazed by the duality of life. When I wrote the book “If you stand in the middle you won’t fall down”, I pictured a seesaw. My image of the seesaw was all about managing the ups and downs of life. My original premise was that if you let go of what you could not control and took on responsibility for what you did (your own thoughts, feelings and behavior) life would be balanced and good. (And that is still true today)
Today the image and function of a seesaw continues to have meaning. I am now, not only finding the balance between polar opposites but am I learning to live with them both simultaneously.
I went to bed asking in prayer for wisdom from my higher power. I woke up today with this thought on my mind. What first came to me was: Never settle, but always be satisfied. Believe you can have it all, but be happy with what you have. Dream big, but live simply.
Over my life time I have lived at those polar ends. I have settled, and found misery lingering about. And at other times I have worked long and hard to have it all, desperately falling short in a state of fatigue. But now it seems that the less I do the more I have. It is about being not about doing.
I want less stuff and more memories. I want more life, less stress. I am still, but I am experiencing more. Let me say that again. I am still but I am experiencing more. Being “still” is about knowing what you want, and weeding out all of the things you think you want, but really don’t. Being still is about moving forward in a different direction. There is nothing more powerful than being still and being quiet. The paradox is that when you begin a day with a list of endless things to do, and unrealistic demands from those around you, that more gets done, and more quality surrounds those tasks.
Today, if you are reading this, and you feel overwhelmed with all you have to do; then do nothing for a few minutes except get quiet, be grateful, and be fully present in the moment.
The list doesn’t change, but the power the list has over you will. Then commit to having fun. You can only do what you can do, and it is all as it is suppose to be.
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