Friday, July 26, 2013

Presence

I am learning that being present is the key to being patient. When I am present, I do not linger in the past and I am not agitated by what I am waiting for. In fact, when I am present, I find all I need.

We cannot have our mind on the past and simultaneously on the present moment. As well as we cannot keep our minds on the future and on what is happening right now. Moving to the present moment can be difficult when you first enter this awareness, but with practice it becomes easier. In fact, in time, present moment living becomes a safe haven and possible to do without much effort.

When we bring our attention to this moment, we become actively patient. Aware of this moment, we connect to strength of spirit, we exercise faith and we tap into the magic that brews in the silence within. It is easy when we are scared to rush into jobs, relationships, partnerships and situations in order for us to feel a sense of certainty. We do this, too, when we are confused and when we are hurt. We don't wait for the answers and we push to be over the pain, quickly. Yet, when we are present, we find comfort. When we are not present, not patient and we rush into something, we inhibit the blessings that would be ours, the insight and creativity. We put ourselves in forced situtations. We restrict the flow. We struggle to get to a place of peace and well-being.

Presence has become my mantra. It relieves the urgency and brings to the surface a sense of calm and peace. Presence also yields wisdom. When I am present, I receive the knowing I need and understanding of the events of my life. The biggest gift I receive from being present is that I enjoy life, every moment. Being patient and being present go hand in hand.

Today is a good day to tap into your present moment awareness. Let it help you build patience...patience for the moment and for this season of your life. Patiently being in this moment will present you with clarity, knowing and joy. The gift of presence is the gift feeling loved, guided and protected. The gift of presence is being loved, guided and protected. You get there with patience and you get to patience by being present. 

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Creating in chaos

What a day! Actually, what a week. It's only Tuesday and I have already had a heck of a week. It's been like this for the past couple of weeks. I'm still standing. All is well, albeit chaotic.

I have been living out of a suitcase, working without a computer, firm deadlines, car trouble, remodeling projects at home, travel, unpredictable weather, nephews who throw me into the pool right in the middle of a productive writing session and a kid who's out of summer camp now–all of which affect my daily plans in many ways. All of this is enough to throw me into a spiral. I am amazed that I am keeping it together, but then I am not surprised.

My phone starts ringing around seven in the morning. Texts and messages come in throughout the day up until around eleven at night. My agenda is jammed packed with appointments, lunches and meetings. My to-do list is long, really long. There's no time to waste. Even so, I made time for two dates this week–with someone else, and one date by myself with the artist in me. So instead of meditating in the morning, I am meditating at night as well. Instead of yoga in the morning, I added another shot of yoga at night–right before bed. That extra bit of yoga releases all the tension that accumulates during the day. The extra meditation, helps me breathe and tap into my creativity–for art, for solutions, for juggling. I am creating in chaos.

I am a believer. I share my chaotic story with you in the hopes that it will inspire you to slow down, to reach within for strength and guidance. Meditation builds you up. Having loving intentions in all you do makes everything you do very rewarding and feeling grateful for each challenge and opportunity puts everything into perspective and makes everything possible. Today is a good day to give it a try. If you have too much to do, too much to take care of, too many worries and too many pressures, try stopping for a few moments to be still and quiet. In calmness and silence you will find what you need to endure.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Sorry sometimes is not enough

When we are aware that we have damaged or hurt someone, we have to apologize. Yet sometimes that is not enough. Those we hurt may forgive us after we say I'm sorry, but it may be us that need to make amends for our own sake.

When we betray, lie to, steal from, insult, abuse, neglect, abandon or hurt someone in some other way, we create an energy that affects us negatively. The memory of the injury karmically influences our life in adverse ways, even if we don't make that connection. After we recognize what we have done and we have asked for forgiveness, we have to commit to never doing whatever we did again and make amends. Other times, we have to atone for our harmful action because we are not able to apologize to the other person. This may be because they have passed away, we do not know how to contact them or they are not receptive to us. When we make a mistake, we accept it, we ask forgiveness, we make amends and we pray for those we harmed in order to clean our spiritual slate.

To clear the path for our blessings to reach us, sometimes we have to begin by being more than sorry. This is wonderful news. It gives us power over our karma. It gives us a channel to become closer to Spirit. Atoning for our mistakes is love–for others, for ourselves. When apologizing isn't enough, atoning is what makes it so. Atoning spiritually rights our wrongs.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Let me be scared...

Last Thursday the sky bolted in an amazing display of thunder and lightning. It was beautiful. This is my second favorite type of weather for anything. Meanwhile, dogs, cats and children were jumping out of their skins and hiding under beds. My son, who generally is not afraid of anything, was afraid. I was in my office downstairs when a clap of thunder roared so loudly that I could feel the vibrations in my chest. I went to my son's room to check on him. I asked him if he was ok. Yeah, he said. You know, it´s ok to be scared, but you don´t have to be, I said. Mom, he replied, let me be scared...let me be happy, let me be sad, let me be mad. Let me feel what I feel so that I can understand.

Exactly.  

It´s amazing what wisdom there is in my son´s words. Let us feel to understand. Being angry, sad, frustrated, jealous, glum and afraid is not fun. Yet there is an important effect to feeling these emotions: empathy for self and others. Feeling our feelings through allows us to understand ourselves better and to have compassion for others. It allows us to be forgiving of ourselves, to know the areas of our personality we can improve on, to have a clue to what changes we should make, to know what triggers our worst character traits and what hinders our best self. Feeling our feelings through moves us from judgment to compassion, from the status-quo to change, from stagnation to right action. 

Whatever the emotion is that you are feeling this moment, let it swell up. This does not mean that you act out of that emotion. Just recognize it, feel it and ask yourself what it is trying to tell you. Jealousy of a colleague's accomplishments could mean that it is time for you to work on your discipline and habits to reach your own goals. If you are feeling angry, then maybe you need to meditate or find another outlet to pent up energy. If you are feeling frustrated, could it be that you are pleasing everyone or your idea of what everyone wants you to do? What is your emotion trying to tell you?

Feeling our feelings helps us relate to others and be less judgmental. It helps us understand why people react in certain ways. It helps us expand and develop ourselves. It helps us be better friends, coworkers, spouses, family members, neighbors, lovers and Selves.


Monday, July 22, 2013

The memory of pain

Many years ago I weighed about thirty pounds more than I do now. Over time, my knees and ankles started to hurt. My knees and ankles would hurt as soon as I put my feet on the ground in the morning. They would also hurt when I moved in certain ways. When I started to practice yoga, the weight started to melt away and one day I realized that neither my ankles or my knees hurt anymore. Yet I found myself every now and then flinching in preparation to feel the pain when I moved in several ways. I was remembering the pain.

Our bodies remember pain, yet it is not only our bodies that remember the pain. Emotionally, we remember too. We flinch when we move in a certain direction in which we have been hurt before, even if the injury has healed. If we have been betrayed, it hurts to trust again. If we have been rejected or abandoned, it hurts to open up again. If we have failed before, it hurts to dream again. If we have gotten lost along the way, it hurts to venture out again. But this is the memory of pain, it's not reality. There's nothing inflicting pain.

Remembering the pain creates anxiety and prevents us from enjoying new experiences. Remembering the pain keeps us in fear, angry, sad, hurt, frustrated, stuck and feeling pain. Today is a good day to let go of the memory of pain. Release it in order to move forward. Replace the memory of pain with the memory of Spirit in which you are healed, loved and prepared for everything that comes your way.


Thursday, July 18, 2013

Medallion thinking


I am holding a medallion in my hand. It is a large coin. On one side it has an elaborate design. On the other side it has an engraved oath. This second side is not as beautiful or inspiring as the first one. You can appreciate each side on its own, but it is the entire piece that is valuable.

We are much like this medallion–with one side of us much nicer than another. We can't ignore either side. We have to go into medallion thinking, in which we recognize that our value is in our whole being. Our wholeness holds the key to the highest expression of ourselves. We acknowledge each aspect of us–the pretty and the not so pretty, the caring and the selfish, the understanding and the temperamental, the helpful and the impatient, the generous and the mistrustful–as past of our full self.

In order for us to fulfill our purpose, to achieve our dreams and become the best version of ourselves, we need to embrace all of us, our precise mix of qualities.

Do not deny any part of you. Today is a good day to think of yourself as a medallion: all of you is worthy and valuable. Once you do, you open the door to the awareness of how to best use your unique blend of traits, especially those that you don't consider to be your best.


Wednesday, July 17, 2013

The conductors

Yesterday was a particularly hectic day. There were many things that I had to do on a professional and personal level. There were many things that depended on someone else taking action and on other things happening. In the course of the day, I interacted with many different people, the majority of which were difficult and hard of character and thought. In the end, I accomplished what I needed to, but the shifts in energy left me stressed, drained and tired.

Our bodies are energy. At the molecular level, that is all we are, energy. As conduits, we give off and receive energy that is either positive or negative. Many times we come across people who are rigid, pessimistic and unyielding. When we do, there is a stop to the flow of life. Life continues, but there's a struggle and an unpleasantness about things. Then there are times we come across those who are flexible, allowing and willing. In the presence of these people, we flow.

Why does the energy of those we deal with matter? Because it affects our energy. We radiate this energy and, in turn, it affects others. Have you been in the presence of people who instantly make you feel calm? They are a conductor of positive and healing energy, the effect of which stays with us for a while.

Staying in a negative field of energy has detrimental effects on our mind and our bodies. There is a pharmaceutical drug commercial that says "depression hurts". It does. Negative life energy affects us to the point that physical symptoms match our emotional state leading to disease, lack of stamina and an overall sense of unhealthiness.

When I got home last night, my son sensed the change in my energy. I was sneezing. I never do. He smiled, hugged me and stayed with me until my energy lifted. We didn't talk about it. We just rested in each other's presence. He is one of those higher vibrating people. I remembered then that I can't change the mind of others, but I can remain aware of my energy and choose to shift it and affect the energy around me.

Today is a good day to be a conductor of life affirming energy. Instead of blocking, let's allow. Let's be aware of the energy we are giving off at the moment. If we are stuck, negative and pessimistic, let's acknowledge it and then choose to shift into the positive.


Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Shadow boxing


There he is, Ali, throwing punches at no one in particular, preparing his muscles for a fight. This was part of his training, shadow boxing. What a way to sharpen his physical and psychological reflexes for his encounters in the boxing ring! 

In psychology, shadow boxing is the process of overcoming a negative self-image. In soulcery, shadow boxing is that fight we have with the negative parts of our character and personality, those features we hide, those traits that we are ashamed of, those repressed parts of us that we sometimes don't even recognize we have. 

Carl Jung asserted that our shadow shows up as omissions, forgetfulness, impulse or inadvertent acts, that it can be our friend or our enemy and that it becomes hostile when ignored or misunderstood. Take, for example, the rash of celebrities who are losing their temper in horrific ways in front of the cameras for the world to see. Or the pious religious leaders who succumb to the very perversions they preach against. In our lives, our shadow comes up as severe judgment and projection. We tend to accuse others of precisely the attitudes and behaviors that we fear, resist and feel embarrassed about in ourselves. 

I remember watching Unfaithful a few years ago. In this movie, Richard Geer's character kills his wife's lover in an impulsive and unpremeditated reaction to his pain. I felt horror. I recognized part of my shadow. I feared that in such deep pain and disconsolation I could react violently. In turn, I purposely seek non-violence in everything, from speech to action, fiercely. I abhor violence.

It is not only important to recognize our shadow. We have to acknowledge it for what we deny will continue to show up for us, in us, in those around us and in our circumstances until we learn to deal with it. 

We have to acknowledge it. Then we have to give up the fight, the projections, the judgment. The shadow cannot be overcome or resisted. It always turns up. It is a part of us. We have to come face to face with it, listen to it and take away its power by not giving in to it. Acknowledging it for what it is, our fearful ego, takes away its power. 

We don't only shadow box our negative shadows, we fight positive shadows as well. This is part of our ego too. We fear being great. Our insecurity forges an identity we cling to. We project greatness onto others, positive attributes and qualities we admire, keeping ours hidden or not recognizing them at all. This is not always conscious and it is very common. We get uncomfortable and bashful with our prominence. 

Today is a good day to put your fists down. Fighting your shadow brings disfunction, overreaction and false living. Every part of you is essential to who you are. Embrace every part of you. Bring light to your shadow. It is the only way to dispel it. 

Monday, July 15, 2013

All or nothing

I was writing in a café when I got distracted by a conversation two tables away. Four beautiful women were talking about their dissatisfactions with life and declaring what they want from the Universe. I want a job, a cushy office, an assistant, six-weeks paid vacation...and on goes the list of specifics. I want a partner, athletic, funny, with no children, financially stable...and on goes the list. I want a new place to live, in the country, with a view, where there is mild weather, new construction...and on goes the list. Boy, we get so specific about what we want. We are encouraged by the Secreteers to be specific, to ask for exactly what we want, to wish, to intend and voilà, as if by magic, it shall appear. We then get disappointed when it does not. We get nothing.

We want all or nothing. Well then, of course we will be disappointed. Our intentions are so one-sided that we limit our co-creative capacity. We declare that we want jobs. What if we changed our intention to: we want to use our talents, skills and abilities where they may be needed? When our intention is other than what's-in-it-for-me, the doors multiply. The jobs appear, together with satisfaction, contentment and material gain.

Our expectations are so set that we fail to see the opportunities around us, especially when looking for a partner. What if we changed our intention to: may I love who I need to love? Suddenly love appears. The specifics are not important because we love. Spirit joins us in commonality, respect, joy and happiness.

Today is a good day to let go of our requests for all or nothing. Let us be open in mind and heart. Let us be willing to see more than our preferences. Let us cooperate in creating the life we want by seeing the opportunities available to us. In our willingness lies the secret to a happy and fulfilled life.


Friday, July 12, 2013

Divine timing


In one of those early morning conversations, I mentioned to a friend some of the places I am going to today. If all goes as planned, at the end of today I will have gone to six cities and towns and several places in each. It sounds like a lot. It's not. I live in a small island and all six localities are close to each other. They are all in the metro area. She says to me you work more now than in your previous career.  I don't. I know that for sure. It seems that way because I am always active, my hours are unpredictable and I accomplish a lot. I love it this way. I asked for this. I got it.

There was a time, many years ago, when I was frustrated with life. I wanted more time with my son, to write for a living, to travel, to help others in a less stressful way so I prayed for a different life. As Pablo Neruda once wrote, I am as all mortals are, unable to be patient. I asked for this and did not get it. Well, not immediately. My prayer was answered years later. In the meantime, I was impatient. I continued with every responsibility I had accepted and life as it was. I continued my intention until I realized that I appreciated the life I had, that I was blessed and that there were lessons I needed to learn. I let it go. I didn't let it go as in forget-it. I let it go in the awareness that there was a wisdom beyond that I couldn't grasp. I was thankful for my life situation, I set my intention and I let it go. 

The subsequent unfolding of events makes sense to me now. Every experience I had, every person in my path, every situation I was in was a seed planted. Today I am harvesting. Years later, in an uneventful, none-earth-shaking, sublimely subtle moment I realized that I now have the life I wanted. The Universe did not respond to my frustration, impatience and sense of urgency. The Universe delivered on its own timing. 

Whatever it is you are wishing for, today is a good day to accept life as it is. Nothing will change until you accept who you are, where you are and what is at this moment. You don't have to like it. You just have to be aware of it. Your current conditions are not permanent. Be thankful for your life situation, especially that which you don't yet understand. Ask for what you want and let it go. The Universe's clock works perfectly. When your prayer is answered, the time will be just right. 



Thursday, July 11, 2013

To love and let go

Either it ends or changes. It is anything or any situation. Nothing lasts forever. No-thing lasts forever. This is especially hurtful when it comes to romantic relationships. We enjoy someone, love them and wish to be with them forever. We dream up a life together. Then it ends or changes. What changes? Why don't relationships last in the state in which we are happiest?

Loving relationships fill a void within us. This feeling of completion boosts our mood, self-esteem and even our energy level. It has drug-like effects. When we are in love, we are high on love. This works for a while, but, before long, whatever issues this "love" is masking will surface. Insecurity, fear, emotional pain, low self-worth and feelings of lack come up. Where this "love" seemed to be a balsam on our wounds, you now perceive your partner to be the cause of these painful feelings. In turn, your partner may feel the same way. There's no high anymore, just an addiction.

I know a couple who has enjoyed a loving relationship for a while. The Universe brought them together. Yet it seems that the time has come to inventory their experiences together, the lessons learned, the growth, the memories and to go their separate ways. They have been there for each other during difficult times and during the lull between excitement. They came together out of a long-standing friendship to carry each other through a transitional time in their lives. At this crossroad, neither partner agrees on the road to take. Their feelings toward each other remain unchanged, but what they want from each other, what each of their egos insist on, their expectations for each other, pull in different directions.

There's no judgment in this. There's only love, real love...the kind that loves with no conditions, that wants the best for each person, that accepts each person completely as they are. This is tough for us mortals, I know. But to love sometimes means to let go, to end the codependency, to release each other so that each person can work on their issues and reveal their essential state which is one of wholeness.

This is an important time in their relationship. It is time to open and accept each other as each one is, to be whole on their own, for they are whole. It is time to release each other to follow their own paths and fulfill their purpose rather than stay in this attached, dependent, unfulfilling state. It is time to love each other and let go. No thing lasts forever. True love does. Letting go of someone you love is love. It is love for them, love for yourself and for the Universe. Letting go is one tough expression of love, but one in which both partners can reveal their completeness and, in so, share true love.




Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Master and servant

Ahh. A day full of opportunities. Time is on our side. We pull out a blank sheet of paper and write one thing to do...then another. Then we remember a few things we left undone yesterday. We write them down. Life can't be all work and no play, so we schedule a lunch date. As we head out the door with our day planned, uneasiness sets in. The sheet of paper now stares at us defiantly. Will we really get to do everything we have now committed to? Will we make it on time?

Our obligations are many times self-imposed. We are our masters...and our servants. Why do we dichotomize ourselves this way? Surely there is a more consecrated way of honoring ourselves, of leading our lives. Maybe the answer is in our point of view. Do we accept as blessings everything we get to do or do we begrudge everything we have to do?

Today is a good day to get out of our master/servant mentality. Let's look at our life situation through the lens of good fortune. If our current conditions are not what we want them to be, then let's accept them as the temporary state in which we learn and grow, in which we move closer to our purpose, to our the life we desire.


Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Releasing the block

The past few weeks have been rough. My schedule is busier than usual and I have broken several personal commitments to meet new and urgent matters. All is well, I know. But the pace I have been running keeps me off-center, out of balance.

As a writer, I have rituals and habits that I hold sacred. I have not honored some of these during this time. I have reached an uncomfortable level of anxiety. In an attempt to get back on track, I planned my day today setting aside a solid block of time for writing this evening. In anticipation, I felt the rumbling of inspiration throughout the day. I was so intent on holding on to the spurs of creativity that I blocked out everything else. In trying to hold on so tightly to the inspiration, I missed out on a beautiful day. I had an early meeting in a historic building by the ocean. I then had lunch with two of my favorite people to collaborate with. Then I had an opportunity to wrap up a report ahead of schedule in an unprecedented undisturbed afternoon. I didn't enjoy any of it. I was so bent on writing, that I was not going to let any thoughts "pollute" my mind. I disconnected. I did the wrong thing. 

My dedicated creative writing block of time is coming up. What I don't have anymore is any of that inspiration that called on my earlier today. Had I released my hold, the rest of the day would have nurtured and fed my senses–the vibrant ocean-meets-sky view, the smell of the sea, the wine and laughter at lunch, the miraculous finishing of work that would have occupied my mind. I held on to a fixed idea,  avoided eye contact and any meaningful conversation and failed to see the gifts of inspiration all around me. I forgot to be thankful, to smile and to share myself with the day and those in it. Life was whispering Come with me. I didn't listen. 

Tonight, I'm releasing. I'm letting go of my expectations. I'm letting life be the stuff of my writing. I'm letting my experience be as it is. I am thankful for what comes. I'm paying attention to the offerings of the Universe. I will go with the flow. Tonight I listen. I trust. I create. Join me. 


Sunday, July 7, 2013

Cancelled thoughts

I had a date last night. It didn't go. I don't mean that it didn't go well. It just didn't go. I was ready. He was ready. But both of us would have had to jump through a few hoops to go out. We rain-checked and I changed out of my dress and settled in. What was I to do now? I didn't even think about it? I found myself snuggled with my books and my son for an impromptu movie night. I smiled ear to ear when I realized this is what I really wanted to do.

Don't get me wrong. I do like Handsome and we will have dinner together, but last night was not going to be the night, even though we had planned dinner a week ago. I know what happened. Although I was excited about going out, I kept thinking about my son and how we haven't done much together this summer. I imagined a movie night with popcorn and ice cream sandwiches. I kept thinking, also, that I want to catch up on my reading. I have a stack of books on my nightstand waiting for me. In essence, I cancelled out my thoughts of a date with thoughts of movies and books. I manifested what my thoughts insisted on.

We do this all the time. We affirm that we want to spend more time with our loved ones, find a better job, manage money wisely, lose weight, be kinder to ourselves and others–then we cancel out these thoughts by thinking if we could only be left alone for a moment, this job sucks, I need more money, I hate my body, I can't believe I was so stupid, everyone around me is so annoying. We have our best intentions to think thoughts that will create the life we want. Yet, out of habit or falling in with the crowd, we have contradictory thoughts throughout the day. No wonder our affirmations are not working.

But they are.

Our thoughts and  words are affirmations. Pay attention to what you say and think. When you catch yourself in a negative thought, correct that thought to one that affirms your intention. The Universe is listening and will deliver what you insist on. Today is a good day to turn it around. Instead of canceling out your positive affirmations, outnumber your fearful and negative thoughts with thoughts of love, prosperity, new possibilities, happiness, health, success, well-being, creativity, joy, beauty and abundance.


Wednesday, July 3, 2013

It's not what you know...

We carry around buckets of information. We read the news, books, magazines, Facebook postings and Google shares. We view YouTube and Ted videos, listen to mp3 recordings of our favorite speakers and attend conferences. We are a learning-people. We know. We know a lot of information. We collect information. This is great for practical purposes, appearing on Jeopardy or breaking the ice at a party. What is the economy of Czechoslovakia? What is the melting point of glass? Plasma or LCD? Synthetic oil vs. mineral oil. Psychosomatic episode or hypochondriac? Organic or cage-free eggs? Both?  

Thoughts and words fill our days. They fill our minds. Yet, after a while, these buckets of information become heavy and burdensome. We look in them for what we need and become overwhelmed with all the data that we find. We observe, analyze, but we don't feel. We keep acquiring data hoping to find something that will have deeper meaning to us, even if we are not aware that we are doing so.

Knowing too much can confuse us and make us numb to the world and to others. We may know, but we don't know what to do with that knowledge. We need to make a pause to experience. Experience is a teacher. It brings understanding. To experience we don't need thoughts and words–we need presence, silence, stillness and willingness. This is how we feel alive.

Knowledge is necessary, but it is not living, loving, breathing, beauty, being in awe, experiencing miracles, feeling the rain, finding peace in the energy between good friends, listening, feeling, seeing, dreaming. We can know about love or we can feel it in a lover's touch. We can know about compassion or we can lend our hands when we are most tired to someone in need. We can know about kindness or we can smile at the rude and unwelcoming stranger. We can know about listening or we can drop everything we are doing and listen with our body and heart to a loved one who wants our attention. We can know about art or we can get moved into reverence by it.

Information is not wisdom, it's not knowledge, it's not understanding. It's not what you know, it's what you understand. Decide not to learn something new today. Feel something. Experience something wonderful. Don't name it. Live it.



Tuesday, July 2, 2013

The color of despair

Sometimes it is easy to forget how truly blessed we are. There are times when we forget that there is a purpose to everything. While we hurt, it is easy to see everything as painful. The world seems cruel. No one seems to understand our pain or the pain we see in everything. We walk about in self-pity.

During times of sadness, discouragement and pain we justify our sulking, our self-wallowing attitude, our self-indulging, our cheating, our lying, our neglect of loved ones and our responsibility to them, our lack of commitment, our isolation, self-harm and anything else we do to alleviate our pain to the detriment of ourselves, others and our relationship to them. We paint everything in the color of despair. There is a flip side to this. We hold our feelings in and let them putrefy. They taint our vision of ourselves. Once the color of despair is the only one we paint with, we lose touch with life. Our job then is to reconnect to the truth of who we are, to remind ourselves that this too shall pass. Our job is to allow the unfolding of this time, healing without bitterness and a more colorful view of life which is born out of our willingness to see differently.

Today is a good day to see something other than your pain, your dissatisfaction with life and your pitiful view of yourselves. Today is a good day to expand your point of view from self to Self. In this expanded view you are sure to find something else to focus on and other colors to paint with. This is the meaning of faith, to know that there are better times to come. Today, center your attention on what you want more of, on the good things in your life, on the love around you. This will be the catalyst to change the colors in your life. Offer something other than your pain.