the silver lining is known as a hopeful or comforting prospect in the midst of difficulty, it is literally the presence of light that surrounds and defines a cloud.
This is my silver lining
Once uponall the time, something challenging happens, followed by something amazing...
I know, I know, this is such a hippie thing of me to say, but really people, when are we gonna realize that money is whatever we want it to be, it's our energy. However you feel earning it, is how you're gonna feel spending it, and what you're spending it on depends on how you feel about spending it. It's only here to help us get what we need, not to ruin what we need to produce more of it...
Lately it seems that everyone wants to talk about money... how to make it, how to save it, why they never have enough... what it feels like to be rich... Well, I guess it depends on how you define "rich"...
Today's Silver Lining:
"Money it's a crime, Share it fairly but don't take a slice of my pie, Money so they say, Is the root of all evil today, But if you ask for a rise it's no surprise that they're, giving none away." Money- by Pink Floyd
"Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional."~ Zen Proverb
Many times we try to avoid pain. We close off from anything we think may bring it, so we never have to feel. We use our mind to attempt to find an answer for our heart, when our heart is the answer. It will show us anything we need to feel, to go to where we are. We think out of fear, and try to plan accordingly... however, often times fear disables action, so we get stuck suffering, unable to move through the pain.
If love is a verb... fear must be a noun. Love is action, change... flow of energy. Fear is lifeless, suffocating... defined. Love inspires risk, growth, truth. Fear prohibits these things. When pain comes, it is easy to stop and think, to choose fear... but in time we can see that there are growing pains involved to blossom. In fear we remain trapped in our seed... in love we can embrace the pain, and keep pushing beyond it, allowing ourselves to emerge and evolve beautifully and blissfully.
There's no need to think of an answer... trust your heart... love in pain... go with it and grow with it. (and trust me, it will go!)
Today's Silver Lining:
So, let go, let go, Just get in, Oh, it's so amazing here, It's all right, 'cause there's beauty in the breakdown, It gains the more it gives, And then it rises with the fall, So hand me that remote, Can't you see that all that stuff's a sideshow? Such boundless pleasure, We've no time for later, Now you can't await, your own arrival, you've twenty seconds to comply." Let Go- by Frou Frou
As I sit here sipping my yummy cup of tea, I can't help but feel courageous as I read the tea bag's message:
"one of the best actions we can take with courage, is to relax"
I'm doing it right now! Strangely enough, it's not always an easy thing to do. Even when we take time to rest, we don't always necessarily relax. We're still wound up... thinking about things to do, things we did, things we want, where we need to be... but yet here. we. are!
Relax: v- To make lax or loose, To make less severe or strict, To reduce in intensity, To relieve from tension or strain
When we relax, we let go... and let flow. It doesn't mean you have to be sitting on a tropical island... you can relax anytime, anywhere, by just taking a breath in and out, and loosening your grip on your mind. As Sydney J. Harris said:
“The time to relax is when you don't have time for it.”
I was listening to a speaker today, who also spoke about the power of relaxation. She was saying that when we are not in a state of relaxation, our ego is in control... that when we are acting from our truth, we feel relaxed. Love that!! We are relaxed, when we think we aren't!! There is a Chinese proverb that echos this:
"Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are."
Letting go of our ego, letting go of our mind, does take courage... it takes faith to be ourselves as we are, and not what we think we should be based on years of knowledge. But relax... you're amazing!
Today's Silver Lining: "Relax, There is an answer to the darkest times. It’s clear we don’t understand but the last thing on my mind, Is to leave you. I believe that we’re in this together. Don’t scream – there are so many roads left. Relax, take it easy."
n. - A series of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations occurring involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep; A state of abstraction; a trance; A wild fancy or hope; A condition or achievement that is longed for; an aspiration; One that is exceptionally gratifying, excellent, or beautiful.
v. - To have a deep aspiration; To experience a dream of while asleep; To regard something as feasible or practical; To daydream.
Dreams have so many different meanings to so many people... and mean so many things even to a single person. They are experienced at night, in our hearts, and absolutely come true sometimes!! According to Cinderella, (one of my first and favorite explanations of a dream),
"A dream is a wish your heart makes, when you're fast asleep. In dreams you lose your heartaches, whatever you wish for, you keep. Have faith in your dreams and someday, Your rainbow will come smiling thru. No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true."
Love that... so simple and sweet! Also as a girl, I learned from Row, Row, Row, Your Boat, that, "life is but a dream." I believed these things, and lived as if anything was possible... as if life was a place to make any wish my heart made come true... Then, I was told I needed to stop being such a dreamer, and eventually I began to believe that.
Now I have a much more broad spectrum of what dreams may be, and much less of a firm belief of what they are. I've been told dreams are silly, and also that they're powerful... that they're strange and also informative. My own interpretation of a dream has continued to shift, and evolve... and as I continue to learn about the word and look at it's many hats, I really want to be able to answer the question of what I believe a dream is now...
I breathe in and breathe out to let go of what I've been told, and as ask myself what it truly is for me. And as I go to my heart, which is my trusted source/ higher self/ guide... I hear my answer...
"A dream is whatever you dream it can be... and you are dreaming your dream up whenever you are connected to your heart's purpose"
Lovely. Sleeping, sitting, laughing, dancing... when I am connected to my true source, my heart, I am dreaming!! Interestingly enough, a wise person recently said to me, "May your dreams reveal your dreams." ;-))
And so... as it was beautifully put by Amos Lee, "People tell me to keep on dreaming, That's just what I'm gonna do."
Today's Silver Lining: ( her feather earrings were so ahead of their time... go girl!!)
Some times it feels like I'm stuck forever and ever, But, I'm going higher, Closer to my dreams, I'm goin' higher and higher, I can almost reach, Some times you just have to let it go (Let it go, let it go) Leaving all my fears to burn down, Push them all away so I can move on, Closer to my dreams, Feel it all over my being, Close your eyes and see what you believe." Closer- by Goapele
Every little thing you do, from brushing your teeth, to getting your sink fixed is part of your story... and your story may be the only one that matters to someone... So, what are they reading?
How was your day today? What did you do? Did you make someone smile? Did you change someones life? Did you make yourself smile?
I pulled over a cop today...
Okay, in all fairness he pulled me over first, but he was so nice and helpful, that as he drove off I decided to chase him down... I then continued to pull him over to say thank you, and gave him a copy of Delivering Happiness. I told him he deserved it since he had delivered happiness my way with his great attitude! He told me I was the first person to ever chase him down... and one of the few that was happy to see him!! He said it was nice to know there was someone out there who actually appreciates him... I said it was nice to know there was a cop out there who was understanding! He told me he'd remember those words the next time he was having a bad day... Who knows, maybe that paragraph I wrote will save someone else a ticket, or even just make him smile... either way it's the little things that can make a BIG difference.
Did you know that FDR suggested everyone donate a dime to polio research, and raised 25.5 million dollars? Crazy! He never lived to see the cure, but he helped to create it with a small request!! He used his story to help create happy endings for many others. All he suggested was a dime...A little bit goes a long way after a while...
Every word of your story matters... and every word is a choice... so what kind of story are you creating for people to read about??? ;-)
Today's Silver Lining:
"Do I have to tell a story, of a thousand rainy days since we first met, It's a big enough umbrella, But it's always me that ends up getting wet. Every little thing she does is magic, Everything she do just turns me on, Even though my life before was tragic, Now I know my love for her goes on." Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic- by Police
So the other day I was driving and I had my GPS system on to tell me where to go. Along the way I decided to stop off to grab a bite to eat, and when I did, it began recalculating. I kept taking wrong turns to go to where I was headed, and it kept recalculating every time I did. When I got back on the road, it recalculated again, to get me back to where I was headed, and I followed it to my destination.
What's the point... well it got me thinking about life... surprise, surprise!
In life, it is said there is a master plan... destiny if you will, but that we all still have free will. I always had a hard time understanding how that was possible. The GPS helped me understand the concept more clearly. We all have a GPS guiding us to our set destination in life... it tells us where to turn, and exactly where we need to go... however, we are the ones driving. We may take pit stops, avoid highways, pull over for a while to rest, and when we do, life recalculates accordingly. Learning this, I've realized there are no wrong turns, time limits or ways to get lost... because life will always recalculate from wherever you are and continue guiding you along your way... ;-)
Today's Silver Lining:
"Walking 'round The Room Singing Stormy Weather, at Fifty Seven Mount Pleasant Street, well It's The Same Room But Everything's Different, you Can Fight The Sleep But Not The Dream." Always Bring the Weather- by Crowded House
I'm sorry for neglecting you while I was jet setting from NY, to Napa and LA.
It was a whirlwind of friends, fun and lessons in life. There's too much that has come and gone to begin to tell the tale, but in short, I saw the light... again. It's always when and where you least expect it.
So thanks to life for letting me live it... I'll be back soon with more.
Today's Silver Lining:
"Well, I ain't always right but I've never been wrong. Seldom turns out the way it does in a song. Once in a while you get shown the light, In the strangest of places if you look at it right." Scarlet Begonias- by The Grateful Dead
