Reversed Lighthouse Effect

I like lighthouses. They spread their wide beams full circle on a darkened body of water. When I am in the periphery I can reassess my location and choose my path to safety. The light has no ego, it is not drawing attention to itself, it just serves to light the darkness and leaves the destination up to me.

Now make the leap with me here. . .I've been finding many talk shows really boring. Finally I recognized why. The hosts and guests alike seem to search for a light beam that shines on THEM and supposes the rest of us will follow the light to satisfy their ego need for recognition. To bring glorifcation and applause for what they have done to get themselves noticed. They work to HOLD the beam of light, not to let it expand their view of what or who is out there in the undiscovered world. This is when I find my energy draining. No one is funny enough to hold my attention for a full hour when the light keeps returning to the person in the 'chair'. So Jay Leno, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, you fulfill my image of Reversed Lighthouse Effect.

The talk show I enjoy the most, the one that both enlightens and entertains me by shining the light on science, politics, environmental concerns, personal talent, health, nutrition, everyday heroism, concern for all creatures great and small, literature, gender issues, money management and more, is ELLEN. For me she provides a Holistic view of life as seen from the Lighthouse. It inspires me to find my own way out of the darkness through information. The true Lighthouse Effect.

Maybe when your name is defining all you believe in and stand for in such a public way, it creates a humility to be fully genuine whenever the light crosses your place in the great body of humanity? No, in the case of ELLEN I think she comes TO the light already humble and genuine. So she doesn't need to have the light affirm her. Therefore she allows the light to keep moving on to other subjects and objects of concern and interest.

Just the way I see it today. What thoughts does this spark for you?

Tiffany Glass Garden

Tiffany glass in the garden. A single raspberry held up to the sun brings this image. Every plump bump that forms a hollow ball of exquisite taste is a summer pleasure annually. The aroma of cooked jam lingers in my kitchen now, as I write. Eight stained glass jars pop, pop, pop with the seal of assurance that they will protect my treasure until just the right opening presents itself.

One of my tasks in childhood was to get up early (I still don't do that well), go out to our garden before the sun jumpstarted the day, lift the cheesecloth protection, fight the mosquito's lingering in the cool branches, search around the prickly branches to pluck each berry and fill up my bowl before the birds came for their breakfast. Breakfast those days was always special. During a Brownie Scout campout, we had just settled on to our army cots under the big canvas tent and turned lights out when we heard the tires on the gravel approach the leaders tent. 'Bunny', one of our counselors lived on a farm. Her parents were bringing us the biggest silver kettle of the freshest just picked raspberries I'd ever seen. Ten eager girls scampered to the kitchen pulling out every thing resembling a bowl, counted out spoons, and watched expectantly as fresh, rich cream lifted each jewel to the top of our bowl in greeting. Nothing tasted as good as that surprise, afterhours treat.

Given a choice of DQ toppings, Raspberry is the only consideration. Even better than chocolate, carmel or cashews. Filling in a sweet roll, coffee cake, torte, two layer cake? Need you ask? And Raspberry vodka? Unbeatable. Raspberry sauce on baked chicken? Try it you'll like it! Raspberries added to fresh garden salad with pecans; bring it on.

Food of the gods is how I often describe it. I picture royalty in ancient Greece or Rome popping beaded treasures into their mouths while lounging and enjoying music and dance of a social event.

Is there a taste that triggers mouth watering memories for you?

Let's get together and feast.

Out of the Many ONE

A small group of people are passionately expressing their opinions about the topic under discussion. My dream camera focuses on each face in turn. Suddenly I am the one speaking. Quietly but firmly I say, "the truth is that the more each one of us becomes our true self, the more all of us become ONE. Becoming our true self connects us all at the core of the ONE who created us, and there we are all the same." And then I woke up.

"What was that?" I wondered upon waking. The words burned in my reflective mirror throughout the day. I looked at each person I encountered from a new perspective. "How could I ever be ONE with them?" my thoughts challenged me. I was flooded with duality thinking, those human separations of me from you, right from wrong, always from never.

E Pluribus Unum; Out of the Many, One. It's been right there on our currency and coin for hundreds of years. I knew it, understood it, embraced it and repeated it. After my dream, the onion of understanding peeled away another layer and I was seeing with new eyes. In the 70's the word Namaste was used frequently among spiritual study groups. Translated for newcomers to the word as, "the divine in me sees the divine in you." I went to the grocery store one day determined to try this out. Entering the store I focused silent energy on a man resting on his cart, with his back to me. I directed all my love and energy toward him with the thought, "the divine in me sees the divine in you." repeating it several times in my head.

After just a few seconds he turned completely around and locked eyes with me. I nodded kindly and just kept pushing my cart into the produce aisle. Just a quirk I told myself. So I tried it again and again as I filled my cart from my grocery list. Only once was I unable to connect. I felt a kind of thick wall of energy blocking one woman from acknowledging the directive of my thoughts. The experience changed ME. I became more aware than ever that on a deep level all our roots tangle and touch in the ONEness of our creation. We do not move forward by pulling away from our centering place.

During every volatile political season, duality terms are shouted from every microphone, podium, headline and newscast. While many candidates say UNITY is what they're seeking, duality is the vehicle that drives the journey.

This reflection is not intended to be a political forum. But my mirror caught the reality reflection of my outer world while my dream spoke the truth of my inner world. Which to complicate things further, is ALL ONE WORLD. Out of the many, ONE. Becoming our true selves connects us as ONE at the core. I believe that. I'm trying to BE-LIVE that as well.

Your thoughts?

Now I'm Happy!

Her tiny hands gripped the wooden spoon forcing Chocolate Chips to rise and fall like waves into the creamy mocha-colored dough. Eggs leapt Humpty Dumpty style off the edge of the bowl, shiny yellow centers disappearing in the rotary blades. Her eyes grew wide, her questions flowed. "Where did the eggs go, Grandma?" She noted that sugar came in two colors white and brown, but they also disappeared into the mix. In her throat she made the mmm mm anticipation sound; something good was going to come out of this, she expected it.

Before today her experience of cookies came from choosing them out of the package. Or picking them off the shelf at the grocery store. But today, she KNEW she was able to make this magical taste herself. She glowed with her newly realized skill. Today at 3 she discovered that putting things together could make them even better then having them separately. Her satisfaction with being a part of the process showed in her deep sighs. Her body trembled with joy.

"Now I'm Happy!", she said several times to no particular audience. Just an honest child's declaration of feeling joy in the moment.

I don't recall the last time I made that statement aloud. Do you? What a thrill to experience something for the FIRST time, no matter how many times we've experienced it before.

NOW, I'M HAPPY! I'm going to count the number of times I become aware of that clarity today. I invite you to play along. . .

The Eyes Have It.

Headline news held two striking images for me this week. The close-up pictures of the eyes of top Olympic athletes as they began each competition. And, in contrast, the eyes of the Russian soldiers preparing to demolish the State of Georgia.

In the eyes of the athletes I read determination, calculated moves, the drive to succeed and show their BEST performance, and HOPE. A great fire of depth, clarity and expectation. Dominant in the eyes of the soldiers I read a shallow, glazed-over look. Determined? Yes. Calculated? Perhaps. A drive to succeed? I couldn't see that but it might have been there. HOPE? That's what was missing in my view of their eyes.

I read the contrast between being YOUR BEST and BESTing your neighbors! A clarity in the eyes of those with their eyes on their own pre-set goals versus lack of clarity in the eyes of those who were following the goals set for them by others.

Often both sets of eyes burned into me from side by side positions on MSM's home page. Too starkly contrasted to miss. Which story did I want to read first? Which filled me with joy, satisfaction and hope? And which story shredded my heart, pulled out the protective mother bear emotions and made me want to gather up the torn bodies, lives and dreams of people whose eyes carried shock, disbelief, fear and hopelessness? A rhetorical question to which you already know the answer.

The Eyes Have It. What will you read in the eyes you encounter today and over this next week? Even those in the mirror.

Small World???

We all saw the breaking news during the Olympic coverage, couple attacked while visiting a tourist attraction. A collective, compassionate sigh was heard around the world. When it was announced that it was an American couple, a collective American sigh was felt across the ocean. In Minnesota another holding of breath and then a sigh was felt when the couple's identity was noted to be from that state. As the victim's names were released, one dead and one in intensive care with stab wounds, the city of Lakeville, MN began to feel the pain and loss. Throughout the state the pain and loss became more real as well. These people had touched many lives through their well known family floral business and civic involvement. And of course the family, friends, neighbors who knew them best, suffered most.

There, I believed, the pain came to rest. Not so. I was checking out a family funeral in the Beaver Dam, Wisconsin newspaper. The local church noted the Olympic couple's death as one of the denomination's family. The denomination' community shared by so many.

It was then I became crystal clear how the pebble dropping in the pond ANYwhere, effected people EVERYwhere. Count the number of 'communities' touched by this one event. Unfortunately, a negative life event, but masses touched just the same.

If we were more acutely aware how the actions of just one person could impact the people in the farthest corner's of this small world, would we live our lives differently? We could all begin today, right now, making sure our thoughts, words and deeds sent out positive ripples to stroke the face, move the flowers, carry the music of positive life to 'family' we never met.

Are you game to try?

What's in YOUR toolbox?

Everyone carries a toolbox. I've seen a stall box, whine box, get 'er done box among others.

One person wears out the tools and his/her welcome by using the whine box too often. "I could do better BUT THEY give me too much to deal with. I'm expected to do everything myself! I have no time for fun, I'm working ALL the time." Tears have top priority in the box and they effectively turn the attention from the problems of others to pity for the self. Thus avoiding resolving the issues at hand.

The stall box holds arguments, excuses, distractions enough to loop constantly 24/7, with the intention of wearing out the opposition before being required to respond. "Why should I? I did it yesterday. Who said so? Not now. I have to so something else first." Thus avoiding resolving the issues at hand.

Get 'er done toolbox grabs at anything available to get it over with, with no concern for doing it 'right'. A hammer to fix the screw on glasses kind of response. "So there, I did it, don't ask me again." Spray painting the symptoms to hide the deeper issues. The kind of response that causes used cars to crash, bridges to fall down, relationships to shrivel in confusion. Like putting band aids on earthquake sites.

Despondency toolboxes carry volumes of past failures, shattered dreams, self recriminating reasons for not trying again. "What do you expect from me? I never do anything right. I screwed up before I'll scew up again."

Toolboxes have traditionally been used to FIX things. Maybe the rusty hinges need to be reoiled to stop the squeaks. Or maybe it is self-gift time to replace it?

What's in YOUR toolbox?