The Singing Bus

Sometimes I get external reminders of how wonderful my life is. I was on a long road trip beginning my journey home. A school bus pulled out just in front of me. I sighed at the delay. But....there were 2 left turn lanes at the light. I pulled up next to the bus. To my amazement, the children were singing in full voice.

"If you're happy and you know it, stamp your feet,
If you're happy and you know it stamp your feet,
If you're happy and you know it
then your face will surely show it,
If your happy and you know it stamp your feet."

The bus reverberated with with the stamping of little feet.

They sang verse after verse and I sat in my car smiling.

As I drove down the hill I realized the universe was telling me to notice how happy I was. I had spent much of my driving time sending my 57 warm fuzzies. In between times I had great inspiration about my gourd work and how to develop a viable business around it. I had just had a great session with my client and was on my way to another.

My life! I Love it! Thank you!
If you're happy and you know it
Clap your hands,
Stamp your feet,
Shout Hooray!

57 Warm Fuzzies

Last Thursday was my birthday. I came upon an e-mail by Brian Vaszily of www.IntenseExperiences.com on how an ""X" written on the back of your hand can equal an act of kindness and improve lives."

It seems he woke in a funk and was determined not to let his mood run his life. He marked a big "X" on the web of his hand to remind him to pay everyone he met a genuine compliment no matter what. I was inspired by his determination not to let his bad mood caused by making poor food choices not ruin his day but to rise above his mood.

I had been experiencing the blahs myself from the same causes of poor food choices and too little sleep. And then the inspiration struck. I would pick 57 people from my life and send them a "What I love about you" message. One for each year of my life! My idea was I would send a message of appreciation, a "Warm Fuzzy" to 57 people on my e-mail list. Best of intentions. Later that day I succumbed to a wave of
M&M's induced fatigue and slept away the afternoon.

At first I was disappointed in myself. Then I decided it wasn't too late to still follow through on my grand idea even if it wasn't still my birthday. So I decided to call the various people up in my mind. I tell them how much I love them and why I appreciate them and thank them for being in my life. I have sent messages to 49 people so far. So people are not getting a letter or e-mail in hard copy but they are getting a burst of love through cosmic channels.

I have noticed that my attention span could use some development. I start this process, work with 2 or 3 people and somehow space out and half an hour later remember I was acknowledging someone. Once I noticed myself doing this and refocused myself, I would my attention wandering again and again. All I can do is be gentle with myself and do a few warm fuzzies at a time.

I felt inspired. This process set the tone for the coming year and I am remembering how loved I am and have been throughout my life. I am learning why I love my life so much.

Creative Juices

Creating the art pieces for the state fair got my creative juices going as I hoped. My goal for committing myself to the submissions was to use creativity to channel my grief from the death of my friend and to fill the time I had spent doing martial arts with him. It worked. I received 2 Honorable mentions.

So now I am wondering what would it take to win the categories I enter. I made it a point to get to the fair grounds to see the other entries to become inspired. So now I am on a mission to solve the colorfastness problems that I have with my preferred technique and well as to refine and develop my own style.

I work on gourds in the round. I have developed new techniques that are striking. I don't think I can draw or paint well enough to make a contribution in "the fine arts". I would love to take gourd work into the arena of fine arts even as Alfred Stieglitz took photography into the realm of fine arts.

I am playing with adding 3 dimensions but to me so far it looks like a cheap something made in china. I need other opinions and maybe a different technique or medium. I began working with negative space and came up with something stunning. Something I might consider marketing once I developed a handful of designs.

In any case, my creative juices are flowing and I am studying uses of negative space, printmaking, and batik to develop my style. It is fun. When my client load is down I have a direction to channel my efforts and creativity. Who knows what will become of it? At least, I will have some Christmas presents made.

Why do I love my life so much?
The surge of creative juices made manifest...

The Ins and Outs of Suffering

Ahhhh, Suffering as is undergoing pain or distress. In this case mental/emotional suffering. Easily created but tougher to disperse.

To create suffering all I have to do is see something is not be the way I want it or when I want it and make up stories about how it is sabotaging me. I ordered some art supplies last week that still had not arrived on Saturday so I couldn't play on the weekend the way I wanted. That was enough to start my suffering. Nothing big or dramatic. No one was injured, the weather was glorious rain, all is well. And I was irritable! I was feeling thwarted.

That's one simple way into suffering - disappointed expectations. Another is creating unfavorable meaning to events, when there is often no inherent meaning. Negative self talk about myself or others creates it also. Feeling overwhelmed is one of my most practiced ways to suffer and make others suffer as well.

So how to get out of suffering. It just so happened I had started a list of ways out the day before I jumped into my recent bout of suffering. I was prepared. At least I remembered that I had jotted down some ideas to deal with this possibility.

Bill Harris of Centerpointe suggests that I say to myself, " There I am feeling ___________. I must have resistance." Then just notice what is going on in my body, thoughts and emotions with curiosity. Just notice. Observation often transforms feelings.

Ho'oponopono might say the thoughts and feelings causing my suffering are data or memories clouding my perception of how God would see things. Just clean by repeating over and over, "Thank you, I love you, I'm sorry, Please forgive me".

My roommate listens to music or meditates. I decided to be creative and do something else artistic. These might fall into the category of diversion.

Sometimes it is enough for me to notice that I am resisting what is. There is nothing to be done about it so move on. Cleaning Ho'oponopono style keeps my brain busy so I can't make up bigger and worser stories. Being creative or trying to draw or craft something sometimes lifts me up and sometimes discourages me. I now have yet another way to draw a chrysanthemum that doesn't look like one. Maybe the next one will be better. On the other hand a tried a new technique on a gourd I really like.

Perhaps tomorrow my art supplies will arrive. I am eager to see what I can do with them, and I am no longer suffering.

Knowing I can worsen and lighten my suffering all by myself is one way I love my life so much.