Cow, Coffee and Communicating in Cambodia

The carmel colored grinning cow cam shooting out from behind a fence a few feet from my chosen path. It practically ran right into me. Seconds later a red scooter came flying out from behind the same fence. The laughing cow and the guys on the scooter seemed to be playing a game of who could get to the street faster; the cow won. The two local guys drove on past. I swear this grinning Elsie cow was gloating as it stopped to have a celebratory snack.

It was all over in seconds. I love the surprises of life that take your breath away for moment and leave you with a relieved smile. A quick cow photo then back to the mission; find an iced coffee down a narrow road in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

A few doors down, I found a promising looking shop. I am lucky, easily ordering an iced coffee with sweet milk by locating a menu item on the chalk board. I was then proudly informed,”Free wifi”, while being escorted to a low Asian style wooden chair. One of my kind hosts put a fan up for me, pointed it my direction and turned it on full blast. My gorgeous iced coffee arrives.

I pull out a tin case with 10 American Spirits, my full ration for the day. “Can I smoke?” No ones says a word. No one moves. Clearly, I need to give more information. So, I pull out a fine tobacco product, display it for the room and I am offered a light. We are doing better, as now I know the answer.

Next, I need an ashtray. I fake flicking my ashes. The barista moves a stool from behind the counter, reaches onto a shelve underneath and hands me a clean clear glass ashtray as she says, “Where you from?”

“United States.” No reaction.
I try again, “America.” and get a nod of recognition.

“We don’t speak English.” the barista  says. Maybe not a lot, but I am positive she does better than she realizes. She just said 2 things, “Where you from?” and “We don’t speak English.”

Everyone looks my way. I point to the coffee and give the thumbs up. Light my cigarette with another thumbs up. Everyone is interested and watching. I move both my index fingers to the corners of my mouth and push my face into a smile big. The whole place smiles back and gives me a thumbs up.

Communicating is easy once you know the world is a safe place, a few words, some thumbs up, and lots of smiles is all you need. Even cows speak the universal language of laughter.

Happy City of Authenti

Regardless of what you’ve been told, taught or practiced, the only place any one of us is truly comfortable is in our uniquely designed, dreamed up, self constructed city; our authenticity.

It is out from the darkness that I begin to hear. A soft and familiar song, kind wise words, a still whisper from thoughts forming, stirring and rising up inside my own God given beautiful mind. With the taste of sweet dreams still palatable, breathing in and out this precious moment, I slowly blink open my eyes to the vivid soft light of my brand new day. A knowing smile stretches across my rested smooth face; today, beyond any shadow of a doubt, is going to be the best day of my life. I simply will not experience my day in any other way; I am Happy.

To me, this is living a life more abundant, this is being born again, this is really waking up; I do it everyday.

I was falling off the side of the world on purpose. I am thrilled to land face first, with a knowing grin; safely, warmly into my own skin again. This is going to be fun.

Energy Sapped or Zapped?

There are no bloopers in the movie of our life; it is all magical.

When my energy level went from a 10 to a 5 overnight, I thought it was sort of peaceful to be this relaxed….at first.

Happy with Energy turned Off.

Day 1: “Wow, I am still super relaxed from the Zero Gravity sensory deprivation tank.”

Day 2: “Ah, it feels like a great day to curl up with a good book.”

Day 3: “No need to rush, that will be there for me to do tomorrow.”

Day 4:“I think I’ll just do nothing today, I must really need a break”

Where’s my Happy coffee?

Day 5: “Okay, this is silly; I must be drinking decaf.”

Day 8: “Maybe I am so much healthier now that I should ask the doc to change my prescriptions.”

Day 11: “hmm..That didn’t work. Time for a complete physical? Hello Doc, I would like to make an appointment.”

Day 13: ” Oh well, I’ll wear something else, laundry is too hard.”

Day 15: “I can open a can of soup. Shopping is too hard.”

Day 18: Doc Day. Testing. 1-2-3.

Day 20: “Hello Walgreens! What vitamins should I take?”

Day 23: ” I am getting behind on everything. I am so ready to find out how to fix this and get cracking again.”

Day 25: “What do you mean everything is normal; keep doing what I am doing? I don’t feel normal at all and I am doing less and less every day.”

Day 26: “Hello Walgreens, its me again.”

Still, tired. Still Happy.

Day 27: “I am so tired of being tired. I am going to need a personal assistant and a live in maid.”

Day 30: “Okay. Okay. Yes, special fancy doctors, I will take the earliest appointment you have. Really? 15 days from now is the earliest? Well, okay, ink me in.

Day 33: “This must be what it feels like physically to depressed. I never really knew how difficult it would be to even “show up” for the day. I really am blessed to have this experience; my heart is cracked open with a new understanding.”

Day 35: “What if this is the way it is always going to be for me from now on?”

Day 36: “If this is how it will be, I will still be Happy.  I am so grateful to have had so many years bursting with energy. I may be sapped of energy, but I have been zapped with a new understanding of others and a greater appreciation of my life. It really is magical, that it is possible to be HAPPY in all things.”

Day 37: “Oh, that sounds lovely. Yes, I definitely want to do it. Thank you for thinking of me. Well…my energy level has been kind of low, so I am not sure if I can.”

Day 38: “No way OJ! Hold your horses! I want to spend time with my family on the beach, drive golf carts with my nephews, speak in Indianapolis, exhibit in “Galveston oh Galveston”, keep all my commitments, have fun, run faster, ride an elephant on the beach, go shopping in Bali, get a bespoke suit in Vietnam, snorkel in Phuket, travel the US in an RV, and publish another book! Calling all Docs, this is enough already. Yes, consider this an emergency; I can barely get out of bed. I want my life back.”

to be continued…

“Dang!” – Inviting the Inspired to Reality

Lately, the word “Dang” has been popping into my mind.

The pronunciation of my surprise new favorite expression, “Dang”, has a long drawn out long “A”.  In a low voice, say it slow and easy, “dAAAAAAyynng.”

The thought of the word does not always lead to saying it out loud, but it is always accompanied by physical symptoms that “Dang” has crossed my mind. Either a slow side to side shifting of the head while looking down at the ground or a shoulder shrug that is held up in a locked position for considerably longer than most every day “shrugs”. Say it out loud, in a low voice, slow, easy, with a side to side headshake and long shoulder shrug and you will understand what the “bewilderment expression” feels like to me.

Due mainly to one big “dAAAAAAyyng”, (dAAAAAAyyng like a hurricAAAAAAne) thousands of small organizations nationwide needed our company to show up in a creative new way this week. To keep joy and ease, first and foremost, and for the long-term success of the Cause, we showed up virtually, wearing EXPECT RECOVERY GREEN and a grin.  We invited the inspired individual locations to come to the biggest “we support you” sale in the reality of NAMIStore by 3dASAP. ( A free service provided by 3dASAP Promotional Solutions since 2002 @ NAMIStore.com)

Yes, there is more to the story. It is unfolding moment by moment; perfectly 🙂

 

We really did miss seeing our friends at the 2014 National NAMI Convention in Washington DC, however; we are confident that this decision is yet another Win-Win in for the entire organization in the end.

By simply and happily “not showing up”, the insightful, inspired folks realize that you have always been there.

Dang, it is not that complex. Enjoy your HAPPY Day,

How to Successfully Slow Down Time

What time is it? Time to GO!

Commit to implementing these 4 steps Guaranteed to Slow Down Time. You will be amazed!

Step 1: Do what’s ours to do, NOW.

It is TIME for each of us to do the basic maintainance things we know are ours to do without dread, contemplation or procrastination. We will not waste another minute, thinking about taking out the dishes, we will rise up and take out the dishes! No longer will we think and/or discuss putting in a load of laundry, we will be athletic enough to get up, sort out a load, drop them in and turn on the machine. We commit to never again spend more than a split second thinking about something that takes 2 minutes to do.

Step 2: Stop doing things we always do because we always have.

It is time to say a courageous, “No, thank you.” There is really no reason to spend time giving examples for this step, just tuning into our personal observer makes these opportunities easy to notice. We just need to remember that sometimes the most important person to say “No, thank you” to is ourselves.

Step 3: Decide a simple purpose of who we want to BE and how we want to FEEL.

Get general; because we have all the precious minerals necessary for passionately living a happy, healthy authentic life inside of us.

HAPPY?
FREE?
FUN?

Who are you going to be? Just decide. We can always change our mind later.

Step 4: Fill any space/time created by implementing steps 1 and 2 with ACTIONS in alignment with who we have decided to BE in Step 3.

I assure you that JOYFUL inspired ACTION creates a vacuum for MOMENTUM; it swoops in to lift us up, expand our horizons and enrich our experiences and therefore, slows down time.

Implement the 4 Steps to Slow Down Time and practice, Practice. PRACTICE.

 

When a friend crosses our minds, we will call them. We no longer wish we had enough time to talk and spend a few minutes pondering pleasant memories; we just make the call; for goodness sake. By making the call, we are deliberately acting on our chosen direction and stepping into the precious flow of the moment: Momentum.

I assure you, it will not be long until you say,
“Wow, was that just yesterday? It feels like a lifetime ago.”

Have a HAPPY, HAPPY day! 🙂

 

 

 

P.S. I hope this is okay, beacause i am publishing this NOW! Going to hug one of my dearest lifelong friend’s on her big 50, then off an Abraham meeting in South America (what North Austin folks call south Austin) and a salt water swim with like minded Friends!

 

Start with Dessert – Put Joy on your Plate

After multiple email communications with a new friend, she posed the following question;

“Do you ever have a bad day?”

My first thought was clear,
“Nope, I don’t.”

Then I thought,
“WOW, is that true??”

I wrote back,
”  I have moments where I am not my best,
I just don’t turn those moments into days :)”

It is true; I do have the experience of a Happy Day every day. It is the most important purpose of my day, start off Happy and hang on! I have been practicing this for almost twenty years. A lot of things change over time, but one thing remains consistantly the same; I can absolutely, without a doubt, find my “HAPPY Place”, every single day.

The real question is how long can we stay Happy?
How do we create a HAPPY Place that is sustainable all day long? Whether we call this moment of Connection, a High Vibration, the Spirit of God, or simply “Happy”; this is what the pursuit is all about. This is where all the FUN is!

Life goes on and on. How do we steer? First is determining the direction we want to go. We can choose HAPPY and then practice, practice, practice. Add joy to as many experiences as we can.

Start with Dessert! A banana covered in Nutella as a smiley face! You bet, it is like having cake for breakfast!

What we think about matters. We have to be attentive. Abraham suggests that hold a high vibration thought for 17 seconds, feel the shift and keep going for another 17 seconds. Yes, even the Good Book agrees; what we think about matters.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is fair, whatever is pure, whatever is acceptable, whatever is commendable, if there is anything of excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—keep thinking about these things. (Phillipians 4:8)

 

Practice every day, small things all add up, liking starting off with dessert as a HAPPY breakfast and appreciating every bite.

 It is in my pursuit, that I find our Happiness; every where.

Have FUN practicing HAPPY,

Allowing Flow, Letting Go & Letting it Be

Allowing flow to be our guide, we are supported by powerful uplifting Energy, Thoughts and Feelings. We feast on the delicious yumminess of Flow. I have been swept up and wisked away in mysictal loving arms of momentum.

Every person, organzation, and idea
intentionally flowing in the same
purposeful direction is easier to spot; and
they are equally easy to spot,
when they are not.

Over the last 2 weeks, my days of magical momentum have had moments of angst. They arrived all at once, like a great big beautifully wrapped package full of thoughts for me to unwrap. A few deep rooted, dearly loved people, organizations and ideas I have held for years were “suddenly and clearly” shown to be in a different flow than the life I now know.

I love them so much, that I say “suddenly and clearly” when I know in my heart that it is really “about time I decide”. There was no place for these thoughts to hide anymore, they had to come bobbing to the surface. The “new” difference in alighnment weighed heavy on and off my mind throughout the day. The thoughts were so foreign that they were a serious distraction and clearly needed be transformed as quickly as possible. I made giving these thoughts a top priority with deliberate attention during my morning routine. This was not always pretty; but at least it was not interupting the powerful flow of my day. I expereinced anger, sadness, confusion, and other thoughts and feelings that I am not proud of, and some that made me feel physically ill; this was some old, heavy, mixed up love, codependant stuff. Clear signs, that I needed a “healing”; it was time to let go. and get back to my continuous happy flow.

I love them so much, I really do. (Have I said that already?)  I have had a weak “letting go” muscle for most of my life, so understanding that important parts of my life since 2000 were going to look way different than they were “supposed to be” was tricky. Discarding sentimental t-shirts from 20 years ago is even a stretch for me. I hung in there, I thought, cried, prayed, mourned the past and mourned the future, and ultimately, I discovered something within myself: a great desire to lovingly supporting every person, organization and idea that I have ever loved. Yep, a pretty lofty desire. How many places can a person be at one time again?

One of the most impactful moment towards setting me free again was remembering that I don’t have to step in and out of my flow to provide loving support. I really can apply my 4 Happy Choices ™  to any situation so far.

To BE AUTHENICALLY ME, all the time, IS the ULTIMATE FLOW.

I found myself moving into acceptance. People, organizations and ideas will come and go; and they can expect my full support on their own individual path of happiness, joy and ease. It is in my flow to let you go, go, Go!

It feels good to wrte the results and now I hear my own words over the last few weeks to others in similar situations, “Please don’t carry every resposibility you have ever had and every responsibility that everyone else has; it is to heavy and it is stressing you out.”

Allowing my flow and letting you go,
does not mean that I bailed or failed:
I just support you differently now.

As a friend and I discussed the direction of an organization, I said words so clearly profound that she said “Oooo, oooo, write that down, I am going to quote you in my next book.” here are what seemed like great words of wisdom at the time.

“It is possilbe to hold someone gently in love, without carrying them.”

One of my favorite quotes from Marrianne Williamson’s book  The Age Of Miracles, is “The fact that I have compassion for you doesn’t mean I shouldn’t delete you from my blackberry”. So, after sbout 2 weeks, I walked tall, but tentatively, into acceptance of a new way. Then something amazing happened – I came shooting back into my JOYful flow with new ideas.

I hold you gently in love from a different perspective.
I care deeply for you and I always will.
I am not letting you go,
I am letting you BE you,
so I can be Me.

Enjoy a HAPPY Day! 🙂

Photography by Glenda Pittard@ Sunset Cove, Grand Cayman (June/July 2014) Oh, except the one of me lifting up the sun 🙂 that was assisted by new beach friends. I took a ton of them too – very fun.