Welcome to the February 2016 Horizons. Happy Valentine’s! We’ve got a thought provoking article on page 16, The Biology of Love by Dr. Bruce H. Lipton. What does molecular biology have to do with love? Not only does cellular biology have something to tell us about love in our bodies, it also is very revealing about the nature of human connection.
WOW! Women’s March The Biggest Protest In US History As 4+ Million March
And talking about Love, half a million men and women descended onto the national mall in Washington, DC on January 21, 2017 — the day after the Inauguration — to show their support for women’s rights. Marchers and police were civil and participants were reportedly kind to one another. Despite the 500,000 protesters there were no arrests, in contrast to the day before when 230 people were arrested out of the 250,000 attending the Inauguration.
I was delighted to see all the sisters attending the Women’s March. There were record turnouts all across the nation (4+ million) saying “we exist, we have something to say, we have rights we deserve to retain.” We learned a big lesson this election season. A few years from now there will be more record turnouts, it will be on voting day, and we’ll come back into balance. Thanks to DT for being an alarm clock showing us what happens when we sit back and let other people do the thinking and the voting. We’ve been reminded in a big way that there are a lot of us, we’ve got the power and we’ve just been re-inspired to use it.
JESUS IN DISGUISE? HOW DO YOU LIKE ME NOW?
I awoke the day after Inauguration Day with the Christmas song Joy To The World in my head along with the image of Trump’s face saying “Jesus in his most distressing disguise — how do you like me now?” It made me chuckle, bringing me back to reality. Is it not true that YOU might be Jesus in disguise? I might be? Only in treating each other this way in each Now moment will we know for sure.
And, oh, what a grand disguise we’re being presented. It’s like we keep waiting for Ashton Kutcher to jump out and say, “Punked!” I’m not a Trump fan but I’m not taking score just yet. I’ll give him a chance to do what he said he’d do. I know it seems like a rough start with 34 out of 36 promises broken the first day. But — Jesus in disguise, ya’ll. I figure whatever is happening God is permitting to happen for a designed purpose even though we have no idea what that purpose is. I’m staying faithful it will be revealed at the right time.
Until then, Alan Cohen once suggested writing down all your troubles, then holding them in your hands as you pray, “God, let me be wrong about all of this.” I’m saying this powerful prayer and releasing past judgments. I know miracles happen every day and that all things are possible. I’m hopeful.
MORE CLEARING AND RELEASING
After all the election tension in the air, I felt the need to clear out old energy, so I finally cleared out my shed!! It contained 20 years worth of random furniture and furnishings, old computer equipment and tvs, cassette tapes, old stereo equipment, a dozen wooden bifold doors. You get the picture. I put it all out on the street along with a hammock, 3 desks, 17 tables, boxes of books. I took photos of the line of treasures and posted it on Facebook’s group page for Palm Bay Neighbors Watching Out for Neighbors. Within minutes several people stopped by and picked items up. I’d periodically go out and straighten the line back up and take new pics. Each time I posted it to the FB page, more people came to look. “Thank you,” I’d yell out my office window, hidden behind the privacy hedge. “Thank you,” I’d hear back, “you have a cool yard!” (Thank you, yes I do.)
NO ROOM FOR SENTIMENTALITY
Much of the shed contents was just random furniture I’d picked up in my travels. Some I’d refinished and would rotate in and out of the house through the years, but now it all seemed too heavy and dark. Nothing of value but it was hard to let some things go, like my favorite old school heavy wooden drafting table.There’s no room for sentimentality in a 2000 sq.ft. house. I could replace it if I needed to for $150 with something that weighed far less and folded compactly, but I have several others here. I feel a ton of weight has dropped. The older I get, the less stuff I want to be in charge of.
I LOVE RECLAIMING EMPTY SPACE
After several days of physical labor, I was reminded that these bodies we have are amazing things. I wore myself out working in my shed. I awoke later in bed with my muscles vibrating! It felt good to get worn out as I was Clearing Out. Each trip back into the shed from the street revealed more empty space inside. The shed began to feel like a haven again.
It measures 12 x 32, there are shelves and work benches lining the walls and power outlets every 8 feet. Mostly now there is only plywood stored inside but I am going to move many items over from the garage, mostly gardening tools and supplies.A few ooutlets did not work so I had a friend check the wiring. He replaced two broken switches, put in new lights and made all power receptacles work. I look forward to freshening the tables and shelves with some paint and setting up a couple of workshop areas.
I FINALLY CHANGE FROM BANK TO CREDIT UNION
I got so energized clearing out the shed that I checked my To Do List to see what else I could tackle. For a year or more I’ve wanted to make a community credit union my primary financial institution and I finally began steps to move my Wells Fargo bank accounts. I admit I just learned that Wells Fargo helped finance the DAPL pipeline however I was ready to move.
I went to the credit union and opened a business checking account. Back at the office I ordered checks and deposit slips and rubber stamps and began changing all direct deposit info. Next I’ll enter all my bill pay info in, it’s a chore but it feels good to have begun the process. I was thrilled when they built a credit union 2 miles away, I can walk my deposits in now. There are no monthly fees and my dollars support my local community.
FEELING RE-INSPIRED
Feeling so energized after the clearing, I cranked thru the work! It seems the busier I am, the more I tend to take on and burn through. Last year I reached a burnout point when I OVER booked my time, voice and hands. This month I feel I’ve stepped out of the woods. I feel newly inspired.
Which came first, inspiration or uncluttering? I feel the energy moving again. My shed is clear, I’ve got a plan for home projects, I’m transferring from a bank to a credit union, I’ve connected with new authors. Next I’ll price check auto and homeowners insurance. My Social Security check went up, my mortgage payment went down. Life is good.
WHATEVER IS BEORE ME IS A REFLECTION OF ME
Working on final layout of this February magazine, I smiled to see the page on the screen before me is such a reflection of me. The page that the reader will see is organized and formatted, with good white space. In the margins, however — what no one sees but me — is a scramble of notes and articles and images, all crammed together, placed there to remind me what I have waiting to go in next.
My mind is like that sometimes, too, constantly reviewing info filed off to the side that I’ll need shortly, while seemingly focused on what’s in font of me. I recall 20+ years ago when Kristy (Scott) Souto first began Horizons Magazine we’d be sitting at my computer where she was teaching me Pagemaker. She laughed that I kept so many Options windows open since that made the typing/layout screen very small.
“You have this little tiny screen,” she said, pinching fingers together in front of her eye,“but out here are ALL the options!” She was right. That’s still my life but this tiny life is SO fulfilling and yes, I still like to keep all my options easy to find right in front of me 🙂
Enjoy our offering this month.
Hari Om.