I Promise Me

Today I’ve been contemplating the commitments we make to other people. We commit to our bosses that we will arrive on time in the office at nine o’clock in the morning. We commit to our children that we will take them to the amusement park on Saturday. We commit to our spouses to be faithful in our union. “I promise you,” we say. These agreements are important to our daily life and relationships. My concern in this post, however, is with the commitments we make (or break) to ourselves.

Maybe our health is not optimal, so we commit to eat better and exercise more. But on day five, we find ourselves sitting in the fast food drive-thru line because it’s more convenient. Maybe we feel the need to deepen our relationship with the Divine, so we commit to a nightly meditation practice. But one night the following week, we make plans with friends, and the next, there’s a favorite show on TV; so, we allow these to interfere. Maybe we commit to finishing that novel we started reading (or writing) last month. But then household chores suddenly seem to take precedence, and the pages collect dust on the nightstand.       

A commitment is a pledge to follow through with a particular action. It’s important to honor others by keeping the promises we make to them. We stand in integrity when we do so. Breaking our promises to others severs trust and damages relationships. It is equally, if not more, important that we honor the commitments we make to ourselves. When we don't, we abandon the self, which can lead to feelings of failure and self-loathing. Opting for temporary convenience over long-term accomplishment is self-defeating. Putting the needs and desires of others before our own may seem heroic, but once habituated, becomes draining.

You are important enough to make yourself your own priority. You are worth setting a goal for yourself and letting nothing stand in your way of accomplishing it. You deserve to make a date with yourself and keep it. You are valuable, so commit to being your own best friend. Practice saying, “I promise me . . .,” and don’t break it. You’re too precious not to.

Be enlightened!  ~ M

Let Go and Swim

She hung from his back like an old knapsack whose straps could no longer tighten. Her arms poised limp at the elbows, her fingers leaving imprints between his shoulders and neck, her legs wrapped round his waist at the water line. She declared to him, loud enough for me to hear though I was lounging on a chaise several feet away, "You're my Batman," sounding confident in his ability to protect her from untold dangers. There was a slight pause in speech before his reply. 

"And you're my Robin," he assured her in a lower tone, sounding somewhat resigned to their partnership. He continued to walk short laps across the shallow end of the community swimming pool, continued to grip lightly her bony ankles that clung to his hips.

I brought my attention back to the memoir I had been reading, and I doubted the couple had noticed my interest in their interaction.

I often find myself captivated by real-life vignettes such as this one. I ever look for the lessons behind my observations. This day, I paused to ask myself many questions:

Am I like the Batman in the pool, lugging a weight I’ve become used to but am no longer enthusiastic about? Am I continuing to hold on to someone or something because that’s what’s expected? Am I trudging back and forth the same path without any forward momentum? Am I the Robin who’s trusting that I’ll be carried? Am I a burden unaware? Am I willing to let go and swim?

Are you?

Be enlightened!  ~ M

Useful Reminders

I share with you here the reminders that I right now am shouting to myself in the mirror. Sometimes, that volume is necessary in order to drown my ego’s fearful chatter.

I deserve the best!

I did not incarnate to struggle, stress, and strain.

Joy is my birthright!

I am here to learn how to Love.

Pain is not a requirement of the learning process.

I am divinely perfect, not humanly.

My job is to present the highest expression of myself that I am capable of.

My action steps are my responsibility, but only after consulting with God.

If it’s desirable, it’s achievable.

There are no impossibilities when I think outside the proverbial box.

I do not have to figure out all the answers.

No, I am not alone.

I am worthy!

Be enlightened!  ~ M

On Timing

I was never a procrastinator. Until recently, that is. Lateness was so rare for me. Now, I find myself edging closer to deadlines than ever before.

I used to be the guest who arrived ten minutes prior to the time noted on the invitation, the student who handed in assignments the day before they were due, and the friend whose Hallmark greeting card showed up in the mailbox a week before the special day. That is no longer the case.

I still keep a daily ‘To Do’ list, still have a weekly ‘Papers to Tend’ pile, and I still keep important dates marked on a calendar. The difference is that I’ve bumped the daily to weekly, relegated the weekly to monthly, and the Hallmark greetings have become one-line emails sent on the day of the special event.

What happened? I wonder. Could it be that in middle age I have rearranged my priorities? Maybe I’m following the examples of others who seem to be able to get it all done, even if at the last minute. Perhaps I’ve gotten lazy. Am I starting tasks later than usual or just taking longer to complete them? I seem to get distracted easily these days.

Regardless of the reason, for now, this is me. And I don’t like it. I’m no longer early. But I’m not late either. “Just in the nicka” is my life’s new motif. It all gets done, but it’s uncomfortable. My timing seems off.

I observe the cyclicality of the natural world—spring following winter, moon waxing and waning, trees barren then blooming. Outdoor delights dance to the rhythm of Mother Nature’s heartbeat. Within my body, it’s the same—waking follows sleep, cells exfoliate and rejuvenate, open wounds close. When I view everyday occurrences in hindsight, there, too, I see harmony. My fretting about deadlines adds nothing but strife to the experience. It will be done when it is done, regardless.

For as long as we inhabit physical bodies on this earthly plane, there will be some necessity for watching clocks and tending to the linear construct of time. But this cannot be to the exclusion of recognizing the process of Divine Timing, the ordering of events in synchronistic conformity. For now, perhaps my lesson is in learning how to trust that.

I must take action, yes, but I also must release my attempt to control outcomes. In the bigger picture, the more important broader scheme, I am exactly where I need to be in any given moment whether the ‘To Do’ list is checked or not. My timing cannot be but perfect.

Be enlightened!  ~ M

Affirmations

I believe in the effects of affirmations. I use them often. My focus and attitude shift dramatically when I affirm a truth higher than earthly appearance.

I get honest with myself about my intentions behind the affirmations before declaring them, knowing that they are powerful tools.

I most often begin with an “I am” statement, never an I need or an I want, which would indicate lack. Other positive openings I use are “I know,” “I have,” and “I love.”

I target my desired outcome, never what I would not choose to experience. I affirm in present tense as if it is already done because it is already done in the field of potentiality; I am only waiting for its earthly manifestation, or for my awareness of such.

I affirm the truth even when I am unable to believe it for the moment, especially then. Affirmations help to brighten the hue of my aura and increase the speed of my inner vibration, thereby heightening the frequency of my emanative energy. This makes me a magnet for positive experiences. Then, I come to believe.

I maintain simplicity in my affirmations so that they are clear and easy to remember.

Below are some of my favorites.

When I am feeling unworthy, I affirm my spiritual nature:

I am the essence of magnificence.

I am the embodiment of all that is awesome.

I am, and am worthy of, only good.

When I am feeling ill, I affirm the state my body was meant to be in:

I am healed, whole, and healthy.

I know my cells and organs are operating perfectly right now.

I know that optimum health is my birthright.

When I am feeling lonely or irritable, I affirm the truth I am overlooking:

I am loved, lovable, and loving.

I have me and I have God, forever.

I am surrounded by Light.

When I am feeling lack, I affirm abundance:

For today, I have enough.

I have all I need in this moment.

I have more money than I could ever spend.

When I am working toward a specific goal, I affirm that it has already come to pass:

I am so happy and grateful now that . . . .

Thank you, God, for . . . .

I have . . . and I can see it!

When I am feeling self-conscious, I affirm my ideal:

I am healthy, thin, and attractive.

I love and appreciate my beautiful body.

I am perfect the way I am.

When I am feeling frazzled, I affirm my peace:

I am peaceful and serene.

I am calm and confident.

I know that a divine plan is unfolding here.

When I am feeling afraid, I affirm my safety:

I am safe and secure.

I am protected.

I am held in the arms of God.

Why not make it a practice to recite affirmations daily. Chant them, write them, speak them aloud, whisper them in your head, meditate on them. Hey, why not share them? Jot down some of your favorites in the Comments section below.

Be enlightened!  ~ M