Resiliency to recreate

I had a chance to spend some time this weekend helping a friend of a friend in rebuilding her home. Her original home had been destroyed in the Cedar fires that ravaged the San Diego County area in 2003. She lives near Julian, CA which is near the Cleveland National Forest and Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. The area where her home is located is beautifully situated (and isolated) among the hills and what used to be forest. Mother Nature is showing her resiliency in the growth that you can see among the burnt tree skeletons that has occurred in the 4 years since the fires.

It was fun and rewarding to be part of a group of people coming together to be of service to a friend. It helped to be in a beautiful, natural, setting even though it drizzled for a good part of the morning. We kept a fire going the whole day from the brush and deadwood that had accumulated and was still available as a result of the fires over 4 years before (irony indeed). Resiliency was a theme that kept recurring during the time spent helping: Carmen's attitude about the fire and rebuilding, the group's attitude about the rain and getting some work done, the way we had to maneuver the pieces of the roof (Quonset hut) and bolt the pieces together, the way the stars finally pierced through the cloudy sky that evening.

That night I literally slept under the stars. Such an amazing and awe-inspiring sight! To see the multitude of light-pinpoints really me in a state of bliss in the realization that we really are part of a special, incredible, creation. No matter what your beliefs, looking at a spectacular night sky has to hit you at an emotional, primordial level. How can one think of him/herself as "special" when confronted with the representations of trillions of energy producing objects in a relatively small slice of viewpoint? It makes you face the infinite creation power of the divine source of it all. And, WE are a part of that source! We all are representatives of that creative power, here to experience all aspects of ourselves.

We experience our own resiliency in many instances throughout our days. Think about it. How many times have you had to 'adapt' to a new situation or circumstance? Did you survive? Learn? Grow? Thrive? Are you the same person you were yesterday? Really? We are in a constant state of change, whether we want to realize it or not. Cells are dying and regenerating within our bodies at a rate that we do not appreciate. That's just physically.... So what is your mental rate of change? Are you stuck or resilient in your ways of thinking?

Namaste

Flying free

There are times when being who you are goes against the expectations of all around you, sometimes even your own. Recognizing that those expectations do not really have anything to do with you can help put things into perspective. Ultimately, the only person you can answer to is yourself. Once that realization settles into your being, you are set free to live life without limitations.... the way we were meant to live.

I write this as a reminder to myself to recognize that there are no expectations to be met. I have set myself some goals to do certain things at certain times, but my soul seems to have a different time frame to follow. This journey I am on has been one filled with discovery and progressive enlightenment. Getting to the point of Allowing has been a rollercoaster of experience. My gratitude for these experiences expands daily. It amazes me at times the changes a shift in thought can bring about in your life. It also baffles me how easily one can revert to old ways of thinking and acting in a millisecond.

Life is such a gift. It makes you appreciate the divine design to experience one's self in all manner of circumstances. I finally realize the purpose in experiencing the low's in order to truly appreciate the wonder of the high's. Its amazing how we take things for granted until we experience the opposite condition.

But labeling these experiences in such a manner only perpetuates the judgements we place upon them. Experiencing without judging the circumstance provides an indescribable freedom. We humans seem to have a need to label and judge everything. Our cultures have trained us to be so. Think about that the next time you decide to chastise your child for acting or thinking in a manner that is contrary to 'expected' norms. Are we repeating teachings that have been perpetuated for the past decade, century, millenia? Twenty years ago the Internet was an academic exercise. Now we are in the beginnings of true global awareness and this awareness is accelerating despite the "old guard" efforts to hold things to the same ol same ol. Are you perpetuating this type of thinking?

The limitations we place upon ourselves are the only things truly holding us back. I am discovering this on a daily basis and have been working to get out of my own way. The path is clear for everyone who makes an inspired effort. It is that in-spiration that helps to show the way. It is only when we connect with our inner spirit that the way to true freedom becomes apparent. Realization that we are connected in spirit and are reflections of the divine gives the knowledge, the knowing, that we are more than the perpetuated illusion that is modern life. Each of us has the ability to choose how our life progresses, or not. Therein lies the free-will given to us, we get to choose. Be aware that you CAN choose, that you have chosen to this point. But now you can be aware of the choices that you make. I've chosen to see all things in my life as the gifts that they are. Everything I am and will be stems from the choices I have made and am making. This awareness gives me the freedom to live in this MOMENT and appreciate it. You can fly free as well.

Namaste

Following "The Way"

This shot was taken Oct 2nd as the sun began its journey from the east. It is looking toward Cuyamaca Peak which is northeast of the San Diego area. I've been listening to Dr Wayne Dyer's Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life: Living The Wisdom Of The Tao audio book on my treks up Cowles Mountain in the mornings to capture the sun's appearance over the eastern mountains. The Tao Te Ching is a classic Chinese text written by Lao Tzu which provides a road-map, of sorts, to living the inspired life. I will share some the teachings and perceptions I receive as I go along. A majority of the verses point towards water as an example of how to live life. The patience and the flow of water provide a great metaphor for how to deal with life's perceived troubles. Grasping and holding onto water does you no good, you can't do it. The only way to experience water is to place your hands in it and allow it to flow. Life is the same way; the more you try to force things to happen, the more resistance you encounter. The saying, Going with the flow, takes on more meaning when viewed in this light. I'm learning the difficulty of actually practicing this. It's not easy to just let things happen. The ego wants things to happen NOW. It wants to be in control. But there is a divine timing and rhythm to life. The key is to allow and surrender, understanding that everything is taken care of already.

Here's a shot of me taken this morning at the summit on my 49th b-day after the trek up Cowles mountain trail. The trail up is 1.5 miles long with an elevation gain of about 900 ft. Alot of people run up and down the trail. In the early morning, you'll see a number of people on the trail that make me feel young (looking anyways). The thing we all have in common is being in the moment as we hike up the mountain. That's another way of being in the flow. I'm fairly slow going up compared to most folks and even slower going down. That's okay by me. Sometimes its difficult to let go of comparisons to the other hikers when they are speeding past you. It's just another opportunity for me to allow myself to be me and not worry about other's perceptions.

So much to absorb and chronicle in the next year. One thing I know I'll be doing is learning and growing. So by the time next year's b-day comes along, I'm looking forward to all of us being another year wiser. I'll end here with a quote provided by Dr. Dyer:

"There is no way to happiness, happiness IS the way."

Namaste

Beginning a new journey with appreciation

When I quit my job as an engineer in March this year, I was driven by an urge to express my creativity and discover my spirituality. Here it is October 1st and I've manifested my desires. Granted, appearances to some may seem like I've taken a few steps backward. That's where the illusion of this existence can come into play. I haven't bought into the illusions of this physical realm and have surrendered to the Divine to show me the way. By surrendering, I have allowed circumstances to show me how things fall into place when you follow your dreams and desires. I offer my appreciation daily for the support I've received through my friendships and the synchronicities that show up constantly. Its amazing how things line up when you change you mindset and focus on the positive. I'll expound more on that in future posts.

So now I begin the journey of creating a book which will chronicle my transition into my 5th decade of physical existence. My intention is to capture sunrises and sunsets daily for the next year. This morning's sunrise was greeted atop Cowles Mountain in Santee, CA. I currently reside about 1 mile away from Cowles, so a majority of the initial day breaks will more than likely be from there; but ya never know what the Universe has in store for me. So from here on out, I'll be showing samples of what I've shot and share some of my thoughts along the way.