The New Year of 2009

I have been thinking about what my goals are for the new year. I have lots of business and financial goals. But the first thing on my list is to be "in the present moment". That means listening to what people are saying, being quiet so they can express themselves to me. It is interesting how our minds work. Usually when someone talks you immediately try to see if you have had same experience and then relate it right back to that person. That person may not even care or be too entrenched in their explanation about their experience before shifting over to hear about yours. So, instead of relating right back my own story, I'm going to be quiet and really listen to what others are saying. By being in the present moment I can be aware of my own thoughts and control a potential sudden outburst. I can then really be there for that other person and be 'in the spirit'. That is a positive way to start out the new year.

Tell us how you are starting out your New Year!

Happy Positive and Green Holiday!

This is year I am going to be doing things a little different when it comes to gift giving. There are so many fun things to do besides buying a gifts. Making gifts almost seems to be a thing of the past. I think this year I shall bring it back. I'm going to make strawberry cordials (strawberry liquire)for some of the adults in my family. Remeber the days when we were all making Kahlua? Same idea, but different. I'll put the cordial in a pretty, recycled bottle. Other gifts from the kitchen are: cookies, breads, jams, jellies, chutneys, vinagers, etc. So fun to make and to give.

My sister-in-law came up with the idea of 'The gift of time'. This year our family will pick a name out of a hat and spend time with that person. The time spent can be: going out to lunch, going to a movie, taking a hike, playing frisbee, volunteering in a soup kitchen, etc. What a great idea! Oh, and it must be no more than $25.00. Great idea, Mary!

When wrapping the gift that you do buy, remember to use recycled paper and ribbon. Another wrapping idea is using scarves. The Japanese have been using cloth as wrapping paper for centuries. Great idea!

May you all have a very Happy, Healthy and Positive Holiday!

Focus on the Positive

It can be difficult to stay optimistic about our lives these days with such economic dread upon us and much more predicted in the near future. Yes, we do have to be careful about our world and inidividual economic situation. We can do that by staying in the present moment, being focused on the tasks at hand and being positive that we will come out of this dire time. Focusing on the negative only enhances it. I just read an article in the S.F Chroncile titled,'Pursuing Happiness in Perilous Times'. The article is talking about how in the midst of one of the biggest economic meltdowns more than 30 psychologists, biologists, philosophers and educators will be in town to discuss the history, the significance and the state of human happiness. Robina Courtin, the organizer of this conference called, 'Happiness and Its Causes' says, "We can't guarentee the dollars, but we can guarentee a happy mind'.
This growing field of exploration is finding incredible research about the link between mental and physical health related to our attitudes about what we thank about. The old saying, 'Your attitude determines your altitude is now being scientificaly proven!
It is more important now than any other time in history to use our mental control and focus on the positive. Turn off the TV, radio or computer. Listen to the birds, feel the warm sunshine on your face, enjoy the autumn leaves. There is so much goodness in the world. Enjoy it! Amplify it!

Broadcast Positive News

We have all been in situations when someone bursts into a conversation and says, "I have some great news!" Immediately everyones attention is focused on that person. Positive news does more than get attention; positive news pleases people. Positive news develops enthusiasm. Positive news even promotes good digestion.

I urge you to transmit positive news about your day to your friends and family. Everyday. Recall amusing and pleasant things you have experienced during the day. Let the unpleasant things lie dormant, don't add to that energy, unless you want more of it. Bring home sunlight everyday to your family. Look to see how you feel after a week on focusing on the positive. Let me know what happens!

This article was paraphrased from the book 'The Magic of Thinking Big', by David J. Schwartz. Chapter -'Make Your Attitudes Your Allies' pg.175

Global Kindness

My husband and myself just got back from a 2 1/2 week trip to Greece. We were invited to an authentic Greek wedding in a small city called Larissa, about a 3 hr. drive north of Athens. The week before the wedding the bride-to-be's family hosted dinners at their house every night. This Greek family lives outside Larissa in a small farming village named Agia. We meet my mother and my cousins at the Greek families house when were arrived from Athens. My cousin was a foreign exchange student with the family 20 years ago and has keep in contact very well. As we sat at the outside big round table after our initial welcome, we saw dozens of villagers coming to the families home to pay their respects to the bride and to welcome us.

Traditional Greek meals were prepared for all of us and the families friends which totaled about 40-50 people every night! Most of the villagers couldn't speak English and we all tried our best to speak a little Greek, but we could all feel the genuine connection between us. I can still picture in my mind little tan older faces with big smiles and missing teeth. But the love, the warm kindness was conveyed in such a pureness of heart, that I can't forget it.

Say Yes To Life

This excerpt is taken from Spa Magazine - Healthly Living, Travel and Renewal; July/Aug. 2008 By Dr. Jeffrey Brantley and Wendy Millstine
"Yes" is a popular and widespread expression of joyful aggreement and hearty acceptance. Try saying "yes" through the present moment to the ever-changing, mysterious flow of life. Breathe mindfully for about a minute. Set your intention. For example:"May this practice give me happiness and energy." Notice and gently name the different experiences as they arise in this moment. As you name each one, simply add "Yes". For example, "Worried thoughts - yes." Ache in your back - yes". Gently whisper "yes" without intellectualizing or resisting. What do you notice?
All thoughts, emotions, and actions can become something beautiful when you are truly present and open to the possibilities available in the present moment. Through mindfulness, intention, and acting wholeheartedly, you can enjoy the love in your life in ways deeper and richer than you may ever have imagined.

The Fish and the Eel

I was recently snorkeling along the Kohala coast in Hawaii. A small group of friends and I hiked through a nice golf course to get to this great snorkeling area. We got our masks and snorkels on and headed out to the reef ledge near by. Lots of big yellow Tangs the size of dinner plates were swimming about. Blue Parrot fish and multi-colored Wrasses swam right past us. For some reason all of these fish were larger here than I have ever seen anywhere else. It must be a perfect habitat. A few golf balls were strewn about the sandy bottom or lodged in coral stands. I was watching this one big fish (a Grouper) with a black body and purple fins swimming rapidly along this one coral ledge. He (or she) would swim fast, then stop as if it was looking for something it had lost. All of a sudden a big whitemouth spotted eel pokked its head out. The fish swam over quickly to the eel. I though for sure there was going to be a fight and one of them would eat the other. The eel swam out of his coral cave to meet the fish. Then the two of them swam together for a few yards and the eel popped back into another coral cave. The fish searched frantically from entrance to entrance to find the eel again. The eel would come out, swim for a short while and pop back into another cave. Eels remind me of boa constrictors, but have a blunt end. I watched this cat and mouse game for at least 15 minutes, facinated by this display. I concluded that they were playing hide and go seek for fun! They were friends. It was a very cute display of affection and connection between two very opposite species of the sea world. I think we can all appreciate this!