I’ll start by looking into the past. Have you ever played in the arena of keeping a gratitude journal or notebook, or held to a daily practice of giving thanks? You’ll know the feelings of satisfaction, contentment, and/or joy that such practices bring, by providing a space to align with the soft, clear, gentle flow of gratitude as an energy. My experience with such practices has been rewarding in that it makes the recognition of being grateful such a part of daily life.

So let’s consider this practice, from a minor shift of perspective, while invoking a small variation in the approach. What would it be like to have a practice of “making your unique contribution to the world?” What could it look like to keep a contributions journal? What thoughts, words, and deeds might be part of a practice of making a conscious contribution of joy, happiness, empowerment, upliftment, assistance, even gratitude?

For myself, I can envision a quiet space in the evening, at the close of the day, where I sit in contemplation of what has unfolded. I have a sense of noticing the instances in the day where what I said or did represented a genuine expression of my unique gifts for the world, and made a positive contribution to someone or to many. The words are gentle and kind, and the acts are thoughtful and authentic.

Furthermore, I can envision holding the experiences quietly within my awareness and then letting them go into the world, with a sense of each one continuing to touch people in a loving manner.

And, as with a gratitude journal, it seems as though such a practice supports me in gaining a more conscious awareness of the opportunity to contribute to the uplifting energies of the world on a regular basis throughout the day. Many spiritual practices speak of endowing each thought, word, and action with grace and reverence. Such is the nature of the contribution practice I’m considering.

I notice this concept fills me with enthusiasm and feels heart-warming. I look forward to seeing its benefits unfold in my life and for those around me.

With gratitude for the contribution you are making, in reading and receiving this communication!

This flicker is an unexpected guest, a 12-inch stately grey woodpecker sporting a brilliant red neck band and a boldly speckled chest.

It’s interesting to me that the flicker turns out to be of insufficient weight to close the counter-balanced lever arm that keeps squirrels from consuming all the seed ~ he’s that big and stately, at least as big as one of the smaller squirrels that haunt the feeder looking for handouts.

He’s got the attention of my indoor cat, who moans piteously at the window, out of thwarted hunter instincts, perhaps, or from frustration at being separated from a potential play mate. With Arthur, more a lover than a fighter, it’s often a challenge to distinguish motivation!

Between us, Arthur and I manage to send enough attention energy at the flicker that he flies off to the shelter of the neighbor’s pine trees. The wind picks up and patchy snow squalls make their way across the yard. Minutes of concentration on Arthur’s part do not result in the return of the flicker.

Why, you may wonder, do I invest blogging electrons in relaying the tale of the flicker? 

Earlier today I wrote a short piece for the Quantum Well-Being newsletter on the importance of trusting one’s own information. The flicker appears less than twenty minutes afterwards, providing me the opportunity to put my teachings into practice.

It’s fun to notice the thoughts triggered by the flicker sighting. In particular, the moment I spotted the flicker, a specific piece of information passed through my awareness about the esoteric meaning of the flicker as a totem. I even recall the source of the meaning ~ it was provided by a capable shaman, Ted Andrews, in his book “Animal Speak.” In the past, I’d often consult the book to tease meaning out of the frequent visits by various feathered and furry friends to my yard.

The flicker gives me the opportunity to examine how much of Ted Andrew’s information about the flicker totem is, indeed, still my information. I notice that for me, the flicker is handsome, dignified, perservering, and connected deeply to the comfort and joy of learning about nature from my mother and grandmother.

It’s a surprise to me that the information gleaned in the past from Andrew’s book is culturally informative, and esoterically intriguing, and ultimately, not true of my own experience of the flicker. I have no basis to either accept or reject the esoteric meaning of a flicker, whereas I have experience of its association with dignity, persistence, and happiness. Simultaneously I can hold one as a possibility and accept what is true for me now.

It turns out, for me, that the value of the flicker sighting is in demonstrating the wisdom of trusting my own information, albeit experiential. It also reveals that while much of the information I’ve absorbed over the years may have been true for me in the moment of encounter, perhaps its truth may not withstand the test of time. It’s a reminder that updating my world view is an ongoing and vital part of increasing my awareness.

At a summary level, I can say that today’s lesson of the flicker is twofold: information undergoes transformation with time, just as much of the physical world does, and good teachers (like Ted Andrews) cushion their teachings in an energy of ‘allowing’ that supports each of us in becoming more clear about the truth of our own information. I also notice these two observations may find their way into newsletter articles in some future moment.

Do you imagine the flicker had any inkling of the contemplation his presence at the bird feeder sparked?

I’ll leave you to trust your own information on the question ~ enjoy!

A winter storm recently stimulates me to pursue a goal of combining images with these words.  It gives me an opportunity to be out in the lightly falling snow, admiring the contrast of small red (hawthorn?) berries and green leaves mantled with the heavy flakes of snow forming near the freezing point.  It sets up combinations of light, beauty, and grace that inspire me to make images that can be shared with others.

The beauty of contrast

Lance is the one who points out the snow-covered berry tree to me.  As I stand with my camera and find the quiet place that connects me with the beauty of the scene, he disappears.  My attention is on the extremes of color displayed here.  I look through the view-finder intently, capturing close-ups and vignettes of the entire yard where the berries reside.

The morning quiet, the silver-gray sky, and the peace of the setting is soothing and fills me with contentment.  I recall a time when standing and breathing in the peace of a beautiful setting comprised the totality of my image-making experience.

I recognize the foundation to this previous approach as both the absence of a camera and an intuitive, internal, and conscious choice to leave nature’s images to nature.  And I’m filled with gratitude now to hold the means of capturing nature’s beauty as digital images that can move from camera, to computer, to website with the same ease, grace, and dignity that nature uses in forming the images.

As I make images along the way through a variety of options the camera provides, I notice that Lance is returned.  He sets up a small step-ladder near the berry-laden tree, and in that companionable way that old friends have with one another, I pass him the camera. 

It’s always a joy to see what captures his eye, trained early on by classes in the graphic arts.  This time he notices the heart-shaped form of a paper-wasp nest, covered in snow, high in the berry tree.  It blends readily with the monochromatic tones of the morning and requires a keen, and taller, perspective to add it to the library of images that is coalescing.

The wind picks up for a moment, gently tossing the branches of the tree and dislodging the snow.   I notice my fingers complaining about the cold temperatures.  We stand for one or two last moments in silent appreciation of the snowy morning and the gift of nature’s beauty in our neighbor’s yard. 

Then Lance picks up the ladder and we walk back down the street where the warmth of the house awaits us.  I notice that I’m holding the camera under the front flap of my coat with gentle care.  I am grateful for the images that it holds, appreciative of the experience of image-making, and happy to celebrate nature’s great beauty through image-making. 

“Nothing endures but change.”

Heraclitus, from Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers
Greek philosopher (540 BC – 480 BC)

You’ve probably heard this sentiment voiced in numerous different ways, by many authors, and applied to a variety of situations.  It seems that today there is an opportunity for me to add my musings to this subject.

In preparing to travel for almost two weeks, I find it useful to list the activities necessary to a successful trip.  There are arrangements for pets, plants, and postal deliveries.  Resetting of scheduled meetings, events, and activities occurs.  Places to stay while traveling are located, and transportation is put together.  These activities may not occur in the same sequence for each trip I make, yet some semblance of each is common to the theme of traveling.

One activity to schedule around the trip is the regular posting of these articles. A perusal of the blog software shows where a message can be posted in advance of publication.  The feature allows me to write a post in advance and leave it to be published while I travel.  Excellent!  So I determine to experiment with this feature.

In enthusiasm, earlier in the week, I write a piece to post in the category of ‘Natural Beauty.’  There is such enthusiasm, that I get ahead of myself, and write the article with the intent to add at least one photographic image to it.  It seems like a next step to add pictures to the words.

Yet, as Heraclitus says, change endures.  In attempting to add the photographic image to the post, I discover aspects of the blogging software that I have yet to master.  After winding my way deep into the FAQ questions and answers about the software, I look up to discover that the period for writing is drawing to an end, and I’m no closer to uploading an image as I was at the start.  It is apparent something gets to change.

I find myself looking at the intention of the exercise, which is to communicate regularly in this forum.  Here is where the ability to accept change, allow a different outcome, and focus on the ultimate intent is valuable.  Flowing with change becomes a matter of shifting my attention away from one article, and placing it on an article for Now.  I feel fortunate to have tools for shifting attention, energy, and focus, so it is now possible to create an article for the next post.

As I finish writing the previous paragraph, the telephone rings.  There is a brief moment of choice ~ continue to write? Answer the phone?  And because there is flow and possibility of change, I can get up and speak on the telephone.  In the course of the conversation, an idea for another article presents itself.  I enjoy my phone conversation, jot a brief note, and return to complete this post.

The key to playing in a world where change is the constant is a three-fold ability to keep an eye on intention, to keep attention on being flexible in allowing the intention to unfold, and to make conscious choices among the possible actions that support the unfolding.   Being comfortable with change helps me to align with this process with fluidity, grace, and ease. 

There is joy for me in writing these blog entries on a regular basis.  Sometimes as I prepare to write, I notice a time of just sitting that allows me to get in touch with the topic for the day.  Other times, the topic has presented itself and the article unfolds to a great degree, and my job is to sit in front of the keyboard and move the information into written form.  And on occasion, there is a blank for a day or so where there is no topic.

Having past experiences of ‘struggle’ in the area of writing, and preferring the current experiences of joy and flow, I appreciate this new way of being with the blank topic that seems to work.  It not only works well for writing, it also seems to work well for Life.  This way of being is to be present with whatever is right in front of me.

Today what is in front of me is my keyboard. More specifically, it is my keyboard with a key-cap for the period – mark which is loose and wobbling under my right ring finger (blessings on the gift of touch-typing from high school days!) 

Lacking a period – mark in writing makes a brand-new game of completing sentences.  I can express enthusiasm with every sentence!  It’s possible to ask questions, as in ‘what comes next?’  Without a period – mark easily available, I find myself pausing between each sentence.

There is an interesting space in the pause my keyboard is gifting me.  It provides a moment to be fully present with the keyboard and the wobbly key-cap.  It supplies a place to reflect on the next breath, the next keystroke, the next word, the next action.  It allows me to decide what to share about what I notice in the pause.

The first thing to share is the concept that when we experience the luxury of a pause, there is space for conscious choice and awareness.   For example, right now I’m noticing that the path I walk with this article is transforming as I pause at the end of each sentence.  The initial title of the article shifts from “right in front of me” to “the luxury of a pause” as I see how the space of ‘being still’  provides multiple choices and opportunities, both for words and for life-experiences.

I reflect on some of the thoughts of earlier in the morning, where there’s a feeling of uncertainty about the ability to write with a floppy key-cap.  I recall examining possibilities to remedy what I judge to be an inconvenience.  I appreciate the current perspective I gain from being present with key as it is.  I am grateful for the pause that presents itself every 12 – 20 words.   Life is good!

In our every-day, walking-around space, we have the luxury of a pause whenever we choose. In a moment, we can breathe deeply, feel grounded, and be as still as possible within.  With only awareness, we are able to notice and reflect upon the possibilities within the pause.  It’s an opportunity to select our words and actions consciously with clarity, ease, and grace.  And it is a great gift of Life to experience the gratitude that also lives within the pause.  May your day be filled with delightful pauses!

I’m practicing presence and focus while breathing and feeling the energy of the heart. 

And all of a sudden it gets very quiet and there is no line of mental chatter to transfer to the paper.

Instead I feel the breath in my nostrils and my lungs expanding and there is a flow of words that seems to bypass the rational mind.  There is warmth around the heart.

For those of us who have squabbled with the analyzer-brain for years it’s an interesting and intriguing sensation.

In my walking-around space, I experience it on occasion ~ it’s usually more accessible in meditation.  And what a wonderful possibility to be able to live every moment in this place.

The question is, would it be of value to post this brief observation?

Still breathing, no words.

It is in the sitting quietly that the beauty of the creation is born, and it is in the allowing that the Love of Creator flows. 

I Am grateful to receive these words and to share them with you today.

With love, joy, and gratitude for you as you live this Life!

Do you know the expression, “Blue Marble?”   It’s one that has rolled around in my awareness for years.  A quick trip to Wikipedia reveals its history ~ it’s an expression used for a remarkable photograph of our planet Earth taken by the astronauts of the Apollo 17 mission.    More than 30 years later, NASA put a significant update to the original photograph on their site, which can be seen today.

I bring up the “Blue Marble” because it’s linked in my awareness with the recognition that, from space, distinctions or divisions based on humanity’s propensity to create separation are not visible.  Certainly there are differences in landforms.  Clouds, oceans, and continents all are visible.  What is missing are political, economic, social, religious, or even species’ differences.   There is one planet, hanging in the deep velvet of space, and all upon it share in its fate.

The very few inhabitants of our planet who have traveled in space all mention the change in perspective viewing the planet from afar brings.  Many report transformative experiences.  Most return to the planet with a broader view of our inter-relatedness and connection with everyone and everything on the planet.

What we all can benefit from in contemplating the “Blue Marble” is to recognize that “We” the inhabitants, who collectively share a dwelling place on Earth, include expressions of Life more numerous than humans alone.   The planetary perspective speaks to partnership, co-operation, and co-creation by all Life.  Viewing all Life with respect, indeed even reverence, and making choices that honor all Life seems appropriate, given “We” are all here together.  

Consider the choices and energies that comprise a world where everything is shared, every inhabitant is valued and honored, the contributions of each one add to the benefit of all, and the beauty of the whole reflects that of every partner in Life.  These choices and energies are expansive and focus on what honors All That Is.  These choices and energies come from a “We” that includes all who inhabit the precious “Blue Marble” called Home.   Imagine a Home where We All are One.  And so it unfolds.

Walking in the neighborhood the other day, I notice a neighbor tending his beautiful garden of sunflowers.  Several of these golden flowers tower over him, gracefully and gently dipping their heads in the slight breeze, and dropping their seeds upon the ground in early recognition of the coming harvest.   Because sunflowers turn their heads toward the sun as they grow, a garden filled with them seems in dynamic motion throughout the day.  Such is my experience of my neighbor’s lovely setting.

This is not the first time that sunflowers have caught my attention recently.  Their seeds feed the sparrows, finches, robins, and magpies in my yard.  Occasionally some valiant seeds begin to sprout up below the bird feeders, at least until the grass is mowed.   They grow quickly and for a few brief days tower over the surrounding grass.  Perhaps next growing season, they’ll receive a place of their own to grow in, all summer long.

Sunflowers feature a lovely helical arrangement of seeds at their center.  The seeds in sunflower seed heads are actually arranged in Fibonacci spirals to assure optimal packing and distribution of the seeds.  Nature often builds on the ‘golden section,’ modeling the divine within all aspects of Life.

I notice, too, my involvement with a local neighborhood food co-operative, whose logo is reminiscent of a sunflower.  It’s a warm and healing energy to associate with an organization dedicated to bringing healthy food and sustainable practices to our community.

And yesterday, I open the folder containing ideas for blog articles and find a page with a picture and some healing properties about the sunflower.  Indeed, I’ve been attracted by sunflowers recently.  It’s interesting to read that the sunflower helps to align both the first chakra and our individual feminine and masculine energies.  When balanced, these all contribute to a sense of well-being and happiness. 

It appears that I’m surrounded by sunflowers as the last of summer days shorten into autumn.  I sneak a peek into Ted Andrews’ book “Nature-Speak” to see what shamanistic wisdom he shares about sunflowers.  He points out that the way the sunflowers follow the sun during the day is a great reminder for all of us to seek the higher Light in all we do.   

That’s an inspiring message to end this entry upon, as we move toward the Equinox and the shift into autumn’s harvest.  Let us focus on, and appreciate, that which is filled with Light, Healing, and Life ~ for ourselves, our communities, and beyond.   Let us allow the sunny happiness of the sunflower to direct our attention to all the aspects of well-being that are present in our lives right Now.   We’ll find blessings beyond count when we do.

I just returned from hiking for several days in the mountains about four hours away. There’s much peace and tranquility in the mountains this time of year ~ clear crisp air, cool sunny days, and vivid night skies.  Ground squirrels and picas are preparing for winter, and even a red fox one visits one evening, curious to see what humans do as fall quickly approaches.

I love being present in the mountains at any time.  In this moment, at the end of summer, there’s something compelling about the timelessness of the granite peaks towering over aspen groves, the music of the leaves in concert with a light breeze, and the murmur of the nearby creek rolling over ledges on its way to lower elevations.  The nights speak of the coming of colder weather, leaving frost in the north-facing shadows until the sun is high in the sky.  At one point, I find myself desiring to extend my stay and knowing my presence is required again in the community where I live.

It’s been almost two days since my return.  In looking out the window this morning, I find brilliant blue skies back-lighting the spruces in the front yard. The occasional golden leaf decorates one of the three aspens in the corner. 

I’m reminded of a nature walk through town I took at the first blush of summer, following some old irrigation canals grown thick with grasses and brush that serve as home to a small cluster of colorful tanagers, robins, and finches.  Dragonflies flit across the calm surface of the water in one channel cut off from the active agricultural flow.  A community of prairie dogs lives along the bank of the largest canal and makes noisy comment about my audacity in traversing their neighborhood.

There’s peace and contentment in knowing that I can access Nature’s magic locally, just outside my front door.  The tangle of old irrigation canals lies a quick four blocks north and east of the house.  It’ll be interesting to see how the inhabitants on the banks of the canals have survived the passage of high summer, and what steps they are pursuing in response to ever-lengthening nights of encroaching cold.   I smile to myself as I imagine the antics of prairie dog pups and the stern response of the golden-furred sentries that warn of any human approach.  It appears a return visit to this lovely site is in order.

In every natural setting, there’s plenty of local magic to soothe the soul, uplift the heart, bring peace to the mind, and support the body’s need for movement and exercise.  I’m grateful for the diversity of Nature’s treasures that are available to me, any day, both here and in the mountains.  Some times it takes stepping away from what is present right in front of us to appreciate its gifts even more. 

A formal introduction to the quality of intention, through a coaching program almost 15 years ago, provided me a context for seeing its extensive footprint through my life and the lives of others.   I learned a formula for using intention + action to create results that still serves as  a filter through which I examine certain moments in life.  I’m also fortunate more recently to find that when I keep my focus on intention in the present moment, it’s much easier to see its footprint and choose with discernment what actions to take (or not).

One thing the program did not offer insight to is a phenomenon described in this post, which I refer to as ‘intentional blinders.’  When intention is accompanied by rigidity of thought, especially prescriptive thought, it becomes quite possible to blind oneself to the arrival of the intended outcome!    Telling intention exactly how to operate seems to construct barriers to the very experiences we’re intending.  Let me share an example or two.

I’ve written elsewhere (Celebrate the Journey, a free PDF on the website) about desiring a new automobile and finding myself driving down the road surrounded by others driving the vehicle of my choice.  It took my intention of owning this vehicle a long time to manifest.  Because I’d become fixed on a certain make, model, and color of vehicle, I overlooked for some time the availability of the ideal automobile for me, right within my neighborhood.   My firm determination about ‘how’ intention would deliver up my choice blinded me to its more local operation.

The next story about intention comes from a friend, and is also an automotive tale.  My friend purchased a new truck and had a clear picture of the kind of cap to put over the truck bed.  A focused intention yielded an ideal choice, complete with a good warranty.  However, within a short time, a keyed window lock on the cap ceased to function as desired.  My friend created a another intent that this window lock would be fixed, by the dealer, under the warranty, free-of- charge. 

I’ll spare you the long list of actions my friend took to fulfill the intention, and summarize the thwarted efforts as involving 5 dealer visits, with the offer of 3 different replacement locks (none matching the single key used for all the other cap window locks) from 2 different dealers (as the first dealership had ceased operations.)  And then one day I hear from my friend, full of enthusiasm, that a sudden inspiration led him to local locksmith over lunch, and he obtained free service that returned the window lock to functional.   My friend even mentioned that his narrow focus on the dealer and the warranty had precluded the desired result, which ultimately was a no-cost repair.

These two examples demonstrate that fixed beliefs about ‘how’ intentions are fulfilled actually interfere with the natural energetic flow of intention.   Strongly held beliefs act like blinders, keeping a rigid requirement on the nature of the path creating the result, and disallowing the many options and opportunities that exist Now, in the present, to deliver the desire promptly, with fluidity and ease.  

Is this post a call to jettison beliefs?  No.  Rather, it’s a suggestion to examine all the thoughts that surround an intention for evidence of their rigidity, inflexibility, and duality.  These qualities inhibit our natural ability to create with intention by making it difficult to receive the abundance that intention accesses constantly.  

When we open our heart to intention, and allow our intent to come to us, rather than pursuing it or herding it along with inflexibility, we are in the abundant flow of the creative process.   The formula shifts, to intention + presence creating choice, and we have at our fingertips the vast universe of possibilities to fulfill the intent.  This seems to me a compelling motivation for letting go of intentional blinders, and savoring the abundance of Life.