Peace vs. Perfection

We experience numerous disappointments each and every day. Our expectations go unmet, our plans are blocked by circumstance, our wishes go unfulfilled, and we discover that our lives are subject to a myriad of forces beyond our conscious control. In some cases, our response is powerful because we must invest ourselves and our resources to overcome genuine hardship. In others, our reactions are far more passionate than our circumstances likely warrant. The tension that permeates our bodies and minds when we are late for an event, interrupted at work, or sitting in traffic is not inappropriate, but it can interfere with our well-being in profound ways. When we stop worrying about relatively unimportant matters, we can be at peace and devote so much more of ourselves to what is truly important. The small frustrations and irritations wield such power over us because they rob us of the illusion of control. But every problem is a potential teacher—a confusing situation is an opportunity to practice mindfulness, and difficult people provide us with opportunities to display compassion. There is a natural human tendency to invest copious amounts of emotional energy in minor dilemmas and frustrations in order to avoid confronting those more complex issues that are largely outside the realm of our control. The intensity of our response provides us with a temporary sense of personal power that helps us cope with challenges that might otherwise overwhelm us. But it is only when we let the little stuff go that we discover that the big stuff is not really so devastating after all.

In the stress of a singularly tense incident, differentiating between an inconsequential annoyance and a legitimate challenge can seem a monumental task. Ask yourself whether the emotions you are feeling will be as vivid in a year, a day, or even an hour. As focused as you are on this moment in time, your reward for letting go of your emotional investment may be the very happiness and harmony of being whose loss you are lamenting. Needless aggravation is seldom worth the cost it exacts. You cannot distance yourself from life's inconsistencies, irritations, and upheavals, but you can relinquish your desire for perfect order and gain peace of mind in the process.

What Would YOU Do?

A friend asked me to tell him what I would do if money were no object. That one question opened a whole door of possibilities and I've spent a fair amount of time writing a list, which continues to change. So I thought, before I rewrite it yet another time, I'd post a blog about today... what would I do today if money were no object in my life?

Today I'd send airplanes and ships full of supplies, food, etc. to those in Haiti who are suffering from the earthquake that hit them this week. I'd go there myself and help them pull their fathers and children from the rubble. I'd volunteer to help however I possibly could. If you are reading this, I'd encourage you to send what you can too. You might be surprised at how a small thing can mean so much. I lost my house to fire a few years back and I can't tell you how much it meant to me for my friends to pull together things for me. Especially my friend Lori. Her gestures of kindness pulled me through when I am not sure I could have done it alone. But that is a story for another time...



After helping in Haiti, I'd buy a spot of land with tall cedars and a view. A year round stream/river running through the property. I want to see water… love water. I'd build a house on the big flat spot at the crest of the knoll. It would be a smart house. Creative. Artsy. Warm. I’d spend mornings writing the best-selling American novel. The afternoons would be spent entertaining friends, neighbors, family and doing community volunteer. I’d travel. A month at a time with no deadlines or demands to return or be here or there at a specific time. I’d look for the miracles. I’d be a part of them as often as the universe will allow.



I’d play the piano everyday. Take salsa lessons. Paint. I’d have a killer garden with roses dripping off the fence and a harvest that would feed all the neighbors. I’d make love to my man everyday. More than once if time and circumstance permitted. I’d turn my novel into a screen play, perhaps direct or co-produce the movie. A hit of course. I’d make a difference in the world for good. A positive influence of a profound nature. I’d remain as anonymous as possible, perhaps write with a pen name. It’s the message, not the messenger that most counts.


Now, having written this, I wonder what you would do if money were no object and you believed in the possibilities. I hope you'll take to heart this idea and write a list of your own. For you see, I believe we create the world we live in by the words we speak and the person we are being at every moment in time. The human experience is incredible, what a gift. And it's really all about the giving and not the getting anyway.

I am a creator and I strive to create a world of beauty and bounty for all that are in it.

Dream BIG!
© Cynthia Stewart

NEW YEAR ~ NEW DREAMS!

"For last year's words belong to last year's language. And next year's words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning."
~T.S. Eliot

The first week of the new year. A fresh start. A new chapter in life waiting to be written. New questions to be asked, embraced, and loved. Answers to be discovered and then lived in this transformative year of delight and self discovery.

This weekend carve out a quiet interlude for yourself in which to dream, pen in hand.
Only dreams give birth to change. What are your hopes for the future? Embrace the gentle yearnings of your heart.

This year, instead of writing down resolutions, write down your most private aspirations. Those longings you have kept tucked away until the time seems right.
Trust that now is the time. Ask the questions. Take a leap of faith and begin this wondrous year by believing. Believe in yourself. Believe there is a loving Source just waiting to be asked to help you make your dreams come true.

Turn to face the future with welcome heart and curious eyes,
Something is ending and something new is about to begin...
May the New Year bring you nothing but happiness, love, prosperity
and dreams that are about to come true...
Wishing all my friends a voice for new beginnings....

~May you Always....Be Abundantly Blessed..
With Love,
~ ~ ♥ ~ ~
CiCi

"There are years that
ask questions, and years
that answer.
- Zora Reale Hurston -