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We all have a story we tell ourselves. We sometimes even tell this story to others. This story tends to define us, this story of our life.
If it's a sad story then we are sad, if it's negative then we are negative, if it's happy then we are happy. If it's about some disturbing thing that happened to us then that's what our life is. The words in our story make all the difference. Words Matter!!! What would happen if you changed the story? What if you changed the words? What would happen if you removed the word ‘anxious’ and just paid attention to the flickering sensations in the belly? What would happen if you took away the concept 'lonely’ and simply became fascinated with the heavy feeling in the heart area? What would happen if you deleted 'sick’ or 'broken’ or 'bad’ and just got curious about the tightness in the throat , the pressure in the head , the ache in the shoulders? What would happen if you stopped looking for solutions and checked to see if there was actually a problem? Come out of the exhausting storyline, my friend. It’s not true, It was never true. These stories are in your head, they were put there by others. Commit your attention to a single moment. Come closer to yourself. Bring warmth to the tender places. Focus on what your body tells you, listen to what your spirit says. Don't be tricked by the words of others. Focus your mind and decide for yourself how to define your life. Fear is not real, something or someone put fear in your head. Bigotry is unnatural, it was taught to you by someone else. Life is never as bad as you think, life really is good. The good stuff always happens more than the bad. Do you go through the day worried about what might happen? While you were busy worrying the good stuff just went past you. Our culture is trained to be scared, is taught to worry. Those in charge focus on fear, anger and hate. By living in fear you're allowing someone else to be in charge of your thoughts, they are telling you how to live. Fear is the power someone or something has over you. It's NOT real!!! Life is ALWAYS better than what they are telling you. While hearing how horrible the world, you're eating, sleeping, loving and moving on. Your life is good. Why worry??? Take control of your thoughts!! You're in charge of your mind. Mindful practice will change your life, change the story. Practicing mindfulness will always let you define your life. And always, always make you feel more alive. Ref: Jeff Foster and Bill Gisclair-Sullivan
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 To be in love you can't just sit and look at each other, you must look in the same direction.
But is that direction one of power and fame? Wealth and property? If you look in those directions then love in and of itself is not satisfying you. Equating those things with love would mean love is not enough for happiness. If the direction you look is the direction of distraction, like the television, then that is just an escape. That's just looking for satisfaction in the lives of others to keep us from facing the reality of our own. When we first fall in love we only need to look at each other to be happy. We find joy just in being with each other. After time, perhaps, we don't quite look in the same direction. Looking at each other may not bring happiness because we have hurt each other so many times through the years. Losing ourselves in distraction is just a way of covering up the suffering and the loneliness each of us feels inside. The direction we should all look in love is one of true ideals. But our ideals can't be fame or wealth, they can't be material things, because those are not ideals at all. Material things have nothing to do with love. These things which may appear beautiful to us deceive us. We deceive our true nature from finding justice, equality, brotherhood, compassion and faith by longing for stuff. Do we hide behind stuff because we are afraid to face our true nature? Or is it just the easy way? We tell ourselves that we work hard for this stuff. This stuff is what makes everything so great! Well there comes a point in life when we realize this is just NOT TRUE!!! There are thousands of people on this planet with Lots and Lots of stuff who are unhappy and loveless. When we have love we should find peace just sitting and looking at each other. When we search for our direction together we discover the wonders of our soulmate, we learn to treasure their needs. When we make the connection and look at each other deeply we recognize the wonders of the HERE and NOW. Of this moment, the moment right here, with the one we love. We see each other's concerns and aspirations, as well as the fears, suffering and loneliness. When we recognize these things in the one we love we find compassion and it starts to grow love. With deep compassion our love is boundless. These energies have the power to heal and transform us. This compassion and understanding is the secret to nourishing our love. When we look at all living things we see that nothing can survive without food. The same is true for love. However beautiful our love may start out it is impermanent. We need to learn to feed our love with the energy of understanding and compassion. Look at the world through their eyes and catch the view that they see in ours. Only then, when we can both look deeply in to each other's life, and reflect deeply on our own, can we feed the power of love. When we learn to nourish love we can heal ourselves and heal those around us. When love is allowed to grow, it naturally spreads to others. If love is true then it will grow to other people. Your love will become a river, wide enough not only to nourish you but your beloved and the world around you. It will overcome the fears being pushed on us by the outside world. It will let you focus on what truly matters. You, your loved one and those in your life. This love is without limits and does not discriminate. It is unlimited in compassion, unlimited in loving kindness and it brings joy to all around. Not through fame or fortune but in the ability to share a life of compassion. Love that doesn't grow is love that is already beginning to die. That is why we need to look within, to always work on our love, not to get complacent. Like a withering houseplant in need of water love takes care. Love grows within and flourishes without when we take the time to feed it. Looking in to the soul of our loved ones, recognizing their suffering and showing compassion for their needs is the best fertilizer around. Take the time, just take it, don't wait for it. Look into their eyes, let them think you are crazy for a moment. Recognize the need and watch your heart open up. The compassion within will be emotional and strong when you truly do it. See this person you love, or loved with all of your heart at one time. The connection is still there, when you push away pride and disappointment you will see. Our compassion will become as powerful as thunder and our loving kindness will be like the rain, refreshing drops that can penetrate into the hearts of all beings. A cloud may look gentle and soft, but it can produce powerful thunder. True love is never weak and compassion takes great courage. Be courageous and reconnect with true love!!! REF: Thich Nhat Hahn: Inside the Now This 12 step program is designed to bring focus on the present. In doing so we connect the mind, body and spirit in a way that brings self- love. Instead of looking for distractions we look internally for focus, love, forgiveness and a spiritual connectedness that when brought together eliminates stress and brings focus on what's important...this moment...right here... right now. The only moment that matters. There may not be another so why not live this one right?
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