Archive for the Loving life Category

Say What You Need To Say

September 20th, 2009 by Elizabeth

As wonderful as technology can be, sometimes it just foils us. I happened to notice this afternoon that the video I had of Tim McGraw in my post “Live Like You Were Dying” (August 30th) had been taken down. Unfortunately, I could not find a replacement. But as I explored other possibilities, I discovered a video that gave me yet another perspective in dealing with the ego. As I had said in the earlier post, we often get caught in the tricks and complaints of the ego mind, and it is often work to not get tangled in its web. I embrace anything that can help me to get unstuck from the chatter and distractions of my crazy little inner voice and bring me to a place of presence in the moment.

The video and song I found is from the movie “The Bucket List” with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. As did Tim McGraw’s video, this one too brought me to tears as I was reminded of what is Real and what is not. It reminded me of how important it is to stay in the moment and not succumb to the wild ride that the ego mind can take us on. In reality, our stay here is brief. So why waste precious time on the ego’s rollercoaster? But the video also speaks to us of speaking our Truth in relationships with others as well as in our relationship with ourself. Just say what you need to say and embrace each moment as if it was your first— and your last.

Watch the video and listen to the profound lyrics and music of John Mayer. And then see what you need to say…and to whom…

Live Like You Were Dying

August 30th, 2009 by Elizabeth

I looked and I saw it and I caught it: my out of control ego mind. I’m getting better and better at it, but like for many of us (actually, if you are human you fall into this category), it is often work to not get caught up in the complaints and woes of the ego. We do it so easily, don’t we? It’s tricky and we get caught in its web. So, knowing this, I like to stockpile as much ammo as I can find to help me cope with and quiet this mental trickster.

A few days ago something came along that woke me up more than ever before to this realization. A few days ago something came along that woke me up more than ever before to this realization. I heard a song that I hadn’t heard in years which brought me to tears. It also brought my ego voice to its knees and a new perspective rose in its place. Now every time that voice tries to get up from its knees, I will think of this song and laugh at it as I work on living my life in a whole new way…
As you check out Tim McGraw, listen carefully to his lyrics, take them to heart, and… Live Like You Were Dying…

*OOPSS!!!The Tim McGraw video was taken down…If it is brought back I will post it again!*

You’ve Got the Power

July 11th, 2009 by Elizabeth

Yes you do. You’ve got the power to choose: Sadness or joy. Fear or trust. Drama or ease. Pain or pleasure. Limitation or freedom. Dare to use your power to choose. It is ALWAYS up to us what we choose to focus on, expand, and bring into our lives.  This is probably something you have heard before. Yeah, me too. But apparently I had forgotten it until an amazing young man reminded me of my power to choose in such a simple, profound way that I was moved to tears.

As I have said before, enlightenment and lessons are all around us. It is up to us to see them and get them. Enlightenment came to me tonight in the pet supermarket, Petco (Whoever thought that buying a bag of dogfood could lead to an awakening!).

As I have shared with you in previous posts (here and on Elizabeth Channels), I have recently moved to Topanga, California outside of Los Angeles. My boyfriend and I live in Topanga canyon and have a bit of a drive to the valley and “civilization”. This evening as I drove to the valley to do some errands, my mind ran out of the present moment and into a deluge of juicy thoughts to worry about. Since I let my mind runaway with me, I felt my heart sink as I sank into the valley from the mountains. By the time I got to Petco, I was feeling out-of-sorts. This really didn’t make any sense as I had experienced, up until that point, such a wonderful day. I dragged myself into the store, got what I needed, and proceeded to the register. I was greeted by a smiling young man who rang me up. As he was completing the transaction I said, “So how was your day today?” Continuing to smile, he said, “It was good!” Then he chuckled and said, “You know, I’m just always happy. I don’t get it, but nothing ever gets me down.” I was so tickled to hear this amazing testament come out of such a young man. And then as I left the store it hit me how beautiful it was to see someone who is just plain happy almost all of the time and doesn’t let life’s ups and downs get to him (the cool thing is that I live with someone like that too…). This young man, whether done consciously or not, CHOOSES to see the glass as completely full and overflowing.  Perhaps he learned it from the environment he grew up in or maybe he just figured it out on his own that life is just better and easier that way. However he got there, I was totally inspired.

In an instant, we can change our mental landscapes. So in the moment that I really got the implications of this, I chose to completely change my mental landscape and altered my outlook on all of those things that had been nagging at me on the drive down. As I drove back up in the mountains to my home, my heart soared. Tears of joy filled my eyes as I felt the power of choice; the power to choose ease and grace in every single moment.

I am not advocating that we go through life wearing rose colored glasses. But what I am suggesting is that we get into the habit of consciously choosing to take ourselves out of our self-imposed dramas and complaints by being aware and acknowledging them when they crop up and then let them go. Just give it a try. It may take a bit of work, but I am willing to do whatever it takes to feel joy, ease, and peace. I’m not going to let my mind talk me into sitting out. Are you? I hope you choose to dance… I have.

Embrace the New and ALL that It Brings

July 3rd, 2009 by Elizabeth

Something new; an exciting change; a complete alteration of the old. Refreshing, enlivening, uplifting. But with all of that excitement can come something else that we don’t fully expect. We can get blind-sided. Often what joins us on our transformational ride are feelings of loss and grief for what was left behind. That newness and Light can become a trigger for something not in our original game plan.

I came to this understanding first hand today. I have recently embarked on a new, exciting chapter in my life. On June 5th, I left my lovely little hometown of Easthampton, Massachusetts and drove across county with my two dear furry friends to join the love of my life in his home in California. Filled with excitement, bubbling about the change, and looking forward to the new, I was amazed to find the arrival of something else shortly after my arrival. Something underneath began brewing, and I didn’t like it. I didn’t understand it at the time, but it was my mind and body’s reaction and resistance to the drastic change. My “old” world and my “new” world couldn’t be more opposite. From the traffic to the scenery to my immediate surroundings to the people. On one level my mind craved familiarity and was completely resistant to the change. But today I finally understood that what was brewing underneath was the presence of a certain sadness that had been quietly running in the background and, until that moment, totally  perplexed me. I now saw that it was rising from a deep sense of loss. Perhaps a loss of the familiar, of certain day-to-day habits, of a particular way of seeing myself in the world.

Maybe that is why we don’t embark on those new projects or make the changes that, in the long run, would be for our own good. Perhaps the body senses the change, knows the upcoming challenges, and then we put on the brakes. We fear the possibility of experiencing loss of the familiar and choose to stay just where we are. It’s safer and not so scary.

Boldly going forward and making the changes that are the best for us takes a lot of courage. But it also takes love and devotion and gentleness with ourselves as we adjust.

With this new awareness, I will now embrace the feelings of loss and accept them all as part of the experience. That is the only way that I will be able to enjoy and appreciate the richness and fullness of my “new” life.

So I suggest that the next time you are faced with any offering of change- big or small- instead of turning away, acknowledge the fear and ensuing emotions and know that they are all part of the process—the process of truly LIVING; the process of truly BEING; the process of connecting to ALL THAT IS.

What if today was your last day?

March 26th, 2009 by Elizabeth

Quite the heavy question, don’t you think? I was quite surprised to hear the rock group Nickelback posing it to me. It’s so interesting where profundity lies…

So I thought about it. Have you? One of my favorite questions in the song is “Would you let anything get in your way?”. We do that, you know. We let things get in our way. And we are the creator of those obstacles. Don’t look elsewhere to place blame. I am willing to take the responsibility for my barriers to my in-the-moment discoveries of Truth. There is so often an excuse; a reason why we can’t; we are just too busy. Yes. Too busy to notice. Too busy to live the rising and setting of each incredible, colorful moment. Too busy to take the time to see what is really there. Maybe we’re too caught up in keeping up with the Joneses, lamenting over dropping stocks, or just complaining that it is raining or snowing yet again. Whatever it is, it is keeping us from living as though today is our last day.

I will be the first to admit that it is so very easy to get caught up in the 3-D. But that is such a small portion of our existence. An important part, but the grandness of What Really Matters is actually very invisible to the human eye. The heart knows it. The heart feels it. The heart is the connection to What Really Is. The heart will give you the answer to Nickelback’s question. And watch what happens when you come up with your answers. Magic occurs. For when you concentrate on the beauty of what is at the essence of your existence, what is really important, the flow of your life changes. Perhaps if we lived in and from a place that is connected to our Truth, that place of what-if-today-was-your-last-day, then life would no longer be “Oh yeah. It’s just my life. Big deal” but  “OH YEAH!! THIS IS MY LIFE AND IT IS A BIG DEAL!!!!”

So I challenge you to continually bring yourself back to each moment where you can Really and Truly live; in the moment as if it is the last. As if it is the first. As if it just is. And there you are in it.

Transformation is in the air, around the corner, in each moment, and even on the riff of a guitar. Check it out as Nickelback spells it out for us.

I gotta be me…

December 30th, 2008 by Elizabeth

Introducing Miss Pebbles LaPrade. My friend, my furry kid, my hero.

Pebbles has always had a tongue that is just too big to fit all the way in her mouth. So, unwittingly, she has set herself up for people to laugh and point at her saying, “Look at her tongue!” But does she care? Heck no! (She recently confessed that the oddity of it has gotten her way more biscuits than your average dog…) Her loving of life has never been hampered by her unique look. She hasn’t lost a bit of sleep wondering how she can cover up this distinguishable feature. In fact, she has most certainly concluded that this is what makes her so special.

Applying the “Pebbles Principle”, wouldn’t it be great if we just didn’t care so much about what we look like? No more, “Oh wait! My lipstick just isn’t right!” or “Oh! I wish my nose was more perfect!” Sometimes I think we get too caught up in our presentations to the world and then miss out on being present and in the now; just enjoying what IS.

But I think there’s a light at the end of the tunnel: I just got back from the grocery store without a stitch of makeup on…