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…

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!*

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.

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.

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.

Back on December 30, 2008 I introduced you to one of my heroes, Miss Pebbles LaPrade. Today I am excited for you to meet another one of my heroes: Mr. Monty LaPrade.

Monty is my hero because he sees the good in everything. The good in a biscuit, the good in a rainy day, the good in the veterinarian, even the good in “being on punishment” (His tail wags the whole time he is being scolded). He finds complete joy in chasing a cat or my neighbor’s annoying, nosy cocker spaniel while chipmunks give him the excitement of testing out his Houdini-backyard-escape skills.

He runs into the woods with complete abandon, flying off of hills into ravines all because he is filled with joy and presence. I’ve watched for years as he careens off a slope as if he has targeted the juiciest squirrel ever. The beauty is that usually there is nothing specifically there. Just the joy of being. The joy of the woods. The joy of his present moment and no other.  Enjoying life as it is.

Monty is my hero because he grows my heart. How could my heart not double in size after looking into those big, brown, captivating eyes and licked to within an inch of my life? He doesn’t even have ulterior motives with this crazed affection of his like, “Hey! I will surely get extra biscuits tonight with this!” No. He is just Love. All he truly knows is Love; an admirable ability to say the least. And the interesting thing is that we are all really just that: Love. Unfortunately, we often forget that and get caught up in our ulterior motives or other self-serving thoughts or ways of being. Yes, we are only human and we are here to learn the true art of Love. Monty is here in my life as a Master teacher of that art. I embrace his sweet lessons as he innocently touches my heart. His lessons are powerful and subtly pack a punch. And often one of these lessons in particular stands out the most:  perhaps the world would be a better place if it did just go to the dogs…

It’s pretty impressive. It can send us into a downward spiral or corrupt the most peaceful moment. But it can be our secret friend that pushes us to heights we never thought possible; pushing us to fully dance with life. Many of us spend our time and our lives in distrust, hovering fearfully around the cliffs of change, chance, and possibility. We peek over the edge and spy the craggy rocks below. We look and we see pain, discomfort, and impossibility. So why should we jump? Why should we stretch? Why the heck should we venture out of our comfort zones? Where is the sense in that? Well, as a lifetime cliff dweller, I would like to share with you exactly why I feel that taking these leaps of faith is the only way we can soar and truly be who we are meant to be.

Just recently I looked over the edge of one of my steepest, most intense cliffs ever. It’s funny how these crazy heights sneak up on us. It happened in the blink of an eye one morning as I woke from a deep sleep. This day the craggy rocks below spoke to me of complete and devastating loss of EVERYTHING in my life. Their words took me to my knees. The pain was so unbearable that I swore I must have slipped and had been impaled on the sharp edges of the rocks below. Somehow I kept breathing and moving. The Universe sent a loved one to stop the bleeding and I kept moving. Then I realized that it was my life long buddy and pal Fear egging me on, daring me to jump in one of his most flamboyant attempts ever. It took some time, but eventually I found total surrender and gave Faith a chance. And in a very subtle moment of brilliance, I called Fear’s bluff and quietly stepped off the edge.  I discovered that when I took the leap of Faith and jumped off of the cliff, a wonderful thing happened. I found that just above the craggy rocks lies something quite amazing: beautifully and almost imperceptibly a net, which was once invisible before the leap, gracefully and lovingly appeared. It actually was always there and quite visible. I had just chosen not to see it.

So you see, the craggy rocks represent our fears and the net is the Love of the Universe or God (or however you choose to view it). The fear is so dense and dark and powerful that the light of our perception is doused with its intensity and all we can see, feel, hear, taste, and live is the smothering density of the fear.

So when we find ourselves in a less than empowered place, we tip-toe over to the cliff and see the fall and the rocks. Our stomachs churn and we make a hasty retreat  back to our path of least resistance. A little while later we think, “Hhmmm… Maybe I’ll just go take another look.”  Suddenly the craggy rocks have grown and are pointier than ever! So we make another hasty retreat back to the comfort zones of our cozy little lives. A few days later we may go wandering back to the cliff. The sights we see  become more and more disturbing each time we revisit this vista of what we now think is doom. Suddenly it becomes a monster in our minds and begins effecting all aspects of our lives–physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Our whole being is effected.

Perhaps you are wondering what that “subtle moment of brilliance” was all about as I stood at the edge of my most recent cliff. Well,  surrender and freedom can happen anywhere. That day it happened for me in the United Airlines baggage check-in line at LAX. My suffering was unbearable until I remembered one simple thing: the Universe is my Source for EVERYTHING. With that sudden realization I was able to feel the safety of the Light and I gracefully floated off of the cliff as I stared directly at the rocks.

So what I’m sharing is this: Perhaps we can stop looking. Stop thinking. Stop retreating and just jump. Perhaps we can take the leap and choose to dance with life instead of letting fear take away our dancing shoes and keep us safely tucked in the comfort zone of stagnation. It may feel nice and cozy, but the results of that choice do not reflect our True Selves or help us to attain the much coveted title of Empowered Being. I can say this as I have played the cliff dance many a time in my life. But the net is stronger and mightier than any rock anywhere ever. My most recent leap has assured me of that.

But something else happened when I was out there flying in the air with the wind in my face, engaging in life, and staring deeply into the face of those scary rocks: by trusting and choosing to dance instead of just sitting it out on the edge of the cliff, not only did the net appear, but I found myself flying in mid-air.

Sometimes our fears keep us from taking a chance; from moving forward and enjoying and swaying to the beautiful rhythms of life. So I lovingly suggest that the next time you see a cliff in front of you, make a choice. Instead of choosing to sit it out, I hope you dance.

Here’s to your amazing flight with the Universe beneath your wings.

Allow the beautiful music and lyrics of Lee Ann Womack to touch, inspire, and nourish your soul.

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…