Bozo's Dead!

First off, just a quick update on my friend “Glinda”, I got her into UCSF, she had her surgery and she is on her way to a great recovery, so thank you to all who kept her in a positive light.  Thoughts carry power, and all your thoughts were right on!

I gotta say, even though we are in times of change, uncertainty, and growth, I really feel blessed to be surrounded and associated with so many wonderful people.  We are in one of the most exciting and renewing times ever!  Don’t believe me?  Let’s look back just 20 years ago… (wiggly screen, wiggly screen)

Remember logging into the Internet?  I didn’t think so…let me remind you…(telephone ringing) EEERRREERREERE(Screetch), WELCOME…..YOU’VE GOT MAIL… might as well make lunch, and watch my favorite TV show.  Oh wait, did I remember to put the VCR tape in the machine?  Forget it, I think I’ll just grab my Walkman and listen to a CD, while I work out on my NordicTrack ski machine.  Oh too tired, why not grab a paperback book and read.  I’m hungry; maybe I should make some popcorn and drink a wine cooler instead.  Is that my beeper going off?  Screw it, where is my Atari controller?

Okay, so maybe I’m dating myself by thinking back to simpler times…But was it…simpler?  We always gravitate back to what we think was an easier time.  “Hell, when I was growing up, we played outside until the sun went down.  That was our clock, no need for cellphones or video games.  Heck my mom just hollered and I knew it was time to come home.”  It is always easy to look back at something and see the greatness in it; the comfort it gave us at the time.  It is in our innate nature to look back and see things how we think we remember it (hey there is nothin’ wrong in it).  Only if we went back into those “easier” moments, we would still have the same problems, concerns, fears and insecurities.  The only thing that has changed is our memory of it.  We still felt the swelling pressures of life.  Only now that we are older, wiser and conditioned, we can react to things differently.

So why can’t we use that power now?  Well we can.  It is all about how we react to life that produces our future.  Think about it…If we decided to rest in the complacency of yester-year, we wouldn’t have the advances in medicine, technology and industry.

But, what if we, as the collective consciousness of the human race, decided to change our reaction to what we think is reality?

Okay, I don’t wanna lose you so read carefully… maybe I won’t sound so crazy.  Have you ever walked into a room and people stop talking, or someone looked at you cross and you automatically assumed they were judging you?  Or like we all have done, judged a person based on what someone else told you?  But come to find out, when you talked to the person or people you found out they were really nice or the people who stopped talking when you came into the room was just done with their conversation.  And the person who looked at you cross is having a really tough day.

It is all about how we react to reality.  I recently read a great line in an awesome book I am reading and it summed up what we need to start doing.

It said, “It is not Reality that you must change, but your reaction to It.”*

Sometimes in the most chaotic of times, we can find peace; the most impoverished times, we will find abundance, and in sadness, there are moments we are blessed with contentment.  It is all in the ability to react differently to the situation.  Hey I’m not saying it is easy; by far it is the hardest thing to do in your life.  But it is in that moment when we decide to change our reaction to the world, is when we will reach a tipping point in consciousness.

Christopher Columbus set out to prove to the naysayers that the world was round.  Before he did that, it was believed that the world was flat.  Aren’t we glad he proved them wrong?  Today, it is your opportunity to discover greater and more exciting things.  Today and every day after that, is your opportunity to change your reality and create memories of a better reality.  Pay it forward and the next time someone walks into the room; give them a smile or the benefit of the doubt.

Have a wonderful Memorial weekend.



Bozo Video from Seinfeld

*This Thing Called You, Ernest Holmes p.26

Open Up to Unlimited Possibilities

I've been working on my novel, WILSON MOONEY, ALMOST EIGHTEEN, for over a year now. Wilson came to me as I was beginning the second book of PROTOTYPE, HINDSIGHT IS 20/20. She took over my entire mind, not giving me a moment's time to work on HINDSIGHT. I wasn't bitter, because I loved Wilson so much, (still do). She is witty, strong, and brilliant with a touch of convenient pessimism.

When I wrote WILSON MOONEY, I never thought I would be self publishing it. I thought I was going to submit it to agents, who would love the story as much as my beta readers and I did. But as this tale goes, I never really gave it the 100% push to agents; yeah, I queried about 25 agents, most were a no from the go. But I wasn't persistent. I didn't query 100's of agents, like they tell you to do. And the funny thing about it; I really couldn't tell you why I didn't push it. I just didn't.

Then one day I made up my mind to self publish. It was so liberating. A huge wave of peace flooded my soul. Suddenly, I was in touch with the true peace that comes when you know you are doing the right thing. So I "acted as if" and did what I thought a published author would do. I read up about people who self published their work. They sold their novels independently using the eBook format for the Kindle, Kobo, and other eReaders. I looked at what different freedoms self publishing gave them. I like the idea that when you self publish have complete say on the cover, formatting and pricing. Most of all, when you self publish you don't have to conform to the constraints of traditional publishing.

The minute my mind was made up and I decided to open up to the unlimited possibilities and put myself out there, things started grooving and movin'. Now if I didn't believe in the idea that thoughts produce events in your life, or that what you focus on grows; I might have sabotaged myself into believing what I was doing wasn't possible. Let's face it we all do that at some point in our lives.

We don't do something, because we are afraid of failing or people sitting in judgment of us. Why do we let that negative ick bottle our creativity or success? So what if we fail at something, at least we tried. Who really cares about those people who judge you for following your bliss? Maybe, just maybe, they sit in judgment because of their own fears and insecurities. Don't let them stop you from accomplishing something that you hold dear in your heart.

Look at individuals who are extremely successful, you don't see them worrying about failing or people judging them. They set their mind on the prize and move forward according to their plan of action. They do it until it works. They also believe they are worth it. Did you hear that? They believe without a shadow of a doubt, they are deserving of the success they attract into their lives.

It is my goal to have WILSON MOONEY, ALMOST EIGHTEEN available to readers by sometime this summer. Yeah, this summer 2011.

Now I ask…is there something you've always wanted to do, but were always to afraid to attempt? Do you have an idea that is wonderful and forward thinking, but you just don't see how you can do it? Sit in silence for a moment of discovery. Be silent in your mind; tell that doubting voice in your head to take a hike. Because when it comes down to it; nobody stops you from doing it but you. If you want something bad enough, keep at it until it happens. Who cares about what other people think; if you believe you can do it, you will! It is your time to shine.

Don't be the one to look back at your life in regret because you were worried about failing or being judged.

Remember this…Thomas Edison failed 10,000 times before he successfully invented the iridescent light bulb. His belief in something greater, inner vision and persistence propelled him into success.

Now go out and follow your bliss; because I can't wait to see what you've got up your sleeve!

**DISCLOSURE** I totally believe in traditional publishing and if I thought that the publishers would take a chance on Wilson, I would have pushed. Personally, I think WILSON MOONEY, ALMOST EIGHTEEN is a book better served self published.


 

Linoleum Moments, We All Have Them…

Okay, so had one of those moments where if there was linoleum to throw my body on and totally lose it; I would have.  I wasn’t far off from the ugly cry; you know the one; kicking of the feet, unstoppable runny nose, strings of drool casing the lips, spastic arms flying; I’m talking the whole nine yards.  Funny you say?  Well, I have to believe everyone has those days sometimes; even when you work so hard to see the best side of everything.   

You know something… it is okay to say no.  Did you hear that, let me scream it…IT IS PERFECTLY OKAY TO SAY NO!  There are times when we get sucked into something we didn’t want to do; THEN…low and behold,  we let that experience dictate the rest of our day, week, month, year, life… a little melodramatic, I know; but you get my point. 

I’m not going to go into details about the multiple crappy moments that decided to dog pile on my chest, because the events weren’t really that important, and I’ve already encouraged them to take a hike and move on.  What I will tell you is how rough it was to “get over it”.  WOW, did I hold a little resentment in my life?  Apparently, I did without really knowing it.  So I’ve come to the realization that there are some real subconscious thought patterns that I must decide to let go.  

It is what we do with the icky feelings that cling to the experience afterward, which determines what the rest of our day, week, or (God forbid) month ends up being.  Now let me tell you, I was swimming in the funk that swallowed me.  Hell, I was so immersed in it that I could have stripped buck naked and skinny dipped in it.  Oh I’m not kidding.  It not only took over me, but it affected everyone around me.   I made sure everyone knew my story, and if they listened I made sure they all knew how I felt.  Boy, it was a lot of work. 

 

It wasn’t until I decided to let go of the frustration of the shitty moments, accept that they are now in the past, and moved from them, did I finally start to feel myself again.  I totally know the drill.  Any negative ideas and belief patterns that don’t better my thinking, or enhance my existence, don’t belong in my life. PERIOD!  There is no room for holding on to angry feelings, insecure thoughts, or negative experiences.  All they do is complicate my life and get in my way.  I don’t want to waste anymore energy on that crap!

How did I get rid of the ick that was stuck in my mind?  I walked.  Yeah, that’s right… I tied my tennis shoes and put one foot in front of the other.  On my walk I decided that I was going to think about everything I am grateful for and everything that makes me smile.  And when the icks tried to squeeze back into my thoughts, I hammered them back with positive words and loving thoughts.  When I thought of people that affected me, I thought them into peace, and surrounded them with love.  Oh it can be hard; trust me, but the moment you stop letting their actions affect you, they tend to lose any influence they had over you.     

Let’s face it; it only took a small pail of water to wipe out the Wicked Witch of the West.  All the terror she inflicted and within seconds she was dissolved into nothing with something as simple as H₂O.  It is time to fling the bucket of water at those people we don’t want affecting us anymore.  Click those ruby red slippers together and know…There’s no place like home; because my marvelous peeps, home is right where YOU ARE, here and now.

I Got Poked in the Eye

Sometimes when you're caught looking through the peep hole, you get poked in the eye.

Today, I got poked pretty hard.

I've made the decision in my life to approach the world through love and peace. Grant it, some days I am better at it than others, but for the most part I've decided to work within my own mind to make the conscious choice to see the goodness in everything and everyone around me.

Today, when I tripped over what seemed to be a huge rock and started to slip from my path of becoming a better person; I got pummeled by a rock slide of boulders that made the huge rock I tripped over seem like an insignificant pebble.

Okay, yet again let me get personal…

I was bumming because my youngest son didn't make the tournament team for baseball. Yeah, okay I said it—I am a bit competitive. So what if there were 32 other kids trying out for 12 spots; I felt he did pretty darn good and thought he had a shot in making the team. You can imagine my shock when his name didn't appear under the title of U8 Tournament Team. I was really getting into the self-created pity party I was having because he didn't make the team. Yeah, I felt pissed at first, then hurt, all the same crap we all feel when we are let down.

I was sitting in my room trying to let go of the icky feeling of jealousy, frustration and all around crappiness; (Hey at least I decided to work on it) when my mother came in and told me a friend of mine Glenda (name changed for privacy) was at the front door. I sat up. That's right; I told Glenda the other day that I would help her with a wound she has on her back.

I followed her to her house as she ambled across her yard and into her front door. I made the comfortable small talk that connected us between the weeks we didn't see each other. How she was feeling; what my boys have been up to; all the key points that tended to keep us abreast to changes in each other's lives.

She led me to her modest kitchen and I waited as she prepared her bandages and medicinal ointments. When she was ready I removed her bandage. It was a small wound on her back no bigger than the circumference of the eraser on the end of a number 2 pencil. I didn't think much of it, I dabbed it with hydrogen peroxide and told her what I saw. She gooped antibiotic ointment on the bandage and I pressed it delicately against the wound she will never see.

After she pulled her tank-top back over her shoulder I ask what happened. I anticipated the vague answers she always gave to a "kid" like me; but in my wildest thoughts I never expected the betraying word cancer to cross her lips. When she said malignant my heart shattered into tiny pieces and plummeted into pit of my stomach.

She told me she's been dealing with it for two years. That her first lesion was removed at UCSF and this last lesion was removed by a doctor closer to home. She looked so delicate, as she braved the words; they didn't get it all this last time. She continued telling me how she didn't think the doctor was very caring this last time and how caring the doctors at UCSF were. The reason she hasn't gone back to UCSF was because she didn't have anyone to take her. I told her to call USCF and that no matter what I was going to take her there.

There she stood, hopeful tears swelling in her worn eyes, because someone said they cared enough to be there for her. There I was capable of giving her something that was as simple as a ride to change her life.

Events occur in your life that wakes you up to your "dumb-ass, self-centered, what the hell was I thinking" moments.

Today I was reminded that my insignificant hiccups are curable with unconditional love and the discovery of your authenticity.

The fastest way to peace is to live peacefully and the quickest way to love is to love unconditionally.

I believe, as most of you know, that thoughts carry power. I ask you now, after reading this post, to take a moment and send love to Glenda. Know that your words and thoughts can change the world one moment at a time. Thank you for sticking around to read.