tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73188996188029284632024-02-18T21:24:51.667-08:00Blog of Jonathan Teel A Space For Writing About Life, Healing, & Humanity
Jonathan Teelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00906328628046221376noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318899618802928463.post-85202149278878541492022-12-21T08:00:00.003-08:002022-12-21T08:00:25.563-08:00Winter Solstice 2022 Reflections - Join us for a remote meditation today from 6 -7 pm EST! <h3 style="text-align: left;">The winter solstice comes every year and offers us an opportunity to make the most of a new Sun cycle that shines down upon us. That new cycle connects to a new cycle for us too, naturally. It is a time to reimagine and reignite intentions and enthusiasm for what is to come. </h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">I've joined a lot of winter and summer solstice meditations over the years. I've used the chance to reset and rethink and feel into what changes I'd like to make in my life. As we set our winter solstice vision for the next months, we have to be prepared to take action on what we intend. We have to be prepared to tread gently and lovingly too with ourselves as we put energy into what we want to improve. </h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">One could easily say that each day offers us a new opportunity to make a change in our inner or outer experience. Waiting for special moments on the calendar to do so aren't always helpful to our growth. The present matters. Still, we can take advantage of this winter solstice and the new year to come to empower ourselves and others to make both small and large moves to have more of what makes us truly happy. </h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">I would encourage us today, as I will do as well, to make a list of the types of positive experiences we'd like to have moving forward. To think about what types of outcomes and the feelings we'd like to have associated with those outcomes. If I want to do more volunteer work, for instance, I can imagine what it will feel like to be helping others in that way. If I want to take more time out for my hobbies or for self-care or a particular project, I can imagine how it will feel when I follow through on it and how it might impact others around me as well. </h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">It is important to be sincere and authentic with ourselves when setting a vision. If we have a large goal that will take more time to realize, we might want to set some smaller goals that support the larger one first. So much of this is about envisioning potential outcomes, trusting the process, and believing in ourselves as we take steps toward fulfilling that intention. </h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">When we've faced many obstacles in the past, it can be hard to believe things will work out or even in our own self-worth as creators. If this is true for us, we can use the winter solstice then to intend that life shifts for us in a way that increases our feeling of self-worth or that we are able to see how worthy we are through future experiences. If we have trouble trusting, we can ask for more trust. Further, we might focus on the types of activities that support us building that trust. Sometimes that is about stepping back and giving ourselves credit for how far we've come. Other times it is about carving out time to do more of the things that make us happy and that give us a sense of purpose. If we feel stuck, ask for more clarity on what will help us move forward and to become, let's say, more aligned with the qualities we most admire in ourselves or others. </h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">In closing, on this winter solstice 2022, I set the intention that we all feel more light, more love, and more peace in our lives, both on the inside and on what we experience on the outside. That we grow together in the realization of what will make us feel more complete and fulfilled on our life path. That the outcomes we intend empower the rest of us to do more of the same in healthy, helpful ways. </h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Happy Winter Solstice!!!!!</h3>Jonathan Teelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00906328628046221376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318899618802928463.post-63714300670779374392022-02-24T12:10:00.013-08:002022-02-24T16:07:51.785-08:00An Essay: Our Three Challenges & What We Can Do About Them<h2 style="text-align: left;">For two decades, I have been on an intense journey of both understanding myself and deciding how I would like to show up in the world. Even if I always had a sense of the outcome, I had to navigate many competing and challenging parts within me and around me in my relationship to the rest of the world. I share this only because what follows is part of that outcome, but it also connects to what's going on right now in our world. It is relevant to the past, the present, and the future. It comes from a place of love. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">Recently, I had yet another one of my premonitions (or intuitions) that outlined the present and offered up a view of the current and coming challenges. It existed mostly as a feeling. It wasn't novel per say, but I found it helpful in order to take stock of how I will show up as we move into this next phase of human experience. We are, in actuality, already in all of this, but there is still more to come. Let me briefly summarize by saying that these three challenges aren't new; they are current and continue into the immediate future. They are Covid and the health crisis, Conflict in us and between us, and Climate Change or Earth Changes. They speak to a much larger experience unfolding right now before our eyes, a lived human experience, and to a challenge to come that offers its share of opportunities. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">As we begin our third year of the pandemic led by the Covid virus, we notice with greater awareness our health crisis that has changed our normal experience of life. As we move into the month of March soon, we notice the second challenge of conflict or war brewing the East. It doesn't have to be an all-out war as some might want to dramatize, but nevertheless, it is a conflict between competing interests and visions for the future (a verifiable power struggle). The third challenge is climate change or Earth changes to our natural environment that has existed and grown for some time. These big three issues and current threats today also speak more generally to the themes of our health and well-being, to our relationship with each other as nations and people, and in our relationship with the Earth. And each of these connect both directly and indirectly to our 'raising awareness' and 'consciousness' as human beings in this singular time in history. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">These three challenges form a sizable part of human history as we know it and they have only intensified for us in recent decades. That intensification has been largely due to more available information via the internet and new technologies; but also to our own growing awareness as people of how sensitive we are to what's happening within us and around us. We've come to realize that we are more deeply interconnected than we might have imagined beforehand with the rest of the world and for better or worse. That contrast of 'better or worse,' though just a phrase, speaks to our growing sense of an underlying union and togetherness in the unfolding struggles and situations of our current lives. While we may isolate or somehow try to secure our own future in closer quarters with those dearest to us, we still will realize that we can't fully escape our connection to all of it. If something is close, we feel it naturally. If something is far away, we also feel it now somewhat too. That feeling is in our connection to whatever occurs anywhere, often when we perceive it or hear about it, and as today's experience suggests; that circumstance actually impacts us regardless of our distance. That is due on a subtler level to our awakening awareness and our sentience as humans beyond the information we receive. It speaks to our openness now to recognize a larger truth developing in our experience of life.</h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>The Health Crisis: </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">We have diseases and viruses throughout human history. It has been part of our evolution and our relationship with each other and the natural world. Think of the so-called plagues of the past, namely the Black Death. Remember the smallpox virus, polio, the Spanish flu, SARS & Zika, and now Covid-19, plus many others. Perils to our health and our lives aren't new to us. We also have cancers, heart disease, and diabetes, and so many other ailments to kill us either quickly or over time. In other ways, we've been contaminated by our choices as a collective in how we treat our bodies and our environment. Our health has been in crisis mode long before Covid universalized it in a way that touched all of us uniquely. Many of us have joined together in the fear of the virus and in the response to it, in self-imposed or directed isolation, and in navigating the brave new world. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">Covid, like so many viruses before its time, changed the way we experienced life and death. It touched us, hurt us, and empowered us. It gave us many opportunities to face our own mortality if we chose that route, at least in the physical sense; and to value what mattered most in our lives. Covid has taken many lives, but so have many other illnesses that continue today with long histories, though perceived as less abrupt or unknown versus Covid; are still of grave concern to global health and showcase the longstanding crisis behind our frequent sicknesses. Covid has also transformed many lives as many people have made visible new health choices in diet, self-care routines, and in re-prioritizing what we valued as important to our health and happiness, even if it came with loss and difficulty. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">Our health crisis, beyond Covid, necessitates a greater commitment to mental, emotional, and physical health, and to build upon the available information and awareness that we now have to choose again the types of food we eat, where we get it from, and reflect on how it impacts us in our daily lives. Beyond lifestyle changes, our focus on loving our bodies and facing our fears around death and aging goes a long way to helping others do that too. Our future is one of health and immunity if we increase our self-care, clean up our environment, and engage with a deeper love for ourselves. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"> Escalating Conflict: </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">Throughout human history, there have been many wars, countless conflicts, and a catastrophic amount of death. It has been about conquest, self-defense and survival, to gain resources or profit, and due to ideology or belief systems. We have been motivated by fear, but also by seeking advantage, control, and more power - often underpinned yet still by more fear at some core level. We've seen civil wars, international conflicts, World Wars, and countless individualized battles across regions that pitted humans against humans. The result has been loss of life, destruction of those resources, and heavy tolls still felt today upon the fragile psyche of our human consciousness. We know this story since we've lived it many times before. We are not strangers to any of it. As Russia begins to escalate its invasion of Ukraine and the world reacts with fears of greater war between nations; we find ourselves there once again, but in intensified times. We face yet more fear that people will die, that nations will be devastated, and that the power structures and the security that we gain from them, will crumble at our own expense. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">This second challenge speaks to our relationship with each other in a larger sense in that it suggests a lack of cooperation while highlighting or hiding the motivations of our leaders and our governments. It also suggests a conflict within us if we consider the role of fear and love in our evolving history and present circumstance. If we read history, we will see that similar themes have played out in comparable ways. Today is no different than in the past, even if the people and their circumstances or regions are distinct. Two sides, or many sides, feel threatened by each other and have competing interests (political, economic, social) that they perceive to be at risk and so they feel as if they must advance, attack, or 'double down' in their response to secure their future. There is an 'us verse them' mentality, etched in the minds of the human psyche, and entrenched in the deep negativity we have sadly experienced. It too harkens back to that fear. We have been at the whim of many choices by our leadership evidently for much of our history. While we too have been wrapped up in it and fought these wars, we weren't always as aware as we are now or as empowered to make a change. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">In recent decades, that willingness to embrace a different story has slowly shifted. More humans are less inclined to support war and instead we have begun to know in our hearts and actualize in our own lives that we want to live in peace, and even if it is still elusive. Many are willing to stand up for that vision and even to risk their lives. In some ways, the past has been no different and we don't want to keep repeating it. We want a new future, our peace secured, and our freedom granted without fear of insecurity and imminent danger. We want to tell those that still seem asleep and convinced that war and conflict are the only solutions to our perceived challenges; that we want a new approach beyond these old decaying grievances or negative attachments once and for all. A majority clamors for a different, more loving path in the wake of the last decades, history in general, and in our experiences of awakening. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">We move into another phase of recent human experience with the potential of more conflict to come among nations; with leaders on both sides of the equation holding onto an aged paradigm largely based on the past, often self-motivated, and staunchly conditioned to programmed responses of aggression or attack. The fear in these leaders and the fear still in us, just as with Covid; encourages us nonetheless to 'dig deeper' again within ourselves for more answers and to make necessary changes in our own lives to support a different outcome. If we currently live in an environment of conflict, not between nations; but with family, friends, community, races or cultures; we also have a chance to recreate how those conflicts end. We can show ourselves and others, through the power of our new words and actions; that living in conflict no longer supports our desired outcome anyone. It has taken a large enough toll. We could instead mend those fences and forgive the others, or open up dialogues for cooperation and understanding toward reconciliation. We show ourselves and others again in that action that we seek another way forward and empower others to do the same. We may not be able to directly influence the governments and citizens who are still committed their war games, but we can, at least, impact our little piece of humanity in a positive way. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">The possible future is that we no longer fight over resources or act out our own trauma and past conditioning in aggressive ways. That we dispense with and heal our own grievances together in constructive ways and become enlightened by the love that comes from each one of us wishing it to be so. Our future can be one where humans no longer give value or importance to those forces that want to fight because we see it less in ourselves. In that growing sense of love and peace that occurs in our own lives, we actually create that new reality, since what we give attention to will grow in us. The present potential for conflict might be strong, but even if we feel powerless; we will not be powerless in our choice to love instead. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">The third challenge is climate change or the Earth changes. Once again, we are not strangers to these forces. The Earth has been shifting and evolving for a long time and we have lost our lives in those changes, some of them by our own making. Earthquakes, floods, erupting volcanoes, rising seas and severe weather have killed us, moved us around, and forced us to adapt to new ways of living together. In recent decades, once again with the intensification of information and human awareness; we have learned about how we adversely impact our Mother Earth and we have sought to make some changes. Our changing weather patterns, the loss of infrastructure, and human life continues to show us that major changes are needed. We read about the oodles of professional research by independent scientists and government-funded ones (by the way), who tell us that our lives are in peril and at extreme risk, and also because of the melting ice caps, rising seas, and coming climate consequences. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">We are afraid by this news and what we see happening around us. If we lived through a terrible climate event, and many have; we are even more worried about our future. We contemplate that the Earth might end soon or change so much without us that our livelihoods will be lost. We face our own demise once again in the climate crisis; the real possibility of our death by some outside or other force. History suggests that these changes in the environmental are complex, cyclical, and created by our own actions in how we treat our precious ecosystem and its once abundant resources. These realizations have influenced many of us to become more active in taking care of the environment because we recognize that our own lives are tied to Hers. Maybe we can't directly influence the big companies, individuals, or the governments that allow this pollution to continue without swift action, but we Can alternatively care for Her in our world close to home and demand action in that love for her and in our willingness to change our own individual ways. Our words and actions in this regard will motivate others to do the same and we can beautify our little piece of the Earth. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">The possible future is one where we use the power of our stewardship and our loving thoughts for Mother Earth to recreate Her and allow her to rejuvenate. The future is living life in balance with Earth because we are attuned to her needs and because we love Her. That decision to care for Earth in our backyard multiplied by countless others is what gives Her the strength to reconnect with Her own deeper self, which in turn empowers us. Our thoughts, words, and action toward Her are valuable beyond what we believe them to be and while they are happening already in many of us or through us, She needs us to move past our past relationship of dominance over Her to one of cooperation with Her. This is no different a response than the challenge of conflict today or the challenges to our health. To get to that brighter future, we may have to experience dramatic changes, even more than now. Yet, the more of us that choose this new path of love for Her right now, the more that reality falls away and we/She are restored. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>---</h2><div></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">We are in a health crisis; we have the potential of an escalating conflict, and we see the peril to our Earth. What do we do? While many suggestions have already been made, there is a little more to share. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">First, I want to encourage all of us that might read this to expand our own research in the pursuit of deeper truth in order to seek out the root causes of our past and current health crises (if we have not already), of our past conflicts as nations or peoples, and the one now between Russia, Ukraine, and NATO; and to delve into the situation with the environment. In doing so, it is important to avoid negative emotion about it and any blind faith in the sensationalist reporting hanging over us. I want to encourage us to look past the 'sound bites' to follow by reading and educating ourselves to try and understand with more awareness, compassion, and most of all, love; any or all underlying meaning behind it. Such an exploration requires time, care, and commitment; but it will be a revealing process that deepens our individual and collective awareness. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">Second, I want us to consider that the fear we feel and the triggers we experience with the current world situation to be partly and even largely subconscious or hidden; now rising to the surface into our conscious mind, and thus creating the trigger. Covid triggers us. The possible conflict triggers us. And so does the climate danger. When we are afraid or triggered oftentimes, we are reliving past hurt, pain, or trauma, and also fearing that we might experience it again soon. There's anxiety in that. The current virus, conflict in eastern Europe, and climate reality once again are not new to us. They form part of a collective past and present memory of lived experience and they express themselves in a collective and individual way. In our fear of what is to come, we connect with the fear of the past repeating. I want to sincerely encourage us to be gentle and loving with ourselves when we are afraid or continue to be and to seek out the types of outlets that help us feel good - not drugs and alcohol, but the ones that support a fuller, healthier expression of our well-being. We know what those things are; we just have to move into them more resolutely and with the support of others. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">Third, I want us to consider that we are much more powerful and capable in our thoughts, words, and actions than we might have imagined we are to actually support change on the many levels of our experience and that of others in the world. If we choose now to only focus on the anger, fear, grief, sadness, and negativity that we might feel right now; though absolutely understandable given the ride we've been on lately; we will still nevertheless add to sustaining of those types of thoughts, emotions, and feelings in us and around us. This is an encouragement not wallow in our possible role in what's unfolding in these ways, but instead, to suggest that we are able to heal and ease what is happening in different ways both subtle and direct. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">If we focus more on "loving what arises in us" (also the big Us) as we would a hurt child or group of children or adults we care about, and then, from there; also choose to expand outward that feeling of love from within us and to others; we will support the sustaining of more positive and loving energies for the future. Start with what or who is closest to us and then later, if we feel compelled to do it; move further out to our communities, to our leaders and all nations on all sides, whether we agree with them or not, and to the Earth. Send love instead of fear and be grateful. At the very least, we will experience it more in us, though others may choose differently. Believe that we are part of that change all along the way. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">We all have fear and love in us. These are two forces that animate our lives and our history. They give birth to life in many of its forms and expressions with much in between. If we believe, however, that we have lived much of our lives so far in fear; I ask us to be gentle and loving again in that recognition and with ourselves. I've felt great fear in my life too. It's normal and not to be afraid of. If we also see a lack of love in our lives, I want us to consider that we can create more love in us instead and around us too. It simply begins with 'choosing love' consciously and with implementing it in the places in our lives where we feel love and want it to grow. If love doesn't align with many parts of our current lives or our relationship to others and the Earth right now; then how might we change that? Baby steps; one foot in front of the other. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">We will see that the more we harness our love for what brings us love and peace, the more it will expand and flourish. This will empower us to see through and beyond the difficult realities of today and to begin to create a new one, slowly but surely. It does start at home in all senses of that statement. Trust in that truth. And in everything we do now, we can intend that we do it in service to our own highest well-being and to that of those around us and far away as well. What we do lovingly for ourselves, we do lovingly for them too. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">In the face of all that arises in us and triggers us in the coming days, weeks, months, or even years of our awakening, and what has also come before; lovingly but firmly just say 'no' to what wants to pull us down and keep us from that love. Even when it is the hardest, try to be loving and do the best we can. We are capable of a much greater love than we can possibly imagine, if we could only recognize it once more. I suggest this only from a deeper inner knowing that has become stronger in recent years and in my own experience. We are that love that wants to arise. We have nothing to lose to try it out and see how it fits, even in small steps and over gradual time. We've come this far; why not give love a chance? </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">Much love to all!</h2>Jonathan Teelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00906328628046221376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318899618802928463.post-12212187148015964502021-10-26T13:10:00.008-07:002021-10-26T13:22:25.436-07:00Some Keys To Peace - To Feel At Our Best <h2 style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOhe6R__zep34Da_lvLR8_n1honyizw79KB56VUvispP3UIv6J_07kx65bRN4XDj1QVm3oVq_zpsFSplA7Q_JpZ3dvvwiEcQlc5h7bYl-3RPohw0i0-yPmRNckA2Ew2A67X7SCT3HU-t6u/s2048/Sunset+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOhe6R__zep34Da_lvLR8_n1honyizw79KB56VUvispP3UIv6J_07kx65bRN4XDj1QVm3oVq_zpsFSplA7Q_JpZ3dvvwiEcQlc5h7bYl-3RPohw0i0-yPmRNckA2Ew2A67X7SCT3HU-t6u/s320/Sunset+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />Finding peace might seem to be a tall order and maybe this blog is too ambitious. Granted, these are only some keys that might be helpful and for many of us it could be a lifelong journey to experience the peace we want. </span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">So often though I think, however, that if we can understand ourselves and begin to love and honor who we are, peace is a natural outcome.</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> It is one that involves taking a unique look at our lives, relationships, and our environment.</span> </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Most of us have been on our own journey. Each of us is also different with unique filters for perception. We've been tested and challenged to attain our worthy goals for a peaceful, happy, and healthy life. </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">We may be in the midst of that now. </span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Like anyone, I've lived through ups and downs, but my intention has often been to experience more peace. The more I intended, the more it showed up, even though there have been plenty of distractions (I'm still working on it too by the way). </span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">That said, here are some keys to Peace: </span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">1. A Healthy Environment </span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">How often do we feel out of place or unhealthy in a certain environment? Maybe we feel powerless to change it, but as we bring awareness to how we want to "feel" in any given environment, we open doors to calling in the healthiest ones, wherever that might be. Find the environments where we feel peace. </span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">My experience: I've moved in and out different environments my whole life from cities to small towns to other countries back to this country, and in a wide variety of workplaces. They didn't always feel good, but each experience gave me insight. Today, Maine and in nature or a more quiet setting is that environment where I feel more at peace. </span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">2. Healthy People & Relationships </span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">How often have we felt as if we were with the wrong (or unhealthy) people (from any life situation)? People who didn't necessarily make us feel loved or supported. While we can practice having compassion at a distance for those who aren't healthy (helpful to healing); it is important to be with people who bring us peace</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">. If we don't feel as if there are many of them in our lives currently, ask for them to come in. We have more creative power than we often think and sometimes it is only that awareness or desire that is needed to get the ball rolling. </span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">My experience: I feel blessed to be surrounded by a diversity of loving people. Yet, countless times, I've also been in situations where I could sense that someone (or something) wasn't good for me. I felt anxious instead of peaceful. Sometimes I went against that feeling and learned from it, while at other times, I intuitively stayed away. I love being around people, but it is helpful in our daily lives to take stock of whether we are with the right people who give us peace. </span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">3. Meaningful Work</span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">How often have we felt disappointed or disillusioned with our work? This is tough one by any standard. So many of us have experienced (or experience) doing work we didn't like because we felt we had to. To survive, to support a family, or a certain lifestyle. </span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">If we find peace everywhere <i>but</i> at work and it allows us the life we want, then maybe its worth the sacrifice. That said, finding meaningful work that aligns with our passion or interests will make us feel more at peace. No one deserves to be miserable at work, and so exploring other options that make us feel good and still pay the bills is a worthy intention. </span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">4. Healthy Food</span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">How often do we feel "blah" after eating certain foods? Many of us know through trial and error what feels good in our body and what doesn't. Comfort food (we all have them) may feel good temporarily, but usually leads to discomfort if we're paying attention to how it feels afterwards. </span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Eating healthy can be hard because of how expensive it is or because we are so used to eating a certain way. The good news is that more healthy options are now available and that we have many resources to make a change. Find foods that give us peace. </span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">My experience: I've eaten pretty healthy most of my life, but it wasn't until the last 3-5 years that I've been learning to truly listen to my body. My comfort food wasn't sweets or chocolate, but bread and pasta. All types of grains including wheat. </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Eventually though I realized (I actually listened) that I had an allergy to wheat and that gluten wasn't healthy for me. When I gave it up and cleansed with smoothies and celery juice, all of my discomfort disappeared. I felt light, digested well, and had more energy. It's still that way. </span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">5. Healthy Individual Practices or Therapies</span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span>How often have we thought that if we just had time to do this or that we'd feel a lot better? It's pretty common. Yet, as many of us know from experience, healthy individual practices can make our day (s) feel better and our lives healthier. </span></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">It's no secret that daily exercise, meditation, yoga, creative time, walks in nature, or other hobbies (etc.) are keys to feeling good. If we can choose one or two and bring them in each day for even 10 minutes to start out, we will begin feeling better. But we must listen to our bodies and our hearts. If we aren't doing the things that bring us peace, however, or find ourselves pushing; we might want to reassess. </span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">My experience: While I've explored many different individual practices, I've wanted for years for them to be consistent and the right ones for my body, mind, and heart. Practices that brought me peace were meditation (since I was 13), gentle yoga (as opposed to fast), moderate exercise (not extreme), and different creative outlets (photography/art). Talk therapy has been a good one for me too. But finding or making the time was often hard. Once I went to and also lived in the right environment, I was able to do them more consistently and with a greater sense of peace. Find practices that bring us peace. </span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The list might go on and on. No doubt all of these take time to cultivate and we need to be committed to them. But if our intention or goal is more peace (even happiness), then I think they offer opportunities to feeling at our best. Much love </span></h2>Jonathan Teelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00906328628046221376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318899618802928463.post-55522614109004338332021-10-22T10:00:00.004-07:002021-10-22T10:21:25.031-07:00Understanding Anxiety & Some Tips to Begin to Overcome It <h2 style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKOgfuQcG3dSj2zXVSFgowub7Ni8GsDrOPFIjDMSFJb6OV6p82ZpYjDc_-hfUyu4dFqMKd36U6Lvr8rKJIGUVIJZLL67dPnhYaeD3BjTt4qBYpSEj-iRxwVuCBP8Oeuo-ZVdtWLGtdeQtt/s2048/CA+10_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1538" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKOgfuQcG3dSj2zXVSFgowub7Ni8GsDrOPFIjDMSFJb6OV6p82ZpYjDc_-hfUyu4dFqMKd36U6Lvr8rKJIGUVIJZLL67dPnhYaeD3BjTt4qBYpSEj-iRxwVuCBP8Oeuo-ZVdtWLGtdeQtt/s320/CA+10_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Anxiety is a common experience for most of us. Some have it more strongly than others. Anxiety disorders or conditions have a wide variety of ways that they show up for people. Some have grown over time while others are triggered in stressful situations and then continue. </div></div></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">In my research of anxiety, it has been stated that anxiety often arises from a number of factors: a parent with an anxiety disorder (genetic), traumatic events, stressful situations, substance abuse, or health problems. These are not the only reasons, but the most common. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">In my experience (and as defined by others), anxiety is a persistent fear or worry about every day circumstances. Anxiety is also focused largely on the future or something upcoming, whether real or imagined. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">For anyone who has had anxiety or has an anxiety condition, we will know what it feels like to be anxious. How it impacts the body, mind, and emotions. How it leaves us feeling when we are in it, either from time to time or sustained over time. If we are not aware of our anxiety, we have a great opportunity to better understand it and to overcome it in our different ways. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">What might not be known by people who know me is that I have lived with an anxiety condition or disorder for my whole life. It has sometimes been intense, challenging, and destabilizing for me. I experienced myself largely as a peaceful, calm, and collected soul, always willing as well as trained to step up to help others. My work in the healing arts and many other professional endeavors over the years have been "service-orientated." To help others heal and grow. But to do any of this work, we often have to go through it ourselves. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">Anxiety has been a real part of my journey and I've gained a great deal of wisdom and knowledge about it. And still am. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><u>First, here are some tips for understanding anxiety from my experience: </u></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">1. It is often just a "passing wave of energy" or experience that will subside if we allow it to run its course. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">2. Often what we think is going to happen to us "when anxious" isn't based on what will <i>actually</i> occur. I'm not saying the fears can't be real or feel real, it's just that they are often exaggerated and sometimes misplaced or imaginary when we are "in it." </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">3. Anxiety isn't often about the "present moment" even if we live it that way. Anxiety is rooted in a fear of the future or a memory of the past. </h2><div><h2>Here's an explanation to this last one: </h2><h2>Anxiety is often a projection into the future, usually based in fear or worry. It's about something that <i>might</i> happen that we have no way of knowing it will <i>actually</i> occur. But we think it will because we often have a "memory from the past" that triggers our anxiety. We fear the past will repeat itself in the future. We are often conditioned to believe this from our experiences. Part of our healing, however, is letting go of certain beliefs and bringing more awareness to what is actually going on and to a sense of our "true safety." (I will expand on this in a future blog) </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><u>Here are a few ways to help us overcome some of our anxiety: </u></h2></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">1. Don't resist it. Allow it to arise and be released. We can say to ourselves: "I acknowledge that I am feeling anxious right now and that it will pass." </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">2. Take a few minutes and do the following grounding exercise or body scan: "Focus our attention on our feet before on our legs and hips and then our tailbone. From the tailbone slowly follow the spine up to the neck and then followed by attention on the chest to our shoulders and arms to the hands. Continue with our attention to the face, eyes, ears, nose, and mouth plus jaw. Focus our attention on each body part as we work our way upwards. Remember to breathe as we go. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">3. Go for a run, dance, move our body or exercise, and practice breathing! Do anything healthy that will keep us focused in the now and that moves our body! </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">If we have longstanding anxiety, the above ways will only begin the process of healing. That said, we have to start somewhere. Understanding and overcoming the most destabilizing aspects of anxiety require a deeper process in mind, body, and soul, but one that is completely attainable with time. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">Thank you for reading and much love. We overcome our anxiety together.</h2>Jonathan Teelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00906328628046221376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318899618802928463.post-88169770122450474432021-10-21T08:12:00.002-07:002021-10-21T08:17:46.701-07:00The Benefits of Gratitude <h2 style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqoxysgU_pRKlNwecrIAbAZyxP8i5Xwtz6RV_DPv4-n4g-3YfDPLmNlC7VLnbllRm8PtJewOZMOqxcleg_dPkPIcPXrnwij-UbB59QWK-l0g53zawTiwBnZIw3C7Wk15GRCt13uMhYXYDA/s2016/Moon.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqoxysgU_pRKlNwecrIAbAZyxP8i5Xwtz6RV_DPv4-n4g-3YfDPLmNlC7VLnbllRm8PtJewOZMOqxcleg_dPkPIcPXrnwij-UbB59QWK-l0g53zawTiwBnZIw3C7Wk15GRCt13uMhYXYDA/s320/Moon.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Gratitude is the art or act of being grateful. Being grateful for life, for self, for others, and for the things or experiences we have. Gratitude is a thought, a word, and an action. Gratitude is a "felt sensation." Gratitude appreciates the simple and more complex moments in life both past, present, and even future. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">It is very difficult to be grateful for the events, circumstances, or experiences that have given us pain, hurt, or suffering. It is challenging to let go of loved ones or to experience personal struggles with self or with others. Life happens and in some of the worst case scenarios, gratitude is hard to come by. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">Can we however begin to practice gratitude for the things that we have and for the things or people we have lost? We can gradually and gently cultivate a practice of being grateful for these difficult experiences in our lives? </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">What are the benefits of practicing Gratitude? One can find many studies on the benefits of gratitude, but these are my thoughts upon it based on experience. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">To be grateful implies a thought, word, or action about something or someone. Gratitude for a positive experience amplifies that vibration in our lives and leads to more of them as we practice being grateful. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">Our willingness to be grateful for the so-called negative or difficult experiences in our lives will create over time an "energy of acceptance" for what is or what was. It weakens the resistance or blockage within us to whatever we are trying to be grateful for. Gratitude opens doors to what we are holding onto so that it can be more peacefully and lovingly released. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">Our awareness that we must be grateful for something is a first step. A second step is to practice gratitude in simple thoughts, words, or actions. Even if we feel "ungrateful" for what we are trying to be grateful for, our intent to heal is sufficient to begin a movement toward greater and truer felt gratitude. A third step is gentleness with ourselves in the process of gratitude as we become more grateful for that which is hard or challenging. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">Gratitude is akin to love. It is an act of showing love and gratefulness for that which have or had. Since the vibration of love and gratitude elicits a positive charge within us and around us in our lives, we expand that field of gratitude, which supports us to feel better. Wholeness comes with gratitude. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">My rigorous practice with gratitude has come and gone in my life. I do however practice gratitude each day through "feeling" grateful for what life is and has given me. Gratitude is a simple act of acknowledging in my life the beauty around me and within me. It is a willingness to see the upside of all of life. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">Over the last years of my experience, I've had many life changes occur. My marriage ended after 14 years, I've had health problems, and I've worked through anxiety and fear. Practicing gratitude for these events or experiences in those moments or after them was extremely difficult yet empowering. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">With time, I was able to be more grateful. Gratitude opened major doors for my own personal healing and healing of relationships with both others and myself. Gratitude for me increased the love I felt every day and allowed me to see the beauty in the ups and downs, often leading me to greater peace, acceptance, and appreciation. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">The act of practicing Gratitude will lead to physical, mental, and emotional health over time. Practicing gratitude will attract a higher, more positive vibration of experience in our lives, but also more importantly, gratitude reconnects us with our deeper nature. It builds recognition of who we are and lends to growth in awareness. Gratitude brings more love into our lives. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">Practice Gratitude. We can do our best to cultivate it even when it's hard. Much love <br /></h2>Jonathan Teelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00906328628046221376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318899618802928463.post-81622822901279707542021-10-20T15:40:00.008-07:002021-10-20T16:13:59.661-07:00A Reflection on Love<h2 style="text-align: left;">Love is everything. Love comes and goes, flows and forms, upends and opens. Love is ever-present and presently everywhere. Love moves in and out, underpins coming together and falling apart, rising and meeting, or unraveling and disconnecting, but always coming together again. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">Love is a benevolent force for Love without wavering. Love is a constant and never-ending experience, unconditional and free. Love may be at the heart of all of life here and there and intimate in its endless unfolding and uninterrupted infinity. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">So why so much fear of expressing Love? Afraid to Love each other, to Love ourselves, or to Love the Earth or existence? Why so afraid to express an emotion or a feeling that is so ingrained in us, and yet so comfortable with those actions so far from Love? </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">Oh they say it is human nature to be unloving or survivalist, but I don't believe it. Even in the darkest, most mistaken places or hearts, could those individuals only be wanting love? Wanting to be seen, to be heard, to heal, and to be free? Wanting to remember and to wake up from the dream that turned into a nightmare? Love doesn't ask us to accept hate or insanity, but it might ask us to see through it. To turn inward and to spread Love. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">What if Love lived behind both the positive and the negative? What if the highest Love saw no difference or divergence between you and I, our attitudes and actions? What if we were only imagining of loving and losing, healing and hurting? What if it was Love that called us Home? </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">Is Love the omnipresent force of the universe? Could it be, somehow? If Love was that loving force, then why the disease and destruction? Could it be that we have forgotten who we are? Could it be that our beliefs of being anything but Love have shielded or shrouded us in confusion, unconsciousness, and even darkness? </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">Or maybe it is because we have looked for Love in all the wrong places ? Or that in our forgetfulness, what if it is Love that pries and prods at us every moment of every day whether we hear its call or not, to reawaken us from our slumber? To remember that true Love? </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">Maybe none of us truly know the nature of Love. But even then, why not be Love anyway and all ways? Doesn't it feel good to be 'in love' and 'to be love'? </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">If not, ask why. Find out. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">Could the deepest and most real expression and experience of Love be nothing but unity, peace, and bliss between us and around us? Could it not bring us together to see and recognize where we have always been? To wake up and to remember the Love in us? Or maybe just to search and find out where it lives in our hearts? </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">What can we do in our sad state? In our pain or hurt. In our confusion, anxiety, or fear? Why not ask for Love to reveal itself to us, to find us wherever we are, and to awaken and show us our true nature? </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">Ask for Love to reveal to us our highest purpose as well and our most loving expression to what comes next. And in that unfolding, choose integrity to self, to others, and with the Love that arises. In that expression of true love, there will be no other way. </h2>Jonathan Teelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00906328628046221376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318899618802928463.post-33273055429947896602021-02-27T13:27:00.005-08:002021-02-27T14:02:24.653-08:00Journal Entry February - Surrender <h2 style="text-align: left;">The following blog is a journal entry. It is unedited and raw. When I mention the Divine, I must share that what I am referring to is not the judgmental God of many religions, but instead what I consider the Source of All That Is and fully and completely loving and unconditional. </h2><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt;">Surrender </span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt;">The phrase “I am not enough” came through strong today to
answer the question that was asked me about a belief I maybe holding onto. It
came through a sacred tarot card from the RUMI deck. I pulled the Cloak of the Christ card and later read
the Passion for Purpose that goes with it. This was the answer to my question about a
belief that I am holding onto. That “I am not enough.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 106%;">Earlier this week, in the field past the neighbors, I stood
in the sun on the snow and closed my eyes. Something similar came through to be
released related to the notion of not being enough. I asked for this energy
from this life and past lives to be released. A lot seemed to be released in the Divine's presence and at the very least, it seemed to open me up for my Friday session
with my colleague and mentor, Fran, so as to receive more healing. I have been feeling off, mind
unsteady, heart anxious, and physical body unstable. Fran helped. So did the Ascended Masters as they performed an energetic surgery on tears in my energetic field. Fran
asked me to “allow healing to occur” and I said that it felt like I had just
come out of surgery. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 106%;">It feels that way still. I slept the last three days 12 hours at night, knowing I needed to heal. Today has been slow but
nice. I have resisted the temptation to be busy and tried to allow the healing
to occur. It has helped and the Guides have been working on me since last
night. The tarot card spoke of or alluded to this gift of Love on a much deeper
level and the greater fulfillment of my destiny, or actually, the Divine destiny for
me. I have been giving up in prayer all week my path to the Divine, in surrender, or
at least trying. I am using a prayer of Surrender. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">I feel sometimes great resistance in me to let go. It’s not
new. It feels as if I have been gradually letting go for years now but also
fighting back, in the sense that with each letting go, I hold on tighter until
more is forced to release. I want to release it all and let go but it seems I
am still on a gradual path to said letting go and that some challenges and roadblocks
remain to be cleared. One of them, maybe a big one and a deep one, as Fran said; seems to be completely here with me now. You see, I’m not still not sure what
letting go means. I feel like I let go many days but then again I feel like my
mind is very much in control of the letting go process which is to say that I
am not truly letting go. Letting go may mean complete surrender to the present
moment with no expectation or conditions upon that moment and yet, we are built
with and live in a world of conditions. What does that surrendered state of
being look like? Feel like? Act like?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 106%;">I’ve had glimpses of it in my life and it’s even sustained for
a few days or a week or two but not nearly long enough. The feeling that “I am not enough”
has many implications and it informs everything I have experienced here. I
realized again that in the last months I have fallen into the pattern, both consciously
and unconsciously, of thinking I am not enough and pushing for success in
writing and all endeavors. It most likely led to the current impasse, the need
of healing. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 106%;">The sense that I am not enough drives me to do
more than I am capable of or even want to do. It is not sustainable and it is
critical and pushy about my goals. I’m no stranger to this feeling of pushing
or straining to achieve. It’s a disease of this world. I’ve been told and seen the
hard way sometimes that straining gets me nowhere too fast while letting go and
being "open to the flow" in the present takes me where I am supposed to go or be. If only I could
remember this more regularly as I strive. But today and this week, I do, as my
body craves rest, as I am asked to heal the past, and to slow down. The voice
that says “but there is so much to do” is a voice of fear and anxiety. It is
for me a mental anxiety that I am running out of time to publish my half-written multiple books, attain greater professional success of some kind, travel more, and/or achieve/share some creative genius that seems to live within, be seen and heard. It is a voice that
says there is so much for me to do and if I don’t go fast and be efficient with
my time I will miss the boat and lose my best opportunities for greatness. Is
this voice in me also one of ambition? It strikes me that it is and I know it
is acting in fear of the inevitable: my own death or maybe, actually, its death. But will
I lose out or miss the boat? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 106%;">I don’t think so. I don’t think I have, contrary to what these
parts of me might say. If I believe that there is a Divine plan for me and that
I am constantly being guided to fulfill that plan, how could I miss the boat?
It’s a question of timing. The Divine's time is not always my time. My time is often premature
only to come later when I am least expecting it or in the present moment. The
flow state is just as productive as the doing state and actually, more productive; because it is aligned with our true nature and purpose, not the contrivances of
the goal-orientated mind. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 106%;">I know I have experiences of feeling like I missed out. I’ve
held onto these and they also seem to drive the voice that wants results now.
But how much can I do in one lifetime? I know I have more hopes and dreams for this
one still but will they be revealed and experienced? And how does letting go
and surrender help with that? I’ll let you know when I find out. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 106%;">My challenge now also is to return to the feeling of “I am enough”
and all of its implications. Not only am I enough but that I have done enough
so far in my life. That all I have experienced and achieved if you will, and been for self-growth and in service to others has been enough. While it does not satisfy this voice in
me and I sometimes want more, I know that that is not my call as I surrender. It is
surrendered into the hands of the Divine. It is the Divine's hands and the Divine's experience
through me. What He/She has chosen for me so far has been wonderful though
difficult, but often rewarding. What will be chosen in my life to come doesn’t
really depend on me in a larger sense. I do have a role in it and I do have to
move and act but that movement and action is the Divine's through me as I let go to
Her. I have to pay attention to the signs and honor the messages in each moment
and allow Her to heal me and work through me for His desired end.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 106%;">Accepting this is hard for me knowing I have to give up
control. But was I ever in control? I don't think so. I thought I was and it sure seemed that
way but my life has been out of my control from the beginning. I have set forth
a plan to follow for this life but again that would have been the Divine's plan. And so,
I am out of control and moving into surrender. It feels more real now than it
did to me back in 2016 when I began letting go. Maybe I am on the cusp of something
or maybe this is just my mind that thinks I am. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 106%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Whatever the outcome,
I have no control. This is by far that most difficult thing humanity may face
today or any day. We have no control over what happens; we just have to be prepared
to act when our number is called or when we feel called to act. It won’t be
ours anyway, in the personal sense, but it can breathtaking and wondrous and
more freeing than anything we have ever known. I just pray that when my number
is called (again?), I hear it and I am able to answer the call, whatever it may be asking
me to do. But I already know what is being asked of me. It is to Surrender
everything in each moment to the Divine and to Life itself unfolding and experience what comes after that. And also in that, to deeply know that "I am enough." </span>Jonathan Teelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00906328628046221376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318899618802928463.post-10578170489472280292020-12-19T12:20:00.024-08:002020-12-21T14:55:38.609-08:00Winter Wonderland<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> <span>After a winter storm, the white fluffy snow sticks lightly to the barren ground. In the sunlight, the snow sparkles of gold and stars.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span>The fallen snow rests upon trees, inanimate objects in the yard, and two large machines, whose landscaping duties have been delayed. It rests upon parked cars and still roofs. </span>Against the light and blue sky, the landscape below is lit up in a winter wonderland of crisp cold and weekend silence. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">New winter boots fit snug on my feet. A new winter coat and some borrowed gloves warm chest and hands while a winter hat holds tight to head and hair. Barish, my dog, prances playfully near me as he awaits our direction. Maybe a walk across the field. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The crunching of winter boots on frozen ground overrides everything. I walk uphill toward shimmering light through still trees. A crow caws from a tree somewhere. The distant sound of a snow blower momentarily pierces the previous silence and then stops. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The destination sits behind a perfect row of trees that reach into blue sky. They are as tall as each other and form a boundary to the bright white land that I see beyond them. A rock wall is covered mostly in a thin layer of neatly packed snow. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I can see the lake through the trees as I approach the field. The sun is no longer shielded by trees but beats down with warm rays upon Barish and I and the untouched snow of the widening landscape ahead. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Such quiet in the middle of the field. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Barish is up ahead now, his head to the snow smelling the tracks of animals from the day and previous night. His bright orange collar contrasts against the white all around him. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The lake beckons. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">With each step, I kick up snow in front of me. The sound of my boots fill my ears and senses once again as I crunch upon fragile ground. The subtle slushing sound of snow being gently pushed ahead of me complements the footsteps upon the Earth. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Barish runs across my path without warning. And back again. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I observe each step toward the lake with innocence and attention. In the state of full presence now, all thoughts disappear. The quieted mind gives way to feelings and sensations only. Everything is alive within me and around me. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">There is no difference between them. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>I quicken my pace and notice the new sound that it creates in the snow. I stop. Wait. </span>I look up a small hill into the intense sun. In other direction, I investigate my shadow reflected upon a mirror of white. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Who am I? </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The lake is close through many rows of trees on water's edge. The water has a thin layer of ice that interacts with the sun and its surroundings. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The brush of fallen branches and some surviving vegetation crackle below me and scrape against my clothes. I push through it and move down a small incline to be only a few yards from the shore. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rocks jut up from the water in nicely divided rows. The frozen lake sits unmoved and serene. There are new ice formations and the beginnings of designs to come if the snow stays away. The ice collaborates with these rocks on the shore. They have done this before. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>The cry of a loon now echoes across the landscape and its many directions. The loon is still with us, probably sifting through unfrozen water to communicate its message. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>A</span>n eagle soars over. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Barish is near me now. He sits and we stare out onto the lake. I breathe in the cold, refreshing air. Barish's nose begins to move from side to side. He leaves quickly. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: x-large;">I close my eyes to be fully in the silence. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">I am nature; I am snow. I am sight and sound. I am light and sky, bird and dog. I am life as it is. I am what it unfolds. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div>Jonathan Teelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00906328628046221376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318899618802928463.post-27420844046413794692020-11-07T20:42:00.006-08:002020-11-08T14:15:54.245-08:00Learning From Our Youth In A Time of Polarization <h2 style="text-align: left;"> I am a teacher this year for a group of 9th graders in Durham, North Carolina, at a public charter school. This is my second year there teaching the same group of students I taught in 8th grade. I have been fortunate to move up with them in grades as they grow and discover more of who they are and what they are passionate about. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">It may seem strange to think that these young students could know as much about who they are or what they care about at only 13 to 15 years old but times have changed. Our youth are growing up fast, showing signs of maturity and awareness only befitting of a generation powered by information but also a sense of what's important in life. As teachers, we also have a responsibility to instill in them such awareness and appreciation for what's possible when they trust in themselves. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">As the nation moves through another phase of the pandemic and these young people deal with being online and away from their friends in the classroom, we still have opportunities to see how our future might be when these youth come of age. For me, it inspires optimism even though I consider myself to be a positive person. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">As the US presidential election results were yet to be revealed this past week, one of my classes in world history went on past our usual 30 minutes of Zoom, as I helped facilitate a spontaneous discussion about the candidates, politics, policy, and what matters to them in today's culture. While these students' recognized that they couldn't vote, they were aware that their study and preparation now would make a difference in the future. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">They had well-thought out opinions on policies from immigration to economics and human rights or racial justice. They had done their research and were looking beyond the headlines and the main-stream discourse for answers. And they expressed varied perspectives respectfully to those that shared a different view. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">Too often today in politics and across the nation in a so-called divided country, people argue and throw insults at each other over a whole host of issues and with varying motivations. This isn't knew in the last four years even if it appeared to get worse. Politics has become less about dialogue and building consensus and more about fighting and building walls. It is an environment modeled to our youth in a super-charged era. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">And yet, in our animated discussion, with only minimal interjection by me, they were able to hold to their principles while acknowledging differences of opinion with compassion and respect. They prefaced statements with acknowledgment of differences before sharing their views. They agreed to disagree in some cases but did so amicably. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">I left the class feeling as I have many times before as a teacher of these remarkable students. These young people give us a great chance of rising above our differences in pursuit of a common goal. They are willing to dig deeper in their search for meaning and truth as well as right and wrong. It was the type of constructive dialogue that this nation would benefit from more of as we seek a path forward. </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">No matter how different we are as a people and no matter how much we have suffered, there are common values that we can look to for bridging seemingly impassable gaps. As these students have shown, it can start at the very least with a willingness to dialogue respectfully and constructively. Healing and progress can only happen when we're willing to find common ground with others as opposed to drawing lines in the sand. </h2>Jonathan Teelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00906328628046221376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318899618802928463.post-85618516318127476972020-01-11T07:37:00.001-08:002020-01-11T07:54:31.274-08:00Teacher-Student Exchanges on World-Wide Protests and Discontent <br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnyt4tMjYbvGRWBj5vaPsd8r79Cwhb9x2XPYF_d-mwLMK6yomxu_CYcCeR4xvYB7ua6wyxrHwSygtEEHvo8I9xNFK73QjbV11XzDUbt4CYfq1KD5ZvWR6AiYW_CHlYOH7eoeF5f4DiQUYS/s1600/protest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnyt4tMjYbvGRWBj5vaPsd8r79Cwhb9x2XPYF_d-mwLMK6yomxu_CYcCeR4xvYB7ua6wyxrHwSygtEEHvo8I9xNFK73QjbV11XzDUbt4CYfq1KD5ZvWR6AiYW_CHlYOH7eoeF5f4DiQUYS/s400/protest.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="color: black; font-size: 18.0pt;">I teach a diverse group of 12 and 13 year old 8th graders in
Social Studies in Durham, North Carolina. As part of our weekly current events
in recent months, we discussed the large protests moving across Latin America. Since
I lived and worked in Buenos Aires, Argentina between 2003-2010, I often share
stories with them and we reflect on the plight of a large majority of citizens
south of the US border and elsewhere. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 18.0pt;"><br />
As a class, we considered the political and social crisis raging in Venezuela,
the violence in Bolivia after disputed presidential elections, and the large
protests in Chile over mounting public grievances against the government.
Public discontent then boiled over in Columbia. They also looked at the presidential
election in Argentina that returned a left-wing party to power amidst another possible
economic crisis in that country. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 18.0pt;">I observed in Argentina and
throughout the region that common citizens were fed up with their persistent
economic hardship, poverty, and sense of powerlessness to do anything about it.
At each new election turn, either left or right-wing political parties, fought for
power and control over the country’s resources. As these large protests
demonstrated, their governments continue to fail to deliver any major changes
to the status quo for many amidst endless instability as corruption
scandals proliferate. It is a theme of political leadership largely
out of touch with the masses. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 18.0pt;">My students did not need to hear these insights from me. Powered
by the information age, they cultivate their individual perspectives freely. I
encourage them as well. Moreover, they have demonstrated not only a fierce
independence and moral sense of right and wrong but also concern about
injustice, inequality, and the environment. Still, I watch some of them struggle
to stay untainted by the pervasive cynicism of adults and the general social
climate. They believe largely that the adults are to blame for today’s
chaos and that it is appalling for millions of citizens to lack access to food,
shelter, and their basic human rights. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 18.0pt;">As we connected events in Latin America with ongoing protests in Hong
Kong and the Middle East, I asked them about our recent studies of the Indian
independence movement under Mahatma Gandhi and the battle for racial equality
inspired by Martin Luther King Jr and many others. I wondered out loud how we
might link the message of these two historical leaders with the global frustration
evident on the streets. And for us to consider our solutions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 18.0pt;">One male student answered that the people appeared to be voicing
their opinions and angry with oppression and inequality. Another chimed in that
racism hasn’t gone away while a female student blamed the protests on the greed
of the elite. And to answer the question about our solutions. One student said
nonviolence because it eventually weakened the aggressor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another female student pulled up on her
laptop the meaning of the words empathy and compassion. She shared that empathy
meant to put ourselves in the place of another and compassion inspired
different forms of action to alleviate the suffering of others. </span><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Even if we recognize the complexity of governance and distinct national interests, it is these underlying principles that can offer help to advance our goals for progress. If only the
governments and their leadership considered their advice. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 18.0pt;">As Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. awakened
both individual and collective awareness to our common humanity above race,
ethnicity, religion, or even culture; t</span><span style="font-size: 24px;">hese emerging global citizens are also wise beyond their adolescence and have the passion to drive it. They are </span><span style="font-size: 18pt;">inspired by how persistence, courage, and even love in the face of significant obstacles in history eventually exposed injustice and
advanced social progress.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 18.0pt;">As citizens in places like Latin America try again to sustain their
protests of discontent to achieve change, it is these children that we must consider as they become who they are. We have a responsibility to reform and heal a
broken system that will pave the way for them to do away with the oppression
and greed that deny so many their natural demands for freedom and security.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Jonathan Teelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00906328628046221376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318899618802928463.post-3541945837769876982019-06-21T16:29:00.002-07:002019-06-21T16:38:18.394-07:00Mother Earth Needs Us and We Need Her <h2>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1eyLfF-MLX3CCO8wVM2BUk4jQcZnOkpQcfZmLLkKyOOsCyEq2UvTFsxxdEltG7fHyFyuVVmZgQ6Vaj_B0cdTX6WB2HPiIxdGjzuixMlI20iv1gGzVQSefsZ_Y-slEBPuBXJK3TPZnpP6e/s1600/Lake+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1eyLfF-MLX3CCO8wVM2BUk4jQcZnOkpQcfZmLLkKyOOsCyEq2UvTFsxxdEltG7fHyFyuVVmZgQ6Vaj_B0cdTX6WB2HPiIxdGjzuixMlI20iv1gGzVQSefsZ_Y-slEBPuBXJK3TPZnpP6e/s400/Lake+.JPG" width="400" /></a><span style="font-weight: normal;">I grew up near a lake, a river, and the ocean in a small town in coastal Maine. I spent my summers on the lake watching sunsets and its play on myriad cloud formations. I marveled at the uniqueness of each sunset and was teased at times for it. Each moment, however, <i>was </i>different and awe-inspiring in its beauty. I smelled flowers, observed wildlife, and swam with fish. I watched angelic snowflakes fall from the sky upon my face in the wintertime. I was blessed and deeply appreciative.</span> </h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">I grew up with clean air and a fresh breeze off the Atlantic. I played in the frigid ocean and smelled the salty air. I heard stories of intoxicating air pollution in US cities and across the Earth. I was saddened. As any curious kid, I wondered why. </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Against the expansiveness of the ocean, there was the majesty of the mountains. I hiked growing up, enamored with the smell of the forest on trails and scaled small mountains. During a gap year, I hiked Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island in Hawaii, the Na Pali Coast on Kauai, and participated in several trips to high elevations of breathtaking landscapes while living in Argentina. </span></h2>
<h2>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvKDfj5LbRwEVjpvDYSX4N4Dz3tzPrV8Ti0nTh5tniGWgLhJoanWtxUKpNHHSRjDyxmabgFjSSYNzu9DvJgBBPOqynLYw2pzR-QlyBrI_LkatSbBbB9T0NyhA7nhvQ7Q35ieiW_uMpYy8F/s1600/Lake+Sunset+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvKDfj5LbRwEVjpvDYSX4N4Dz3tzPrV8Ti0nTh5tniGWgLhJoanWtxUKpNHHSRjDyxmabgFjSSYNzu9DvJgBBPOqynLYw2pzR-QlyBrI_LkatSbBbB9T0NyhA7nhvQ7Q35ieiW_uMpYy8F/s400/Lake+Sunset+.JPG" width="400" /></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">Each experience connected me to the magic and grace of our natural environment and its precious ecosystems. It was also impossible to overlook the impact of humans upon Mother Earth. </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Driving across wide-open plains and farmland through the middle of the US last year, I marveled at the richness of geography in this country and also US enterprise on mammoth farms. Mother Earth has been generous with us. I remembered, however, the continual negative impact of farming practices on our precious topsoil. We have depleted our topsoil in the pursuit of profit and with negligence. </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Living in California the last five years, I looked out over the Pacific Ocean most days. You couldn't tell by looking at its beauty teeming with life that far beyond sight lived a patch of trash the size of Texas. You couldn't tell that ecosystems are depleting and that the natural patterns of wildlife are in danger to say nothing of temperature changes. </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Many efforts are under way to heal Mother Earth in homes, communities, and even across nations and more people are waking up and loving Her. And yet, even if in the eyes of some we have made progress, we are far, far behind and have so much to be and do for Her without delay. </span></h2>
<h2>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHWx7Z5V0LKbw9ObwMUhynS8nUpy-PkPd5CyEgCv6rxDMlhfTNMLsCoklvJcDLJKgO5_5ahRFw0yr0mPV8v6hcnX0qNehsuMaH1MMhZ_vIz89TUbO9k926wxGxioqecis9wR5fW_f6vdZ/s1600/Goodbye+SoCal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHWx7Z5V0LKbw9ObwMUhynS8nUpy-PkPd5CyEgCv6rxDMlhfTNMLsCoklvJcDLJKgO5_5ahRFw0yr0mPV8v6hcnX0qNehsuMaH1MMhZ_vIz89TUbO9k926wxGxioqecis9wR5fW_f6vdZ/s400/Goodbye+SoCal.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">I briefly reflect upon these experiences because I feel every day that our precious Mother Earth needs us. She needs our positive, loving thoughts. She needs our daily care, protection, and action on her behalf. She needs us to truly see and appreciate her for what she gives us and respect what she could take away. She needs us to be aware that Her existence and ours are deeply intertwined. Without harmony and balance between us, we all lose. </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Far beyond our political debates about climate change, caring for Mother Earth reaches to the core of who we are and who we can be for Her right now if we choose differently. If we choose to cherish this great Earth that gives us daily life. </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">With these words, I send Mother Earth gratitude, love, and appreciation and humbly ask you to do the same while finding ways to help. </span></h2>
Jonathan Teelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00906328628046221376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318899618802928463.post-76925101838732513722019-05-25T08:50:00.004-07:002019-06-02T17:19:35.362-07:00The Tube<h2>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">A gaucho village beckoned. </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">It offered silence from the chaos of a city that never sleeps, of honking car horns, dump trucks pounding pot holes, and the buzz of incessant activity. </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">A gust of wind picked up as I descended from the public bus. It dusted the old cars with dirt parked nearby as well as a group of middle-aged women carrying plastic grocery bags. I observed their sun-beat skin and preoccupied looks with curiosity. </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">I moved through the village streets with melancholy as if I had been there before in my dreams. To this quiet place of horses, farmland, and simplicity. </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">I arrived at a park and found shade under a maple tree. I wondered about the last rain when I rested my backpack on grass colored brown. There I contemplated </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">the quietude of this far off place. </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">There was a creek and it flowed through the park forming different pools for swimming or dipping. A small waterfall pounded slippery rocks down the hill from me. </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">I could see one of the swimming holes straight ahead about twenty yards away. </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Two women sat on colorful blankets. One had a picnic basket and the other a grocery bag. The grocery bag stayed put despite occasional gusts of wind thanks to the contents within it. Their children played with soccer balls and dolls. The chatty mothers paused only to scold or instruct. </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">A young couple of flowering adolescence embraced on the barren ground to my right. They were lost in each other's eyes and teeming with unfulfilled desire. A bottle of soda baked in the penetrating sun beside them. </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">A homeless man wore only brown pants held up by his pointy hips and loose belt. He gazed into a trash bin in search of something special and muttered words without meaning to anyone but him. </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">I sipped my water and devoured a handful of crackers and waited. </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">A group of young boys with their girlfriends entered my view. The shirtless boys showcased chiseled abs, biceps, and strong calf muscles wearing bathing suits. The girls wore bikinis and casual open-toed sandals that caressed their ankles. They giggled as the boys dove into the water with vigorous energy. They began a game of tag in an effortless flow that both used water and land as accomplice for escape and attack. </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">The boys prodded the girls to join them but they shook their heads and flirted with their eyes. The boys moved like fish in heart and spirit. I took in the sound of their splashes, the shrieks of their playfulness, and the wonder of their youth with great admiration. </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">And then I noticed it. Before they did. Our reason for being on this today. </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">On the edge of an avenue made of cobblestones rolled toward us an object whose dimensions and out of place imagery reminded me of another dream. </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">An inflated tube four times the size of anything normal barreled along guided by two men. One of them had a thick build with a sagging belly. He walked without expression next to his skinny sidekick with a mischievous grin. If the tube could speak, I imagined that it may have warned us of its arrival. </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Where the road met the grass, the thick, black monstrosity was freed by the expressionless man. It glided and wobbled along its path and dropped into the swimming hole below. </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">The boy fish turned in awe as the girls jeered with anticipation. They looked up at the sagging belly now on the edge. He nodded with approval before letting out a vociferous <i>"Vamos."</i></span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">The boys, already out of the water, bombed the floating tire from above like missiles. They were deflected off of it into the water again and again. </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Soon the boys climbed the tube and perched themselves on the sides rocking back and forth and splashing water. Next they paddled in the same direction to create a dizzying spin. As their speed increased, one of them spread his wings and pencil dove into the wavy brown water. The others followed in similar fashion as if choreographed by spirit alone. </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">The anointed leader of the group with curly blond hair attempted to stand up on the tube as his friends steadied the beast. Soon they stood up together in triumphant unison only to be surprised by </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">the man with the sagging belly who dive-bombed them in fitful shrieks of absolute pleasure. </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">And then I jumped. </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">I jumped without concern for the world I left behind into a sea of strangers clinging to a gigantic tube rocking in disturbed water. </span> </h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Suspended in mid-air,</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;">I noticed the big smiles, pumping fists (not pictured) and joyous laughter of the group awaiting me. I </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">ricocheted</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> off the dubious tube creating a </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">cataclysmic</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> eruption that left us all under water. When I came up for air moments later, I noticed the floating instrument vertical in the air giving me a fleeting glimpse through its doughnut hole to the other side. </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;"></span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Pure joy. </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Pure joy with high flying jumps, balancing acts, and struggles to stay afloat before falling sideways and upside down. There were adventures of all kinds and silliness to be known only by a group of carefree souls having an unexpectedly marvelous afternoon.</span> </h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">An hour passed. It could have been two. </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">I pleaded for a day without end. </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">When I left the village, my heart </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">filled with gratitude for the gift of an extraordinary tube, a group of strangers turned into lifelong friends, and a pair of torn shorts unprepared for swimming but as a memento of an unforgettable day. </span></h2>
Jonathan Teelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00906328628046221376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318899618802928463.post-45751254035201720602019-05-17T14:54:00.003-07:002019-05-19T14:19:03.554-07:00A Story of Walking In Nature <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg_aQoHYe16qW6jLhDpgn2uyEMrYzbSKNZFHZdxn90cOLAd28li4F2nrlmgSIpwLVG5KSFge3ax6kljggbcPGr5l2A3XSShBd9kpgqxancDCcmOA9zqiAAu_7IJ6wsR8v7N31ulbZ5dA70/s1600/Nature+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg_aQoHYe16qW6jLhDpgn2uyEMrYzbSKNZFHZdxn90cOLAd28li4F2nrlmgSIpwLVG5KSFge3ax6kljggbcPGr5l2A3XSShBd9kpgqxancDCcmOA9zqiAAu_7IJ6wsR8v7N31ulbZ5dA70/s640/Nature+.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">I walk in nature. </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">I walk along a trail that leads somewhere. It is nestled into the green growth of a forest whose trees reach the sky. The singing of birds echo in my ears, each with a distinct song and message. One bird here and one bird there. </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">I hear the branches of the trees as they sway in the subtle breeze. I notice my footsteps on the dirt path. A dog barks in the distance but I know it is not mine. My dog, Barish, is near, jumping over fallen trees, smelling the scent of animals, and investigating the home of a creature below the ground. </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">The trail takes me to a stream. Flowing water fills my eyes, ears, and heart. It tries to calm the endless thoughts that rumble through my mind like freight trains. I walk over a footbridge and it bounces against my weight. From my view the stream now sparkles in the sunlight, its rays pouring down from the heavens. </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">My busy mind continues unabated even if nature is slowly winning. I walk along a straightaway into an area without sun but instead cool shade. An invisible spider web brushes across my face and distracts me from all-consuming thoughts. Annoyed I stop and breathe in an effort to quiet them. </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">Suddenly, I hear a quiet voice within me that stops the thoughts and communicates its presence. </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">And it happens. I am fully here. The sun is shining through the trees bouncing off all things. The trees sway in the breeze again and the birds are alive. A large frog sounds off from the murky pool of water below. Barish pauses to look with me. </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">I hear <i>everything.</i> </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">My eyes meet a dragonfly paused in mid-air. It lands on a tall plant nearby and I approach. I look deep into its alien eyes, fully present with it and it with me. Neither of us move and we stare at each other in a place of no time. </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">I proceed on to be greeted by a yellow butterfly and then another with orange and red wings. Dragonflies descend upon me against the tune of ants marching below my feet. I am exposed to the scorching sun beyond the trees in an opening. I feel its warmth. </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">What new surprises await in the presence of this never ending moment? </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">A deer. </span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">The backside of a deer at midday on a hill. Barish sees it too and takes off. Before they disappear, I see the back legs of the deer in its escape and the black and brown fur of my playful dog in pursuit of his new adventure. </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">I know the deer is too fast for him and so I walk down to the edge of the stream to wait and dip my hands into its cool embrace. I splash my face. Soon I notice Barish barreling back down the hill toward me out of breath but deeply fulfilled. </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">On the way back, I meet my friend the dragonfly again in the same exact spot. It waits for me. We stare at each other for only a few seconds before it flies away flashing at me the intense blue of its tiny vibrating wings in a ray of sunlight to animate my soul. </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">I fight to stay present with the fleeting nature as the parking lot looms. My busy thoughts return to a world beyond this magical place. </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Barish resists our departure. He taunts me to play from many yards away to tell me that the world can wait. And so I consider it for awhile breathing in the natural air. </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">At the car, I see missed messages on my cell phone and notice the increasing flood of thoughts. The peace of nature remains however because within me resides its presence, its power, and its abundant grace. </span></h2>
Jonathan Teelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00906328628046221376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7318899618802928463.post-48759676831902682042013-02-25T14:08:00.002-08:002023-04-30T11:18:59.943-07:00Living within the UncertaintyWaking Up is about living within the uncertainty of life. <br />
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Our lives and our experiences are uncertain from our perspective. We don't necessarily know what is going to happen tomorrow or the next day or in the future. We may certainly have a sense of what will happen tomorrow because we planned it that way or expect it to unfold in a certain way. Nonetheless, for us to know the end result of anything is almost impossible. <br />
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Uncertainty in life makes us anxious, fearful, and stressed. For the majority of us, we are worried about everything: from family and friends to our jobs and our responsibilities and to our health and happiness. Above all, we are worried about the outcomes of our decisions. We hate not knowing what's going to happen next. <br />
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There are three concepts whose practice might help us to minimize "the anxiety of uncertainty." In brief: <br />
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1. <b>Letting Go: </b><br />
Letting go is to no longer seek to control everything that happens to us or others. Letting go does NOT mean "not caring." We care about what happens in our lives and the lives of others, but we're more willing to let the chips fall where they may. <br />
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2. <b>Acceptance:</b><br />
While we begin to 'let go' of our need for specific outcomes, we choose to 'accept' whatever it is that happens. We are willing to look it in the eye and embrace it. This is by no means easy. It is one of the most challenging things we'll ever do. And yet, through acceptance of events, circumstances, and even the thoughts of doubt or fear that preoccupy us, we create space for healing, deep clarity, and happiness. <br />
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3. <b>The Present Moment</b><br />
When we embrace the process of first'letting go' and then 'accepting' whatever it is that happens, we open the door wider for us to live in the present moment. By living in the present moment, we maximize our potential to be, to do, or to deal with anything. This in turn empowers us to experience life without stress, strain, or that dreaded uncertainty. <br />
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<b>Personal Experience:</b> I am dealing with uncertainty right now. I was thinking about the future and concerned about how things might or might not unfold when it comes to my professional and career goals. My mind was wading through doubts and worries about how it will all turn out; trying to interpret the unknown. <br />
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Wonderfully however, my experience of uncertainty helped me to remember the ideas communicated in this blog: the importance of letting go, of acceptance, and the experience of the present moment. Our awareness of these three concepts and a willingness to begin to practice them every day is one important step to living within the uncertainty. <br />
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Jonathan Teelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00906328628046221376noreply@blogger.com0