Day 19: Passages*

...But this was not how the author of the book ended the
story.
He said that when Narcissus died, the Goddesses of the
Forest appeared and found the lake, which had been fresh
water, transformed into a lake of salty tears.
"Why do you weep?" the Goddesses asked.
"I weep for Narcissus," the lake replied.
"Ah, it is no surprise that you weep for Narcissus," they
said, "for though we always pursued him in the forest, you
alone could contemplate his beauty close at hand."
"But..... was Narcissus beautiful?" the lake asked.
"Who better than you to know that?" the Goddesses said
in wonder, "After all, it was by your banks that he knelt each
day to contemplate himself!!"
The lake was silent for some time.
Finally it said:
"I weep for Narcissus, but I never noticed that Narcissus
was beautiful. I weep because, each time he knelt beside my
banks, I could see, in the depths of his eyes, my own beauty
reflected."
"What a lovely story," the alchemist thought. ~ The Alchemist





"We're in a hurry to get to the top of the heap.
We don't realize that, as we spread Love,
we climb naturally. Maybe not most quickly,
but remember the story of the tortoise and the
hare. The tortoise, although he walked slowly
and steadily, reached the goal before the quick-footed
hare." ~ A Return to Love


“Your treasure – your perfection – is within you already. But to claim it, you must leave the busy commotion of the mind and abandon the desires of the ego and enter into the silence of the heart.” ~ Eat Pray Love


*A passage from a book that has touched you.

Day 18: Surrender

-->A Picture That Makes You Feel<--

Consider your own life—how many times a day does some situation pop up that leads to moments of frustration and anxiety? Surrendering your head to your heart in those moments will lead you to balance and fulfillment. As you listen to your spirit, peace follows. So follow your spirit. Build your foundation in your heart. Love must be your innermost and spontaneous response towards every person you encounter. Say to yourself inside, "I just love." Use these words as a key to start the engine running in your heart and watch life brighten with new love and understanding. Surrender to your new awareness and let love unfold the purpose of creation to you.

~ Sara Paddison, Hidden Power of the Heart

Day 17: Ginkgo Biblio

aka What I want to be remembered for...

My friend interviewed me shortly after recouping from exposing myself for the sake of a college education (i.e. a "scholarship" pageant). Yes, I'm referring to the Swimsuit Competition. I'm modest by nature and I truly admire a woman that can express confidence through her physicality. She is not me. So, stepping out in heels and a bathing suit was as frightening as anything I had ever done to that point. It was a real challenge. I remember being center stage, allowing myself to be scrutinized and asking myself, Why am I here? Shortly after securing the scholarship, my friend asked me what I saw myself doing with my life. Fair question. Scholarship meant college. College meant career. I told him the first thing that came mind: I'm going to spending 50 years living life and 10 years writing about it. Could I have given him a more ambiguous answer? There I was back to, Why am I here and why did I just let someone spray glue my ass?*

In truth, I've lived a life of Am I? instead of I Am!! A life of questioning based in fear and insecurity. That is nothing short of one in which you hear a calling and you turn away from it. When you have an answer and you twist it back into a question. You feel a knowing in your chest and you dismiss it as heartburn, or worse, heartache. It is the deepest disconnection from Self. It's putting you out there in the vulnerable state of believing you are alone on the stage, stripped and unworthy when, in fact, you are the audience, the judge and the contestant. And then, when you feel the connection, you have the beautiful realization that it's not a contest at all; it's a story and you're writing it.

I don't have to be remembered for anything.

I want to be the one remembering.



*Necessary to avoid "ride-ups' aka wedgies.