Take a moment to smell the beauty of the summer

In life we can get so busy that time can pass and we suddenly notice that another summer has gone by and we did not take a moment to get out and enjoy the light and wonderful things that are all around us. There is nothing like having a minute to relax and take in this beautiful summer.

By the nature of my job and all the travel that it requires, I have these opportunities to be in different spaces and environments. I think the contrast that happens so quickly is why I have the awareness to notice the changes that happen.

Presently I am California and the weather is warm and bright. The winds off the ocean call out. The birds are joyously busy raising their young. There is so much hustle and bustle all around. I am watching work being done on a building across the way from where I am staying and I appreciate all the effort it takes for life to exist and continue.

It is amazing to observe. Sometimes we get so caught up in the process of it all that we forget to appreciate the experiences that we are getting at the same time.

Take a moment to appreciate this experience you are having, the drama as well as the parts you dread. You have manifested this experience in order to learn something. What is it? Do you have the awareness to notice that gift?

Many experiences are there for us to stretch and expand love and consciousness into spaces where we have kinks and blocks. But when life hands us up a big plate of kinks it is not always fun.

I try to have a sense of humor with what I have created. It is especially funny when I can step out of my minds' judgement and opinion of the situation. Sometimes for me that can take a moment. It is not funny when I am in the trigger but later I realize how much my body/mind can store old traumas and upsets. I need situations to remind me that I have stuffed energy from negative experiences within my body. My ego does not like to be reminded that those blocks are there but it is helpful if you can realize that this is just energy that needs to be released.

Americans hate to slow down because as soon as you slow down you are going to begin to feel what you have been keeping buried within. As soon as you let go of the rush, rush, survival mode existence that is a normal life, you then realize how much energy it is taking to avoid what you are feeling and what is true in that moment.

I often wonder how much longer each of us would live if we could have permission within to be our authentic self moment by moment. That does not mean being in my habits that I believe are my core being. That is my accumulation of habituated patterns that I have learned in order to cope with this reality.

I am talking about a culture where it was supported and allowed to feel what you are feeling. That also does not me dumping that emotion on others in a negative or attacking way. When one is being authentic and coming from a deeply true place, it is actually easy for others to be with us.

But if you find yourself looping over and over again about the same thing. You are simply caught by a mental construct within your mind that is not allowing the expression of the true emotion to come out. You are often trying to get the answer that you are looking for rather than confront the uncomfortable truth that keeps attempting to break through the mind's control. My mind loves to create illusions as a way to stop me from knowing the truth. Thereby changing the situation. Minds love routine. Truth breaks through that routine and disrupts the homeostasis that the brain loves to fall into.

So take a moment to notice on what situation you are presently looping. Breathe, slow down, and begin to tell yourself the uncomfortable truth that is lying just below the surface of your mental chatter. Let that knowledge trickle in and allow yourself to feel what comes up for you when that happens. If you need to grieve, grieve. If you need to cry, cry. If you need to laugh at what is so obvious, do that. Simply allow in what ever is there. Give it some air time. Pay attention and see what new awareness and insight is coming into form within you.

All truth is good when it is embraced with love and comes from the heart. All growth is wonderful when it allow more freedom to be expressed in your life. When you are honest and open, everyone in your life will feel it and open in response also.

I am always amazed that when I open to a new truth or awareness how people on the street cannot help but notice and smile back at me. My beingness in that truth is enough to open others just with my presence. They cannot help but respond. Everyone of us is dying to be seen and to be given permission to express our deepest self with others. But we are afraid. When you work through your internal patterns, it allows others to feel into you and find the pathway within themselves also.

That is why being in the presence of a guru or teacher is so helpful at moments. When you are in their presence you are opened by their openness. You then like yourself more and their energy can stabilize the patterns that you are working with internally. The teachers presence can give energetic grace and acceptance. That is often hugely helpful to learn to navigate those spaces within.

But you need to learn how to do the process in order to convince yourself that you are good and whole. That is why often you need to move away from teachers at some point in order to navigate those spaces personally for true integration to happen. It is by taking responsibility for your personal journey that you move towards more wholeness. It is only through your own experiences that you can teach and gift others with your knowledge and trust in their divine presence.

Teachers can show the way but a great teacher allows you to find your own path through the jungle of your karma. It is through their belief in you that you become your fullest self.