Speechless and appreciating

To all those people who leave me speechless.

.......when you leave me speechless; brain going a million miles an hour but not fast enough to process what you said.

You put me off balance, physically shifting my position. Leaning back. Taking it in. My eyes looking up - trying to see how the pieces fit together.

WOW. Really? Did you just say that? Did you just do that? What does that mean? You surprised me and I'm surprised that I'm surprised. I'm appreciating.

I heard what you SAID and I HEARD what you DID. I didn't just listen. I HEARD.

Now I'm challenged to make it part of me. Give me a minute, a day, or a year. It may take that long.

I love the challenge. Thank you and please keep doing it.

Loan me your glasses

The world becomes blurry sometimes and I've figured out to surround myself with people that can remind me.

They remind me that the way I see the world is not the only way - they loan me their glasses for a while. They wake me up.

My friend Heather said to me a couple of weeks ago, "Isn't it funny how life gives nods and winks?" and I added, "and shouts but you find out you need a hearing aid."

I've gotten lost in the past. AND I will get lost again (lost, blind, and deaf) AND sometimes it was on the way to a dream. AND it will be on the way to a dream again.

BUT now I know to ask people to loan me their glasses. I won't wait.

AND I also know that getting lost isn't getting lost at all because sometimes when you're on your way to a dream and you get lost, you find a better dream.

We are all........

We are all teachers.
We are all students.

We all have wisdom.
We all have ignorance.

We are all human.

Give me the opportunity to be curious.
Give me the opportunity to share.
Give me the opportunity to listen.
Give me the opportunity to hear.

Doubt

Crappy day.

What made it a crappy day?

hmmm..........

Doubt.

Sometimes it takes me a while to catch up with myself. I tweeted (@mrelin) 2:17 AM Mar 29th via mobile web

Doubt is definitely the enemy of faith, certainty, and confidence


Now, I would add that doubt is the enemy of self.
For most of the day, I was doubting, not knowing - without knowingness.
I didn't sink into the energizing moments; I dwelled in the bad.
I gave up my power.
I wasn't contagious in a good way; I took.

For the rest of my day, I'm going to skip Doubt. I'm going to trust me. It IS what I want it to be.

Giving, taking and sharing moments

People talk about getting balance in their life. The notion of balance is definitely not a "point in time" notion. It's like playing the Wii Fit balance games - it's about how well you handle the back and forth, left and right, and the rare right in the middle moments.

• I was walking in the woods with my kids and my son (12) grabbed my hand and walked with me for a while hand in hand. He was giving me a moment and I took it.
• I stopped Arnau (the man that keeps our cafeteria presentable) by stepping on the cord to the vacuum cleaner because I knew he would laugh when he turned to see it was me. I gave a moment and he took it.
• I asked my daughter, "Pink or purple?" She said, "Purple." Three seconds passed. We both looked at each other and said at the same time, "What about purple or blue? I'd have a hard time with that." We laughed. We shared the moment.

I feel like I've been taking a lot of moments lately. I've been amazed at the generosity of people. I try to give myself credit for the moments that I'm giving and I cherish the moments I'm sharing and I'm right in the middle.

Ripe

Let me sink into this moment ripe with calm.
It bursts forward demanding recognition.

Close my eyes.
Acknowledge.
Appreciate.

This moment - humble, yet plentiful.

Sounds.
Smells.
Tastes.
Energy.

Its simplicity belies its abundance.
All revealed when I step into my invisible retreat.

Here.
Grateful.

Let me sink into this moment ripe with calm.

3 things I learned this week

See my guest blog on http://www.50letters.com/ dated March 31, 2010

A preview:
1. Figure it out. Who you are now and who and how you want to be. Write it down. Start with five things. Add, cross off as you go.


2. Ask people. Send out a quick email or text asking people for 3 words to describe you. I was surprised by what I got back.

3. Tell people. Give back. Make sure you tell people what you see in them – It’s another way of saying thank you.