Once upon a time a famous poet was a guest in a college English class where one of his poems was being discussed. Students gave varying opinions as to the meaning of a certain passage. After a bit the poet stood up and said, “Actually, what I meant in writing that was…” but before he could finish, the professor quickly said, “SIT DOWN, YOU’RE JUST THE  AUTHOR!”

That’s the way creativity operates on this planet. As an artist in any medium, what you think-n-say about your work matters not a fraction compared to what the world sees when they experience it.

A friend asked me, “Is it better to be loved or feared? You can fight through fear with love. It’s impossible to fight through love using fear. What do you think?”

I replied with an old saying, “the biggest problem with a gun is that you command obedience only so long as you are holding and aiming it.” And so it is also with fear in general.

There is a thrill of sorts associated with “making someone do something” but it is short lived and counter productive. Because fear must be produced in others against their will, it requires a great deal of effort and energy to enforce. Drop your guard for a moment and fear can then be used against you a million different ways.

Love, on the other hand, is the natural result of a life fully lived spent connecting with others and establishing bonds. Love conquerors all by yielding everything.

Love is recharging. Fear is draining. Love is reinforcing. Fear is undermining. Love is spiritual. Fear is visceral. Love progresses. Fear regresses.

Beyond the now, ultimately, whatever we produce comes back to us and completes a karmic circuit. To sow fear is to reap a bounty of sadness. To sow love is to reap a lifetime of joy.

Which is better? If I have to tell you, there are no words that would explain.

AHO!

I had a wonderful conversation with a young lady who manages one of my favorite local restaurants.  Through our frequent patronage she has come to know my family. During our chat she mentioned that she was impressed with my children (two sons, 18 & 20), especially by their maturity and intelligence. I, of course, thought her to be an excellent judge of character.

She then told me a bit about her own children, two young boys just beyond toddler-hood, and said that she would be appreciative of any advice I had about raising them properly. We swapped a few parenting stories and did a good job of making each other smile. Then, as I was leaving, I turned around with sudden inspiration and gave her the one piece of universal advice I had. Something that applies to virtually all challenges we encounter in this life. It is short and to the point:

Every situation is different, but if you always act from your heart
the worst you can be is wrong for the right reasons.

There it is, so simple and yet so all encompassing. This one concept is a major key to life itself and how to live it fully, regardless of your belief system (or the lack of one). What it is not, is an excuse to be impulsive, self centered and Hedonistic. Quite the contrary. The heart is the mind’s most invaluable tool when we get into the habit of listening to it.

If one truly uses their heart as a compass most of life’s confusion falls away. It simplifies your situation, clarifies your mind and reveals what’s really important for the development of your Spirit. And best of all, it actually can banish worry and doubt, because the heart is the portal through which we connect to something that is greater than ourselves. It does not matter what you conceptualize that “something greater” to be, but it is vital to your own growth that you connect with it.

Isn’t it amazing that one casual conversation can reveal an insight that guides you for a lifetime?!  That’s how life works IF YOU ARE LISTENING.

AHO!

I have two dear friends who had both been orphaned as foundlings, then adopted as infants by loving families. They were entrusted to wonderful homes with caring parents, yet the fruit of their upbringing was wildly different, based primarily upon their own perception of their original origins.

One of them was not burdened by his knowledge of once having been an orphan. He viewed himself as a child of the universe, and knew that he was there in the world because Creator wanted him to be. He knew, deep inside, that his birth parents were simply the instruments that the cosmos used to bring him here. Because of this uplifting perspective, he experienced every day with a heart full of joy and appreciation.

The other friend was not nearly so wise. He thought that, because his birth parents obviously didn’t want him, there must be something lacking in his own being. Nothing he did was ever good enough in his own eyes. Every day was a fruitless proving of himself to himself. He lied to others in order to make himself look larger than life because, in his own mind, he wasn’t good enough without embellishment.

These two friends are two sides of the same coin.  Very similar experiences brought forth very different results, depending on the viewpoint – and spirituality – of the individual. Perception can indeed become reality.

AHO!

I couldn’t resist sharing this wonderful story.

I hope you enjoy it too!

…VoGE

Living under the water in a lily pond were a colony of water bugs. They were great friends and all lived happily together but, every so often, one of them would attach itself to a lily stalk and make its way up into the sunlight, never to be seen again.

One water bug in conversation with the others said he had noticed this and had often wondered why this happened and what was on the other side of the water and more importantly , why none of the others had returned to explain. All the bugs made a promise that if they were to go up a stalk they would come back and tell what they had seen.

Well, one day, the very bug who had made the suggestion found himself stuck on a stalk. He made his way up and through the water to the surface, breaking through he found himself on a huge lily pad. Things had changed dramatically – he was now breathing air and he’d gotten wings! Suddenly he took off in a flash , soaring through the air. It was glorious!

Just then he remembered his promise, “I must go back and tell the others” he thought. So with that in mind he flew down to the water’s surface, but much to his surprise he couldn’t get through to his friends below.

After several attempts he decided to abandon that idea hoping that all his friends would know he tried to keep his promise. He flew off into the sun knowing that they would all meet again, someday, when they were dragonflies too.