Tag: people

These Five Though

Remember when Dorothy and her cohorts met the real “Wizard of Oz” and they realized that the wizard was just a human being, nothing more and nothing less? I’ve been noticing this phenomenon in myself lately. Without really knowing certain people, I have either built them up, or I have torn them down with stories that I made up in my head about them. I already had made up my mind about a few people whom I had only met a handful of times. And then I spent some open-minded, inquisitive time with these people, and it’s like I am getting to know someone completely different and new. This prejudgment is not fair to others, and it’s embarrassing and sometimes a little devastating to me.

The important question which I have been asking myself, is why did I need to do this? Why did I turn certain people into characters that fit into my narratives? Did I need a supporting cast to validate my own decisions? Why do we feel the need for superheroes and villains to exist, when in real life, all of us are a big mix, in between the two extremes?

Everything you ever read about obtaining peace and serenity, comes down to accepting life on life’s terms, in the every single moment. That includes everyone in your life. In “The Wizard of Oz” it turns out that the wizard could have easily fit into Dorothy’s little gang of friends, going along the paths of their lives, utilizing their talents and accommodating their flaws. I read something recently that said what we love in others, is what we love about ourselves, and what we can’t stand about others, are traits which we wish that we could consciously see, and accept, and forgive within ourselves.

When you find yourself creating stories about the people and the events in your life, get less curious and detail oriented about the fantastical stories about others, and get more curious about your need to create the stories. What are these stories that you are creating, telling yourself about you, and your needs, and your desires, and your fears? Take other people off of their pedestals, and/or pick them out of your proverbial sewers, and get to know them with an objective, realistic, humanistic point of view. The lessons are not in the fictional sagas which we make up, but in the everyday, in-the-moment nuances found in our compassion for others, and for ourselves.

Cowardly Lion: “I have always thought myself very big and terrible; yet such small things as flowers came near to killing me, and such small animals as mice have saved my life. How strange it all is! – The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Dorothy: “If I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own backyard. Because if it isn’t there, I never really lost it to begin with! Is that right? – The Wizard of Oz

Wizard of Oz: “Frightened? Child, you’re talking to a man who’s laughed in the face of death, sneered at doom, and chuckled at catastrophe… I was petrified.”

Scarecrow: “I am convinced that the only people worthy of consideration in this world are the unusual ones. For the common folks are like the leaves of a tree, and live and die unnoticed.” – The Wizard of Oz

Tin Woodman (Tin man): “I shall take the heart. For brains do not make one happy, and happiness is the best thing in the world.” – The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Landscapes

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post credited to Think Smarter, Twitter, writer unknown

I love this post. Who makes up the landscapes of your life? Who’s your delicate flower? Your raging ocean? Your quiet forest? Your towering mountain? Your colorful sky? Who has knocked you down and left you breathless? Who brings sunshine into your life? What if you listed all of these different people right now, and then listed the lesson that each of them has taught to you in your own life. Wouldn’t this be an insightful exercise? Wouldn’t you be amazed at the blessings different people have been, and can be, in order to help you to find your own true north, your own true self?

On the opposite side of the coin, imagine what force of nature you might be in other people’s lives. Are you that same force of nature for everyone whom you meet? I’ve known sweet, cuddly panda-types who are able to turn on a dime into raging Kodiak mama bears, if their children are being threatened. And I adore them for that transformative power.

It’s interesting, too, when all of these people come together as a family, or as close groups of friends or co-workers. You almost get a whole new experience and lessons when this happens. Your family and your people who make up the different landscapes of your life, create unique worlds for you and each bring out different aspects of yourself. What group of people make up your rocky terrain? Who’s your smooth sailing team? Where do you fit into these different landscapes? How do you feel in these different elements? How do these different terrains morph you into different forms?

During the holidays, it is so easy to stay distracted and busy and bustled and frazzled. Don’t forget to take a pause and give yourself the precious present of your own presence. The holidays happen at the end of one year, and on the cusp of a new year. There is no better time than now, to spend some quiet time in meditation and in contemplation. Turn the twinkly lights down. Put the to-do list into a closed folder for a moment, and take some time to breathe and to relish and to cherish and to mourn and to feel and to cry and to laugh and to hope and to pray and to smile and to believe and to listen and to hear and to smell and to taste and to savor and to see and to really see and to swell and to relax. Notice what happens when you do these things. Notice what happens in your body. Notice what happens in your mind. Notice what happens in your spirit. Be curious about you. Take some time to be human. Take some time to just be. Realize your own presence, your own energy, your own scenery and delight in it, and all of its amazing abilities. Realize everything that you bring to yourself, and to all of the different people in your life. Realize your part in every landscape of your life and be in awe. You are amazing. You are a vital part of it all.

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.