A Beauty To Behold
Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then ask yourself and yourself alone one question. Does this path have heart?
For me, there is only the traveling on paths that have heart, on any path that may have heart. There I travel, and the only worthwhile challenge is to traverse its full length. And there I travel, looking, looking, breathlessly.
- Don Juan
As I reflect upon life, I am enchanted and awed by the observation that love is at the core of our existence here on planet earth. I’m not talking rose-colored glasses here. Love’s opposite, hatred (darkness), visits with us here on this lovely planet as well.
It’s the great paradox of life, these opposites. How would we know light without the contrast of dark? What do you do with this paradox? How do you reconcile that love and hate exist side by side?
While I’m not suggesting I have the “answer” to this question, or even that there is an answer, I do know how I reconcile it. I choose to follow a path with heart.
Sure, I can be a brat at times, can’t you? I remember at about age 19 my boyfriend saying to me “You’re not a heart person”. I have never felt so hurt by a statement. Even then I felt in the core of my being, though, that it wasn’t true. I’ve always known I’m a heart person.
Long ago I grew tired of trying to be perfect. In fact, perfect scares me and it’s ever so boring. What do you think about perfection? Do you feel nurtured in the presence of perfection? I don’t.
Being real, on the other hand, is appealing. Authenticity is inspiring and it feels safe emotionally. We can trust someone who’s authentic, even if it’s not what we want to hear in the moment. Children respond to authenticity. We respond to authenticity. We can wrap our minds and hearts around it.
Read the Rest
We Are Family
Homesick! That’s how I’m feeling. How do you feel when you think of heading home?
In a few short days I’ll be packing my bags and heading “home” to Pennsylvania. Nostalgia has set in. Lingering hours at the kitchen table with my mom. Playing and hanging out with my nephews.
Long blissful times spent hanging with my little sister having great talks, her dragging me to the shopping mall – a torture I’ll only endure for her (I have to protest a little to make it more fun for her).
Shooting a few games of pool at the tavern with my brother who’ll graciously teach me a thing or two about the art that tends to run in the family. Hanging with the uncle. Watching the beautiful Susquehanna River flow by in all its majesty.
Driving in “normal” traffic, unlike my beloved California, and seeing the countryside and the Amish buggies with the wonderful garb. Sometimes the kids will be riding alongside with their bicycles. Eating food I can only get there – and would only eat there! Seeing all my wonderful friends. Mornings at the cafe. Umm.
You know what I’m talking about!
Read the Rest
Different Styles
Personality Styles & Relationships
Today I’d like to talk with you about personality styles and how you can understand your relationships better by learning about them.
Although we rarely think about it, not everyone thinks and feels the same way we do. We have our own “style” or personality, our own “lens” if you will, through which we tend to view life.
It’s a mistake to believe that everyone else views life our way. This mistaken belief creates problems in our romantic relationships. You may feel like you and your partner (or potential partner) are speaking different languages. You’re on a different “wave length”.
Understanding that we’re different from one another helps us create a space for greater awareness and a willingness to include other perspectives. Learning about different “styles” may help you understand yourself and others, allowing more room for embracing differences.
Your “style” says a lot about how you move in the world, your way of viewing life, and how you relate with others.
The purpose of a typology isn’t to “put people in boxes”, but rather to acknowledge that as an individual you tend to lean toward one personality type more than others.
Read the Rest
