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Lin · Messages: 1 Location: Learning About Life - Avatar

saying thanks to family, friends and strangers
deciding to look for good
appreciating others points of view
letting go of the need to be right
not having to be perfect
helping others
making mistakes and learning from them
moving on
being myself
accepting what I'm feeling
going for my goals

taking action

living life deliberately

What is our real work on this planet? It is to make ourselves more aware, to remind ourselves that our essential nature is non-violent, and to increase the amount of compassion and co-operation on the planet.
Harry Palmer

Krista · Messages: 459

Go out and make meaning, as my Existentialism professor would say. We all love living in a world of "specific people". You know, those people who don't mind reaching for heights that soar above the crowd. I'm pretty sure most of y'all here at StoryPeople fit that category, at least. The world could not move forward without "outside the box" thinkers.

And I'm thankful too, for all of you, who keep me thinkin', keep me outside the box even when it gets cold and I really want to go in! *winks*

Much love...
~Krista

Mallory · Messages: 878

You got your own little oven to help you stay warm this winter Sis!!! The extra layers you keep mentioning! But I hope you still keep thinkin' outside the box when you get cold once in a while! heeehehehehe...

*wink wink wink*

*grin*

Peace in your hearts,
With the love of my soul
~Mallory

~*Music is the vernacular of the human soul*~

Krista · Messages: 459

You know what I'm finding? My little oven is keeping my belly and torso nice and roasty toasty but my hands and feet? Inevitably cold. Always.

Annoying! LOL. I don't think outside the box as much as I used to...gonna have to work on that.

hecticeclectic · 25/10/2008 16:08:23 Subject: Re: conveying gratitude

lin wrote:

taking action
living life deliberately

indeed lin...and how wonderful this thing called "life" is!!!

ya'll talk about "thinking outside the box"...well, coloring outside the lines can make life interesting and exciting, too.

Peace, Jo

Look up at the sky. Ask yourself, "Has the sheep eaten the flower or not?" And you'll see how everything changes.
And no grown-up will ever understand how such a thing could be so important!
Antoine de Saint-Exupery, THE LITTLE PRINCE

Mallory · Messages: 878

It is interesting Lin, I connect to all of "conveying gratitude," the love in those lines soars.

And the two lines you picked out, Jo?

Take Action
Live Deliberately

So ideal, so much of what I want to be doing. I wonder, because I think like that a lot... so I wonder if that is how I live? Sometimes I'm not sure if I choose to Live Deliberately and Act, or if I'm watching all the beauty and interconnectedness of the world and just breathing it in.

I wanna add to the beauty.

Take Action
Live Deliberately
Breathe...

~smiles~

Thanks.

~Mallory

Peace in your hearts,
With the love of my soul
~Mallory

~*Music is the vernacular of the human soul*~

hecticeclectic · 15/11/2008 11:36:14 Subject: Re: conveying gratitude

Mallory wrote:

Sometimes I'm not sure if I choose to Live Deliberately and Act, or if I'm watching all the beauty and interconnectedness of the world and just breathing it in.

Mallory...i like the "breathing it in" idea. i needed to be reminded that the best thing to do sometimes is to just enjoy the view.

Peace, Jo

Look up at the sky. Ask yourself, "Has the sheep eaten the flower or not?" And you'll see how everything changes.
And no grown-up will ever understand how such a thing could be so important!
Antoine de Saint-Exupery, THE LITTLE PRINCE

mame · Messages: 1297 Location: Colorado (aka:Paradise)

I'm really good at the "breathing it in" (notwithstanding my current breathing challenges), but the "taking action" part of it definitely needs work! Great thoughts here.

~~Mame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Were there no God, we would be in this glorious world with grateful hearts, and
no one to thank" ~ Christina Rossetti

mousemaid · Messages: 312 Location: by woods on a snowy evening

Thank you Lin.

Every line is one that I have thought to myself one time or another.
All put together, they are very powerful.
I'm going to print this out and stick it to my refrigerator.

accept who you are then let her be. happiness follows.
- ms scarlett

anntinasia · 19/11/2008 12:38:51 Subject: Re: conveying gratitude

Anntinasia

"Sometimes life calls for an unexpected hat!"

"Everything you can imagine is real."
~Pablo Picasso~

anntinasia · 19/11/2008 12:48:29 Subject: Re: conveying gratitude

Ooops! Where did my reply go???

Hi Lin,
Nice that you can put into words what a lot of us think and believe.
I am taking a hiatus from "deliberate living" right now and am just "breathing it all in" like Mallory said. We all need a rest period when we are not living deliberately. Give and Take....that's what life is all about. You need both to keep things in balance.....not always easy, but , oh, so worth it when it clicks....
Tina

Anntinasia

"Sometimes life calls for an unexpected hat!"

"Everything you can imagine is real."
~Pablo Picasso~

Mallory · Messages: 878

Happy Thanksgiving StoryFamily!!!

... Living Life Deliberately... Something I really thought last year was a must, something I find extremely important, something I am thrilled to contemplate here...
But I am also realizing in this moment for the first time that I deliberately am taking this time to breathe, to live a little bit less deliberately. There are so many things I mean to do that I have not, and it isn't really like me. But this is my chance to breathe, and I'm soaking it in. Especially time with family.

I have this difficulty sometimes with being in the moment and not being aware of being in the moment - meaning there is this almost constant meta-awareness that I don't exactly take for granted, but that I wish would sometimes be a little less overwhelming so I can just be there... Does anyone else know what I mean by that? It probably sounds twisted that I want to be less aware in the moment, but... it is hard to explain. Maybe I just think too much? *laughs*

Well I'm finally slowing down enough to begin having a few moments here and there without so much meta-awareness, in the moment. I find I still have it after the fact, looking back and analyzing and gasping in sheer wonder or smiling in contentment, but I do enjoy looking back to realize, once in a while, rather than being so aware of the joy and love and preciousness of a moment that I am not *in* it as much... I take in moments in a different way, more as a whole, if you will. It is such a different life to have a semester off of school - just working part time for the time being, riding my friend Fran's horse, playing with my dogs, taking random (and planned) trips to Dayton, Canada, Jamaica, ...and St. Louis for huge national music therapy conferences (so much I would love to share!) and spending time with my family.

Music helps me to convey gratitude, and currently Josh Groban is playing on the dvd player and speakers my dad and I just spent several hours attempting to set up (neither of us is very good with this kind of thing!) - the speakers have been sitting next to our couch since LAST Christmas, so it was time to set them up! The song is Thankful ... I may have brought it up last year, but just in case for those who don't know it, you can listen to it - its a perfect song for the season... http://www.imeem.com/splinkerjinx/music/w8YFaLGP/josh_groban_thankful_josh_groban/

p.s. Thanks for helping it "click," Tina

with all my love, always friends.

Peace in your hearts,
With the love of my soul
~Mallory

~*Music is the vernacular of the human soul*~

hecticeclectic · 28/11/2008 09:41:07 Subject: Re: conveying gratitude

Mallory wrote:

I have this difficulty sometimes with being in the moment and not being aware of being in the moment - meaning there is this almost constant meta-awareness that I don't exactly take for granted, but that I wish would sometimes be a little less overwhelming so I can just be there...

Mallory...I can relate. I call it the "forest for the trees syndrome" lol. Seems I get so focused on the beauty of the trees I miss the beauty of the forest itself, if that makes any sense.

I don't know how to "fix" my syndrome. I just figure maybe I should take smaller breaths so I don't breathe in too much at once. Plus I need to silence my thoughts at times and just feel instead of think.

Enjoy your travels to music conferences.

Peace, Jo

Look up at the sky. Ask yourself, "Has the sheep eaten the flower or not?" And you'll see how everything changes.
And no grown-up will ever understand how such a thing could be so important!
Antoine de Saint-Exupery, THE LITTLE PRINCE

andvari · Messages: 807 Location: a cave in a foggy clear

Mal,
I know what you mean, but I had to aspire to get there, that being completely in the moment. It is a gift... can't really call it a blessing, just a gift, a talent, something that is wonderful that you have as your own, but I also understand what you mean about it becoming overwhelming. I have actually the opposite problem. My mind, ears, eyes, thoughts, being, is so expansive during a moment. I am the kind of person that can listen to and carry on three conversations at the same time. Background music, conversations, smells, they are all constantly incorporated (completely) in the now, so I can be a little out there at times, but like you said, you can learn to breath and take in the moment, I can learn to tune all that is going on out, and focus only on the beauty and magnitude of single creations and situations, I have to aspire for it, but it can be done and that my friend is the living.

hope you had a wonderful thanksgiving.

A

Do you know what happened to the man who got everything he ever wanted? Willie Wonka

The child is in me still... and sometimes not so still --Fred Rogers--

Nothing-- Nothing's better than when two Completely Empowered people come together with Love on their minds.

Mallory · Messages: 878

hecticeclectic wrote:

Mallory wrote:

I have this difficulty sometimes with being in the moment and not being aware of being in the moment - meaning there is this almost constant meta-awareness that I don't exactly take for granted, but that I wish would sometimes be a little less overwhelming so I can just be there...

Mallory...I can relate. I call it the "forest for the trees syndrome" lol. Seems I get so focused on the beauty of the trees I miss the beauty of the forest itself, if that makes any sense.

I don't know how to "fix" my syndrome. I just figure maybe I should take smaller breaths so I don't breathe in too much at once. Plus I need to silence my thoughts at times and just feel instead of think.

Enjoy your travels to music conferences.

Peace, Jo

Thanks Jo, wow, this was helpful to hear someone else describe parallel ideas. Forest for the trees, Feel instead of Think...

I've always been told I think too much, and then felt that I couldn't really be myself with people who said so over and over again. But feeling was really what they were referring to, I think, because they just never talked about their feelings. Recently I've found ways to simply feel and not *have* to describe it, though I sometimes do. But to not have to explain it... to just be there - that is magic.

I did find out about something uber cool about emotions at the music therapy conference in St. Louis though (aside from multitudes of awesome presentations). One session was called "Moving Toward Beauty in Music Therapy" - which went all into Mirror Neurons, neurons in the brain that light up when we have peak experiences including perceiving beauty or experiencing empathy, and frequently with music. They open a whole new scientific field about empathy and make beauty an experience that is more measurable in the scientific field, when always before, beauty was not something credible in the medical field. It was entertainment, or a distraction, both of which are important, but what about in terms of making a difference in someone's immune system, or serving as a motivator? There are so many ways that music can make a difference.

Peace in your hearts,
With the love of my soul
~Mallory

~*Music is the vernacular of the human soul*~