Soul Massage

The Wisdoms

by way of sharing,  I can from an intensely conservative religious world and that the same thought issues that plague addicts of substance and behavior wheedle around in my mind, sometimes. I am dedicated to rethinking how I make choices and what the underlying influences are. That said, I came to adulthood with some fine "wisdoms."

The Wisdoms:

Your word is all you have. Give is clearly and keeps it. Your handshake is binding.

Remember where you came from. While this was intensely haunting as a young adult, I have learned that remembering offers both clarity and direction. When feelings come up that seem counterproductive to the path I have chosen that remembering can shift my reluctance to go forward.

It's better to live in a shack that you own than a mansion you are in debt to. I was a rented for the longest time, moving every year of so at the renewal of my lease. One day, I had a compulsion to buy a house. Not just nay house, but one I had wanted before. I drove to the location to find the owner planting the "For Sale" sign in the yard. I bought this two-story four bedroom frame house for a song. The Realtor joked that she might be able to get the bank to pay me. Today, as I make plans to shift my employment situation, I am confident I can afford shelter without concern.

Home is where the heart is. (Not form my Family of Origin, but my gathered family along the way.) I love my home, neighborhood, and community. I live in the central city and even as people tout their ideas and opinions, those of us who live here feel safe, connected, and confident of our ability to live well. I seat my energy within my heart and extend from there. As I am blessed, so are my neighbors.

Time is money. When I measure my desires in time, I find that I am willing to rethink the investment. For all of us, time is money, whether we are getting paid for it or not. Time is our bargaining chip. We trade time to bring in food, utilities, services, and yes, a paycheck to get those things. When we learn to respect our time, we are more conscious of how we manage our money.

Give and it shall be given unto you. Giving keeps us connected to others. It reminds us that we are part of something greater than ourselves. How we give can be personal or less, but the more we get in there with another person the more of our own humanity we see. I enjoy giving in the areas that are most personal to me. Where things are important to me, I fund others to have those needs met in their lives. We can give of our time, talent and treasures. We have more than we need and will always have more. Live the Law of Reciprocity.

If you really want something, save for it. Hold the cash in your hand, against the desire and decide. I wish I had learned to be more patient as a young adult and sorted things differently as I grew more mature, but still, I knew the principle. Today, I weight my present desires against I deeper desire to leave my job. More more revolving credit. Not even layaway. Only save and wait. This was meant to teach delayed gratification, which it did. But also, to help avoid the trap of credit. I was once bond and doubled over, living on my knees as a debt slave. I am thankful to be free, awake and aware, focusing on the present. I tell you. You walk in the store with only cash to cover your purchases and stuff gets put back on the shelf real quick.

Think. Act. Feel. (Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts)
Decide. Act. Discharge. (Re-evaluation Counseling)
We need to apply some form of mental activity to living our lives, before we just launch out. But launch! There is the tendency to think too long or not at all - then to get caught up in our feelings about either the decision, making the decision, or what might happen if we follow the decision. Making that leap of faith actually gives us something real to have feelings about. We did it! We get to celebrate the accomplishment even with the accompanying fear. And, now we have the precedent! So, do it again!

If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect your self from what you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise." Robert Fritz