Category: Today – I AM

Today’s passion; ignore tomorrow.

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Cross Over and Join Me – In The Twilight Zone

Consider infinity, time and eternity. Thought-provoking concepts – potential mind benders.

There’s an episode from the 80’s Twilight Zone, called “A Matter of Minutes” that sticks with me. A couple somehow wake up hours into the future. They’re freaked out to see their home being dismantled and re-built by cloaked humanoids.

Running through the city they don’t see anyone they know. Eventually they learn these builders create the world minute by minute before anyone arrives – but only the bits that are used and observed. They glimpse a mystery and are captivated until they realize they’re trapped. There’s a very 1980’s ending – a bit eyerolling but still twilight zone-y.

How do these futuristic organizers know what bits are needed? That’s what stuck, poking my curiosity about creating the future.

Time is commonly perceived as linear; the way of clocks and days and years – forward moving like we see in the Twilight Zone episode. However, the theories proposed by quantum physics and entanglement allow more room for imagination.

The early 1900’s saw the introduction of the wave-particle theory. This is a new way to consider the physical universe and time. My favorite thought experiment from that era is Schrodinger’s Cat – is the kitty dead or alive?

Not many people go down the quantum rabbit hole, and eternity is a principle more often contemplated by the disciplines of mathematics, philosophy, religion and poets.

If I extend a little imagination and awareness in my day-to-day life, I can tap quantum possibilities. Reflecting on William Blake’s poem helps me go into the feeling of these lofty ideas, holding them briefly before practicality carries me back to the current moment.

Considering possibility just beyond my understanding pushes my mental boundaries, creating a ripe field to sow a future I might not have imagined.

“You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension: a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You’re moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You’ve just crossed over into… the Twilight Zone.”

― Rod Serling, The Twilight Zone
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My Path Is Unique – Comparisons Not Required

It’s not about where I am, but the distance I traveled to get here. What I learn along the way is the gift.

Yet our society asks us to rank ourselves against neighbors, co-workers, family and friends regardless of the grace or handicap we’re bestowed at birth. This habit of behavior creates needless suffering.

If I meet someone at some point in time somewhere in space, after spending decades and significant effort getting there; while they were born in a situation nearby – how similar are we?

Click here for: The Sneetches

It’s likely our prospects, temperaments and worldviews are different. Proximity isn’t always related to affinity. Still, we’re on the same path now – that’s not an accident. The tenant “like attracts like” is an explanation, a warning or a promise depending on how you look at it.

There’s a poem by an unknown author that suggests people show up in our lives for a “Reason, Season or Lifetime.” Law of attraction brought us together; the why is ours to discover. What starts out as a helping hand or guidance and comfort during a tough time can mature into a lifelong friendship. Seasonal relationships provide camaraderie and fellowship in the many communities we reside. Those lifetime bonds – they’re pure gold.

The company I find along my path bring vibrancy and depth to my experience. When I listen to my intuition and use my imagination to invent tomorrow; the company that coincidence delivers to my door will surely delight and surprise me.

My path is unique. The people I meet along the way are an instrument of enlightenment, comparison is not required.

“Stop thinking you’re doing it all wrong. Your path doesn’t look like anybody else’s because it can’t, it shouldn’t, and it won’t.” – Eleanor Brownn

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You See? Now Everything Is Different

Don Henley says life can change In A New York Minute. Yes, suddenly things can get a little strange.

More commonly though life evolves. When I look back at happenings a year ago, two years, ten; those things that made me crazy or filled me with joy – they’re gone. Replaced with new challenges and rewards.

Hindsight is an interesting animal. I see progress when I look in the rearview mirror; not just materially, but emotionally and spiritually. Finding myself in a place of peace and self-possession is gratifying. Appreciating this mindset gives me the momentum to keep up the discipline and awareness that got me here.

Human nature wants more; wants expansion. If I don’t grow, I stagnate. Fortunately, I’m predisposed with infinite wants and needs. New longings come up, new missions revealed; someone crosses my path and opens me to new opportunities for self-growth.

And it’s possible to more consciously direct my evolution. When I pay attention to my intuition, my gut; I feel those moments when change is possible. It can start out a bit fuzzy, but if I intentionally focus on the feeling, ambiguity fades. A shift in perspective is palpable.

The mystics are right – I can create the future with my imagination, and they invite me to try. By testing the hypotheses they present; the world becomes my canvas. What I’m learning is fascinating and revealing. Revealing the beliefs that block me; fascinating when unexpected benefits appear.

“Nothing has such power to broaden the mind as the ability to investigate systematically and truly all that comes under thy observation in life.” — Marcus Aurelius

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Relax; Don’t Believe What You See

Moving the needle on deeply entrenched belief systems is like walking in quicksand. It’s the struggle that traps me. I can emerge if I relax, float and slowly rise.

Still, changing course can be difficult considering objective reality reveals what I believe. The stumbling blocks are what I see with my eyes, feel on my skin, smell with my nose. The belief itself perpetuates its existence, giving it added legitimacy.

When I’m unwilling to modify a belief, nothing changes. Life marches on and I drag today into tomorrow – my hopes and desires seemingly futile. But if I’m open to examine the truths I consider unquestionable and absolute, change becomes possible.

Instant self-transformation is not a thing; yet the wish for magical fulfillment isn’t unique. Imagine parting a curtain and stepping through a portal to the heart’s desire. Let’s walk through that mysterious veil to a different world. Tempting; but a mean slippery slope. It’s better to follow a progressive path. A gradual change is less jarring, and more likely I can enjoy the company of my familiars along the way.

It’s possible to interrupt a recurring difficulty by observing my reactions to people and events. They reveal my self-concept, which could be sweet and satisfying or prickly and uncomfortable. It all plays out in front of me in the tangible world. The key is to suspend judgement; positive or negative. Let me be tolerant, charitable even with my observations.

Noticing the feeling is the first Step to relieve the pressure of judgement. Acknowledging its mine; how frequently and intensely it appears puts the emotion in perspective. This insight eventually allows me to set the burden down; to relax.

In a world that demands instant gratification, patience isn’t always appreciated. Taking baby steps to a heartfelt goal is learned behavior. We can definitely get there from here, a degree at a time. The trick is to stop struggling – float and slowly rise.

“You can’t change how people treat you or what they say about you.  All you can do is change how you react to it.”

― Mahatma Gandhi

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Hey! Don’t Let Me Down

Learning what hooks my psyche is a journey up a spiral stairway. Glaring and obvious troubles are identified and addressed in due course. Okay, done. Then it’s back – the worry, the frustration, the resentment; hooked again.

Didn’t I learn that lesson? Well, sort of. This go-around is simply a variation on that theme; a tad more profound and nuanced maybe. It can feel like I’m doomed, but I’m not.

Each step up the staircase refines my spirit; making it lighter and more genuine.

Two coping mechanisms I acquired early on were “I don’t want to disappoint you” and “I’ll show you.” A Yin/Yang duo for the ages.

Success stories in my portfolio show those assholes who said I couldn’t do something; that, YES I can – and I DID. Most of the time they didn’t even know I was trying to prove anything. But I did. That’s what mattered.

That combative device isn’t as necessary anymore. When it does show up, I see it for what it is. This gives me the opportunity to choose. Is this more self-validation? Or is it bigger than me? There is a difference.

Barry H. Gillespie

As for the people pleasing business, that one’s a bit more insidious – or I’m being thickheaded. Recently, I didn’t want to “let down” some anonymous player in a hidden object game I started playing during the pandemic. “LENE” and I kicked ass on the Detective Challenges. Now I want to move on. How can I mourn the loss of someone I never met? Why do I feel like I’m letting her down?

Curiously I have no answers yet, I’m just sitting with the discomfort. The insight I seek may be a few steps away. Or maybe delighting my higher self is my true objective.

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

― J. R. R. Tolkien
“Don’t Let Me Down“