Do We Live in Simultaneous Realities?

Everyone searches for a purpose to their lives. Some people are more focused on just surviving, but in the end humans are wired for more than simply existing.

Different people see their purpose differently. Time and age can change where you focus your energy.

Some people focus more on others than themselves and feel more fullfilled if they are serving others. Some people look to invent something that will improve the lives of others.

We need all different kinds people, with different skills and interests in order to tap into multiple kinds of brains and different kinds of intelligence.

I believe that each of us is happier when we feel like we are able to use and develop our best gifts, and what we feel drawn to do.

It is easy to get off track because others think they know what we should be doing. And some people only want to guide us in a certain direction because it serves their agenda.

We are all unique and have an inner guide that wants to lead us. When we really listen to our feelings, we can tap into that guidance. We should be careful not to get so busy that we ignore our feelings and intution.

Ctitical thinking has its purpose and can serve us in many situations. It can also talk us out of doing what we love because it can rationalize our behaviors.

If you feel miserable in a situation, there is something wrong and your emotions have their own intelligence.

We exist in multiple realities. There is the thought reality that we tend to rely on. There is our emotional reality, which is just as important. Our spiritual and intuitive reality can guide us to a higher vibration of consciousness.

There is our physical reality, which is made of pleasure and pain. The reptilian brain drives us by primal urges, and warns us about danger.

The thoughtful mind is the conscious mind. It is the critical factor that tends to make us ignore our other realities. The primal drives react and override our critical thinking.

We need to live in harmony with all the aspects of ourselves. We need to be physically comfortable and safe. But we cannot ignore our emotional reality. It lets us know when something is wrong with the direction we are going, or how we are going about it.

Make time, also, for your spiritual self and explore the meaning of that to you. Let your realities all have a voice.

Balance in everything is important for health and to move closer to enlightenment and peace of mind.

 

Blessings and peace,

Annie

Benefits of Play and Imagination

Being a serious, mature adult who works all the time  is over-rated.  

While you have to maintain responsibility for your survival by paying the bills, the perception that you have to “act like a grown up” all the time is simply that…a perception. 

Who made the rule that adults cannot have fun?

You can buy some balloons and pat them up into the air . You can watch a goofy movie and roll on the floor laughing in your room. You can buy toys that you like and have them for your own amusement and comfort. 

If the people in your life would ridicule you for acting like a kid, then maybe you need to meet some new people….ones that think kids are great. The old adage that children should be seen and not heard is ridiculous. 

Who decides what an adult is? Other than keeping up with your responsibilities and not hurting anyone , what are the rules and who wrote them? 

What things did you enjoy doing as a child? Are there really any rules against doing some of them…just for fun?  

Is it childish or irresponsible to enjoy an activity …just because you want to?  Why can’t you allow some time just to be silly or to use your imagination?

When did the word ” childish” come to have negative connotations?

Why is IMAGINATION considered a “childish thing? 

Some of the most brilliant contributors to our world have been people will a great ability to IMAGINE. The imagination and playfulness of a child are valuable skills that are under-estimated by most adults. 

Explore new possibilities and play them out in your imagination.

Using imagination and vision can be the way you will come up with very creative solutions to problems that are in your life. Thinking outside the box and being able to imagine possibilities will create new options for  you. 

Taking time to play, in some way which activates your imagination, can benefit you in ways you cannot perceive right now. There are possibilities all around you and new ways to do things that you have not tried because you are not used to them. 

We tend to see what is familiar and what our subconscious brain has been conditioned to see. 

There is a part of your brain called the Reticular Activating System.

It is the part of your brain that filters information from your environment. There is far more information around you at any given time than your conscious brain can process. 

What you tend to think about and believe is what your reticular activating system scans for in the environment. Then what you see becomes proof of what you believe. 

Your brain looks for proof of what you already think is true.

So basically even if you believe something negative about yourself, your brain will scan for proof in the environment that it is true.

If you believe that you are bad in social situations, then your brain looks for proof that people are not responding to you in the way you want them to. You may completely miss the parts of interactions where someone really likes you. 

Take a break to do something fun.

Take some time to play and it will allow your brain and emotions to relax for a little while. When you get back to dealing with life problems again, you will be able to see things with some of your negative filters turned off. 

Play is not just for kids.

Think of what you used to like to do as a kid. There is some activity that you loved then that you can still do now. Use your imagination and let go of preconceptions. 

Imagination and creative thought will allow you to see new possibilities.  Try something different like re-inventing yourself in a way that you picture you would feel more powerful. 

Re-invent yourself. 

What would you be like of you could start all over again as a child? How would you behave and how much confidence would you have? Go to a place where no one knows you and pretend you are that version of yourself. 

You have nothing to lose. The more you can use your imagination, the more you can become more authentic to who you really are.

Let go of the negative labels that other people have put upon you.

Most of the negative beliefs you have about yourself were something that another person told you. If you have ever been exposed to emotionally abusive people then there were some viruses put into your system. 

These viruses tell you that you are not going to be able to achieve great things. These viruses are controlling your feelings about yourself and your potential. 

Start small and see what you can do. The future is written by you …and you control your own story. You can question any beliefs that are keeping you down. 

You can change your mind about what you think is true. 

Taking time to play can bring you back to that magic that children have to be able to explore new ideas. If your old beliefs and behaviors are not getting you where you want to be, then what will it hurt to try something new?

Annie …on writing…

Writers can touch the humanity of their readers.

Humanity is Messy, Lonely, Complex, Sad, Magical, Mystical, Beautiful, Sensual and Deeply Poetic

As a writer, be as human as you are. As a human, pour your inner longing into your writing.

Writing is the naked task of bearing your soul for all to see…Pouring out your heart for all to feel…Allowing elements of your own perceptions to be perceived by another person’s mind and sent into the universe.

It is not for the faint of heart. True, meaningful, writing is for the courageous of spirit and mind.

If you are feeling fear, then it is fear that  should be spilled upon the pages.

 If you are feeling passion, that passion should ignite a spark that could set your pages ablaze !

If you are feeling sad, then let the pages of your writing catch your tears.

Writing that comes from the soul, sends an imperceptible energy connection between yourself and the reader.  Writing can  transcend time itself, and connect humanity in all its conditions.

Creative Flow Writing Exercise for Self Exploration

This is a creative writing therapy, self discover exercise that I have thought of just now. I am sure someone has done this before, but it came to my head just now.

You can try this yourself. It is good for times when you

1. Can’t think of what to write

2. Need to express something and cannot find how

3 Are not sure what you feeling

4. Are nor sure what you are thinking

5. Want to explore your mind

Here is the exercise.

 Begin with the first word that comes to your head.

 Write one word to connect to the first word and then continue down to 10 words.

Next I will write phrases. This can be poetic, rational, fantasy or whatever comes to your head. This should be good for you.

You write the words quickly, using the first thing that comes to your head. Do not overthink this, Just keep it flowing, Don’t worry about rules or sticking with anything, Just write!

First word is – Time

Time

1. Fleeting

2. Gone

3. More

4. People

5. Closeness

6. Meaning

7. Remember

8. Metaphysics

9. Same

10. Time

Phrases starting also with the word Time

Time

1. Time is interconnected

2. People are interconnected

3. People move on

4. New friends come in

5. Trust needs to happen

6. It is hard to know who

7. Trust needs to be earned

8. Trust requires faith

9. Faith is within you

10. Even when it has been broken, it can come back

* You can come up with your own starting word, Here are some suggestions, if you can’t think of one.

Love, Friendship, success, writing, blog , connection , life , death, compassion, kindness, peace, future, pain, comfort, book, child, mother, lover, passion, desire, past, cell phone, story, addiction, mind, thoughts, feelings,

Reading Random Various Blogs for Inspiration

I was reading through random blogs today and enjoying hearing other people’s ideas. I came across one particular blog and there were some very interesting ideas that spoke to me.

The main thing I am thinking right now, that I want to share with you, is the value of reading other people’s blogs. Not just other blogs, but blogs that are outside of your usual routine.

Every now and then, just type some tags in and see what pops up. Read some random blogs that you know nothing about. Even type in a tag that you would normally not type in. There are actually a lot of interesting things that come up when you type in the tag  “blogging”

Tonight I was looking at various blogs and I came across this young man’s blog about his struggle with mental illness. I really likes the way he described things. There was a different slant on things than the way I usually think about them, or at least write about them. The ideas rang true with me and I felt inspired by them, to write.

“We are not machines, we are people. We are not built, we are grown, We cannot be fixed, we need to heal”

This is a quote from brodybetz blog 

I love this blog because this young man knows how to communicate about how thoughts and feelings in a meaningful, transparent way that shows that vulnerability can mean strength. I was struck by his words of inspiration and I wanted to share some of them with you. I just happened to stumble upon this blog tonight.

“my brain was working overtime to keep up with me, and that it would lead to crashes in my system that would leave me feeling tired, apathetic, and depressed.” bodybretz

I think that this quote depicts the way that so many of have felt. Our brains are running too fast. Our thoughts are going and going and going and torturing us. It seems like the more anxiety we have, the faster these thoughts go that are running through our heads. The faster the thoughts run through our heads, the greater our anxiety gets. We have no way to stop the thoughts and feelings that seem to be attacking us.

The idea of a “crash in the system” is very interesting. When a computer gets viruses in it or gets overloaded for some other reason, the system “crashes.” I think that this is a very good analogy of mental illness. PTSD is an overload of stress on the system.

What happens is PTSD is that a person experiences too much fear and trauma, for too long. Then the “system” being the brain, crashes and can no longer tolerate fear and anxiety. It can no longer deal with any reminders of the trauma. The person’s brain can no longer do it’s job properly, as far as differentiating threat levels.

Anxiety causes a system crash also. The obsessive thoughts get worse and worse, until our brain can no longer function properly. Our social skills become affected. Our decision making process is affected.

Even our ability to leave the house and go to work can be shut down. I have had days that I barely got out the door for work, because the anxiety in my brain made me feel so threatened.

Depression is also a system crash. We feel depressed for a day, and then another day. The longer it continues, the more our brains don’t work. We have trouble remembering the simplest things. When I am severely depressed. I have trouble remembering a simple direction for a task, that a coworker gave me a few minutes  earlier.

So, I thought I would share these thoughts in my head with you. I like to read random blogs sometimes, just to explore for treasure. If I find an idea that sparks my creative thought process, then it was worth taking the time to sift through the blogs and see what gold is there.

We learn and grow from hearing other people’s ideas. Often our ideas come out, after our minds follow a path of thought which was initiated by another person’s idea. Sometimes our brains take bits and pieces of other ideas and then end up coming to a conclusion that the none of the other people got to.

Therapeutic Value to Various Blogging Methods

Blogging as Therapy?

Can writing be therapeutic for us? Many bloggers would say that they find blogging very therapeutic for them. Sitting down at our computers and writing our thoughts and feelings out, gives us an outlet for our emotions.

It is a way to let our feelings out and not keep them bottled up inside. When there is no one to talk to, we can sit down and talk as much as we need to.

Types of Writing

What  different methods of writing have you found to be beneficial to you? Do you write with a main topic in mind and then let it flow? Do you create an outline, with the main ideas and subtopics on a piece of paper first?

Perhaps you have experimented with a  free writing or  “stream of consciousness”  way of writing. Or maybe you do some research before or during your writing process.

All of these methods are valid. One is not better than another. People tend to have one preferred method of writing. Although they may utilize one or two the other methods as well.

What is your primary method for writing for your blog posts? I am sure you can picture yourself sitting down to write about something right now. How would you begin?

Writer’s Personality and Preferred Writing Styles

The therapeutic value, to the various writing methods, is a bit different because each one requires a different type of organizational and thinking process. Your primary method of writing is tied to your personality.

Even the number of methods you use on a regular basis has to do with your personality. A person who has a regimented, scheduling type of personality will most likely stick to their tried and true method, without straying too far away from it. A more eclectic person will most likely want to utilize more than one writing method.

Mood of the Writer

Someone with a wide range of personal mood fluctuation, like myself, will select their writing method, based on the mood or mental state they are in at the time. There is no right or wrong to your choice of writing methods. It is an individual thing.

A new writer may use a certain method because it is easier for them at the beginning. Most likely this would be a method that requires some pre-planning in order to feel confident before beginning to work on the piece.

Experiment with Different Writing Styles

As you grow in your writing abilities, you can experiment and be a bit more playful with your writing style and experiment with various writing methods.

To expand your view and enhance your writing, I would check out all different kinds of blogs. You will see that there are very different approaches to writing that end up with very different results.

Various Types of Blogs

Also some blogs are focused around the person themselves, while other blogs are about a general topic or concept. It is fun to make it a game and see if you can identify what writing method the writer likes to use.

Journal Style Writing

Some people write their blogs in journal style. That is, they write what happens in their lives from day to day. This type of blog is in chronological order and is usually started by the writer with the intent of being a therapeutic outlet.

The original purpose of this kind of blog is met, as the blogger writes out their thoughts and feelings. The subsequent benefit is a self esteem boost, when the blog becomes more popular.

Research Method of Writing

It may surprise you that writing by using the research method, can be therapeutic as well. If you are having anxiety, the act of going through the research process, will focus your brain on what you are learning. There can only be one part of the brain dominating your mental state at one time.

If the rational, analytical part of the brain is switched on, then naturally the other functions will become subordinate. The amygdala, which is the fight or flight part of the brain, is in charge, when you are in a state of extreme anxiety.

You mind may have trouble focusing at first, depending on how severe your anxiety is, but the more you get the analytical part of the brain turned on, the less your brain will be able to continue with the racing thoughts that are causing your anxiety, Your fears will be able to calm down.

Stream of Consciousness Writing

Another method of writing is called “Stream of consciousness” writing, This method is at the other end of the spectrum from research writing. Whereas, in research writing you are being very organized in your writing, in stream of consciousness writing there is no organized structure.

I am a musician and in music we would call this “improvising.”  You are letting the music stream out of you as it comes to you. In the case of writing, you are letting your thoughts flow out, by way of your pen or keyboard.

Writing to a Prompt

There is also “prompt” writing, where someone gives you a writing prompt and you have to base what you write around the original prompt. This is sometimes done as a contest or a game, given by other bloggers or writing sites. A prompt can be a line from a story, a famous quote, a photograph or any other bit of inspiration.

Which Type of Writing is Best for You?

All of these methods are valid, and you can create amazing posts by experimenting with each one of these. The more things you learn about and try, the better of a writer you will become.

Even if you experiment with a method and decide it is not your forte,  you will still gain some insight into yourself,  by doing some writing in this style.

You do not have to post your experiments, unless of course you want to. This is an exercise for your brain, in order to stimulate creativity.

Have Fun and Grow Your Strengths

It is also a way to get in touch with possibilities and tap internal resources you may not be aware of. The more different types of writers you read and the more methods you try, the more versatile of a blogger you will become.

As you explore your personality and find your voice as a blogger, your self esteem will be boosted. This has tremendous therapeutic value, in addition to being able to write out your feelings. Many bloggers find that blogging is very therapeutic for them, including myself.

Happy blogging! Have fun with it!

I Don’t Say “Bless You” When Someone Sneezes

I have no problem with people saying “bless you” when someone sneezes. I do however, mind that people expect me to say it.  The social etiquette is that you must say “bless you” when someone sneezes , no matter what the circumstance or  how well you know them.

Worse yet, if you do not say it then you are considered very rude. I was scolded by a supervisor at my last job for not saying “bless you” to the secretary. This was the secretary who I could not stand and tried to avoid.

This woman was a mean person who harassed me at work and made my life miserable. I was busy speaking with a client when this secretary happened to sneeze. I said nothing and continued about my business.

My supervisor made a big deal to embarrass me and tell me I should have said “bless you”. She continued to go on about the fact that I had been so rude.

It is so ridiculous. I was very tempted to ask the supervisor if she even knew why people said “bless you” anyway. I mean, for god sake, it is just a sneeze. Why should everyone be so concerned that they have to all rally together and bless the frickin person.

This is followed by another social law that the person receiving the “bless you” has to say thank you. There is nothing I hate more than when I sneeze three times in a row and someone says “bless you” “…”oh bless you” … “oh you poor thing! Bless you !!”  And  I have to say “thank you”…”thank you” … “oh for god’s sake, I’m not dying, Leave me alone. I can’t keep saying thank you, I’m busy sneezing”

So, does that supervisor  know why she is saying bless you anyway?  NO!!!!

If people knew, then they may not say it or call people rude for not saying it.  So let’s clear this annoying thing up.

Why do people just follow these out-dated social customs blindly? Why does no one bother to look it up and find out why they are saying it.

In the year 590 the bubonic plague broke out in Europe. So many people were dying that Pope Gregory I ordered his followers so pray without ceasing and have parades in the streets to pray away the disease. He was hoping all the blessings or “bless you” chants would send the disease away and keep people from dying.

Now, the chance that the person sneezing next to you has the bubonic plague is unlikely.

There is also an old folk belief that when people sneeze their soul flies out of their body. During the few seconds the soul is out flying around wildly, the devil could take the soul. So people said bless you to protect the crazy soul flying around the room.

So, at a professional place of work, I am supposed to bless the soul of the sneezer which is flying around the room, and then get back to the business of being an intelligent , educated professional.

I think people should have the right to not say bless you.  Is it not religious discrimination to force someone to  ask God to bless someone?

And what does it mean when someone who does not believe in God says “bless you” anyway?

I just find it very strange that perfectly educated people never question these things. It is illegal to discriminate based on religious beliefs,  but we scold people for not blessing the snotty sneezer.

So that’s my rant about bubonic plague and souls flying around the room. Tomorrow, when someone you don’t like sneezes , just open the window and let the soul fly out. That is the other folk custom about souls but we will do a blog on that another day.

Accepting Yourself Thich Nhat Hanh Quote

There is a great healing that comes along with accepting ourselves just as we are.

Others say things about us. They label us, describe us, talk about us. They tell us what we can do, what we can’t do, what we should do.

They advise us on our careers, families, religious beliefs. They limit us…
They limit our potential.
They limit our possibilities.

If we allow them to keep us in the little box they have assigned to us then they will destroy what we could have become.

We are each of us on our own path. We are on a path of discovery. Discovery of knowledge, beauty and spirituality. Discovery of our own potential and possibilities.

Insomnia Humor

Insomnia Sucks
I can’t count the ducks
They say to count sheep
It don’t put me to sleep

Imagery is great
But it keeps me up late

Now it’s 6:30
The dishes are dirty
I know I should wash them
But I want to squash them

If this made you smile
Then it was worthwhile

And I know that you know
And you know that I’m so
And that sounded brainless
The sheep are now nameless
My mind is so aimless

Too tired to write stanzas
About what a woman and man does

This poem gets worse
With Each Passing Verse

Or maybe it’s clever
In some profound way
It might change your life
Or just make you say…

“You should go to sleep
You’re brain is not deep
You’re just overtired
And think you’re inspired
But thank you for trying
Your poem I’ll keep”

So now it is time
To count the damn sheep
And if I am able
I’ll fall fast asleep

And while I am sleeping
I’ll dream I’m awake
And when I am waking
I’ll wish I could sleep

The whole silly thing
It just goes round and round
But now I have you
And you know what I mean
When I say…

That I paint the sheep
Red, blue and green
Cause I can’t count them nightly
And sleep so politely

** This was either another incredibly profound poem by Annie, or she has lost her entire mind due to insomnia and sleep deprivation.** LOL

Is All This Rushing Around Really Getting us Anywhere any Faster ?

Is all this rushing around, as if everything were a dire emergency, actually getting us places any faster?

You see it all the time… People parking in handicapped spaces , customers cutting in front of each other and drivers speeding past you on the streets.

When I was a little girl, my father used to have a “game” he enjoyed playing with these annoying, speeding drivers. He would beep at them at each red light thus letting them know that they were still not any farther ahead.

This served, no doubt, to annoy the speeder. It also provided some well-needed , if slightly twisted, entertainment for Dad.

Recently, at a nursing home I was  volunteering at,  a  supervisor  decided that the workers were not fast enough.

At a nursing home, there is a procedure for transporting a group of residents from one room to another.   You have to make sure that none of the elderly residents are left unattended.

The typical system is the following:
one worker stays in the original room,
the second worker helps people into the new room,  the third worker transports people     (This way , everyone is being supervised).

So the new supervisor  was barking orders.

“Get moving!”  they  called.Everyone should be wheeling them. Go go-go. One two three. ”  “We all must move fast. Fast fast fast!!  One, Two, Three. ” she yelled.

“Get one of them , run  them to the room, then run back fast to get the next one .”  In the meantime, leaving the first room unattended.

We were speeding a group of 90 year women  to a room to do crafts with them for the next two hours. Thus, in fact, SPEEDING ALL OF US TO THE STOP LIGHT.

So why is it,  that so many people are rushing but not thinking? Who is it that sets all these so-called deadlines anyway?

I mean, I understand that certain things  have to have a deadline.  But do we have to assign a deadline to everything?

Maybe some things are just supposed to take as long as they take. Like walking an 85 year old man with a walker and pushing a 97 year old woman in her wheelchair.

So , there you have it.  My RANT about RUSHING.

I mean really! I think I saw three old ladies’ slippers and one old poor old guy’s hat go flying off down the hallway!! LOL

So… faster is more efficient and saves us time…or does it? I don’t think so.

What are we prioritizing? And what are we saving the time to use it for?

Are we… RUSHING TO SAVE TIME For MORE RUSHING, to SAVE MORE TIME??

Had I followed that logic that day,  I never would have had time to listen to 99 year old Daisy tell me the names of her great grandchildren again (For the fifth time, bless her sweet heart, but I listen every time)

I never would have had the time to walk 90 year old, Wilma over to the piano. And patience to respond to her that “yes” she did play piano.

I never would have had the patience to wait, while the music made it’s way into her long , beautiful, fingers that I had so lovingly placed on the keys.

So, slow down a little. If only here and there. Stop and smell the roses. Spend time with a special person. You don’t want to miss the amazing music along the way.