This Season, I Choose TOO...

Autumn is here:  Fall colors are everywhere!  Ever since I was young, it seemed that the seasonal holidays of Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas raced by... as well as the holy days that many religions celebrate at this time of year.  For me, this season seems to be a blur of activity, sometimes overwhelming.  It is as if Life is packed to overflowing... much like the traditional cornucopia with the harvest fruits spilling out.

Enjoying this season of harvest and color

Continuing last week's theme of This Day, I Choose To..., I have been wondering how to extend my choices into this season of Harvest, Thanksgiving, and Joy.  And, not to mention what may be on everyone's minds this week, choices that can be made with Tuesday's election results.

In reading through the various definitions of Autumn and why this one season has two terms (Autumn and Fall), I was attracted by a simple phrase, "a time of full maturity."  The journey through the Spring-time of New Birth through a Summer of Growth and Production,  culminates in a Maturity of Harvest, waiting to be gathered and shared.  And soon, the Winter months invite a period of death-like slowing down, contemplation, and rest.  Each season welcomes change.

A Labyrinthine Journey:
centered on each step we take toward the center

As I reflected on what choices I might encounter in this journey toward full maturity, I recalled a mantra that Elizabeth Vargas mentioned in her new book, Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction.  The mantra presents an opportunity to interrupt our active lives.  It can be combined with the elements of breathing and walking:  breathe in, take one step, and say one phrase:

• [Breather, step, and say]  May I be calm.
• [Breather, step, and say]  May I be peaceful.
• [Breather, step, and say]  May I be happy.
• [Breather, step, and say]  May I be healthy.

Another choice: sitting with others to ask and listen to their experiences:

• How are you experiencing this season?
• What are the holidays like for you?
• Who do you miss?

An invitation to sit, listen, and be present

As I wonder about this season of plenty, I am realizing again that choices fall before me:

• A choice to slow down and notice.
• A choice to listen and be thankful.
• A choice to accept results and begin renewed dialogue and discovery.

 

Did I notice?
A single leaf brings beauty to my journey.

Questions to consider this week:

• What choices do I have this season and this election cycle?
• Where in my life do I need to be calm, peaceful, happy and healthy?
• What choices can I make to move my dialogue journey toward a time of full maturity?

May this week draw us to embrace the Autumn moments of our lives: times to harvest the Fruits of Choice! 

Larry Gardepie

This Day, I Choose To...

Time is an interesting tool when observing changes we cannot readily see each day!

Several years ago:  I co-facilitated an 8-week breakfast seminar series entitled, Business Leaders and Spirituality.  The first session presented ways to identify and live out values important to us.  The challenge: how to make daily decisions through the lens of these values.

Recently: I came across what I wrote down, the values important to me at that time in my life.  For me, those values centered on the word, CHOICE.

Now... years later... I am reflecting on how well I embodied those values:

• Which values proved to be the most important?
• Which defined who I am currently?
• Which have been the most challenging?

And, most significantly:  how often did I remember that I had a choice?

I choose to... see another perspective.
 From a Hallmark Card  (Artist: Dan Regan):
"A bad day is all about perspective"

One year ago:  I finished a two-year study program on Contemplative Dialogue, AND... I began this Dialogue San Diego blog.  (Happy Anniversary!)   The blog has been an attempt at continued study, reflection, and practice on how to incorporate the various dialogue skills.

Now:  I wonder, when we slow down and consider various stages of our lives, do we see common threads or patterns shaping who we are becoming?  Are we aware of these moments as they happen or only in hindsight?  (I'd invite your thoughts and comments:  what do you think?)

I choose to... create, to get my hands dirty.

Each of us has been molded through different familial and communal events, education, work, and life experiences.  We have been touched by others.  We have touched others.  We have shaped one another.  I hope, we have impacted one another positively; but I admit, I have made mistakes and may have hurt or misunderstood the people around me.

The questions I am facing these confusing and complex days:

• How open am I to another perspective and experience?
• What do I do with my embarrassment or shame when I realize I have hurt you?
• Am I willing to place my puzzle piece on the table for the shared value of discovering a different reality with you?  With us?

I choose to... contribute to the Common Good.
(Entrepreneurial Ambitions, June 7, 2012)

These questions have become more troubling for me in the wake of the current political environment:

• Looking back:  our nation has experienced years of polarized views which have separated us.
• Reflecting recently:  our current climate of distrust and accusations is toxic and seems unending.
• And now:  a question.... Do we really want to move forward with this increasingly deadly environment? 

I am reminded of Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis) in the movie, The Help: "Ain't you tired, Ms. Hilly?  Ain't you tired?"  Aren't we all tired?

So, I wonder (and I would like to hear your thoughts):  I believe there is a hidden thread, a lifeline, that we can draw on from our past:  I have a Choice - AND - We have a Choice.  

That is,

• Can I come together with you to Dialogue on what is important... for You... for Me... for Us?
• Can I place my Peace on the table, inviting you to do the same... and listening? 
• Can I trust in the common-truth and common-unity (Community) that will shape a better world?

And, maybe more importantly:

• Am I ready to see the beauty in who you are: a Citizen, a Candidate, an Immigrant, an Undocumented, a World Citizen... a Person of Sacred Worth and Value?

I choose to... see the beauty around me.
(Photographer: Dan Bush, Elam Bend, Missouri)

May this Healing Choice be with us this week and the weeks ahead!

Larry Gardepie

Passwords, Security, Uncertainty, and Change

Don't you just love Monday mornings?!  A new week is dawning!  A week of possibilities!  You get to your work space or begin your tasks and errands, possibly with a degree of hope and positive energy for the week ahead... and then something unexpected happens!  There goes the hope and energy as you pick up the pieces and settle into another day.

That's how my workweek began last week... and how it ended on Friday!  A bookend of frustrating situations and, perceived, wasted time!  Different computer applications needed attention as I searched for possible issues and solutions, entered new strong passwords, and restarted the various devices.

How do I protect myself from
being misunderstood by others?
 (Image from PCWorld)

When I considered the reliance on passwords to keep our systems secure... or my expectation that life would be smooth... or the uncertainty and frustration that occurs when I face immediate change, I wondered if this might be another opportunity to practice dialogue skills! 

For instance, when I slow down and notice my reactions to an unanticipated moment of change, do I rely on past words, meanings and attitudes for the solution?  Or, I wondered, am I open to the possibility that another outcome might present itself if I listen and respond differently?

It is as if the practice of Noticing and Mindfulness presents new key words and actions to break through barriers... within Self, and between Self and Other.  And, it is in the wonder of anticipation and practicing new responses where fun, exciting, and stronger Pass-Words (maybe, perceptions?) might emerge!
 

How might I see and respond differently
to barriers in my relationships?
 (Image from VetBiz Network)

Many I.T. professionals and online applications now recommend strong passwords:  using a memorable key phrase; replacing some letters with numbers; mingling in symbols and Capital letters.  Dialogue helps us to realize that D1sc0v3ry c@n b3 fUn!   New key words that suggest new perceptions and actions.

It is as if our approach to the issue or barrier begins to change when we seek out new words and phrases.  We want to pass through past misunderstandings and to seek an ability to unlock opportunities.

Are we aware of signs that prepare us for the change ahead?
(Image from LifeHack)

I guess if I entered each week, day, and encounter expecting that change might occur, maybe I could look ahead to creative moments where I discover who I am, who you are, and who we might become together!

Questions to consider this week:

• What are some of my Pass-Words and Actions that protect me?
• What do I expect:  Of myself?  Of others?
• Do these words, actions, or expectations create barriers between myself and others?

May the Blessed Uncertainty of this week present us with life-giving moments!

Larry Gardepie