Be a Peace Balloon!

Peace is like a balloon. It requires empty inner space to stay afloat.

A Peace practice today: Exhale and empty your internal space of burdensome thought. Allow your internal space to remain empty. Slowly take in a few lighter than air thoughts of possibility.

Exhale burden, pause in Peace, inhale possibility.

Breathe Peace! Easy Peasy!

Love,
Darlene

On Melting

The Wicked Witch's epiphany as she lay melting: "This wouldn't be happening if I hadn't been so obsessed with those Ruby slip......pfffffffft!

Does something turn you green with envy. Don't wait for a bucket of cold water, or worse, to dissolve your attachment.

Peace practice: Let go of a pair of shoes you are attached to, your Ruby Slippers. Give them to charity. Help someone who needs shoes. Give and find Peace.

You're off to see the Wizard!


Love,
Darlene

A Stepping Stone to Peace

How do we bridge the gap between fear and love? One powerful stepping stone: silent inaction.

Note when you are afraid how a steady diet of fear has turned to hate, judgment and contempt urging you to react.

Step into compassion by simply sitting silently still. See the gracious step forward.

And change your diet! That steady diet of fear will kill ya! I goll-darn guarantee it.

Yummy Love,
Darlene

Choosing Compassion

Karen Armstrong, the author of "Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life" spoke on NPR yesterday. As a religious historian she has concrete and specific evidence that preceding the birth of religious fundamentalism, across religions, is a threat to the survival of a community. Hence her conclusion that fundamentalism, exemplified by rigid doctrine and rigid community boundaries, is fear based. And the fuel for fear is hate, hating the other, the unfamiliar, the unknown, as a way to keep it away.

My practice for you today, my challenge really, is to move toward compassion by removing the word "HATE" from your speaking. We build great things by beginning with simple steps. So, simply remove this word as you diminish your capacity to hate on the way to building your capacity for compassion.

Accept the challenge? I double dog dare you! Oh yeah, and read Karen Armstrong's book.

Love,
Darlene

Peace Vision

Jonathan Swift said (paraphrase)"Vision is the ability to see what others cannot". Vision is something we can generate and hold in the face of contradiction or adversity.

You are the source of Peace when you create and hold a vision of it.You are the visionary. Me too.

Love,
Darlene

Smiling for Peace

It's 7:30am. I'm waiting for a friend at a coffee shop. A mother enters, a 2 year old on her shoulder asleep. The baby's eyes open. I smile. He flashes a grin and immediately falls back to sleep. A moment of Peace I will hold all day.

Smile today. At anyone, to everyone, and give the gift of Peace.

Love,
Darlene

A Different Kind of Dance................

There was a young woman from France,
who chose a new seasonal dance.
While others were shopping and hopping and flopping,
their credit scores dropping, their brains all a knocking,
she waltzed with her best pals, her dog and her sweetie,
donated to hungry, the homeless and needy,
sipping tea in a snuggle with a home fire entranced,
she declared that this year, "I will give Peace a chance"!

Peaceful holidays to you!

Love,
Darlene