Spirit Warrior

 "Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye"...(H. Jackson Brwon, Jr.)

What if our journey here toward enlightenment is about love. Being enlightened is being in a state of love all of the time is it not? Christ was in a state of love and forgiveness, even when he was angry. His anger was still a loving state. All of the major religions talk about love and you certainly cannot attain a state of healing without love. A spirit warrior knows this...that you must be in a state of kindness in all that you do. That does not mean you allow others to harm you. Sometimes those are lessons in boundaries and knowing that others may not have your best interests in mind. I have been hurt numerous times because I freely gave caring behavior to people who were too wounded to return the favor. I do not regret showing them that I am compassionate, but I had wounds of my own to heal after those interactions. I grew tremendously in the process. I have also found that in having been with people who are selfish, closed off or detached that I was taught the biggest lesson of all....to value love and kindness once it was demonstrated to me. What if I told you that you can have it all and not have to make trade offs in love? What if it just flowed easily and effortlessly. Would you believe me or would you attract pain because its all you know? Are you willing to go outside the box, to challenge your own self limiting beliefs about love and to take risks? People settle because they believe they have to and they are too afraid to dream big. Why limit yourself to settling? Everyone does it at some point..but the price you pay is just too big. When you settle, you sell off parts of yourself and nobody wins in that scenario. Living that way is not living at all. People also attract superficial because they are following their eyes, not their hearts. That just leads to being in shallow or fleeting relationships because they are built on sand. Depth comes from trusting your heart and following it every step of the way. It also means holding a vision of real love and a relationship built on heart which defies the eyes. I may be a dreamer but I knew what I wanted and it wasn't something unattainable...I wanted to find a man brave enough to be by my side, a man of strength and character. I also knew that my heart would recognize him when he came along. I had to test some men along the way, to see if they had the strength to be warriors, but they weren't. Then my warrior showed up quitely...right in front of me and my heart is still in disbelief. I like that we pinch ourselves each day, both in shock that we finally found one another. That's how it should feel...beautiful, easy and now my soul dances every day. Like the love letter I wrote awhile back, beckoning my soul mate as I essentially said...."I'm ready, I'm hopeful and I'm waiting for you." So, hold your own vision of what you want and make sure your vision comes from the heart. Be clear and be willing to do the work to get there. It does take work because you have to endure pain to truly appreciate joy. "Immature love says: 'I love you because I need you.' Mature love says 'I need you because I love you"...(Eric Fromm). "Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies"...(Aristotle).

Crossroads

"The world has the habit of making room for the man whose actions show that he knows where he is going.”

–Napoleon Hill


Where are you going? Do you know? Are you on your own path or are you on a path others designed for you? Simple questions really but the answers may not be so easy. There were times in my life that I was doing what I thought was expected of me versus what I really wanted to do. Not surprisingly, I was unhappy with myself during those times in my life. When we defy our hearts...our bodies and souls rebel. People tend to over eat, get caught up in addictions, end up depressed or otherwise self destructive behaviors when they lose sight of who they really are. Many just want to be victims because it gives them an excuse to blame others and avoid taking responsibility of their own lives. Many, many people live their lives that way. Each person has a chance to change however....but many choose to stay lost and wandering. The braver souls pick a direction and no matter which trail they pick...they learn something. When I counsel teens and adults about choices, the biggest message I give them is this. It doesn't matter whether you go right, left or straight, just pick a path and see where it leads. You'll learn no matter what. The universe will weave you in another direction if you veer off course. The biggest problem is that people don't pick any path to follow and thus, they always feel lost. The other problem is that people stay stuck ruminating over their problems rather than focusing on solutions. If you try to control the things you cannot control, you might as well dig your own hole now because it goes nowhere but deeper underground. That is a guaranteed way to stay stuck. "Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you don't"...(Steve Maraboli). So, I'll keep this article short...like a wonderful quick hike.  Pick a trail and see where it leads. It's your life and nobody can live it but you. "You wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down"...(Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon).