Friday 13 January 2012

Valuable Virtues

Since getting back into the blogasphere, I have documented my decline into the Winter Woes and my ascent back to the New Year Hope!

I thought I'd do some research into what some of the Values that help me to appreciate what I have, actually mean.

Here is what I have come up with:

HAPPINESS

When one's spiritual needs are met by an untroubled inner life.
Happiness comes when your words and deeds are of benefit to yourself and others.

TRANQUILILTY

The Peace that comes when energies are in  harmony and relationships are in balance.

LOVE

An inspired form of giving, love breathes life into the heart and brings grace to the soul.

COURAGE

Not the absence of fear or despair, but the strengh to conquer them.

WISDOM

Knowledge, intuition and experience combine to guide us in thought and deed.

PEACE

To bring peace to the earth, Strive to make your own life peaceful.

I feel that these explanations sum up what I strive to achieve.

I believe that Happiness and Peace are  by products of GOODNESS, and that GOODNESS is:
Honesty; Truthfulness; Compassion and Kindness.

Courage is fundamental in enabling us to act kindly even when we're afraid; to be able to exercise good and steady judgement even in the midst of confusion and panick; to continue to do what we believe is right even when loud voices are urging us to do otherwise; To take risks; To boldly go and that the greatest danger in life is not having the courage to take in the adventure.

Everyone needs to be Loved and to Love.  Without that, people have no purpose or hope.
I know this because I have met people in my field of work, who truly have No-One.  For them, Life is extremely Bewildering, Lonely, and Painful.

I recently read that nationally, 21,000 elderly people are left needing paupers' funerals each year because they have no money to pay for their burial and no one else will pay or organise the ceremony. These people are buried in unmarked shared graves.

Love gives you a sense of self. Love is solidarity and cooperation. Love Nurtures us and gives us Strengh and Hope.

Wisdom comes from learning from life's experiences. Not being reactive and self protective but having foresight and self-critical awareness. Being Active, Curious and Enquiring of mind.

I am not wise yet, but I have learnt so much from my life experiences, both good and bad, and I use my knowledge to enhance my life now. I also have a fascination and love of  discussion although I enjoy listening more than taking part. I try and stay neutral in the face of opposing forces and from the centre, I can see clearly, consider calmly and Act desisively.

, I guess happens when we have all of the above. I'm getting there but still have much to learn in my quest for living a fulfilling life.

CARING FOR MY FAMILY is MY guiding Principle which incorporates ALL of the above and I value the Tranqulity that this brings to my life.

My family help me make definate choices about things and my obligations are clearer.  I have a responsibility but that necessity is in no way an obstacle to creativity because, actually the discipline of necessity is a very good creative spur.

Is IS because of my Husband and My Children that I am who I am.  I still want to be so much more and I know that the strengh they give me will ensure that I keep striving for self actualisation through living these values and practising what I preach.

And now I am going to wrap up warm and go and wonder at the Beautiful, Clear Night Sky that we have tonight, Full of twinkling stars and Frosty Underfoot and it will not be hard to Value all of the above Virtues and Many More.

Kind Considerations

"If you have Food in your Refrigerator, Clothes on your back,
A Roof Overhead and
A Place to Sleep

You are Richer than 75% of this World

If you have Money in the Bank,
In your Wallet and
Spare Change in a Dish some Place.....

You are among the top 8% of the World's Wealthy

If you Woke up this Morning with
More Health than Illness.....

You are more Blessed than the Million who will not Survive this Week

If you have never experienced the danger of Battle,
The Lonliness of imprisonment,
The Agony of Torture,
Or the pangs of Starvation.....

You are ahead of 500 Million people in the World

If you can attend a Church Meeting without
Fear of Harassment, Arrest, Torture or Death......

Your are more Blessed than Three Billion people in the World

If your Parents are Still alive and  married......

You are Very Rare

If you Hold Up your Head with a Smile on your Face
And are Truly Thankful.....

You are Blessed because the majority Can
But Most Do Not

If you can read this.....

You are more Blessed than over
Two Billion people that cannot
Read or Write.

Have a Good Day and Count your Blessings"

This is an edited extract of a message I was sent while I struggling, perhaps to remind me that, although my "issues" are relevant, They are of little relevance in the grand scheme of things.

And while messages like this "could" send me into a great hole of despair, they don't because I have support and love in my life which stops me from focusing on what I can't do, and encourages me to concentrate on what I CAN do!

I find the world a painful place, full of destruction and greed.

But I know there is also hope and goodness, and it is those Positive Forces that I am exposed to Every Day.  

They give me the strengh to know that those negative forces can and will be overcome. 

All I have to do is keep hold of the Peace and Joy that I am blessed with and use that strengh to stay motivated in my desire to be part of radical and progressive change in my own small way (for now at least....!)

And that small way, for now, is raising awareness through campaigning, letter writing, giving school talks and blogging (!)

I hope, by the end of this year, I will be doing something more practical, at least towards Animal Welfare as well as continuing all the above.

So, my goal now is to be pro-active and get some readers to this blog!

No more Neglecting the Blog!

 I need readers otherwise this is just a diary of my thoughts, hopes and desires,  rather than a way of reaching out to others who may also share my values and can offer advice and encouragement!

Thankyou for Reading!

Winter Woes, Neglected Blog, Naughty Time!

"Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change
The courage to change the things I can
And the wisdom to now the difference"

(The serenity prayer by theologian Reinhold Niebuhr)

Well, here I am, 2 months from my last post. I have let that naughty time get away from me. November and December seemed to be very full months and I just didn't seem able to find the time to sit down and write! Goodness knows, I needed to explore my thoughts and type away, but the opportunity didn't present itself and I have neglected the blog!

I have experienced a Wedding; A Birth; 3 Birthdays; 2 Job Applications (and subsequently 2 interviews); A School Christmas Fayre;  An athletics presentation; A Christmas School Play; An unhappy incident at school; Christmas; A visit to a potential new home and business and of course, the start of a New Year!

These experiences have meant that I have been a Birthing Partner (which was surreal!); spent lots of time with Precious Friends and Family; been both proud and distressed; learnt so much about what our future may hold and made most of my Christmas Presents or bought them 2nd hand, both quite time consuming but cheaper and more personal.

All the above has meant I have had to be social, patient, happy, interested, focused and active.
Unfortunately I have found it hard to feel any of those things at times over this last 2 months and have been carrying a deep discontent within me. I have felt that I am "on the edge" much of the time and feel that I have carried on doing what was expected of me, while only giving as much that has sustained the impression of being wholehearted.

I have felt Chronically but vaguely unwell and everything has felt like a huge effort and very exhausting. I believe this has been a symptom of those Winter Woes.

However I feel as if I have turned a corner this week. I still feel a little unsettled because of work issues and also because of the decision we have made to move which has resulted in us getting the house ready to put on the market, a time consuming task, lots of things to pack up and cleaning to be done!

But, I believe that with the New Year, I have emerged from that winter gloom!

The mornings and evenings are still dark and it is cold and can be gloomy, but I can feel the New Spring on it's way, and I can now enjoy what is left of winter without all the business of the Festive Season and what that involves which is, frankly, tiring!

It is a glorious day today, we had a pretty heavy frost last night, and  it has been a beautiful morning, the sun is out and the sky is blue and I am reminded that the most exciting time of all is the shining here and now and to embrace the simplicity of life rather than to focus on what feels difficult.

I am plagued with the knowledge that there is so much wrong with the world. Today I am worried about the birds because it is due to get colder over the next week. My thoughts are NEVER far away from the outrageous abuse of animals in factory farms and laboratories and I continually feel desperate sadness for my fellow human beings for whom finding anything beautiful in life is almost impossible, and many of those individuals live in my, yours, our community.

But I know that if I allow this awareness to overwhelm me, I will continue to find life exhausting and be unable to embrace those moments of joy.

So, I will continue to strive to be pro-active, compassionate and generous of spirit and to do everything I can towards making positive changes in those issues I feel passionately about.

I know I have to accept that I can only do what I can. My energy resources are, sadly, not as extensive as I'd like. Physically I feel fit and healthy, but my emotional energy resources are easily drained and I need to factor that into my plans!

With so much happening this year, I may be restricted in what I can do but I just need to be realistic with my goals, Not set myself up to fail, and most importantly, Not to let other people down by enthusiastically agreeing to something that I probably won't have the time or energy to do!

Hence, the Serenity Prayer says it all.  Make a Mark on the world; Make a Difference; Make an impression; Matter; Contribute to Change and Don't let Uncertainty hold you back.  Listen to your instinct and Heed your Values and Beliefs......... Just don't drain your resources doing it.

Seize Opportunity
Dream Big
Have Hope and Vision
Believe in the impossible
Live each day as if it might be your last
Connect with Nature
Strive to Make a Difference and
Listen to your Heart, Mind and Body