Rhythm & Blues

Demonstrating Dog Rhythm

Everyone and everything has a different rhythm. Gregge Tiffen (The Journey Continues: Time Travels, July, 2010)

No, I’m not changing my focus to commentary on music. Whew! I was musing about a title for the topic as it emerged this morning, realizing that being out of my rhythm in my daily life makes me blue (at best, but honestly it makes me cranky and downright disagreeable to which others can attest). 

I wonder if the simple answer for many of life’s conundrums isn’t for each of us to get into our unique rhythm, not the one that the world and its systems have imposed, but the one that is unique to us. What if angst and conflict in relationships is rooted in nothing more than that our individual rhythms clash?  What if the anger and fear that we witness daily in the world is growing from those same roots?

This musing comes from self-observation through several recent experiences. I’ve experienced the cellular constriction (I personally feel it in my shoulders, neck and stomach) of stress and the internal chaos that ensued as I attempted to meet what I perceived as a demand from someone I’m working on a project with.  I realized that the stress was my body’s reaction to being taken out of its natural rhythm and flow.  As I looked deeper, I also found that there was no demand imposed by another at all, rather what I believed to be an expectation that I didn’t take time to check out.

I’ve also experienced the joy and ease of flow spending several days with a friend with no plan, no schedule and no expectation.  We each honored our unique individual needs, desires, and rhythms coming together with minimal planning for meals, conversations, and an entire afternoon and evening watching movies and loving on our pups.

The later represents what an easy flow life holds the potential to be.  We find that ease reflected all around in nature. Each tree grows in its rhythm. Baby birds hatch. They are fed by parents. They grow and fledge in their unique rhythm. The rhythm changes in response to weather, food, and surrounding conditions. The rhythm of the flowing creek changes from season to season: slowing in the winter cold, moving with more velocity the temperature warms and ice and snow melt.

Growing Up ... When Will They Fledge?

Perhaps as we navigate the complexities we’ve created in our relationships and the systems of the world, one of the basics that we might return to is discovering and honoring the individual rhythm that is uniquely ours. Perhaps some of the ‘blues’ (and worse) that we experience can be remedied by letting go of that which is not compatible with our rhythm, including beliefs, habits, other people, projects, jobs, and the list and the beat go on.

What’s your experience?  What do you think?

The Sun Has Her Rhythm Too!

Jungle Rules

Early morning haze ... smoke from a large fire nearby

We believe we can get control, but we do not believe we have control so the jungle rules take over. Gregge Tiffen (To Know Another, Know Thyself – July, 2008)

As I gaze out at the world beyond my door, it seems to me that the jungle rules aren’t serving us very well. I think about the concept that we are in this world, but not of it as it relates to how I experience daily life. The man we know as Jesus taught that we are not of this world and it seems that he lived his life from that belief.

What, I wonder, might life lived from being in but not of the world look like – individually and collectively?  Would we feel the powerlessness that seems rampant in our world? Would the boiling anger we witness daily (and perhaps even feel ourselves) cool down?  Is the angst and anger in our world rooted in our separation from knowing and using the personal power that we have each been given as individual units in a vast, indeed infinite, Universe? 

Perhaps ‘taking back’ our power is not about grabbing it from outside of us, but rather a series of ongoing opportunities that each of us has to individually learn to use the power we’ve been given. Perhaps this is what Gandhi had in mind when he encouraged his followers to be ‘being the change’ they wished to see in the world.

As I bring my idealism down to ground level where my own opportunities to engage in this learning live, I find myself humbled, challenged and inspired. I’m humbled when I catch myself judging others and engaging my thoughts in how to control. I’m humbled by how subtle ‘control over’ appears, sometimes masked as ‘understanding and collaboration with’. I’m challenged to be aware before I step on that path, and I’m inspired to find another way.

Although I don’t need to look much beyond my own nose (there is plenty of opportunity right here!) I see this struggle played out on the world stage. We’ve come to believe that things (money, weapons, water, fuel, relationships, and more) have power and we look beyond ourselves to others and to ‘the systems’ for answers, for protection, and to provide what we need. We are angry when we discover that the price we’ve paid seems to be our freedom.

All around us systems are failing.  Perhaps their crumbling is because we have given them so much of our power. To our peril, we’ve come to believe that they are life. We see the rules of the jungle playing out in an effort to continue the illusion that ‘control over’ is the path to freedom. At the same time many understand that such control is mutable, fleeting and that (s)he who has control today will be the oppressed of tomorrow.

What kind of world will we create when we slay the bounds of the jungle rules and understand that true control is the power within?

Luke says 'Don't forget the power of play!'

Breaking the Chains of Dependence

Gentle greeting in the woods this morning.

The minute you become dependent upon anyone in any way you no longer have any power to move forward in your own pattern, in your own blueprint, and on your own behalf. You come to a halt. Gregge Tiffen (Finding Freedom: The Meaning of Independence, July, 2007)

Reflect on this quote for a few moments and you may come to discover a key to why we so often feel stuck and experience the frustration that accompanies that ‘stuck-ness’.

Another Independence Day has come and gone here in the USA, the 240th since a small band of visionary revolutionaries, some of whom had deep mystical understanding, declared independence and set a course for a new nation.  We’ve celebrated our freedom once again. But I’ve come to wonder if we/I really know what freedom is. Do we/I know the importance of exercising our independence? Do we/I even know how?

As I observe the political landscape, I see and hear demands for freedom. Fear that someone who is ‘different from me’ will take our freedom away is rampant.  It seems we have lost our understanding that the source of freedom and independence is not man or government. Rather, free will is our gift from the Universe. Independence is Universal law.  Dependence is a violation of that law.

And yet we have created and continue to support dependence in our systems of government, education, business. We give life to these systems when we depend on them as our source. We’ve become dependent on bosses, clients, government agencies and circumstances for our happiness and well-being.  And, in doing so, we give away our freedom, our power to choose.

When I’m deeply honest with myself, I can see dependence imbedded in personal relationships and friendships as well.  We expect others to ‘be there’ for us and we may even be dependent on them needing us as well.

It’s no wonder that the level of frustration, angst, and fear has reached revolutionary proportions. We aren’t being true to our nature. We desperately want to find our way back. So we revolt. Many lash out at the ‘powers that be’ as if they are the source. Others wisely recognize that change starts within and that responsibility is key to the exercise of freedom.

A first step in taking responsibility is the recognition that the tyranny of dependence is in part self-imposed. From that awareness we are in a position to declare our own, personal independence. I’ve discovered that ‘unlearning dependence’ requires the willingness and self-honesty to look inside to what motivates my action. When I help out a neighbor am I simply using the opportunity as expression of my best self or do I have a hidden (mostly to me) agenda to fill an unmet need?

We restore our independence our willingness to look honestly step by step and choice by choice. We learn from experience and commitment that our independence is mostly an inside job. That job is made more challenging in a culture that fosters dependence as a means to control.  Yet, in the final analysis we and we alone are the authors of our own freedom.

Freedom of expression in our July 4th parade!

Speak Easy

An exclamation point in the sky reminds me that every word I speak is magnified.

By the very virtue that you open your mouth, there is an affect upon you.  Gregge Tiffen (Open Secrets: An Honest Performance - June, 2011)

It’s your honesty in attitude that controls your voice box. (Open Secrets: An Honest Performance - June, 2011)

When I’m truly honest with me and look at results and patterns that are not as much to my liking as the day above, I can find clues in words spoken without that care.  And, that’s a story for another day. http://cindyreinhardt.com/blog/voice-your-power

Today is the day for that other story that I digressed to several weeks back. I do so humbly as over the past week or so I’ve noticed an old habit creep back into my way of being: a sharp tongue voiced in reaction to some little event (usually one with little obvious consequence). For the most part (though not exclusively) these little explosions are not directed toward or in response to another person. No, they’re the curses (small but intense) that come out when the hose crinkles stopping the flow of water or some other minor annoyance.

They’ve been especially abundant over the past week. I dislike how I feel about me when I utter them. And, I know deep inside that my words have an impact not just on me.  They contribute to the noise and chaos that is roaring in our culture, adding fuel to an already dangerous fire.

That’s not how I want to contribute to our world.  And, it’s certainly not the attitude I want to carry with me in my immediate environment. I notice how one creates a path to the next and the next and beyond. I feel their impact. They drain my energy and undermine my clarity as I look beyond to the places where I want to put my energy: a project for the water and sanitation board, making the Dragonfly House ready and inviting for guests, a series of webinars to reignite my coaching, loving on Cool Hand Luke and simply enjoying each and every moment of the day.

Gregge’s words appear as I read and I’m reminded of all that I know about the power and the impact of my voice.  I take a breath. Express gratitude for the awareness. And, I ask ‘now what?’ How will I use this awareness to speak easy to me, to Luke, and beyond?

Cottonwood 'snow' on Cottonwood Creek. Ah, summer in the Sangres!

Three Dogs Night (& Day)

Our Neighborhood Away From Home

You operate from the spiritual base of value, or you struggle with everyday details. It’s up to you to harmonize your body cells in order that events are not based on the issue of survival. Gregge Tiffen (Open Secrets: The Nature of Feminine Truth, March 2011)

This week, I’m picking up from where I ended last week’s post: “So often when we step out of our routine life, as I’m doing these next few weeks, we let events define us.  I’m aiming to follow a different path, the road less traveled of awareness in the moment of each event as an opportunity for learning and for using what I’ve learning to this point in choosing each step.” [You can read the full post here: http://cindyreinhardt.com/blog/march-mantra]

You won’t be surprised that Cool Hand Luke has been a model of masterful adaptability, blending nicely with the dogs I came to care for, enjoying our daily urban walks on leash and mostly pavement. And, he’s learned to navigate the ‘doggie door’ and the freedom it brings to hang in a fenced yard when it isn’t raining. 

Charlie Brown Watches Over Our Neighborhood

I’m grateful for his reminders in this tricky domain of adaptability. And, feeling blessed that I my own ability to adapt has me feeling comfortable and very much at home here.

Gilley and Bonner, the two dogs that I traveled here to care for are excellent teachers as well.  Gilley is 14 years old and moves slowly, thus our walks are slow and easy. He ambles and sniffs. I observe and wonder what aroma has caught his attention. Bonner, the cancer patient, is content with the slow pace as it gives her the opportunity to sniff out things to consume, hoping that Aunt Cindy won’t gently tug the leash and declare “no, Bonner!”. 

The Canine Family: Bonner, Cool Hand Luke, & Gilley

On our walks and here at their home, they remind me to observe through the lens of the senses. By making seeing, hearing, and smelling a practice to deepen my ability to use these senses more consciously, I believe that I will sharpen my intuitive senses.  More importantly, it supports my cellular harmony and builds my confidence to navigate should an emergency with one of them arise while they are in my care.

At some time in my past, I’m sure that I would have experienced this journey (if I’d made it all) as an obligation, a burden that I just wanted to survive so I could move on to the next problem. Sadly, that is the level of consciousness from which so many operate. I hear it in the tone and rhetoric of politicians and in how we are responding to them. And, that is perhaps, a topic for another day.

Let's be more like this!

Anchors for Adaptability

New Year, New Winter Storm

Life is apparently going to be more complex than we could have ever imagined. If we do not have something real to anchor ourselves we will possibly be swept away at sea. Gregge Tiffen (The Significance of Beginning – January, 2007)

Even though I’ve created a life that’s pretty simple, the need to be flexible in the midst of changing conditions and events is ever present. I’ve come to believe that learning how to be adaptable is one of the key curriculums that our dear planet earth offers us.

You may have guessed that this first week of 2016 did not start out as I planned. In reflecting on my own need to adapt, I noticed with appreciation that I’ve increased my adapt-ability in the last several years. I wondered about the anchors that keep me from being ‘swept away’ when the unexpected occurs.  And, I thought of friends who are navigating a much larger challenge than what redirected my energy and attention this week. What keeps us from being swept into overwhelm and losing the opportunities life presents for learning?

I came to the realization that my anchors are the foundation on which I base the choices that I make.

You see, we live in a vast sea of pure, raw energy, so vast that it is infinite. This is the Universe. Events occur. I choose to step into an event or not using this energy. Play or don’t play. This is my choice point, a new beginning. I often make the choice to participate or not on the spot with seemingly little awareness of the internal analysis that occurs.

That’s exactly where I landed this week when my friend’s husband experienced an injury requiring surgery. The nearest hospital is 60 miles away and winter weather is upon us.  Their pup Odie is Luke’s best romping buddy, so it was easy to offer ‘Odie-care’, allowing my friends to focus on getting medical needs met. 

But, having two dogs (even two good, well-behaved boys) required Luke and me to adjust our routines and asking Odie to adapt as well. As you might expect, Odie and Luke are proving to be highly adaptable – canine teachers once again.  The choice also required adjusting my plans for and expectations of what I would accomplish this week. I’m fortunate to have the flexibility to do that with most of the projects I’m engaged in. Mission accomplished.

Master Teachers of Adaptability -- Sir Oden Jackson, Flat Stanley, & Prince Cool Hand Luke Skywalker.

So what is my ‘something real’?  It is a rock solid foundation that anchors me in the swirling sea of life’s events. My personal foundation, anchors if you will, is based on keen self-observation, strong self-belief, and faith in the ultimate good of the Universe.

When I make choices from this foundation, they tend to serve me well, if not immediately, then certainly long term. Even decisions that don’t work out as planned turn out in my favor in the long run.

This week I invite you to take a deep look at what anchors you in the sometimes stormy sea of life. How rock solid is your foundation?  How might you strengthen it in the year ahead?