Get Lost

 

One long ago summer, my Dad gifted my best friend and I with a trip to Disneyland. In true Dad fashion, we did it right. We stayed at the Disneyland hotel, got up at the “crap” of dawn, his phrase, and every day we were among the first people in the park. I lost all track of time. Our three days lasted forever, yet it all seemed like a dream and certainly, one of the great memories of my childhood.

When my 7^th grade teacher asked us to write a paper based on our favorite American Hero, I passed right through Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Hank Aaron, Thomas Edison, to the obvious choice: Walt Disney. After all, he brought families together, revolutionized animation, made some great sweatshirts, and helped advance animatronics. He was an unusual adult; someone filled with hope, fun, and adventure, who was obviously very healthfully connected to his inner kid.

We all need a Magic Kingdom, time set aside to play and be childlike. I call it Soul time; it’s when we “lose time”. Time is not lost necessarily, just not as confining as our watches and cellphones dictate. We experience this when listening to music, watching films, reading books, anytime we free fall into a passion, which is why it is so important to take time for play.

Disney said “I do not make films primarily for children. I make them for the child in all of us, whether he be six or sixty. Call the child innocence. The worst of us is not without innocence, although buried deeply it might be. In my work, I try to reach and speak to that innocence, showing it the fun and joy of living; showing it that laughter is healthy; showing it that the human species, although happily ridiculous sometimes, is still reaching for the stars."

When was the last time you reached for Stars? Why not take some time to recharge that magical inner child within. Forgotten how? Here are some suggestions:

~ Spend time with Nature. Whether you go for a walk, visit an Aquarium, buy some flowers, climb a nearby mountain or hang out at a Dog park, there is something restoring and rejuvenating in fresh air, color and a new perspective. Live on instinct and notice what happens. Our ancestors love to give us signs when we are more accessible, as they have as much of our undivided attention in Nature as they can get.

~ Do something unusual and out of your ordinary. Bowling is generally a great idea. Few people I know are really good bowlers, so it seems to even the playing field. Other ideas: take a Zumba class, make a brand new recipe, do something unexpected for someone you love, call an old friend, try a new restaurant, public event, a jazz club, do everything opposite for an hour, I think you get the idea.

~ Create a “Ta Da” Sheet. Celebrate what is working in your life. Remember the bottled paint and the white paste that some of us ate because we didn’t know any better? You can use crayons, pencils, markers, glue, sparkles, magazine cut-outs, pictures, objects around the house. Celebrate you, what you are proud of, who you love, what IS working in your life. No one needs to see it, just you.

~ Take a situation in your life you really want to happen and write your desires in a “once upon a time” version. For the parts you are unclear about, pull Tarot or Oracle cards to enhance the story. Dream big. This is your life, anything can happen, make it a Hero’s story.

~ Pick a time in your life and go back. Go through old photos, a year book, a wedding album, remind yourself of all that happened at that time in your life. You can either put the items in an album or just spend some time remembering. If you want, give some of the photos and items a special place where you can remind yourself of who you have been.

Most of all, get lost. Forget about the crazy “to do lists”. There will always be more to do and not enough time. Go out in the world. Shop, hang out at a coffee shop, bookstore, a movie, go vision something you wish to create, look at new cars, furniture, take a class, go to a gadget geek store and learn something new.

Hopefully, these ideas will be inspirational and fun. Dive into that pure part, that self that always knows the right thing to do. Most of all, make it fun.

By the way, that paper in 7^th grade, I got an “F”. Guess I should have suggested my teacher “get lost”.

;-)

The Courage to Envision

Courageous people are true visionaries. They commit to something beyond themselves, leaving fear and that which is comfortable behind. They surrender to a moment or a calling beyond their doubt, free falling into the hope of a potential. We have stunning examples throughout history: Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, the civilian in Tiananmen Square, Nelson Mandela, and Aung San Suu Kyi to name a few. They were willing to risk what was probable in order to give birth the existence of a possible.
Wishing a different result implies we must be willing to let go of that which is familiar in order to seed that which is unknown. We all enjoy sharing the gravity bound stories of our past with others, which never cease to inspire empathy, as they are filled with tempestuousness and intrigue. However, the retelling of these wounded tales deeply roots us to that which has been and distances us from what is becoming in our selves and our lives. Why do we share these old tales of abuse, violation, grief, hurt and victimization? The constant recounting is just our way of trying to solve and understand what happened to us; however, the telling is to the outside world. Talking is an outward action, where as healing happens within. By repeating these stories, we are not healing. We are only igniting our ego, which seems to be more comfortable finding separation than unity. . Who are you without your stories?
The willingness to acknowledge and witness what has happened allows us to take those first awkward steps toward healing. By freeing yourself from the confines of the past, you allow yourself to experience true liberation. It places you solidly in the moment of your life, in your present, which is where the point of all possibility exists. There we become the creators and architects of our lives and of this world, and join the courageousness of the aforementioned heroes.
I challenge you to see how deeply you can surrender and detach from the winters of your discontents and step solidly into this glorious spring. You are constantly becoming, but clinging to the stories of the wounded ego disallows you to bloom. Your Soul is comprised of pure possibility. By having the courage to envision yourself differently, you contribute to the greater healing of our planet. As Margaret Shepherd said, “Sometimes the only available transportation is a leap of faith.”