Bottom Up - Top Down Crashes

 Current information from our five senses can
  come up from our body and collide with
  misperceptions and unrealistic expectations
  that come down from our mind. For example, I
  hear the words, "I love you."but I still think
  I am unlovable and undesirable.
  Or, a message may come up from my body telling
  me that my stomach hurts, but I remember my
  mother telling me it can't be hurting because
  I just ate.
  It's enough to make a body and mind go numb or
  panicky and "split off," becoming less in touch
  with reality and the big picture. 

  Now, we're in trouble. Split off from ourselves,
  we are evn less likely to find the truth and the
  full reality of the situation. And as a result some or all of
  what we think, feel and do will be inappropriate.
  Sometimes it takes strong mental effort to
  stay present and in touch with reality.
  Failure to do so usually exacts a high price.
  How often, if ever, do you split off from
  yourself and reality?  How committed are
  you to staying aware, open, and curious so
  you can make healthy choices and changes
  that empower you to become the person
  you were meant to be?

You Can't Fill A Leaky Heart

"You can't fill a leaky heart." my son said
in a recent conversation. Humm, "How do you
fix a leaky heart?"  I wondered. Can it ever
be full again?

Upon reflection, my answer is, "Yes." Yes, we
can fix our leaky hearts,if we are willing to
be honest and compassionate with others and
ourselves. Yes,our once leaky hearts can be
full again.

Honesty and compassion are the antidotes to
a leaky heart. Both require finding courage,
forgiving, and accepting forgiveness, which may
hurt, take time, and require humility. Facing
the truth and letting go of old thoughts and
feelings is never easy. But we can do it.

I admit to having a leaky heart that is healing.
Honesty and compassion are working for me.
What about you? Would you like to give honesty
and compassion a try?

I would love to hear from you on this matter.

Connected or Split off?

If you read my piece on addictions on FaceBook,
you may have noticed an emphasis on self-nurturing.
 
Here's a question for each one of us. "How do I
nurture myself?  "When I nurture myself, do I 
stay connected to myself and do what's best
for me?

Or do I "split off" from myself and go after
something that, short-term, might relieve
and pleasure me, but long-term can hurt me?
Do I even think about it?

I would love to know what you are thinking.

Enough Lying and Dissimulating

Enough lying and dissimulating. This is a time for honesty and integrity.

There's talk of Democrats and liberals,Republicans and conservatives, Muslims and Christians. We don'tneed labels. We need compassionate men and women of integrity who are not afraid to speak the truth and stand on it.

I won't discuss the Choice-Cube Method here. But I will say that the thrust of
the method is to train oneself to:
    * take responsibility for one's part
            in the problem.
    * seek truth with compassion for oneself
            and others.
    * stay open, curious, flexible and balanced.

Not easy tasks, but certainly worthy goals. Today, the alternatives are frightening.

Let's Define Addictions

Let's define addictions. I define an addiction as anything I do
repeatedly that interferes with my life. For example, I spend
money I don't have to buy things I don't need. Or, instead of
doing my homework I get high.

Personally, I have to watch myself. I could easily develop an
addiction to spending time on the computer when I have a million
other things I need to do. What about you? I'd love to discuss it.