Wondering

"People travel to wonder at the height of the mountains, at the huge waves of the seas,
at the long course of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean,
at the circular motion of the stars,
and yet they pass by themselves without wondering."

- St. Augustine, 354-430 A.D.

Photo:
water reflection of face
tsu_tsu @flickr.com

Be There Totally

Where ever you are, be there totally.

~ Eckhart Tolle

Photo: Tom Watson
At age 59 marching towards victory
British Open, 2009

What You Do Matters

"Do not worry so much all the time, my friend, about the other people, what they say. And do not have so many strong opinions, so many strong judgments. What you do matters. And what you think matters...Here is Buddhist prayer," he said, and he rolled off a few sentences in what must have been Ortyk, then struggling just a bit, translated them. "All that we are is the result of what we have thought: It is built on our thoughts, it is made from our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with evil thought, pain follows him, just like the wheel follows the foot of the ox that draws the...cart....If a person speaks or acts with pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves."


One of my favorite excerpts from the delightful novel Breakfast with Buddha written by Roland Merullo. This story is insightful, slightly irreverant and loving. A wonderful primer on how to live gently.

Namaste.

Stand Up to Your Obstacles

Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them.
You will find that they haven't half the strength you think they have.

~ Norman Vincent Peale

Painting: Obstacles by Bruce Price

25 Years Married Today

Grow old along with me. The best is yet to be.

In a time when nothing is more certain than change,
the commitment of two people to one another has become difficult and rare.
Yet, by its scarcity, the beauty and value of this exchange have only been enhanced.

~ Sexton, Robert

Photo: Stuart and Jackie 2009

Milton H. Erickson - The Father of Modern Hypnotherapy

Milton H. Erickson (1901- 1980) was an American Psychiatrist who specialized in medical hypnosis. His story is fascinating and inspiring. As a young man of 17 he was stricken with polio. His incredible recovery is briefly recounted below. Not only does his story offer inspiration, but insight into experiential wisdom and application for the betterment of the human condition.


Milton Erickson was always delighted to recount that he was one of the few people who traveled East in a covered wagon. His love of doing things differently was a theme in his life as well as in the way he practiced psychotherapy. His unique approaches have impacted and changed psychotherapy in a pivotal way.

Born in 1901, in Aurum, Nevada, a long vanished silver-mining town, he was Albert and Clara Erickson's second child. When he was five, the family moved to Lowell, Wisconsin, and began farming on 80 acres. The family eventually grew to 7 girls and 2 boys, which was a distinct disadvantage in the epoch of clear male and female work roles. The family frequently "loaned out" a girl for kitchen duties in exchange for an extra hand at crop time.

Even as a child, Milton was recognized as different. His schoolmates called him "Pat" because he always had his lessons "down pat." There was a paucity of printed material in his farm community and he already had an insatiable appetite for reading. He amused himself by reading the dictionary. While still a teenager, he began his prolific publishing career, writing an article about the problems of youths on farms for a national magazine. He enjoyed writing for newspapers as a student and continued to contribute to newspapers for many years. His submissions ranged from serious editorials to humorous anecdotes.

He admired the wise country doctor, as a youngster, and planned that career for himself. Then at 17, he was stricken by poliomyelitis. He spent a great deal of time analyzing the intricacies and hidden messages of the conversations in rooms adjacent to his bedroom as he lay paralyzed. His examination of minute details of the relationships between thinking and healing and the effects of the mind on the body proved to be key elements in his recovery.

As a transition back to physical well-being, Milton planned a camping trip by canoe from the Wisconsin River in Milwaukee down the Mississippi to St. Louis. A friend who was going with him canceled at the last minute. As Milton's parents were already uncomfortable with this trip, he decided not to tell them it would be a solitary venture. He began his trip with $5.00 in his pocket and being carried to the river because he couldn't walk far. There would be many portages with his canoe, but he decided he could depend on his wits until he could develop the muscles he needed. He was confident that even alone he would manage.

He paddled home after six weeks. He still had his $5.00, was tanned and had developed enormous shoulder muscle strength. He had learned to walk again, supported only by a cane. The trip impacted him and his thinking for the rest of his life. Many nights, he had "earned" his supper by telling stories to fishermen along the river and he recognized the power of stories the rest of his life. He became even more appreciative of the power of nature to soothe and teach. Erickson always relished learning and on this trip, he was able to see other ways of living. He talked to and learned from the company of people whose life styles were totally outside his experiences.

In Erickson's youth was marked with times of isolation and solitude as well as intervals of physical hardship. His life philosophy was shaped by the resulting appreciation of the values of observation, patience, perseverance, and hard work. All surroundings provide solutions, whether the circumstances are sparse, filled with adversities or teeming with yet-to-be discovered possibilities for the navigation of life. This life philosophy, this different view of the resources available within each person and the environment shaped his professional views and created a broader spectrum for psychotherapy.

Lesson from Dad

I remember many, many times my father said to me,

"You must learn to bend like a weeping willow in the wind or

eventually you'll break."

Have you ever tried to break a weeping willow branch?

You can't.

I am that weeping willow drinking from the stream of life.

Stuart Alexander Paykel

They were little once.
And, now they’re all grown up – well, kind of.

Alex, our youngest son of three, graduates from high school today.
It sure is a bitter-sweet moment in my life.
I take solace knowing that he will continue to grow as a man
And hopefully use the wisdom he’s gained thus far.
I hope he understands that he can rely upon his family and best of friends
To help right his way when he strays
To celebrate his successes and passions
To support him through those difficult times when personal growth is inevitable
To love him for who he is and not who we wished he was.
Because, to me, with all the ups and downs,
The laughter, the tears, the terror, the hugs, the girls, the Alexisms
The wrecked cars, the name changes, the broken bones, the messy rooms and loud music

Stuart Alexander Paykel

has illuminated our lives.
I simply wouldn’t have him any other way.

Alex, please continue to live with passion.
Share your gifts. Do the unexpected.
And, most of all, know you are loved…Unconditionally.

Love, Mom

Photo:Michi, Alex, Alexio, Clay and Kelsey
2009 graduates of Western Branch High School

Achievement

Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal;

nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.

~ Thomas Jefferson

Photo: Michael Phelps

Here's a Magical Question that Changes EVERYTHING!

by Ken Winston Caine

Here’s a magical question that changes EVERYTHING! Practice asking it of yourself throughout your day.

Especially ask it when feeling overwhelm, upset, frustration, and so forth. The question:

How would you like to feel right now?

Put it in the first person form, of course. That is:

How would I like to feel right now?

And be perfectly honest — and really, really sure of your answer.

And then:

Feel that way.

Allow yourself to feel the way you would like to feel right now.

And allow yourself to be vigilant about noticing and letting go of any conflicting feelings and thoughts that attempt to assert themselves. And, when you become aware that conflicting feelings and thoughts HAVE asserted themselves and are busy making messes of your internal emotional environment and mental clarity, allow yourself to pause … and ask the question again.

You’ll be surprised.

The more you practice this, the better you’ll get at it.

About the Authour: Ken Winston Kaine is a Holistic Self-Help Doc' exploring the frontiers of holistics & personal development ...Sharing 'what works, what doesn't, and what's simply freakin' fascinating

Live Today for Today

"That which you think about, you create.
Thoughts are things!
And that which you think about, good or bad -
you create into your own reality."
Author Unknown

Street sense: Formerly homeless, UW med school grad has traveled long road

Jennifer Jenkins took a break between her third and fourth years of medical school to practice what is called "street medicine" with an organization in Pittsburgh. She made "house calls" on the streets, handing out medicine, socks and sandwiches. And she was glad to do it. Jenkins, 35, was once there herself.

"There's nothing special about me," says Jenkins, sitting in a cafe on Willy Street just days after graduating from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. "You should see the resilience of the homeless people on the street."

Jenkins, who spent about five years in her early 20s bouncing between the streets, shelters and "benevolent couches" of strangers and friends, was born in Willingboro, N.J., the oldest daughter of a West Point graduate. Her dad moved the family between Army bases until Jenkins was 8, when they settled in Milwaukee. They didn't have much money, even when her father returned to law school and got his degree. Jenkins says her father wasn't outgoing enough to bring in clients.

Her family life was extremely unstable and touched by violence and abuse, says Jenkins, who has a brother and a sister.

"I had to grow up very fast," she says. "But sometimes when you do that, even though you may have the practical know-how to move through this world, there are social and emotional lessons that might have to be learned the hard way along the way."

After graduating high school at 17, Jenkins moved to Madison to attend UW. She was put on probation in her second year due to poor grades but left school before she could get kicked out....

Read the rest of Jennifer's amazing story

Photo:
Recent UW medical school graduate Jennifer Jenkins (left) hopes to devote her medical career to "outsiders," such as homeless men and women, as she was once homeless herself.

Silence Is The Great Teacher

Silence is the great teacher, and to learn its lessons you must pay attention to it.

There is no substitute for the creative inspiration, knowledge, and stability

that come from knowing how to contact your core of inner silence.

The great Sufi poet Rumi wrote, "Only let the moving waters calm down,

and the sun and moon will be reflected on the surface of your being."

~ Deepak Chopra

Photo: Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan

Susan Boyle Wows Again with "Memory"

Susan Boyle wows the judges and audience again
on Britain's Got Talent singing "Memory" from Cats.
She remains an inspiration for the world in difficult times.