I Feeeeeel Nice......

I knew it would happen, I kind of have a repeat love fortune.  It is I love you make me feel and only a few days ago its way I love how happy you make me feel...ok so maybe this one was for an emotion other than happy but I'm virgonic enough to keep track of each love fortune and check handwritings.  It was from two different hands.  And that's ok, but no reason for me to repeat myself. so you can read the past blog called Happy A State of Mind of One of the Seven Dwarfs or I'm going straight to a song...and it makes me giggle to think that either of them might break out in this song in thinking about me....Ha...no not giggling, laughing my ass off...

Imagine

I Love To Share Fun Facts is todays love fortune.  Yay on sharing that is always fun.  Fun well fun is fun.  Facts is where I get stuck and, course you know I get into semantics, so go with me.  I just don't think there are that many facts.  And truth keeps changing.  After all they use the world was flat until Christopher Columbus pulled out the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria.  So we know the facts best as we know them.  And actually it's all perspective, because the religous zealot might quote their book of god as having facts, but most of those are a matter of interpretation.  And as I usually say that is my truth as I know it and it may not be anyone elses.   Truth often comes from our experiences and let's face it we have a diverse bunch of experiences and then we have to interpret these experiences through our personal filters...oy, that's how you have two different people at the same event with different interpretations.  So now that I got off that, soap box, what is fun to share is ideas...and theories and possibilities.  I remember being in high school sitting with my best friend and discussing what karma and reincarnation was.  We hadn't read any buddhist texts and it was fun and considering what I know now, we weren't so far off.  And I also like to think about things that stretch my imagincation like alternate realities, etc...  So I love to share my imagination and I bet you know what sone that leads me to...

Happy...A State of Being or One of the 7 Dwarfs

My reaction to the I Love How Happy You Make Me Feel was, "What a sweet sentiment" and then into my spiritual thoughts of how happiness is a state of being that people really aren't dependent on its more a source we tap into.  That being said some people or experiences are yummier than others which help us feel light and cheery.  The rest of my morning was spent doing work that was more on the lead side.  I worked until my 1 PM spin class in which I was like an animal let out of her cage.  But that's not my point, it is definitely something that gives me an endorphine high which makes me happy for sure or feeds my happiness state of being.  But the perfect synchronicity moment was that the pre-class song playing as we entered was.

Although was thinking of how I let my work get to me and then I thought of Happy, one of the 7 Dwarfs, and perhaps if I took this approach when work gets me down, I'd be Happy-er.

Create Music...

So the love fortune to be blogged about today is "I Love What You Mean To Others".  And the false humility in me says Do I????  I mean I do to some but do I really.  Recently because of some interactions I have a snippet into the influence I have had based on peoples responsivity (I don't think that's a word and think it would be responsiveness but I like how responsivity is a bit of a tongue twister, anyway, I digress...) and they have outright said some things that help reinforce that I'm modeling my core values in a way that's appreciated.  I know we shouldn't need this, but it's pretty nice to have it.

Made me think if any of us say what people mean to us.  Not to get too deep but until my father was diagnosed with cancer, I can count on the fingers on one hand the number of times he actually said the words I Love You.  And most of those were based on an achievement.  This is not meant to be a dad-bashing by any means.   He behaved based on his life circumstances.  And then when he was diagnosed with cancer he would end every interaction with I love you.  We shouldn't wait.  So let people know how you love them.  You can say I love you or now a days send them a text that lets them know that your thinking about them...and do it just because...not that you want a response in return.  And your nice words can be like music to their ears and as Michael Frante sings, Everyone Deserves Music!!!

Wheeeeee!!!!!

Just to prove you never now how things are going to go...so yesterdays love fortune was I Love To ShowYou Off.  My first reaction, was giggling with delight and then boy he was stretching for that one.  I then went to what the hell do I blog about that.  My humility and rare to pop out these days, shy gene, went rampant.

And yesterday when conversing with someone at work we discussed my favorite bumper sticker, your unique just like everyone else.  I love it because I think everyone has to recognize they have something special and no bodies any better we're just all different.  But in yesterdays conversation, he was coming more from a perspective (and talking about a vendor trying to float our boat) of no we're just not that special/unique.  So if not special we go back to why the hell show me off.  Of course I'm taking the work associates perspective and ignoring the real reason I love that quote but go with me.

And now we flash forward to 6:45 this morning.  I'm thinking so maybe I'll just skip the blog today and slide this fortune in with the next love fortune as I've done at a few other times.  But as part of my morning ritual I had music on shuffle as I was getting ready.  And the song Just the Way You Are popped up.  So maybe You;re Amazing Just Like Everyone Else and amazing deserves to be shown off.  And I have to admit I like to share when my friends are shining their best attributes too.

So I shared the Glee version of this song because I will admit it was the version that was playing on my iPod (yes I have the traditional Bruno Mars version too).  Because I think this is a celebratory version and I think we should all experience Glee, the emotion not the show, and Glee when you stretch it out sounds like Wheeeeeeeeeee, which is my favorite thing to scream out to express complete and utter delight.  Inspired by the Geico Pig of course, come on, wheeeeeeee along, won't ya!!!

Don't Underestimate the Power of Silly

I giggled with delight when I read the I love how silly we can be together love fortune.  The real gems in my life are the ones that can do silly.  To truly be silly you have a good sense of yourself and be risky enough for people to think your a fool.  There is such wisdom in this and I'm going to share a very profound quote that I discovered in a book The Witch and Clown.  I can't find it right now to credit the authors name.  I had this book on my bookshelf for a while and I decided to bring it with me on my plane ride to Costa Rica several years when I was going on a clowning trip (yes you read right) with Patch Adams (and yes you read right again).  This really taught me the power of silly.  I went on a whim, knowing there was very little I couldn't do for a week.  They didn't give me much info to prep with, so I went to party city and picked a wig (hot pink pony tails), a honking nose, wings and a boa.  Yes that was what my version of clown would be. I figured people that wanted to clown in children's hospitals had to be a pretty good group to hand around with.  The intention was to use clowning as caring.  We clowned in children's hospitals, mental institutions and, even an Independence Day Parade.  Each was profound in it it's own way.

The most profound for me was in the mental institution.  It was not planned and at last minute one of the local Costa Rican crowds told Patch about this opportunity and he was excited.  I was not.  I remember a quote that someone who used to work as a psychologist in Bellevue told me.  The only difference between the doctors and the patients was that the doctors had the keys.  So the way this worked is that there was a group of about 30 of us.  We would go from this house like buildings, each had a different demographic.  Without knowing which had which they would go and say ok four clowns hear.  They would unlock the door, let us in and then lock the door.  I remember that locking sound being thunderous and I thought, "Oh shit, if I need to bolt I can't"  There was other staff inside so we were safe but I was wary.  Fortunately I had a demographic that was perfect for me, ladies from 16 and above.  And since clowns freak some people out, again I was cautious.  They loves us.  We danced, we sang, we hooted and hollered.  And then I say this older woman sitting to the side and her face was wet with tears.  I cautiously went over to her.  I just quietly sat down on the couch and faced her.  We stared in each others eyes.  I practically got lost in the depth of her loving soul.  Part of my costume was a feather boa.  So I took the boa and carressed her arm.  We continued to gaze and I said to her in what little spanish I know, You have a big heart.  She shook her head slowly in confirmation and then she picked up my boa and caressed my face with it.  Let's just say, that boa became very sacred to me.  I guess we shouldn't forget the power of the boa.  Another of the patients then came over to me screaming angel, angel...(because I was also wearing wings), I said no I'm a butterfly and flitted off.  The moment was over but one that had stayed deep in my heart forever.  Had I not been willing to go to silly, this would have been a missed opportunity.

Yes some people get freaked out by clowns but the silliness lets lots of people put down their guards and they let you in.  I haven't done another clowning trip although you never know, yet I have taken that wisdom and incorporated into my essence.  Let's just say it works.

I used to be afraid that people would not respect me if I shared wisdom through silly.  I needed to be serious, but fuck that.  If people can't see the wisdom behind the silly, then who is the fool.  Oh I diverted here is the quote.

The clown collapses the distinctions of the I and not I, of the subject and object...Watching him, we begin to wonder who is the reflection of whom?  Breaking down the ego-boundaries, the clown lets in the stream of psychic life that dissolves the discrete I in this seeing eye, his own and ours, moving through the mirror to the flux of being and becoming, touching the Zen idea that seeing into nothingness is true seeing.  What we thought was fixed reality is but the play of the phenomenal world, the illusion of personal consciousness, the ephemeral nature of history.  Thus the clown leads us beyond discursive reason, symbolizing the values of the supraatios--of the pure heart, the true enlightenment.  Ushering us into the space beyond space, we come to entertain different views of what is illusory and what is real.  We join the juggling act, to juggle and be juggled.  Thus Jesus's silence before Pilate and before the soldiers who mocked him as a fool.  Jesus as clown takes us through the mirror to its other side, where what was thought to be foolish is shown to be wise."

Since I've been sharing music videos, I could have left you with the obvious Send in the Clowns and the true power in silly is knowing how much.  It's quality not quantity.

Keep it Light...Enjoy Yourself Today (heck do it everyday)

So I got back-blogged again...I'm not sure if it's because I got feedback that someone was proud that I was actually keeping up with the blogging, so my unconscious did some self sabotage.  Excuse my self judgement spouting but it's a possibility.  The other one is that I didn't have so much to say on a topic and sometimes silence is an acceptable response.  I think silence is a more effective tool for us then any of us use.

So I have 3 love fortunes, to catch up on here as I want to list them all.  If my beloveds took the time to come up with 365 of these...the least I can do is acknowledge each of them.  So there was "I love the energy you bring"...as a person who is all about energy as the common denominator to the our physical, emotion, mental and spiritual health, this is a nice affirmation; however, the intention is the energy I bring to interactions.  And I have to admit inside sometimes I'm not feeling very inspired and I have the woe is me moments.  However, I can remember how it feels to be inspired and hopeful, so I can fake it until I make it.  And I do that, not to be ingenuous or pretend to be something I'm not...I do it because eventually it is how I feel (it's a bit infectious, if I do say so myself).  I also don't believe that misery loves company.  Well maybe it does love company, but I don't think that jumping on the misery bandwagon is helpful.  The more that jump onto that boat is like adding lead and then we sink and we never transform.  So instead, if I bring a sense of play and optimism, I lighten up and then can come up with some creative solutioning to the challenges of the day or the week or the....(you get the picture).   As you know I like to equate things with songs, my first instict was to choose Cyndi Lauper's Girl's Just Want to Have Fun but I have another one for you.

Next love fortune is...drum roll please....I love how others are smiling around you.  So I don't know if I've noticed this, so I'll just trust them on this.   The question to ponder is are they smiling because I am there (which my ego would like to believe) or is that I gravitate to smiling people (which would also be true).  Not that I'm not willing to be there for a frowning friend in need (I'm pretty devoted to my friends as I don't believe in being a fair weather only friend either); however, to stay positive, I need to feed that and hence I may gravitate to the smilers...so perhaps it's a little of both...after all life is an AND not an OR.

And yesterdays love fortune that got me to saying, get your ass in gear Lulu, is I Love How Your Understanding.  And you know the humor in this is I don't have a fucking clue.  So what appears to be understanding from a non-judemental place is that I don't understand people and there motives.  I also know that not everyone has the same integrity rule book I do (not that mine is the highest on the pious list) and I also don't know every little life experience that they have had that would influence who they are, so how can I not be receptive and just take action from what they present than label people as bad and wrong and stay pissed at them for going against my rule book.   I can't judge until I've walked in someone elses shoes and I barely fit in my own  Life happens and it's what we do with it, not what we judge others as...plus you know I prefer to enjoy myself so if I'm not open to the fact that someone may act differently that I would like, I'm going to add more lead and sink like the titanic.