Even the hard times can be good

Today, I'm sad...I haven't done enough, or been enough, or reached out enough to make a difference...I've been trapped by my own fear, hiding my abilities and withholding my power...I haven't let myself discover who I am or who you are...I've simply been enmeshed in my own struggle to survive...It happens.

I can stop, now, see the dawn, the birds in the tree outside my front window, listen to the quiet, as everything is still before the bustle of a new day...I can imagine the promise of living well...helping my friends, family and neighbors and discovering purpose in that service...And then, I want to cry...because its been too hard and I've failed to live up to that promise and I am not good enough...I vacillate between wallowing and just being...What's the point...why bother...who cares...then I answer, "I care".

It is enough. If I care, I can make a difference and I can continue to strive...I am enough even in my inadequacy...I am enough...We all struggle, sometimes without even knowing it. We get caught up in the emergencies of the day and fail to appreciate what is really important to us...what really makes us happy...when we contribute, we sing...when we serve we soar...when we give of ourselves to others we find meaning...Yes, it's fun to indulge ...and please don't hold back...but it can't hold a candle to helping a friend or person in need...we serve when we don't know who we are...then we serve knowing it is who we are...today, I will find a hundred small favors to do...from saying hello, to picking up something dropped and I will strive to remember that these things are enough and that I am enough, and that surrender is the path to enlightenment and service is the path to my soul...until next time...love the ones you're with, until then I remain...Respectfully yours, Larry








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Do Overs, Letting go of Regrets

Sometimes, as we move along in life, it feels like we have missed an opportunity, or failed to take advantage, or held ourselves back in some important way...we have regret...or at least a little unsettling feeling that something past has left us sad. If we make a mistake, or do an injustice, or fail someone important to us...(after getting past all our denials of it's not my fault)...we may feel bad or regret our actions or inaction's. Regret is painful and often people deny having it...but denying it isn't the same as being free of it.

Sometimes, we just need a do over...make it right...take the leap...say what we couldn't, or take back what we should...Hold your hand up if you'd like a do over...Yeah, mine was up too.

Do overs would be grand, but...Yeah...do overs don't exist...or do they? When you're ready to let go of the past and get on with the NOW do overs might well be in order. One way you can release from a loss, or bad behavior is by embracing it and acknowledging its impact on you and everyone affected..."what we resist, persists...what we fully experience disappears"...If you are still bothered by a past event, see if it's true that you haven't allowed yourself to fully experience it...trust me, you haven't...let yourself embrace the full experience, past your reactions (they hate me, I'll never win, I'll never get another chance, I'm worthless, etc.) and pain, and include how it passes into "what comes next"(I'm still here and life is moving on.)...often what comes next is a do over...I'm sorry (fill in the blank____) could we have a do over"..."I really would love to hear about your day..." "Oh, my mistake cost you your arm...I wish there could be a do over, but I can't take it back...I'm sorry is only the beginning of my support for you, I will do whatever it takes to make amends?" Then, live into your commitment. (Not self flagellation,or whipping boy...but real accountability.)

When we complete an experience see the possibilities and take action we leave regret in the dust. When and if you can't do that in your life...take a moment, find an objective coach and let them help you release from the fear or pain stored from past incompletions. Regret is hoping and wishing, Do overs are for those of us ready to get on with our lives and committed to making our world and this world a better place for everyone...until next time...love the ones your with...I remain, Respectfully Yours, Larry





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Life goes on, and on, and on...don't stop believin'

Lots of things wrong today...war, poverty, financial meltdown, corrupt politicians, more corrupt corporate dealings, bailouts...on and on and on...It's true, it's what's so and it's also "so what"!  Yeah, things are wrong, people get hurt, unfairness abounds, kids fail to find their potential, adults lose a grip on their dreams...on and on and on....

It is what's so; but it's not the only what's so...right in the middle of one of the worst periods of U. S. politics a young man stands up and speaks of hope...and we believe...no amount of fraud and sophistry can quell the human spirit; and no amount of disillusionment can keep us from believin'....

We are optimistic.  Oh, sure, we can be pessimistic about just about anything, but under it all we are resilient...you are resilient...you may be faced with things going wrong in your life and it may seem hopeless, and you may feel hopeless, or frustrated, or sad, or lonely, or depressed.  You're not alone and it's not forever, until and unless you quit believin...

If it gets to the point where you can't believe anymore, find someone who does and will work with you as your life coach...and lean on them until you can find your way back...you will...I promise you...you will....

If you know you have tried and tried and tried and your problems persist, or you realize you are trapped in a no win situation...stop, breathe, and get coached...you are triggered, you are coping and you are failing to thrive...You deserve to thrive and you can and will if you only allow yourself to believe....

Believe in yourself and believe there is a coach out there waiting to help, and able to help you find your path back to the light...Life goes on and you deserve to know of happiness, productivity, to be cherished and loved...believe and act...reach out and allow yourself to experience and release from the fear and pain clogging up any aspect of your life...remember, love the ones you're with...until next time, I remain, Respectfully Yours, larry




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Where have all the Flowers Gone?

Are you struggling, or perhaps 'trying' to be happy?  There are many of us who struggle with issues that range from unhappiness about our personal image (weight, looks, etc.) to struggles with success, money, relationships, self esteem, emotional stability, or lack of purpose.  Do you believe you are destined to struggle...or stand to the side while others seem to blossom. Ever ask yourself "why am I here?"

Maybe it's just a fluke of nature...a blip in the cosmos...perhaps living means nothing and our lives are pointless...complete and utter randomness...pointless in every way...what could be better than that?

There is no doubt that meaning starts and ends with you...without life, without YOU, nothing matters...You make life worth living and YOU bring meaning to all of the random actions of the universe...it has always been so.

Without our human consciousness of good, better, best, we would be no more than random events, but we are not. We are individual gifts, with the potential to love, inspire, support and admire...when we lose our way we forget who we really are and we struggle.

Life and self consciousness allow for meaning, purpose, goodness and evil...it is not 'out there' but within us...we have the power to be good and to bring good to every interaction and our forgetting that can bring pain and evil.  When we are hurt, and helpless, or struggling to 'get', when we stuff our vulnerability, fear and pain, steeling ourselves against the bears in our lives, we can become part of the processes that send our society into chaos...when we stop and surrender to our pain and fear we can release from our dramas and misdeeds and become a powerful force for good in our world....

Are you struggling?  Then stop, surrender, breathe, believe in yourself and in the inate goodness of our collective universe...if that is hard for you, find someone who will help you and guide you to discover your own inner harmony...if you want to know what faith is...take a leap of faith, no matter the current circumstances, that you are good and worthy and a gift, that all is unfolding as it should...and then have faith in the truth that you are loved unconditionally and that you have the power to love unconditionally, that in time it will make a difference and bring that faith to each of your interactions until it becomes true in your life...

You are the light, you are the joy, you are the meaning and purpose and gift that each of us cherish...if this is less than absolutely true for you, then your task is clear...FIND IT...until next time, I remain, respectfully yours, Larry




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Greed, a love story

I went to see "Capitalism: A Love Story" and was confronted with how little it had to do with capitalism and how much it told the story of greed. Perhaps, the message is that capitalism shall inevitably lead to greed and while I doubt that, I don't wish to debate it. What I am quite sure about is that greed and self absorption have played an increasingly destructive role in the corporate community and in our own lives...either as the victim of it or the sirens song of striving to get ours....

The helplessness many of us feel at the hands of the corporate giants is palatable today. The rationalizations used by industry to cut portions, raise prices, lower quality, cut corners and lay waste to their employees, hurt each and every one of us. We live in our society and are affected by the levels of injustices we are confronted with; but we are even more affected by the injustices that tear at the heart of our social fiber and individual integrity. We have turned the corner away from social justice and are hurtling headlong down the path of power plays, swindled riches, and social rationalization.

"We have an obligation to our stockholders", "we deserve huge bonuses", "we're too big to fail"...etc. etc. etc... If you're caught up in this, or other rationalizations, or just the head long pursuit of social media self aggrandizement and self promotion... AND you are feeling just a little empty or lost...then maybe it's time to take stock.

We are all in this together...in what?...in living on this planet...what YOU do does make a difference...character does count...caring for your neighbor will bring great rewards...saying no to greed, saying no to your boss who wants you to mislead, stopping yourself from denying someone health care because it's too expensive for your company...lying cheating, rationalizing, losing your sense of honor and fair play are done by people caught up in the rush to short term profit, or self agrandizement; and/or caught up in thinking that their small voice has no power against the tidal wave of social injustice...they are wrong...live your life caring for others, because you will soon learn it amounts to caring for yourself...stand up against unfairness, injustice, rationalization, self absorption and greed...do it today...enlist the aid of your friends and let's put a stop to greed and begin to live with peace....

Go see Capitalism ignore the dogma, be outraged by the injustice and resolve to do better, be better and have better...until next time...love the ones you're with...Until then I remain...Yours truly and respectfully, Larry






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Allowing Love: a Journey into Joy

So, do you know how much you are loved? Does it matter...really? We too often find ourselves living day to day moment to moment frustrated by the stresses of our lives. Yes, we know people love us, and yet, we still must face the burdens of our lives...we seldom trust that that love is enough or expressed to our satisfaction.

Finances, relationships, bosses, success, smog, rudeness, kids, or whatever, fill our lives with stress, angst, worry and toil...and if it isn't any of those perhaps it is simply our distress at how we are doing....

Are you a good person, kind enough, fair enough, skilled enough, just enough...and perhaps even more importantly acknowledged enough? Where is peace, and respect and honor? Is your life filled with riches, or full of 'opportunities' to overcome...are you the author or the pen...are you the paddle or the ping pong ball...who are you as you rise up in the morning?

May I suggest that you are loved...not your behavior, not your attitudes, not even your effort...just you...the one who occupies your body, sees the world through your eyes and feels each experience so intensely. I love you...I know that I do...If I do not know you that is little consequence...you are loved, cherished, appreciated, admired, respected for the gift you are...if you doubt it go find a new born infant, take a moment to be with him or her, ask yourself if you can find love for this child...if you can't it is only because you are too afraid to look...and if you can notice it is not conditioned on anything that infant can do...your love is limitless and the love in your life is as well...if this seems untrue or unimportant it is a perfect time for you to stop.

Stop what you are doing just as soon as you can reasonably do so and breathe...take stock in yourself...allow yourself an opportunity to surrender...dedicate your life to discovering and allowing love back in your life...notice how you withhold it from others "because"...and stop that...find love within yourself, find compassion within yourself and give it to everyone you meet until you can see and experience that everyone is giving it to you.

Allow love in your life and let it replace your troubles...allow love in your life and let it replace your judgements of others...allow love in your life and let it be...let it be.

You are loved...and perhaps so am I...I love you and admire you and I am terribly afraid that that is not enough...it is the burden I carry and it is lighter today because I know that today I am filled with your love...because today I know you love me...even when you may not know that yourself...You are loved and so am I...be well, until next time...I remain...Yours Truly, Larry





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Livin' Easy, Livin' Well

How are you today? I hope you are well and that your life is full of joy and satisfaction...I hope you are traveling your chosen path with energy and enthusiasm and I hope you feel fulfilled and productive with relationships that inspire and delight you...is that too much to ask for?

For many, it may seem too much to ask for...for some life is full of drama, pain, distress, upset and dissatisfaction...if this is true for you even some of the time you may wish to look at how your survival consciousness is getting in the way. Survival consciousness is the part of our awareness that tries to solve our problems using fight or flight as its tools...this is a natural and normal part of being human, but it is also the cause of most of the relationship and life living problems people deal with on a day to day basis.

A good tool for you to use is to see what is bothering you and then ask yourself will beating it up or running away "REALLY" solve this problem...if your answer is NO, then you may want to look at whether or not you have been triggered into your fight/flight/freeze consciousness.

You can easily tell if you have, because you will notice your options are either/or and not very appealing in any case...You will be looking for agreement and allies from others and you will be acting in very familiar ways and saying very familiar things about the problem.

If that is the case then take a break...take a few deep breaths and surrender your reactive, angry, helpless, frustrated, or hopeless mind to the possibility that your problem has now become your fight/flight consciousness.

Stop what you're doing and allow for the return of your Authentic Self...Seek out someone who neither agrees or disagrees with you and let them guide you through your fear and distress until once again you can see the situation as an opportunity to express your goodwill and good intentions...be with your feelings of pain, loss, and fear and allow them to pass...Seek surrender and learn how that feels for you until you no longer need to manage and can allow life to be...grow into your potential and let the grip of fight flight subside...Be well and love the ones you're with...until next time I remain...Yours Truly, Larry






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