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Beautiful Summer Morning Inspirational Quote of the Day
May 15th, 2008
Photo Courtesy of Pauline DeForest
Within each of us there is an Owl, a Rabbit, and
Eeyore, and a Pooh. For too long, we have chosen the way of Owl and
Rabbit. Now, like Eeyore, we complain about the results. But that
accomplishes nothing. If we are smart, we will choose the way of Pooh.
As if from way away, it calls to us with the voice of a child’s mind.
It may be hard to hear at times, but it is important just the same,
because without it we will never find our way throught the Forest.
Source: The Tao of Pooh by Benhamin Hoff
The Tao of Pooh
A Way Through the Forest
By Nicholas Grimshawe
The rain falls as a soft mist as we leave the car, the dogs and me,
for our morning walk. The world is green and wet: A fine mist obscures
the mountains, flattening our normally vertical world.
I am time pressed, which is probably why things worked out the way they did.
How do I get from where I am to a more simple life? How do I simplify, simplify, simplify?
Today I think of Old England, the gentle land of my birth, and
country lanes, flower gardens, and an easy way of life. Oh how I want
that.
I think of the Law of Attraction, the book I am currently reading and think, ” I am focusing on the thing I want, that’s good.”
I stop and look toward a line of old trees that run along the bank of the river.
I think of change.
I watch the swallows, swoop and sweep, cleaning the sky of bugs. They live in a constantly changing world.
“Change is inevitable” we are told. “In the physical world” I add as
a qualifier. The universe seems to agree because it puts an exclamation
on my thoughts by sending two gold finches to do a fly by.
“Okay, I am on track.”
I stop again and watch the gentle rain aware that what I look out on
is changeless; that the awareness that watches is timeless, has felt
the joy of this forever.
With everything there are two sides on this single coin, change, and
changelessness. Out of one is born the other. I experience an enormous
peace within me being able both to embrace the change I see all around
me, yet knowing ultimately, change could not touch this moment.
At this point we came to our turn around point. I’d lost track of
the dogs, but they were doing what dogs always do, they were enjoying
the moment.
My thoughts went back to my desire to live more simply in this country of grace and beauty and solitude.
Just then my Ah-ha moment happened.
In the Law of Attraction, Abraham talks about using emotions as a
spiritual guidance system. This desire to return to a simple life, to
be able to do these walks every day, to live more in the country and
less in the city, had been a focus of mine for so long I should have
manifested it by now. Why had it not manifested?
Then it hit me, like a ton of bricks, my desire expressed a negative
emotion. I wanted this as ego, as a procession, to say, “look now I am
successful because I posses this quality of life I could never have
before”.
This is hard to express so bear with me.
The universe confirmed the rightness of my thoughts by sending up the two gold finches again.
I suddenly understood, I could not own this quality, that I could
not process it , it just was. I could walk through it, observe it,
enjoy it.
I felt my soul opening, relaxing. The crowd of thoughts washed away
in the rain. I came fully into the present. In the moment I experienced
my heart’s desire.
Then I realized that I couldn’t process it because I was a part of
it; that what I was seeing WAS the manifestation of my desire, but more
than that, I and it where the same; that one could not “be” without the
other.
By this time I am floating.
My experience couldn’t get any better, could it?
I then had two almost simultaneous thoughts,
“There has been way too much “Do” and far too little “Be” in my life.
I am deep in the moment of the misty rain, and soggy green
vegetation and softened vistas requiring nothing on my part only to
“BE” in the moment.
At the same time a little voice said. “But you haven’t seen an eagle.”
On my last walk I counted 12 eagles watching me from the trees.
I view eagles as spirit guides.
I thought the universe owed me a giant exclamation point.
And sure enough as we came around a bend in the path close to the
car, I looked up, and centered right in the middle of my sight, perched
on a tree, sat a huge bald eagle staring right at me.
Shivers ran my spine.
I had other things to do, but I knew I had to take more time just to “BE”.
I saw a way through the forest.
Walk in Quiet Places
With Love
Nick