Are the winds of change blowing more strongly in your life? They sure seem to be blowing more strongly in my life.

But there is one thing that isn’t changing at all — and that is the balance that undergirds this universe of love. Life loves balance. It loves to get busy, and move, and create. But paradoxically, it also loves to be still. It loves to come to rest, and be at peace.

Take the big blue spruce tree that grows outside the front door of our town home here in Denver. This tree is a master of this mysterious process we call life. Right now, it is still as can be. There’s not even a suspicion of movement. Every branch, every needle rests in an ocean of perfect calm and peace.

But strong winds are forecast for later today. I know it won’t be too long before this large, impressive tree is very busy indeed, branches moving this way and that as it dances irresistibly with the power of the wind.

Sometimes life calls for everything we’ve got

Sometimes life really puts us through our paces too. It calls for everything we’ve got, and then some, like it did for me these past few months when I was working on finishing my course on “The true promise and potential of aging.”

I’ve written some books in my life, but I’ve never attempted a course like this before. There were times when I wondered if I would be able to finish the course — or if I even wanted to finish it. So many new things to learn. So many surprises. Such a lot of plain hard work.

The days immediately preceding the “launch,” as it’s called in blogging circles, were really crazy — a gazillion things to organize, and tie together – not only the course itself, but things that would help spread the word about it, like guest posts and interviews here and there.

But I’m so glad I did finish the course. I’m so glad I didn’t quit, and throw up my hands.

The joy of friendship and mutual support

One of the particular joys of doing this course has been meeting many new friends. There is an extraordinary movement of mutual support, friendship and cooperation moving in this world. Let us not imagine for a moment that any of us are alone in our projects and dreams.

All the forces of love and creativity are on your side as you initiate new projects and aspirations – or meet old challenges with fervor and love. Just consider this beautiful letter that I received this morning from a woman who commented on one of my posts:

“I’ve given birth to my new website and blog. I launched it five months ago. This is a whole new world to me — the world of social media and blogging, connecting, community building, etc. Our kids are born into it, with the lingo as a part of their lives.

“I am a mid-lifer, very soon to retire from my school social work career of 20 years. As I write this I realize I am also giving birth to a new life phase, with retirement from my job right upon me (June 30th). I will be mindful of operating much more from my right side of the brain as I open myself up to what will evolve. It will be hard shedding some of that left side of the brain – the structure, routines, full knowledge of exactly what I’m doing- and go with the more creative, spontaneous part. But I’m ready, willing and excited by it.”

Life is trustworthy

Most of all, as I finish one phase of my own course, and prepare for the next — some one-on-one conversations and explorations with those who’ve signed up for a personal support session with me — the bottom line is this. Life is trustworthy.

Love is trustworthy. The truth that already exists at the core of your own being is trustworthy. Our own true character is trustworthy. Wherever we are in life’s ongoing continuum — busy as all get out, freaking out at some new challenge, enjoying a few blissful moments of rest — it’s all good.

We are here to bless the world with our presence

It’s the drama we call life, and in one sense, paradoxically, we are not touched by any of it. We are spiritual beings whose true home is nowhere you can find with a physical eye or a telescope or a map or even a belief. It can’t even be described.

We are Children of Light, here with a very simple mission — to bless the world with our presence. Thank you again for your interest and support, both for my blog and for my course on “The true promise and potential of aging.”

Incidentally, something else that has knocked my socks off these past few days is the big jump in my subscriber count. Up from 870 subscribers to 1341. A warm welcome to each one of you, new or old.

As years pass by, may you discover more and more vividly the simple truth that only our bodies age. Our unconquerable spirit does not age at all. I wish you peace, happiness and abundance. May you never give up on your dreams. If you wish, please do share any thoughts on the above.

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Hang in there and trust is a post from: The Happy Seeker - Living with grace at any age

 A bunny is sitting peacefully outside my study window as I write these words.

He (or she) is absolutely gorgeous. He lives beneath the large blue spruce tree that grows outside our front door and provides him with security and shelter. I hope he has a long and happy life with the help of this tree and his own highly honed survival skills.

I didn’t think I would be writing a post about this bunny this morning. For one thing, I hadn’t seen him for a week, perhaps longer. No, I had it all planned out to write a post about various books that have been helpful to me in my life, and have blessed my life. But when I looked outside a few moments ago and saw this bunny, I started to think about innocence.

Key to happiness and fulfillment

The bunny — he is still there, resting peacefully in the grass at the very edge of the tree that is his friend and protector — is surely the very personification of innocence.

He has a good turn of speed, I give you that, but what options does he have to defend himself against the coyotes, for example, which roam this neighborhood?

The only thing that has kept him alive so far in this townhome complex in which JoAnn and I live is that he is a very alert little bunny– and as I say, can cover a lot of ground very quickly indeed.

The paradox of truth

It’s true that innocence, in the sense I’m speaking of it here, does not necessarily guarantee a long life to any particular physical form, our own included. But there’s a beautiful paradox in life:

When we are truly innocent — that is to say, open to the call of our own eternal Self — we find ourselves connected with the truth at the core of our being that is the very source of all true meaning and happiness.

7 benefits of innocence

Here are 7 reasons why I think it behooves each of us to inquire deeply into this matter of innocence:

1. Reconnect with our own being 

Innocence makes it possible for us to reconnect with our own divine character — which is itself innocent, untainted and untroubled by any of the disturbances and troubles of human existence

2. Hear the voice of truth

Innocence makes it possible to hear the clear, strong voice of our own eternal spirit speaking to us amidst the noise and confusion of this world

3. Live a daring life

Innocence makes it possible to live a daring life — because we trust the impulse of our own inner wisdom, and are willing to follow it whether others agree with us or not

4. Meet the challenges of life

Innocence makes it easier to accept and meet the challenges that life brings to us or to our loved ones or others

5. Helps us change easily 

Innocence makes it possible for us to change as readily and easily as possible. Since change is an absolute necessity, this is an attractive aspect of innocence.

6. Experience the beauty of life 

Innocence makes it possible for us to see and taste the authentic beauty and magic at the core of our existence

7. Makes it possible to forgive

An unforgiving attitude or spirit is a hard burden to bear. Innocence makes it possible to forgive — and easy to forgive.

The bunny is still there as I finish this post. I thought for a moment as I looked out the window that he was asleep. But as I stood up to leave and get a snack, he opened his eyes wide and looked straight at me.

Hmm. Another reason why innocence should be high on our priority list. It opens our eyes to the connection that we share with all other living things on this planet.

What is innocence?

What is true innocence? It’s not naivete, that’s for sure. I like the words attributed to Jesus: “Be ye therefore wise as serpents, harmless as doves” (Matt 10:16). 

I also like some words of the Indian sage, Ramana Maharshi: “The ultimate truth is so simple; it is nothing more than being in one’s natural, original state.”

Please write if you have any thoughts you’d like to share on this theme of innocence.

Please check out my guest post at Good Life Zen entitled “”The 10 timeless joys of aging.”

Have a wonderful holiday season. Be well.

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Innocence — door to true meaning and happiness is a post from: The Happy Seeker - Living with grace at any age

JoAnn and I saw “Secretariat” on the weekend. What a terrific movie. Highly recommended.

One of many touching aspects in the movie was the strong bond of mutual trust and respect it depicted between “Big Red,” considered by many to be “the greatest racehorse in the world,” and owner Penny Chenery, played by Diane Lane.

At a certain point in the movie, after Secretariat has just won a big race — with another race coming up — there was a real question whether it was right to continue training the horse hard for the next race or let him rest for a while.

“I’m going to ask him,” says the owner. “He’ll let me know.”

And so that’s what she did. You saw her hold the horse’s head in her hands and comfort him. You saw them look deep into each other’s eyes and hearts. And you saw actress Diane Lane — who incidentally gives a terrific performance throughout this movie — finally acknowledge to herself what the horse has told her.

Our own body is also a magnificent creature

Our own body is also a beautiful, magnificent creature possessed of extraordinary resilience and potential. A creature that gives and gives and gives until it has nothing more to give.

It seems to me we are bound by an invisible agreement with this universe to love our body, believe in our body, and listen to our body in exactly the same way as was portrayed in the movie “Secretariat.”

There is such a fine line between asking for what is right and reasonable — within our body’s capacity — and simply imposing our own self-centered will and purposes without any regard for its well-being.

Your body is your best friend

Your own physical body is the best friend you will ever have. Hard things, sometimes terrifying things happen in this world, of course, over which we have no control.

But there is one thing over which we do have control. And that is to respect this noble creature which has brought each one of us to this moment in our life.

We can take a few moments, in quietness and stillness, as actress Diane Lane did, to consciously enfold our body and express the gratitude that we feel for it.

“Do you feel up to this?”

We can ask, like Secretariat’s owner did, “Do you feel up to this?”

Sometimes, of course, there is something we need to do whether our body is up to it or not. But we can still ask its permission, can’t we?

We can ask questions like: “How are you doing? What more can I do to care for you and help you that I’m not doing?”

We talk about dog whisperers and horse whisperers and so forth and it is exciting and truly magical.

But the greatest “whispering” of all is the whisper of deep, sacred communion between ourselves and our own body, with its capacities of mind and heart.

Any thoughts about this post? I’d love to hear from you. Also, if you enjoyed it, please share it with others.

And while I’m at it — how am I doing with this blog? How can I make it better serve your needs?

PS Watch for my free ebook out VERY SOON now I promise…

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Trust your body, love your body, listen to your body is a post from: The Happy Seeker - Living with grace at any age

Taking my tea with me, I went outside early this morning to sit on my porch for a few minutes, as I usually do. I like to admire the beautiful Colorado morning and, of course, the big blue spruce tree that sits the other side of the little walking path outside our front door.

Just as I sit down, as if on cue, a flock of tiny birds arrives in the blue spruce tree to do some foraging.

Trust your own being and be free

I’m aware that my mind is quite active thinking about the challenges and happenings of the next few weeks, but so what?

For instance, a friend at Empty Cabin Media, in the mountains of North Carolina, will be upgrading my blog to a Thesis theme this week.

Now that my new e-book, The Wisdom of Serenity, is finished, I have to figure out how to let the world know about this , and how to make it available for a free download on my blog, etc etc.

Then there’s a tooth that is causing concern, and so on and so forth…

Stillness is present too

But mental activity is not all that is going on in me this lovely fall morning in which the air tastes like chilled champagne. Stillness is present too. And from its immutable depths a comforting thought arises:

“Trust your own being and be free — everything will work out just fine.”

The simplicity and ease of life

How simple and easy and elegant life is when we live it properly.

Are you beset by a sea of responsibilities? That may be true in the realm of form created by the mind.

But step back from that noisy world for a moment.

Remember the peace of your own timeless being, unperturbed and untroubled by anything that is going on in your external world.

Relax in that peace and know that while in one sense you obviously have many responsibilities, in another sense you only have one. 

It never changes. It simply asks that we trust the stillness and wisdom of our own being — like the adorable otter in the above picture.

Any thoughts about busyness or responsibility or otters or anything else that comes to mind? I’d love to hear from you.

PS If you’d like your own advance copy of my free ebook please let me know.

Picture credit:

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Trust your own being and be free is a post from: The Happy Seeker - Living with grace at any age

We put our house up for sale a couple of days ago and it seems a good time to stop, take a deep breath — and give thanks for the trustworthiness and simple perfection of life.

The past three months have been a bit of a roller coaster as we finally faced the clutter we have accumulated over the years, while at the same time acknowledging areas of the house that needed attention — in some cases, a lot of attention.

It’s a very sweet thing, as I say, to come to the end of a busy cycle — and realize that the stillness and peace of being that I have come to know and love is present with me now just as it has been throughout the last three months.

This is a remarkable thing, it seems to me. We change, as we meet the challenges of our lives. But the truth at the core of our being is unchanged by any of it.

Trust change — and extend the borders of your life

I came across a rather remarkable quote the other day that I’d like to share, from a Spanish philosopher named Jose Ortega y Gasset. It goes like this: “Our firmest convictions are apt to be the most suspect, they mark our limitations and our bounds. Life is a petty thing unless it is moved by the indomitable urge to extend its boundaries.”

Though they were written a century or more ago, these words portray very accurately the situation or challenge in which we all find ourselves in these days.

It doesn’t matter where we live on the planet. It doesn’t matter how old we are, or what our gender is, or how successful or unsuccessful you think you are.

If we want to live a truly satisfying life — if we want to be truly happy — we must be true to the indomitable urge within us to let the boundaries of our life be extended. And then be extended some more.

We must be willing to question even our firmest convictions — and keep changing.

Listen to your inner voice

Change is not always comfortable. But the funny thing is that when we honestly listen to the wisdom that is in us and answer its call for change, if that is what is going on –it feels good.

It feels very good.

What is hard — the very definition of suffering — is trying to hang on to our convictions and avoid change at all costs.

JoAnn and I have been very happy in our home in a quiet and peaceful cul-de-sac in Loveland, Colorado.

We’d have been quite happy to keep on living here, me going for my familiar hikes, interacting with familiar faces and circumstances — JoAnn going to meet her friends at her local quilting group. But one day about three months or so ago – out of the blue, it seemed — this quiet inner voice began speaking to us.

It spoke to both of us at the same time.

Trust change, trust life

“Time to make a move,” said this inner voice. “Time to go back to Denver.”

I can’t say I know all the reasons behind this move. I can see one or two reasons, and they make a certain kind of sense. But I’m sure there are more reasons of which I’m completely unaware.

It comes down to trust, it seems to me. Trust life. Trust your own inner wisdom. And above all — trust the process of change that is at work in our world.

It’s possible, more than possible, that it knows what it’s doing – and that back of the apparent confusion and chaos in our lives and everywhere else an unshakable order and purpose is at work with blessing in its wings.

But what do you think? What’s happening in your life?

I’d love to hear from you, and I wish you all the very best as you handle the challenges that are up in your own life.

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How to live a truly satisfying life is a post from: The Happy Seeker - Living with grace at any age