Entry #28: Indian Summer's Firework Show, Minding My Lucky Stars and Listening without Judgment

Dear All:

The sun's relentless shine this November and the very late summer's hearty rainfall have given me nature's performance of a lifetime. The sweet dear leaves of our friends the trees, have remained a vivid green while the bold firework show of bright & zesty gold, delicious tangerine orange and "rosy cheeks" red have provided an exciting display of Autumn's richest quality of colors. The leaves twist and curl to the ground with more grace each day and today's (11/9/11) Indian Summer's mild temperature gave me more peace and calm than I can remember. Soon the trees will shake and shiver to Winter's harsh command and I will say good bye to this year's bloom, bounty and harvest and thank them for another spectacular season. 

Get Over It Please Tweets

1. Heaven on earth is the sun's bright light & the warmth it brings me this Indian Summer season.
2. Sunlight enriches my experience with everything!

As trees explode with bright gold and bushes looking like tangerine lollipops good enough to eat, I can always rely on the sun and the inner warmth it brings me. Each time I look up at the sun for the answers (don't we all?), I am greeted by my lifetime friend and remember the "super fun and exciting days" spent on Fire Island in the 1970s, and/or the sun's relief during the cryptic foggy summer days of San Francisco. When I observe the sun's bright rays on the small tree branches close by or the way the early morning sun lights up my backyard, I am reminded that maybe our dear God is never that far away. Let's hear it for the sun shine and all the warmth it brings!

With the sun's blessing and the Fall's non- stop firework show this season, I look at this Veteran's Day with as much compassion as I can. War is (and has been since the Gulf in 1991) part of our lives. I think to myself, how naive of me to think that with the existing global poverty,  (isn't that the root reason for war?) that war could not exist?  I will observe each Veterans Day with more respect and honor (again since I recently got my head out of my ass) and mind my lucky stars here in the non war zone (because of soldiers fighting to save their sanity and the world's freedom) and groom myself to "learn" the art of listening without judgment, sigh. 

With war being a part of life and our country actively involved in a nasty conflict with The Taliban on every level, I thank God for my freedom (at the moment) and the heroes that (have) put themselves in the line of fire for my safety. Veterans are more than the elderly men marching in the Babylon Memorial Day Parade. I have to thank them for giving up the many days in their lives that they may have felt weary, while being put in harms way. I've touched on these types of thoughts in recent entries, the Heroes Sacrifices, my initiative to send over boxes of cookies and wipes to Afghanistan (still on it) and the horrific story of our Pat Tillman's death by a US soldier, so I will just leave  "as is" this Veterans Day 2011. I will pray for the people of will and character who show me every day what sacrifice means. 

Tweet(s)

1. "Barack Obama announces the End of the War in Iraq! All troops Returning Home by 1/1/2012"--Associated Press
2. God bless the soldiers that save our asses everyday !
3. If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."--Mother Theresa
4. "It is necessary to help others in our daily lives, merely praying for them isn't enough."--Dalai Lama

According to our beautiful Mother Theresa and our drop dead gorgeous Dalai Lama, it is one thing to love each another (and keep loving), but we must also "do" and "give" til the cows come home. I do much discussing of what should be and what is, but actively "doing for" is always a challenge, because I never have enough time? These spiritual teachers swear that by loving and giving and doing, that life long happiness is possible. I can think of my close friends that do these things on a daily basis and always have. I wonder why I am not the first one out the door to go and help and do? What's up with that shit, KK?

Tweet

1. "Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies."--Mother Theresa
2. We are all in this world together.
3. As long as I am Getting Over Myself today, I am good to go!

While gaining strength from the sun light today and always, I am amazed how distracted I can be and judgmental while listening to just about everyone, whether I agree or disagree. I think we all do it. Toddy does with me. He "booms" at me with his perspective or opinions and I just get so reactive crazy (this is a new one for the record, reactive crazy). When we are listening with judgment, aren't we missing out on some new and interesting idea ? Does listening with judgment mean, 1) we do not listen at all 2) we are more comfortable talking 3) we continually have to match the idea or story because we have to "up" the person telling the story (isn't it anti climatic for everyone?) 4) we are not even listening to the person because we want to tell a completely different story (about ourselves) 5) when someone tells us a story we don't even hear it and say nothing (because we are thinking of something else) 6) if someone proposes an new idea or thought and we provide a short negative response because we can only agree based on our own experience (we make it all about us)  7) we are not having an honest conversation 8) it causes monumental marital blow outs 9) listening is hard enough and with judgment it is impossible to have a genuine conversation  10) we are totally lost if we cannot actively listen, right? It is a huge character defect of mine that I am not going to blame my ADD on (for once). I'm just sayin...

Tweets

1. "Listening without judgment has got to be part of my story today, otherwise there is not point."
2. "Do your best to listen carefully when people start telling you what's what today -- they might actually know better than you!"--Yahoo Astrology
3. "Total attention is the best gift I can give anybody."--Deepak Chopra
4. I'm going to Get Over Myself today and listen without judgment (not easy for some reason) and have me a piece of delicious humble pie!

Thank you all for reading in the very busy days of this bright Fall, good enough to eat, really. If I continue my love affair with the sun light and "do" til the cows come home, while keeping my thoughts focused on listening and not judging, nothing can go that wrong, right? 

Lastly, let's pray for the women, children (the weekly tabloids broke a devastating story of children/ young adults not properly taken care of by very wreckless adults which blinded me with rage) & animals who need our determined and fierce protection at all times. 

With Love & Sincerely,

Kristen

P.S. You are all awesome!