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Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Starting Where You Are

SERENITY - the state or quality of being serene, calm, or tranquil; composure, peacefulness, peace. [Serenity week begins here. Click for this week's Bliss Initiatives.]


Welcome Magic Carpet Riders! Looking for my One World One Heart Giveaway? Click here to go to my open house post and the giveaway! 


What a delightful whirlwind this One  World One Heart  event is for me. Every time I check back 10 more people have visited my little corner of the internet and many have chosen to become followers and fans of the blog. It is truly exciting. And the places I have traveled on this magic carpet ride... incredible! There are types of creativity I could never have fathomed and at this point I've only made it to about 100 of the almost 700 (so far) participant's blogs. I now understand why the event lasts three weeks, I'll need every minute to get to everything! (If you don't know what the One World One Heart event is and/or you haven't stopped by yet, do click on over to Lisa's Whimsical Bohemian site and start your own tour today!)


As I have been playing during this unique frenzy of activity I thought, more then once, what a funny week  for serenity week. Then I happened upon Amusing Muses on my blog tour. In her giveaway I saw this print:



 (Click on the print to visit the delightful Amusing Muses site.)


Oh my goodness that is EXACTLY what I needed to see. It also affirms that I was on the right track with my Bliss Initiatives yesterday. I realize now that during the weeks I don't perform  well (meaning scoring high on my arbitrary 10 point scale) it is mostly because I haven't been starting where I am. I made the mistake several times of creating weekly initiatives that were VERY lofty and  were designed for where I want to be rather then where I am. This time I am actually starting where I am. Brilliant! And probably why I actually caught myself feeling some serenity in the most unlikely of places, like at the Children's Museum with Jessie where the bubble room occurred like a small oasis rather then the crazy soap pit of past visits! 


My initial intention for this post was to share some serene images (much like I did last serenity week) but where I am is not quite ready to do that. I've found a couple of delightful images I will be sharing but my "collection" isn't quite complete. In the past I would have tried to force it, conducting a frenetic search around the internet and possibly picking mediocre representations because time was running out. How crazy is that? 


Anyway, armed with this great advice I headed to the internet, loyal followers you know this feeds my bliss of INQUIRY, and poke around. I knew others must have had there own aha moments (thanks Oprah) about discovering this magical precept. I was not disappointed.


First up I found this:

Click on book cover for more information about the book


He's the real life guy the movie The Pursuit of Happiness (oh yeah they spelled it Happyness!) was about. I'm certain he probably has a lot to say on the topic!


I also found another book of the same title with an interesting review by feministing.com (I must get back there again sometime!) In the post called Not Oprah's Book Club: Start Where You Are Courtney reviews this book: 

Click on book cover for more information about the book

Written by Buddhist Nun Pema Chodron, the gist of the book is the notion that all of our experiences--both delightful and disastrous, all of our emotions--both joyful and wretched, are a lesson and a gift. The range of experiences we encounter are our tools for becoming more awake, more kind, and more present. Nice! I just may put both these books on my reading list!


What about you? How often do you force something rather then just starting where you are? How about joining me and begin where you are?

Next Post: Visual Serenity

My 13 bliss virtues: joy, order, creativity, passion, whimsy, serenity, inquiry, community, romance, gratitude, moxie, humility, surprise

1 comment:

  1. I am honored and humbled that you chose to use this image on your post today. "Where you are" is where I am too, dear one, and I am so thankful to be able to begin! Thank you so much for including a link to my blog,and thank you for shining your light on us all.
    I hope you will be able to join me in the Have a HeART for Haiti project.


    Love,
    Kathy/Alberta

    ReplyDelete

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Ben Franklin's 13 Virtues

  • 1. TEMPERANCE - Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
  • 2. SILENCE - Speak not what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
  • 3. ORDER - Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
  • 4. RESOLUTION - Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
  • 5. FRUGALITY - Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e. waste nothing.
  • 6. INDUSTRY - Lose no time; be always employ'd in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
  • 7. SINCERITY - Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and if you speak, speak accordingly.
  • 8. JUSTICE - Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
  • 9. MODERATION - Avoid extreams; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
  • 10. CLEANLINESS - Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths or habitation.
  • 11. TRANQUILITY - Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
  • 12. CHASTITY - Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or to the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.
  • 13. HUMILITY - Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

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