Thursday, January 02, 2014

No Mo’ Samo

No Mo’ Samo

On purpose. Intentionally, or in line with our soul-work. I love how thinking about that phrase makes my brain feel, when both definitions work, and it’s flipping back and forth between them.

On purpose. I meant to do that. And how often, if we are telling ourselves the truth, can we say, “I did that on purpose.”

Most of our thoughts are out of our consciousness. You know when they are talking about how we only use about 12% of our brains? What they mean is that only about 12% of our thoughts are conscious. That’s a whole lot of unconscious material. It’s part of our infinite divinity.

On the other hand, of that 12%, most of it is habit. That means we are just running the same thoughts over and over and over. That means the same emotions, and the same feelings over and over. Samo, samo.

That’s not much “on purpose,” is it.

Why am I on purpose? What makes me choose? How am I aware?

I hear so many of us talking about how fast the time is flying by. It makes sense that there would be so little to differentiate our days that they would feel as water flowing by.

We can slow down our sense of the passage of time. The easiest is to be aware, and think some new thoughts every day. Throw in a new experience here and there, something as simple as a new restaurant, or new food, or a big one, like a trip to a far away land.

We can also use these techniques to speed things up when we feel like time is dragging.

Being aware pulls us back into the moment. I get there by noticing two things, my breath and my feet. I find this really helps when I’m in the middle of rote tasks at work. I also love to do it on my porch, and attend to my breath while I observe my birdies and the flow of my traffic river. Find your favorite ways, and use them daily.

Thinking new thoughts is a little more involved. Why am I safe to think freely?

I used to say that the only thing I did every day was breathe. I have changed that a lot in the last couple years, and to my benefit. How interesting that being more disciplined has given me more freedom.

Deciding to write a response to a Creative Question card was a neat exercise. committing to publishing one every day has been an exercise in spiritual creativity and growth.

Somedays, it’s easy and fun. Somedays, it’s a slow and challenging process. I have two more little creative thought games I now play each day; my secret name of the day, and daily appreciations.

Some people do a drawing or painting every day. Some people write a song a day. You can write a little poem, a haiku or limerick a day, or set and reach a different tiny goal every day. Perhaps you would come up with a new use for 10 toothpicks every day. Make a commitment for a week, or a month. The point is to do something that is creative inside. Two of my favorite things, knitting and cooking, while super fun, don’t quite fall into these categories unless I am knitting free-style or making up a new recipe.

How have I changed from samo, samo to bringing fresh creative thought to my life every day?

(c) Pam Guthrie 2014 all rights reserved 01022014

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