lowelldown

Hi Everyone,
I was recently sent this by someone in my company who knows me well and thought I’d appreciate it. These are real words to live by. Enjoy.

We can do it!
CL

THE AWAKENING
By Sonny Carroll

A time comes in your life when you finally get it …
when, in the midst of all your fears and insanity, you stop dead in your
tracks and somewhere the voice inside your head cries out – ENOUGH!

Enough fighting and crying or struggling to hold on. And, like a child
quieting down after a blind tantrum, your sobs begin to subside, you shudder
once or twice, you blink back your tears and begin to look at the world
through new eyes.

This is your awakening.

You realize it’s time to stop hoping and waiting for something to
change…or for happiness, safety and security to come galloping over the
next horizon.

You come to terms with the fact that you are neither Prince Charming or
Cinderella and that in the real world there aren’t always fairy tale
endings (or the beginnings for that matter) and that any guarantee of “happily ever after” must begin with you…and in the process a sense of serenity is born of
acceptance.

You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and that not everyone will
always love, appreciate or approve of who or what you are…and that’s OK.
They are entitled to their own views and opinions.

And you learn the importance of loving and championing yourself…and in
The process a sense of new found confidence is born of self-approval.
You stop complaining and blaming other people for the things they did to you
(or didn’t do for you) and you learn that the only thing you can really
count on is the unexpected.

You learn that people don’t always say what they mean or mean what they say
and that not everyone will always be there for you and that it’s not always
about you.

So, you learn to stand on your own and to take care of yourself…
and in the process a sense of safety and security is born of self-reliance.

You stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to accept people as
they are and to overlook their shortcomings and human
frailties…and in the process a sense of peace and contentment is born of
forgiveness.

You realize that much of the way you view yourself, and the world around
you, is a result of all the messages and opinions that have been
ingrained into your psyche And you begin to sift through all the junk you’ve been fed about how you should behave, how you should look, how much you should weigh, what you should wear, what you should do for a living, how much money you should make, what you should drive, how and where you should live, who you should marry, the importance of having and raising children, and what you owe your parents, family, and friends.

You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of view.
And you begin reassessing and redefining who you are and what you really
stand for. You learn the difference between wanting and needing and you
begin to discard the doctrines and values you’ve outgrown, or should never have
bought into to begin with…and in the process you learn to go with your
instincts.

You learn that it is truly in giving that we receive. And that there is power and glory in creating and contributing and you stop maneuvering through life merely as a “consumer” looking for your next fix.

You learn that principles such as honesty and integrity are not the outdated ideals of a bygone era but the mortar that holds together the foundation upon which you must build
a life.

You learn that you don’t know everything, it’s not your job to save the world and that you can’t teach a pig to sing.

You learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility and the
Importance of setting boundaries and learning to say NO.
You learn that the only cross to bear is the one you choose to carry and
that martyrs get burned at the stake.

Then you learn about love. How to love, how much to give in love, when to stop giving and when to walk away.

You learn to look at relationships as they really are and not as you would
have them. You stop trying to control people, situations and outcomes.
And you learn that alone does not mean lonely.

You also stop working so hard at putting your feelings aside, smoothing things over and ignoring your needs.

You learn that feelings of entitlement are perfectly OK…and that it is your right to want things and to ask for the things you want…and that sometimes it is necessary to make demands.

You come to the realization that you deserve to be treated with love, kindness, sensitivity and respect and you won’t settle for less.

And you learn that your body really is your temple. And you begin to care for it and treat it with respect. You begin to eat a balanced diet, drink more water, and take more time to exercise. You learn that being tired fuels doubt, fear, and uncertainty and so you take more time to rest.

And, just as food fuels the body, laughter fuels our soul. So you take more
time to laugh and to play.

You learn that, for the most part, you get in life what you believe you
deserve…and that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

You learn that anything worth achieving is worth working for and
that wishing for something to happen is different from working toward
making it happen.

More importantly, you learn that in order to achieve success you need direction, discipline and perseverance.

You also learn that no one can do it all alone…and that it’s OK to risk asking for help.

You learn the only thing you must truly fear is the greatest robber baron
of all: FEAR itself.

You learn to step right into and through your fears because you know that
whatever happens you can handle it and to give in to fear is to give away
the right to live life on your own terms. And you learn to fight for your life and not to squander it living under a cloud of impending doom.

You learn that life isn’t always fair, you don’t always get what you think
you deserve and that sometimes bad things happen to unsuspecting, good
people. On these occasions you learn not to personalize things.
You learn that God isn’t punishing you or failing to answer your prayers.
It’s just life happening.

And you learn to deal with evil in its most primal state – the ego.

You learn that negative feelings such as anger, envy and resentment must be
understood and redirected or they will suffocate the life out of you and
poison the universe that surrounds you.

You learn to admit when you are wrong and to build bridges instead of
walls.

You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many of the simple things
we take for granted, things that millions of people upon the earth only dream
about: a full refrigerator, clean running water, a soft warm bed, a long hot
shower.

Slowly, you begin to take responsibility for yourself by yourself and you make yourself a promise to never betray yourself and to never, ever settle for less than your heart’s desire.

And you hang a wind chime outside your window so you can listen to the wind.
And you make it a point to keep smiling, to keep trusting, and to stay open
to every wonderful possibility.

Finally, with courage in your heart and God by your side you take a stand, you take a deep breath, and you begin to design the life you want to live as best you can.

Hey all,

This brief hiatus between Christmas and New Years has been great but Monday morning approaches—LOOMS actually. There’s a part of me that wants to start super fresh, innovative and new, remarkably improved and spiritually cleansed. But I know I’m overloading expectations for myself. It’s Monday for heaven sake, back to work—cut print.

Wondered if I’d had a Jane Fonda sighting in town recently but wasn’t sure–only to read her blog and low and behold it was her LOL, buying tree decorations at our little year-round shop here. Who knew? –But nothing would surprise me in Santa Fe. Soon, I hope to share it (this wonderful town) with you.

The move here has done what it was suppose to do—help me decompress and rekindle new passions. I’m extremely optimistic about the future as sobering as it might be–and hope to be in service in any way I can. I’m hearing new dialogue, new introspective conversations on the street and a sense of personal expression that I’ve not witnessed in a long time. People are thinking now. Focus is shifting from what we once expected government to do, to what can we do for ourselves. No question, people are taking stock—emotional inventory. This is right on cue and all part of the making of a new renaissance brewing out there. I’d predicted this several years ago and wondered if I was on track. Yup!

While we’ll need to brace for much change—most of it will happen locally as we return to values of self-reliance and community spirit. We’ll be getting a world-view at a glance, but we are finally breaking our addiction to 24/7 speculative-based media reports. This is good. We’re beginning to find out for ourselves versus simply accepting entertainment as fact. It will be a long process, no doubt. A lot of Pandora boxes have been pried open and with clarity comes truth. Son of a bitch! But we have to look at the luggage we’ve been carting around but haven’t opened in a while. It’s all part of tomorrow’s experience. Hopefully we’ll drop a ton of irrelevancy—things that truly no longer apply. Leave ‘em lay where Jesus flung ‘em. If we need a porter to get through life, we’ll never get beyond searching for an available overhead compartment.

BTW, you can talk directly to me on twitter—I’ll answer ya!

I know the fate of Twitter has been talked about a lot recently. In today’s NY Sunday Times however the headline read “Why Twitter Will Endure.” Bottom line if you’re not out to play Moses by virtue of that amount of followers you have, there are wonderful relationships to be had there. As the article says, you can go anywhere on the web but not with your key Twitter buds. What I like about it is that its 140 characters has taught people how to choose their words in a concise fashion. For a rambler like me, it’s actually enabled me to value every character that fills that box. So, I think seasoned Tweeters who now have the hang of it are choosing whom they follow more wisely and forging new relations with people who link us to places on the web we’d never otherwise found.

So I’m inclined to agree that we should not dismiss this important platform because of people who insist on sharing the fact that they’re eating a cookie right now. Well, it will be way past Monday by the time you read this, so I’d better get myself psyched for writing twenty-ten without feeling really OLD!

Love and later,
CL

viagra patent levitra Online Viagra viagra anxiety,
taking viagra woman Ladies Viagra cheap gerneric viagra;
generic viagra levitra and cialis pills Order Cheap Viagra Fas can i take viagra
viagra how it works Generic Viagra India herbal viagra forums
snorting viagra health; Where To Buy Viagra viagra patent levitra
viagra anxiety, Viagra Cheap taking viagra woman
cheap gerneric viagra; Canada Viagra generic viagra levitra and cialis pills
can i take viagra Buy Viagra viagra how it works
herbal viagra forums Viagra Prescription Medication snorting viagra health;
viagra patent levitra Can Viagra Causes Legs To Ache viagra anxiety,
taking viagra woman Cialis No Perscription cheap gerneric viagra;
generic viagra levitra and cialis pills Online Viagra Store can i take viagra
viagra how it works Cheap Viagra herbal viagra forums
snorting viagra health; Cialis Marketing viagra patent levitra
viagra anxiety, Fda On Viagra taking viagra woman
cheap gerneric viagra; Viagra Benefits generic viagra levitra and cialis pills
can i take viagra Buy Cialis Online Now viagra how it works
herbal viagra forums Viagra Viagra snorting viagra health;
viagra patent levitra Cialis In Uk viagra anxiety,
taking viagra woman Taking Half A Cialis cheap gerneric viagra;
generic viagra levitra and cialis pills New Drug Levitra can i take viagra
viagra how it works Low Cost Viagra Online herbal viagra forums
snorting viagra health; Tadalafil Cialis From India viagra patent levitra
viagra anxiety, Viagra England taking viagra woman
cheap gerneric viagra; Viagra Spray generic viagra levitra and cialis pills
can i take viagra Fake Viagra viagra how it works
herbal viagra forums Cialis Fast Shipping snorting viagra health;
viagra patent levitra Alternative Viagra Uses viagra anxiety,
taking viagra woman Viagra Gel cheap gerneric viagra;
generic viagra levitra and cialis pills Discount Viagra Perscription Drug can i take viagra
viagra how it works Viagra On Line herbal viagra forums
snorting viagra health; Fake Viagra Prescription viagra patent levitra
viagra anxiety, Buy Cialis taking viagra woman
cheap gerneric viagra; Buying Generic Cialis generic viagra levitra and cialis pills
can i take viagra Cialis On Line viagra how it works
herbal viagra forums Natural Herbal Alternatives To Viagra snorting viagra health;
viagra patent levitra Product Team Cialis viagra anxiety,
taking viagra woman Viagra Discount cheap gerneric viagra;
generic viagra levitra and cialis pills Buy Generic Viagra can i take viagra
viagra how it works Can Women Take Mens Viagra herbal viagra forums
snorting viagra health; Levitra Prescribing viagra patent levitra
viagra anxiety, Cialis Story taking viagra woman
cheap gerneric viagra; Viagra Covered By Insurance generic viagra levitra and cialis pills
can i take viagra Cialis For Woman viagra how it works
herbal viagra forums Mail Order Viagra In Uk snorting viagra health;
viagra patent levitra Cialis Soft viagra anxiety,
taking viagra woman India Viagra Cialis Vicodin cheap gerneric viagra;
generic viagra levitra and cialis pills Viagra Ejaculation can i take viagra
viagra how it works Viagra Substitutes herbal viagra forums
snorting viagra health; Chewable Viagra viagra patent levitra
viagra anxiety, Super Viagra taking viagra woman
cheap gerneric viagra; Soft Tabs Viagra generic viagra levitra and cialis pills
can i take viagra Viagra Discounts viagra how it works
herbal viagra forums Chinese Viagra snorting viagra health;
viagra patent levitra Cialis Soft Tab Description viagra anxiety,
taking viagra woman Cialis Low Priced cheap gerneric viagra;
generic viagra levitra and cialis pills Real Viagra can i take viagra
viagra how it works Viagra Order Uk herbal viagra forums
snorting viagra health; Marajuana And Viagra viagra patent levitra
viagra anxiety, Buy Viagra Order Viagra taking viagra woman
cheap gerneric viagra; Fda Approves Viagra generic viagra levitra and cialis pills
can i take viagra Buy Viagra In Canada viagra how it works
herbal viagra forums Viagra Rx snorting viagra health;
viagra patent levitra Where To Buy Viagra In Beijing viagra anxiety,
taking viagra woman Viagra Cheap Buy Online cheap gerneric viagra;
generic viagra levitra and cialis pills Viagra Herbal Substitute can i take viagra
viagra how it works Generic Viagra Overnight Delivery herbal viagra forums
snorting viagra health; Viagra Oral viagra patent levitra
viagra anxiety, Buy Viagra In London England taking viagra woman
cheap gerneric viagra; Viagra 34434 Buy generic viagra levitra and cialis pills
can i take viagra Viagra Stories viagra how it works
herbal viagra forums Viagra Vs Cialis snorting viagra health;
viagra patent levitra European Viagra viagra anxiety,
taking viagra woman Natual Viagra cheap gerneric viagra;
generic viagra levitra and cialis pills Viagra Generic Brand can i take viagra
viagra how it works Cialis Online herbal viagra forums
snorting viagra health; Cialis Comparison viagra patent levitra
viagra anxiety, Viagra In The Water taking viagra woman
cheap gerneric viagra; Cialis Length generic viagra levitra and cialis pills
can i take viagra Overnight Generic Cialis viagra how it works
herbal viagra forums Viagra And Blood Pressure snorting viagra health;
viagra patent levitra Women Who Take Viagra viagra anxiety,
taking viagra woman Viagra Online Uk cheap gerneric viagra;
generic viagra levitra and cialis pills Anti Viagra can i take viagra
viagra how it works Generic Viagra Soft Tab Fast herbal viagra forums
snorting viagra health; Viagra Online Overnight Delivery viagra patent levitra
viagra anxiety, Cheapest Cialis taking viagra woman
cheap gerneric viagra; Diabetes And Viagra generic viagra levitra and cialis pills