Meditation, Fresh Air and Sunshine

We had fun at City Park Beach today.  I brought my kids and Nicolas and Darien.  We saw our friends there too...and it was HOT!  We had frozen lemonade from a truck that turned up moments after I thought of it...literally.  I enjoyed that moment of realizing I manifest things quickly now.  At one point I asked the kids if they had seen any of their friends from school there at the beach.  It turned out that Darien's cousins were there and it also turned out that two friends of the kids' from school were there the whole time!  We did not have to pay to get in and that was a nice break since money is tight with no job of my own.  But all in all, it was a fun day.  Here are some more photos:

We packed a picnic lunch...tuna sandwiches, pbj, fruit and nacho chips.  Later when we got home the children happily devoured some leftover Chinese Food from dinner the night before.  The kids relaxed and watched a movie, Cars 2.  It actually hit 100* by 3pm!  That is very rare for Rhode Island in June.  The playground was a fun time too, but the kids seemed to really enjoy each other's company and the air-conditioned drive to take Darien home!

Another new addition to my day was a simple change I made in my meditation schedule.  Finding a way to create "peace" in the center of all the activity is a challenge and a blessing.  I think finding frequent pockets of time to meditate is essential...so in addition to morning and evening, I have added my 11:11 meditation.  If a person wants different results from their life they MUST do things in a different way from how they have always done things.  By continuing to repeat the same things in the same way, we cannot grow and change.  This is part of the reason why I closed my daycare business.  I need to stop doing the things that are not getting me closer to becoming the person I need and want to be in life.  Sometimes drastic measures are needed.  No matter who you are or what your schedule, you CAN change anything that doesn't work for you.  The hardest things to change are the parts of your life that you do not actually control.  If you have an unpleasant work environment, but you need to support your family financially and you cannot find another job...you may feel that you are trapped.  Ok....that does seem like a hard situation.  So let's consider this:  Everything that is happening to us is actually happening in our minds.  So, we can change our perception or perspective as easily as flipping a switch.  Here is how I do it:

1.  hypothetically....I am in a situation that makes me unhappy, such as finding myself once again taking the blame for the recurring mistake of a co-worker.
2.  I decide NOT to react how I always have by feeling anger, rage or annoyance and then reacting by becoming defensive or distant or moody.
3.  Once I have practiced and mastered NOT reacting, I can deepen my experience by getting ahead of the event that is recurring...such as by being proactive and helping this struggling co-worker before they make the mistake.  If that is not possible and you must take the fall, demonstrate a sense of humor about it and show this other person that no matter how bad a mistake, it can be handled with humor.  Laughing at ourselves is a tool toward self-love that is under-utilized.
4.  when all else fails, get away and clear your mind of the event...do it everyday if you have to.  Fill yourself up in your free time and come back refreshed.

In conclusion, and perhaps a very important way to recap, is by pointing out that we are manifestors...all of us.  We create the days of our lives in the images in our minds.  What we think about, we create and experience.  Synchronicities occurring hold us in alignment with the universal energy and anytime we feel out of balance we can re-balance by meditation and intention.  It is essential that we desire to do only what is beneficial for ALL and does not cause harm to another living being in as much as possible.  We should always aim to help everyone we can or at the very least not cause them harm in any way.  Keeping our karma clean and clear helps us to manifest from a pure heart and create pure experiences that offer pure hope and blessings.  My daughter has committed herself to eating a vegetarian diet.  I am proud of her decision and I support her.  It is hard to make sacrfices and be disciplined like that.  Very few people try to take the high road but more and more will try if those of us who are awake do our best to set the example and feel the love.