Happy Peace Day

Happy National Chocolate Covered Raisin Day? This is not a joke. It is really a holiday. 

It’s been my quest to have a holiday every day, but I don’t think that National Chocolate Covered Raisin day does it for me. How about Happy Peace Day? Everyone seems to want peace, but considering the rage we see on the road and the bickering between counties, political parties and even couples, I suspect we only give lip service to the idea of peace. 

So how about just for today let’s give peace a chance. Oh that sounds catchy. Watch how you talk to others. A harsh tone of voice is considered violent communication. Sarcasm is toned down violent communication.  For one day, let’s take a look at the way we talk to others and use a respectful tone and attitude. 

Give that inner voice a rest – the one that tears us down. That qualifies as inner violence.  It’ violence against our spirit and sense of well-being. Why not be self-supportive and peaceful towards ourselves?

Did you know that March was named after the Roman God Mars? He was the god of war. I’m thinking we should rename the month. Who wants “war” month? I declare this month “Pachem.” That’s peace in Latin.

Even though John Lennon is dead, peace lives on. Today, let’s let it live in us as us. Happy Peace Day and peace Month.

Happy Intuition Day

When February 14 rolled around, my husband and I were like children. It was our anniversary and Valentine’s Day all rolled into one. We look forward to this day ever year. This year we had a leisurely meal at two local restaurants, one meal for each occasion. We ham it up. It was so much fun that I decided to make every day a holiday. In keeping with that tradition, I declare today to be Intuition Day.

Even though it seems like women corner the market on intuition, men use intuition too. Women tend to use their intuition more in relationships and men use theirs in business. My ex-husband had a knack .  He made a fortune using his gut feelings about the growth areas in our city and he followed that hunch. Some people seem to have reverse intuition; it’s like they follow misfortune.

Want to juice up your ability to feel and follow those hunches? Ask yourself this question,” What is the next step?” Practice this throughout the day even when you know what you are planning to do next. Then listen. This strengthens our ability to be in touch with that inner knowing.

If you are into intuition, I’ll be giving a teleseminar on intuition next Wed. 28 at 2 PM CST. 2 PM CST call (209) 647-1600 Conference Call Number Access Code 539554 #

EZosophy is about living life without ego driven drama while maintaining a quality life of easy or at least easier living. When we are in touch with wisdom that expands beyond our limited doubting systems, we move into the realm of power and creativity. Go on listen, listen to your intuition. Happy Intuition Day.

Happy Shrub Day

Happy shrub day. What, shrub day? Do you mean those short little tree like things? We have arbor days, flower days, but how about a shrub day? Take today and when you see a little shrub, notice. It provides beauty, processes co2 and helps with erosion.

A shrub is also known as a bush. There are bushes that grow in the shade, flowering bushes, short, fat and skinny bushes. Shrubs are woody plants that have multiple stems and are most often pretty darn short . They are easy to grow. They embrace life. There are over 20,000 varieties North America that we’ve counted so far. They are an integral part of our lives. They are everywhere. Have you ever thought of them – I mean after you planted a few?

You might wonder, “Why shrub day?” This morning when I was in a meditative state, I kept seeing images of shrubs. It happened more than three times, hence today is shrub day. I think they were talking to me. “Notice me, notice me.”  You think that’s a wild thought? Watch your thoughts sometimes and see what you get!

We tend to limit our awareness. Our mind circles the same words over and over, round and round. When we begin to hold life in an open space, without so many repetitive thoughts, our awareness brings  the ordinary and highlights it in a way that showcases the sacred.

SO take time today, off from the usual mental wear and tear and love a shrub. See where they are in your neighborhood. Notice the numerous varieties. These kinds of practices help us go conscious.  Take it easy, make it easy. Forget hugging that tree and rub a shrub today. Happy Shrub Day.

Happy Synchronicity Day

Happy Synchronicity Day   What is synchronicity? It is meaningful coincidence. I’ve found when I talk about synchronicity I often find it. It’s like when you buy a car, you see cars like yours everywhere you go.

Yesterday I held a teleseminar. One of the exercises I suggested was to pay attention to how the bottoms of your feet feel when you walk. This awareness practice is a walking meditation. While preparing for the talk I wished I had the words to the song we sang when I participated in 2002 Thich Nhat Hanh peace walk in Memphis. I knew I had written the words somewhere and I assumed they were tossed long ago.

Last night I needed a box to mail an item. I went to the attic and found the perfect box. I noticed another box from our 2005 move. It had a few papers in the bottom. I gathered the papers, climbed down the attic ladder, eager to look at the papers. Upon examination I found some old tax records and tossed them in the recycling bin, but there was one small piece of paper – wow there it was. It was the paper I had at the peace march. I had scribbled the words I mentally sought earlier today on this small paper.  The missing words found their way to me.  I felt that tingle of aliveness when I sense the connection of life.

This event reminded me of a previous attic incident.  In 1981 I hosted a workshop. One of the exercises was to imagine what would happen during the next 10 years of our lives. We were to stretch and think of things we really wanted to happen. I wrote a detailed account about my life, my career and my relationships. After the workshop I placed the workshop notebook in my attic. One day I went to the attic to retrieve a suitcase. I noticed the notebook. The year was 1989 – eight years after I’d charted the imaginary course my life might take. I opened the book and read, “In 1989 I met a spiritual master. “ Now it was 1989 and I was packing my bags to go to India to see Gurumayi. (You may remember her as the guru from “Eat, Pray, Love.”) My imagination seemed more like a prophecy or a self-created destiny. Off I went to see the master. The trip was fraught with synchronicity and magic. I would have to give 1989 a 10 on life’s scale. Yeah life.

I like to set an intention for each day. Some days I expect good surprises, but today I’ll look for a meaningful coincidence – where the content of my mind matches and external event. I invite you to do the same. Happy Synchronicity and remember to make everyday a holiday.

Happy Compassion Day

Happy Compassion Day. As many of you know by now I am making everyday a holiday. I declare today Compassion Day. Compassion is very different than sympathy. Compassion is empathy with heart. Sympathy is a word we use when someone dies, yet... sympathy is more removed than compassion. Compassion occurs when we can put ourselves in the other person’s shoes and feel what they feel. Compassion is the thing that allows a mother to love her child when s/he screams “I hate you.” It is the salve than helps us understand and not seek retribution for acts of anger or revenge. Compassion keeps our hearts open and helps heal past wounds.

Kuan Yin is known as the goddess of compassion. Her vow to , called the vow of the Bodhisattva, was to be present in human form until all suffering ceased. Many tales depict Kuan Yin as offering deep love and compassion towards those who did her great harm. Even though we might not have the compassion of Kuan Yin, we all have the ability to identify with others’ pain. May we meet today with a harmless attitude as we face traffic, thoughtlessness from others and thoughtless actions we do not understand.

Happy We We Day

Happy Genealogy Day, happy International Fanny Pack Day, Happy Anniversary - Girl Scouts, Birthday - Jack Kerouac (writer/poet), Happy Fiesta de las Fallas (Spain), Happy Independence Day (Mauritius), Happy Moshoeshoe's Day (Lesotho) and Happy National Day (Gabon) and happy we – we day. In making everyday a holiday, I acknowledge today’s holidays around the world.

To me the most important holiday is “We We.” Martin Buber talks about the “I – thou” relationship, but today is about “We- We.” If I am you and your are me, then when we are together can we still be we? Of course we are we.  But we forget the we-ness of life.  We place people in the “they “category. Just experiment for today and put everyone in the “we “category. See how your attitude changes when the world is made up of “we” ones not “they” ones.  Happy “We-We” day.

Happy You Are Never Too Old to Be Young Day

Happy “You are Never Old to be Young” day. Today we celebrate the nature of youth that lives as us, in us. We are not our bodies and we are not our attitudes, but our attitudes are the filters through with we view reality.  It’s easy to experience the ageless nature of consciousness, but sometimes we become so identified with the body, thinking we are that body, that we fix our beliefs, activities and opinions into a stone like mindset and resign ourselves to a narrow limited life.

Zoe Lewis is a great entertainer. Her enthusiasm calls our assumptions about age into question. No one can hear her perform without opening to the zest of being alive. I heard her perform last night at Millbend Coffeehouse. I hosted her in my home last night  I was honored to have a few minutes of her life. People rub off on us. Zoe certainly rubbed off on me. Her mother was 51 when she was born. She died at 95. Zoe said her mother was the inspiration for this song.  Thank you Zoe for reminding me that I’m never too old to be young.  

I recommend you start your listening at 40 seconds. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oNqHoyrQBk

Happy Stretch Day

Happy Stretch Day. One of the amazing things about humans is that they do not always act in their best interests. If we did all the things we knew would produce a healthy body – there would be fewer hospitalizations, fewer drug sales and healthier bodies.  Bodies need to stretch, but few bodies take the time for even minimal stretching. That’s why I’m declaring this national stretch day.

Have you noticed how your dog or cat always stretch when they get up? Remember stretching when your were a kid?

According to the Mayo Clinic, the top five benefits of stretching include:

• Increased flexibility and joint range of motion:
  Flexible muscles can improve your daily performance. Tasks such as lifting packages, bending to tie your shoes or hurrying to catch a bus become easier and less tiring. Flexibility tends to diminish as you get older, but you can regain and maintain it.
• Improved circulation:
  Stretching increases blood flow to your muscles. Blood flowing to your muscles brings nourishment and gets rid of waste byproducts in the muscle tissue. Improved circulation can help shorten your recovery time if you've had any muscle injuries.
• Better posture:
  Frequent stretching can help keep your muscles from getting tight, allowing you to maintain proper posture. Good posture can minimize discomfort and keep aches and pains at a minimum.
• Stress relief:
  Stretching relaxes tight, tense muscles that often accompany stress.
• Enhanced coordination:
  Maintaining the full range-of-motion through your joints keeps you in better balance. Coordination and balance will help keep you mobile and less prone to injury from falls, especially as you get older.

Today try a few unusual stretches. Say “wow” ten times really stretching your mouth. Next pull your ears from the tops, sides and bottom three times. Next raise your right arm above your head and stretch your body to the left three times. Now switch sides and repeat. This will take only about a minute to do. Do you feel your face waking up? Can you feel that aliveness rising in your torso.  Try 3 minutes of stretching in the morning or whenever you can get to it. Again I wish you a happy stretch day and remember to make everyday a holiday.

Happy Be Here Now Day

Happy “Be Here Now” day. In the 70’s I was introduced to Ram Dass’s revolutionary book, “Be Here Now.” The book came by way of a beautiful very pregnant young woman. The book provided my first insight into the present. Until then my mind merely flirted with reality. I was usually ruminating on the past or fretting about some future imagined event.  My friend was so illuminated by the book that she and her husband changed their lives to embrace and live their values. Life was short they thought. They decided to do what they wanted and do it now. They sold their home and moved into the country. They started a garden. One night my friend was in a minor traffic accident. She went to the emergency room and was send home with a clean bill of health. Later that night, her lungs filled with fluid, and she and her unborn child died.

The story is sad. Her life and death provided a powerful gift for me. If she had not read the book, she might not have awakened to her life and lived her last few months fully alive and present. I began the journey away from the mental past and future and into the present. Many years later I had the opportunity to tell the story to Ram Dass. I thought my friend would want him to know. In honor of my friend and keeping with the theme of making everyday a holiday, I pronounce this “Be Here Now” Day.

I want to make it very clear’ this is my life and I am here.

Happy Love a Lover Day

Today we celerate another popular holiday. Happy “Love a Lover” Holiday. We wait to love. We try to get love from others. Today think of everyone as loving you. Even if they don’t display love to you, imbue them with the quality of loving you.  See everything they do as loving you. See their anger as a call for a deeper kind of unconditional love from you. Then take a bold step  and love everyone first. This is the most powerful secret in all relationships. Be the love and be the lover first. We hear in the old song by Doris Day a call to love, “Everybody loves a lover.” Remember: “Who’s the most popular personality? I can’t help but thinking it’s no one else but me.”

Happy Play Day

Happy “Play Day.’” In Alan Cohen’s book, Enough Already, he mentions the play button.  Today I'm wondering, where is your play button?  Are you so plugged into the TV, I-phone, I-Pad or I Pod that the play button on you always defers to artificial intelligence.  If you have not pushed your play button, yes you can push your own button, then today is the day to do it. One, two three – press.