Meri's Musings

Despite what you may have been programmed to believe, there's no one out there that can make you happy. You're not going to finally land  in a big, fluffy blanket  of happiness because The Love Fairy flicks her wand  and a handsome prince or princess shows up in your life. (And, on the other end of the spectrum, you won't have permanent unhappiness because someone exits your life, though I admit that happiness may seem unlikely for a while after a breakup, a divorce, or a death). You see, happiness is an inside job. You build it by learning to celebrate all the goodness in your life. By recognizing each and every moment of contentment  and learning to sustain that feeling. By learning that if you resist what is, you'll be fighting a losing battle. By coming to terms with the fact that everything changes. . .  not only the bad stuff, but the good stuff too. Nothing stays the same forever. ...

Too many people flounder, wondering for years what their life's work will be and what kind of life  they'll build. Hint: notice what you love and figure out how to turn what you love into a calling and work into play. As for what kind of life you're destined for. . .  well, it seems to me  that we build the life we're destined for by our everyday choices. Want a brilliant, satisfying life? Practice kindness. Be grateful for all your blessings. Cultivate and express your talents. Learn to delay  gratification to reach a long-term goal. Recognize  that life is precious and fleeting. Love with gusto. Laugh until tears run (or until you snort). If you lack a supportive family, build one from your dearest friends. Be present. Learn to accept what is (and to change what you can). Teach others to treat you well. Honor your word. Go for walks. Spend time in nature ...

This Note to Myself is only partly tongue in cheek. We know from experience  that too much of a good thing sometimes can be disgusting. . . think back to amateur drinking behavior in college and the hangovers (or toilet-hugging) that ensued and you'll know what I mean. But with those other kinds of good things, things without unfortunate after-effects, we often fail to luxuriate  and really suck each drop of joy from them. Sometimes we don't even acknowledge and celebrate the wonderful things in our lives. There's a saying that goes, "Where attention goes, energy flows." What we focus on is a signal to the Universe that we are asking for more of those experiences. Too often we turn our focus on the problems and unfortunate experiences in our lives, rather than on things that bring us joy or cause tears of gratitude to well up in our eyes. Let's make it a practice to feel joy from our fl...

I enjoy the orderliness of beautiful markets jumping for joy finding heart shaped rocks pink, ruffly peonies live music the changing phases of the moon in the night sky the pop of red metal chairs, arranged to watch a sunset over the Olympic Mountains listening to cats purr the moment when the sun breaks through the clouds.

I feel blessed.

There's a prayer called the Metta Prayer that's part of the meditation practice of a spiritual community headquartered in Boise that some dear people I know are involved in. There's so much heart in this prayer and it's so acutely relevant in these troubled times that it fills me with JOY to share it: May all beings have fresh, clean water to drink. May all beings have food to eat. May all beings have a home. May all beings have someone to share love with. May all beings know their true purpose. May all beings be well and happy. May all beings be free from suffering. Today I shall do what I can to make this so. It brings me JOY to think of the energetic shifts that would occur if each of us said this prayer every day, as often as we think of it and for each of us to put our words into action. It brings me JOY to share my light and see the light in you. It brings me JOY to create photographs and works of art  that might touch someone's heart. I...

© 2010 Meri Arnett-Kremian Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity... © 2010 Meri Arnett-Kremian It turns problems into  gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Retablo (photograph © 2010 Meri Arnett-Kremian) Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow. Melody Beattie Image © 2010 Meri Arnett-Kremian     

Sometimes the weight of sadness in the world makes it a challenge to rise to the lightness of joy. Those times are perhaps the ones that call us most to cultivate gratitude and joy in our lives. Today I choose to find joy in pomegranates. They're associated with abundance, generosity, passion, fertility, lusciousness, womanliness and union.  Strong and deceptively ordinary on the outside, the interior is fertile, juicy and sweet. They're considered symbolic of the divine feminine. Pomegranates inspire us to recognize the richness and wonder that surround us. They urge us to unite with others, to merge with the Divine. To be strong but remain juicy. To be luscious with JOY. Where have you found JOY in your life? This is the place to show and tell. To play along: 1. do a post that tells and shows us what gives you joy. 2. capture the URL of the specific post and paste it into the Mr. Linky box along with your name. 3. visit other players -- as ma...

It's grey again this morning. Drops of rain hang at the pointy edges of maple leaves at the tip-top of the graceful maple outside my upstairs window. The uppermost leaves are showing their seasonal fashions, but the lower ones are still garbed in green. They don't seem to have noticed that change is in the air. Grey days sap my energy. When it's sunny, I'm ready to take on the world, but when a blanket of clouds settles between me and the Sun, I just want to hibernate. This day is different. This morning, my little friend visited, hovering a few feet away so I'd be sure to notice. Notice I did. . .  and felt the same surge of delight I always feel when I see  that flash of green, the ruby throat, the wings fluttering faster than  the speed of imagination. It's hard to think about hibernation when your heart has been touched by a shamanic visitor.  Today, I am writing. Just sent off an essay on nanny harassment to be published on the new website tha...