Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving a month earlier than their American cousins. Sitting at the computer screen realizing I hadn’t posted anything for a couple of days, I figured I better find something to say. Being single, the holidays don’t mean that much to me and they sort of sneak up unnoticed, and thankfully, will often slip past unnoticed as well. I keep myself busy in many other ways.

As I recalled Thanksgiving, I wondered about the month separating the Canadian and American thanksgiving holiday. Not one to obsess over such trivial matters, a thought occurred that seemed to fit. Up here in the north of the Americas, our winter comes sooner, as does our fall, as does our harvest, and hence, our Thanksgiving. Seems plausible.

This isn’t the theme though is it? Just a curious side-note. Thanks for humouring me.

Thanksgiving is a time to express gratitude. There are so many things, even in spite of the hardships and difficulties I may be experiencing, or have experienced.

After a serious accident, while I may never be the same solid structural human I once was, I am solid and fit and the injured joint is recovering well with good mobility and strength. I suspect this trend will continue.

Here is one that is big and juicy for my world. I love people, and I love to be connected to some friends. What have I got to be Thankful for? This year has seen incredibly wonderful people show up in my social circles. I’m talking about people who inspire and bring out the best in me, people who support the me that I am and encourage the gift of my life to be realized for the benefit of everyone. What a supercharged gift of gratitude that brings to my heart.

With all the struggles of the past years, the broken shoulder of last fall, and the potential outcomes, I’m pretty glad I’m here writing this to you today. Things can happen that will leave you wondering, worrying, and fearful. These things can be an undoing. Somehow, I found the light and kept going to the light (bad metaphor but hey). The worst fears were parked and put away. The faith muscle grew.

How about a little gratitude for sitting there reading this right now. What do you want to be grateful for this Thanksgiving?

It’s a tragic tale that repeats itself in many families; a child learns that survival depends upon running away. Without an adult to fight or stand behind/beside, the safest recourse is run and hide. These lessons are in themselves not too bad, as the reality in life does yield better results once we’ve learned to walk away. But this tragedy with the child suffering at the hands of bullying or child abuse, has created many broken-winged angels to land upon this earth, knocking them half-senseless.

In the real world, the school of hard-knocks and the business arena of shark-infested pools, one has to learn to both fight back and to stand their ground. I don’t suppose that these deeply injured souls neglect fighting, but I’d wager that many, if not all, have a threshold where they simply back down. Those who’ve sustained unhealthy spans of isolation, even alienation, in their adult lives, are likely suffering from a brokenness that keeps them from reaching any fulfillment of any kind. Instead, they live quiet lives of agony, hoping and wishing that others won’t see it, and that they won’t be exposed; even though they may be completely unaware of what it is that might get exposed.

Fear, is a primal trigger, with thousands of years of success behind it. Not only does the human race thrive, so too are many species alive in their habitat relying upon instinct driven by the need for survival.

When is the time right to recognize we have the ability to stand our ground, and still avoid conflict?

Denial: I have to wonder what this is really all about.

Over the decades, as psychology has gone more mainstream, it has infiltrated every aspect of our lives culturally and socially. It’s in our health coverage plans, employee benefits, in the movies, sitcoms, and even more in the advertisements. I’d say they’re having an influence upon our self and group consciousness.

Earlier, I caught myself asking a question to seek the opinion of someone else about my skill, rather than just toot my horn which was what I was inspired to do in the first place. I had just finished work on a project that made me feel pretty good, and true to joy, a little cocky swaggering was called for. Instead, I censored myself and tried soliciting accolades rather than be boastful. I puzzled over this turn-about and what influenced this censoring.

As I have studied and observed the human condition over the years, it has been noted that a steady surge has broken down communion among people by placing more emphasis upon personal satisfaction and fulfillment. With so much individuality pushed in the marketplace, advertising relationships, etc., the subliminal influences shift our value-base unconsciously. With there being so much negative media created to ‘sell’ to consumers, the personal identity and place of the individual in context to family and community becomes obscured, questionable, and finally, burdensome, to many.

On yet another side, the self-help industry is so full of individual band-aid stories, that the people seeking solutions typically find themselves discovering more personal problems than they bargained for. It’s like reading the horoscope. There are enough generalities and commonalities among people that we can buy into a prognosis which we then make more real through our own belief. In addition, rational and healthy human behavior ends up falling under close scrutiny while answers are sought amongs all the expert opinions, programs, and books.

As I found myself concluding these thoughts, only one question remained. When will simply being a joyful and sharing human being be okay again?

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by echiner1

February 2005 I sat down at my computer and wrote my own Eulogy. It was an exercise from the Career Counselling days, to draw upon the imagination and inner spirit to describe the life well-lived we want to be remembered. I stumbled upon it today and went, “Wow!”

One Man Can make a difference was a deep belief that propelled Lee through the arduous journey to creating a powerful future for himself and those whose lives he touched. Initially, there was a great deal of struggle as he broke down the structures and limiting beliefs that had defined his life experiences. As he worked through these issues, an awakening to his truest self took root and put him directly into the path of adversity and growth. The lessons he experienced, combined with the wisdom of masters, made him available to the larger community to serve as a guide, a teacher, and a loving mentor on their individual journeys.

His belief that we are all incredible spirits, here to manifest some form of greatness in our lives, was the most inspiring quality that he brought forth in his daily walk through life. His understanding of human nature, our propensity for fear, enabled him to offer compassion and forgiveness, both to himself and for others, further empowering everyone to embrace the journey, the setbacks and failures, and further enabling the forward motion the desire for a well-lived life created. No well-lived life is without mistakes, setbacks, and pain. It is through these experiences that he discovered the richness that lives within us all and has the power and potential to create community, abundance, and great joy.

by h.koppdelaney

His legacy has helped to define a shift in human-consciousness that has created space in western thought to realize our spirituality in a cosmic web of cause and effect. This understanding further instructs us to the power of choice in our lives and the power of intent in mind, body, and spirit that creates our future. What we believe we are, we choose to be. What we wish to see changed in life, we BE that change.

Lee will be missed and he will be remembered as he lives on in each of our lives, while we too create the legacy in our lives that he began for his own life; a life representative of the human spirit and human experience.

slavery memorial
Originally uploaded by Murky1

For all the complaints and accusations I hear about homelessness, drug addicts, alcoholics, and so forth, I’m surprised there are so few complaints about landlords, dealers, growers/manufacturers,  and all the various businesses; many of whom are legitimate businesses. As long as there is a market to sustain a livelihood off the decaying compost of humanity, there will be a place of meagre enough comfort that allows the vermin to survive, and the pestilence to continue. (yes I’m having fun with this one)

The purpose of this article is not to condemn the homeless, addict, etc. It’s actually to inform you of another perspective on the situation. Here in Vancouver, I’ve often heard people express that this is a new problem, made worse since – in one example – 1986. Yet, more than a decade ago, studying British Columbia’s history, the trail of evidence is easily followed throughout the century as to just how much human slavery existed here. Not the usual kind of slavery mind you, something a little different. Nor is it anything new, here or anywhere else in the world.

British Columbia in its beginnings was a very isolated wilderness, and has been far longer than any other part of Canada. Yes, a port city, but even in that the channels open for ellicit goods to arrive, opium, alcohol, and … well, you get the point. We haven’t even touched on other social issues, and other external forces. Just recognize the trap.

The slavery of a peddler of such goods getting you hooked, helpless, and they make it easy, comfortable, by catering to your every weakness. You may not realize this, but they know the path to lead you upon so you’ll reach that slippery slope. Anyone who has been exposed to such neighbourhoods or people for any length of time recognizes this reality. Anyone with any bad habit they want to break knows that. Anyone with experience procrastinating, sleeping in an extra 20 minutes, or not eating that midnight snack, knows exactly what this slippery slope is like – how unsuspecting.

“It will never happen to me,” we say.

The history is here, and it will be a while before it is cleaned up. To say it is new, is to deny responsibility to do something about it. I realize it isn’t my personal problem, or your personal problem… it’s our personal problem. It’s something left-over from the less advanced, knowledgeable, civilized, human beings of an era gone past.

And we’re doing a fine job of leaving our own road kill on our way to our future. Some future form of humanity, I’m sure, will be scratching their heads and wondering why we have done many of the things we have done in our modern age. Just like we do about our ancestors, as we think we’re so much better than they ever were.

Aren’t we a funny bunch?

from the archives August 20, 2005

Playing Baloon
Originally uploaded by moriza

So much life conditioning inhibits the brilliance that is in you. Are you accessing all that is available to you? As a brilliant coach, as a creative person, as a brilliant human-being, as a brilliant spiritual being, as a bright light in the world, you have access to so much abundance. Are you living it? Are you breathing it? Are you believing it in every fibre of your being?

Or are you buying into the myth, the illusions? There are so many things aimed at people to help them build their lives and businesses; as though they are not enough themselves, as though the magic and mystery of existence were there to thwart your success. So far from the truth of the abundance available in the universe. It often shocks and surprises me to see this disturbing trend. Whatever the truths are, I’m here to say there is MORE!

Dismantle the illusions of safety, security, structures, that create a prison of expectation, necessity, and image. Get into the risk of playing in the mud, getting dirty, letting go and letting God, magic, Source, energy, creativity (whatever belief/name suits you). You had it happening once as a kid. Bring it alive again. Inside, you are yearning for it.

Get excited again about the adventure, this life. Get curious and playful with your day-to-day, with your business, with your home, relationships, and finances. If you resist and prefer safety, security, and rigidity, I’m curious:

• So how’s that working for you?
• Where are you still dissatisfied?
• What don’t you want to let go of?
• What’s it costing you?

These thoughts, while universal, really are inspired by the tragic scarcity demonstrated in the world.. Obviously it doesn’t affect everyone, but we do see some living in scarcity. This is a boost to those that do need it and a reminder to those of us who get it but are still human in our experience.