Earth Day, 2020

Hi Folks: We wrote this as one of our first ‘He Says, She Says…” posts back in 2010. What we each wrote then is still relevant today. Here’s what we had to say then: Marcia’s View / Mike’s View

Be well, and wherever you are, remote hugs from US!!

M&M
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Following is our original post from 2010:

Hello, Dear Reader:

Well, today is Sunday, April 25, so this is the last official day of ‘Earth Week 2010‘.  Of course, as the adage goes, we should all make every day Earth Day.  We’ve had some fun this week, taking part in several of the various local activities.  On Earth Day itself we stayed close to home but we were at the Earth Day Parade yesterday and at the local Sierra Club’s Earth Fest today.  So, with that in mind we thought we’d make the topic of today’s ‘He Says, She Says‘ post about ‘Earth Day’.

Have a great week!

Hugs,
M&M

Follow these links to read what He Says/She Says: Marcia’s View / Mike’s View

Marcia’s Meanderings – Resistance is Futile?

Hello Dear Ones!

“Resistance is futile.” For those of you who are Star Trek TNG (The Next Generation) fans, you will recognize that phrase – known to be the famous line spoken by all the Borg before they assimilate your planet! The Borg are a mixed species of computer-enhanced humanoid beings who resonate to one common consciousness and pose the threat of extinction to every culture they encounter. Each member of the Borg collective do one thing at a time based on what is best for the entire collective in that moment.

I thought of the Borg when I read the following quote that popped up in my inbox the other day:

“Instead of creating expectations of what should or should not be happening, cooperate with the form that this moment takes. Bring a ‘yes’ to the is-ness, because it’s pointless to argue if it already is. A greater intelligence is available to you when you no longer reject, deny, or ‘don’t want’ what is.”

~ Eckhart Tolle

Frightening, you say, that I would compare a Tolle quote to the Borg phrase? Here’s why: when something is happening NOW … you have a cold sore, the children are screaming, your computer just crashed, you’re stuck in traffic … and there is nothing you can do about it in this specific moment … then resistance to each fact is futile. HOW you respond to each fact … well, that you DO have control over! That’s where the difference lies. No Borg would ever consider HOW to respond to anything … (tongue firmly planted in cheek!).

The cold-sore you can medicate. The kids can be hugged or easily distracted by something pleasant. You can remember that you just backed up your computer the day before and its only today’s work that might need some revision and likely the revision will be even better than what you were scrambling to put together today. You can put on that new meditation tape while you sit idling in traffic … As the Tolle quote indicates: “Bring a ‘yes’ to the is-ness” – make each and every moment a positive experience. Accepting what is before us, making the most of each and every NOW and loving it to its maximum potential reduces the resistance. In a less resistant state, we bring more joy and fulfillment to our moments, our days, our lives. There is always a better feeling thought or action that can and will enhance our moment. Often acceptance alone (rather than resistance) is all that is required. Breathe out a contented “YES” … and your is-ness, your NOW, will fill with amazing potential.

My $0.02 worth today.

In Light and Laughter,

Marcia

He Says, She Says… ‘Insights’ from the Celestine Prophecy

Hello, Dear Reader:

When James Redfield’s book ‘The Celestine Prophecy‘ came out in in the early 1990s, we bought two copies of it and read them avidly.  The ideas contained within the book added nicely to the stores of knowledge we already had.  Time went by like it always does, and over the years the ‘insights’ from that book were overlaid and integrated with that received from other sources.  We heard a few years ago that a movie had been made from the book, but we never saw it.

A week ago we were at the local library getting some children’s books for visiting family and we came across the DVD version of the movie ‘by chance’.  Intrigued, we checked it out and took it home to watch it.  The movie matched the book fairly well (at least in our memories), but coming across those ideas again sparked new thoughts for both of us.  So, without further ado we thought we’d make this week’s ‘He Says, She Says…‘ post, “‘Insights’ from the Celestine Prophecy“.

Hugs,
M&M

Follow these links to read what He Says/She Says: Marcia’s View / Mike’s View

He Says, She Says… Resistance: Grace under Fire

Hello Dear Ones!

If you follow our posts regularly, our entries this week: Mike’s -  Being Green – Literally & Marcia’s -  Marcia’s Meanderings – A Crisis of Spirit, you will already know that both of us have had our share of interesting challenges in the past seven days.

Then the following quote came through an e-mail from Eckhart Tolle:

One could say that going through loss is the great awakener. It is a potential opening if you don’t run away from it. What is usually condemned as ‘bad’ by the mind and the mind-made self is actually grace coming into your life.

We thought to use this as the foundation for this week’s He Says, She Says… post – “Resistance: Grace under Fire“.

Normally our Sunday posts present a ‘He Says’ and a ‘She Says’ view; sometimes contradictory, sometimes complementary, always unique.  However, Mike is dealing with a rather large headache at the moment, so this week’s post is going to be a ‘She Says’ only.

Hugs,
M&M

Follow these links to read what She Says: Marcia’s View

He Says, She Says… Being or Doing?

Hello, Dear Reader:

There’s a saying:

“There are only 168 hours in a week, no matter your age, how much money you make, what you’ve invested, how attractive you are, or how much information you can access on the Internet. No exemptions. Your quality of life is a function of how you chose to spend that time.” ~ Bill Bachrach, in “Values-based Financial Planning”.

Time is a funny thing. We can’t make time, lose time, or really, even waste time.  What we ‘do’ with those 168 hours each week is a matter of choice that each of us makes, as much as some seem to want to try to squeeze more time out of the clock.  A ‘few’ years ago, a coworker had a sign in his office that read, “We are becoming human doings, rather than human beings.” We’re certainly not the first to deal with this idea, as we’re joining the ranks of people like Neale Donald Walsch and Eckhart Tolle.

With that in mind we thought we’d make the topic of this week’s He Says, She Says… post, “Being or Doing?”

Hugs,
M&M

Follow these links to read what He Says/She Says: Marcia’s View / Mike’s View

He Says, She Says…

Hello, Dear Reader:

Well, today is Sunday, April 25, so this is the last official day of ‘Earth Week 2010‘.  Of course, as the adage goes, we should all make every day Earth Day.  We’ve had some fun this week, taking part in several of the various local activities.  On Earth Day itself we stayed close to home but we were at the Earth Day Parade yesterday and at the local Sierra Club’s Earth Fest today.  So, with that in mind we thought we’d make the topic of today’s ‘He Says, She Says‘ post about ‘Earth Day’.

Have a great week!

Hugs,
M&M

Follow these links to read what He Says/She Says: Marcia’s View / Mike’s View

Marcia’s Meanderings – Thank you, Twitter!

Hello Dear Ones!

For a woman who, back in November of 2009, was behind the times in internet technology and who didn’t want to be connected in any way shape or form through the internet (other than e-mail) with others who merely seemed to share their daily activities, complain about the lot of their lives and saw little humour or joy in their daily existence, I’ve come a long way.

A major thank you to my son Nick for his soft insistence that I get involved in this internet technology. He got Mike and I set up and started. Nick’s teachings and suggestions have been invaluable and bang on! He saw this as an extension of what I was (and we were) already doing – journaling and interacting with others of like mind and heart. He was so very right!

A major thank you also to my husband Mike for his technical knowledge and persistence in making all of this come together for us. Nick got us set up and started and Mike flew with all that has pulled together what we have and do now here on our website and throughout the Ethernet.

Today I am a blogger and proud of it. I write regularly and am an active participant in both the Facebook and the Twitter worlds. The Twitter community, for me, has become the central focus of my days – and it is a true delight in my life. Continue Reading →

He Says, She Says…

Hello, Dear Reader!

Who are we, really, and what it is that makes us who we are?  Are we the products of our past, the progenitors of our future, or are we simply who we are, in this moment?  If we desire to change something in our lives, do we need to free ourselves from our memories, or do we simply make the changes we would wish, in this moment?  Eleanor Roosevelt said:

“It is today we must create the world of the future.”

With that in mind, we thought we’d tackle these ideas in this week’s He Says, She Says post, “Then and Now”.

“There is nothing for you to go back and live over, or fix, or feel regret about now. Every part of your life has unfolded just right. And so — now — knowing all that you know from where you now stand, now what do you want? The answers are now coming forth to you. Go forth in joy, and get on with it.” ~ Abraham-Hicks

Have a great week!

Hugs,
M&M

Follow these links to read what He Says/She Says: Marcia’s View / Mike’s View.

*

P.S.  As often happens, our friend Samantha recently published a blog post on a similar subject (with her own unique perspective), entitled, “Lighten Up“.

He Says, She Says…

Greetings, Dear Reader!

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

If you’ve read these posts before, you’ll know that every Sunday Marcia and Mike pick a common topic and write about it individually.  Neither reads the other’s posts until both are finished.  The title for this week’s talk, ‘The Elephant in the Room‘, comes from a post written by journalist Robert Scoble during his time at the 2010 TED Conference in Long Beach, CA.  You can read his article here: The elephants in the room at TED.  The ‘elephant’ in this case is money.  Those having taken a vow of poverty aside, money is often among the most challenging of ideas held by many if not most people.   It doesn’t matter if you are a street person, a corporate executive or a subsistence farmer, or whether the currency is dollars, pounds, rubles, kroner, baht, pesos, rand or yen.  Both Marcia and Mike have been included in this, at least at times.

The title of this week’s post came from Robert Scoble, but the inspiration for this week’s post came from our wise and wondrous friend, Samantha Standish and a series of blog posts she has written recently on her ‘I Am Pollyana‘ blog.  Our thanks to her and to the many, many people who have been and continue to be our guides, our teachers and our friends.

Hugs,
M&M

Follow these links to read what He Says/She Says: Marcia’s View / Mike’s View.

Marcia’s Meanderings – Light & Joy

Hello Dear Ones! Glad you stopped by…

The past two posts: Poetry Corner and He Says/She Says have focused on the topics of Light & Joy and Being the Light. This mind of mine was enjoying the energy from these inspirational topics. As a result my meanderings today are still being directed to the subject. Perusing my book shelf for something solid to consider and discuss had me opening texts at random. Eckhart Tolle’s book A New Earth was the hands down winner.

Rather than attempting to paraphrase Tolle’s work, I thought to inspire you from the master himself. (Please note the italics are mine.)

When you say, I enjoy doing this or that, it is really a misperception. It makes it appear that the joy comes from what you do, but that is not the case. Joy does not come from what you do, it flows into what you do and thus into this world from deep within you. The misperception that joy comes from what you do is normal, and it is also dangerous, because it creates the belief that joy is something that can be derived from something else, such as an activity or thing. You then look to the world to bring you joy, happiness. But it cannot do that. This is why many people live in constant frustration. The world is not giving them what they think they need.

Then what is the relationship between something that you do and the state of joy? You will enjoy any activity in which you are fully present, any activity that is not just a means to an end. It isn’t the action you perform that you really enjoy, but the deep sense of aliveness that flows into it. That aliveness is one with who you are. This means that when you enjoy doing something, you are really experiencing the joy of Being in its dynamic aspect. That’s why anything you enjoy doing connects you with the power behind all creation.

The majority of my days and the hours within those days are filled to overflowing with joy in all I do, those with whom I interact and in all encounters wherever I am in any and every given moment. It is exciting, then, when I see Tolle describing the feelings I have, that the joy is coming from within me – rather than me looking to find joy from those around me and the things that I do. It explains so much. Source fills me with the gift of joy, the light of my being radiates out, touched with the joy of Source and illuminates me, those I interact with, and the chosen corner of this physical world we are experiencing. Rather than looking to find joy outside of myself and to soak it into me as a sponge would draw in water, the joy comes from inside of me – and it is unlimited. A sponge is limited in its ability to absorb. Excess dribbles out ineffectually. Joy radiating out from within is unlimited and reaches out to all within its scope. The gift of knowing the joy within, of watching the effect it has on those with whom I connect, fills me to overflowing with the greatest and deepest sense of rightness. The more I live my life in this fashion, the deeper the sense of joy – the richer the gift that I and those around me are blessed to experience.

Selfish? Not entirely – though there is that aspect to it. The more joy I allow in, the greater the joy I feel. The greater the joy I feel, the more I am able to share. The more I share, the happier I am and the richer my relationships and life experiences. It becomes a cyclical spiral of energy feeding in upon itself and moving the spiral upwards, higher and higher into the furtherence of more and more joy.

I stated above that the majority of my days and the hours within those days are lived from this place of joy lived outward into my reality. I’m not perfect at it. Better and stronger and more at ease with the connection to this way of being, yet not perfect. It is now easier and easier, though, to recognize those moments when I am not living life from a place of joy – of concious choice to be happy and to fill myself up from within with the power of Source – God, the Universe, All That Is. I get a gnawing feeling within my being – it feels like fear – that antsy, restless, nervous sensation that something’s not right. I get this odd churning near my solar plexus that is trying to convince me that I should be afraid of something. When I look at it, I realize there is no logical reasoning for such an emotion to be filling me up with trepidation. There is no anger inside me. Anger, for me, is a misguided response to the deeper and truer emotion of fear. It is almost as though I’m a little girl and I have an angry parent near me. Not knowing what I may have done wrong to cause them to be angry, I have a sense that I am about to be spanked or punished for something in which I took no part. It is the frightened little girl feeling that tells me that I am not connected to Source, not living from a place of joy.

Holding on to this feeling only feeds the feeling and leaves me weak and vulnerable and of no use to myself, let alone anyone outside of me. I get jittery, begin to question whatever I’m doing in the moment and have even second guessed myself to the point of immobility. It has taken many years of trial and error, questioning and listening to myself, and my Self, to help me to be aware of this feeling and to know what it is I can do to let it go.

What is it that works for me? I smile. I smile at myself. I smile at my Self. Knowing myself to be a perfect child of the Universe – not a human child with baggage carried into adulthood – is what has me remembering that I am a being of light. My inner light – like the light of a single candle – is perfect in its unique beauty. My inner light, like that of a candle, dances and flickers with its own personal response to the world around it. Put two or more candles together in the same room and none of them responds the same way as the others. Each dances and undulates and flickers to a beat, a flow, a reality of its own. So too does the light within each of us. We dance our own joyous dances moved by the music, the flow of the Source of Universal energy bubbling up from within us as we allow it to fill us and to radiate out to the world.

Knowing how amazingly wonderful I feel when I am connected to Source, how could I possibly want to return to the feelings of human weakness of fear and insecurity? Yet it does happen – the return to those yucky feelings. Oddly it can sometimes take hours for me to recognize that I’ve returned to this place of emptiness and restless lacking. Though I seldom go back to my past  in thought – it may be helpful now in the sharing to tell you it used to take me months to get beyond this feeling of fear and restlessness. There was even a time when I spent years living in this zombie-like state. I shudder at the remembered life before this one.

Today, the joy I feel in the knowing that I now have it within my ability to release that restricting series of limiting emotions adds to the joy of my days and the minutes and hours of those days! The source of that power, that ability is not mine. It is in drawing the joy, the light and the love of Source, of God, of the universal love of All That Is up from within myself and allowing it to first fill me and then to radiate out through my eyes, my words, my actions.

Light and Joy. What a way to live!

In Light and Laughter and Love,

Marcia