The last two days were on the road as we attended a 50 Year Anniversary for the Colorado Boys Ranch, a nationally recognized program that helps boys and young men who are troubled. My wife does much of their graphic design work from our home. The ranch is just over 3 hours away out on the plains in the Arkansas River Valley, the only reason for green in that part of Colorado. There is a deep and driving passion at this ranch to make a difference for the young people they serve. They need your help, check them out to see if you can lend a hand at CBR Youth Connect.
Last week was a very interesting one. One of my clients experienced a powerful shift in consciousness and is on his way to breaking a long history of dysfunction in his life. I will check in with him later this morning and find out what the shifting is doing to enrich his life so far.
His newfound awareness has been provoked by the mindfulness we teach as part of our treatment. He also has been reading The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. In just over the past week he has also read a series of powerful stories including: The Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman (awesome book), The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (equally awesome), Buddha by Deepak Chopra (another wonderful story), The Laws Of Spirit: A Tale of Transformation by Dan Millman, and Why Is God Laughing by Deepak Chopra. The path of reading and studying many forms of the great wisdom traditions can be very provocative if a person is open.
This is a path of study and thoughtfulness, which can alter the way a person experiences oneself and expands the way he or she sees the world. It takes a willingness to question past thoughts and held beliefs. This way is more a seeking through understanding instead of some rigorous meditative practice. Yet this new level of consciousness often encourages the student to seek out the wisdom of quiet contemplation.
On the long drives on Saturday and Sunday, I made an interesting discovery. My wife was driving so I settled into a quiet time to be mindful. As I closed my eyes and deepened my awareness of my breath I naturally quieted down. The movement of the car seemed conducive to the process and 30 minutes one way and 45 minutes the way home all seem to fly by as I sat in silence. Obviously don’t try this driving even though it may be less dangerous than texting while driving.
This experience got me thinking how can I better set up time for this greatly beneficial inner work. The quiet drive was very conducive; however too often life is just go, go, go. I am committed to set more time aside to listen inward for my own health of mind, body, heart and spirit.
There is much to comment on about politics lately and I can hardly hold myself back from noting the absurdity of ideas and behaviors out there. I will write more soon about how we can integrate consciousness into politics.
It’s Monday and I have a busy week planned. I hope you have a great week filled with love, peace, happiness and abundance.