The Secret

by Sherry Fraley

I know a secret, and it could change everything.

I was looking out the window and suddenly remembered that I knew this secret. But it has no words.
It’s something like eternal life, or just being born but being conscious of everything.
It’s like loving your enemy.
It’s like shaking hands with Death across a great ocean.

But it’s not these things exactly. It’s the hidden thing that makes all these things possible.

It’s like the twinkle in the eye that says everything without words, or the smell of flowers in the sun, or the sparkle on the sea.
There’s a smile that sees everything and feels everything and loves everything because the one who smiles knows this secret. Do you know it?
If enough of us know it, it will change everything.

UPWARD CLIMB -- Getting Out of Bed

"Everybody out there,
This is what we're learning:
We all need to listen,
Listen to our True Voice."

The hardest part of the day can be getting out of bed, especially if you have already beaten yourself up.

This morning when I woke, guess who else was already awake. Yep. My Inner Critic (IC). Pointing out all the things I need to do, the things I should have already done, and the people in my life who probably think I am less than swell for not doing this or that, and so on. Also, I think that this morning IC was depressed, so I had a Depressed Inner Critic (DIC) to deal with. And then, guess who woke up. Yep. My Angst-Ridden Grump (ARG). Actually ARG tends to fluctuate between Angry & Rebellious and Angst-Ridden. So this morning DIC and ARG were having it out before I could open my eyes, and I was already exhausted before doing a single thing.

As you can see, I've let this situation get out of hand. These two are like the squabbling kids in the back seat of my car, and now they've crawled into the front seat and are trying to grab the steering wheel, but neither one of them can reach the pedels, and neither DIC nor ARG have a license!

Well, finally I awoke to my dilemma, and realized I had to find my True Voice. It wasn't easy, because DIC never seems to want to be quiet very long. Finally I heard it.

Imagine yourself excellent.

And it was the life-line that pulled me out of the right side of the bed. DIC was still mumbling as I went into the bathroom because, well, the bathroom is definitely not up to DIC's standards. But I had some energy and focus now, so I was on my way.

So how do you know which of those voices you wake up with is your True Voice?

"It does not bring you down;
It brings you back around,
Telling you
What is too good to
Not be true."

When I heard "Imagine yourself excellent", that focused me on my Highest Self and my goal for this life. It set me back on the path of my Upward Climb and gave me energy to keep going instead of lying in a miserable, muddy ditch with DIC and ARG. My critic and my grump are not my enemies, just my immature parts that still need structure and guidance. And, of course these two loveys are not the only inner voice distractions to manage. For example, there's DD, the Detail Demon who is best friends with IC . . ., but let's not go there right now.

"There is no condemnation,
Only liberation . . .
Listen, listen, listen,
Listen to your True Voice."

-Excerpts in green from LISTEN TO YOUR TRUE VOICE by Sherry Fraley.

Another Day in the World

Just another day in the world
Looking out my blind-slitted office window on the muggy July greenness
Here in the Atlanta suburbs
Where I never thought I'd be this long

Life does take some twists, doesn't it? Like a winding moutain path, it dips and climbs, too.

I miss winding moutain paths. It's time to go back to the Smokies. I haven't been to the Smokies since 30 pounds ago. Hmm. I should retrace those pounds. I just know the years would melt if I did.

And so ---
This is my first post in my first blog. What is my blog about? Yeah, I'm still getting that together. But I promise it will be interesting. If you are interested in things that interest me, that is. Hmm... So are blogs the ultimate me-centered, narcissistic idea yet? Nah. (I answer myself.) That's the most critical and negative take on it, I guess. We're just all reaching out, aren't we? Trying to connect in this crazy compartmentalized world. Yes, I think that's closer to the truth. We want to be seen, and we want to be heard, because . . . we feel invisible? Hmm. Maybe. Hey, feel free to put in your thoughts.

In the meantime, I'll be thinking about what this lovely blog is for and about and made up of and such. So, stay calm and laid back, cuz it's just another day in the world.