Mortality

You're born.
You live.
You die.

That is how life progresses; in very, very simplistic terms. We all know life is never that simple.

Recently I had a friend who's dog was run over by a car & sadly he passed away. Her & her boyfriend loved this dog more than life itself (or so it seems). I feel horrible for them & their devastating loss. Their dogs passing however made me think of my own mortality.

Which is a funny thing to contemplate.

Sure it makes you ask yourself those "bigger" questions such as "In this great big world what mark have I made on it?" or "will I be remembered or forgotten in time?". But really does it matter?

The simple truth is, we all have made marks on this earth, but we will never realize the extent to which we have made them. One kind act to a lonely & depressed stranger could save his life & we would never know it. One flick of a cigarette butt out a car window & we could create the firestorm of the century.

We will all be remembered for a period of time in this world. Our families will love & cherish our memories, or friends will mourn our loss. But in time we are all forgotten. Even names written in the history books. We remember their names. We remember their acts of greatness (the good or the bad). But we never truly remember who they were as people. We don't know their passions. We don't know their quirks. We don't know the moral fibers of their beings. We don't ever remember who they were as a human, only what action made them famous.

The point I'm trying to get at is, we are all on this earth doing monumental, life changing acts. Those little acts we do live on. Ultimately, we are remembered by those who care about us & that my friends is far greater than being in any history book.

Much love,

~Megs

Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box.
-Italian Proverb

The fear of death often proves mortal, and sets people on methods to save their Lives, which infallibly destroy them.
-Joseph Addison

Death not merely ends life, it also bestows upon it a silent completeness, snatched from the hazardous flux to which all things human are subject.
-Hannah Arendt

Meditation

Meditation. Just saying the word conjures images of serene yogi's or buddhists sitting cross-legged on a mountain top. Did you know that meditation is attainable to everyone?

Well I'm sure you did since it has been around long enough & is currently part of the common yoga trend. But have you ever tried just straight meditation? If you haven't I highly recommend it. Learning to meditate is the best way to bring focus & personal knowledge & growth into your own life.

But you may wonder "how do you start meditating?" or the common "I don't have time to sit for hours doing nothing. I have a busy life with things to do!". Well my friends, both thoughts are valid, heck I know I've thought those things for years. It wasn't until this year I finally stopped making excuses & started meditating. The fact of it is, meditation is so easy, I don't know why I put it off for so long!

First things first. When you are learning how to meditate, you need to take baby steps. If you have the expectation where you will just jump in, close your eyes & your mind clears immediately...well you're not setting yourself up for failure, but you are making it far harder on yourself.

Meditation is not learned overnight. The easiest way to start is when you wake up in the morning, spend the first 5-10 min with your eyes closed, thinking about nothing. Don't think about going to work. Don't think about the meeting you have. Don't think about your commute. Just lay there with an empty mind. Listen to your heart beat. Listen to the air going in & out of your lungs. Feel the pulse in your neck. When you thoughts start coming into your mind, push them out. Or if you're having a tough time with that focus on one thing over & over, like a chant in your mind, I explain chants in brief detail in the next paragraph. If the thoughts keep coming & you can't seem to keep your mind empty, then stop your meditation. Don't beat yourself up. Your mind & body will tell you when you've had enough. Remember this is just your first time. Rome wasn't built in a day after all. If you do this everyday, you'll realize it will become easier each day & your meditation will last longer. Your life will be more positive & balanced. The little things which go wrong in life, just won't phase you anymore.

Now chanting. If you've done yoga you know about chants. The easiest ones are "OM" & "SAT NAM". OM is the base energy vibration to which all life was created. SAT NAM is the realization "Truth is God's name. Truth is your identity/name" in essence you are truth. Or if you prefer you can easily come up with your own mantra. Self affirmation is definitely helpful hen meditating as it will give you the positive energy you need. Chants are just used to focus your mind on something other than all the work you have to do. They definitely help & work when you are first starting out your meditation practices. I'm living proof!

So theres my 2 cents worth on the subject. I don't know everything about meditation, nor do I claim to. It is just something which has helped me out in life, so I thought I'd share it with the world.

Blessings on your day.

~Meg

Still your mind in me, still yourself in me, and without a doubt you shall be united with me, Lord of Love, dwelling in your heart.
-Bhagavad Gita

Through meditation and by giving full attention to one thing at a time, we can learn to direct attention where we choose.
-Eknath Easwaran

Meditation brings wisdom; lack of mediation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what hold you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom.
-Buddha

Life is Always an Adventure

Life is funny.

I had completely forgotten about this blog. What made me remember was my ex-fiancé (my how life changes in a year) started a blog 1 week after he broke it off.

I remember when I first found out about it, I was totally upset because of all the lies he was professing to the world.

Why do I think they're lies? Well since the majority of his first posts were all about how I did him wrong, and how he was completely faultless in our relationship, anyone would be upset. Especially since I think I have some first hand knowledge of what really happened.

But now that the anger towards his lies has passed, I honestly feel sorry for him. He really does live in a deluded world full of lies & half truths. I know he will never be happy, because he cannot look in the mirror & honestly say he knows who he is as a human being.

I can honestly say I forgive him for what he has done to me & my family. While it will be a while before I can forget the hurtful, painful & borderline emotionally abusive things he said to attack & slander me, I can forgive him. It does me no good to keep that hate in my heart.

I am moving on & each day is easier then the last. Now I need to focus on myself & the person I am & am meant to be.

May life give you blessings & you have a miracle each day.

Ciao

~Meg

Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future
-Paul Boese

What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us.
-Anon.

It's not necessary to blow out your neighbor's light to let your own shine.
-M. R. Dehaan