The Type of Things I Think About

You know when you get that gut feeling that life is changing?

The past few days, I've been feeling something. I acknowledged this as "Reality Tremors"...leading up to a full-blown Life-Quake**. What is this, you ask? Good question. (And aren't you impressed I can hear your thoughts?)

**Please note - these terms were swirling around in my head before the tragedy in Haiti. I still use the terms because they are the foundation of my thoughts below, but please know I am holding in the utmost respect the individuals involved and sending as much love as I can to all affected. For more information on how to help, you can visit this link on msnbc.com. We were able to make a donation via cell phone...it only takes a minute!**

First, let me share with you my definitions of Worldviews or Realities.

Everyone has a world view - a way of looking at the world around us. Yet I shy away from using this term because, first, many haven't heard of it and, second, it seems to hold a distance...something outside of ourselves that may seem kinda important during times of deep reflection but is otherwise as easy to blow off as exercise at 6 a.m. Reality seems to hit home, to be something more....well, .... real!

Reality incorporates everything we consider to be real - from the mundane (gravity, the dishes in the sink) to the more spiritual (God or life force, morals, etc). While there are many philosophical views that delve into whether there is one "true" reality outside of perception, trying to cover those right now would make my (and your) head spin.

For the sake of this post, let's assume that everyone has their own reality. Your reality includes all of those things you know (or feel) to be "real". There might be some things you feel more confident in admitting are part of your reality -- things that others are highly likely to include in their own -- "Facts" like the computer screen on which you are reading this, that gravity is holding you in your seat right now, that the earth is round. Then there are those things that might be part of your reality but debatable to others -- "facts" (remember, this is your reality!) such as whether or not trees feel pain, God's existence or non-existence and form(s), or government cover-ups.

Reality Changes

Science is one discipline that changes the face of the more "solid" reality over the years. (Examples? Pluto went from being a planet to just a poor little ball of mass floating out there based off changed definitions of a "planet". Way farther back, the earth went from being flat to round. Wouldn't that just blow your mind?!)

Individual realities can (and do) also change...and this is where things get interesting for me.

Again, there are the more "solid" aspects of individual reality that can change - you go from being a renter to a home-owner, or single to married, for example. Many of these are labels that are part of your reality that are changed by external factors.

Then there are the more "fluid" aspects of reality (those things less agreed upon) that can be changed by external or internal factors. Senses of security (which are very real indeed) can be completely undermined by a tragedy such as a fire that destroys all of your belongings or the untimely death of a family member. What may be a very real priority can be suddenly deemed unimportant by a near-death experience. Global tragedies can cause some to question their religious beliefs.

The list goes on...but these changes are the suckers that hit you in the gut. They don't need to be negative - the birth of a child, for example, can create a wonderful new reality where the beauty of life is highlighted in the mundane!

Re-Membering Reality

So, if only for the few moments I have your attention with this post, if we can agree that:

*Everyone has their own reality

*Realities are always changing

the next question is, ...So?!

Think about it for a minute. (Go ahead. The following words will still be here when you are done.)

If reality is your own and is constantly changing, doesn't that bring up an awesome realization of the power (and thus, responsibility) we have to create our lives? If you really do have the power to determine whether or not you are happy, secure, and well-off, to determine where you live and how...whoa. That's a lot to take on. (I'll bet the "Yeah, But...."s are already coming up. I can read your mind, remember?!)

There are external factors. (Bills, survival necessities, other peoples' realities) But if your reality truly is your own, and is changing right now (and right now. And Now. And....Now.), don't you think you have a say-so in which direction it is changing? I'm not saying you can make it rain right now (or could you? ...) :), but that by accepting a little belief that your Reality is your Own, and created moment-by-moment by You, that life is one big ball of possibility, exploration, and FUN.

And all those other people who are being real right beside you? If you can remember that they are going through this monumental task of realizing their own reality and deciding how to create it, perhaps you can give them a little slack and share a little "I know what you're going through" smile. It ain't easy, but the rewards? Beyond description.

If your reality includes a larger force (God, Goddess, life force, etc.), imagine if it really was our responsibility (collectively AND INDIVIDUALLY) to partner up with it/her/him in creating this whole thing called life.

If we can all realize that we're creating this big Reality that incorporates all of us, if we can all Re-Member (put it back together),...can you imagine the power that humanity would have to help and heal? No more dreams of world peace or food for everyone - it would just be reality.

Back to Square One

I've still been training for the mini-marathon and triathlon (more on that in another post).

I've still been creating and working on mixed-media projects with my sewing machine (I have some photos I am SO excited to share of some projects I've been working on...but more on that in another post).

I'm still doing yoga (with music and without), figuring out this whole motherhood thing, and plodding through the mundane (But....You guessed it...more on that in another post. See? Read your mind again. Freaky, huh?)

While I'm doing all of this, these are the sort of thoughts that run through my head. When I allow myself time to slow down and sort through them, and when I bring those thoughts into Action, they become REAL and enrich my life in ways I never imagined possible.

Those reality tremors I mentioned at the beginning of the post? Whether they are internal tremors (thoughts that are crying out loud enough they know they'll be heard) or external (I'm picking up on the energies of life changing around me), they are just as real as if something were happening that others could see. I've experienced great energy bursts in the past 24 hours that have made my fingers tingle, words are spilling out in my journal that I didn't even know I thought, and the mundane is like a living, breathing being sending me signals to pay attention. (Don't worry - The laundry hasn't talked to me...yet.)

I know it may seem a bit overwhelming, but for me, an ocean's depth of a mind is just my reality. You may empathize with my husband who claims he'd go insane if he tried to step into my brain.

I just smile though, because these are the type of things I think about...and as my thoughts flow with my reality, life becomes one big beautiful pool in which to swim.