Humaness Archives - Page 6 of 12 - The Paradigm Shifts

Game Changers – They Happen When Least Expected

Sam is a 73 year old retired fellow, living in a two bedroom apartment in Houston. He is a veteran from the Viet Nam era, had a decent enough life with a couple of kids, an ex-wife, and a girlfriend of 25 years. Sam has been happy in his routines – stopping in at his local bank where he has coffee with some cronies. He visits with neighbors and participates in his community, as he has done for many decades. A longtime client of mine, James, in his mid 40’s, lives in Denver. He has four children, a wife he

Aging and Change

“Your Life is a Testimony to Change.” Rasha The more years I have under my belt the more I realize the degree to which life is more about change than it is about no-change. That change occurs in the realms of physical, mental, and emotional development; social and political structures; career and finances; relationships with family and community; and last but not least, relationships with ourselves and our spirituality. How could one possibly interpret life as stable with all of the shifts that occur in so many aspects of one’s reality?! In the past, I believed if I earned enough

Aging – the Unfolding Perfection

Most of us on Orcas Island love our flowers. After our cold and wet rainy winters, the dreariness can do nothing but encourage hope for spring to come ASAP! When leaf and flower buds begin to emerge, our hearts well up with delight. We see the world as burgeoning perfection. All is good with the world. Intrinsic beauty exists as much in the anticipation within our ecstatic hearts as it does in the bud itself. I have a Dogwood tree that brings me such joy. Every moment of it’s life cycle evokes sensations of rapture within me. It is a

Old Dogs Do Learn New Tricks!

My dog Gracie is almost eight years old – 56, in dog years. She has been chasing frisbees her whole life, but it was just last week that she actually caught one on the fly. I could see her mind working that day, working out the mechanics, figuring out the potential trajectory of my throw, and as she was running, she looked over her left shoulder and saw the frisbee coming. She leaped into the air and caught it! It was a glorious moment for Gracie, one she wanted to repeat, again and again! My friend Lorna, who is 72,

If I Weren’t Me

A favorite part of my job as a Life Coach is that I get to witness human beings take tiny filaments of beliefs and turn them into huge knots of limitations. They, like most of us, aren’t able to hear themselves speak, nor see how their thoughts create the world around them. As their thinking partner, I hear what they themselves can’t hear, and I share with them what I’m hearing so they can make sense of the tangled knots of beliefs that lie within. After which they are at choice to choose differently. The other most favorite part of

The Aging Dreamer – The Ageless Dreamer

“There are literally no limits to what you may now choose to experience within the context of this physical form…. One must now take total responsibility for the focused intent that underlies one’s choices.” Oneness, p.299 As I read these words of Oneness, I ask myself the questions: “What do people who are aging dream and imagine? What do I dream and imagine? Or, have I given up believing in dreams; that I’m too old to have my dreams come true?” Dreaming and imagining are essential components of our human psyche. At every age, through stories, music, imagination and play,

Coming of Age “ Regardless of Age

One theme of Aging- Who Me? is that we are never not aging. We are never not developing, growing, unfolding, evolving. We are in fact in a constant state of emerging. As humans we are bombarded with choices, constantly. Some are big choices, some, not so big. For example, choosing the right college; choosing marriage or parenthood; choosing the “right career; choosing how to be with a partner or family member who’s harmful and abusive; choosing how to be with an incurable disease, choosing to come out of the closet in regard to their sexuality, their spirituality, or politics; choosing

Nobody Does it Like Mother Nature

I’ve heard it said that death is the great equalizer. As true as this statement is, I see that aging too is the great equalizer. Stuff happens as we age, and no matter how much power, money, beauty, or sex-appeal you have, you can’t say no to what Mother Nature has to offer. One of the intentions of these articles, “Aging – Who Me?”is to cultivate not only awareness but also our innate intelligence in a way that sparks a curiosity about what it is like within these human packages. Another intention is to see that, regardless of your chronological

It is Just Another Leg of the Journey

A young individual new to the world may come to perceive that there is only one long leg on the journey of life. As one proceeds, they will most likely come upon unexpected and unruly twists, turns, and roundabouts, which in the moment seem impossible to navigate. We just get comfortable with the trajectory we are on, when badda-bing-badda-boom, we find ourselves headed somewhere else. A very good friend of mine, Craig, is turning 50 in a month’s time. He is in shock and awe. He says he wasn’t supposed to live past 18, and quite frankly tried to off

Ah, Malaise!

I woke up this morning sad, frustrated and disappointed. “Why?” I ask myself. It’s a beautiful day on Orcas, you are healthy, you have money in the bank and a lot of good friends. The me that is sad says “Yes, I know, but….” This is pretty much a lifelong pattern for me, of waking up in a mild malaise. I’m a regular Ginger Rogers when it comes to this unhappy song and dance. I’m on to me now, though, and can trip up this unhappy La-La-La, more frequently than ever before. The truth is that for decades I’ve been

Category: Humaness