5.16.2016

THE OVERVIEW EFFECT

Because I like to read quotations and, when one strikes me, ponder it for a few minutes, I'm always on the lookout. Last week, I found this: "HAPPINESS IS WORTH THE EFFORT."  I know that quote, put together so succinctly, wouldn't have resonated with me at all two years ago.  Two years ago, I hadn't dived into the pool of Personal Development, nor realized the value of a Life Coach cheering me on from the sidelines.

Today, I can say with complete sincerity and comfort, "I'm creating my own life."  We're all creating our own lives, but not all of us are conscious of it.  Not all of us are working on it.  Even I, the recent convert, forget from time to time, and must backtrack to pick up the pieces I've dropped.  So--the idea that we create happiness, and happiness is worth the effort seems natural.  Actually, everything good that we accomplish is worth the effort but, sometimes, it's a tough slog to get there.

Edgar Mitchell is given credit for the "Happiness is worth the effort" quote.  I had no idea who Edgar Mitchell was, but I assumed he would be a writer or philosopher.  But, much to my surprise, Edgar Mitchell was an astronaut.  One of ours.  He was the pilot of the Lunar Module on the Apollo 14 mission to the moon.  He was the sixth American to walk on the moon and, by the end of the mission, had covered more territory and spent more time there than anyone else.

I thought about Edgar Mitchell and the monumental commitment necessary to become an astronaut, when I ran into an unexpected sentence:  It seems that on Mitchell's return home from the moon, at the point in which the spacecraft has a perfect view of this little ball we call home, he found himself "filled with an inner conviction that the beautiful blue world to which he was returning was part of a living system, harmonious and whole, and that we all participate in a universe of consciousness..." We are all connected--united, if you will, on this "tiny, fragile, ball of life hanging in the void."   The article went on:  "From space, national boundaries vanish, the conflicts that divide people become less important, and the need to create a planetary society with the united will to protect this 'pale blue dot' becomes both obvious and imperative."  Mitchell came back a changed man.

His experience was not unique. Other astronauts and cosmonauts have reported similar awakenings and the phenomenon has been given a name--The Overview Effect. Science-speak describes it this way:  "...a cognitive shift in awareness reported...during space flight, often while viewing the Earth from orbit or from the lunar surface."  Some report it as a spiritual experience, others use different terminology.

As I read that, I thought maybe we all need a little time in space to figure out what this Earth (and life on this Earth) really means. It's the only home we know, and we're all on it together riding through the darkness. Years ago, in my mind, Coca Cola had it right when they sang, "I'd like to teach the world to live in perfect harmony..." Especially this year, we might want to revive that thought...It would certainly be worth the effort.

5.12.2016

THE PROCESS OF GRATITUDE

Last November when I was wandering the aisles of the local Office Max (I had once found very cool desk accessories there) I came across a Gratitude Journal.  It was smallish, with a gray cover, the printing on which was gold and creamy white.  A whitish ribbon peeked out, letting me know I would always be able to find my proper page with just a flip of that ribbon.

My find might have been what some would call "A wink from the universe," as I had been thinking about gratitude quite often in 2015, but not really expressing...or examining it.  Last year, I had been part of a group meeting regularly with a Life Coach--by conference call.  Our coach opened each session by asking each of us to relate what we were grateful for that morning.  I was new to the group-coaching concept and not entirely sure it was my thing, then boom--every session I had to think of something for which I was grateful. Fortunately, I am grateful for my family, and that became my fall-back position.  I could always mention family, but that wasn't really helping me work with the whole "gratitude" process.  So, I was sure my newly purchased Gratitude Journal would take up the slack.

I sat down on the morning of December 1st and began:  "Today I am grateful for the quiet early morning reflection-time that I can carve out for myself nearly every day.  I begin with coffee and the current "Daily Guidepost" reading.  Then I move on to another book of my choice...right now it is "What's So Amazing About Grace" by Philip Yancey.  It deserves to be read several times over a lifespan.  Then I move to Unity Church's "Daily Word" message for the day.  Today it is "Pray for Others." Then I listen (lights dim) to their Meditation.  It's a wonderful start for any day."

Looking back, that wasn't bad for a first effort.  As I continue my review, I note that on December 4th, I was grateful to feel better than I had the day before.  Sometimes it's the small favors.  As Christmas began to close in, I find I was simply grateful for a new day and a fresh start.  On December 16th, I see that I was grateful for Best Buy's "Geek Squad," but on the very next day I was grateful to be learning gratitude.  And on and on it goes to this morning, when I expressed thanks for the peaceful feeling that surrounded my "Morning Time."  That isn't always the way it is, but I've learned enough to be grateful when it is.  Grateful enough to write:  "This morning I am just thankful to be."

As A.A. Milne noted:  "Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude."  I'm learning...