A highly intelligent, well-meaning friend of mine recently took the position that “George Bush is the one responsible for all of this,” referring to the current condition of the world economy. This friend, an educated attorney, was actually suggesting that there is one person who is the cause, through his deliberate actions, of all of our economic woes. As a devoted friend and client for over 20 years, I honor this man, his feelings and thoughts, but from time to time, I can’t keep my mouth shut.
This memorable line from the hit television show Grey’s Anatomy, wasn’t original as I remember my mother asking me the same thing when I was a child –– fifty years ago. It’s always stuck with me though as a commodious metaphor for why we continue to hold on to old beliefs long after we left the original nest where we learned them in the first place.
We all have dreams. Big ones, like becoming a successful business entrepreneur, making a cool million a year, or maybe simply owning your own home. Medium-sized ones, like having a devoted relationship with a trusted mate. And, then there are the pint-sized dreams: getting through the day without needing a drink. Wait! Wait! That last little dream to one person could be a BIG dream to one whose very life depends on it.
For my 50th birthday, I took myself to Southern Thailand for a month-long trip with my long-time boyfriend. My fantasy had painted a thoroughly romantic trip, involving intimate, solo walks along the blue Andaman Sea, warm waves lapping at our feet. When we arrived at the airport in Phuket it was nearly dark. By the time we arrived at the “beachside” hotel in Kata which had been arranged by a friend back in the States, it was completely dark. I could neither see the beach nor hear the rolling waves, but figured it was out there somewhere and I’d see it the next morning, on my birthday.
During a rather fascinating discussion with a good friend today, the conversation floated from politics to relationships to spirituality, in no particular order. Since I’ve known this friend for over 20 years and consider him as much a friend as a trusted advisor, I’m grateful that our semi-frequent palavers aren’t billable hours.
Regardless of what we were taught as children, the greater Truth is that we are now adults, not children. We have the powers of awareness and discernment today that we may have not experienced in our youth. It is critically important that we value and honor this incredible element of the whole Self, so we can better practice good health and wellness from this day forward.
The latest statistics on obesity present a sobering truth about weight in the United States, literally reaching epidemic proportions . 58 Million of our fellow brothers and sisters are overweight, 40 million are considered to be obese and 3 million have reached the morbidly obese definition. If that isn’t staggering enough, how about another statistic that shook me at my core: eight out of 10 over 25’s are considered overweight. 80%!!!
It is your choice. You can choose to be free.
Consider this: Every thought, every emotion and every action we have and do are directly related to our beliefs. Unfortunately, the vast majority of our beliefs exist below our conscious awareness. It’s slightly easier to identify some of our thoughts, of which we process over 60,000/per day, according to Deepak Chopra, M.D .
So, with all the recent research pointing its compelling fingers at the effectiveness of massage for decreasing pain and fatigue in cancer patients, reducing low back pain, osteoarthritis symptoms, and headache reduction, the only real question is: “What are you waiting for?”
