Utopia (Even More Antidote)

While on my way to work last week, I witnessed an accident.  This poor, dear, elderly woman apparently "blacked out" while driving.  Her foot must have been on the gas since her car was going VERY fast through a parking lot.  I slowed down because if I kept my speed, she would have hit my car when she came out of the parking lot.  Instead, she hit a bricked pillar attached to the store who's parking lot she was racing through.

Besides witnessing the accident, I also witnessed the goodness of people.  I pulled over, but immediately several cars and trucks also pulled over.  They weren't just curiosity seekers.  People were genuinely concerned and were trying to help this elderly lady while waiting for emergency vehicles.  There was fluid leaking from the car.  You never know if it's water, oil, or gas.  But these people, who didn't know this woman, had no concerns for their own safety.  Their only concern was to help another human being.

I STRONGLY believe in the goodness of humanity.  Contrary to what you hear on the news, I believe that people are basically good.

I introduced a concept several years ago that I called "The Antidote" (2/20/12).  My idea is that there would be a news program that ONLY reported positive news stories - such as the one I mentioned above.  This news station would be the antidote to all the negative stories spewing from all the other media.  I did a follow-up blog called "More Antidote" dated 2/25/13.

Well, the idea hasn't taken off.  Apparently people enjoy negativity.  THAT"S what sells.  What a shame.  Thoughts and words are powerful.  What you set your thoughts on and what you talk about magnifies those things and draws more of that into your life.  I think it would be wonderful to draw more positive things - NOT negative.  When I see selfless acts such as the one I witnessed the other day, it reinforces my belief in the goodness of humanity.

What if every single person on the planet chose goodness and positivity?  What if we stopped watching, reading, listening to or talking about ALL the negativity out there so that we didn't draw more of that into our lives AND our world?  What do you suppose would happen?  Peace?  Joy?  Happiness?  I understand that it sounds like utopia, but what if it actually worked?!!!

I personally choose to focus on the positive so that I can draw more of that into my life.  What are you choosing for your life?

Love,  Paula

More About Spring

The other day I did my annual ride through The Erie Cemetery.  It's a beautiful, old, 75 acre cemetary right in the heart of the city.  I grew up a block away from it and spent a lot of my youth walking around it.  The cemetery was my special place.  It was where I went to be alone with my thoughts - to meditate.  It was my get-away.  Living in the middle of the city, I was grateful to have such a refuge.  Although anyone can go there at any time, most people didn't have such a wonderful place so easily accessible to them.  I was lucky and I KNEW it.

I no longer live close to the cemetery, but I make it a point to drive by several times in the spring watching the Dog Wood trees.  When they're in full bloom, they are breath taking!  There are many of them disbursed throughout the cemetery.  But there is one stretch of road that is lined on both sides with these gorgeous pink blossomed trees...HEAVEN!  When you walk or drive through them going south, they're beautiful.  But when you turn around and go through them heading north... well, there are just no words to describe them.  They truly take my breath away.

The other day while driving through them in full bloom, they touched my soul.  My heart swelled and I actually cried with gratitude for the beauty that was surrounding me.

In last week's blog I wrote about "Spring Wisdom".  I talked about how spring not only represented birth and youth, but could also mean rebirth.  I find it interesting and kind of ironic that one of my favorite places to experience that rebirth is in a cemetery.  But thinking about it again, it's perfect!

Love,  Paula

Spring Wisdom

In my blog "Winter Wisdom" dated 1/19/12, I talked about one of the wisdoms that my dad imparted to me.  He talked about watching nature to understand life:  Spring = birth and youth, Summer = adult life, Autumn = old age, and Winter = death.  He talked about how nature shows us the beauty in each stage of life.

While I am marveling at the absolute beauty that is all around me this glorious spring season, it occurred to me that spring can mean more than birth - it can also mean rebirth.  The flowers that are blossoming in my garden aren't the same flowers that were here last year, but they are springing fourth from the same bulbs and bushes.  The leaves on the trees aren't the same leaves, but they are emerging from the same trees.  Last year's flowers and leaves died.  They're gone.  But the life force that supported them remains and now supports NEW life.  Do you suppose this lesson can be about spirituality?  Imagine that those flowers and leaves that die represent our human body dying.  But our spirit, soul, essence, life force (trees, bulbs) live on.  They not only live on, but they rebirth us into our NEW lives. just as the trees and bulbs rebirth new flowers and leaves.