Here we are in a new year. Yes, I am going to ask you about your promises to yourself during the coming year. I avoid the word Resolution, for I know that I will get the regular response. Resolutions are made to be broken. People do not keep resolutions, so what is the point of making them? Look at the gyms, they are filled during January and February, and things go back to normal in March!
Is that your voice speaking? You and I create our reality. Henry Ford told us: If you think you can, you are right, and if you think you cannot, you are also right. Even in the Bible, we are told that we have life or death, and we must choose. There are many people with great gifts of money management. They know a lot of the economy, and they are able to give you some good ideas about living a sound financial life. My choice is more global. I am concerned about the type of people that we could become, hence goals, and promises are very important to me.
As I greet people, I wish them the best year of their lives. Have the best year of your life in 2011. Some say that they will try, and others say that they hope so! What do you say? I am living the best life now. I can live the best life now. I will live the best life. I remember teaching the course Adventures in Attitudes, and the simple mantra was: I am, I can, I will! These words are still stamped in my mind.
What is one of my main goals for this community? SERVICE! On Monday 17th, our neighbors to the south celebrated Martin Luther King’s Day. We should all be celebrating the day of a man who has left us with one of the greatest speeches in the English Language. I HAVE A DREAM! He was appealing for global solidarity. Like John Donne, he was speaking of the brotherhood of man and woman. Martin then went on to speak about Service. He said that we all could serve. We do not need a college degree to serve. This is the lesson for my community. I know that many of us have followed this call to service. We cannot rest until all of us could dedicate our lives to this brotherhood, and then we can utter as Martin, "Free at last, free at last, thank God we are free ate last!" Are you now ready to make SERVICE one of your promises for our best year? Thanks... Let us now be up and doing!
FOOD AND FILOSOPHY! Thanks very much to Richard Girling for his presentation on The History of the English Language to this group. We had one of our largest gatherings, and all were pleased and stimulated by Richard’s presentation. Here is a new member of this community giving to this group the fascinating subject of The English Language. Another new lady to the group has volunteered to lead the discussion on February 7th, at Dolce Vita beginning with Food at 5:30, followed by Filosophy. Her topic is Watching the Mind.
Here is Rayana Erland’s statement: Mind is a huge subject. Some say it is as big as the universe. But what is it? It has no colour, form, or material dimension. Yet it is the root of all our pain and pleasure. Western psychologists assumed that science of the mind originated in Europe and North America about a hundred years ago. Around 1970, they discovered Eastern thought, and found out those theories of the mind and its functions had been developed in Asia, thousands of years ago. At the present time, scientists and contemplatives scholars are doing research together. There is now objective evidence that calming the mind and developing compassion can change the structure and function of the brain as well enhances our immune system.
Life is 10% what you make it. And 90% of how you take it. What do we do to conquer our negative emotions? What kind of coping mechanism do we use? What helps us break our habitual patterns and responses? How do we turn adversity into a blessing? How do you watch your mind?
CELEBRATION OF THE WORD: I have not given up on the group. We were supposed to meet on January 26th at Abbeyfield, but I have been asked to M.C. The 30th anniversary celebration of Fir Park Village, so let us all meet at Fir Park and help celebrate this momentous occasion.. We will be celebrating but the word and the deed!