Aloha and happy holydays,

Here in the northern hemisphere we just celebrated winter solstice. Imagine living a few millenniums ago and the seasons played such a huge role in life. The sun beginning its journey back was truly an event to celebrate. Spiritual leaders thousands of years ago had the people build monuments like Stonehenge and Newgrange in Ireland where the only time the chamber is light is when the sunrises on the winter solstice.

Winter in Hawaii certainly is far different from winter in Vermont. In Hawaii winter is the rainy season and it is cooler. Everything is relative because for me it is cold this time of year, but when I lived in Vermont this kind of weather called for shorts and tank tops.
I think of this time of year as a time to reflect, notice what I am holding onto that no longer serves me, letting it go and deciding what I want to create in the coming year.

I have so much to be grateful for this year and I know 2008 will be filled with lots of magic and miracles. Life keeps getting better and it has every since I have started my spiritual journey as long as I listen to my inner guidance. When I don’t life gets uncomfortable fast enough for me to take notice and make the necessary changes. Those changes take time and practice, but then again I have practiced my old behaviors more than once.

A friend of mine sent me this story sometime ago. It is reminder to me that even my imperfections serve a purpose. Happy new year and may 2008 be filled with peace, happiness and joy.

The Cracked Pot

A water-bearer carries two large pots on a yoke across his shoulders up the hill from the river to his master’s house each day. One has a crack and leaks half its water out each day before arriving at the house. The other pot is perfect and always delivered a full portion of water after the long walk from the river.

Finally, after years of arriving half-empty and feeling guilty, the cracked pot apologized to the water-bearer. It was miserable. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t accomplish what the perfect pot did.”

The water-bearer says, “What do you have to apologize for?”

“After all this time, I still only deliver half my load of water. I make more work for you because of my flaw.”

The man smiled and told the pot. “Take note of all the lovely flowers growing on the side of the path where I carried you. The flowers grew so lovely because of the water you leaked. There are no flowers on the perfect pot’s side.”

Are you ready to be happy no matter what??
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Aloha,

The other day I was cleaning up my messy desk, one more time. Instead of judging the mess I accepted it and asked myself, “What’s the conflict in my filter system?” I like having a neat desk yet whenever I get busy with a project I let me office get very messy. So I looked at my conflicting desires. I like a neat, well organized office, yet I fail to put things away. After a bit of writing, patience and acceptance I realized the mess started with the first thing I failed to put away. When I wasn’t present in the moment I failed to straighten up my desk, I’d ‘get busy’ and not put things back where they belong.

I decided to use my desk as an guide post. I could tell how present I was by the condition of my desk. My desk has stayed neat longer than it ever has before because I use the mess to bring me back to the present moment. After all we can use anything to either deepen our connection to our spirit or to our filter system, even a messy desk. It has been fun watching me and my desk.

Life never ceases to amaze me. What an incredible gift everything in life is. I see all of it as an opportunity to see my filter system in three dimensional Technicolor with surround sound and all the bells and whistles. I can get impatient or enjoy it, be in a hurry to get ‘it’ or savor it.

A few days ago I had my beloved miniature Schnauzer, Mandy put down. She was 14+ years old and had begun to suffer. As I held her and the vet injected her I felt her life force leave her body. When I carried her out to the car I knew she was no longer there and that her furry little body had just been her vehicle. I was sad and I was also happy because I was blessed by her long life. I have lots of wonderful memories of her. So what do I want to focus on? Do I want to focus on her not being here and feel sad or rejoice that she was part of my life and no longer stuck in an old body that no longer worked so well? Guess it all depends on what I want to create.

Bottom line life simply comes down to us answering this question, consciously or unconsciously, “What do I want to create?’ If I want to create sadness I can focus on Mandy’s furry little self no longer being here and if I want to experience joy all I have to do is focus on all the happiness she gave me and the fact that she is free from a body that didn’t work very well any more.

So what do you want to create right now? And now? And now? What do you want to create in this very precious moment you will only get to experience right now? Love or fear? Happiness or anger? Joy or sadness? Your life will show you the result of your answers.

With love and aloha,
Susan
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It never ceases to amaze me how fast the year goes by! What a year this has been for me. I just finished writing my second book of the year, had several of my pets die and I’m in the process of starting a new program to help people really transform their lives. I remember Miguel telling me the students push the teacher as much as the teacher pushes the students. How true! My life continues to change, expand and get more magical as I continue my inner explorations.

I love my life and smile when I begin to work with a new student. One of their questions is usually, “How long will this take?” I use to ask the same thing, but now I just enjoy the process so much that I don’t care about how long it takes. As I have said so often before, “Life is and then we tell ourselves a story.”

Someone e mailed this story the other day so I thought I would pass it along. And by all means stop and smell the coffee! I’ve seen it in many places on the internet and never seen it credited to the author.

The coffee by Sanjiv Sharma

A group of alumni, all highly established in their respective careers, got together
for a visit with their old university professor. The conversation soon turned to
complaints about the endless stress of work and life in general. . .

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went into the kitchen and soon returned
with a large pot of coffee and an eclectic assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic,
glass, crystal – some plain, some expensive, some quite exquisite.

Quietly he told them to help themselves to some fresh coffee.

When each of his former students had a cup of coffee in hand, the old professor
quietly cleared his throat and began to patiently address the small gathering. . .

”You may have noticed that all of the nicer looking cups were taken up first,
leaving behind the plainer and cheaper ones. While it is only natural for you to
want only the best for yourselves, that is actually the source of much of your
stress-related problems.”

He continued. . .”Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In
fact, the cup merely disguises or dresses up what we drink. What each of you
really wanted was coffee, not a cup, but you instinctively went for the best cups. . .
Then you began eyeing each other’s cups. . .”

”Now consider this: Life is coffee. Jobs, money, and position in society are merely
cups. They are just tools to shape and contain Life, and the type of cup we have
does not truly define nor change the quality of the Life we live. Often, by
concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee that is provided us. . .
God brews the coffee, but he does not supply the cups. Enjoy your coffee!”

The happiest people don’t have the best of everything, they just make the best of
everything they have. . .
So please remember:
Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.

And remember -
The richest person is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least.

Life is and then we can tell ourselves a story in which we enjoy and savor all of life or a story in which we will be happy when – we have more money, have a relationship, job you love, you thinner, have bigger muscles and on and on and on.

When are you going to be willing to be happy with what is????? When will you be willing to enjoy the coffee even if the cup is all chipped and someone else’s cup looks better?

With love and aloha,
Susan

Are you ready to be happy no matter what??
Check out my year long class
Mastering Life

My latest podcast is all about making life easy and effortless no matter what is going in in your life. There is a great meditation to help you do just that. Check it out and tell your friends!!!!

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