Thank you so much for being here Elizabeth and for taking the time to comment! All we can do most days is try to show up from a place of love (some days are harder than others😂.)
Declare in the mind and unseen becomes seen. We attach to reality that is physical but the real game is in the mental and spiritual. Act as if, so it becomes, believe in what is and it stays that way.
Ahhh old loudy pants — what a pain he is. Always coaxing me into the path that is less-than. I’m glad that you reposted this piece Donna. It is such a good articulation of one of my daily struggles, and it is a reminder that can’t really be said enough. :)
Michael, I apologize for my delayed response to your comment. Somehow I never made it back here to the comments section. Isn't it weird when we neglect to do one of our favorite things? I know what you mean, LP reigns if I'm not careful but it is amazing how I can keep her in check when I try.
Thank you for posting this again Donna! I can relate- my LP keeps me stuck at times and overwhelmed. We live in a world where it’s hard to move towards Wholeness but it’s important work!
Thanks for dropping in here Sweetie, I appreciate it! We certainly do live in a world where it's hard to move toward wholeness. I wonder if it's because we are in the information age where we know too much and stories get spun or if it's the human condition and all eras had unique difficulty? I'm guessing it's both.
Walking towards wholeness is a complicated and worthy journey down an often difficult and rewarding path. There is a path in my mind's eye that leads to a light in the not to far off distance. But oh, crap! What is this? A boulder. Numerous boulders to walk around and over and push up against. The boulders may represent overwork, poor lifestyle choices, self-medicating, illness, injury, lack of money, etc. So many boulders.
Getting over and around them can be challenging and rewarding.
And now what? A huge thorny obstacle on the path to that envisioned optimal life you so desire. You can only get there by getting through the thorny obstacles.
But wait. There is another path that avoids the boulders and thorns.
It won't get you to your whole self. It won't get you to your desired state of being. It is the path of least resistance that doesn't really move you forward. Take the pill. Have the drink or 6. Eat that Big Wopper. Get some fries, too. Don't move your body-binge some tv instead. You get the idea.
So here's to walking that path to wholeness. It is one's life work. It is the hero's journey. There are Helpers on the way. Challenges are thrown down along your path. There is a lot of noise. A lot of commotion and confusion at times. Some loud messages are just so overwhelming and the speaker, so convincing. You can't make it. You are too weak. You are not enough.
An invitation to succeed is delivered.
One boulder at a time.
Unravel a way through the thorny obstacles with curiosity, courage and creativity.
Bring the light closer each day.
Pick yourself up if you trip or get scratched.
It is OK.
It wasn't meant to be easy or perfect or numb.
That is a boring, uneventful and unfulfilled script.
Adele, you may want to start your own Substack, this is SO good! I deeply appreciate the effort your comment took and am sorry it's taken me so long to respond. You summarized wholeness perfectly. The other path, the one without the boulders, appears so inviting. It takes a few journeys to realize that it doesn't actually go anywhere. Then there's that pesky circular path, the one where we loop around on repeat until we recognize what's happening. So many paths!
LP is never so happy as when offering me desserts (dessert after breakfast? yes please - we'll just call it second breakfast or elevenses.) I dare say that forging a path toward wholeness is sometimes so difficult because it is unknown, unseeable, while a piece of lemon pound cake is all too knowable (but so are the consequences... ;)
Of course, this deeply resonates with me! Love the name Loudy Pants, I can see her now, cheeks flushed with adamant conviction of her way or the highway.:) The experience of wholeness is such a paradox in that it is usually experienced via brokenness.
“Wholeness is strong – thus the whole, Our critical self is not – thus the fixing.” 🙏
Oh Kimberly these are such wise words. Wholeness does seem to be a paradox until we are looking in the rear-view mirror and can see all the pieces fall into place. I guess this is where trust and acceptance need to take the front seat while we buckle up the seatbelt for the bumpy ride.
Thanks so much for being here! I am looking forward to listening to the juicy interviews you've been publishing. I'm just getting back in the groove after being away for awhile so you will see me over there🙂
What a perfect reminder and wonderful post. "Wholeness calls us to what is sacred deep inside but it may appear differently than we expect because our best self rarely asks us to take the easy road."
I’m so glad you posted this again. It’s a wonderful essay. Spot on. Wholeness=the Soul and LP=Ego. Keeping those two in check is huge.
I believe in G-d so “believing in something before it happened” is not just about manifesting. G-d is very much involved. Has it ever happened to you? Believing and then it happened?
G-d is very much involved every step of the way💕 I have had many instances of believing and then the thing happening and even more times where, as the Garth Brooks song goes, "I thank God for unanswered prayers" when that thing I wanted to happen doesn't!
It was great to read this post again. I’m also loving all the comments and can relate to so much of the thoughts and feeling around gravitating to wholeness , gentle nudging and noticing.
I always feel so grateful for the timing when the people, posts and comments come into my life.
What a gift and reassurance that listening to the whispers of our soul and paying attention to our thoughts that all the goodness and teachings show up for us which adds so much love , hope and motivation to stay the path. So much wisdom
Thank you Lynn❤ I'm with you - I'm deeply grateful for all the wonderful folks who take the time to like and comment on my posts. It makes for an enriching experience and I often learn something, or am able to go deeper, when a reader offers their perspective. That being said, I am just as thankful for the wonderful folks who quietly read and take it in, choosing not to go public with their thoughts. As an introvert, those lovelies hold a special place in my online world as well!
You, my dear, are a fabulous presence here. I am thrilled our friend introduced us and always love hearing from you!
Yes I’m so grateful a mutual friend brought us together too ! I’m learning a lot and enjoying your informative , entertaining and educational postings . The Substack community of writers are amazing too! Thank you all 🙏🏻 ❤️
This rings the bell for me. "Wholeness calls us to what is sacred deep inside but it may appear differently than we expect because our best self rarely asks us to take the easy road." Thanks for this and for keeping us straight and honest on our way. Too much noise, too many diversions and distractions can easily throw us off course. There's an old Biblical text : "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."
I find it interesting when the same idea reaches my awareness in many different ways in the same timeframe and this is exactly what the excellent quote you shared is for me. I have been thinking and reading about hope and things not yet seen and then receive your comment. Thank you Gary! You are right that we can so easily get pulled off course. As Whitney remarked here earlier, we can be gently guided on our path by our curiosity and allow things to unfold. This requires faith that's for sure.
Hello, Loudypants. Nice to see you again. I always like when you wear your name tag so there's no mistaking who you are are what motivates you. Donna is so clever about finding you in the crowded party and giving you your name tag. I saw how you tried to avoid putting it on. Well, she's that kind of hostess. You can't hide at her party. Here, have some pigs in a blanket. A whole plate of them. Don't say anything. Just enjoy the food. If you feel drowsy, I'm sure there's a place you can lie down and, um, hibernate.
Donna, you know how I love Loudypants, and also that she can't hide around you. I'm marveling that we've been Substack friends for well over a year! Thank you, Substack. ;-)
Pig in a blanket is the perfect snack for Loudypants and this delicious comment brightened my day by making me laugh!
I treasure our friendship, it makes me marvel at the the blessing the internet has brought (which is a good thing because there's the other side of it of course).
“The best thing we can do is look inward and do the hard work to move toward Wholeness because it is only from an elevated place of love that greater change will happen.
It is a slow process of unfolding in my experience. Almost like something catches your attention and just the noticing (I don’t love drinking anymore, then you decide not to order a glass of wine and you enjoy that dinner, and you notice that you feel more alive without something numbing you). It is hard but it can also be so gentle and curious. It’s a series of tiny “hmmm I wonder” and then “I see or I feel” moments that slowly guide you into the beautiful clear road in your photo. But you have to notice and listen when your whole self is trying to whisper to you (otherwise it might resort to bigger actions!)
The thing I don’t think I understood before is how powerfully magnetic that wholeness is. It was what I had unconsciously been drawn to in others for so long.
Interestingly, individual words jumped out, holding power for me. They are unfolding, gentle and curious, and powerfully magnetic. It's my understanding that anyone leading an examined life, which is you and me (yay!), recognizes the process of unfolding just as we sometimes wish it was a little quicker to happen. This desire to 'be there' brings me to your point of gentle curiosity and the need to remind ourselves to continually show up. I appreciate the call to be gentle about it because sometimes I am not!
Lastly, I love that you pointed out how you are drawn to wholeness without necessarily recognizing it. I am currently reading a book by Dr Ellen Langer from Harvard and she has researched this and found that all of us are inherently drawn toward mindful people more than those who are not. I find it wonderful that science has now stepped into the ring to demonstrate what our hearts already recognize.
I deeply appreciate you taking the time to leave such a thoughtful comment❤
Donna, it is such fun to share this space with you!
I will look for Dr. Langer's book. I completely agree, sometimes it is so nice to have intuition validated by data. Also, I so often move between being an introvert and extrovert but I think what I am finding is being with people when I am deeply connected (they are mindful or whole or some other kind of deeply present and available is incredibly generative. Being with people are "there but not there" is incredibly draining. I find I try to over function but also wonder if there is some sort of grief as a result of the interaction that drags me down....
I find myself after working in finance for almost 20 years, parenting through COVID, the news cycles, etc craving gentleness so often these days. If I can't get it out in the world I better cultivate it myself - the more direct source anyway....
As always, no need to respond! Sometimes I find these comments to be so intriguing I can't help but turn them into conversations but it is not necessary!
I love this, living from a place of love. Thank you for sharing again
Thank you so much for being here Elizabeth and for taking the time to comment! All we can do most days is try to show up from a place of love (some days are harder than others😂.)
Here's to removing Loudy Pants from the driver's seat!
Out LP, out!!
Declare in the mind and unseen becomes seen. We attach to reality that is physical but the real game is in the mental and spiritual. Act as if, so it becomes, believe in what is and it stays that way.
Ahhh old loudy pants — what a pain he is. Always coaxing me into the path that is less-than. I’m glad that you reposted this piece Donna. It is such a good articulation of one of my daily struggles, and it is a reminder that can’t really be said enough. :)
Michael, I apologize for my delayed response to your comment. Somehow I never made it back here to the comments section. Isn't it weird when we neglect to do one of our favorite things? I know what you mean, LP reigns if I'm not careful but it is amazing how I can keep her in check when I try.
No stress Donna! There is always so much Substack stuff do, it’s hard not to miss things sometimes— believe me, I do it.
Yes, it seems LP isn’t too loud as long as we keep on top of all the stuff we know is good for us :)
Thank you for posting this again Donna! I can relate- my LP keeps me stuck at times and overwhelmed. We live in a world where it’s hard to move towards Wholeness but it’s important work!
Thanks for dropping in here Sweetie, I appreciate it! We certainly do live in a world where it's hard to move toward wholeness. I wonder if it's because we are in the information age where we know too much and stories get spun or if it's the human condition and all eras had unique difficulty? I'm guessing it's both.
Walking towards wholeness is a complicated and worthy journey down an often difficult and rewarding path. There is a path in my mind's eye that leads to a light in the not to far off distance. But oh, crap! What is this? A boulder. Numerous boulders to walk around and over and push up against. The boulders may represent overwork, poor lifestyle choices, self-medicating, illness, injury, lack of money, etc. So many boulders.
Getting over and around them can be challenging and rewarding.
And now what? A huge thorny obstacle on the path to that envisioned optimal life you so desire. You can only get there by getting through the thorny obstacles.
But wait. There is another path that avoids the boulders and thorns.
It won't get you to your whole self. It won't get you to your desired state of being. It is the path of least resistance that doesn't really move you forward. Take the pill. Have the drink or 6. Eat that Big Wopper. Get some fries, too. Don't move your body-binge some tv instead. You get the idea.
So here's to walking that path to wholeness. It is one's life work. It is the hero's journey. There are Helpers on the way. Challenges are thrown down along your path. There is a lot of noise. A lot of commotion and confusion at times. Some loud messages are just so overwhelming and the speaker, so convincing. You can't make it. You are too weak. You are not enough.
An invitation to succeed is delivered.
One boulder at a time.
Unravel a way through the thorny obstacles with curiosity, courage and creativity.
Bring the light closer each day.
Pick yourself up if you trip or get scratched.
It is OK.
It wasn't meant to be easy or perfect or numb.
That is a boring, uneventful and unfulfilled script.
Adele, you may want to start your own Substack, this is SO good! I deeply appreciate the effort your comment took and am sorry it's taken me so long to respond. You summarized wholeness perfectly. The other path, the one without the boulders, appears so inviting. It takes a few journeys to realize that it doesn't actually go anywhere. Then there's that pesky circular path, the one where we loop around on repeat until we recognize what's happening. So many paths!
LP is never so happy as when offering me desserts (dessert after breakfast? yes please - we'll just call it second breakfast or elevenses.) I dare say that forging a path toward wholeness is sometimes so difficult because it is unknown, unseeable, while a piece of lemon pound cake is all too knowable (but so are the consequences... ;)
Wait, did you say lemon pound cake? I'll be right over...
hehe I'll put on a pot of coffee... ;)
Welcome back Loudy Pants ☺️
Of course, this deeply resonates with me! Love the name Loudy Pants, I can see her now, cheeks flushed with adamant conviction of her way or the highway.:) The experience of wholeness is such a paradox in that it is usually experienced via brokenness.
“Wholeness is strong – thus the whole, Our critical self is not – thus the fixing.” 🙏
Oh Kimberly these are such wise words. Wholeness does seem to be a paradox until we are looking in the rear-view mirror and can see all the pieces fall into place. I guess this is where trust and acceptance need to take the front seat while we buckle up the seatbelt for the bumpy ride.
Thanks so much for being here! I am looking forward to listening to the juicy interviews you've been publishing. I'm just getting back in the groove after being away for awhile so you will see me over there🙂
What a perfect reminder and wonderful post. "Wholeness calls us to what is sacred deep inside but it may appear differently than we expect because our best self rarely asks us to take the easy road."
Thank you so much Janice, I appreciate your kind words.💕
I’m so glad you posted this again. It’s a wonderful essay. Spot on. Wholeness=the Soul and LP=Ego. Keeping those two in check is huge.
I believe in G-d so “believing in something before it happened” is not just about manifesting. G-d is very much involved. Has it ever happened to you? Believing and then it happened?
G-d is very much involved every step of the way💕 I have had many instances of believing and then the thing happening and even more times where, as the Garth Brooks song goes, "I thank God for unanswered prayers" when that thing I wanted to happen doesn't!
Thank you Donna,
It was great to read this post again. I’m also loving all the comments and can relate to so much of the thoughts and feeling around gravitating to wholeness , gentle nudging and noticing.
I always feel so grateful for the timing when the people, posts and comments come into my life.
What a gift and reassurance that listening to the whispers of our soul and paying attention to our thoughts that all the goodness and teachings show up for us which adds so much love , hope and motivation to stay the path. So much wisdom
Many thanks everyone 🙏🏻
Thank you Lynn❤ I'm with you - I'm deeply grateful for all the wonderful folks who take the time to like and comment on my posts. It makes for an enriching experience and I often learn something, or am able to go deeper, when a reader offers their perspective. That being said, I am just as thankful for the wonderful folks who quietly read and take it in, choosing not to go public with their thoughts. As an introvert, those lovelies hold a special place in my online world as well!
You, my dear, are a fabulous presence here. I am thrilled our friend introduced us and always love hearing from you!
Yes I’m so grateful a mutual friend brought us together too ! I’m learning a lot and enjoying your informative , entertaining and educational postings . The Substack community of writers are amazing too! Thank you all 🙏🏻 ❤️
😘😘😘
This rings the bell for me. "Wholeness calls us to what is sacred deep inside but it may appear differently than we expect because our best self rarely asks us to take the easy road." Thanks for this and for keeping us straight and honest on our way. Too much noise, too many diversions and distractions can easily throw us off course. There's an old Biblical text : "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."
I find it interesting when the same idea reaches my awareness in many different ways in the same timeframe and this is exactly what the excellent quote you shared is for me. I have been thinking and reading about hope and things not yet seen and then receive your comment. Thank you Gary! You are right that we can so easily get pulled off course. As Whitney remarked here earlier, we can be gently guided on our path by our curiosity and allow things to unfold. This requires faith that's for sure.
I appreciate your continued presence Gary💕
Thanks, Donna. Synchronicity! A gift, from the unseen.
Yes!
Hello, Loudypants. Nice to see you again. I always like when you wear your name tag so there's no mistaking who you are are what motivates you. Donna is so clever about finding you in the crowded party and giving you your name tag. I saw how you tried to avoid putting it on. Well, she's that kind of hostess. You can't hide at her party. Here, have some pigs in a blanket. A whole plate of them. Don't say anything. Just enjoy the food. If you feel drowsy, I'm sure there's a place you can lie down and, um, hibernate.
Donna, you know how I love Loudypants, and also that she can't hide around you. I'm marveling that we've been Substack friends for well over a year! Thank you, Substack. ;-)
Pig in a blanket is the perfect snack for Loudypants and this delicious comment brightened my day by making me laugh!
I treasure our friendship, it makes me marvel at the the blessing the internet has brought (which is a good thing because there's the other side of it of course).
As always, thank you so much for being here Tara💕
Haha! Pigs in a blanket will hereby be my potluck dish. Blessed and enriched. 🥰
Blessed and enriched! That should be a commercial.
Sounds like a brand of whole grain flour milled in a monastery. 😂
“The best thing we can do is look inward and do the hard work to move toward Wholeness because it is only from an elevated place of love that greater change will happen.
It is a slow process of unfolding in my experience. Almost like something catches your attention and just the noticing (I don’t love drinking anymore, then you decide not to order a glass of wine and you enjoy that dinner, and you notice that you feel more alive without something numbing you). It is hard but it can also be so gentle and curious. It’s a series of tiny “hmmm I wonder” and then “I see or I feel” moments that slowly guide you into the beautiful clear road in your photo. But you have to notice and listen when your whole self is trying to whisper to you (otherwise it might resort to bigger actions!)
The thing I don’t think I understood before is how powerfully magnetic that wholeness is. It was what I had unconsciously been drawn to in others for so long.
Thank you for sharing!
Whitney, so much love to you for this comment!
Interestingly, individual words jumped out, holding power for me. They are unfolding, gentle and curious, and powerfully magnetic. It's my understanding that anyone leading an examined life, which is you and me (yay!), recognizes the process of unfolding just as we sometimes wish it was a little quicker to happen. This desire to 'be there' brings me to your point of gentle curiosity and the need to remind ourselves to continually show up. I appreciate the call to be gentle about it because sometimes I am not!
Lastly, I love that you pointed out how you are drawn to wholeness without necessarily recognizing it. I am currently reading a book by Dr Ellen Langer from Harvard and she has researched this and found that all of us are inherently drawn toward mindful people more than those who are not. I find it wonderful that science has now stepped into the ring to demonstrate what our hearts already recognize.
I deeply appreciate you taking the time to leave such a thoughtful comment❤
Donna, it is such fun to share this space with you!
I will look for Dr. Langer's book. I completely agree, sometimes it is so nice to have intuition validated by data. Also, I so often move between being an introvert and extrovert but I think what I am finding is being with people when I am deeply connected (they are mindful or whole or some other kind of deeply present and available is incredibly generative. Being with people are "there but not there" is incredibly draining. I find I try to over function but also wonder if there is some sort of grief as a result of the interaction that drags me down....
I find myself after working in finance for almost 20 years, parenting through COVID, the news cycles, etc craving gentleness so often these days. If I can't get it out in the world I better cultivate it myself - the more direct source anyway....
As always, no need to respond! Sometimes I find these comments to be so intriguing I can't help but turn them into conversations but it is not necessary!