A saint is capable of loving created things and enjoying the use of them and dealing with them in a perfectly simple, natural manner, making no formal references to God, drawing no attention to his own piety, and acting without any artificial rigidity at all. His gentleness and his sweetness are not pressed through his pores by the crushing restraint of a spiritual strait-jacket. They come from his direct docility to the light of truth and to the will of God. Hence a saint is capable of talking about the world without any explicit reference to God, in such a way that his statement gives greater glory to God and arouses a greater love of God than the observations of someone less holy, who has to strain himself to make an arbitrary connection between creatures and God through the medium of hackneyed analogies and metaphors that are so feeble that they make you think something is the matter with religion.
-Thomas Merton
peace
Day 6: One Word Challenge
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We need love
StandardDear __________,
In order to be a great husband, wife, parent, friend, daughter, assistant or being in any relationship for that matter one has to be able to be completely selfless. What I have learned in working with Herb and thru this period of my life (much of which has switched to contemplative) is selflessness and surrendering one’s desires and wants is the first step to happiness. Giving yourself up for others allows one to see this world from another person’s side. Being able to look, see, hear, feel, and taste what others do is an amazing feat. Helps us keep ourselves in check and is humbling. What a precious gift so easily overlooked. It makes you understand just how blessed we are. We need these reality checks often.
When you understand what other’s views are you are able to relate on other levels to humanity as a whole, you can connect other’s with similar standpoints, make more connections between subject matter, and connect with other’s better. For one who has issues to commitments and has issues with putting other’s first before their own want’s–It’s a matter of need vs. want. Peace comes from with in the deep core of one’s soul. Peace comes from balance and if one is out of balance it will never come to be.
Thought to leave you all with: If we are not balanced and peaceful, then how can we ever expect there to be world peace? What can we do to find that peace and pass it along in our own world? Do we need love? What can you do today to find peace and obtain love?
Begin with you and radiate with great light!
xoxo
CatMan
CatMan
“Only Prettier” according to Miranda Lambert…..
StandardSo relationships are something that we can all agree on…if you are in the wrong one it can just be so toxic to the spirit, soul, and over all emotion/passion for life. Why is it so hard to set all crap aside and just get to know someone for who they are? Pride, selfishness, and over all doubt gets in the way of anything real being experienced. Is it really necessary for a person to have so many issues that they can’t figure out who they are then attempt to love someone when they can’t love themselves first? That is so backwards!
A lot of you might know that a year ago this last December (so like 14 months-ish?) I got out of a very toxic relationship with a man, Doubting T, who did exactly as described above: couldn’t selflessly love himself first and in return how could I ever EVER expect him to love me in a healthy manner? Now don’t get me wrong, there were many red flags from the start. I didn’t feel like I could share my whole self without being called self-righteous. I felt like a part of me died….that’s because it did! I was so blinded because I cared so very much for a man who just didn’t have it in him to love me the way I should be loved. Toxic as Britney Spears might sing…
We have all been there. I learned a lot about life because of that experience. I learned to listen to my gut. I learned to always be yourself, and those who love you for you will accept that. If you can’t accept that then you will never fully appreciate them. You can’t always listen to your heart because it has a check and balance system with your gut and in return that is something that will need to be discerned. I can honestly say that I have finally have found my peace.
A few months back when he started dating a new girl, I still had a lot of hurt and loose ends. I had a lot of anger still at that point that literally took me months to work through. Miranda Lambert’s CD Revolver got me thru much of that. I can say later this past summer I was in “Crazy Ex-GF” mode…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2VZZ-17DHw&feature=related. No joke. I didn’t think I was ever going to move past this stage. BUT to my surprise I did.
I am tired of investing the time in someone who can’t even be a friend to me at this point. I can’t hold it against him. His new girl won’t let him be friends with me and even though he promised me we would never get to this point. He broke that promise. And that kind of hurt. I am kind of a ‘word is your bond’ type girl…so you can imagine the type of emotion and hurt involved there. I just yesterday forgave him for that. I am completely at peace I must say. I feel accepting of whatever happens I cannot change that (Serenity Prayer). I have peace in my heart and soul. My spirit feels released from the clutches of the hurt and I feel like a bird released from a long 2 years of entanglement. I feel like my personal self-development has only blossomed.
I have been blessed with great friends of both sexes that have helped cut down the ivy and vine work that had captured my spirit and soul and release the CatMan that everyone was used to seeing. They helped release the part of me that had been smothered and for that I am eternally grateful! Today was one of those days where a friend helped a sister out big time. 🙂
For months now I have had a printer that Doubting T gave me thinking that we might be able to utilize at work. Well it didn’t end up working with our system…so we sent him a note and said “hey what do you want us to do with this? do you want to pick this up?” His response was indifference. OK. Fine. So what did I do? I loaded that thing in my little bug and called Laugh-a-lot and we ventured out to do one thing.
ANOTHER CatMan Original: This is my proof...evidence if you will...
Return the printer to its rightful owner. LET ME TELL YOU….2 itty-bitties should not be lugging this piece of work in high-heels across a walk way that hadn’t been cleared. We grunted, strained, and laughed mostly but we eventually got it in the door! Never underestimate the will power of 2 very determined beautiful women! 20 minutes later, damage was done. In my mind, I kept saying this was only a printer…only a printer…haha WITH LEAD ATTACHED TO IT! hehe.
I had a wonderful day today. I spent time with a friend who really matters and makes my life better just by being in it! As Laugh-a-lot put it best, “…omg that was hilarious! You are the salsa to my burrito….and that really means a lot. Comes from the heart.” 🙂 She really gives a shit about me! THAT’S HUGE!
As I reminded my dear friend Super Woman, “I actually give a shit about you” is a club is open and you have to find members and keep them near and dear to you. 🙂 Anyone interested in joining???
A CatMan original: Here is my make shift card....until my other one makes it to my home. 🙂
Here’s where I am at currently: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoAIpQIsq5Q
Cannot Stop Sneezing
StandardSo today has been a great day! I had Special Olympics Regional Bowling early this afternoon followed up by a baby shower for a dear friend of mine. The weather was perfect, and everything just worked out great. Everything just was fabulous except for the fact that I cannot stop sneezing!!!
Yes….it is a fact that I am trying to get over a sinus infection now. Yes….also a fact that I can feel so much pressure still behind my sinuses that it makes my equilibrium a little off…almost as though I was pie-eyed (if you know what I mean!) Yes…..I probably hold now the girl who “sneezed the most in a day” Guinness Book of World Records! So I propose the question “why do we sneeze?”…..I consulted the best research tool ever “The Google” and this is what I found…basically we sneeze to get rid of bad particles in our nose. It is our body’s natural reaction to clearing our system out. Here if you actually want to read the “scientific” version: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-do-we-sneeze.
No one once said “bless you”! Oh well.
Today has been so low key! So many times I find these are the best days to just chill and find peace in myself. I like to imagine what it would be like on a beach somewhere, imagine me laying out soaking up the sun! I like the idea of it remaining summer all year here but, I like my seasons too much.
see now why can't I be this guy right now?
Well I hope that my night continues to go smoothly. I have to pack tomorrow because I get to go to FLORIDA Monday night! HOLLLAAA!
🙂 Peace and love ladies and gents!
As told by CatMan, The Rose Bandit 