Reactions to Osama Bin Laden's Death

When I first heard the news of Osama Bin Laden's death, I was sad.  Do not get me wrong...I was NOT supportive of him or what he did, and yes...he needed to be stopped and held accountable.  However, I believe we are all connected...all children of God, if you will.  And that included him.

And then I couldn't believe what I was reading...people were celebrating his death.  I do not mean the normal celebration of defeating someone, but extreme jubilation...from individuals who claim to belong to a peace-loving religion.  Excuse me?  You say you're peace-loving then turn around and celebrate a death?  How is celebrating the killing of someone peace-loving?  I do understand the premise behind his death is to reduce terrorism (if it will) and to hold him accountable, but peace-loving people should be sad for him...sad for whatever the circumstances were in his life which led him to become the way he did and that no one was able to help him see killing was evil, no matter what the provocation.

And if people just cannot bring themselves to be sad for him personally, what about the people who loved him?  Just because he did what he did doesn't mean they agreed (anyone out there love someone with any kind of addiction?  Should you be to blame for their behavior? It is no ones fault but the person doing the behavior).  And what about his children that are too young to realize what their dad did?  Shouldn't you be sad for their bewilderment?  How their hearts are breaking?  It doesn't matter if you feel they will be better off in the future, what about their pain right now?

Religious leaders and other religious individuals have been issuing many statements and articles today about the reaction to Bin Laden's death.  It is pretty much a concensus...no matter what the major religion, they do not support the jubilation and celebrating that has been occurring over his death - those behaviors do not reflect and are against their religions. 

Here are a few of the articles, if you'd like to see for yourself what is being said:

• A Buddhist response to the killing of Osama bin Laden and the response to that event
• A Christian response to the killing of Osama bin Laden and the response to that event
• Another Christian perspective on revenge -- from John Dear, who was the priest coordinator of the chaplains who worked at Ground Zero after 9/11. He knows firsthand about grief and also about nonviolence
• A Jewish response to the killing of Osama bin Laden and the reaction to that event
• Another Christian response

I will add to this as I come across them (many of these were posted by the Facebook page Spirituality & Practice).

There is no winning on this one, especially by force from either side (see last post, the quote by Martin Luther King, Jr).  There should be no rejoicing in any living beings death. 

Peace to all...

I Mourn The Loss of Thousands...

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." - - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Emergency Stress Kit

I got caught up in life recently...my apologies for not posting something sooner.

I have put together two things...one is my emergency stress kit, one is my prevention plan.  In my emergency stress kit are:

• First and foremost, make sure I am spiritually connected.  Have I been meditating and staying connected with my higher power?  This is the most important one, the rest are tools my higher power provided me.
• Comedy television shows and movies!  When I'm having problems, I need the laughter...it's one of the best forms of stress relief.
• If I am having trouble sleeping due to stress or anxiety, I like Sleepytime Extra.  About the time I am half way through the cup, I can hardly keep my eyes open (I make sure I'm in bed prior to drinking it).  I found the regular Sleepytime does not do quite the job as Sleepytime Extra.  If I am at work, or do not want to do to sleep, I use Tension Tamer.
• Physical exercise!!  This is a must to wear off that energy that is built up!!  Many studies show aerobic exercise is the best, however for me I find that using my muscles works best.  So I clean, rearrange my furniture, etc.
• Yoga/Meditation - or any form of relaxation technique (I've just discovered Qi-Gong and love it).  These relaxation techniques help calm the mind.
• Vitamin B supplement.
• Try to eliminate all caffeine and sugar! The system does not need that when you are trying to calm down.
• I have to admit, I have a teddy bear I sleep with when it's really bad.  It's comforting.
• I have CD's that help reduce stress.  Some have soothing music, such as Enya, Yanni, Kenny G, or are made just for the purpose of reducing stress (found in the book stores), others are affirmation CDs.
• List reasons I am grateful...blue sky, flowers, a pet snuggling with me, the smell of rain on the ground, a child's laughter, hot running water for a shower...the list can go on indefinitely.
• Go to the Do As One site.  This site focuses on breathing (or laughter in one 'room').  I really like this site as there are various length timers, including one for only two minutes.  This is a great resource to use when I don't have much time, such as when I'm at work.
• DRINK LOTS OF WATER!!!
• JOURNAL!!!

This is my stress management kit...so if I can't find my document on my computer, at least I can always come back here!  Next I will be talking about my prevention plan, which will be very similar to the above...

Have a peaceful day everyone!

Anxiety Bloomed Again

Last evening an event happened that reminded me to focus on anxiety prevention.  Recently I became lax on doing what I am supposed to be doing.  One of my beloved cats, Chloe, got out of the yard.  Now realistically, Chloe knew how to get back home.  She used to be a neighbor's cat that kept getting out of his house and coming to mine (he eventually told me to keep her).  So I KNEW she would come back...however anxiety took over.  I thought about all the posters and Lost ads I've seen over the years, and the stories I've heard people tell about how their pet never returned.  And hey, there are cars out there that could hit her...and cruel kids that think it's funny to torture animals, not to mention dogs that attack cats.  My anxiety skyrocketed!

In the past I put together a "Stress Management Emergency Kit" for times such as these.  However, life had been going so well in the last year or so that I forgot all about it.  Then when I did remember, I couldn't remember anything in it, nor the list of what it contained.  This morning I hop onto the computer to redo my kit, as well as put together an official anxiety prevention plan.  Before I started, I search my computer just in case my kit list was there...and of course it was!  In plain site, top level of My Documents.  I shook my head at myself.

So right now I'm developing my anxiety prevention plan, as well as updating my Stress Management Emergency Kit.  I believe in the Mind~Body~Soul connection, so I want to make sure all these areas are covered in my plan and kit.  I'll post my anxiety prevention plan next...need to go finish it...stay tuned...then after that will be my Stress Management Emergency Kit. 

In the meantime, remember to breathe!!

Be As You Want To Be, Live As You Want To Live

Have you ever said to yourself, "someday I'll lose weight," or maybe "someday I'll travel," or "someday I'll _______"?  Fill in the blank with whatever you've said you'll do 'someday'.

For me, 'someday' was/is I'll lose weight, go dancing, have a clean house, etc etc etc.  Years ago I was thinking these types of things...I wanted to be a nicer, more caring and considerate person...'someday'.  I wanted to get into meditation...'someday'.  I wanted to not be afraid to be who I really am around other people...'someday'.  Heck, I wanted to have a cat enclosure...'someday'. 

I had read plenty of motivational books over the years, and they all talked about how you need to start doing things...take that first step.  And while I understood that intellectualling, it still didn't sink into this brain of mine.  And then one day it really dawned on me.  'someday' will never come - it will always stay in the future.  If I want to be a certain way (i.e. more confident, self-assured, etc) or do something (have that cat enclosure, meditate, etc)...I need to start doing it NOW!!   If I don't start doing it now, someday will never come!  Same with losing weight...if I want to be a healthy weight, it has to start now. 

So I built a cat enclosure.  I'd never used the tools before and had NO idea of how to go about making one.  Part of what I had to do was make a box type thing to set into one small area.  I worked diligently on it.  As soon as I was done with the frame, I stood back to look proudly on what I made...and started laughing instead.  It wobbled horribly!  So, I undid it all and redid it.  This time it worked out (I learned from my previous one on how to do it).

I started meditating.  I have audio tapes that help me with visualization meditations, which are the type that I like best at this point in my life.  When possible, I try to get into nature - spend the day in the yard - as that is a form of meditation for me. I learned how to breath, which has helped me greatly when my anxiety kicks in.

I got a new job I LOVE!!  It was very scary to go for it but I am SO glad I did!  It has positively changed my life so much and in so many ways.  Leaving the 'known' was very difficult for me, however my last job wasn't the life I wanted to live.  I had to carry around a courage talisman with me all the time to help remind me to have the courage to go for it. 

Specially as I age, I want to be healthy.  As I am overweight and out of shape, focusing on this became a priority.  So I started working out and joined Weight Watchers ('someday' I wanted to eat more nutritionally).  This is still in the beginning stages, however I'm already feeling better physically.

I find the main difficulty with being the way I want to be and living the way I want to live is maintaining the attitude. I've been conditioned for so long to be the other way.  Being as I want to be and living as I want to live doesn't happen overnight.  But like any program, I just have to take it a day at a time.

So as if this moment, BE the way you want to be, LIVE the way you want to live.  If you don't do it now, someday will never come.

Life's Perspective

I have a high school reunion coming up.  As I was contemplating whether I wanted to attend or not (I have gained a lot of weight, I am still single, and I have no kids) and feeling...well, basically sorry for myself, a friend shared this video on facebook.  It made me pause and consider what the truly important things in life are. I thought I'd share.

Strength from Trials

My life had been a fairly easy one, even though my parents divorced when I was young.  I was fortunate in that my parents worked hard to remain friends.  I have been very grateful to them for that. 

In 1999, it seemed like the ‘powers that be’ took a look at my life and decided I was WAY behind on the trials we all have in life - and they decided to catch me up on them.  For nine years, my life was lived in what I call a ‘black hole’.  Hit after hit came, giving me no time to recover before the next one hit.  During that time I remember reading about how trials make us stronger.  And I vehemently disagreed with that statement.  I felt weaker, not stronger – they were crazy and didn’t know what they were talking about!

I had major anxiety issues from all the stress that was going on in my life.  I had no 'tools' to deal with what was happening.  My mental state...well, while my family has always considered me odd, was now also on shaky ground.  I couldn't take it any more...I had to find a way to deal with this.  I did a lot of researching anxiety.  This introduced me to many tools and resources to help me.  And each thing I learned led me to another one, which eventually led me to my spiritual journey I am currently on.

Three years ago these major events culminated with the death of my eldest nephew.  As sad as I am, I have to be grateful to him - he gave me a last gift in his passing.  It was through that whole ordeal that I recognized that I had become stronger.  The saying was true, we do become stronger through our trials.  I now view it as similar to strengthening our muscles.  We have to be pushed to the point of being a little weaker, in order for the muscles to build and become stronger.

If you’re in a ‘black hole’, believing you’re weaker and will never be strong(er) again, just have faith.  It just takes a little time, but you will come out on the other side stronger. Trust me, I’ve been there.