Stories From the Next World: I Must Be From Another Planet
February 22, 2010
This is a companion piece to my blog post of last week, “Swimming Against the Tide.”
I must be from another planet. In fact I’m pretty sure that I am. When someone tells me about the right way to do things, I instinctively think, “Oh no, I can’t do that.” Well actually it’s not that I can, but more like I won’t.
You see I’m from another planet and maybe you are too. On my home planet we would never think of doing everything the same as everyone else. Oh no, on our home planet - we like to be unique and original just like our fingerprints.
We visitors from another planet tend to have this go against the grain streak inside of us that makes us stand out from the crowd. And that’s not a good thing. In a world where difference is seen as a threat to survival it’s not easy to be unique and go against the grain.
Years ago when I was in college, I took a ceramics class and one day our teacher announced that we were going to make a set of 6 mugs all alike. Now given what I’ve said above, I want you to imagine just what my response was? Eeek!
I don’t want to make 6 mugs all alike!’ So I had the guts to speak up and ask, “Why would I do that? If I wanted 6 mugs all the same I could just go to a department store and buy them.”
He was pissed! He didn’t like me messing with his idea. People that have the right way to do things rarely do. They get mad when you muss up their nice little formula for life. I didn’t mean to do that. Honestly, it’s not that I wanted to offend him. It’s just that I cannot, simply CAN-KNOT make 6 pieces of art all alike.
It’s not in me.
It’s not in my DNA, not in my bones and my hands won’t allow me to do it. Guaranteed that if I had tried, I would have gotten a horrible rash on my hands or something just to prove that it’s exactly what I should not be doing.
Now I know that people from this planet all like to do things in a certain set way. I understand the logic of that. But it never works for me nonetheless.
So in my ceramics class I actually slipped to the corner of the room and set about making my one, single, original and totally one-of-a-kind mug, while everyone else was making their six in a row.
It wasn’t comfortable to be doing my totally unique thing but it was necessary. Because had I forced myself to make six all alike, I’m pretty sure that I would be in a mental institution today still making mugs all in a row. We from another planet are very sensitive you see.
When I was done the teacher came over. He actually admitted that my lone original mug was pretty cool. Was I imaging it or was he really longing to break out of the mold and create one all his own? I’m pretty sure I felt his longing. We from another planet can feel things like that.
So don’t worry if you don’t feel the same and you definitely don’t fit all in a nice neat row. It’s ok. You’re from another planet and you’re here to make a difference. Or in some cases you’re here to be the difference.
Just breathe and go with the flow. Don’t worry what anyone else thinks. I still have that mug and I love it.
Be one of a kind because that’s what you are anyway - original, unique and just like your fingerprints, all your own.
Yours in always sharing the stories that make you stand out in a crowd,
Annie
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Koyaanisqatsi - Life Out of Balance
February 12, 2010
Koyaanisqatsi, Hopi word
“Crazy life, life in turmoil, life out of balance, life disintegrating, a state of life that calls for another way of living.”
Over twenty years ago I was privy to hearing the prophecies of Indigenous peoples first hand. I heard them through the mouths of the elders and their stories of the future. But honestly I was naive back then and I wrote them off as ‘doom and gloom.’ I told myself that it wasn’t really true what they were predicting. I was in my twenties and carefree. What the hell did I know about the world to come?
It wasn’t until the year 2000 that I suddenly woke up one day and said, “Oh my God, they were right.” The things that they had predicted were coming true - earth changes, political upheavals, very specific disasters that had been foreseen thousands of years ago.
How did they do that? How did the Hopi and every other indigenous culture around the globe know what was in store for our future? They just did. That’s the best I can say. They predicted it precisely and exactly.
But here’s where a confusion comes in. They never said that it was going to be the end of the world. They said it was going to be the end of A world.
Now what’s the difference? The end of the world vs. the end of a world? There is a huge difference. You see to the native people their frame of time was always told like a story. They hold time as a series of successive worlds, similar to how we have ages, epochs and eras, but their worldview is even more comprehensive than that.
Each ‘world’ had a theme an inevitable evolution. When you can see it that way, it’s easier to understand how they could predict the future. They could see in the span of evolution of the ‘worlds’ what was going to come next.
What they actually said was that it’s up to us to create the next world. This is the part that is always left out when people talk about the end of the world. The world is not ending folks. That would be the easy way out! We’re not getting off the planet that quickly.
It’s much harder to realize that a world is ending and that we need to do something about creating the next one. We can’t just stay asleep. What they said was that it would be the end of an age of darkness and the possible beginning of an era of light and that it is up to us to make the necessary changes in lifestyle and consciousness to usher in another world.
We can no longer go on as we have been - driven by greed and avarice, with complete disregard for human life and our planet. That world needs to end. It is up to each of us to make those small and steady changes every single day day after day, day in and day out.
There is no rest for the bringers of the next world. But that doesn’t mean that we have to be hopeless and cheerless about it. In fact just the opposite. We need to be as filled with light as we can be.
Our hope for the next world lives in us. Each day, day in and day out - not reacting to the craziness of the world around us but quietly and confidently making the necessary changes in ourselves and helping those around us.
Every change you make in yourself contributes to the balance and healing of the world. Today let’s reverse the tide and make our mantra, “Life in balance begins with me.”
You are welcome to listen to my Radio 42 Show on this topic. They can be downloaded any time.
Yours in always making the effort to contribute to a happy and sane world,
Annie
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Why Mystics Sit On Mountaintops
January 6, 2010
Have you ever thought about why mystics sit on mountaintops? I mean really, what the heck are they doing up there?
Some years ago I had the chance to visit a meditation hut on top of a small mountain and found out for myself just why mystics go to places like that. I was with a boyfriend at the time who was obnoxiously spiritual. In fact no he was a Mr. Spiritual Know-It-All!
Anyway he and I decided to take a trek to the ashram of a former yogi whom I had never heard of but apparently was very famous. Again Mr. Know-It-All knew the story but I was just following along for the fun. I can never ever resist a great adventure, especially the mystical type.
We went up this small mountain to find this charming hut in the woods, where apparently the master had lived the last years of his life. The story went that the master had spent many hours meditating in the hut and thus they had created a shrine for him in the room in which he meditated.
We walked into the room and I immediately felt a beautiful peaceful vibration. Again I didn’t know the master or his story, but there was a giant photo of his beautiful smiling serene face and I loved him immediately. I felt really grateful that I could come to ‘meet’ him, even though he was not there in person. I never let little things like that stop me from getting to know someone.
My (annoying) boyfriend and I sat down to ‘meditate‘. Please note here that the word meditate is not really accurate because I totally can’t meditate and I don’t enjoy it at all. But the part I didn’t tell you about the annoying boyfriend is that I was in a little bit of a ‘prove myself’ type of competition with him and I wasn’t going to tell him that I didn’t know how to meditate. Give him a chance to one up me?? No way!
Now I know you are wondering why I was with this spiritual jerk in the first place? But that’s another story that we’ll have to save for later. Now back to the mystic on the mountaintop….
We sat in front of the shrine, closed our eyes and meditated - he for real and me pretending. While I was pretending to meditate, I got very curious. I am naturally curious about people anyway but I started to think to myself, “Why the heck did the master spend the last years of his life in this little room, rather than out in the world teaching people?”
I was really curious about this. What I didn’t realize is that the master was actually listening. I swear on my dog that he answered me out loud (in my head).
He said, “The reason I was here is because when I’m here, I’m not really here, but I’m actually wherever I want to be.”
Wow, that was deep! What I got from that is that through his ‘meditation’ he could travel in his mind and effect change on whatever level he wanted to, where ever he wanted to.
Wow, that was cool. I had never heard anything like that before and I naively and excitedly opened my eyes and blurted out the story to my snooty boyfriend. When I told him what he said a look of horror came over his face. He said, “He said what?”
I told him again. Apparently it was one of the things that the master used to share regularly in his teachings. Unfortunately this made my boyfriend realize that this was an actual visitation by the renowned guru, rather than just a figment of my active imagination.
He was livid! He didn’t say so of course but I could see the veins pulsing in his neck. I am sure that he was wondering, “Why didn’t the master speak to me?”
And to that I would reply, “Because you were too busy being concerned with yourself!” Oops, I shouldn’t have said that (tee hee).
When I went to leave the shrine, I turned around to thank the master in my mind for his grace. He winked at me and said, “Dump the guy.” I swear on my dog he did!
So now you know that the reason mystics sat on mountain tops is because from there you can leave your small self behind and get a sense of the bigger (and more important) picture of life - something that my self-centered boyfriend desperately needed to do.
So did I dump him? The boyfriend that is? To get the answer to that, you’re going to have to trek to the top of that mountain top and ask the mystic. But don’t worry, it will do you good - there is lots of fresh air and a fresh perspective waiting for you there. At least that’s what happened for me.
In lieu of finding the mystic maybe today, see how you can let go of that limited point of view like my boyfriend had and seek to share. The mystic will like you for that and maybe he’ll even invite you to return to the top of the mountain for a visit.
Yours in sharing the mysteries of the world,
Annie
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Going For the Gold, A Creative Retreat To Tackle the Inner Critic
December 21, 2009
Eureka Moment
when the lightbulb goes off
It is that time of the year and I am going on creative retreat. I had a Eureka moment this weekend in which I realized that I never truly get traction on the bigger projects in my life.
WHY NOT?? I asked myself. And I had a revelation about it.
I realized that even though I am NLP Trainer and a master Hypnotherapist, I don’t know how to control my own brain!
Yes I know how, and I do this very successfully for my own clients, but I don’t access this power fully for myself.
WHY NOT?
Actually it is MUCH harder to do for yourself. At least on a regular, reliable and consistent basis. So that is my quest. To find a way to do this for myself - a way that works anyone, anytime and for anyone. That is my goal, and if it works on me than I will share it with you and everyone….
and if it doesn’t, then I will die trying!
This is a big one. I can feel my inner critic pulling out all the punches already and I’ve barely even gotten started! I know they may sound completely ridiculous to you, especially to those of you who know me, but trust me she’s got a LOUD voice and she knows how to hit right where it hurts. Try to hear these critiques in the acid-dripping tone in which she delivers them. Then maybe you’ll know what I mean.
Here is the list of her top three hard hitters:
- “Haven’t you tried this before?” You do have a whole set of notebooks filled with other great ideas don’t you?”
- “What are you doing this for? Haven’t things like this already been done?”
- “Who is going to want this anyway? You’re going to go to all of this trouble….and for what?”
As I said, she really knows how to hit where it hurts. She knows that I do have a cabinet of notebooks filled with my millions of great ideas. She knows that what I am working on is not rocket science and is in fact very simple. And worst of all she knows that my deepest fear (and everyone’s) is that all of our hard work and effort will be for nothing.
The biggest fear is that NO ONE CARES!
But HA! Don’t worry folks, I have the tricks and the tools to handle this. At least I hope I do. Here’s how it’s gonna work - as she throws me a hard ball, I will devise a creative process to work with that. So bring it on inner critic! I’m ready for you. (I know I’m gonna be sorry I said this!)
I am going to let myself be wrestled to the ground, strangled by her acerbic words and brought to the edge of giving up. This is my test. Can I do it? Can I face all of my foibles, failures and fears of inadequacy?
The fun is that I may die trying. Not literally but figuratively. Part of me will die, the part that has been afraid all along.
It’s much easier to pay someone to change your mind. That is what my clients do every week and they get great changes. I’m going to do it the hard way. It’s just going to be me, myself, my inner critic and my journal. Plus my bag of creative tricks that I’m going to use to tackle this problem.
If I can’t do it, maybe no one can. I don’t mean that in an egotistical way. I mean that if I, who has all of the tricks of the trade, can’t do it for myself, then maybe it’s time to find a way that it CAN be done.
I want to create a reliable and repeatable process that can be used anytime, anywhere. No more muse! The inspiration has to come when I call it, not just show up when it wants to! That’s too fickle for my purposes.
So this my goal for my creative retreat. I will be back with the results in the new year. Promise to love me no matter what happens. Promise to stand by me whether I produce something or not.
Please admire for me just for going for it! I would really appreciate that.
I appreciate you already, for being here every week reading my blog. Thank you from my heart. Stay tuned for more in the new year. Anything good that comes my way, will be naturally passed on to you.
Happy New Year my friends….here’s to renewed Light in your life.
Yours in the creative incubator of life,
Annie
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I’m Unwrapped For Christmas
December 14, 2009
Good news folks. I’m unwrapped for Christmas. Before you jump the gun and think hey did she get lucky? It’s not what you think.
I’ve unloaded the usual packaging that I wrap myself in this time of year. You know all of that unnecessary strain, stress and expectations that we place on ourselves this time of year? I’ve shed all of that. Woo-hoo! I’m free. Free to experience this day as it wants to be.
I realized that I don’t need to make a big deal out of it. Miss Sweetie (mini dachshund) and I are going to pass a nice quiet Christmas with our Tofurkey roast. That should be enough to keep us warm and nourished.
A Tofurkey roast? What’s that you ask. It’s some kind of tofu concoction that looked so good on the box that I couldn’t resist. It’s probably awful and Miss S and I will need to dump it in the trash, but I wanted to have an adventure so I bought it. I’ve got pasta on hand in case it’s inedible…don’t worry.
But since I’m unwrapped for Christmas, that means that I’m FREE to do anything I want - including eat a fake turkey. I’m not sure I like it. Even though I’m a vegetarian, I don’t really like tofu.
But fun and freedom is the name of the game. Being unwrapped means that Christmas doesn’t have to be any of the things that it usually means to me. That way I don’t have to feel sad, lonely or sorry for myself (boo hoo) that I’m not going to visit my family this year. Nope that’s not a useful state of mind. So I’ve left that behind and am open to discover what this day wants to bring me.
At the very least it will be an experiment in living. I’ll let you know.
Yours in accepting everything life has to offer,
Annie
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The Holy Horror Days: Ready, Set, Go CRAZY!
December 6, 2009
Alright let’s get real here. They are not Holi-days (Holy-days), they are Holy Horror Days.
I don’t know about you but I find this time of year very difficult and very painful. If you ask me the world has gone crazy and no one is stopping it. Come early November, I start getting that feeling of oh no here it comes feeling. It begins with one of my favorite radio stations insisting that I would like to hear Christmas carols 24 hours a day from early November until December 26th.
I would not.
I don’t like Christmas carols all that much. I never did and I certainly don’t want to hear them 24 hours a day for almost 6 weeks. What are they thinking? I used to like them long ago back in the dark ages of my childhood. I never heard them on the radio then. We sang them outloud. Believe it or not we actually went around the neighborhood to people’s
houses and sang for them. The concept of sharing was beautiful. I loved that.
Now we are bombarded with those once holy songs that have become tiny missiles of the constant reminder to BUY, BUY, BUY. That is the purpose of Christmas carols on the radio these days. They are meant to whip us into a frenzy of holiday insanity. Hate that!
Then there is the fact that starting early December I have to drive 10 miles out of my way to avoid any malls. Why? Because God forbid I would be near one when someone was on their way to purchase that giant screen TV that is on sale for only 24 hours. I might get run over just being in the vicinity. People need their electronics this time of year, especially if they are on sale.
Which also makes me completely sure that we have gone insane. We are actually killing ourselves to get up at 4 am on black Friday so that we can save $1000 on a TV. Some actually told me that he did this the other day. I was shocked. I wanted to say, “Would you like to help me save you another thousand and I’ll throw in your peace of mind for free?” DON’T buy that TV at all. Do you really need it?
But I’m pretty sure that come this time of year, my old fashioned, peace-loving values are the ones that would be seen as crazy, not getting up at 3 am to shell out a ton of credit, because we can be sure no one uses cash anymore. That is only for people who have truly gone out of their minds. A nostalgic reminder of days of old.
I am goddman F _ _ _ ing determinded to keep my peace of mind this time of year no matter what! See how riled up and angry I get? Just just thinking about it makes me irrritable, yikes! But honestly, I really have to push against this tidal wave of consumer insanity run rampant. Since the world has gone insane in these ways, I my try my best to do the opposite:
1. Since people become rude and agressive - I try to be kinder and extra thoughtful,
2. As consumerism runs amok - I try to simplify
3. When things get noiser and more hectic - I try to slow down, go inside and keep things quiet.
My Personal Goals for the Holy-Days are:
1. keep peace of mind and heart
2. be kind to others
3. do the opposite of what the world is doing
To do this I need to:
1. avoid all malls and large shopping areas whenever possible.
2. turn off the radio whenever the hyper commercials come on.
3. pray more than I usually do for the sanity of the world and for the strength to endure.
4. be kinder and more helpful to others than I normally strive to be.
5. do something completely different like go to a cabin in the woods and meditate for 4 days.
What about you? Are you ready for the Holy Days of Insanity to arrive? If you are reading this and going, - Yeh I’m totally caught up in the whirlwind, then maybe you want to stop right now and reevaluate.
But don’t worry about me. I’m completely outiftted to pass through these holidays noise and frenzy free. How about you? Let me know how you’re fare.
Yours in the spirit of happiness, holiness and love,
Annie
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Stories of Outstanding People: Pastor Tim
November 23, 2009
I have a good friend whom I met many years ago at Starbucks. I would pass him on the way to the ladies room and I was always curious about what he was doing. He was writing in a bible with these multi-colored highlighter pens and I thought to myself, “What a cool guy. He must be a priest.”
So I stopped to talk to him. I love interesting people and I had never before heard of a clergy person using multi-colored highlighter pens on their bible. Maybe it’s a trend but I just don’t know about, but at any rate it was enough to get me to meet the fascinating and hilarious Pastor Tim.
Tim started right in telling me some stories and boy were they funny. I was laughing so hard right there in Starbucks that I thought I was going to split my side. When I met him, he had only been at his parish for a year or two he was at the beginnings of his difficult work.
Tim works in a small Lutheran church in the heart of a very difficult neighborhood in Philly. I could tell that Tim was totally dedicated to what he’s doing and yet I could also see that he was really struggling. Tim didn’t just have one problem or even two, he had multiple ones, often occurring at the same time!
One week Tim had a series of disastrous incidents one right after another - the copier broke, the heating went out and a few other things showed up. Tim had solved them one by one but when the last one showed up, he was at his wits end. Things seemed totally insurmountable.
Not knowing what else to do, Tim got down on his knees and begged for help from above. After he was finished, he got up from his prayer and took a break by retreating to the men’s room. What could go wrong there right?
Tim took his time in the ‘bathroom sanctuary’ not wanting to rush his few short moments of peace and quiet. On his way out he decided to leave it in a better state than he’d found it, so he grabbed a can of deodorizer and gave it a nice refreshing spray around the room. Nice gesture right?.
But instead of coming out like aerosol mist, the deodorizer which had obviously been around far too long, sprayed all over the walls just like gummy string cheese!
Tim took one took at the wall and knew instantly what to do. He laughed out loud and promptly walked out, leaving behind a wonderful new art piece for the parish bathroom!
Whenever I see Tim he always makes me laugh. Even though I know that it is not easy keeping his tiny parish afloat, Tim always has a funny story to tell. I keep telling him he needs to write up his stories. But since he’s so busy, I thought I’d tell one for him. He has plenty more.
And if you’re ever in Starbucks in Philly and see a guy with a colored up bible, stop and say hi, it just might be Pastor Tim - the pastor with the big heart and the amazing sense of humor.
Today use the power of humor in your own life to create a new story even in the midst of the greatest challenges.
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Outstanding People Stories: Meet Chuck Hester
November 9, 2009
In the world of online marketing and networking what I don’t need is one more sales pitch - the all-too-common, “Hey, I have a great offer for you” greeting that many people on the social networks use makes me want to recycle my lunch.
That’s why I was delighted when I read the refreshing new book by Chuck Hester. In all 54 pages of his tiny treasure, he never once tried to sell me anything! He didn’t even try to sell me the book because I found out about it through my reliable mentor Bea Fields.
So friends, I’d like you to meet wonderful human being Chuck Hester. Chuck is changing the dynamics in online social networking with his pay it forward approach to connecting.
Chuck’s book, “Linking In To Pay It Forward” with the byline, “this is not your Daddy’s business book,” shares Chuck’s unique approach to creating a social network by asking the simple question, “How can I be of service to you?”
It’s a small enjoyable book that I read in an evening. But what is most outstanding about the book is not so much what Chuck says, but his philosophy to life and business. Believe it or not folks, Chuck actually believes in sharing with people in the online business world, not to get, but to give.
I’m not just talking about that kind of ‘let me pretend to give you something so I can really get something from you’ mentality. You know the one I’m talking about?
That’s not Chuck. No. When I read his book I could feel that he is genuine. I was so happy to find this philosophy that I reached out and emailed Chuck the very next morning. He says in the back of his book to please contact him and after reading his book, so I did.
Chuck wrote me right back with a lovely note and we struck up the beginning of a genuine connection. I love that!
Chuck is definitely making a difference in the world with his philosophy. He applies the concept of paying it forward, which means to do good things for others without expecting anything in return. As a master networker, he uses this in the world of social networking and he’s had amazing results.
In a world where it seems that everyone is out to get something, Chucks pay it forward philosophy stands out in the crowd. I believe that this is the wave of the future and it can’t be faked. You’ve got to truly mean it and I believe Chuck does.
Chuck and his wife Stephanie have hosted Linkedin Live Raleigh, a networking event that regularly attracts more than 350 professionals and helps others to pay it forward in person. It’s obvious that people really want and need the power of genuine human connection.
He has a wonderful blog, the Pay It Forward Chronicles where he shares his stories of paying it forward. Chuck has generated a network of 9,500 contacts on LinkedIn alone and whenever he goes to a new city, he often meets one of his LinkedIn contacts in person. He helps us to see that it truly is a small and connected world.
Chuck thank you for the difference you are making in the world of social media. You bring back the heart and humanness which we all need.
I hope you will join Chuck and I on my Radio Show next Friday, November 20th at 12:30 pm EST at www.blogtalkradio.com/inspiringchangethroughstory.
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Featured Story: Keeper of the Flame of Dreams
November 1, 2009
She was just an old woman so most people thought that she wasn’t worth much anymore. Still the children gathered around her feet every evening to hear her stories.
“There was a time,” she said slowly, “when The People loved to dream and because they dreamed things happened in their lives that wouldn’t otherwise be possible. The People knew that dreaming was an essential part of living and for thousands of years they had kept their dream flame alive.
The People were very sensitive beings and very perceptive. They could see things and know things that other people couldn’t necessarily see or know. But they never considered themselves to be special. They simply believed that they were part of a vast Universe and so it was natural to follow the laws of creation.
But dark times fell on The People and terrible things happened that almost cut them off from the flame of dreams forever. Their water became strangely colored and foul tasting. Their crops dried up and beautiful exotic plants and flowers died and became extinct.
With each new loss of a fellow plant species, The People mourned their losses but they had to carry on. There was so much to do. But just at the point when they were beginning to recover, terrible winds came and ripped their animals into pieces and sent their huts flying all over the land.
By the time the winds finally died down there was nothing left at all of their village except for the tiny ember of a once brilliant fire. The People were stunned and sat around this small ember moaning and rocking in grief. What where they to do? Why had everything they needed to live been swept away?
In order to protect the tiny flame, they found a vessel to keep it in. They tried to carry on with their dreaming practices - singing, chanting and praying for life new. But each day their tiny flame seemed to flickering smaller and smaller and more of their spirit seemed to die.
“You see” said the old woman to the children, ”sometimes all that you have is a tiny flickering flame and you have to hold onto it with all of your might.”
But The People’s misery did not end there. One night while they were sleeping, a huge, black, ominous cloud came over them and began to shout, “You People, who do you think you are to dare to dream while others are suffering? You think that you know the laws of the Universe but you do not. I will put an end to your dreaming forever.”
The skies got very dark, lightening cracked and the winds howled and suddenly it began to rain. It rained and rained and rained. It rained so hard for 3 days and nights that much to their horror the vessel that held the flame was washed away.
The People huddled together trembling and scared. They had never purposely set out to harm anyone. In their hearts they believed that dreaming was part of the natural world and a way to keep things peaceful, happy and balanced for all. But now with the loss of the flame, they began to question things.
“So what do you think they did then?” the old woman asked the children. “Give up? Admit defeat?”
“No, shouted the children. “They can’t give up. They must find the flame and keep it alive.” You see, you can always trust the heart of a child to keep the dream alive.
“That’s right”, said the old woman. “The flame was more important to them then even their own lives.” So they built some boats out of reeds and set off to find the vessel.
They searched for a 100 days and 100 nights with little to eat along the way - only a few seeds and berries. But they were determined that if they searched long enough they would eventually find the flame of dreams. But the journey was very wearing and they were very tired.
After awhile they decided to stop and take a rest so they began to look for a place where they could lay down and sleep. That night one of the elders in the group had a dream. She dreamt of a cave inside of a mountain and right in the center was a fire burning brightly. The next morning when they awoke they were encouraged by the dream and so they set off in search of the mountain.
By mid day they found it and they got out of their boats and began climbing the mountain, chanting and praying, one step at a time. But just then the big black cloud appeared again. “How dare you defy me! How dare you attempt to keep the dreams alive. I will not have it.” And it began to rain so hard that The People got soaked.
They slipped and fell, got mud in their hair, their eyes, their mouths but they kept on. They continued to climb the mountain, chanting and praying, one step at a time. Not rain, nor mud, nor thunderstorm would stop them because now they were very close. They could sense it now and they began to get a wiff of smoke.
And when they reached the mouth of the cave they paused and made a prayer of thanks for right there in the very center was the tiny ember of living dreams. And the minute that the flame of dreams saw its people it got so excited that it burst into a huge roaring fire that warmed The People got warmed and they had a good meal.
“So you see without their dreams the people almost perished. But they did live on and they fanned the flame of their dreams every day. And they assigned some very special keepers to the flame of dreams so that it could never go out again. And do you know who that is?”, the old lady whispered to the children? But the children did not hear her because they were already fast asleep. “It’s you,” she whispered.
Annie Hart original, June 12, 2000
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Featured Story: An Unlikely Love Story
October 26, 2009
Want to feel your heart get warm as you witness true love right before your eyes? This is a most beautiful love story told in pictures. Thanks to my friend Patti for this touching story.
This is Suryia the orangutan and Roscoe the Blue Tick hound.
The orangutan was in a rescue mission, depressed and not doing well.
The old hound wandered in and the orangutan snapped to as if his buddy had arrived.
He stayed with the hound night and day until he was well.
In the whole scenario, the orangutan found a reason to live.
They are now inseparable, live at the Tigers sanctuary in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
AWWWW! It’s never too late to find true love.
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