Sixteenth Invitation

Healing Heart Communications, Inc. www.devajoy.net Our Circle Expands! "There's always Too Much Shit to Do!!" Gathering in Community "There's always Too Much Shit to Do!!"   There are not many adults who don't have this experience.  Perhaps it is even more intensified during the holiday experience. Tis the season... But really, the experience of overwhelm is not limited to this season... it seems to pervade every season!   Most adult people I know have the experience that there is always "too much to do", the plate is overfull, life's tasks and list of things are overwhelming at best and endlessly staggering and devouring at its worse.   A friend and I were talking about exactly this a few months ago.  We were comparing notes about our sense of fulfillment and well-being in every day living.  She reported that she is always trying to lesson what is on her plate so that she could then find the time to manifest some of her true heart desires.   It might be easy to look from the outside in and say, with clarity and even a sense of knowingness that borders on arrogance, "Ah, dude, it is so obvious -- wrong approach!  Ya got to take time to nurture your desires and dreams now!  Make that the priority!  That's what life is all about!"   So, my question to you is "Are you doing it?  Are you making your heart desires priority?  How much do you compromise yourself to accommodate the things you "have to do?!""   For me, it needs to be a constant balancing act.   There are so many things to attend to -- from errands, to household chores, to financial demands, to bills, to paper work, to service work, to parenting, to attending to friends and family, to email... oh yes, email... how does one do anything else?   Ode to the endless list....   And yet, I actually do a pretty damn good job at balancing, enjoying my life and actualizing dreams and visions and heart desires.   A therapist herself, my friend inquired, "How do you have time to do all that?  I am busy enough with my  clients and all I have to do!"   And the answer was clear. "You and I are wired similarly.  We are both driven to give our all to what we do.  Yet, the difference might be that for me, the "having too much shit to do" is   My friend looked at me sideways -- you know, that cocked head that expresses a mixture of wonderment and disbelief.  "Go on, " she said.   "Well, it's sort of like this ~- a classic example is this: I am in my day, with a clear agenda and list of what I want to accomplish, and I am driving down the street on mission... and then, in my vision, I see a dog wandering the street with no person attached to him, I think -- "Oh no!  Shit!"  I flood with resistance and then a little more resistance... as I surrender, shift gears... to what is now happening.  Now there is a new added agenda (that aligns with my passions and values) even though I didn't think I could possibly have time for this! As I am burning inside, I take the necessary actions: slow down the car, park near by, grab the leash and the food, get out of the car as quick as possible before he runs away and pray there is a name tag.  Start thinking fast about options in case there is not a name tag...  think faster...  approach Dog slowly and  tenderly with food even though I am wanting this to happen as efficiently and effectively as possible so I can still attend to at least some of my agendas of the day...  As I talk sweetly to the dog, I start to re-evaluate what I really need to do this day and what can wait...   We all know this one.  What's the thing that can stop you in your tracks and says,  "Surprise!  I am undeniably happening right now even though you didn't expect me -- I am here!"?   Somehow, you make it work, right?!   Everything gets handled in time, or not.   And interestingly -- the sense of "Too much shit to do" remains similar -- there was too much to do before and there is too much to do now.   I continued talking with my cautious but interested friend, "Passions and inspirations are similar to the lost animal!  When they arise, they are to be greeted and taken care of.  You can't deny them.  Don't ignore your inspired ideas!  Instead, they are real, just like that animal who needs your attention."   Now, of course, this is not true for everyone.   For some people, the most empowering and important lesson is to say "no!" to new ideas and opportunities to show up.   But it was true for my girlfriend who was not moving forward with her soul-inspired ideas -- guaranteed to enhance her life, if only she would act upon them!   It is my experience that she has a lot of company!   How many people blame the "too much shit to do" racket and don't make time for move manifesting heart desires into realities?   What would happen if you give up the idea that there is supposed to be less to do? What changes if you drop the hope that one day there will be time to do what you really want to?   It feels so good to live out loud what is inside of oneself.  I say it is "A Must," no matter how busy we are.   Life is busy.  That is usually the case.  Even people who are in the dying process appear to be busy -- with different agendas but busy nonetheless.   I watched my friend, Carolyn, through her dying process.  She was busy to the very end.  Her world was smaller than it used to be but still busy - trying to make it to the toilet, trying to swallow a few bites of yogurt down her throat, trying to give away her things in a meaningful fashion, and trying to minimize the pain and body discomforts, which unfortunately became a full time job.  In her later stages of dying, she was busy with trying to communicate her love, even when she could hardly stay conscious.  And at the very end, she was very busy with purely the act of breathing, intense and fully occupying.  Carolyn taught me many things, one of which is that the "things to do" list is a constant, no matter what stage of living we are in.   And talk about busy...  have you noticed how busy animals are?  Watch the birds, the squirrels, the ants, other insects, the fish -- they are all so busy!  But I bet you have also noticed the moments when a squirrel might rest on a tree branch in the sun rays or a bird perches on a telephone street wire, looks around and chirps?   I said to my friend, "No excuses!  So what if your life is busy!  If that is how you roll, don't expect anything else."       After I shared all this with her, I looked for the glimmer in her eye that would tell me she got it... But I didn't see it.  Hmmmm... darn...  oh well.  Was it worth taking time to talk about all of that with her?  You know those moments -- you think you shared something important but it doesn't appear to make a difference and you wonder, "Why did I bother?"   But I am glad to say -- the seed was planted and grew!  I just heard from my friend and she told me that she shifted since our talk. She shared that she is busy as ever AND also doing what impassioned her.  She suggested that I share our conversation in our Soul Star newsletter, hoping it might serve others.   So, here I am, in a busy day, doing what I didn't expect to do!  But sharing with you is a delightful way of spending time... and maybe, just maybe... this sharing will inspire you to integrate what makes your life juicy and yummy and purposeful into your every day living!   May your holidays be nurturing to your Spirit. Love, devajoy TO SHARE ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE,  Go To BLOG at www.devajoy.net forward to a friend | unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences