Category: Spiritual

Keeping the Faith

I have been a member of the United Methodist Church my entire life.  I have thought about other faith traditions, but this is the one that seemed to match a lot of what I believe.  Now, I wouldn’t say I agree with every single thing about the church, but I agree with the majority of it.

Even though I have been a United Methodist, my participation in the church has waxed and waned over the years.  Things like college, moving, losing my dad, and having a baby have been causes (or excuses?) for missing out on church and all of the activities that come along with it.  But no matter what, it seems like I always end up coming back.  Right now has been the time for another “comeback”, and for me it feels like this has been the best one of them all.

We have been back to attending church for a few months or so now, and it just seems to really be resonating with me.  The new pastor seems fantastic, and she just completed a sermon series on mental health (which honestly was a big reason that I wanted to start going back).  Other sermons have also been really thought provoking and have really taken the Bible and applied it to our current issues and problems.  And, I am not saying that church was irrelevant in the past, but now it feels so much more meaningful today.  I am really liking where we are going and I am way more excited about my faith than I have been in a long time.

How about you?  What are your spiritual beliefs?  Is it time to make a spiritual “comeback”?  My hope is that at the very least you have the time to think about the spiritual side of your life and what that means to you.

Down Time

As I write this entry, we are the beginning of a short work week, well, at least for me.  I only have to work three days, and then I get a four day weekend for the Thanksgiving holiday.  It hasn’t always been this way.  When I worked in hospital pharmacy, I frequently worked a lot of holidays and weekends, and a four day weekend was pretty rare.  I’m still not too hung up on whether I would have to work the holiday or not, but what I wouldn’t want to give up is the consecutive number of days off in a row.  I mean, four days in a row?  It’s a beautiful thing that my recent Monday through Friday day jobs have given me when Thanksgiving rolls around.

That being said, what I am really looking forward to is having some additional down time.  Ahhh, that elusive time to decompress and relax.  My hope is that in those four days I will get to do some really laid back activities – watch some TV (which I do little of these days), take a nap, watch a movie, have decent and lengthy conversations with people, do something creative, play a game or two (even though I am very picky on what that is), slowly enjoy a glass of wine…I’m sure I could go on.  Now, I do have a toddler, so that list might have to be modified a bit, but hopefully some of that down time includes my little one relaxing as well.  Also, I have worked really hard to clear my calendar as much as possible for this long weekend.  There are a few things to do, but for the most part it is optional.

How about you?  Are you getting a long weekend soon?  If so, how do you plan to unwind?  My hope is that everyone has chances for down time throughout the year, but especially around the holidays.

Leadership

I have recently received the honor of being elected as president of a state board that works on issues related to mental illness.  This will be for 2018, and I am looking forward to collaborating with many people to help with education, support, and advocacy around mental illness.  The great news is that there is a lot of momentum and passion, and I can’t wait to see what progress we make in the coming year.

That being said, I am now a formalized “leader”.  What exactly does it mean to be a leader?  What exactly is leadership in the first place?  There are definitions out here, but I think leadership is defined by each individual.  To me, leadership is about setting an example and creating a vision.  It is about speaking up and asking questions.  Essentially, to me, everyone is a leader, whether it is a formalized position or not.  In my book, anyone who tries to persuade or guide or work with anyone is a leader.  And, I think it is safe to say that most of us fit that activity.

Broad definitions aside, I am spending some more time reflecting on my formalized role.  What exactly do I envision for the organization?  What examples do I want to set?  How do I want to speak out more for mental health issues?  How can I make more connections so I can ask more questions and work on more solutions?  There is a lot of work to be done, and my hope is that by reflecting on these questions I will be better able to lead in the next year.

How about you?  In what ways (formal or informal) are you a leader?  What does being a leader mean to you?  How can you better exemplify what you think it means to be a leader?  I think these are some great questions to consider as you reflect on how you are a leader.

Helping Everyone

Lately I have been feeling overwhelmed by all of the issues in our world.  Things like homelessness, human trafficking, illiteracy, hunger, domestic abuse, child abuse, and many others make me very upset, and a lot of times I don’t know where to begin.  I am sure I don’t even know all of the issues out there.  How am I supposed to be of service in this world when there is so much work to be done?  What are the most important one(s) to focus on?  What kind of impact can I have?

I think it is really easy to get paralyzed by this – there are so many causes that I want to help, but I can’t help them all.  I am trying really hard to focus on a few areas, namely mental health, but even then I get distracted by everything else that is in our world.  However, this afternoon I had an insight that has really made me feel better about being able to help a wide variety of people.

The insight was that if I really thought about it, mental health touches every person in the world.  As a result, by working on mental health, I am also touching issues such as homelessness, human trafficking, illiteracy, hunger, domestic abuse, child abuse, and so on.  Ultimately, all of these issues are interrelated, so I actually do get a chance to help with them all.  I realize that it might sound highly idealistic, but this has given me a lot of comfort as I try to be of service in the world.  Overall, I feel that by helping with one issue you are more than likely helping with them all.  So, all of us should be proud of how we serve others.  We are truly making a difference in many small and big ways.

Holidays

As I write this entry, it is the beginning of November.  Halloween has just happened, and the next major holiday for most of us is Thanksgiving.  However, the Hallmark Channel started playing non-stop Christmas movies on October 27th (October 27th!) and radio stations are also playing Christmas music.  I had a friend tell me that grocery stores were putting out Christmas candy on Halloween, probably because the main Trick or Treat night in the area was on October 30th.  To me, every year it seems that people want to start celebrating Christmas earlier and earlier, and honestly, it drives me nuts.

Now, don’t get me wrong.  I love the fact that we celebrate Christmas and Jesus’s birth.  That is a really big deal for us as Christians.  However, Christmas is a day.  And, a Christmas season is ok, but how long does that really need to be?  I tend to not get in the spirit until after Thanksgiving, and honestly even that may be too long.  I suppose it is an individual choice as too how long and how often you celebrate certain things, but the question must be asked:  if you celebrate Christmas for over 2 months, how special can it be?

And, another important question if you live in the United States – what about Thanksgiving?  I am certainly biased here, as Thanksgiving may be my favorite holiday.  But this frenzy for Christmas overshadows what to me is a beautiful holiday.  Taking the time to actually reflect on life and think about what you are thankful for?  Yes, please!  We should probably have multiple Thanksgivings every year!  Of course, this is where a gratitude practice can come in, but hopefully at least once a year people are thinking about what might be going well for them.

So, I challenge everyone to slow down and not rush into Christmas.  Whenever you want to jump into it, it will be there.  Don’t forget to enjoy things that are happening now and not in a few months.

The Meaning of Marriage

Lately, I have been reading and thinking about marriage.  I am by no means an expert on it, but I have been married 2 ½ years now, so at least I can say that.  Of course, I see some people saying that quantity, especially at 2 ½ years, doesn’t mean much – how about the quality?  For most of us, I would assume that when it comes to marriage the quality piece is more important to people than the quantity side.  But what does that mean?

That is one of the topics I have been thinking about.  What makes a good marriage?  What makes it last AND makes it meaningful?  Do we even have an agreed upon definition for quality here?

My assumption is that there are some generalities, but again, that is an assumption.  Overall, I think what a marriage means varies both between and among couples.  Do I view my marriage as something that adds to my happiness?  Do I attribute some meaning to my marriage?  Do I look to my marriage to fulfill certain needs and wants?  How about my spouse?  Does he or she have similar or conflicting views on what the marriage means to him or her?  Admittedly, these are some deeper questions that I am not sure I have spent much time on – not that I don’t have deep feelings about it, but have I ever really thought about the meaning that I assign to my marriage?

I find these questions intriguing, and I would like to spend some time reflecting on them.  Of course another caveat is that I am sure the answers may change over time – marriage, as far as I see it, is a dynamic thing.

How about you?  If you are married, how do you feel about it?  What does it mean to you?  What does it mean to your spouse?  If you are not married, what meaning do you assign to it?  I challenge you to look deeper and consider what this relationship means from your point of view.

Music Therapy

Within the last week of writing this entry, the musician Tom Petty died.  This is not the first, nor will it be the last musician whose passing has left me with some sadness.  It is definitely not on the level of losing a family member or someone close to me, but it creates this weird feeling that does bring me down somewhat.  Even though I don’t know any famous musicians on a personal level, there are quite a few that feel like old friends because of their music.  Their music helped shape my history – the good times, the bad times, and everything in between.  They are part of the soundtrack of my life.

As a result of his passing, over the last few days I have been listening to some Tom Petty, and it has brought back some great memories of earlier times.  And it has been nostalgic.  There is some sadness there, but there is also some happy reflections on a simpler time.  A time of my youth.  And, there is also the promise of sharing this with my child, which in fact we have already started to do.

There is something about music that is therapeutic to me, and I am sure a lot of people would agree.  There is even an official music therapy practice that is used to help treat people.  What is it about music that can heal?  I am sure there are many textbooks and papers to explain, but personally I don’t have a great answer.  I just feel it, and because I feel it, I know it.  It is one of those few things in life that I just know.  Musicians unfortunately come and go, but the music they leave behind can heal and transform.  They can also contribute to the soundtracks of many lives, and that can be therapy for so many of us.

Eclipse

Recently there was a total eclipse that could be seen in the United States.  The type of eclipse was where the moon was in front of the sun, creating darkness for a few minutes during the middle part of the day.  I don’t watch a lot of news, but this seemed to be a big event for a lot of people.  Even members of my family took time off of work to experience it.  Personally, I wasn’t that interested in the event – I worked that day and even did boring things like go to the dentist.  The weather where I was located was also pretty cloudy, so it would have been challenging to see it.  However, I did watch some coverage on the news, and afterwards I was struck by a couple of things.

While I already noted that I wasn’t all that excited about the eclipse, what I really enjoyed seeing was all of the people who had come together to watch it.  It was so great to see people sharing a common experience and having it be a peaceful thing.  That is something you do not see on the news too often these days.

I also enjoyed the sense of wonder people had.  I’m not sure why I didn’t have that feeling, but I could relate to what people were feeling.  This was something bigger than all of us.  It was also a reminder of the fragility of our own humanity.  To paraphrase someone who was interviewed on TV, “How can you look at the eclipse and not think that God exists?”  I totally agreed with that, because there are things that have moved me in that way – my son being born at the top of the list.  My hope is that no matter what the eclipse was something positive and/or beautiful for you to reflect on.

Dreams

While I wasn’t planning to write about dreams this morning, I just woke up from a very vivid one, so I changed my topic for today.  As you can tell, I am talking about the dreams we have while we are sleeping.  There are also the dreams that we consciously think about and hopefully pursue during the day, but that is a topic for another entry.  Right now, I am wondering why we dream and why some of them seem so real.

The dream I just had was a little scary.  I was working at the office of one of my older jobs, and for some reason my husband was working there too.  I happened to look out a window, and all of the sudden I see this huge, wide tornado develop right before my eyes.  It looks a little too close to comfort for me, so I start yelling tornado and finding my way to a safer spot.  The big tornado disappears just as quickly as it came, but other, smaller tornadoes seem to be developing just as quickly as the first one.  What really struck me was how I profoundly felt the dream – I felt truly scared and in danger.  Luckily, of course, I woke up, but I could still feel the fear I was having in the dream.  It has definitely set a weird tone for my morning.

Supposedly, dreaming is a part of sleeping, but does everyone remember a dream every once in awhile?  Are there people who don’t remember any dreams?  Why do I feel like I know I am dreaming sometimes, but other times they seem so real?  Do dreams have meaning?  If so, what meanings can be attached to them?  Although fascinating, this is a world I do not know much about.  There are books on what dreams mean, but I think that is an individual choice to decide what (if any) meaning you place on what you dream.  It is definitely an area that could benefit from more understanding, and until then, a lot of us are left to wonder about our nightly dreams.

Aromatherapy

Have you heard the term “aromatherapy”?  If you haven’t, basically it is like the word would suggest – it is therapy based on smells.  Typically the idea is that they are smells that are relatively pleasant, and they can help to soothe, calm, stimulate, etc.  Lavender, vanilla, and citrus scents are some examples.  A lot of times aromatherapy gets placed together with essential oils, since these can be used for aromatherapy.  To me, essential oils is a somewhat different world.  Depending on what is being done, people will ingest, vaporize/nebulize, or topically apply essential oils.  There may be some overlap with aromatherapy, and it may all be in how you define it, but for me aromatherapy is all about the smelling.

Aromatherapy can be more than using essential oils – there are candles and potpourri, plus there are smells around you that can be soothing.  For me, I love the smell of the ground after it has just started raining.  I also love the smell of Worcestershire sauce.  For many, certain foods have a smell that comforts and/or excites people.  How about you?  What smells do you already notice in your world that elicit a response from you?

I think aromatherapy is an interesting way to help people, especially in regards to emotions or mood.  What a wonderful thought that by smelling something you can feel better or less tense.  To me, that sounds better than taking a pill, if you can avoid it (of course, sometimes medications are necessary).  As far as I know, there are relatively few side effects from aromatherapy, so I encourage you to think about how it might improve your life.  What smells do you like?  Are there some that are soothing to you?  Some that inspire you?  Some that motivate you?  Have fun thinking about how smells can enhance or compliment your day.