Windows to Wisdom – New Year’s Eve 2013

Reading by the Window by
Charles James Lewis

The last three years have been trial by fire for me.  I have learned so much about myself in the process, and life. I am so very grateful for the difficulties that I have encountered, each and every one of them. They have made me the person I am today, and given me the opportunity to see life differently.  The accident that took so much out of me in September of 2010 represents the end of one life and the beginning of another. I have been able to see that through different eyes as this year ends. My world stopped that day. It took a turn that led me back to the person I have always been. It was all meant to be.

I have struggled to convey some of the things I have learned along the way, to you  my faithful readers, with the hope that you might find a nugget of truth now and again that may offer a window through which to view your own journey. I have labored not to impart sadness, despair or hopelessness to you, although I have often suffered in their presence. If you hurt, struggle or suffer in any way, do not think you are alone. Many have been there and still are. I have been there and at times still am.

I speak of truths here, not because I have mastered them in my own life, because I have not, but because recognizing something as true is the first step in developing a lifetime practice of embracing truth in our lives. We are all in a state of becoming. We are all students of life. We have all learned much and have much to learn. Let’s be a steady reminder to one another of all that is good in each of us, and all that is good in the world, so that we might be a beacon in someone else’s dark night of the soul. In this way, we will be doing our part to make the world a far better place than it might otherwise be.

Windows to Wisdom

1. Simplify your life. Make room for new things and ideas.
2. Listen to your inner guide. Tune into yourself and learn to recognize the messages of your body, mind and spirit. Tune out all external voices that devalue you or question what you know to be true.
3. Follow the voice of our heart, your inner guide. Step by step translate what you know to be true in your heart into your day-to-day life. Make changes as they occur to you, bringing your beliefs and your life into harmony.
4. Embrace silence and meditate often.
5. Let go of the past. Let go of resentments, regrets, disappointments. Learn from them and let them go. They cannot be undone and can only steal energy from today.
6. Do not worry about the future. Live fully today. Tomorrow will take care of itself.
7. Accept your essential goodness. Believe in your value. Believe that there is a reason for your existence and that it is good. Though it may not be clear to you, accept that you have an important and valuable reason for being here and in time that mission will become clearer.
8. Walk away from all that weakens you. Embrace only those things that strengthen you.
9. Practice self-love and self-care every day. Treasure your body, mind and spirit and nurture them the way you would if you were your child.
10. Practice gratitude. Express your appreciation often for all the good that is in your life right now, in this moment. There is always something to be grateful for.

Dorothy Sander © 2013