Everything is Animated

You’d never confuse me with a scientific minded person — however, the little I know of physics fascinates me, especially hearing that everything is connected (there are cells in every bit of space, whether we see them or not; my friend Norma taught me how to see the space between things nearly 40 years ago). The other fascinating facts are about the inside of the atom:  it never stops moving.  Right?  Inside each cell are atoms, and inside each atom are electrons, neutrons, and protons. (I may be wrong about what’s on the inside, but whatever is inside is always jumping around.)  You know what that means:  EVERYTHING IS ANIMATED.  Everything.  This couch I’m sitting on, the floor, the table. This heartens me, cause I talk to everything, all the time.  I say thanks to the green light when I’m driving, out loud.  What got me thinking about all of this?

Well, it started this morning when I opened a new book of matches, and noticed a loose one, that had been tucked in sideways.  As I lit this match, I knew it was grateful that it could be of service (now you know why I would have a thought like this: cause I believe everything is animated.) That led me to thinking about what we all want:  We all want to be needed.  We all want to be of service.  We all need to be accepted, appreciated, and loved.  In that moment, I appreciated the match which lit my candles that are part of my ritual when I kneel with my meditation bench to attempt to be still, a practice which doesn’t come easy to me…cause I’m always in motion too.  Yet I know that when I’m able to be still, to just BE, I contribute to peace on the planet.  I believe my frantic energy, or worry, or needless resentment contributes to conflict on the planet — believing this helps me take time to meditate.  My higher power is the energy of love, and I believe that when I stop to be still, I give that energy an opportunity to guide me, direct me, and allow me seconds of pause where I used to react too quickly.

This leads me to my most important spiritual practice, which is gratitude. The societal framework that leads to war is borne from focusing on what’s wrong, what I don’t like, what I think should be different so I can feel comfortable.  Every moment I can be grateful for what I have, for what is in this moment, I turn away from that negative frame of mind.  And that is always good.

I’m going to assume that you’re going to look at the next green light a bit differently.    Now I have to add a picture (sorry – you have to tip your head sideways – anyone know how to turn a picture 1/4 turn?). This is a new sculpture that captures the attention of everyone who visits my studio (I have a studio, I have a studio, oh joy, what a lucky girl I am).