Sunday, April 28, 2013

Chloe's SongPrayer


Hey All--

My daughter has a beautiful voice, and wanted to offer up this prayer for the Boston Marathon bombing victims.

Oh my.

Makes me cry.

Blessings,
Dana

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Forget about it!


Did you seriously know elephants could swim?

heLLo aMaziNg fun & free following!

Good news! I am guest-blogging on The Daily Love! Check it out and leave a comment: Hello & Goodbye.

I've been checking out and writing about Cherie Carter-Scott's Ten Rules for being Human for the past week or so. It has been an amazing journey, and I've been reminded of so much (stuff I had forgotten . . . see rule 10!)

Sadly, we just have the last left to consider:


10. You will forget all this.



 "Live life fully while you're here. 
Experience everything.
Take care of yourself and your friends.
Have fun, be crazy, be weird.
Go out and screw up!
You're going to anyway,
so you might as well enjoy the process.
Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes:
find the cause of your problem and eliminate it.
Don't try to be perfect;
just be an excellent example of being human." 

- Anthony Robbins

Do you embrace and live fully in your craZiNeSS? One thing I loVE about the quote from AR is that he encourages us to be super goofy and fUn! And--we forget the lessons we have already learned sometimes, . . . and that's just fine! The Universe will send us reminders.

That can be amazingly scary for folks when they worry a lot about what other people think about them. What I've learned in the last few years, is that if I am play-acting and trying to iMpReSS others about how awesome I am, and I am trying to be a certain way--I am not being truthful 'cuz when I'm trying, it's not me. When I'm me, I don't usually have to try
 (. . . well, unless I'm in a situation where I would normally do the whole people pleasing BS and I am consciously trying NOT to do it...)

Anyway, being hu(wo)man and ImPerFecKt is so awesome 'cuz I am not TRyIng so hard to control what everyone thinks of me (or what I make up @ what they think of me) aND (bonus) I can relax!

Totally takes the pressure off.

And I can do loving things for myself despite when I screw up---and I am more okay when other people screw up--I can be more loving to them! It's all good! 

Here's my new secret: (shhhhhhh . . . please tell EverYonE!)

peOplE
arE
dOing
aNd
BeIng
tHeir 
Best...

and sometimes their best totally sucks to us . . .
(believe me, I get it . . . I've been there!)

BUT ALSO CONSIDER THIS:

Don't you want other pEEpS
to ASSume
you
are always doing and being your bEsT?

So, I challenge you to
PAY IT FORWARD.

sOmEtImeS, (& . . . don't tell nE1 . . .) my best SUCKS! SUCKS HUGE! aND I don'T always know why! Sometimes, my best is to get my butt out of bed and gO pEE---'cuz I'm sad, or mad, or SUpEr sTuCk! (but not very often, anymore, thankfully . . . )

AnyWay, hope you get what I mEan. When have you given someone else a miss, and let them off the hook of your JUDGEMENT!? I think sometimes we for-get that judging is really about US--not about the person we're judging. Has this happened to you? Let me know in the comments!

Love you and love EverYoNE!
;0) dAnA-drOpLeT (that's what my bro used to call me . . .)

Thursday, April 25, 2013

I am responsible for my happiness . . . Whew!

 heLLo aMaziNg fun & free following!

I've been checking out and writing about Cherie Carter-Scott's Ten Rules for being Human for the past week or so. It has been an amazing journey, and I've been reminded of so much (stuff I had forgotten . . . see rule 10!)


Sadly, we just have three left to consider and they are:


8. What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.
9. Your answers lie within you. The answers to life's questions lie within you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.
10. you will forget all this.


Last summer I blogged about my Personal Codes of Truth for a week or so,--I even wrote them in chalk in my backyard driveway--and one biggie was "I am responsible for my own happiness." Interesting that we get reminders JUST WHEN WE NEED THEM, huh? Kinda sounds like rule ten, huh?


What you make of your life is up to you.
You have all the tools and resources you need.
What you do with them is up to you.
The choice is yours.

Most of my Personal Codes of Truth are about me taking back my own power and listening the Universe guide me everyday. Cool, 'cuz that guidance is inside my heart and my gut if I can get quiet enough to listen to it! So, that's actually helped me become more independent and responsible 'cuz I really can't blame others for my reality, my relationships, my stories, or my choices. In other words, 
I am responsible for my own happiness!
***********************************************************
Here's a cool piece about hApPiNeSs:

Tell everyone you know:
"My happiness depends on me, so you're off the hook."
And then demonstrate it.
Be happy, no matter what they're doing.
Practice feeling good, no matter what.
And before you know it,
you will not give anyone else responsibility for the way you feel--
and then, you'll love them all.
Because the only reason you don't love them,
is because you're using them as your excuse to not feel good. 


~Esther Hicks speaker and author
*********************************************************************************
Like the quote says above, I get to choose where my energy and attention goes! Personally, I prefer the good stuff to the crap, and that means appreciating what's right in front of me. For example, 
  • right now I am eating my favorite treat--a delicious, icy coconut popsicle!--how lucky am I? (BTW it's almost three in the morning!!!!! oh well!)
  • and, I get to go for a nice walk in the morning 'cuz my mom's here to watch my kiddos--life is good!--
  • and, I'm doing one of my fav activities--writing to all of you! what could be better
  • and, I got a fabulous text from my daughter, Chloe, that said: "Sup yo this is Chloe I love you so much you are the best mom in the whole world I love you It's cool"--that's the awesomest message a mom could ever get!
Any-hoo, good thing I'm paying attention to all the yummy  juicy great stuff in front of me! I'm learning so much right now--in life, business school, relationships, and well, in everything! 

I personally believe we all have a birthright to be amazingly happy---life doesn't have to be dramatic and hard all the time (although we all have our ups and downs...). 

And personally, I think being dramatic and StReSsEd OuT is, well, eXhAustIng!


Just remember that when it gets tough, we can come out the other side with more tools and choices, if we choose to learn from the crappy stuff. 
How do you stay in your happy place? Leave an amazing comment or story and let me know!

BuCkeTs o' LoVe!
;0)  dana

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Are You Living in Your Fate or your Destiny?

My Destiny
04.16.13.
"Your destination in this life . . . the reality of who you ultimately are — who you can become through all your activated options — is referred to as your destiny.   
The process of destiny has forever . . . the awakening however, will take place in a single given moment . . . welcome its arrival with all your heart and with every breath.
The journey of a human life is to travel from where you are — your fate — to who you are — your destiny.  
Most people consciously or unconsciously distract themselves from living in either of these locations. They are neither where they are, or who they are, but a chaotic mixture of being distracted from the actualities of fate and doubting the possibilities of destiny. 
All this while life — patiently and dutifully — waits on some parallel track . . . waiting for consciousness to awaken to at least one of these opportunities."        
~Guru Singh
Hello All--

I am still making sense of this amazing message, but when I read Guru Singh's post, I am excited to be reminded that I have a destiny that is my very own (even though I don't quite know what it is yet--but I have a pretty good idea about what it is . . . problem is, it takes a pretty big leap of faith for me to get there, and I don't feel quite ready). Nobody else in the planet has the same destiny as mine, because they are not me, Dana Lynne Curry.

And when I think about fate--I think about my daily egoic human existence--where I feel like I am full of baggage, limitations, and doubt--I feel "lower than." But my ego also puffs me up, and tells me that I am smarter, more valuable, righter (made up word), and "better than" others. This is all a bunch of BS; we are all ONE

So if "where I am"--is my fate--and "where I want to get to" (who I am)--is my destiny,
  • What can I do? 
  • What can I do to awaken my consciousness? 
  • Especially knowing that it's not on my timeline? 
Do I simply wait for my awakening, and create all the ripe possibilities for that to happen by taking care of myself in the meantime, by:
  • eating well
  • sleeping well
  • taking care of my body
  • speaking my truth
  • surrounding myself with like-minded people 
  • meditating, doing yoga
  • living in the moment
What has worked for you? How do you enter into your destiny, even if you're not sure what it is? How do you embrace you human-ness and play with fate in the choices you make?

LOve you!
Dana

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

CoLoR uR lIfE . . .



hellO fUn & fReE fOos (jK!);

(more super secret information . . .): 

Have you ever noticed that gRoWnUpS LoOoooove to color with kids? I think I have an idea why. When we color, we are completely present and concentrating on . . . (wait for it . . . wait for it . . . YOU GUESSED IT!) COLORING

Have you ever heard of a mandala? It's a Sanskrit word that basically means "circle." Tibetan monks use the meditative practice of creating mandalas out of sand for creating inner peace and for representing unity, and the changing nature of life: here's a quick look at this beautiful art. 


I took a class about meditation once, and I sat in a circle with eleven women. We each "meditated" by coloring a mandala, and for each shape or space, we were supposed to think about something or someone we were thankful or grateful for, and concentrate on that as we colored. It kind of made me focus in the moment and on coloring. It took a long time, and then we shared our colored mandalas. It was pretty cool and they were beautifully awesome. You can find mandala coloring pages on the internet: Mandala Coloring Pages for Kids.

Here is a mandala that my family did together last summer! I guarantee that by the time you complete a mandala, you have a nice sense of calm and quiet pEaCe (Beware, however . . . you may get a bit stressed if you are a pErFeCtIoniSt and you [OMG] . . . go outside the lines . . . more about perfeCtioniSm to follow . . . ) 

Anyway, hope some of these ideas are cool for you! 

Have a beautiful day; and I DARE you to COLOR 
OUTside the lines! . . . 

LOL ;)
Dana

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

In OuR HeArT!


"If I create from the heart, nearly everything works;

if from the head, almost nothing." 

- Marc Chagall


gOOd moRning aLL!

You probably already know if you follow my blog that sometimes I get very stuck up in my head (like, as in the night before the first day of school when I couldn't  sleep!). 

One of my bffs has told me over and over: "Don't overthink it." In other words, I should stop thinking so much and follow my gut and my heart.

Which makes me wonder why I tend to overthink so much and why I get stuck up in my brain so often.

Didn't I ever really learn to trust my heart and my gut? I mean, I get that it's really never too late to learn, but jeeeesh

Some things, I suppose, take a lifetime of practice . . . and, at least I realize that I do this now. A few years ago, I was usually trapped in my head and I didn't even realize I was a prisoner of my own thoughts sometimes. I guess that's progress, huh?

Meditation really helps me calm my thoughts and focus on my breath--which can almost always bring me back to the PRESENT MOMENT,-- out of my worries about the future and yucky instant replays of my past.

Eckhart Tolle wrote an amazing book called The Power of Now that I listen to on my iPod. He basically tells us that we are not our thoughts and we are not our mind--we are so much greater. And he gives strategies for freeing ourselves of our negative beliefs and thought patterns. And what we need to do is stand beside out thoughts and observe them (without judgement), and not necessarily believe them . . . but just notice them, and then let them go. Kind of like sitting on the side of a river watching the current of the water flow by. Ahhhhhh . . . I feel calmer already! 

I totally know that my most important journey these days is finding the path from my head to my heart. Maybe I will introduce them to each other and we can all have a lovely chat!

hEaRt U, yO!
Dana bo bayna

Sunday, April 7, 2013

LooK in ThE MIrrOr:rOrrIM

Consciousness sleeps in minerals,
dreams in vegetables,
wakes up in animals,
and starts to become self-aware in humans.
~Rumi

Today I was listening to a podcast by Guru Singh (my new best friend, please tell him if you run in to him!), and he was speaking about the characters who show up in our lives. He said that we need to accept every encounter as a part of ourselves with neutrality, and detach from the experience. That sounded so strange to me. 

I have been reacting to others--what I have perceived as both good and bad--all my life.

He said that we must see the "I" in every encounter if we want to learn.

What I know now is that everyone in our lives mirrors parts of us.

Know why? "Cuz we assign the meaning of others actions, words, behaviors, and ways of being through our own lenses. That means when we recognize something in others, there must be a similar trait in our own lives that is being mirrored back to us.

Which brings me back to surrounding ourselves with peeps who reflect our BEST SELVES, and setting boundaries around those relationships where we don't show up in our best light (although these can be some of our best opportunities for growth).
  

Self awareness gives us the ability to realize that
our minds are conditioned by experience,
and by cultural, religious, and historical circumstances.
~Deepak Chopra


Everyone in our lives can serve as a mirror, if we pay attention. The important thing, is to take responsibility for what we see as reflections. It's all amazing learning, after all!

We are so, so lucky!

Love you so much!
Dana


Saturday, April 6, 2013

LiVe . . . (a)LiVe! LovE!

"Let today be a day where you take nothing for granted.
For life is fleeting, fragile and precious and can change on a whim.
Say all the things you really want to say to your loved ones today,
say the things you would regret should they pass on and your words remain unspoken. 

Rejoice, for you and they are alive today - -
and should you or them pass on to unknown shores,
rejoice even more for you have a wonderful love story to tell."

- Jackson Kiddard
Happy Saturday!

In the face of some recent news, I have been doing some thinking about what I would do if I knew I had a short amount of time left in this incarnation. If I knew I would be crossing over, leaving the physical realm we call Earth--to the next amazing vibration of space and time. Would I have any regrets? Would there be things left unsaid and undone?

I really have to think about this, because GUESS WHAT? I may only have a short amount of time left as me--Dana Lynne Curry. After all, who really knows? 

I certainly don't want to be THAT person with many, many regrets. I want to be the aMa-zing sUpEr-goDdEsS with the neon pink tiara and chunky black boots who:
  • loves at every opportunity ;)
  • shares my gifts with the world
  • lives a life of service
  • laughs loud with no apologies (and occasionally snorts, too!) 
  • gives loved ones BIG BEAR hugs everyday
  • faces my fears with courage, grace, and curiousity   
A few summers back, I was walking through the woods when I looked up at the trees; I heard in my inner voice whisper this message: "Your life is a prayer."


What if each of our lives are simple prayers?



What if every moment  in your life is a holy encounter--every action you take has a higher purpose, and every relationship in your life is holy and ON PURPOSE (even the tough stuff)? 

What if you gave that much respect and attention to your own divine existence!



There are only two ways to live your life.

 One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is a miracle. 

~Albert Einstein


What would you do if you knew you only had a limited time left to live your fullest, most amazing life? I dare you to act today like everything is a purposeful, delicious, MIRACLE!

Lots of Love,
:) Dana