New World – Voices in My Head

As the World Turns

Life is like a soap opera, have you noticed? It becomes more fascinating, outrageous and unpredictable by the day. Take today’s episode, for example.

On March 22nd, Saturn is entering Pisces and Pluto is on the move. I don’t know much about astrology, but I hear that this is a huge, unprecedented cosmic event—like the first time in forever.

Okay, so I’m not an astrologer or rocket scientist. Clearly, the intricacies and complications of such fields of endeavor are best left to the erudite among you—I never claimed to be a good student.

But I am a serious student of the mysterious—intrigued by all things puzzling, strange and mystical—magnetically drawn to seek a peephole in the veil that prevents us from seeing the magic that awaits on the other side. But that pesky soap opera keeps blocking my view.

So what does all of this unprecedented, never-before galactic activity mean to us mere mortals who still fumble our way along through this earthly life? From what I see, read, hear and discern, this Saturnly romp into Pisces is a very big deal. There is remarkable conjecture about what will happen once this great planetary shift occurs—amazing miracles perhaps, like our bodies morphing from dense physical into light bodies needing no doctors, dentists, or roofs overhead. Wow. Wouldn’t I just love to not have to figure out what to wear tomorrow, or what to have for dinner? Or joy of joys, cross my dentist’s name off of my contact list?

After sifting through the plethora of possibilities, I’ve finally settled upon something that makes sense to me. Will I wake up on March 22like the emperor wearing only a new birthday suit of shimmering light? No? Rats. I was hoping. . . Well, heck. What’s for dinner?

My logical, non-astrological, unscientific self concludes that for those who have sleepwalked their way through life so far, the March 22nd solstice will simply be just another day. That’s it. Just another ordinary day.

But those who are awake and aware may sense, see, and feel a new reality that will amaze them. Imagine, for instance, awakening to a profoundly increased sense of the Divinity within, of oneness with all, a lighter body, a joyfulness, a lightheartedness, a greater attunement to intuition and telepathy, a newly discovered ability to shift consciousness from the dense physical realm into one that exists beyond the physical eyes.

This long-awaited increase in consciousness might not strike like a lightning bolt, but may silently creep into awareness, slowly, gently, day by day, moment by moment. If this miraculous metamorphosis doesn’t happen for you, take heart, have patience, allow for the possibility and simply observe.

The portal will open, for all. Those with eyes to see will see. Those who prefer to remain as they are will do so, yet when they decide to wake up to the possibility of something greater, they will find the light peeping in through the darkness and when ready, will find their way onto the path of personal evolution.

This momentous shift has been likened to the apocalypse—it is a time to decide whether to hide in the dark and stay asleep or wake up and move into the light. Plain and simple. Our loving, forgiving Creator offers no punishment for choosing the dark, for the pain and suffering born of darkness is punishment enough. Eventually all eyes will open to the light and the lost will be found.

We are told by wise Elders in the spiritual realm that we will soon be visited by The World Teacher, The Christ. It will be the end of an old story and the beginning of a new script.

Have you decided how you’d like this episode of the soap opera to end? As the world turns, what better time than now to decide which way to go. It is never too late to write a happy ending. I have! What about you?

Before you go, I am inspired by the courage of a soul-sister who candidly shares a portion of her own spiritual journey from darkness to light in her blog, Coming Out of the Shadows. In it, she invites us to join in monthly conversations about “Living as a Soul as we Prepare for the The Coming One.”

Saturday, 18 March ~ 8 pm GMT, 4 pm New York, 8 pm London, 9 pm Rome, 7 am Sydney (Sunday). To join monthly Circle Conversations, click on the link below. Also offered every Wednesday: Meditations for the Soul. For more information go to A Tree of Light home page.

The Light Dawns

Okay, so let me tell you about my yesterday.

It started with a pre-dawn 0’dark thirty meeting after a scant three hours of sleep. From there it slid downhill and crash landed into a multiple tangle of tasks with deadlines that jumbled together like stew in a pot, resulting in a day spent careening from one misstep to another at warp speed.

I invited people to attend meetings on incorrect dates, then had to send out corrections to the corrections. As brain fog gathered a head of steam, I couldn’t figure out where to file which version of what draft, resulting in multiple frantic searches of lost work and embarrassed apologies to recipients. There was more, but mercifully, my brain has taken pity on me and blanked them out.

The crowning blow was a confounding glitch in my computer that kept popping up in the middle of whatever I was doing to halt and/or wipe out what little progress I had made. The prospect of having to spend another ninety minutes on the phone with Apple troubleshooting the problem for the fourth day in a row loomed large in my mind. Oh Lord have mercy on my poor beleaguered soul.

So how was your day, dear?

Happily, today started on a brighter note, with a good night of sleep and a deep dive into gratitude knowing that yesterday is over and today will be better. As the bliss of gratitude began to settle in, it slowly dawned on me that maybe yesterday’s misadventures were a test. There’s just nothing like a little pop quiz to wake me up and take me on another stroll down Self-Inquiry Lane.

And so it begins. How am I doing on the road to enlightenment? Where am I on the journey? Did I have control over my mind? No. Did my emotions get the better of me? Yes. Was I rational? No. Was I frustrated, angry, or judgmental over all of my self-perceived shortcomings? Yes, yes, and yes. Did I let my mind and emotions get the upper hand? Oh, you betcha! Oy what a day—to say that it was humbling would be a gross understatement. Her Royal Crankiness blasted her way through the door of insanity and ruled the day.

Now that yesterday’s misadventures are in the rear view mirror, I can look back, and see it as gift to show me where I need improvement—and enough self-awareness to recognize where I went astray and make a vow not to do it again. Well—I might do it again, but with luck I’ll catch myself in the act and make in-flight corrections before I get too far out of hand.

A morning that started at 0’dark thirty resulted in a day that saw me bumbling and stumbling along searching for the light. Then in a flash of aha-ness, it dawned on me that my dark yesterday was a microcosm of how life is when I wander around asleep to the recognition of the Truth of who and what I am. As I go, so goes the world.

The words in the meme above say: “The growing light of awakening souls is transforming the darkness of our world.” For me, that simple statement boils down to just one thought: “The darkness of the world is transformed when I wake up.”

Whoa! Powerful words indeed. The more awake and aware I am to the reality of my soul and the love within, the more darkness is transformed. As I contemplate this thought, I realize that as members of the human family, we are solely responsible for bringing about the changes that we would like to see. As I change myself, the world changes along with me. As I shine my light in the darkness, the light expands exponentially and the world becomes a brighter place.

Again, I ask myself where I am on my journey to enlightenment. Am I awake? Am I doing my part? Are there bits and pieces of myself that need a bit of readjustment, realignment or reevaluation? Do I need a bit of tweaking to get myself back into proper working order?

And again, I answer yes, yes, yes to all of the above. The process of awakening can be a daunting and sometimes scary trip. Yet to make the decision to wake up and take the first step onto the path of self-awareness is the most important, and ultimately the most joyful and rewarding decision one can ever make.

Just imagine—when enough of us decide to flip the switch from dark to light, from asleep to awake, the wonderful new world that we are promised will become a reality sooner, rather than later. The darkness of the world is transformed when we wake up. Just imagine!

Full disclosure: The yesterday of which I speak was actually three yesterday’s ago. I’m just a little slow on the take.

To support your journey into the light, see Atreeoflight.org “You will see things that will amaze you”— messages from The Coming One

Please, Wake Up World!

http://thecomingone.org

Just as one cannot pry open a rose before its time, a human soul cannot be forced to awaken before the ripeness of time. http://atreeoflight.org

When will we awaken to the awareness of the soul?
How many more wars and earthquakes will it take?
How many more random shootings of innocent people?
How many?
Divine orchestration is at work to help us to see
that here is hope, for not all is as it appears.
There is purpose in each unimaginable act.
We do not see it, but we can trust that beyond the veil of our awareness there is an army of loving, enlightened beings fervently working on our behalf.
All is divinely orchestrated to help us open our eyes
to where we have gone wrong,
to where correction is needed.
When we gather the courage
to accept responsibility for our actions
and find the willingness
to open our eyes to the possibility
that something better lies within ourselves,
we will finally awaken to the Truth
and begin the journey to wholeness.
Then, in the ripeness of time,
the rose will open of its own accord.
Earthquakes will cease. Wars will become history.
Love will replace fear and
we will live in the peace and harmony
that lies behind the mystery.
http://thecomingone.org — http://atreeof light.org —

Teams and Dreams

This morning at 7:15 as I was peacefully settling into my meditation, I heard the sound of a very large engine idling noisily outside my window. I ignored it for a while, testing my ability to maintain focus on my own business. But when I could no longer stand the curiosity, I had to see if it was an ambulance or fire engine—if perhaps one of my friends or neighbors was soon to be carted off to the emergency room.

On one hand, I was relieved to see that it was only a large delivery truck; on the other, the rules police in me took over and I called a member of the board of directors to report the infraction. No deliveries are to be made through the building lobby. Ever. Period.

The person involved might be a new homeowner unfamiliar with the rules. Or, perhaps a current resident who doesn’t give a rat’s patootie about rules and chooses to ignore them. Or maybe it was all just a massive misunderstanding between homeowner and delivery person. Either way, it needed to be addressed lest it spiral out of control and/or serve as permission for others to go thou and do likewise.

Well phooey. So much for peaceful meditation.

My mind takes me off into the world of conflict, self-doubt, and self-judgment. Did I do the right thing? Should I have done that? Did I rat out a friend or create hard feelings between the parties involved? Was it any of my business in the first place? Do I need to apologize to someone, or ask for forgiveness? How many apple carts did I upset with my seemingly well-intended meddling? Certainly, some apples fell out of my own cart.

Oh but wait! What is wrong with this picture? What thoughts am I allowing to dominate my mind? What am I creating? Oops. I think I’ve got the emPHAsis on the wrong syLABle again. Is this the reality that I want to create? No. I prefer to make peace, not war.

Just prior to my self-inflicted curiosity disruption, my mind had taken me to the wonderful illusory world of the New Age that we are promised. (Some may call this woo-woo thinking, but I choose to think of it as something wonderful that’s waiting for us just around the bend). But alas, the interruption yanked my mind away from the wonder of New Age thinking, and the role that we, the people of the planet, might play in getting us there.

Curiosity satisfied, I am free to resume my dreaming. Ahh. Just imagine…we are part of a team that is building a bridge to span the chasm between humanity and unseen helpers in the spiritual realm. Hands reach out from behind the veil to help those with newly-blossoming soul awareness and open hearts to walk joyfully toward a better life. We walk together with wide-eyed wonder and childlike awe as unfathomable beauty unfolds before us, and we sense a magnetic vibration drawing us toward our destination.

I ask myself what thoughts I have harbored that stood in the way of my willingness to cross the bridge. What took so long? Why did I wait?”? My wondering is replaced with a sigh of relief, gratitude, and a sense of, “Oh, thank God—fear and darkness have been replaced by a world of light, love, harmony, peace, cooperation, balance, trust, and joy.

Each vision, each thought or imagining, no matter how great or small, will move us all one step closer to the dream. We are the designers, architects, and builders. We are fashioning a new world according to our own specifications, one mind at a time. The only building tools required are imagination, an unwavering belief in our ability as co-creators, and a desire to be a member of the team.

Sometimes, when I’m not exactly sure about what I want, it helps to figure out what I don’t. This morning provided a wonderful example along with a reminder that every experience contains a gift, no matter how painful at the time. I don’t want misunderstandings, self-doubt, hard feelings, unfriendly encounters or internal turmoil. I want peace, both inner and outer. As our world crumbles beneath us and serves up unfathomable pain and suffering, I imagine that many others feel the same way. The good news is: it’s within our purview and power to create anew.

Let us join forces and wait no longer. Let us don our creator hats and get busy in our minds creating the vision of a world we’d like to inhabit. Let us rejoice in the miracle that will happen when we realize that together we are a powerful force to be reckoned with. Join the Dream Team and together we will create miracles.

Happy 2023 everyone. May we raise our hearts and souls to a better year and a better world.

BEFORE YOU GO . . . If you’d like to explore more about helping to dream up a new reality, let’s talk! Meanwhile, you may enjoy a look at the websites below.

A Tree of Light offers the following programs: Meditations for the Soul and the Community Forum. http://atreeoflight.org/. The Coming One shares a powerful message to humanity from the Spiritual Hierarchy. http://thecomingone.org/

A Clean Sweep

Every now and then I take a deep dive into my dumpster—my Save and Review file into which I park my half-started unfinished blog attempts. Alas, there are many. This morning’s dive yielded the following (of which I had no memory) written in March 2020:

I have a vision –

Light has overtaken the darkness, shining its brilliance into every dirty corner, every filthy crevice of the universe, revealing all of the nastiness that has been hidden deep in the underbelly of humanity for so many eons.

A great Universal vacuum seeks to suck up each and every speck of debris that stands as an obstacle to world peace and sweeps it off into a vast, secure and safe space where it is recycled, purified, and transformed into a substance that can be distributed back into the universe and used for the benefit of the earth and all of its kingdoms.

That substance is love.

I wonder what else I’ve forgotten? Maybe I don’t want to know.

Perhaps I stumbled onto this forgotten piece to remind myself of the importance of looking to the light, not the dark and to remember that energy follows thought and faithfully manifests what is uppermost in my mind.

In the face of so much unhappy news in the world, now more than ever it is crucial to focus on what we wish to manifest rather than what we don’t—on what we can do to help ourselves survive the crises of these times and safely cross the bridge of transformation that will take us into a new and improved world.

Light not dark.

Love not fear.

Kindness and forgiveness, not judgment or condemnation.

Self-love, not self criticism.

When I remember, I stop and think about what I think. What’s going on in my head? What thoughts am I sending out into the world? Am I adding to the light? Or am I adding to the dark by allowing fear to clog up my brain? Like a loving parent, I need to monitor myself and the thoughts that I allow to dominate, and take corrective measures when I step out of line.

So now—am I going to send this half-started, unfinished blog back into the black hole of the dumpster, or am I going to take the bull by the horns and say, “Oh the heck with it—the message is more important than the need for perfection, so just bite the bullet and push the publish button.”?

I vote for message over perfection. And here’s an added side benefit: one more unfinished blog escapes from the hidden recesses of the dumpster and makes into the light of day. Hi ho, hi ho, it’s into the light we go.

We are such beautiful souls—and yes, we are souls. We are sparks of the Divine. We create. We manifest. We have the power to craft the world we wish to live in—and the sooner the better. Think light my friends. Think love.

Note to Self: Thanks for the reminder. Always appreciated! 

Note to Reader: I feed my soul by reading bits and pieces from A Tree of Light website. If your soul is hungry, you may like to taste a tidbit click here.

Baring my Soul

It feels a bit risky to make an out-loud bold profession of faith to the world at large about my personal beliefs, but I am going to take my heart in my hands and do it anyway. My proclamation should come as no great surprise to my very dear and loving ministerial family members and Christian friends who, I imagine, are already skeptical of my nontraditional spiritual proclivities. I also suspect that their suspicions may lead to prayers for the salvation of my soul.

We all have our inner truth. Mine does not fall within the mainstream mindset of traditional religion. In my own mind (and perhaps in the minds of those who know and love me), I am a questionable Christian at best, and quite honestly, that’s probably sugar coating it. The truth is, that though raised a Protestant, I’m not sure that I can call myself a Christian at all, but I suppose that would likely depend upon one’s definition of Christian.

I confess that when I saw the above image of the Lord of my Heart standing in the clouds with His arms outstretched waiting to embrace me into the warmth of His love, I felt that I was being welcomed home. I want to sit forever at the feet of the Master and inhale his love, compassion, and wisdom. That’s the only thing in the world (or out of the world) that is truly worth wanting.

Now I ask you—does this mean that I am a Christian? Does it mean that I am not? Does it really matter?

What matters to me the most is that we—you, me, humanity—discover for ourselves the spark of divinity that dwells within our hearts. In my eyes, each one of us is a piece of creation that is the soul, and that one soul erases any sense of separation that divides us by the belief that we anything less than That.

In his blog Think2wice, R. Arthur Russell writes in his article, With:

“As this relates to billions of persons who are struggling to get along with one another, while living their apparently separate lives, the solution is deceptively simple: We must realize our Oneness. Who, realizing That which we truly are, would be prideful? Who, realizing That which we truly are, would be unwilling to forgive? . . . We must clearly know—not just believe—that all persons of various colours, creeds, and nationalities are but apparent variations of the One. Thus, when we look at one another, we see our spiritual brother and sister.”

Does it really matter if we find the spark of divinity between the pages of a written text, or within the walls of a building, or within the heart? It matters only that we find it—not where. In my nontraditional understanding, Jesus the Christ dwells wherever we are.

I believe that He lives within the heart of every one of us who seeks to find Him, and that He patiently waits for us to discover that truth within ourselves. I believe that the sooner we—you, me, humanity—recognize that magnificent truth, the sooner we will be released from the hellish life that we are now living, and be set free to roam around in Paradise and live happily ever after.

If you haven’t already, please consider the wee possibility that maybe, just maybe each one of us does not just have a soul: we are a soul—yes, even the ones who bug us the most! Science has proven that we are energy, we are consciousness, we are connected. If we recognize and identify ourselves as souls rather than personalities, we will connect our one piece of the puzzle with the One Great Soul of which we are all a part.

Once we manage that, we’re home free. We’ll slide gracefully from one world into the next with our eyes wide open, and be dazzled by the beauty, harmony, and love that will be our new home—a home we might call heaven. It all begins within our own heart.

Though my knowledge of theology and science is about equal to my skill as a techie, in my limited world of understanding, Christ comes bearing many names. In my world, his name is Love. I doubt that He cares very much about what we call Him—just that we call.

If we build it, He will come. When our hearts are constructed of love, we will experience a collective move out of hell into heaven. I’m ready! Are you?

PS: If you haven’t already, you may like to enjoy the comforting shelter of A Tree of Light website: atreeoflight.org. It truly is reassuring.

Oh—and please check out Voices: Who’s in Charge of the Committee in my Head? (Now available on Amazon and numerous other sites noted on Google).

Courage and Compassion

This beautiful, uplifting and inspiring poem was written by Leslie Stubbs. It is a blessing to travel the path of light with Lesley and her sister.

PEACE

My sister lights a peace candle.

Invisible currents make it dance,

Flickering and flaring both

As hope does

Beside TV images of war,

A Ukrainian mother prepares to give birth

In a subterranean bunker,

A Ukrainian businesswoman does gun training

With her new-formed female squad,

A Ukrainian grandmother serves tea and pastry

To a captive 18-year-old Russian soldier

Bartering his release upon his own Mother coming for him.

When the Ukrainian President says “I am still here”

And when ordinary citizens swear

They’d rather die fighting off

The long shadow of Putin For their children’s sake

They wake the heart of the world.

And every courageous action,

Every compassionate deed,

Every risky protest on the street,

Every meditation for Peace,

And every dancing candle,

Send ruby flaming arrows of Love

Into the chalice of the Heart Of the Soul of humanity.

Photo image courtesy of New Waves of Light (nwol.us)

We Shall Overcome

I didn’t know that my bed had an eject button until 3:20 am this morning, when I was suddenly pushed out of it and urged to go sit down to record a vivid dream that woke me out of a sound sleep. Dreams sometimes have a way of confusing and clarifying things all at once. This one assured me beyond a shadow of a doubt that—though the world around us seems absurdly terrifying at the moment—this too shall pass and we will be safe and survive. But in the meantime, we may need to burn away a bit of the dross of the old in order to get from where we are now to the place we’d rather be. That would be the terrifying part.

I was inside the White House in a room filled with people, when we heard a warning that a bomb placed inside a fireplace in the room where we stood would soon detonate. I turned to look for the bomb, and saw it just a split second before it exploded. Its blast rocked the entire house but no one inside the room was harmed or injured in any way. Rather than allowing panic to prevail, others from throughout the house gathered together with those in the room and joined in chorus to sing a heartfelt song of protection, faith, safety, security, and solidarity. The response to this frightening occurrence struck me as odd; rather than running for our lives, we stood banded together as one in song, drawing strength from one another.

Outside, the fire raged and engulfed the entire exterior of the building, but the inner part of the house was left untouched. The view through the windows was completely obscured by the orange and yellow flames that completely engulfed the building. We could not see anything beyond the walls in which we stood. Inside, we were safe and protected from the effect of the intensity of the burning that threatened our lives.

We stood steady and strong, and eventually the fire burned itself out. From the white ash left behind, there arose an unimaginably glorious new world, shimmering with light and beauty, governed by benevolent leaders focused upon the common good and the welfare of all. In this glorious new world, we would live in harmony and cooperation with one another and with our leaders, working together to utilize our considerable resources for the benefit our new world and all those within it.

How clever are these dreams. How fitting that this scenario should take place within the house of the President of the United States, the symbolic home of a country that holds the hope of the future of the entire world in its hands. How perfect that it represents the inner sanctuary of security and protection that dwells within each one of us, if we will only choose to nestle gently within the warmth and safety of its embrace. Though that promise appears dim as fires burn around us, we are assured that beyond our awareness there awaits the new world for which we yearn.

It takes a very strong person to not be affected by these exceptionally difficult and challenging times. It is hard to avoid looking out the window of despair and watch as the world burns. That which threatens the hope within the heart of each one of us will one day pass away, leaving us safe and secure within the depths of our true selves.

Have faith, my friends. Never have the words echoed from the past by Martin Luther King been truer than there are right now, for we are protected by powerful forces greater than the appearance of the flames of destruction. We need only stay centered within the safety of the Soul, and focus on that which will emerge from the ashes of a past that no longer serves. We shall overcome.

Note: The photo above is courtesy of New Waves of Light, a website designed by anonymous individuals around the world who share the intention of bringing light and love to a world of darkness and chaos. (newwavesoflight.org or NWOL.us)

The World is As We See It

Today I’m I having one of those days—a do-nothing, can’t-seem-to-get-into-gear kind of days. Once in a while, that’s fine. Healthy, even. But if too many of them are strung together in a row, it might mean that there’s trouble brewing. Trouble in River City. There are letters to write, emails to answer, phone calls to make, bills to pay, organizing to do, and what’s my first move? A nap. Ah. Blessed bliss!

Maybe my empath self is picking up on all of the negative energy that is floating around out there in the universe. Maybe I’m being affected by the rampant fear thoughts overshadowing the world during these days of a stubborn pandemic, with its attendant problematic consequences. Maybe I’m buying into the pessimistic news that is being heaped upon humanity by mainstream media. Oh but wait—I don’t watch the news. Maybe I’m just getting it by osmosis.

It’s these moments that bring a spate of soul searching that ultimately brings the blessed relief that lasts a lot longer than a nap. These are the moments—uncomfortable though they may sometimes be—that provide insight and awareness into the heart of the matter, along with the accompanying wisdom and solutions that bring healing to whatever the issue might be. These are the moments that help me to see that I see amiss.

Today it dawns on me that I need to recognize that my downtrodden attitude infects others, just as those of others may infect me. If I had but one gift to give to my brothers and sisters in my family of humanity, would it be the gift of a downtrodden attitude that I would offer? No! But I’m still stuck in low-mode, so now what?

Perhaps now might be a good time for a chat with Us.

Oh, of course. Why didn’t I think of that?

We are happy to say that you just did, and we are grateful for that. We are saddened to see your usual upbeat attitude slip beneath the dividing line that separates holy from unhealthy. We are always here ready to help, if you will simply ask. We have been watching and waiting for your recognition that you are in need of a boost of inspiration and spiritual upliftment. We are glad that you have reached out so that We may help you to reach up.

Right. Clearly, sometimes I get caught up in my day-to-day doings and forget to do the things that are the most important for my health and well-being—nurturing my Divine Connection, for example. Guilty again.

Please be reminded that there is no need for guilt, for you have done nothing wrong. You have simply slipped away from doing the things that help you stay on the upside of holy.

It is always a blessing to speak with You. In doing so, I realize that one reason for my “unholy” attitude is that I have not been doing the thing that brings me the greatest joy. I have not been writing. I have not published a blog since last forever. Where have I been? What have I been doing? Apparently, I have been spending time viewing the world through dark lenses, rather than choosing to see the light.

Well, I’m back, at least for today, and today is the only day I have. It’s the only day that anyone has. We have the choice to waste it away with a pessimistic attitude of fear, or fill it with a belief in the power of our own minds to bring about positive change for one and for all through faith, love, and compassion.

It truly is all about how we see.

Yes. It truly is. Vision as seen through the eyes of the heart will indeed build a world of love, compassion, wisdom, truth and beauty. Keep your eye upon your donut, dear one, for it is through a vision of wholeness that a new world will be born.

Thank you, Dear Friends, for a new blog, a new day, and a renewed vision of spiritual upliftment and inspiration. Today, things are definitely looking up!

You are most welcome. Come back often, and remember—We are always here. Just call.

Just Say Yes

In the early days of the pandemic, I received a call from a friend asking me how I was, and what I was doing for kicks. It made me smile, and then wonder what I was doing for kicks. What does anyone do for kicks in the midst of a pandemic?

Well, for one thing, instead of watching the news, I binged on old reruns of Say Yes to the Dress because in today’s world of darkness and fear, I wanted to focus on something that brings happiness, both to myself and others. Watching a bride find her perfect wedding dress is enough to warm my heart and put the icing, roses, and topper on my cake.

As Covid begins to wind down, I still try to be mindful of what thoughts may be lurking somewhere in my head—thoughts that have the potential to disturb my peace of mind—fearful, worrisome thoughts that make me want to escape into zone-out mode to insulate myself from this scary world.

To take my mind off of the things that I don’t want to think about, I try to focus on what needs to be done. I do whatever I can to help me keep my spirits up, and look beyond the hideous appearance of what is going on in the world—my world and your world, a world that seems to deteriorate moment to moment. I do whatever it takes to divert my attention away from what is distressing, and look for the light side instead. Sometimes I succeed.

Most importantly, perhaps, I choose not to glom onto the opinions of the talking heads who get paid by the powerful and greedy to spin the news into traps of bleakness, designed to scare the bejeepers out of us in a marathon of pumping out news that keeps us in a state of perpetual fear. No thanks. Not for me.

No matter how dreadful things seem, it helps to remind myself that somewhere in all of this there is a silver lining, if only I will look for it. For me, that has come in the form of an increased desire to do whatever I can to help. Hello? Is there a needle in this haystack somewhere? Or maybe a pony in the manure? What in the world can I—little old one-person-me—possibly do that can make a difference, no matter how miniscule, in the midst of this mind-boggling quagmire of apparent hopelessness?

I can say yes. I can say yes to the truth, the beauty and the goodness in the world. I can say yes to the light and no to anything that does not serve to uplift our family of humanity. I can add positivity to the mix, rather than negativity. I can say yes to the belief that the vision of a new world will become manifest, and I can do my best to make that happen by staying focused on doing my part to create the reality of a life lived in peace, harmony, cooperation, and love.

I can, and you can, and together we can make the world a better place for all. When enough of us join in a common purpose of seeking the light, we will find it, and we will march arm in arm into a brand new and glorious world of our own making. Where two or more are gathered. Just say yes.