Running On Empty

Life keeps pace with the world even when we do our best to keep the world out.
I have found myself literally "running on empty" as I am traveling from one point to another in my car. My car is kind to me and does not need to be flashing and dinging to warn me I am running on fumes. This has occurred at least once a week over the past month - yes, once every week. And there is the added pressure of accumulating points with Giant Food Company to lower the price of gas at the pump. The balance I am attempting to achieve is shop at Giant - earn enough points to lower the pump price by 20 cents per gallon (this is usually at least 2 shopping trips for groceries) and the most important part of this equation - do not run out of gas!
All four times the ding and flashing gas symbol came on - I prayed - it was no longer about reaching a Shell station who was the points master with Giant - it was "allow me to coast to the nearest station and put $5.00 in to keep this car moving!"
Often I paid a much much higher price for the $5.00 purchase - I could have easily gone to a less pricey gas station for the $5.00 purchase of gas and gotten more mileage for the dollar!
I do not do this in other areas of my life - I have over the years, but not recently. I try to keep the home well stocked with essentials and non essentials. I take care to not allow the paper which comes in pile up and I do clean - not on a schedule like my best friend - but I clean my home.
The whole points for lower prices for gain vanishes when the truth is there is no more gas in my car.
The whole say my prayers, allow spirit to fill my life vanishes when there is no room to fill completely up with blessings.
I feel as though I am running down my to my reserve tank of faith. I do believe in the unseen and in the power I often call on; yet, at times it can take very little for my light to flash danger and my bell to begin to ring in distress!
I hear the new charm "Too blessed to be stressed." I honestly must admit, I do not know what this means. I am blessed, to some, too blessed - HONESTLY?! I AM STRESSED!
A friend once was very honest with me and told me who it was who lived in my gut which made it swell and become an ugly mass - and at least another "it" has joined the first one. They take up too much room, and I am therefore running on empty because I cannot fill completely up with the blessings I am given each moment of my life. I can fill up with spiritual energy only in the space the rest of my gut will allow. This space decreases each time one of these gut suckers
rears it's ugly head to say "pay attention to me, time to remind you, I am still a part of your life!"
I decided on Friday, though these two menaces will remain there for a while longer, due to lack of resources to permanently remove them, I could still take charge of my gut and I did not need to feed the two anymore!
If I put them on the edge of my gut, I could fill up my gut with nourishing and healthy food. Nutrition for my body and my spirit.
I need to admit I am too blessed to be ....... but I also must bless and value myself.......

Anticipation

What happens when we wait for a time in our lives which is cyclical? We have no control over the time coming, it will arrive. Such as every year is a new Chinese New Year. And if you have been to a Chinese restaurant most likely you could not help but look at the paper place mat which defined the years by a Chinese zodiac sign. Unlike the typical zodiacs we are aware of which change every 30 days or so through out the year, the Chinese zodiac you are born under must wait a full twelve years before it makes it appearance in a lifetime. Of course, the upside is, the sign lasts for one whole year. This is merely fluff in the world of more significant life events. Two years ago I remarked to a friend that in 2011 it was my year - The Year of The Rabbit - the luckiest sign in the Chinese Zodiac; and the friend said "you can wait for this?" No, I hoped my positive thoughts, prayers and hopes and dreams would manifest themselves before 2011. On many levels they have; but if having this year place a little more energy into my good luck, why not celebrate? Why not embrace the spirit of the rabbit and hope or hop towards what could turn out to be the best and most prosperous year of my life? After all, twelve years into the future is a long time to wait. I intend to remind myself each day this shall be the a year which I will be able to say all my dreams did come true.

Always take an umbrella

In life there is the smooth sailing and then there is the tail spin. Do we recognize either state when we exist within them? Often, it seems as if the tail spin is more normal than than the smooth sailing. Is it purely the state of having patience with life which allows us to sail smooth through a time? Does loosing patience within cause life to spin out of control, therefore, heading to crash and burn?
We have all earned the right to a little good news each day. In reality, depending on our lives, there can be more pain not joy; increased confusion not peace. Much like the times we feel we are dressed to for a lovely day and then the wind sweeps across and causes a downpour.
There is power in being able to not take experiences in life too personal. The balance between knowing this is not destructive and knowing we have the right to stop the destruction is a hard place to be.
What is the challenge for avoiding the tail spin, is not contributing to the destruction of another person's world.
Having the protection to know we do not need to act towards creating discord, if we will only stand still and beg the moment to pass, may keep the plane of our lives from completely crashing.
Embrace the smooth sailing of a lovely life filled celebration of the day; but be prepared with the downpour of chaos by guiding the moment with the shield of a quiet soul.