I keep returning to the great outdoors. I keep enjoying the wind on my face, the sun on my shoulders, and the fog sprinkling its most upon my back. I thank the stars above for my abilities to inhale and exhale the breath and the beauty. I thank God and the Angels of yesteryear for guiding me on my path in the woods and on the mountain. Even when I'm lost I thank the Universe because the great outdoors makes me a kinder human.
If I am in a bad mood from stress or unnecessary worry, the family yells for me to go workout or hike and come back later. They know my angst and my anxiety releases when I am physical and honoring my physical abilities. When I challenge myself on the mountain, my mind and body become one. My mind is released because I am so focused on the challenge at hand. I have a vacation for my head! Now that's what I call meditation. I don't sit and try to think of nothing. I do something so hard that I cannot think of anything else at the moment. That is the sort of nirvana I experience.
So when I'm finished with a workout in the great outdoors, I have a small smile on my face for the rest of the day. I'm not cussing out folks on the freeway on my way to work in the afternoon. I respond in a gentler way to my children when they ask me the same questions for the umpteenth time. I take abuse or criticism at work from customers and certain coworkers in a nonreactive way. Yes, I am a nicer human being because of my time spent consciously and mindfully in the great outdoors. Please check out my video series named The Grest Outdoors on YouTube. My channel is titled SuperiorSelf.
What do you do in the great outdoors? How does the time spent out in nature affect the rest of your life? I want to hear from you! Please send me your answers on the contact form on my website.
When I think about my life, I gather all of the travels I have gone on and use the experiences as my greatest learning periods. I have been to about 45 countries and lived in some for long periods of time. The differences in food, rituals, economics, and social structure could have made me a hater or a lover. Why travel then, if not to embrace others and the diversity which God has placed upon the earth?
I chose to travel. I craved moving and discovering other folks and knowing myself deeper in the process. With the recent hate crimes shown in the US, it is so, so sad, especially for someone who looks to optimism and tries to see the light in every one. I cry, I wonder why, still, this can occur. I am reminded that there has always been violence and discrimination throughout the ages, if not from color differences, then from religious or cultural differences.
Does this mean ignore the information when the facts present themselves? Be indifferent? Neutral stance? For me, I don't like watching the news. I would rather conduct research, read a good books, disappear on a hike, or go within myself with yoga and meditation. I can choose my reaction though, when I find out that more hate has been shown in this world. How do I react in a way that is helpful to humanity?
To to be honest, I react with love, love, and more love. I pray for those surrounding the situation, on all sides. The families and communities need our love. The hate of one person does not define the whole community. This is generalizing and stereotyping. That's how we got deeper and deeper into the false belief systems in the first place.
I also use the Negative Thought Pot. This is my way of bridging the gap between my possibilities and the blocks I create within me. I use the Negative Thought Pot before every workshop. We write down any negative self thought or fears and scroll up the thin strips of paper. Then we place the tiny scrolls into a pot and literally burn them up. Then the next time that thought enters our mind, we can say, "You don't have any power over me. I destroyed you." This opens up the community to new information, new truths, and new possibilities.
Thank you for allowing me to share. Please tell me how you deal with pain and hatred in the world.