903 NGUOUY Part 67 ARE YOU AN EXPLORER OR A SETTLER?

January 2014
Did you ever stop to think that following a straight and narrow path
Leads toward living a straight and narrow life?
Well, to tell the truth, neither did I until this morning when
Intuition whispered today's quizzical train of thought into my ear
Thus willing my fingers to run all over the keyboard until
The first two lines of today's post
Marched out of my mind, one word at a time, offering me reason
To marvel at the role that my sixth sense plays in
Redirecting my path away from a narrow line of reasoning toward
Broadening my perspective, today …
Need an example?
Let's see how inner conflict serves to narrow our sights:

Though I'd once seen inner conflict as
A fork in the road, limiting my thought processor to
Considering one of two choices
Today—literally this morning—I pictured that fork
More expansively in this way:
At times when both choices deflate my spirit
Intuition suggests that further brainstorming may be
Necessary before a third choice shapes up inside my mind where
The narrowness of my original minset had
Focused upon only two:
The beaten path or the road less taken—neither of which
Offers my sense of inner conflict lasting relief

If you ask what caused my limited perspective, concerning
Inner conflict, to expand to include a third choice, I'd reply:
We'll, today, the true meaning of
'Think for yourself' clarified this line of reasoning:
The human mind is capable of refocusing its
View finder's wide angled lens until insight into
Creating change for the better, all around, spotlights
A choice which had remained unidentified before …
And if you ask what that third choice might be, I'll reply:
Each time a life changing experience
Inspires my existential need to assert its desire for personal growth
Intuition suggests that rather than focusing upon
The beaten path or the road less taken, I can actually
Carve out a brand new road map for myself that's as unique as I am!

Each time some aspect of unexpected change
Fuels my existential need to give birth to
A brand new sense of personal growth
My energy source plugs into that change and recharges itself
And in direct response to this surge of positively charged energy
My spirit embraces a sense of wonderment that feels as
Natural as when I was a child, who'd felt that anything was possible
And all of that's grand ... Except for one thing
Eventually, carving out a brand new road for myself creates
A sense of worry concerning the unknown that lies directly ahead
And worry leads to mental tension for this reason:
Drawing up a new road map of my own implies that
I have no clue where each next turn in the road
May take me next, suggesting my need for
Safety is comprised in that I must leave my old comfort zone behind
Therefore, leading myself into uncharted territory
Can feel scary, indeed
On the other hand—
At each stage of life I've had reason to muster the courage to
Labor my way through a period of self doubt before
My need to experience personal growth chose to
Set anxious worry, concerning personal failure, in time out
And each time I set worry of failure in time out
Intuition signals self trust to breathe life into my very own
Free spirited sense of adventure, which in turn sparks
My sense of youthful wonder to check out each next step into
The unknown instead of allowing complacent resignation
To squash my belief that 'anything is possible' (as long as
The magic, which is an inherent part of my mind
Does not give way to self defeat by switching tracks to that
Beaten path where worrisome trains of thought reign supreme)

Each time I think to resolve inner conflict by settling for less than
That which sparks my youthful sense of delight
My spirit flags at half mast
And when my spirit flies at half mast, I have less energy to
Offer to loved ones, whose minds may be too busy
Carving out existential paths of their own to notice that my smile
Has lost the vibrance of it's natural sparkle …
And as today's train of thought has continued to
Chug forward along this track, my theory, concerning
Explorers and settlers comes to mind …

10:30 AM  January 16th
Woo Hoo!
Phone just rang
Dear friends from Midwest are hoping to
Stay with us in February, suggesting that
Their freezing weather is my good fortune
Sound selfish?  Please think again, because
Your friend, Annie, didn't order the weather :)
Plain and simple, my path led me to
Choose to live in a delightful climate which others long to visit
And in the same way as you and I can't control the weather
We can't control the emotional climate that
Creates our instinctive need to love as freely as we love deeply
Anyway, you just played witness to how quickly
A good day transforms into a day that
Delights my personal joy simply because
My hungry eyes will feast upon a treasured friend sooner
Rather than later;  I mean seriously, at this stage of life
It's wise to consider that it's truly later than we think …
And now my time for writing is up for this reason:
My doorbell is about to be rung by
Another person my heart has treasured over the years :)
You see, twenty years ago I moved out of
Our spacious, five bedroom home
Which had been surrounded by homes where
Strangers had became fast friends, and
One of those friends happened to be a little girl, who'd
Fallen in love with me as naturally as I'd fallen in love with her
Though she and I lost sight of each other for many years
Much to our mutual delight, fate brought us together
And upon opening opportunity's door to mutual delight
Cath and her baby, Amy, have been enjoying
Lunch/play dates with me over the past year and a half :)
As the gate just called to let me know of their arrival
My mind is consciously switching tracks, suggesting that hopefully …
My theory concerning explorers and settlers will trip off my finger tips
Thus appearing on your screen and mine, tomorrow :)

PS  In case any of you wonders why I wrote Jan. 16th when today is the 17th, well, one missing detail makes short work of that mystery:
This post was written yesterday, edited and published today :)

902 NGUOUY Part 66 TRADING PLACES WITH OUR SONS—TEMPORARILY

August 2013
Though two weeks in paradise prove as idyllic as we'd hoped
That's not to say worry over Will's health was erased from our minds
Worry owns a place within every mind for good reason
Worry grounds us to plan for the future in case
Life takes a turn for the worse
On the other hand, pre-worry negates our chance of experiencing
Moments here and there where intuition beckons our
Spirits to feel utterly free to soar with such joy
That our hearts unleash all sense of restraint just as 
Mother Nature intended or she'd not have
Inspired us to love nearly as
Deeply, naturally and intuitively as we do
I mean seriously—when considering addictions
I'd choose love over any other—wouldn't you?  :)

January 2014  Hmmm …
Once again my mind had a mind of its own in that
My original thought had been to describe the ways in which
Life changing experiences catalyze shifts in our mind sets
Then, much to my surprise, intuition coaxed
My mindset to switch tracks away from 'trading places', and
Now, for some reason—which I do not yet understand—
Intuition is strongly suggesting 'enough said for today' …
And when intuition speaks this clearly
I've learned to listen attentively for this reason:
Hindsight invariably suggests that my sixth sense has more
Insight into my need to explore mind-changing experiences than I do :)

901 NGUOUY Part 65 HOLDING FAST TO THE KEY TO THE MAGIC KINGDOM …

January 2014

Imagine my heart chirping away like a little bird
Soaring through a cloudless sky
Winging freely toward the warmth of the sun :)

Why is that true?
Because ... My heart feels free as a bird when
My spirit has reason to smile :)

Needless to say

The key to the magic kingdom
Is not the key to the condo

The key to the magic kingdom
Is the attitude with which
A person adventures through personal experience

None are born with attitude
All are born with need
Need to survive

Attitude
When bent toward a positive view
Expands the spirit's need to survive toward thirsting to thrive

It may surprise you to learn
That Will, a jovial child, was not always
As genial as the man you'd enjoy knowing, today

It may surprise you to learn
That your friend, Annie, a high spirited child, was not
Introspective and physically limited

As we move from story to story
You'll witness life-changing experiences, which altered
Will's attitudes (mindsets) and mine …

And if you ask, Annie, what is your main purpose
For revealing stories that others might consider family secrets
I'd reply:

With my family's permission, here is my mission:
I plan to offer you countless opportunities to witness the ways in which
Mindsets suppress or express each person's natural sense of joy

As my stories leap back and forth across the time line
You'll get a bird's eye view of negativity's suppression of joy vs.
Joy expressed freely once emotional maturity controls anxious reactivity

As you shall see
Holding fast to the key to the magic kingdom depends upon
Developing insight into identifying _________ (fill in the blank :)

Hint:  When the question concerns
That which delights your natural sense of joy
No answer is right or wrong :) 

900 NGUOUY Part 64 THE KEY TO THE MAGIC KINGDOM …

August 2013
With rare exception, here's what takes place after
Will and I stuff more stuff on top of our stuff in the car:
We pull back onto the freeway and wonder aloud about
That which compels us to feed certain needs, and then—
Two hours later than he and I had originally planned
We pull into the parking lot and walk into
The attractive lobby of this splendid resort, which resembles
A small town, perching prettily on the hillside
Of the Italian Riviera, where …
Upon approaching the front desk
We express our delight to find ourselves holding the key to
Our favorite, two bedroom, two bath condo
Which is adjacent to the elevator
On the fifth floor of our favorite building
And this has been true, year after year, for this reason:
Just before leaving at the end of another idyllic stay
Will seeks out the general manager and
Thanks him warmly for every kindness with a generous gift
And the gift is always well deserved for this reason:
This lovely resort spreads over a landscape of rolling hills
In a gorgeous location over looking the ocean, suggesting that
Very few buildings exist on even terrain upon which I can walk
As most buildings are reached by staircases here, there, everywhere
My ability to move freely from condo to pool would certainly be limited
And knowing this to be true, the general manager consistently
Reserves a condo for us in this specific building, thus kindly
Accomodating my needs, suggesting that I can move freely
Easily and happily on my own from condo to lobby to poolside
And as the general manager also goes out of his way to
Accomodate our desire to feast our eyes upon
The tranquility of the ocean
From the fifth floor balcony of our two bedroom condo
Nothing interferes with the calming nature of
The spectacular view that delights our senses
Morning, noon and night, day after day
And since he welcomes us warmly while handing us
The key to another glorious time in paradise with
Family and dear friends—well—
Is there any wonder why I feel as gratified as if
I'd closed my eyes, wished on a star and
Found the key to the penthouse of
The magic kingdom placed within my open palm?
Though this is our seventh year in paradise
I feel every bit as excited, upon entering the elevator, as
That very first time when I ascended to the top floor
And while Will finishes unloading the car
I smile to think that
Upon making good use of the card key
Good fortune lies directly ahead …
Then, while the two of us are unpacking in our spacious master suite
You can see why I rejoice aloud over the fact that
Come what may, tomorrow …
Life is truly what you make of it, today
And as it's clear that we can live only one day at a time …
I've learned to make the most of
Every moment in which joy, overflowing, naturally, from
Deep within my heart, offers sound reason to
Fully appreciate every kindness that eases my way
Toward that which remains unknown
As each person's future unfolds …
And thus, near the end of our stay
Will hears me say:  Shall we stop for the gift card, today? 

899 NGUOUY Part 63 HALFWAY TO PARADISE …

August 2013
When we enjoy a weekend on the coast, we fly
When we go for a week or more, we drive
As we're about to enjoy two weeks in paradise
Our car is packed with stuff
Stuff to munch on
Stuff to drink
Stuff to wear
Stuff with which to entertain Tony and Ray in the pool
Stuff to delight Katie's boys, Kevin and Anthony
Once the car is packed for the road, I chuckle to think of
George Carlin's routine about traveling with too much stuff, because
That which seems like too much stuff to Will seems like exactly
The right amount of stuff to me :)
Anyway, we follow Will's plan of getting an early start in hopes of
Arriving at our condo, overlooking the ocean, by midafternoon
And though we leave on time, here's why we always arrive
At the resort two hours later than planned—which surprises
No one who knows us well—
You see, we pass an exclusive outlet mall half way between
Our desert home and our ocean destination, and
One of us is a shopper
And guess what?
That shopper is Will!
Each time we approach the outlets, I listen to Will say:
We won't stop this time …
We don't need to buy anything else for the rest of our lives
At this, I smile and agree
Next thing I know, our car turns off the freeway and drives itself
Right into the outlet parking lot …
Now why in the world do you think that happens, time and again???
Well, if my addiction is hope, Will's is shopping for a deal :)
And here's what happens after our car parks itself:
We each go our separate ways for this reason:
Will sprints from shop to shop while
Sciatica slows me down
And Will doesn't worry about leaving me alone with my credit card
Because this man knows that his wife can't buy more than
She can carry, and as I can't carry very much
Will thinks he's home safe and here's why
Generally speaking, he's right …
My grandma taught me to value a great deal, as well :)
Anyway, each time our car approaches the outlets and Will says
No need to stop, my credit card and I smile in readiness
To visit our favorite shops :)

898 NGUOUY Part 62 TWO WEEKS IN PARADISE

August 2013
Once we've returned home after telling our sons
Once I've made all the calls to loved ones, near and far
Once we've imparted distressing news at lunches or dinners
Once we've established a compassionate support system
What then?
Well, luckily, our week at our timeshare on the coast is approaching
And as usual, we ask our closest friends, Angie and Mark, to join us
As you can imagine, our annual getaway, overlooking the Pacific Ocean
Could not have come at a better time
And guess what?
This year, our week of family fun and relaxation has
Expanded into two weeks, because we'd agreed to
Listen to a pitch, offering us a deal that
Sounded too good to be true—but
Thank goodness, we chose to listen, anyway, because
This plan actually proved too good to pass up
So once again, I absorb the importance of
Opening a closed mindset at least enough to
Listen to what opportunity wants to say, because
It's not always true that
If it sounds too good to be true then it's probably not
You see, here's the thing:
Will and I really wanted more time to delight in
Our ocean getaway, but
The cost of an additional week had seemed prohibitive, what with
Retirement directly ahead, so
Originally, Will's mindset and mine had been closed to
The idea of enjoying additional time in this idyllic setting without
Paying the piper too stiff a price
Thank goodness, Will listened with an open ear when I, who've learned
To practice what I preach (concerning the fact that listening skills are
Every bit as important as speaking skills) suggested that
Opening our minds to listening makes sense for this reason:
What if we hear something that would delight us both …
Whereas, by refusing to open the door to listening
We'd most definitely dismiss a plan, which might expand
Our sense of joy, year after year ...
As my line of reasoning made sense to Will
He chose to open his mind and take a seat
Next to mine in the sales office where
We had the good fortune to listen to a plan that sounded
Too good to be true, except for this fact:
It was true, through and through!  :)
And as Will and I agreed to buy into this mutually enriching plan
Which listening skills had offered up to us
We'll continue to delight in expanding our mutual sense of joy from
One week to two, year after year
Had we turned a deaf ear to that which opportunity
Had to say, we'd have closed the door
To doubling our mutual sense of pleasure, unnecessarily
And at this stage of life, where
Irretrievable loss is bound to increase …
Doubling our pleasure without paying the piper
Makes sense to us both
So the moral to today's post suggests that
Exceptions to every rule exist for good reason—for example:
Good reason exists to separate one addiction from
Those substances which close our minds to
Creating change for the better—for instance:
The substance to which I'm addicted is commonly known as
HOPE :)

897 NGUOUY Part 61 HOW IS LOVE LIKE A SNOWFLAKE?

There are as many kinds of love as
Snowflakes floating gently through the sky
And here is why that's true:
Just as each snowflake is unique ...
Each person proves uniquely individualized from everyone else
And as the depth of my love for one unique individual
Does not minimize the depth of my love for another
Perhaps that's why my offer of heartfelt connection
Proves pure and simple, yet deeply meaningful
On both sides of the street

And now, as I'm planning to make the most of precious time
With beloved house guests
I'll let today's pure and simple insight melt into
A reflective pocket of your mind where
Deeply meaningful thoughts may prove so profound as
To relax a closed mindset toward opening so naturally as to
Stir curiosity concerning a plan that has the potential to
Relieve anxiety by spotlighting a sunbeam that may transport
Your spirit's smile and mine straight toward the warmth of sun
Without fear of anyone getting burned :)