617 ON STRIKE! 1980 CHAPTER 6 :)

Upon awakening, today, another thought, concerning 'mind over matter', popped out of my head ...

Just as bible stories suggest that there are two sides to everything (turn the other cheek vs an eye for an eye), I try to remember that two experiences, which appear similar on the surface, may differ greatly once we remember to think deep.  Once we see how circumstances differ, we can see why mind over matter may work in one instance (bend mind set toward positive focus and headache lessens) but not another (upchuck in bed).

As I came to see how often unlike events are misperceived as the same, I became aware of questioning before allowing my mind to leap to snap judgments.  Upon judging others less harshly, I did the same for myself.  Each time I let up on myself, my mind feels free to swing for the fences without fearing that by swinging from one choice to another, I might miss three times and strike out.

At this point, while working toward achieving each next rung up on the ladder of success, I remind myself that, unlike baseball, I can brainstorm, strike three times and go for a fourth.  With that reasoning in mind, my tendency to put myself down after taking a step back lessens, considerably.  At times when an experiment fails, I offer myself a pep talk, insuring that I don't turn in my uniform and take myself out of the game, permanently, especially when the name of the game is;
EMBRACING AN OPEN-MINDED APPROACH LIFE AND LOVE

Though from time to time, you may see me bench myself to catch my breath, rest my mind, change my mind or nurse an unhealed wound, still empowered to hurt my heart, please remember, my friends, that those reactions are natural to the human condition.  Rather than worrying about spontaneous reactions, which defy comprehension, I remind myself to remember thIS :  Each time I move through another stage-of-personal-growth, I can trust in the fact that my Neo cortex has been training my defense system to forge a path where positively focused thought patterns serve to recharge my tired spirit.  Once my spirit feels recharged, my mind feels inclined to dive ever more deeply into my think tank in hopes of figuring out what to do that's not yet been tried, though a frustrating problem has raised its head, again and again.  You see, the deeper we dive, the more apt we are to find hiding places where innate strengths felt reason to clam up.  So, okay ... knowing me to be corny, you must know what's coming next ...

The more clams I open, the more apt I am to find pearls of wisdom tunneling through my mind, falling out of my mouth :)  All kidding aside, often times, no one is more surprised by the insights that fall out of my mouth than—me.

In recent years, my brain does its best thinking when I drop my defenses and let much of what I'm thinking float out of my mouth, through the air, directly into your open ear.  Guess the art of communications encourages the thought processing center of our brains to learn how to distinguish when it's best to muzzle one's thoughts, filter thoughts or let them fly free of restraint.  In short, with growth in discretion, my quest to make headway in conquering my fear of rocking boats continues to pay off. 

As this story, concerning a woman on a mission, takes on an ever widening scope, you'll watch the knowledgeable coach inside me encouraging my inner cheer squad to offer up pep talks, all around, in hopes that during this strike, the deeper meaning of cooperation will ignite positively focused mind shifts within the thought processors of everyone in my family.  And as positive change lifts my spirit, that lift will motivate my engine to lift my buns off the bench.  Then, once my body, mind, heart and spirit are up and humming, running smoothly as one, you'll see a renewed sense of inner strength step up to the plate and swing enthusiastically for the fences in innings to come—you know—like Babe, who, I'll bet, proved to be a team player, just like me :)