Forgiveness...

is not letting someone off the hook but rather, making peace with the situation in which the person's actions hurt you.

The power of thought

Just like "you are what you eat" I believe that "you can be as great as your thoughts." When I find myself getting caught up in negative and fruitless thinking I remember how negative I feel and I choose to try to change those thoughts to positive ones. I then feel energetic, happier and as if a huge load has been lifted off of my shoulders. I had a yoga teacher once say that worry is just praying for something you don't want; I firmly believe that by having positive thoughts, you create positive energy, which then helps you get to your dreams. We may not always be consciously, deliberately, trying to get what we dream about, but perhaps subconsciously we are.

I think of the movie "What the bleep do we know?" and try to remind myself that I can create the reality I want. Interestingly, when I was a kid I dreamt of having a cat, and even after a few years of fearing them and getting over the fear, I now have a cat who I dearly love. I once thought it'd be nice to have the guy I have a crush on see me on campus and lo and behold, he rides by on his bike and looks in my direction as I get off the bus. Another day I thought "I'd like to run into him tomorrow" and we passed each other in the hall the next day and exchanged greetings! For the longest time I have been daydreaming about having dramatic and fleeting romantic encounters (essentially been meditating on them). Perhaps that is why I keep having such experiences rather than a long-term relationship....

The goal

A very dear friend of mine and I have over the past couple of months talked about the meaning of life and reaching goals and dreams. She reminded me that life isn't about getting something, it's about becoming something. So even when I've failed at something I've tried, or haven't gotten what I've wanted, I've been content lately with being proud of taking risks, being true to myself, and remembering the power of karma and trying to follow the Golden Rule.

Let go

Sometimes letting go and throwing caution to the wind can allow us to truly experience the wonders life has to offer. My goal this year has been to be more in the present moment, rather than always in the past, future, or in my dreams. Yesterday I threw caution to the wind a bit and had fun, and learned something about myself--quite an accomplishment for someone who is so organized, planful and anal retentive.

This also poses a question that I now struggle with: how does one balance being in the "here and now" with life responsibilities?