a little soul searching...

A few of the comments responding to a previous post got some of us thinking about what it is we can choose in life and what it is that we don't have control over. Of course...this is probably a questions that travels with us all the way through life. How much of our life is what we have created and how much of it is just the way things are...out of our control...under the instruction and guidance of our higher power? How much of life can we change...and how much do we just need to accept and think positively about? I agree with Cory when she says that so much of our happiness depends on our perception. When life starts out we seem to trust everything that happens..we are all clean slates for our story to be written on. Then our stories take place...we get hurt, we get influenced, we accomplish things, sometimes we don't always get what we hope for. I think in one way or another, all of us in "mid" stride through life have noticed that our life isn't exactly what we thought it would be. I know for me it isn't. But...what we do with it is what counts! I like to think that I bring my passions for social justice, cultural awareness, conscious living, personal & spiritual growth, and so on into the life I am living on a daily basis. I like to think I am working to help create mindful children who carry compassion and concern for people and the planet. I like to think those things and yet, sometimes I get to feeling like my reality doesn't quite reflect all of the things within me. Not that it always has to...but I do feel more comfortable in my own skin when I am living my truth. I started re-reading this book on simple living. It is all about down-shifting in our lives so that we can live a life that better reflects our values and that enhances the well-being of ourselves, our communities, and the planet as a whole. There is a chapter near the beginning that takes the reader through a series of questions to help them define their values in order to see if their daily lives are in tune with these values. The author's argue that living a more simplified life results in greater health and happiness. Again, it is a movement that requires an open mind and a little bit of questioning the status quo...which is always a healthy thing in my opinion and something I hope I exemplify. How much of our day (energy, time, etc) goes towards these values? Good questions...I thought that I would share for those of you so inclined!:) 1.How do you define success? You might want to rephrase this question, in terms of how you would define a "life with no regrets". What would your life look like without regrets? How would you spend your time? 2. What do you think our purpose is here on earth? Why are we here? As Wendell Berry asks in one of his essays, "What are people for?" 3. What matters to you most? What do you hold sacred? When do you feel most at peace? What brings you the most fulfillment? 4. What characteristics do you value in friends? 5. What are families for? What does our family believe in? What's important to us? What do we stand for? 6. What makes you happy? What activities give you the greatest joy? What activities do we like to do together as a family?