Rest, Assured

I 'm 99% done with my book manuscript. I’m feeling very good about that fact, and more so about how I look forward to the eventual return of my brain cells when it’s complete. I’ve been walking around in a bit of a haze these last few weeks or so, and my communication skills haven’t been top notch. It’s been an interesting experiment in how far you can push your brain without sleep. Here are the findings on my overused-brain-not-nearly-enough-sleep experiment:

The brain actually needs sleep to function properly. Why? So your tongue can engage to help form words correctly. I now know why on two separate occasions I had people ask me what country I was from. I guess when I’m overly tired I talk with German accent. Another reason the brain needs sleep is to help support proper eye function. Lack of sleep lends to a glazed over appearance that may freak people out. The good news is that if you’re the perpetrator of said glazed look you’re most likely so tired you don’t care if you’re freaking people out. And lastly, it appears that the brain’s ability to connect to the auditory canals is also affected by lack of sleep. I’ve had way too many conversations as of late where I’m pretty certain that my head nodding and “Oh, really?” responses were completely inappropriate.

The conclusion of my analysis is that sleep is required for the brain to function. If you’ve been on the receiving end of my experiment and it left you feeling confused in any way, my sincere apologies. My hope is that our next interaction will be ever so more engaging.   

 This week’s message, not surprisingly, is about the necessity of balancing activity with rest, and rest assured, I do believe I’m gonna grab me some of that.

Until next time…

With Love.

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From Over There:

"Action, while vitally important to creation of desires, must also be balanced with inaction to create space for allowing. Through inaction - true inaction where the mind is also quiet - allows for the calm, centered peacefulness that supports the time of action by building reserves. This calmness also takes one out of the need for trying to force an outcome - which inevitably creates disharmony and stress.

 It is a balance of the two - action and inaction - that make the pursuit of desires more pleasurable. It is this balance that keeps one in present time, and not always focused on future events."

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Featured Guest: The Beatles

I felt that this song was very fitting this week. One of my personal favorites: I’m Only Sleeping

If It Makes You Happy...

Last week I posted twice, once about allowing flexibility in life, and again with my thoughts regarding the aftermath of the Boston Marathon tragedy. In light of all that has happened in the last week – with the addition of the devastating events in Texas – I felt that this week should be in some way uplifting.

It is a message about happiness, or rather, making the choice to be happy. That’s right, I said “choice”.  I find this so crucial to remember right now, because as last week’s events remind us, life can change in an instant. Life is precious. And it is this preciousness that reveals the importance of living life as if every moment counts. Because it does. Every…moment…counts.

I recognize, obviously, that life can be full of challenges, though I’m reminded of one of my favorite quotes from Winston Churchill, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” What comes at the other side is the possibility for greater clarity, a few lessons learned, and yes, greater happiness. It’s this strength and perseverance that comes from our true self, and as the message says, is “our light”. By choosing to step into this strength, I believe, we pump up the wattage of who we really are. And who we are is more brilliant than we often comprehend.

With Love.

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From Over There:

“Chose happiness. Yes, it is a choice. Choose for yourself those things that uplift and inspire you. When life takes a dark turn remember to turn on the light. This light is within you, always. It is when one recognizes the true being of oneself that it is understood. It is there. Allowing experiences that enrich and support this light, this joy, are the quickest pathways to a life of happiness. To choose the path of happiness is to show others the way, and create greater light for all.”

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Featured Guest: American Red Cross

The American Red Cross exists to provide compassionate care to those in need. Our network of generous donors, volunteers and employees share a mission of preventing and relieving suffering, here at home and around the world, through five key service areas:

Disaster Relief 

Supporting America’s Military Families

Lifesaving Blood 

Health and Safety Services

International Services

To learn more, please visit redcross.org.

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If you'd like more information, to book an appointment, or check out the current class schedule, please visit molliejensen.com.

A Little Light

Usually I post just once a week, but I felt compelled to do one more in light of the Boston marathon tragedy. I’ve been mulling over what transpired, and in particular, the reaction to it. No doubt it was a heinous act, and many innocent people have experienced pointless suffering. There were – and still are –  countless posts on Facebook about it; pledges of love and support, conspiracy theorists vocalizing their thoughts, and some cries of outrage.  In the mix of this I also saw a comment that posted a report about a wedding party in Afghanistan that was blasted by US bombs, killing 30 members. This got me thinking, is either incident more or less tragic? Isn’t the death of just one innocent individual one too many? 

Every day across the world people die from senseless violent acts at the hands of others, and there will always be evil perpetrated upon those who are caught in the crossfire. Unfortunately, that’s life on this planet. It’s been this way since time began, and most likely – unless a more civilized and evolved society kicks in – will continue until the end of our existence. All we can do is counter the violence and hate with inclusiveness, tolerance and love. I choose to focus on that, and not to point fingers at those that we assume to be at fault because of our need to serve our own agenda.

For every bad act there are countless more that show our true human spirit through the many brave deeds of those rushing in to help. We do this, most of us, no matter our race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation, because that’s what we’re really made of. Not the dark twisted thoughts of an extremist.

What do we do in times like these? We pull together. We support one another. We become a bigger light to dispel the darkness, and we honor the dead and injured by living a meaningful life.

Much Love.

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From Over There:

“Darkness comes from troubled souls that derive power from the disempowerment of others. These unevolved individuals have not yet mastered the discipline of self-responsibility. With light comes even greater power. With this power is great responsibility for not only self, but for all beings. When one choses the path of light it acts as a beacon to others, creating ever-widening, ever-strengthening power to create great change and the evolution of humanity.”

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Featured Guest: American Red Cross

The American Red Cross exists to provide compassionate care to those in need. Our network of generous donors, volunteers and employees share a mission of preventing and relieving suffering, here at home and around the world, through five key service areas:

Disaster Relief 

Supporting America’s Military Families

Lifesaving Blood 

Health and Safety Services

International Services

To learn more, please visit redcross.org.

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If you'd like more information, to book an appointment, or check out the current class schedule, please visit molliejensen.com.

Flex-Ability

Saturday night I was pretty worn out. From writing away on my book, getting taxes done, and everything else in between, I was feeling spent. And I was cranky. This was taking place as I was getting myself ready to head out and watch some live music, something I love to do. But I was tired. And did I mention cranky? As I was getting ready I had an internal – and sometimes openly verbal – dialog with myself about how ridiculous it was that I was even entertaining the idea of going out. “I’m tired!” it said. “I should stay home and get some rest!” it said. “I’m not in the mood…” it sulked. And then something happened. I realized that no one was telling me that I needed to stay the whole time, and that I could leave whenever I wanted, even if that meant 15 minutes after arriving. Huh. Ok then, I’ll give it a shot.

The funny thing is, once I gave myself permission to be flexible with the evening it took any self-imposed pressure off and I was able to enjoy myself. And guess what? I had so much fun I stayed until the end. If I hadn’t given myself the space for flexibility I probably wouldn’t have gone, denying my overtaxed (pun intended) mind the much needed break to blow off some steam.

Giving yourself permission to stay flexible with your life whenever possible takes away so much unnecessary stress. There’s enough to contend with on a daily basis without adding to it by self-imposed restrictions and rules that steal opportunities to enjoy yourself!

With Love.

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From Over There:

“Allowing oneself to change the course of direction creates greater flexibility and opportunity. An approach that keeps one enclosed in rigidity reduces the flow of life and moves toward an unnatural state of being. Life, as in nature, is ever evolving and ever changing, and the individual human capacity to move fluidly with this change allows for new opportunity and experiences as they arise. Without this, an individual risks a stagnant mind, and an overly mundane existence.”

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Featured Guest: Queens of the Stone Age

Once again I’m posting a song for the featured guest. Just a fair warning this song isn’t for everyone, but it’s a personal favorite of mine and I love the beginning of the video and the band’s embracing of in-the-moment flexibility.

Queens of the Stone Age: Go With the Flow

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If you'd like more information, to book an appointment, or check out the current class schedule, please visit molliejensen.com.

Exclusionary Practices

One thing I absolutely couldn’t stand about school while growing up was the clickiness.  To fit into this group or that group you had to act a certain way or dress a certain way, and god forbid if you try and move too far out of your circle. One of the great things about getting older is that this type of scenario becomes less and less of an issue. Don’t get me wrong, I still encounter plenty opportunities for someone to look down their nose at me, the thing is, now I just figure it’s their loss.

While I can dive into my meh-don’t-need-‘em-anyway attitude when I’m the focus of an offense, when it happens to someone I care about it gets my hackles up and I’m poised and ready to defend. This recently occurred to someone I know whose only fault in the matter is that they’re open, honest and passionate about what they do. And as Jack Nicolson’s famous quote goes, sometimes people “can’t handle the truth”. I see the perpetrators of this action as immature and very intimidated by this person’s talent. It’s a shame, really, if they could move past their fears and feelings of inadequacy they could have allowed this individual to uplift and inspire them. Like I said before, their loss.  

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned over the years is to not be intimidated by a person’s talents and gifts. I acknowledge how frustrating it can be to see someone easily glide toward a goal that you may struggle to achieve, but instead, why not look at it as an opportunity to learn and be inspired? Although the individual who was slighted is hurting – because they’re a decent human being who cares about the feelings of others – I know for certain that this incident is just a tiny bump in the road, and that the offending individuals will be left behind to continue playing in their safe little box. I hope for their sake that someday they see beyond the limitations they’ve created, and open to all that the world has to offer.

Until then, here’s to a big, beautiful, wonderful world…

With Love.

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From Over There:

“Social interactions based on a foundation of exclusiveness create a narrow-minded view, for the members involved must adhere to certain social status and beliefs systems to be accepted. This type of social engagement is fear-based and encourages member need for superiority. Exclusionary practices only add to feelings of human separateness, moving further away from the soul’s understanding of oneness. This mindset is a departure from the soul’s true nature and creates a disconnect from the higher-self.

While it is useful to interact with the like-minded, it is through purposeful exclusionary practices that one impedes potential for growth and the broadening of the mind.”

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Featured Guest: Teaching Tolerance

Founded in 1991 by the Southern Poverty Law Center, Teaching Tolerance provides educators with free educational materials. Our magazine and curriculum kits have earned Oscar nominations, an Academy Award, and more than a dozen honors from the Association of Educational Publishers (EdPress) including the Golden Lamp Award. Our goal is to promote an appreciation for diversity in schools by reducing prejudice, improving intergroup relations and supporting equity for our nation's children. To learn more, please visit www.tolerance.org.

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If you'd like more information, to book an appointment, or check out the current class schedule, please visit molliejensen.com.

And No Religion, Too...

Spring has sprung, and with it comes Easter, the day that Christians all around the world celebrate the resurrection of Christ. This has always been an interesting holiday for my family, a fraction being very religious, and the other fraction (my immediate family) being very non-religious. We originally celebrated it at my Grandmother’s house with an Easter egg hunt and brunch before she passed over 20 years ago.

My Grandmother was most definitely Christian, but she completely loved and accepted me, no matter my heathen ways. I could literally talk to her about anything, and would even attend church with her from time to time just because I knew it made her happy. Plus, there was something about the way she would sing from the hymnal that I loved – totally off key, but with such beautiful reverence.

In the years since she passed, my mother has taken on the Easter festivities. The dynamic has changed as my more religious relatives have branched off into their own brand of celebration, and now for us it really is just about the Bunny and a good excuse to get together and stuff our faces. This being said, I honor whatever celebratory practice anyone chooses (or doesn’t choose) during this time, as long as it’s done in the name of love – which is what was Jesus was all about anyway.

I hope that those with strong religious affiliation don’t take offense from this week’s message, but instead understand that it actually supports the idea of religion as a means to an end in regard to uplifting our society. It refers to the mindset and values that one brings to their chosen religious practice. Simply put, are you doing it to increase and spread love, or to enact an air of superiority? You can’t have one in the face of the other. I’ve seen such disparity in how people use their religion, my hope is at the end of the day everyone understands the power it has to either bring people together or tear them apart. Please practice responsibly.

With Love.

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From Over There:

“Religion as a practice is only as pure as the practitian.  When religious dogma turns to hate and violence it has lost its usefulness and creates a forum for those who wish to control and dominate. When this occurs, the religious principles are no better than oppressive government systems. Acts of persecution in the name of religion will eventually fail as the evolutionary process toward enlightenment continues. This trend of enlightenment will generate a greater division of those moving toward evolved belief systems, and individuals attempting to hold onto archaic methods of expression.

If one is to value religious expression as a betterment to society, it is necessary to embrace religious practices that value the whole of society, not just those whose beliefs concur.  It is the religious principles that promote greater awareness and inclusion that support the advancement of enlightened consciousness.”

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Featured Guest: His Holiness, the 14^th Dalai Lama

Because I believe that this man embraces compassion and love for all individuals – regardless of religious or non-religious persuasion – I have for you a slightly truncated version of his “Three Main Commitments”.

1.  His Holiness’ first commitment is the promotion of human values such as compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment and self-discipline.  All human beings are the same.  We all want happiness and do not want suffering.  Even people who do not believe in religion recognize the importance of these human values in making their life happier.  His Holiness refers to these human values as secular ethics. 

 
2.  His Holiness’ second commitment is the promotion of religious harmony and understanding among the world’s major religious traditions.  Despite philosophical differences, all major world religions have the same potential to create good human beings.  It is therefore important for all religious traditions to respect one another and recognize the value of each other’s respective traditions.   3. His Holiness is a Tibetan and carries the name of the ‘Dalai Lama’.  Tibetans place their trust in him.  Therefore, his third commitment is to the Tibetan issue.  His Holiness’ has a responsibility to act as the free spokesperson of the Tibetans in their struggle for justice. 

To learn more, please visit www.dalailama.com.

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If you'd like more information, to book an appointment, or check out the current class schedule, please visit molliejensen.com.

Neanderthal Alert

This week’s post surrounds a controversial and highly charged subject, the recent sentencing of two male high school students for rape in Steubenville, OH. The reason for my bringing this up stems from an interaction that a friend and I had this past Friday night. A typical weekend night out for me these days includes going to hear live music, very often with my daughter and her friend. When these two go out they have a blast. They love to be up front and center dancing, and don’t care one iota what people think of them. They’re just there for the music. Both are very cute and are each in completely committed relationships; though because of their carefree spirit (and cuteness) attract a lot of attention, of which they are often oblivious.

This last Friday night I noticed a young man repeatedly glancing at my daughter’s friend. After the band quit, I was talking to her when he walked by. He stopped and looked at her, and then said to me, “she’s very pretty.” I responded with a “yes, she is.” He then mumbled something about her dancing and she gave him a less than inviting look, to which I added, “She’s also very married.” Then he said something that took me off guard. He accused her of dancing the way she did to get attention, that “she did it on purpose.” Wow. He was basically blaming her for any attraction he felt for her, like he had absolutely no responsibility for any of it. Thankfully she didn’t hear the gist of what he said, or he’d most likely be sporting a black eye right now.

This interaction made me ponder the subtle undercurrent of “rape culture” in our society. It’s so ingrained, that it’s commonplace to blame a woman for being too attractive, too sexy, too whatever.  How dare us. If any men reading this have thoughts on the matter, I’d love to hear from you. I know that many of you are thoughtful, decent and respectful, though if Steubenville is any indication, we still have a very long road to social equality.

Time to shed some light on this dark subject.

With Love.

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From Over There:

“The desire to control another through physical force is born out of primitive thought patterns. As the human race evolves, critical thinking overtakes the need to dominate through force. A more enlightened interaction includes reasoning and sharing of information. As each individual chooses responsibility of thought and action, so will humankind move toward a more egalitarian society.”

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Featured Guest: Henry Rollins

Punk icon Henry Rollin might seem like an odd ‘guest’ for my post, but I really appreciated his insight regarding the Steubenville incident and wanted you all to have the chance to read it, if you so desire:

Henry Rollins Comments on Steubenville

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If you'd like more information, to book an appointment, or check out the current class schedule, please visit molliejensen.com.