For me, freedom is a state of mind.  It is inner-peace.  It is me determining my attitude and spiritual well-being.  It comes from within. 

If the "where" part of this question is referring to a geographic location, then the place that I feel most free is among trees.

Do you celebrate the 4th of July?
Yes, we get together with friends for food and to watch fireworks. 

Which do you prefer: pasta salad, potato salad, cole slaw or apple pie?
Creamy cole slaw with celery seed.

Do you watch or read the news? (freedom is a global issue afterall)
I read the news.

Do you vote?
Yes.

Would you have fought in the revolutionary war?
If I knew then what I know now ... probably not.  One of my goals is to integrate the knowledge that I have, with the life that I live.

Don't Know Much About Mythology
By Kenneth C. Davis

A good primer, this book is an entertaining and informative look at world mythology.  Each chapter is only a page or two in length which makes it an incredibly fast read.

Note: there is a bias toward Egyptian, Mesopotamian and European mythology.  The cultures of the Far East get little page time.

My relationship to independence is passionate.

This has become rather thought provoking (stirring the brain-pot furiously) for me this morning in light of the fact that we are all interdependent.

I need to let this one simmer on the back burner for a while ...

The questions that have made me UNeasy and UNcomfortable the last few days are listed below - with my corresponding answers.  I shared that I would need to let them simmer on the back burner for a while so that I could examine why I feel the UN...

July 3, 2009
Friday Five of the 4th of July
Would you have fought in the revolutionary war?
If I knew then what I know now ... probably not.  One of my goals is to integrate the knowledge that I have, with the life that I live.

July 4, 2009
What is your relationship to independence?
My relationship to independence is passionate.

This has become rather thought provoking (stirring the brain-pot furiously) for me this morning in light of the fact that we are all interdependent.

I need to let this one simmer in my "brain-pot" on the back burner for a while ...  Every person's answer that I read added another though-provoking ingredient to the mix.

And then today's question really brought it all home:

July 5, 2009
What are you thankful for?
It is easier for me to say what I am not thankful for ... nothing.

Every person, place, thing and experience that I have encountered is a thread interwoven into the fabric of my life's tapestry that adds color, nuance, depth and character.

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Because we are all interconnected ...

Every single thing that we do--or fail to do--has a powerful ripple effect.  Incredibly powerful in that the consequences do not just extend outward, but travel back again, boomerang-style.

When I hurt you, I ultimately harm myself, my children, my grandchildren; and so on.
When I lie to you, I ultimately deceive myself, my children, my grandchildren; and so on.
When I steal from you, I ultimately take from myself, my children, my grandchildren; and so on.

Likewise, when I do something that is positive, uplifting, constructive and healing, something that is for the highest and best good, the same boomerang-style ripple effect comes into play.

Our thoughts and actions do not just effect us individually; they effect us collectively.  Our thoughts and actions do not just have a local effect; they are global in nature.

When I choose to be responsible for cultivating and maintaining my own personal healthy energy signature, it ultimately impacts you.  When others choose to neglect the cultivation and maintenance of their own personal energy signature, it ultimately impacts the rest of us.

This is where the UNease comes in ...

I see the questions regarding fighting in the Revolutionary War and my relationship to independence as completely related.   I do not feel that fighting--anything--is the answer.  When we provide people with the tools for success and teach them how to use them, we are creating opportunity for the highest and best good.  We have all heard the adage, "Give a person a fish and they eat for a day. Teach a person to fish, and they eat for a lifetime." 

Good, bad or in-between (i.e., illness, financial loss, being alone, etc.), when we are equipped, we can embrace whatever comes our way instead of fighting it.  We can welcome adversity; invite it to sit for a spell so that we can take the opportunity to learn from it.  Once the lesson is grasped, we can acknowledge the learning, ease our embrace and send it on its way.  A better person for the visit.  A better person individually, collectively, locally and globally.

My meditation practice focuses on the breath; it is something that I pay frequent and close attention to.  To me, breathing feels full; it feels intentional.

It has been said that there are three types of business:

1 - My business
2 - Your business
3 - God's business

The only thing that I am unclear about is the future.  But that's none of my business.

Lean.  I don't get a lot of sleep, but I love what I get.  I am a deep sleeper who has no trouble waking early.

There are two sides to that coin.  Famous ... well known for what?

There are certain people who when we think about them we cringe.  Hitler among them.

There are certain people who when we think about them we light up.  Mother Teresa among them.

I never want people to cringe when they think about me.

One of my objectives is to leave the slightest footprint possible on the planet; while at the same time, making a lasting impression on its inhabitants - one that is positive, uplifting, constructive and healing.

How many hours of sleep do you usually get each night?
Six-ish

Are you a morning or night person?
Early morning

Do you remember your dreams? Are they vivid or fuzzy?
I remember my vivid dreams upon awakening; but if I don't write them down, they're gone.

When is the last time you stayed up all night?
Last September - whenever I go to visit my sister we stay up all night long.

Can you sleep anywhere, or do you need to be all cozied-up just right in your own bed?
I can sleep anywhere. 

Trees get my attention.  I love trees!  As so eloquently spoken by The Trees of Endor in J.R.R. Tolkien's book, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, "Trees purify the air; they also purify the mind . . . if you want to save your world, you must save the trees." 

What's one of your favorite funny movies?
Stripes (1981)

Do you like sarcasm?
In the movies it is just fine.  In real life it is rarely done well.

Who in your life makes you laugh?
My husband, Len

Have you ever laughed so hard you cried or your drink came out of you nose?
Oh yes, thanks to Gaia's own Sandi

Answer the following: Why did the platypus cross the road? ...
To show the possum that it could be done.

Because each person has a different tolerance for pain, it is experiential--unique by individual.  The feeling it presents runs the gamut from discomfort to agony; from steady to throbbing.  It can be stabbing, aching or pinching.  Regardless of how it feels, it comes to us for one reason ... to let us know that something is wrong.

Two years ago when I missed the bottom step in the basement, I broke the small outer bone in my ankle--the fibula.  Pain introduced itself with a loud "snap" and then made itself at home and stayed for a while.   

To my way of thinking, happiness is a delightful feeling.  But like a candle flame or fickle friend, it fluctuates - comes and goes - based on external circumstances.  It is temporary; fleeting at best. 

However, when my perspective is governed internally (not based on external circumstances) the external pressures fall away and I live in joy.  Rather than a feeling, joy is a state of being.  It is inexplicable peace.  It is abiding.  Joy leads to grace - the immediate presence of Spirit.

Needs are things that are basic to our existence -- air, water, food, protection from the environment (shelter or clothing) -- they are necessary for survival.

Wants are desires for things that do not threaten our existence -- television, cell phone, stereo -- they are extraneous to survival.

I drove to Harvard this morning to take a person to the hospital for a surgical procedure.  As I was walking across the sea of blacktop and concrete to get back to my car, I was holding Light (heart-based intent) for the person I had left behind.  It was then my attention was drawn to something my eyes and brain registered as unbelievable - a miracle.  I got out my cell phone and used its camera feature to capture what I took as a wonderful sign from Spirit that love always finds a way.  Love always triumphs.

On the drive home I was still marveling at the visual gift and started thinking about it in terms of this morning's question of the day - "What is the difference between wants and needs?"  When examined through the lens of this miracle I would have to say nothing.  We all want love.  We all need love.

Scratch my back endlessly ...

Circle of Grace
By Penelope J. Stokes

For me, summer reading means reading books for pure enjoyment -- not necessarily to learn.  Circle of Grace by Penelope Stokes is both.  I was immediately drawn into the story of four female college friends who keep in touch over 30 years through a circle journal that makes the rounds between the women.  The book goes back and forth between the time periods and has a section focused on each character.  At the end they are reunited where it is discovered that not everything written in the journal was the truth.  Without exception, each of them has added to or deleted from the truth of their real lives.  An excellent story about friendship and the power that lies in honesty and vulnerability.