Things I have learned in the past year while contemplating the moon...

• Nothing lasts forever.....  Broken hearts mend, bad days turn into better days, ecstasy shifts to mundane.  Don’t settle into any particular feeling, or allow them to define you. The energy of life is constantly moving.   Become Gumby.  Bend, stretch and be flexible with the evolution of your moments. 

• Some people will do despicable things and hurt us.  This is a fact of life and will happen as long as we’re breathing.  Evil exists.  Conversely, most  people can and will bring goodness, integrity, and joy to our days.  Don't focus on the evil; open your heart and welcome the good. 

• You CAN forgive without forgetting.  Forgiveness allows us to move forward in freedom.  Remembering, from a position of a healed heart, keeps us aware and safe.  

• Friendships and alliances change.  People change. Sometimes for the better, sometimes not so much.  We don’t have to feel guilty about kindly moving on from those interactions that aren’t conducive to our greater good, no matter how many years we’ve invested in them.   It's our personal journey and up to us to keep the path clear for positive growth and enlightenment.  

• There is so much more to life than what we experience through our five senses.

• Everyone has their own little drama.  We can choose to become an actor in their production, or we can stay focused on our own corner of the theatre and pay attention to our monologue. 

• It is not only acceptable, but holy to love ourselves. In doing so, we are honoring our Creator, the Higher part of us, our essence. 

• Pay attention to the feelings and voice inside rather than the chatter box resting on our neck. If it feels icky, it probably is.  If it feels loving-kind, it probably is. 

• If it can be bought, obtained, acquired, or held, it can and probably will eventually go away.  Treasure that which is experienced, learned, or loved.  This is what lasts forever.

• Home has little to do with where we live. It has more to do with what we create, where we live.

• If you want to learn how to live the good life, hang out with a three year old. 

• Pleasure has less to do with what you are doing, and everything to do with who you are doing it with. 

• Gratitude has the power to create more abundance than a winning lottery ticket. 

• Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option. A newly learned behavior of the importance of reciprocity and parameters in all of our relationships.  My boundary- Mark Twain’s wisdom. 

• Most of all, this past year, I’ve learned every thought, every act, every connection is purposeful and has meaning.  If it's unpleasant, look for the lesson, if it's pleasant,  share your blessing. 

What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls a butterfly.

Richard Bach