Are you new here? This explains the blog
RSS
Prefer posts delivered to your inbox? Just pop your email address in below and click 'GO'.
Recent Posts
- Wilma on Our out-of-integrity world
- Me and out-of-integrity family.
- Wilma on Stop the Interruptions!
- Interrupted thinking creates half-baked me.
- Wilma on Fear of Losing Love
- My fearful pursuit of love and its pathetic results.
- Wilma on Love-in-Action
- Love is the real Father Christmas.
- Wilma on setting boundaries will give us ‘enough’
- When is ‘enough’ enough?
- Ann-Marie on ‘I don’t know’ so I say STOP
- Learning from experience to do things differently.
- Ann-Marie on Do we Learn from our Experiences?
- Learning to observe my Little Voice, my ego.
- Ann-Marie on The Third Person in our Relationships
Topic related blogs:
Where I am coming from
Categories
Further Reading
Search this site
To create, we have to think more.
Normally I wouldn't think, I would panic, get annoyed at the rain and everybody else but not today. Today I thought and gracefully dealt with it.
It is amazing what a break in routine did for me.
It showed me how much routine I have in my life and how much I rely on my auto pilot, thus ruining my chances to do things differently and consciously create my life.
I, like most of us, have a very established routine around shopping for example.
I prefer to go to the same supermarket.
I know where everything is; I mostly buy the same things every time I go.
I even park in the same part of the carpark, so I do not have to pay attention to where I park the car.
This whole familiar routine allows me to switch onto auto pilot and I do.
I never prepare or make a list; I just go and walk along the shelves with my hand automatically reaching out to grab the same old products.
It works.
I am barely conscious and while in this sleep-walking trance I get my shopping done without much effort.
But with little chance to create, be present or to do things differently either.
However my day of shopping with blind George woke me up big time to how little I actually think about the things I do.
And as I do a lot that is a disturbing thought, to think that most of the day I do but do not think!
Is thinking not what sets us apart from animals, is thinking not a highly regarded activity that allows us to rise above the mundane, is thinking not what we are here for?
So when George asked me to take him shopping I was still in a trance, I had not yet woken up, so I automatically responded without thinking; “Sure I will take you shopping“
No problem, shopping for me is a no-brainer right?
Ha.
No- brainer? Come again?
Shopping with blind George was NOT a no-brainer and it turned out to be an eye opening experience of grand proportion.
Going shopping with George broke my routine.
My auto pilot was knocked out of commission which showed me how out of practice I am with consciously doing things that require thinking.
Because I thought that it would be ‘business as usual’, I did not prepare myself at all.
Preparing for shopping, you must be joking!
But luckily George WAS prepared, luckily George does think about the things he does.
I now realize with George being blind he can do very little on auto pilot.
George ALWAYS prepares himself.
He rang me the day before to remind me, he never automatically assumes that people will remember. . . Ahum, I do.
When I arrived he was ready, waiting for me with two shopping lists, one for me and one for him in case I lost my one or left it behind in the car.
Next he gave me some lessons on how to be a ’sighted guide’ before he let me loose on him and his dog.
He instructed me how to lead him and the dog, how to get them both through doors without losing touch and how to navigate the shopping trolley, the dog, himself and myself through the supermarket!
All this information turned out to be very helpful as I’d never been out with a blind person before and in hindsight I can see how I would have run into trouble very quickly leading the three of us.
With my guiding instructions on board I felt better prepared than when I arrived.
Thus confidently I marched to George’s car ready to let a blind man give me street directions in an unfamiliar rural township to an unfamiliar supermarket.
Little did I know about doing things differently!
As promised George knew his way around the township and after this weird experience of having a blind man giving me perfect directions, we arrived at the supermarket.
There I was with George, the guide dog, the shopping trolley, his shopping list, an unfamiliar store lay-out and narrow looking isles full of other people and their trolleys.
This sure required my attention!
I had to watch out for things we could bump into, things we could knock over and things we could get tangled up in.
At the same time I had to follow the list, look at the shelves to find the products and explain to George what was on special and what types of sizes and flavors there were. And there were the stares and the patting of the dog to contend with also.
Well, what was normally a non event, turned into totally revealing learning moments.
The shopping took AGES, I developed a headache and in the end I was completely worn out.
Lucky for us, George’s guide dog knew where I parked the car!
But I learned a great lesson that day.
It was incredible to observe how inflexible I had become, how unprepared I was for doing something new, how much I relied on auto pilot to run my life and how I was used to doing things mindlessly.
In WomenLikeMe it says;
As a generalization; the wealthier, better educated, more populated community we grew up in, the less practiced we are at original thinking. We have no need to be, every thing has already been worked out for us, we only need to follow the rules and react. No thinking required.
(WomenLikeMe on Learning how to do things differently)
Thanks to the fact that George cannot do things mindlessly, the day worked out, but if it had been up to me, we might have been less successful.
The beauty of this experience was that it taught me to pay attention, be present when I do things and to see what a difference it makes when I prepare.
Thus the next time I went to the city, I took it upon myself to think, to prepare myself and to see what more I could create from my day in the city.
That meant I had to change a lot.
Normally I’d go to the city to have lunch with my daughter and to do the grocery shopping. That was about all I could accomplish from 4 hours driving and a whole day away from home.
Sometimes I did try to be more productive so the day before I would think about who else I would like to meet. Then I’d ring them the night before which usually never created a result as most people would not be available at such short notice.
However this time I made a list of whom I wanted to catch up with and what pre Christmas errands I could do.
I even made an itinerary to fit it all in.
AND I did it far ahead of time to give people enough notice!
AND I also let the universe know exactly what help I needed; a spacious parking spot in the very congested city center so I could easily park our big freaky van without fear of damaging other cars.
Let me tell you that this WAS thinking and a totally new way to create my day out.
My normal conversation was that too much preparation is anal and shows that you are inflexible.
WHAT?
YES! Who said I was perfect?
However as a result of my thinking and preparation I managed to jam pack my day with things to do and people to see and wow was I productive.
I saw THREE friends, had the van’s oil changed, picked up not one but two books from different shops, FOUND MY HUGE PARKING SPACE for the big freaky van, had a good lunch with my daughter, dropped off the backpack for my other daughter, did my grocery shopping for the month and survived torrential rain that soaked me twice and caused road slips and flooding.
My thinking created a wonderful day; I did it gracefully, peacefully AND so differently.
Related Posts
42 Comments to “To create, we have to think more.”
Leave a reply
Subscribe to comments with RSS or TrackBack to 'To create, we have to think more.'.
Hi Wilma! George has been a marvelous teacher for you, hasn’t he? That’s wonderful! I’m sure there is a whole world full of people living on auto pilot – just doing out of habit, without really thinking. Look how you ended up having such fun at the end of your story because you were entertaining creative thinking, changing up the routine of things! Good for you!!! Do that enough and you will kick routine in the ass and say goodbye to it whenver you can. It SO much more fun to do things differently and you WILL be thinking because you cannot do different on autopilot! Maybe I’m just a child at heart but I really go out of my way to have fun with EVERYthing!
God bless George! — and all the George’s out there for their courageous and creative examples – teaching those who see HOW to really see!
Holiday Hugs
suZen
suzen´s last blog ..Trying, trying, trying – Or Not?
Hi SuZen, yes George has been a real inspiration and yes we do a lot on auto pilot.
Even our thinking is automatic and seldom goes to a totally different and more creative place.
As you know even teachers go on automatic with following a curriculum or attending to children how they have been taught. It takes courage to think for yourself.
it is interesting to see that around Christmas, only when we are forced by circumstances, some of us are looking to do things differently and even then we try so hard to copy the past.
You are spot on, we have to become like children to find fun in everything.
Was there not someone else who pointed at that, by saying we have to become like children to find the way to heaven?!
So SuZen, you have a heavenly Christmas and indeed bless all the Georges out there, may we be one of them.
Lots of holiday love back to you, Wilma xox.
Hi Wilma! What a great story! It takes a George now and then to wake us up out of our dream state we often live in doesn’t it! Bless him! Sometimes auto pilot is good, like when we are under stress, but turning it off and living outside the box can be fun, liberating and expansive! I love this story and will be thinking about you and George as I stretch out my own mind to try new ways of doing things! Thanks for the kick in the patoot! Merry Christmas! And a very happy, George-like new year! xo
Hi Diantha, it certainly has been an eye-opener to have been woken up by George and we do need people like him, for sure.
.
Certain things like doing the actions to drive a car is good on automatic, the body remembers it anyway and shopping that way can be a blessing too sometimes, but I got such a shock when I noticed how often I am not present and how I got thrown when I cannot do routine, it was unreal.
It has been a pleasure to give you a kick in the patoot, I kicked mine as well
A great Christmas to you too and I sure hope we all have a George like New Year, love Wilma
Hi Wilma,
A couple of months ago, a round about was put in right near our grocery store. This is the first round about we have anywhere near us – so driving through them is a new experience. Normally I would just go straight through the round about on the way to the grocery store. Although, one day when I was with my son, we did a couple of loops in the round about (kind of like a carnival ride!). And – when we finally made it to the grocery store – the whole experience was just more fun. And I looked a bit longer at items on the shelf.
So, I saw a couple of focus points in this article. One on planning and one on breaking routine. This story I shared is about breaking routine. I *try* to break routine from time to time – and when I do – just like my visit to the grocery store – I see things a bit differently.
Wilma, your story of taking George out to the store is reminding me that I should do this more often – purposely break my routines – to see things just a bit differently.
Wishing you happy and love-filled Christmas…
Lance´s last blog ..Sunday Thought For The Day
Hi Lance, routine is a great way to have us not being present and as that is not the best way to make an awesome life it sure does pay to break routine anyway you can.
We have a lot of round abouts here in New Zealand and when people do such unexpected things as going around and around, we never expect it and are ususally taken by surprise and often we need to backtrack as we are already halfway on the round never thinking you would come back because you are doing a circle; you should see us unlookers waking up and watching it.
I just got to see how much we do routine, probably because we are so busy gobbling up life just as we do with our food.
The funny bit was when I did break my city routine, I also got to see that I could be far more productive.
This seems contradictory and yet it was not; I then had to think and thus I could see that my routine was not that crash hot.
I too wish you and your family a wonderful love-filled Christmas with lots of thinking moments, xox.
What an incredible gift George has given you, or rather that you’ve manifested for yourself: the gift of having to practice mindfulness. Mindfulness is something I’ve learned about conceptually, dabbled with casually in meditation retreats (a very sterile and safe place to practice it!), but rarely remember to bring into my everyday life. George essentially turned your ordinary, habituated thinking upside down like a child dumping blocks out of a bin! I love it!!!
I read somewhere that our habituated thinking is the brain’s way of making things easier for us — of conserving energy, as it were. Something about creating shorter neuropathways for the things we always do so that more of our brain is freed up for newer activities. I don’t know exactly, but it’s something like that. Unfortunately, it does cause us to sleepwalk through our days, doesn’t it?
I loved reading about your experience, Wilma, and what you learned. More than the gift George gave you, you’ve given all of us a gift, too! Many thanks and much love!
Megan “JoyGirl!” Bord´s last blog ..Funny Cookies
Megan, you wonderful being, you have nailed it with this;
For a long time I have been soo frustrated, I too could not find out how I could apply all these new conversations into my real life.
Being present, thinking, creating, mindfulness, what on earth did that all mean and what was the big deal anyway?????
The day with George made it so clear.
At Women Like me we promote learning from experience as experience is the only thing that really counts and I got that loud and clear from that day.
Do-ing things differently, creating your life from who you are be-ing, it is not that easy and simple.
It will always be in the observing of my ordinary daily life where the gold lies.
AND you realized that too and fed it back to me so eloquently.
Thanks Megan, I do appreciate that immensely. Together we will figure it out, together we will learn how to create from our be-ing in our daily life, because that is where we are present. Hugs Wilma.
Good post, Wilma. ‘Tis true, is it not – our auto-pilot is a mixed blessing indeed. On the one hand, we need it. Our society has become far too complex to have to make conscious decisions about every little thing. That would quickly exhaust our mental (and emotional) capacities. This ability to auto-pilot has also certainly helped us collectively advance to the position we are now in. On the other hand, it takes away our autonomy to think and make decisions. The more we rely on auto-pilot, the less control we have of ourselves and the direction we are moving in. The more auto-pilot, the less awareness of now.
I think the art is finding the balace between when yes and when no. The art is the conscious decision when to go on automatic and when not. Generally, however, as you point out so nicely, we usually do this unconsciously.
Hmmm. This, once again, gives me a bit to think about.
Lisa´s last blog ..Bump in the Night
Hi Lisa, the starting point for me has been indeed observing and noticing what you say here;
THAT has been a big aha, as I not only DO things on auto pilot, I also speak things from auto pilot. AND that is fatal. As words create I cannot have them come out of my mouth on auto pilot.
Complaints come out of my mouth from auto pilot, bad news stories come from my mouth on auto pilot, problem focused talk comes out my mouth on auto pilot.
THAT is my biggest concern when I observed how my auto pilot has disconnected me from my awareness.
I am supposed to be a thinking be-ing, BUT AM I?????????
AND only consciousness, awareness will allow me to do things differently, don’t you think?
Yes, it uncovered a lot for me and I hope it will continue to do so for you as well
Love Wilma
Hi Wilma
I love this! What a blessing this was for you (and all of us reading it) having your friend George. That is just incredible!
And this part got me the most first …”he never automatically assumes that people will remember”
We assume and expect so, so much from others and our society and when they don’t deliver we get all bent out of shape…but whose fault/problem is it really, right?
And about the thinking, I don’t necessarily think that we don’t think, it is just that we think about the “wrong” things (forgive the use of that word) – most of the day our mind is running through a million and one thoughts that most of the time don’t serve us as they are just replaying many of the same thoughts over and over, usually negative ones too. And so then our actions have to come from auto-pilot as our mind is occupied with other thoughts.
Oh Wilma, this story was so delightful and in the end it all goes down to being aware, being conscious and being truly present in every moment.
Evita´s last blog ..It’s A Wonderful Life and Your Role In It Is Irreplaceable
Hi Evita,
I do agree that our mind is busy, but as you say the thing to distinguish here is, is to become aware if the things we are thinking are serving us, are they adding value to the greater good of all.
AND that requires being mindfull and being present and aware and cannot be done from a state of auto pilot.
THAT is what I understood from that day. That is what makes being present so important, what makes awareness so important.
Only from that point I can change, only from that point I consciously can become the change I desire to be.
AND only when I become aware of the extend of sleep walking I do, can I wake myself up.
Oh, it has been an exciting and disturbing realization alright and I could not have done this alone.
It astounds me how much it takes to really really get all this being present and aware, but at least I feel I am making some headway, phew.
AND all these comments add to the understanding and they show we all are coming to grips with it and that is very promising.
Love Wilma
Hi Wilma,
In Buddhism they say that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. Sounds like George is one of your teachers. What a beautiful gift!
Years ago, when I was single, I had a very small apartment and one day, I had so much on my mind, I placed a pair of socks in my freezer. I was so consumed with my thoughts, I have no idea how and why I placed my socks in the freezer. When I finally found the socks, I felt like the Universe had thrown me a huge sign. Be mindful of everything.
You are so right…we get so caught up in the routine, we forget that nothing is written in stone and we can shake things up and have even more fun. Good for you for changing things around!
And by the way, I never put a pair of socks in the freezer ever again!
Love and hugs to you!
Nadia – Happy Lotus´s last blog ..Searching For Some Soul
Hi Nadia, I have not thought about it that way, but it is so, that day with George hit me between the eyes big time because I was ready. I was definitely prepared to really understand what was going on. How cool. I am making progress!
That is a classic Nadia, putting your socks in the freezer, indeed what does that say and how often does that not happen to us.
It has been a real shock to see how little present I am and I finally got to see how that effects my thinking as well.
Letting go of auto pilot sure paves the way for fun and being creative and shaking things up.
Lets keep on shaking, lets really live as if we understand what we are talking about, nothing is set in stone and that doesn’t allow for auto pilot too often.
I am pleased to hear you are no longer finding socks in the freezer, you might be accused of being an airhead
Big hugs back to you, Wilma
Wilma, this is wonderful because I am definitely a person of habit, down to eating the same thing for breakfast and lunch on weekdays, doing laundry on the same day of the week, using the same beauty products I have used for years… You get the picture. My husband is always trying new things, buying new flavors of items at the grocery store, trying new hygiene products, etc. It annoys me sometimes because it breaks my habits and I often would rather keep things the same than tempt fate by changing something. I am forever thinking of the consequences.
Your post reminded me how much I actually enjoy getting “lost” when navigating a new city. I enjoy it because I always find my way and I feel proud of myself for trying something new and succeeding. I also know how much Donald values it when I try something new, so perhaps that will be something at the front of my mind now as I move through the rest of my day today. Thank you.
Daphne´s last blog ..My First Blog Award
Hi Daphne.
It is a great first step to become aware how routine can be an obstacle to do-ng things that more fully serve us.
If via the observation you see how routine is stopping you from adding more value to your life, make it more fun, make life more extensive, than you can begin to do things differently and create your own life from your onw script.
It takes awareness and when in a trance you cannot do things differently.
And routine is a great way to keep you in a trance. Thus it is great what Donald does, keep breaking the routine so you keep your awareness.
And I would love you to give it a go, it does prepare you for a life that is adventurous and it prepares you to deal with what life throws at you when things do not go to plan. And you know already that life does not go to plan.
Daphne it is so great to know this at your age, it is a priceless way of being when you are aware and thus can think and create an awesome life that is NOT reactive but creative.
Lots of love to you and Donald, Wilma xox
Our trip for Christmas will definitely be a break from routine and I’m hoping to approach it all with an open heart and mind. Thank you so much for the encouragement and well-wishes. I’ll keep you posted.
Daphne´s last blog ..My First Blog Award
Brilliant Daphne.
That is so great to hear. Go do Christmas differently!
So looking forward to hearing about what you’ve created. Hugs to you and Donald xxx
Wilma,
I love hearing about George and how he influences your life. One thing traveling has taught me is nothing is routine. As you know we fly stand by and in the last 2 years have never had a problem finding two empty seats on the same flight. Being the holidays we had a back up plan when we left AZ last week. I told Roger if there is only one seat he could have it. I would go home and come back the next day and try again.
We’re so grateful for our free flights I’ve learned to never complain about anything. Sure enough there was only one seat. I gave it to him, returned home and set my alarm for 3 am to return to the airport to try again. I did get on that time on an indirect flight. We stopped in St Louis and I had to switch planes. I got on again and Roger was at the airport to pick me up in Detroit 24 hours after he arrived.
I have come to look at airports, flight attendants, pilots and all else with great appreciation. I’ll be the last one to complain about prices, extra fees, delays, storms etc. In fact I never did anyway. I never stepped foot on a plane until I was 17. After that we took 2 trips while our daughters were in high school. Then we didn’t travel anywhere until they left college.
Now the opportunity we have allows us to travel whereever and whenever we want. But isn’t that what happens to those who choose to be grateful and not complain? Opportunities fall into their laps.
So traveling isn’t a routine and never will be. It’s a joy and we’re blessed to be able to fly…is an unending miracle.
Hi Tess, you gave a wonderful example of how accepting is part of a routineless life as well and I write about that in my next post.
Routine is about control and we take offense to everything that breaks it.
No wonder, because most of the time we are left high and dry when the routine gets broken with little resiliance to cope with the spoke in the wheel.
I also appreciate what you say here;
Life is supposed to be an unending miracle, full of surprises and unexpected twists, who wants a boring predictable ride anyway?
However you need to be awake to cope with these twists and turn, you need to be awake to see the miracles unfolding. Being asleep on a roller coater is not appropriate and not much fun.
Thanks Tess and you no doubt will create a miraculous Christmas, Wilma xox.
Oh Wilma. You transformed from being in the coma of auto pilot to playing the game of life very deliberately through what you learnt on your shopping day with George. He is such a wonderful example of being present in life.
And it didn’t stop there; you took this learning and turned it into a reality by creating the most fantastic day in the city. A day that had you buzzing with the results you created and you even found the perfect parking spot for the van … everything was such a breeze that day!
Now that is exciting stuff. To see what differences thinking can have on your life; to have the daily routine be extraordinary and so much fun.
I can operate at an unconscious level, mechanically going about my day. I sometimes find myself driving down the wrong street! How’s that for thinking. To break the routine of my thinking, to think about things in a different way and to focus on how to get things done rather than what stands in the way adds tremendous value to my life. It brings ideas to life that I never thought about before. I am in observation mode with this.
I’m getting glimpses of what can be achieved with active thinking and also present to the fact that auto pilot still plays a part in my day.
Oh Wilma the things we can do when we think differently are so abundantly infinite. I agree with you ‘thinking is a highly regarded activity that allows us to rise above the mundane’.
Much Love
Hi Ann-Marie, we are sure having fun with this concept as well, haven’t we?
The things I do and the things that come out of my mouth automatically are astounding and are so reactive most of the time, arrghh.
However as you say we got a glimpse of how it can be, now it is a matter of holding on to that glimpse and keeping this light of awareness alive by nurturing it and watching our conversations.
I love what you say here;
At least we have a glimpse of what is possible and that is more than I ever had. I simply did not understand what all that talk about being present and aware could achieve. I had no idea, but now I have and that sure feels good.
. XOX.
Lets rock next year Ann-Marie by replacing reactive auto pilot be-ing with conscious creating of possibilities now I know what I am talking about
You’re on Wilma…
Reactive auto-pilot good-bye, hello conscious creating of possibilities!!!
I like it and I know that we can all do it together! xxx
Oh Wilma! How wonderful to break that stride and learn so many helpful things. I loved your day in the city and the steps you took to get there and BE in the moment.
My mother most of my life was an alcoholic. About five years ago, I really dived into what that meant for me. A lot of the books concluded if you were raised by an alcoholic, then you would raise your own children like an alcoholic. All my co-dependency issues came to light. I did not want to raise my daughter like an alcoholic and the cycle continue. It took a lot to break that routine.
I am still have to be incredibly aware. I always have to think and search myself to not do so automatically. What a great post! Thank you greatly!
Angelia (Texas)´s last blog ..A Stunning Christmas
Hi Angelia, it is really astounding to see what invisible influences are present in our lives, uncanning really. However I do agree with you that it is wonderful to become aware and then get on with breaking that routine. I also agree that that is easier said than done.
But you have taken the responsibility for your own life by observing what is going on AND you have taken the steps to change the influence. THAT is courage and that is commitment and that is you.
Awesome and you are creating a wonderful life with Jason and all of the girls.
You continue to have a great Christmas week and enjoy showing of your engagement ring.
Lots of love to you both, Wilma xox/
Being mindful is an act of conscious thinking. When I read Dr. Bruce Lipton’s book, “The Biology of Belief” I was struck by the amount of data our subconscious mind can handle versus our conscious mind. Sometimes, I thank God for my auto-pilot because if my conscious mind goes on a walk while I’m driving home from work, my sub-conscious takes over just long enough for me to realize I’m stopped at the red light at exit 5…whew…
Doing things out of the ordinary or getting unstuck from the auto-pilot we ourselves have created is acheived by replacing an old sub-routine with a new one. I know that one of my 90 day habit breaking / new habit forming sub-routines is to replace my morning “check email, facebook, blogs,” time with yoga and meditation.
xo
Peggy
Peggy at Serendipity Smiles´s last blog ..Your Moment of Bliss
Hi Peggy.
Auto pilot has its place for sure and I am not saying that it is to be avoided all the time. What I am alerting to is that even our thinking is more automatic than is good for us.
Things come out of my mouth automatically, my thinking goes automatically to focus on a problem rather than to a creative solution, my reaction to a situation is automatically going to that things are wrong.
THAT is what I am really pointing at and the access to all our automatic behavior, talk and thoughts is to observe first how much we do on automatic and how inflexible we have become. We have become inflexible to go with the flow of life, we all talk about going with the flow but to do that you cannot be on automatic as much as we are and THAT is not well understood.
I am not alluding to changing one habit for another, it is about becoming aware of how much we are on automatic in every aspect of our lives.
Being present as Eckhart Tolle describes is defeated by all our automatic ways of life.
Watching what comes out of your mouth might be a way to also access what I am alerting us to here.
Love Wilma.
Hi Wilma,
My sense of humor didn’t translate too well…sorry.
My morning routine is automatic. I do it without thinking and often it can set my day or the rest of the morning up for a lot of mindlessness. My yoga practice is not an automatic – it’s purposed, mindful, aware. There’s a lot of Now that takes place. I think revising how I do things inside my routine brings more awareness to my every day. And perhaps I won’t be stopped at that red light wondering how on earth I got there because I don’t consciously remember getting from point A to point B.
Peggy Nolan´s last blog ..Defending My Inheritance – Writing Prompt
Hi Peggy, oops and yes at least our whole being, conscious or unconscious is wired about red lights. No confusion there, indeed phew.
Hi Wilma – I’m rather late to the party here, so I’ll just say I loved your story. Every bit of it. It’s so easy to get caught up in the routine and rhythm of daily life, the constant onward march with nary a sideways glance. You’ve beautifully illustrated all the good reasons to stop that march forward once in awhile, notice, and do it differently. A great lesson!
Patty – Why Not Start Now?´s last blog ..Before the New Year
Hi Patty, you described it very vividly; “the constant onward march with nary a sideways glance.”
Indeed that is not living creatively, THAT is just following a railway track and indeed never venturing out. Where would you find change and doing things differently there indeed
Well said and I am sure that the different Christmas you are going to create will be a grand experience.
Love Wilma xox
Darling Wilma,
Not to mention the naughty jumpy mind that keeps trying to fall into the same pattern. But, I “prefer” being mindful and aware, its so much more of an enriching experience. I can remember every little detail after-wards too…Nothing is missed ! How much more fun is that ?? 
This was such a wonderful learning lesson for me too. Reading this just brought back so many moments I had gone on autopilot in the past. I was much like you..who thought pre planning was truly anal….I actually thought ‘hey i am a smart gal..i can remember what i want to do and how i want to do it’; but least did i know, i was not really doing anything at all.
When i started falling behind in regular chores..and things started piling up, thats when i realized I seriously needed to “do things differently” to achieve my regular targets.
Believe me, George is like a God sent when it comes to your learning experience isnt it. Just like my little daughter and my Big Hubby are for me too. Everyday i am put in a new situation….in the past i wouldve been in frenzy..with no time for anything….but today I have enough time for Everything! Amazing how just being aware and mindful make all the difference.
I do still like going with the flow and living on autopilot to some extent…its kind of my mental luxury now
Zeenat{Positive Provocations}´s last blog ..Hearts Design
Dear Z, I love your comment, it is spot on. We have no idea how unthinking we mostly go about life and it goes deeper of course than just doing chores on automatic. However as you say, once you get over yourself and realize how more we live when we are present and when we think about things, it is worthwhile to to become aware.
I love how you say that doing certain tasks on automatic is luxury and indeed that is a great way to look at it.
We have lost the art to think and thus to create our lives in an authentic personal way and once you realize the consequences of that, it is first mindblowing and then you do want to change it.
As you say life is different when you are present.
Lots of love to you, to your wonderful husband and your adorable daughter, Wilma xox
Maybe a little general planning, then allow for plenty of flow is the way to go.
My first husband has a blind friend and his dog was just the most loveable sweet darling pooch you’d ever imagine — and funny too, he’d sneak up on the bed whenever the sighted of us weren’t around. Munro was a black lab.
What kind of dog does George have?? I bet he’s just a darling too. They usually spend their first year or two in a family with children.
I recall shopping with Rob was quite a test too, tho much easier than shopping with a small child. Rob never once whined for candy or some small toy, not that I can recall anyway.
To Create We Have To Think More, now I ponder on how that affects me and writing lyrics to an existing melody. How can I think more?? CAN I think more?? Should I think less?? Maybe I need just to “unfollow the rules?” the latter may be my best bet. This has me thinking, Wilma — thanks for the creativity fodder.
Jannie Funster´s last blog ..A Peanuts Christmas Song For You
haha Jannie, yes you are right neither George nor the dog were getting distracted by all the goodies for sale.
Thinking is not the mind generated cumbersome thinking, this thinking is becoming aware of what the purpose is of what you are doing and this thinking is going for desirable and serving solutions rather than following a pattern you are not even aware of.
Most of our mindless thinking is focused on problems and negative scenarios, once we become aware of our thoughts we can then steer them to a vision and to what is possible. Do not think less but do think better and more productive.
I will write about that in my next post.
In the meantime you keep thinking about your thinking and writing your wonderful music and then you will come up with a way to have your husband working less.
Love Wilma
WOW!! This is just AMAZING!!! ! I LOVE experiences like this, experiences that rattle my cage, shake me up, wake me up, and strip me of all my somnolence (sleep walking). I just devoured this story. Good for you dear sweet and bold Wilma. This whole post just left me reeling. Your writing is sooooo ALIVE and makes me feel like I am right there with you in the store.
What you speak of here is sooooooo important that I believe it to be the difference between Life and Death…or living awake or asleep. And if we’re asleep at the wheel we’re merely existing. I ask myself every single day, “Where have I fallen asleep at the wheel? And not ONLY where I have I fallen asleep, but HOW can I bring more LIFE into my days, my precious time here on Earth? How can I upset my staid apple cart…before the apples rot?”
I’ve often felt that it is not death that we fear, but rather it is NOT living that we fear. We fear waking one day and realizing that our life as slipped past us, go on without us, and we have NOT brazenly, gustily, dramatically, daring, risking all, greedily reached out for LIFE — mistakes, pain, joy and all. We have not clutched it between our fingers and shoved it hungrily into our starved mouths….and tasted it with every fiber of our being.
We are not static stagnant beings. We evolve into greatness, into who we REALLY are through essential movement of energy and change. I think it is why I deeply treasure even the appearingly rough times of my life, why I cherish the storms and the “not knowing”, why I cherish and thrive on the Great Unknown.
God, I love how you inspire me to such passion, Life and greatness of being, how you inspire to me be who I REALLY am. I love you, Wilma and I am hugging you and cheering you on just as you cheer me on everyday. Much love, Robin
Robin Easton´s last blog ..Share Your Legacy?
Dearest Robin,
This is it;
We have been given the most beautiful place to experience an amazing existence, courtesy of our creator and what do we do, we stay standing at the edge whining in fear.
Oh the pain of realizing that has been indeed great however it is never too late to start tasting life full on as you say.
We go to Disney land to experience what we think are great rides, well we can have them every minute where we are.
Robin, your visions and your images and your living are my greatest gift, I am coming and following right on your heels and I am grateful.
Lots of love, more than you know, Wilma
Hi Anne Marie and WIlma .. and I wrote about our rain .. well it’s really bad elsewhere and we’ve had flooding down here .. but your lot looked a bit nasty.
My uncle who was nearly blind liked doing his shopping, but it took ages – eventually I persuaded him to get it delivered .. he couldn’t believe it = bliss! The only snag was he left me to order .. so after he died I got criticised for duplicating his orders and having the outside freezer with too much – I don’t live next door, I did ask him if he’d empty and eat the outside freezer stuff and got the answer yes .. I tried to keep an eye on it (clear the fridge regularly) … but honestly – relatives!!!! At least when he did go out he could do what he wanted to do, and not shop for necessities and he did see it as a boon.
I do mentally plan quite well .. and today I’ve been thinking about a journey to Cornwall to pick up Mum’s great friend for a visit up here, stay with a girlfriend on the way down, visit my father’s brother – aged 95 -, visit another friend of my father’s aged 92 … tieing it all in with a supper in Cornwall for the people who’ve been v good with Mum, while she’s been ill … then reversing the process.
Fortunately I can do and it works .. the mental process is essential with my work projects too – so that will be nice once that gets back to normal .. the realisation that I need to do it is essential – as well as write the plans out as I go along.
I learnt from another uncle – that if you can make things as simple as possible for others .. it makes life a lot easier for both parties – George sounds wonderful .. please say ‘Hi’ for me .. I could dig through .. but it’d take me ages!!
Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories
Hilary´s last blog ..Wassail .. and “The Twelve Days of Christmas”
Oh Hilary, the puns in your comments are hilarious and do dig through some time when you have the time! For now I will pass on your regards to George as I have been reading him the responses.
Yes, people will always have an opinion even if they do not know the full story or even attempt to find out what is going on before giving their point of view.
That is another one that I learnt to do, stop giving an opinion as you never know the full story AND that is too easier said than done.
Yes, I got to see that planning in that format is indeed very helpful and lucky for me I could give up my opinions about that
I am so pleased you are planning that trip, you have to take care of basecamp as you know.
Love Wilma
I have felt as though my routine is becoming a deep trench in my path. Thanks for sharing this shopping with George story. Thank you for allowing this new perspective to be part of your journey. By reading the blog, I can make it part of my own. Blessings to you and Wilma and a most extraordinary 2010 for all of us.
Erin´s last blog ..Press On, Stay Focused, Take a Risk
Hi Erin, and thank YOU for being part of this community, listening and then sharing your insights.
It is by hearing the message form different angles that will help us to eventually get to hear what is being said. At least that is how it works for me.
And I love your wish to all of us for 2010, so let’s make 2010 that way.
Love Wilma