Thursday, March 30, 2017

The Calm That Settles Within

There is a calm that settles within as we practice seeking it.

Any news or personal event has to weigh itself against this calm.

As the calm becomes more and more pervasive in our individual lives, we create an atmosphere of calm around us.

In the peace, we can hear the next steps to take for our business, our family, our politics.

Since we are seeking to create a society which takes care of all of us in the best possible ways, we are fed wonderful ideas to accomplish this from within.

These ideas are taking wonderful form in ways which include more and more awareness on the part of all segments of society.

When society as a whole receives enough benefits from associating with each other, we will have achieved a practical and stable state.

All the individual effects tied together in groups which unify together are resulting in a very aware and active populace.

The peace and well-being that we want for ourselves naturally spills over to include everyone else.

It is worth cultivating the peace within so that as we all gain power by associating with each other, we have a new way in which to express ourselves.

We can maintain a collective high standard of living as long as we maintain a deep sense of peace and calm which settles within.

© 2017 Kathryn Hardage

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Self-Congratulation and Value

Being at peace involves true value, not self-congratulation.

Doing worthy work, which provides for the most good possible for all of us is a great source of satisfaction and peace.

Compromising one’s own value shows how worthless a person actually feels.

A source of satisfaction and peace about doing worthy work naturally increases the effectiveness of the work.

It spreads and helps others feel valued as well.

This uplifting feeling allows more and more sharing and more and more imagination in making everyone feel welcomed and valuable.

It lessens domestic strife and promotes a sense of relief and the ability to share generously.

Accepting privilege at the great expense of so many others actually lessens one’s own value.

What is the work you have chosen?

Can it uplift and give value to more people?

Can it improve they way others are living across a garden scale?

If that is your role, you have a sacred trust.

Be sure that you value yourself only as much as you value others in order to be able to do it well.

© 2017 Kathryn Hardage

Monday, March 27, 2017

A Community of Love and Trust

We build community with those we love and trust.

When we do what we love, it sets up an attracting flow.

People with complimentary skills show up in our lives and expand our work.

People who are benefitted by our work show up and are enabled to increase their flow.

Building a community on what we love to do creates trust in all those around us.

Others are encouraged to do what they love, and of course, to do it well.

Our level of skill grows through a commitment to doing what we love.

This attracts appreciation; more people want to be part of it.

Places appear where more specialized needs can be met, and the community grows through genuine interactions.

An authentic community of skills and appreciation blesses everyone within it with love and trust.

© 2017 Kathryn Hardage

Thursday, March 23, 2017

My Solution to Being "Over-Revved"

After a morning of really good, productive work, we picked up our food co-op order and brought it home.

We had planned to do some more activities, but I found that I had “over-revved” myself, and needed to just shut down for a while.

As I calmed down and considered what I had put on the agenda for the rest of the day, I realized that it had quite a few components, more than I really felt prepared to deal with.

So, I just took one of them, food preparation and canning based on our co-op order, plus taking care of an extra crate of about sixty green peppers a neighbor had given us.

I simply curled up with the Blue Book Guide to Canning, and found three recipes that suited our produce box, and then felt relieved enough to enjoy the rest of the day.

Another time, I will make an appropriate “house-warming” gift for a friend’s new quilt store.

Another time, I will pick up supplies for my husband to make me a cheese press.

Another time, I will buy the gallons of raw milk to make the cheese.

I can stay in balance without hurrying or pushing myself over the top.

I can live in a relaxed and enjoyable manner.

I am so grateful to recognize when my body tells me to slow down.

Now that I respect the intelligence of what my body is telling me, I can still enjoy everything else I want to do, without “over-revving” my body’s engine.

© 2017 Kathryn Hardage

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Discovering the Peace and Truth Within Me

I have allowed myself to become so bombarded by the noise and confusion of the news, that I found I had to make a directed effort to come back to the peace within me.

As I began to listen for the now familiar feeling of peace, I shut out more and more of the noise and the confusion.

There is an addicting sense of excitement which I finally recognized as not being part of what I am interested in.

My inward peace is now leading me to the truth of my day.

Is there any confusion in my day?

Do I still know who I am?

Do I still understand my purpose?

Am I still able to accomplish it?

I am not confused about my day, nor who I am, my purpose or my ability to accomplish it.

That is my peace and that is my truth.

© 2017 Kathryn Hardage

Friday, March 17, 2017

Express Peace

How do we express peace?

By living with integrity.

By giving everyone the same consideration we give ourselves.

By releasing our small opinions.

By expanding our world view.

By loving and cherishing every single person we see.

By being kind.

By sharing our overflow.

By loving and caring for the earth.

By surrounding ourselves with a beautiful garden.

By helping others create beautiful gardens.

By releasing our fears and replacing them with love.

By helping others release their fears.

By building a community of fearless givers.

We all have the capacity to live in peace in these ways.

© 2017 Kathryn Hardage

Monday, March 6, 2017

People Under Pressure

One of the most valuable things I am learning is not to put myself under pressure.

It is exhilarating, of course, to meet a deadline.

But it is also satisfying to prepare in advance and that is usually possible.

The adrenalin rush should be reserved for crisis situations, not used for daily competence.

Growing up and raising children put me and them under all sorts of deadlines.

Now that I have time to look at all of that frantic life, I can see it would take a new philosophy to act differently.

So I am developing one.

All the things which we do separately can be done in a small co-operative setting.

Small groups of four to six families can cover all the bases, earning income, cleaning house, grocery shopping and meal preparations, gardening (for fresher and healthier food) and lawn care, childcare and homework supervision, after school activities transportation, repair work, laundry.

The time of neighborliness is not past, but it does need to be renovated, since we are all so used to isolation with all of our time-saving appliances.

A good routine and schedule also helps a lot, as do services which perform all our needs.

But, it could help remove a significant amount of pressure once the new model of small cooperative groups is worked out.

© 2017 Kathryn Hardage

Thursday, March 2, 2017

All You Need Always

Never in a hurry.

All you need always, right where you are, right in front of you.

there is always time for calm.

Each step taken in calm deflects confusion.

It adds to the peace of mind around you.

It creates inner peace.

It shows the true nature of who you are.

It gives a tone of harmonious control to your life.

Moving quickly when there is a need can also be done in a calm state.

Everything is prepared for quick or slow motion.

But calm is constant.

You have all the calm you need at any time, always.

© 2017 Kathryn Hardage