TRUST YOUR OWN PERCEPTIONS

Photo credit: Cassandra Batson

When I read someone else's words that help me through my day, lift me, inspire me, I am always grateful. The power of ideas being put together with individual words that mean little or nothing on their own carry meaning that elevates.

Friend, don’t be a perfectionist.

Perfectionism is a curse and a strain.

For you tremble lest you miss the bull’s-eye.

You are perfect if you let be.

Friend, don’t be afraid of mistakes.

Mistakes are not sins.

Mistakes are ways of doing something different,

Perhaps creatively new.

Friend, don’t be sorry for your mistakes.

Be proud of them.

You had the courage to give something of yourself.

It takes years to be centered; it takes more years

to understand and to be now.

Until then, beware of both extremes,

perfectionism as well as instant cure, instant joy, instant sensory awareness.

Until then, beware of any helpers.

Helpers are con-men who promise something for nothing.

They spoil you and keep you dependent and immature.

Frederick S. Perls

Photo credit: Cassandra Batson

Swedish Lullaby
Children's Choir of Portsmouth (Rhode Island)
Grades 3 - 8

RAW PLACES - WHERE I FEEL THE MOST - WHERE I LIVE MOST OF THE TIME

Every once in awhile I listen and watch this video.
It never fails to bring some balance to the present moment.

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Be As You Are - Frederick Perls
Uploaded by davidtheharper

An excerpt from my current journal:

August 15, 2009
1:46 p.m.

RAW PLACES

I'm one of those
who goes to the raw places,
To no destination on someone else's map,
But a place where I feel the most.
I feel the most me.
Nearer to a time-free place,
It's not a place you can see with your eyes,
Yet my eyes show when I'm there.
But only to those who can read eyes.

Raw places, where the hurt is always fresh,
pain is ageless.
Raw places where the moments of wholeness
are as alive as the moment it showed up.

Raw places where being real is not only okay,
but welcome.

You can't come to the raw places,
if you don't show up real.

I only want to be with those
who come to their raw place.

Otherwise, you might as well be dead,
You're just living dead anyway.

Why live dead
when you can live alive?

You can show up whole there and not fear rejection.

You can bring everything and feel free to open it up.
You can feel,
hold it,
be comforted with it.
You can let it unfold,
you can let it envelop you.
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The raw place is the altar of your soul.
It's where I go
when I need to feel alive.
It's where I live most of the time.
It's where I want to be
because it's where I feel real.

It's where the universe integrates with my spirit,
my soul.
It's where I find refuge in myself.

All those who try so hard
to never go to their raw place,
live with a soul that's always hungry,
starving 'til mortal death moves them through.

Those who want to go there
but don't know the way,
find people like me
and get their soul nourished
by living off my willingness to live raw.

I am pulled toward other souls
who want to be fearless,
who are willing to open up to all that is.

Sandra Hammel

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"Just You and I"

Sung by Melissa Manchester

Lyrics

When your heroes go up in a puff,
There's not enough to hang on to
And the ones you would count on to call
They all fall down all around you

Then you've got to believe there's more
It is the reason, we're put here for
There's just you and I

When the legends over

And we have just begun

We can look to each other

To see us through

Just you and I

When a miracle's long overdue
And there's no one who's gonna come to guide you
So you keep looking up to the sky - wondering why
The clouds won't hide you

At the times when you're most afraid
That is the reason why dreams are made
There’s just you and I

When legends all over

And we have just begun

We can look to each other

To see us through

Just you and I.

At the times when you’re most afraid

That is the reason dreams are made

There’s just you and I

When the legends over

And we have just begun
We can look to each other

To see us through

Just you and I

Just you and I

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"Friend, don't be a perfectionist. Perfectionism is a curse and a strain. For you tremble lest you miss the bulls-eye. You are perfect if you let be. Friend don't be afraid of mistakes. Mistakes are not sins. Mistakes are ways of doing something different, perhaps creatively new. Friend don't be sorry for your mistakes. be glad for them. You had the courage to give something of yourself. It takes years to be centered; it takes more years to understand and be now."
Frederick Perls

Youtube video above, inserted in Raw Places is uploaded by ilovemylifesblog
I wanted to put a portion of the video below in it, but my MAC and imovie wasn't cooperating. So this is the best I could do. I also wanted to put Heath Ledger in it, but it just didn't work out with the length of the song, as well as not blending well with the other two actors that I did use. Well, he would have blended for my way of thinking, but others probably would have been confused.

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Mrs. Carrie Watts gets to finally go back home for a visit.
"The Trip to Bountiful"
Part 9 of 11 Geraldine Page Oscar Performance
Uploaded by tlcarpenter

If you click on this post's title
it will take you to my youtube
of my favorite scene in "The Trip to Bountiful"

Each of us really just wants to be "home". "Home" can mean many things. This is dedicated to my dad - who just wanted to live at home in his last year and a half of life, but he didn't.

I'll love you to the end, Dad.