Someone Asked If I Knew You?

Posted on July 23, 2019 by Rod's World

As I said in my last blog I turned 65 last week, on Sunday I attended a memorial service for a friend who will not. He was just 42 and one of the most vibrant people on the planet. He was a DJ, an environmentalist, a teacher and a beautiful man. He was taken by the big C, a condition that does not listen to reason.

In the weeks before his passing rumours spread of him passing and people began to write eulogies. He had not, so I began listening to his MixCloud sets. I was listening to one of these when posts began appearing from his nearest and dearest that he had actually passed. At this moment I received a download from him. It was just four words: Get On With It. You cannot assume you will be here to fulfil your passions and dreams next year, Get on with It.

Today an article from my friends Marc and Angel Chernoff titled 25 Things You Should Never Stop Doing for Yourself came through my news feed, I thought they were relevant:

Never stop stretching and improving yourself.
Never stop listening to your own inner voice.
Never stop walking comfortably in your own shoes.
Never stop working through your fears.
Never stop being a little unrealistic.
Never stop doing what needs to be done.
Never stop embracing your struggles.
Never stop being willing to make mistakes.
Never stop getting back up.
Never stop making the best of it.
Never stop ignoring the naysayers.
Never stop taking small steps forward.
Never stop giving yourself a chance to soar to new heights.
Never stop smiling.
Never stop thinking positive.
Never stop laughing at yourself and your life situations.
Never stop appreciating the life you’re living right now.
Never stop indulging in life’s little daily joys.
Never stop spreading your kindness.
Never stop giving what you can.
Never stop giving your important relationships a fair chance.
Never stop doing little things for your own happiness.
Never stop opening your mind to new perspectives.
Never stop evolving.
Never stop writing your own story, your own way.

My friend did most of these, especially number 21, never stop giving your important relationships a chance. So how does society give friendships a chance, here are a selection of that is said about them:

Several hundred people attended the memorial for my friend. quite a few travelled from interstate, I think this supports the above statement.

2. Through a lengthy friendship, all these and more situations arise: Black Coffee.

3. When the physical sails off, we have the memories in our heart.

4. As you get older and they pull down the structures of your past, it is the people that you remember who were there with you: That’s What Friends Are For.

5. I met one of my dearest friends pretending to be a tree at a party in a flat in Carlton in the ’70s when we swayed into each other too vigorously.

6. The people who you can sit with next to a river for hours and not a word needs to be spoken, Fuck Yes: Down by the River.

7. They’re the ones wearing the I’m with them tee shirts.

8. Ama Ata Aidoo, née Christina Ama Aidoo (born 23 March 1942) is a Ghanaian author, poet, playwright and academic. She was the Minister of Education under the Jerry Rawlings administration. In 2000, she established the Mbaasem Foundation to promote and support the work of African women writers because she realised it was important that all people received an education, not just the elite, She has portrayed the role of African women in contemporary society. She has opined that the idea of nationalism has been deployed by recent leaders as a means of keeping people oppressed. She has criticized those literate Africans who profess to love their country but are seduced away by the benefits of the developed world. She believes in a distinctly African identity, which she views from a female perspective: I am Woman.

9. I think we are best at this as children.

10. What does the F stand for: It Ain’t What You Do.

11. There are 51 meanings for the acronym BFF, this could be for two of them: Best Friends Forever or Best Fan Forever.

12. My friend was so good at this. Written in the 1930s or 1940s, still so relevant today: Humble and Kind.

13. Until they are not if you have the thought I wonder how they are, time to reach out.

14. From her Matched Trilogy of teenage novels comes this beautiful quote by author Ally Condie: Tangled Up In You.

15. And we finish our lesson for today with the eating of buns.

We ended the ceremony with a drumming ceremony in a circle, as it lifted in energy, I could imagine our friend saying fuck this, and jumping into the middle and dancing his heart out. Farewell from the physical world, our dear friend, the eternal will hold you well as will our hearts.

The playlist for today is not really representative of the music our friend loved, but maybe it is as he loved all music. It begins with All Saints. Then drops back a century to Dionne Warwick, a long guitar solo by Neil Young, Helen Reddy and Bananarama. The penultimate track goes country by Tim Mcgraw as does the final number from Aaron Lewis: Someone Asked If I Knew You.

It took me two days to write this, it normally takes two hours. My friend lived Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included. We will miss you, dear friend.

Until we meet again my dear friends, I love you.

People Think About What They Don’t Want!!

Posted on July 20, 2019 by Rod's World

It’s a bit of a celebration today, on Wednesday I reached the old official retirement/pension age of 65 in Australia. Our right-wing government wanted to make it seventy before the backlash became too much when it reached 68. This is also my 450th blog. What did I do on my retirement day, I went to an event called Awakening Attraction, this is the blurb for it:

There is nothing that enlivens relationships more than the potency of ‘chemistry’ – the charge, the tension and the excitement of impassioned desire.

It is this magnetism, this enchantment, this allure that is the elixir of relating and it weaves certain magic through our romantic interactions.

Without it, we may still have great ‘friendships’ or ‘partnerships’ but we will be missing out on the ‘juice’!!

Attraction has often been considered as an elusive ‘Je ne se quo’, but what if attraction was not a mystery but rather something you could understand, cultivate and play within a healthy way to bring out the best in those around you? What if you could ignite the spark of attraction and keep the flame alive in relationships?

During this interactive special evening event for men and women where we will be navigating all things ATTRACTION.

The topic we will be exploring on the night…
– When it comes to intimate relationship what is your ATTRACTION STYLE?
– Understanding the effect you have (or don’t have) on others.
– What do you WANT to attract and what are you actually attracting?
– How you ignite the spark of attraction
– How you keep the flame burning deeper in a long term relationship.

I have done the feeder program for this night called Awakening Women for Men, a transformational experience that alters how you listen to your own inner feminine, your mother, mine has passed, your sisters if you have them, your lovers and your female friends and the sister program is Awakening Men for Woman. The ethos of these programs is

We believe that at our human core our greatest longing is to be seen, felt and heard by those we love.

Awakening Connections is a new paradigm of relating that empowers people to come into deeper wholeness, love and truth.

We know a world exists where humans feel enlivened within themselves which in turn creates an opening for healthy, sexy and inspired relationships.

Relationships with self and others are the most challenging emotional experiences we face, asking us to continually evolve and grow.

We give people the ability to really step into and navigate the challenges we face and turn them into gold.

Awakening Connections celebrates the journey of relationship through embracing both its ecstatic potential as well as the gritty, real and raw nature of the human experience.

It’s time to create extraordinary relationships, are you ready?

So how has society looked at attraction over the years, here are some of my favourite ways!!!

1. This calls out to my heartspace.

2. In the real field of attractiveness, you do not have to live by the rules that there are only certain desires that are OK: I Feel Good.

3. But only with consent, we do not read it right every time.

4. Are you great at receiving your desires, it is something I am working on after years of listening to the reasons why I couldn’t in my head: Waiting for Love.

5. Body Butter, not something taught in standard high school sex education classes.

6. Talking about what is present in the actual moment, not saying what you think they want to hear, now that is expansive: Titanium.

7. Do you match your desires, I am about a 5 out of 10, always working on becoming stronger at it.

8. And once you begin to awaken your conscious self, your lifeforce does not allow you to go back: Set Fire To The Rain.

9. Magnets are built to attract to and stick to what are the right frequencies, listen to your magnetic power.

10. Fear prevents you from approaching what you desire and what you are attracted to, there is that classic saying have your fear and do it anyway. Over to You: Anyway.

11. Fuck Yes!!

12. Awakening occurs at the moment, you can do it millions of time in your life, especially around attraction: Changes.

13. Red or Blue, which are you attracted too?

14. Remember in this attraction game that you have unique strengths and skills, may you find the one, or even two or three that honours them: The Way.

15. And from the most famous of philosophers Ms Unknown comes the final lesson when awakening attraction.

A week or so after doing Awakening Women for Men a dear friend of mine asked me what did I learn about women from the course, it felt like she was checking to see what secrets Alley, Shaney and Jarrod had given away. Here is my answer: I said there was too much, it will take a lifetime to take it all in, but imagine I had never met you and I walked into the room and saw you and went: we must end up as lovers. I ask you out informing you that I broke up with Janice three months ago. I would know when I am placing my projections of being with Janice on our relationship, allowing it to be new and fresh and full of love and curiosity. She smiled and said that is beautiful.

The playlist for today speaks to the awakening of attraction. We begin with the Sex Machine James Brown. then we move forward to this century with Avicii. David Guetta duets with Sia next. Adele and Martina McBride follow. @Pac does the penultimate number, finishing with Ariana Grande.

Honouring your attractions is needed if we are to live from Love and Respect for All, Everybody Included. I sincerely believe that there is at least one awakened soul out there for us. Until next time, my dear friends.

You Were Born An Original Work Of Art!!

Posted on July 4, 2019 by Rod's World

I am a Warrior of Love, It’s a 12-month long training program that allows you to live your life from Essence/Lifeforce instead of the identity we have built up over our lifetime. this is the link to my mentors’ school: Living as Essence.

My Essence is Unlimited Intimacy, recently as I search for it I have entered the shadowland where it does not exist in my life. My identity has taken me to many dark places over time as my solution is to wish it would go away, definitely not to spend time hanging out with it which is what Arion, my mentor sees as the way into healing and that I also intrinsically know is the way.

I write daily love memes and original Inner Pilot Light prose on my Facebook Newsfeed and have been given two opportunities recently to receive intimacy from two women I rather fancy as possible partners. The first put a heart on a love meme that spoke about being authentically loved. My reaction was to go into deep shadow thoughts about why would she do that and construct a maze around any possibility… I took this to my weekly session and did some work on sitting with the possibility versus rejecting it without any evidence as to it being a possibility. This morning I wrote the following

Dearest Rod,

You try SO hard to be perfect. But how do you think life will be better if you’re perfect?

Don’t you realize that your imperfections make you adorable? Just think what a beast you’d be if you were some Stepford person?

Freckles decorate a face.

Scars suggest a life well risked.

Mistakes make you relatable.

And holes in your jeans give others a place to sneak in tickles.

Relax your perfectionism, darling, and celebrate your glorious imperfections.

I sure do,

Your Inner Pilot Light.

About 10 minutes later a heart emoji appeared underneath it, this time I thanked the person and wished her well on her overseas travel, a slightly different reaction from an entirely different space. Who knows what will happen in either case but it appears shadow work frees up possibilities.

So what have our philosophers and society said about hanging out in shadowland over the centuries? Here is what Jung and his cohorts have said:

1. Shadow and Light, they travel together. Sometimes we forget this.

2. They travel together to remind us that we have a choice moment to moment: So Small.

Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman, 1887
Born	Walter Whitman May 31, 1819 West Hills, New York, U.S.
Died	March 26, 1892 (aged 72) Camden, New Jersey, U.S.

Signature

Walt Whitman was an American poet, essayist, and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse.

4. I think this 17th Century poet, critic, philosopher and theologian is pointing to our building up the strength of our stories as being the truth as we get older: Faded.

5. That smudgy name is the renowned Brene Brown. What if we were not afraid of our fears, but saw all opportunities as joyful?

6. I would definitely agree with this, on my three-month silent meditation retreat I spent the first two months quietening my mind and all the ways it thought I was doing it wrong: Bette Davis Eyes.

7. For one with such fame not much is known of his health issues. He produced the majority of his work from the age of 34 to 44. In 1889 at age 44, he suffered a collapse and afterwards, a complete loss of his mental faculties. He lived his remaining years in the care of his mother until her death in 1897 and then with his sister Elisabeth Förster–Nietzsche. Nietzsche died in 1900.

8. How we label our shadows sometimes, good sense: Pablo Picasso.

9. To dismantle them you must enter them.

10. Which included her shadow and her light: Song for Frida Kahlo.

11. Marcel Proust, was a French novelist, critic, and essayist best known for his monumental novel À la recherche du temps perdu (In Search of Lost Time; earlier rendered as Remembrance of Things Past), published in seven parts between 1913 and 1927. He is considered by critics and writers to be one of the most influential authors of the 20th century. He died seven years before the final volume was published.

12. How many of us are willing to do this: Waiting For The Sun.

13. From a champion of the shadowland of both types, drugs and alcohol, comes a summation after playing in the field for a long time, myself, it was forty years.

14. Shadows of beauty and mystery, not many people I know relate to them this way, perhaps my fellow Warriors of Love: Busy Being Blue.

15. And for our final lesson today we receive our lesson from the Godfather of darkness, Carl Jung.

I am practising sitting with my shadow world and not creating chaos by resisting it, perhaps other miracles will appear in my life as I continue down this path.

Today’s playlist is loaded with ballads. We begin with Carrie Underwood, then a newbie to me, Alan Walker. That song by Kim Carnes follows. Then two obscure bands in The Modern Lovers and TinPan Orange before we move on to the iconic Doors. K. D. Lang finishes this fine collection: You Were Born An Original Work of Art.

I know that I am closer to Love and Respect for All, Everybody Included when my Essence of Unlimited Intimacy is present in my life, I thank the Warriors of Love for creating a space for me to practise in. Until next time we meet, my dear friends.

It is What It Is, No Means No!!

Posted on June 13, 2019 by Rod's World

I went to a social occasion where a very lively conversation on consent was held recently. In my mind, this does not happen nearly enough in our instant gratification society, where things seem to be assumed as we do not have the time to discuss what works for all parties involved in interactions these days.

To me, evidence of this in the level of divorce, domestic violence and sexual assaults that take place daily around the planet. How different would communication be if we took the time necessary to set respectful boundaries for our social interactions?

How has the world related to gaining consent over the centuries, here are some takes at it:

1. Possibly the most patriarchal argument that bad men use in cases of sexual assault, that the way she dressed caused them to act that way, not their inherent evil.

2. This is becoming more widespread day by day, in our country recently our Federal police raided our national broadcaster in the name of national security, how to promote fear in the population 101: You Say,

3. In granting people consent, you take away their inferiority complex.

4. It is a legal contract, everything else within it needs to be based on open communication: Till It Happens To You.

5. Apathy has its price.

6. And it has a name, sexual assault: Don’t Touch My Body.

7. As the title of this blog says, No means No.

8. Unfortunately, this seems to be the direction the world is heading in Roll Jordan Roll.

9. Here is the opposing view when it is personal, not universal.

10. The state does not get to oppress their citizens unless the citizens allow it: Get Up, Stand Up.

11. Unfortunately, men may lie to get into government though.

12. What do you consent to in your life, creeping or soaring: Your Love.

13. Consenting to a cause where you are willing to die, that’s rare these days.

14. It isn’t only humans that require consent, remember how our beloved moggies behave when we move them: Best Kittycat Song.

15. MLK pointing out why consent is so important.

At the end of the discussion we had set what were basic premises for consent in the area we were discussing, it felt great.

The playlist today begins with two pop diva’s, Laura Daigle and Lady Gaga. Then a spoken word piece followed by a choir. Then two great classics from Jackie Wilson and Bob Marley. We close with a number from a cat: It Is What It Is, No Means No.

This is an area society needs to do a lot of work on if we are to live from the world paradigm, Love and Respect For All, Everyone Included. Until next time we meet, dear friends.

We Are Gonna Shine Like Gold In This Mad, Mad World.

Posted on June 6, 2019 by Rod's World

Does anybody out there have any clue what the Earthsong is? As I previously reported on returning to Confest, Australia’s major hippie like festival after 30 years I was blessed with a ceremony by an indigenous elder. I was walking past the Sacred ground when he chased me down and said, “I’m glad I ran into you again this lifetime.” he them performed a ceremony, tapping my face and blowing smoke from gum leaves over me all the time chanting in the native language of the area. At the end he said to me, “Listen to the Forest.” Since that moment I have felt the energy of the earth enter me as I walk or lie on it, a morning practice I have taken up.

On the way back from Confest, I stayed overnight at my friends property, Cycles of the Pass and watched the Land wake up from her balcony. It was an inspiring experience and I could feel the spiritual power of the hill several kilometres away.

I am also a chai maker fro two conscious dances, Mojo and Dancing Freedom and possibly the crew lying on the floor for the entire dance journey may seem a tad strange to the participants.

So is there much said about the Earthsong out on the airwaves? Let’s have a look:

1. There are quite a few MJ Earthsong quotes because it seems he wrote a very popular song on the subject.

2. And then we have Maya’s take on it: And Still I Rise.

3. MJ went Boom in his song on the subject.

4. Time for the song: Earthsong.

5. This is for when we get back it touch with the Earth’s Magick.

6. Can’t quite make out the authors name, but the quote is beautiful: Let There Be Peace On Earth.

7. So reminds me of the famous quote by Arudhati Roy – Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing, blissful.

8. Xavier Rudd’s music reminds me of the Earthsong: Follow The Sun.

9. Join the Change makers, It’s your time.

10. Nothing to have to remember if you are always speaking your truth: The Weight.

11. MJ was certainly a Path-maker, shame about the end really.

12. The Earth speaking to the human race: Come Back Again.

13. And, over to you, Begin It Now.

14. Is the Earth saying it to us, and we simply cannot hear: My Brilliant Image.

15. And for our final lesson today I gift you the words of Belinda Carlisle’s magical song.

So there are many people out there who are working on humanity hearing the Earthsong again. It is an honour to join you.

The playlist is very masculine today, In fact the only women begins it, but who could outshine Maya Angelou, one of our two spoken word offerings for the day. Then the song from Michael jackson. A bit of country follows from Vince Gill, the first of two Aussie artists, Xavier Rudd and then 70’s icons The Band and Daddy Cool. Spoken word completes it with some magic from Hafiz: We Are Gonna Shine Like Gold in This Mad, Mad World.

I think for humanity to hear the Earthsong again the sooner we take up Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included as the world paradigm, the better.

Deep Love until we meet again, my dear friends.

There Lies Hidden Love in Each Friendship!!

Posted on June 4, 2019 by Rod's World

Just spent a glorious weekend looking at Relationship with my fellow Warriors Of Love: Where we Hangout on line. One of the distinctions we looked at was How attachments learnt at an early age from our parents affect our ability to relate to society, as I had learnt a new set of distinctions on public speaking over the 6 previous weeks it felt like distinction overload. I relooked at it today and can see the benefit of studying the ideas a bit and how attachment can run your life.

So how has society dealt with attachment over the years, lets have a look:

1. I think they call it Mindfulness these days.

2. There is no try, yummy: Yoda’s Wisest Words.

3. Ralph Marston was a professional football player who spent a season in the National Football League with the Boston Bulldogs in 1929. His incisive motivational quotes are still used to this day.

4. His Holiness rocks: Contemplate Impermanence.

5. We are taught this from a young age, it takes a lot of practice to get over our early training.

6. I spent quite a bit of time away from my mum early on, it may have had some effect later on to my relatioships, ha ha: Can’t Remember to Forget You.

7. One word, Boom.

8. Due to the early influences we need to practice this on a daily ongoing basis: Let Go of Attachment.

9. The millennials take at it.

10. Laughing at yourself, real Self Love: I Love to Laugh.

11. Yasmin Mogahed received her B.S. Degree in Psychology and her Masters in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After completing her graduate work, she taught Islamic Studies and served as a youth coordinator. She also worked as a writing instructor at Cardinal Stritch University and a staff columnist for the Islam section of InFocus News. Currently she’s an instructor for AlMaghrib Institute, a writer for the Huffington Post, an international speaker, and author, where she focuses most of her work on spiritual and personal development. Yasmin recently released her new book, Reclaim Your Heart, which is now available worldwide. Visit her website, yasminmogahed.com, where you can find a collection of her articles, poetry, and lectures.

12. Now known as spiritual bypassing: Spiritual Bypassing.

13. One of a humans shadows, having to be in control, not easy to let go.

14. Is this Enlightenment?: Young and Beautiful.

15. And we finish with some uber wisdom from Ram Dass, if you need it or don’t there’s still work to be done.

I lost the sheet about the attachment styles so have meandered a bit from it, but it is worth a read.

The play list contains a lot of Spoken Word and even one silent track. We begin with Yoda, then to the silence of Art at Chance. one of our three female singers is next, it’s Shakira. Back to spoken word with Alan Watts. The over to the musical Mary Poppins. The penultimate spoken word is from Candance Van Dell and we finish with a sultry number by Lana Del Ray: There Lies Hidden Love in Each Friendship!!

I believe that racism comes from us attaching to the identities we are taught to attach to at an early age. That is why my mission is to have the world paradigm be Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included.

Until next we meet, my dear friends.

It’s Impossible to Live Without Failing At Something!!

Posted on May 27, 2019 by Rod's World

My friend Emeli Paulo from Collective Potential has returned to her source: Here’s the Link., fortnightly workshops on different purposeful subjects after attempting to generate a national road trip in supporting Mental Health initiatives, due to difficult circumstances this did not happen, I’m glad she survived the experience and retains her passion for transforming people, Emeli is very good at it. Collective Potential has inspired many people and will continue to do so in the future, despite what could be seen as a failure, but what is life without failures on the way? There is that well known saying by Abraham Lincoln: If you have never failed, You have never Lived.

So how does society look at the fine line between Failure and Success? Here are some of my favourite Quotes on the subject:

1. James Cameron is a bit of authority on this subject. Cameron’s Avatar and Titanic are the highest and third highest-grossing films of all time at $2.78 billion and $2.19 billion respectively after many films that did not meet with financial success.

2. Remember what Abraham said: Rise Up.

3. Thomas Edison said: “I speak without exaggeration when I say that I have constructed three thousand different theories in connection with the electric light, each one of them reasonable and appears to be true. Yet only in two cases did my experiments prove the truth of my theory. My chief difficulty, as perhaps you know, was in constructing the carbon filament, the incandescence of which is the source of the light.”

4. From the queen of quotes, Ms Anonymous. comes this worldly advice on the subject: Give Your Heart a Break.

5. Failure does not equal not trying. Michael Jordan missed: 12345 shots during his NBA career. Damn in perfect order, the guy truly was the greatest.

6. You may fail many times before the success you seek arrives: Keep Failing and You Will Succeed.

7. Squiggly lines will get you there, staying on the straight and narrow is limiting.

8. Learning 101: Changes.

9. This quote is not actually what Thomas said, but it reads better than 3,000 times as stated in his above statement.

10. The Chinese have certainly come up with great quotes over time, think Lao Tzu, Confucious etc, etc…: Shallow.

11. Get up, Stand Up.

12. Get what Napoleon says, just one step: Don’t give up too soon: One Step Ahead.

13. From the world’s most famous cigar smoker, I love this quote.

14. Famous for his 2006 TED talk, Do Schools Kill Creativity, which has had 57,609,622 views, his ideas on education have raised some heated debate. 57 million views lean towards success in my humble opinion: Wannabe.

15. And the final lesson for today, don’t stop climbing, one step forward, sometimes three steps back.

So if I look through my life, I have had plenty of both failure and success. Was one better than the other, could it have been different? Not really, at 64 I have learnt to accept the lessons learnt and keep moving forward one step at a time.

The playlist today contains some very popular songs, over 100 millions hits for quite a few of them. We begin with Andra Day, then pop diva Demi Lovato. The spoken word for today is from Moversity, we then return to the 19’s with David Bowie. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper follow with that song. The penultimate song is by one of New Zealand’s most popular acts, Split Enz and we finish with The Spice Girls: It’s Impossible to Live Without Failing at Something!!

I think that I have learnt a lot from setting my goal as seeing the world paradigm being Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included. Until next time my dear friends.

Everyone Has Oceans to Fly!!

Posted on May 23, 2019 by Rod's World

How do you know the difference between your preferences and your boundaries? I am doing this amazing online public speaking course called RISE with Fleassy Malay, it is the top 5 courses I have ever done, and I have done a lot over the years: Enter Fleassy’s World. and she points out that we often mix the two up, preferences become boundaries and boundaries become preferences. How do they differ, let’s look at their definitions:

Preference is defined as:

the fact that you like something or someone more than another thing or person:

Her preference is for comfort rather than stylish clothes.

I have a preference for sweet food over spicy.

Choosing furniture is largely a matter of personal preference.

It would be wrong to discriminate against a candidate because of their sexual preference (= the sex of the people they are sexually attracted to).

an advantage that is given to a person or a group of people:

We give preference to those who have worked with us for a long time.

Special preferences were offered initially to encourage investment.

Boundaries are defined as:

Like physical boundaries, emotional boundaries define separateness. Your emotional boundaries are the property lines that separate your thoughts and feelings from those of other people.

To me, preferences live in the realms of the examples above and boundaries are those gut feelings that much our stomach churn when we know they are not being respected or people have just walked through them.

So what does our society have to say about boundaries, there were some quite different expressions of it when I looked.

1. Unlimited giving is a surefire recipe for health problems to emerge.

2. Remember the age-old formulae: You are the result of the five people you spend the most time with, choose wisely: Get Up, Stand Up.

3. Lamott has described why she writes: I try to write the books I would love to come upon, that are honest, concerned with real lives, human hearts, spiritual transformation, families, secrets, wonder, craziness—and that can make me laugh. When I am reading a book like this, I feel rich and profoundly relieved to be in the presence of someone who will share the truth with me, and throw the lights on a little, and I try to write these kinds of books. Books, for me, are medicine.

4. You may lose some of your peeps when you put them in place, and who they are may surprise you: Brene’s take on it.

5. Boundaries bring out people’s real nature.

6. Have clarity when you set them, and then stand by them as if you are defending your child’s life: No Need to Argue.

7. Boundaries actually increase your ability to give over time.

8. You have to wake up with you in the morning, so make sure the respect is there: Respect.

9. Teach the people in your life, or they will make it up how they relate to you.

10. If how you relate to people crosses more than the one on one relationship you have some work to do: Crossing Boundaries.

11. Today’s boundaries are how you live your life.

12. Don’t accept an invitation if it crosses your boundaries, as said above no is a complete sentence: Ball and Chain.

13. But always remember there are times your boundaries need to be fluid.

14. Brene: Boundaries equals being courageous: Perfect.

15. Our final lesson comes from the great Persian poet, Rumi. Have boundaries but remember to remain curious.

As we travel along our timeline some preferences may become boundaries and boundaries preferences. that is the joy of being human, each moment is a new experience allowing us to chose to grow or diminish. It’s up to Us, Because We Can, It’s our Time.

The Playlist honours some extremely powerful divas today. We begin with the only male, Bob Marley. The spoken word is next from Brene Brown. The sultry voice of the lead singer of The Cranberries is next followed by the powerful vocals of Aretha Franklin. Then a mini discovery in Mina AlAli. One of the great performances from the ’60s is next by Janis Joplin and we close with Pink: Everyone Has Oceans To Fly.

I don’t really like the other types of boundaries, I am fighting them as hard as possible to ensconce my world paradigm of Love and Respect for All, Everybody Included. Until next we meet, my dear friends.

People Underestimate Their Capacity For Change!!

Posted on May 20, 2019 by Rod's World

Is there a right time to communicate something? I have been wishing to apologise to someone for a while as to how I had been relating to her based on her physical looks versus who she was as a person. I had held her as being far too beautiful to consider talking to someone as decrepit as me. It was meeting another member of her family that made me realise what a beautiful heart she had and how she showered unconditional love on her friends who did not make gross judgements like I had. I have run into her a couple of times recently but both times we have had our party faces on. Crowded rooms, dancing and interruptions every few minutes from people we both know. Comments like the cake is nice or that’s a great track is about the level of conversation.

How has society treated the right time to have a deeper conversation, or am I being precious. This is what they said:

1. That puts the question directly in my face, how much do I really want to do this?

2. An extended Nike quote: This Is How We Do It.

3. Known for his role of Col. Steve Austin, The Six Million Dollar Man, Lee Major was definitely in the right place at the right time as this series as it ran for 5 years and was one of the most popular shows on TV at the time.

4. I am more and more being able to pick the moments: Hooked On A Feeling.

5. Michael Bloomberg is an American businessman, politician, author, and philanthropist. As of April 2019, his net worth was estimated at $62.1 billion, making him the 6th-richest person in the United States and the 9th richest person in the world. He has joined The Giving Pledge, whereby billionaires pledge to give away at least half of their wealth. To date, Bloomberg has given away $8.2 billion, including his November 2018 $1.8 billion gifts to Johns Hopkins University for student aid — the largest private donation ever made to a higher education institution.

6. With the right time added in, miracles can happen: Anything Could Happen.

7. This is what happens when we live an identity-based life and do not listen to what the essence in our heart is telling us to do.

8. Unfortunately, this is not what we are taught in life, that every moment is the right moment, Fortunately, we have the chance to unlearn all the bullshit rules we are taught around this: Right Here, Right Now.

9. Have to agree with Nelson on this, often the mistake is in waiting too long and it becomes overripe leading to catastrophic results.

10. How often do we live these regrets over our lifetime: Mr Wrong.

11. Time is precious, better that you don’t waste it procrastinating.

12. Choose wisely: Perfect.

13. And Martin Luther King Jr did do what was right, he transformed a nation.

14. At 64, I’m not sure about this. Not sure how much time I have left: A Thousand Years.

15. Sometimes it doesn’t feel this way, but it has turned out to be true.

The further I got in writing this the more my head started to throb, this is always a sign that I am avoiding what I need to do to be in balance. Its time to get in contact.

The playlist is pretty modern today featuring only one song that has the number 19 before it. We begin with Now United then travel back to Blue Swede. Ellie Goulding is the first of three pop divas making way for Fatboy Slim, Mary Blige invites her friend Drake along for a sultry number then to the mega huge; Ed Sheeran. We complete with one of my favourite tracks about time by Christina Perri: People Underestimate Their Ability to Change.

I have to get past this there is a right time judgement of life if I am to have the world paradigm become Love and Respect for All, Everybody Included. Until we meet again, my dear friends.

My Story Matters because I Matter!!

Posted on May 16, 2019 by Rod's World

Have you seen it, I’ve watched it five times, etc. etc.. I’m talking about the latest Netflix sensation, Brene Brown’s special The Call to Courage. I’ve watched it once but have viewed everything on Youtube several times over the years. The title of this blog is one of her quotes, and when her last book Dare to Lead was released I pre-ordered it three times by mistake, my two friends I gifted it to were rapt.

I have read every book she has written at least twice because she is a great writer and makes it easy to receive many aha moments per page. Let’s list them:

The Gifts of Imperfection.
Daring Greatly.
I Thought It Was Just Me: But It Isn’t.
Rising Strong.
Rising Strong As A Spiritual Practice.
The Gifts of Imperfect Parenting.
The Power of Vulnerability.
Braving The Wilderness.
Connections Curriculum – 12 Sessions.
Dare To Lead – Brave Work.
Women and Shame, Reaching Out.

Oops, I have not read them all after seeing the list, two to go. I put Brene Brown quotes in Ecosia Images, I use Ecosia search engine ILO Google because of the fact they plant a tree for each click, and there were hundreds, it’s like all of her words are a quote that can transform your life. These are the ones I have chosen, It’s time for some Brene bliss:

1. These days of the online world, they are called Trolls.

2. And the booby prize is …: Perfectionist Complex.

3. Don’t forget the little things, remember to stop and smell the Roses.

4. If you only do what you know what you feel safe doing, the word boring comes to mind. Time to step up to mistake land: Another Lifetime.

5. Happy, Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy, Joy.

6. My marketing mentor laughed at me when I said I could do research for everybody. Andrew said, what about working with people you like working with, find the others: They must deserve It.

7. We are not Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, at the base of it all, we are all human.

8. Shadow and Light travel together, attempting to ignore the shadow is pure bullshit, the pain will remain and return tenfold until you are willing to deal with it: Growing Pains.

9. For me, it lives in the realm of what we don’t know we don’t know.

10. Kur-it. This is why my English students often stare at me with strange looks when I pronounce words for them: Reach Out.

11. Repeat after me, I am Enough. Repeat after me, I am Enough, etc. etc…

12. And at the base of it all, there is Love: Love Myself.

13. How do you respond when a beloved shares their life with you?

14. To be totally balanced in our bodies, we need to feel it all: Comfortably Numb.

15. And fro Brene’s final lesson, it’s a long one and a doozy. If all you get is the aha moment from this one then Brene has done her job.

My top three: Daring Greatly, Rising Strong and Dare to Lead. It is also worth checking out her website, her free resources are awesome: Access to all Things Brene.

The playlist begins with two newbies to me, Jubyphonic and Nao. The spoken word has of course to be Brene, that’s next. Pop diva Alessia Cara follows and then we go way back to The Four Tops. Then my favourite Self Love song from Hailee Steinfeld and Pink Floyd close the set: My Story Matters Because I Matter.

So that’s my love letter to Brene Brown. She would be a fan of my lifetime paradigm: Love and Respect for All: Everybody Included. Until next time we meet, my dear friends.