Formative Minutes

The following excerpt is taken from Alan Cohen's meditation book, A Deep Breath of Life.

 "A Wonder Bread commercial reminded viewers of the importance of “the formative years" - the first five years of life when a child’s foundation is established. The ad suggested it was important to feed the child Wonder Bread, which “builds strong bodies 12 ways. ” The premise of the commercial was correct. The early years of life imprint the important programs upon which a life will be built.

Each day is like a life unto itself, and so the first minutes of each day are the formative minutes. We must take special care to sound the keynote that will set the tone for our entire day. How do you begin your day? Do you spend it with God, in peace, in attunement with yourself? Or do you pop out of bed and immediately dive into the busy-ness of the day, post–poning your soul’s needs in favor of lesser activities?

For many years, I have begun my day with mediation and prayer. Before I speak to anyone, do chores, or even think about work, I sit and commune with Spirit. This practice has empowered my life in such profound ways that I cannot conceive of starting my day in any other way.

Take at least the first 20 minutes of your day to meditate, pray, read an inspiring book, practice yoga or tai chi, walk in the woods, sing, dance, or engage in any practice that links you to a higher power. Establish your center, and the day that follows will reflect clarity, strength, and love. Any time you spend with Spirit will be returned and will multiply many times over. Whenever possible, renew your spirit throughout the day. Even a few seconds of closing your eyes and remembering the presence of love will make a big difference. At the end of your day, be with God before entering sleep. The formative minutes will build the consciousness that makes a productive life".

Don’t Stop Now

Before you die, you must allow your genius to
walk the wildest unknown way.

Bryce Courtenay, author of The Power of One

 

"You will be sleeping in the Ernest Hemingway room, ” the desk clerk told me. I cast open the wooden door and found a bedroom decorated exactly as Ernest Hemingway’s might have been. The wrought-iron bed, hurricane lamp, and wooden treasure chest were accented by several of Hemingway’s hardcover texts and some of his actual handwritten correspondence. I peered down the hall to catch glimpses of rooms decorated a la Robert Louis Stephenson, Louisa May Alcott, and my favorite, Dr. Seuss. The Sylvia Beach Hotel3, perched over the rugged beach of Newport, Oregon, is the fruition of a long-time dream by owner Gudrun Cable.

“I yearned to create a space that would honor the great writers and nourish lovers of inspiring words, ” Gudi told me over tea in the library late one night. “When this old hotel came up for sale, I went through two years and forty rejected loans before I got funding. I told my friends that if they each decorated a room according to the style of their favorite author, I would trade them a week’s vacation here for five years. When we were ready to open, I put the tiniest ad in the local classifieds, and I expected a few dozen people for the grand opening. Fourteen hundred people showed up that day, along with a triple rainbow. Since that time, business has been amazing, and I have sat in our library and sipped tea and rich conversation with some of the great authors of our time. ”

What dream is calling you? Do you believe in your idea enough to let it come true? In retrospect, Gudi’s rejections seem like a wispy dream in comparison to the joy and success she has found. I can’t wait to get back to Sylvia Beach; perhaps, if my dreams come true, this time I can get the Dr. Seuss room.
 

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Excerpt from Alan Cohen's meditation book, A Deep Breath of Life

Success - Eat Defeat For Breakfast!

Disappointments are the hooks upon which
God hangs his victories.

— Anonymous

Let me tell you about a man who was plagued by defeat In '31 he failed in business and declared bankruptcy. In '32 he lost an election for the legislature. In '34 his business failed again, and he declared bankruptcy a second time. The following year, his fiancee died. The year after that, he suffered a nervous breakdown. Two years later, in '38 he was defeated in another election. In '43 he ran for the U.S. Congress and lost. In '46 he made another bid for a seat in Congress, and he was defeated. In '48 he ran again for Congress, and again he lost. Seven years later, he entered a race for the U.S. Senate, and he was defeated. In '56 his name was placed on the ballot for the Vice Presidency of the United States, and he lost the election. In '58 he ran for the Senate and lost again.

In '60, 1860, he was elected President of the United States. His name was Abraham Lincoln. In spite of an incredible string of setbacks, he went on to become one of the greats in history. He said, “You cannot fail unless you quit. ”

The greatest victories are those we must persevere to accomplish. It is rare that great people just show up on the planet shining in glory. Often the most powerful world-change agents grow through experience and adversity. As a young lawyer, Mahatma Gandhi was literally laughed out of court when he became tongue-tied while arguing a ten-dollar case. Later he was thrown off a South African train because his skin was dark. Gandhi went on to become one of the greatest human liberators of the 20th century.

Eat defeat for breakfast. Do not let setbacks put you off; instead, use them as springboards to the success you desire. Only those who are willing to go the distance can taste the sweetness of victory.

I succeed because I make up my mind to emerge victorious.

Legend of St. Valentine

The legend of St. Valentine goes back to the early days of Christianity when Christians were being persecuted by the Romans.

One Christian, Valentinus, was tried as a heretic and sentenced to death. In prison, Valentinus befriended a guard who respected his wisdom, and soon the guard brought his seven-year-old blind daughter, Julia, to Valentinus for lessons. Daily, the two talked of important things, and Julia developed a deep love and respect for her mentor. One day Julia asked him, “Valentinus, do you think I will ever be able to see? ”

Valentinus thought for a moment and answered, “With love in your heart and belief in God, anything is possible, Julia. ”

At that moment, Julia was overtaken with a flash of light, and suddenly her eyesight was restored. “Valentinus, I can see! ” the child shouted.

“Praise be to God, ” he humbly answered.

The next day when Julia came to visit Valentinus, he was gone. He had been taken to his execution. Julia found this note:

My Dear Julia,

Although we shall never see each other again, know
that I will always love you. You are very dear to me. I will
stay unseen by your side, and I will live in your heart. I
believe in you.

Your Valentine

Be a true valentine by reminding your beloved ones that they are unlimited. Inspire them to trust their heart’s wisdom, and miracles will occur. And if you are your own valentine, remember that all the love you need is within you, just as you are, right where you are.

Pass the Salt

Excerpt from Alan Cohen's meditation book, A Deep Breath of Life.

As I unpacked my suitcase at a hotel, I discovered that I had left two of my favorite articles of clothing hanging in a closet at another hotel 2,000 miles away. As I picked up the phone to call the hotel to see if the items had turned up in Lost and Found, I noticed that I was hesitating. I realized I didn’t want to call because I didn’t really want to retrieve the items. One was a sweatshirt given to me years ago, and another was a casual shirt I have customarily worn on plane flights. Both felt very old, laden with memories and history I no longer wanted to carry with me. I put down the phone and smiled. I was done with the shirts. They did not belong to me now, and I would not call them back to me.

Every time we haul an old, painful memory into the now, we are phoning a distant hotel and asking for our tattered garments to be forwarded to our new abode. Messengers will do so if we ask. Then we wonder why our present looks like our past.

But we are under no obligation to replay old scenes; all of life is optional, including reliving ancient pain. Every day we are free to choose anew. If today looks gruesomely like yesterday, and your life is a long replay of Groundhog Day, do not blame karma, the environment, or other people. Instead, look at the choices you are making today.

The Bible tells how, as Sodom was being destroyed, God told Lot and his family not to look back. Lot’s wife disobeyed, and she was turned into a pillar of salt.

The story is a metaphor.

When we clutch at the old after it no longer serves us, we become petrified.

Salt is a preservative. We cannot preserve the past; we must release it to make way for a fresh new future.