Joy Based Living

Hey Friend!

Did you ever hear about the priest in the long black robe who walked into the “wrong” hospital room and spoke the last rights to the “wrong” person, and that person died? I don’t have evidence to tell you if this has actually has happened but I do know that when doctors tell a person how long they have to live, it can have a very direct effect on when a person dies. In fact, the UK is acknowledging this and changing their laws around what doctors are allowed to say to patients.

THAT IS POWER. The power of words that come from people wearing robes and coats. The power of suggestibility due to our intrinsic, inherent innocence. Stories like these blow me away. Our minds are so incredibly suggestible.

I love these stories because, as humans, on one hand, we are so very tender and worthy of compassion. And on another hand, we get to decide, we get to choose where we place our power. Our attention. Our belief.

The power of clothes. The power of culture. The power conditioning. As adults, WE CAN CHOOSE TO GIVE other people the power to influence us, to impact us, to impress their ideas on us. As children, we need to be impressionable in order to survive and to thrive. How else would we learn language? How else would our ancestors have passed down the knowledge of which berry was good and which was poisonous?

The fantastic news is that we’re at a time in history when more and more POWER is in our hands. I do truly believe that we need other people. I believe priests and rabbis and elders and doctors can bring peace to the lives of people they care for. AND – I believe we have WAY more power than we think.

My deepest desire is to see heartful, kind people taking up MORE SPACE in the world. Taking up more space in our minds. Usually, heartful, kind people are interested in providing care, comfort and service to individuals or to small groups of people. POWER isn’t usually in their top core values.

BUT – if LOVE is POWER – and I believe LOVE is the greatest POWER in the UNIVERSE – then how can you use it to your advantage to make a positive difference in your own life and in the lives of the people you love?

1. OWN your connection with SPIRIT. You know, the big mysterious life-giving energy that makes up our lives. REALLY OWN IT. I am owning it as Reverend SASSY SHORTS but my love for SPIRIT began probably in childhood. I don’t know when it started. I do know that when I attended my first Course in Miracles gathering, I could not re-state the message of the passage that had just been read aloud. But when someone asked me how I was doing, I said, “I feel a deep peace like I’ve never experienced before.” In growing this connection consciously through contemplation, meditation and mindfulness, this poem appeared in my mind, and I published it as a postcard. The card hangs on my wall and I still love it. I’ve seen it hanging in other people’s homes for many years as well – I saw it on a friend’s fridge and was surprised to see it in another friend’s bathroom when I had to use the loo.
2. OWN your inner THERAPIST or DOCTOR. Your inner psychologist, counselor, doctor, etc. For example, if you’re seeing a therapist of some sort, let them serve as an advisor to you. You will find that by owning your inner therapist, you will become more open and receptive to their wisdom. Your job as a client is to develop a healthier relationship with yourself. Don’t be passive about this. Be active. If you trust them, then PLEASE definitely take in their words and apply their suggestions as though your freedom depends on it. After all, it might! AND AND AND let yourself thoroughly enjoy your inner therapist. Your inner doctor. You can even give it a name, like your Inner Carl or Alfred or Freud or whomever tickles your fancy. Be playful about it! Play is one of the keys to maintaining an open mind.
3. OWN your inner COACH. Care deeply about who you desire to become and what you desire to accomplish. Only YOU can know what you really want. For example: What would you LOVE to see, do, feel, experience? What are you most passionate about? What kind of environment do you need in order to thrive? Listen to your heart. REALLY LISTEN. Then tell yourself the truth. If you’re not sure, then ask yourself who you admire and WHY. Who are your heroes? They can be fiction or real, alive or dead. It can be a large-muscled superhero or a soft-spoken grandmother. Take the time to explore and let yourself enjoy the exploration. Keep feeling into the yearning, and honor it. Stretch into the best you can be and you will be so glad you did!

Whether or not you choose to seek the support of a clergy or counselor or coach, you can power yourself up by OWNING THE ROLE. Let love be the superpower that fuels you. And then – 

OWN THE COAT. WEAR THE ROBE. DON THE SUPERHERO CAPE.

Much love,

Debbie Happy Cohen aka REVEREND SASSY SHORTS!

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