March 28, 2017 Today, while comfortably seated on a United flight from Fort Lauderdale to Las Vegas, moving through space at around 40,000 feet, I find myself thinking about a movie I saw yesterday called "the Last Word," in which Shirley McLaine played an 81 year old, strong-willed, controlling divorcee, about whom hardly anyone, including her own daughter, had anything good to say. While reading obituaries of acquaintances who had passed on, Shirley's character decided she wanted her obituary written while she was still alive so that she could approve it, making sure that it was about a life she was proud to have lived. To that end, in her last year, she got busy designing that life. And, for me, that resulted in a very satisfying movie, and, I must say, got me thinking about the components that, for me, comprise a life well-lived. First: how willing am I to learn, to grow, to discover, to risk, to have experiences outside of my comfort zone? Am I a person who, very early on, decided that I had all the answers, that my way was the right way and the absolute best way? Or, am I willing to experiment with suggestions and different ways of doing things, and, as a result, expand my cache of knowledge? Second: Do I realize and appreciate that we, each and every one, are all downloaded divinity, operating at varying levels of awareness, with the same destination? Or, do I believe that some are chosen, or special, or are somehow better than others, and therefore stand justified while feeling superior or inferior? Third: Do I give and share freely, knowing that my thoughts are my currency and that I am, and thus, have, an abundance of everything.?And, that by giving, I am not diminished, rather, I am enriched, knowing that every thing I give multiplies and returns to me? Fourth: Do I spend time complaining about the way things are and waiting for someone else to make the necessary changes? Or, do I realize that if I believe there is a better way, I is up to me to take the initiative to ensure that the improvements are made? In other words, do I freely offer my gifts and talents to the world, or do I refuse to make time or expend the energy because I am too afraid to put myself out there? Fifth: Is the purpose of my life womb to tomb comfort and security, or is the purpose of my life Self-realization? Am I determined to be conscious of myself as pure spirit utilizing a body to move around in . . . a purified channel for the expression and extension of the divine spark that I AM? Or, am I just determined to move through the time that is my portion as safely and quietly as possible? Sixth, and last but not least: do I realize that life is a magnificent game with rules, or laws, that I must be willing to play by? And, am I willing to accept that I come into physical being with a blueprint for winning (my Higher-Self) and a coach for guidance (my Holy-Spirit) and that partnering with these parts of myself is essential for success. The film, "the Last Word," reminds me of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," where Ebenezer Scrooge has to face his life and honestly answer questions similar to those above. I think we would all benefit, as Scrooge and Shirley's character did, from this, potentially life-altering, impartial self-observation.
