There is a principle in the psychology of wellbeing and performance known as Flow.  It was an area researched extensively by the psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, his work follows a tradition of research that has focused on the best aspects of the human being.

Flow is thought of as a state of consciousness.  It is achieved when we are doing what we love.  It is often experienced during the act of creating, or performing.  I like to see flow as a state of being in connection to something greater.  This project is something greater than me.  I know.

There is most definitely energy in this project.  It has a life of its own.  If I can stay in the stream of what is wanting to emerge, I can participate in this.  If I go against what wants to emerge, I will experience resistance. 

How can I stay in the flow of thing? ​

The other day I was stepping away from it all to clear my head, and found a box of free stuff.  I love free stuff.  In it was the recorded lecture and workshop by Wayne Dyer, "Inspiration: Your Ultimate Calling".  I started listening to it today, and it reminded me of the power of connecting to that thing beyond me.  It also reminds me that it is wonderful to live our best life, and we should never shy away from living in spirit.

I believe there is something offered here as a way to stay in flow.  As Wayne Dyer states:

"I have learned to remove the resistance from the free flow of spiritual energy, by reminding myself to align with it, to be in spirit in my thoughts and my expectations."

This is a beautiful concept, that takes the forcing, fear and resistance out of the way as the vision starts to unfold.  

He talks about creating and holding on to our vision as one of the core elements of living an inspired life.

"The desire to find our way to inspiration involves creating a vision of living in spirit 100% of the time, even if we don't have a clue what we should be doing or what our mission is."

It is easy to get discouraged, and fall into despair, but if we do we lose that connection to spirit.

So find something that inspires you today.  Connect to that feeling and know that it will lead you closer to your path. 

I have struggled a bit with people who stand back on the sidelines and judge rather than coming in to participate.  I can't tell you why these people do this.  I know how it feels on my side of the fence and it isn't pleasant. 

There are several different themes of judgement.

One consists of "That girl is crazy,"  to which I am happy to reply, "If this is what crazy looks like, we need a whole lot more of crazy in this world."

Another is, "That girl thinks she is all that. She want's to 'save the world.'"  
I have a hard time with this one, because truly I am doing my best not to make this project about me, but to hold space in the community for what is needed and what wants to emerge.  Also, I really do not want accolades.  I have no desire for my name in lights.  I am happiest when I am playing with the kids on off calendar times and days.  Nothing brings me more joy than to see someone else using the space for their own good works or individuals benefiting from what the Community House is offering.

So why am I doing this?  I can say without any hesitation, that I want to do good in the world.  

If you want to also do good, then come join the fun.  I am sure there is something here where you can share your gifts too!  

There are a lot of phrases you can hear in the rooms of the 12 steps that are profoundly meaningful.  This is a place where people are coming to terms with the wreckage of their past, and the wisdom that ensues when we start to open up to living the good life, the one that God intended, is a profoundly uplifting experience.  

One thing I heard a couple years back that has stuck with me since, was someone talking about how they spent most of their lives avoiding responsibility.  I can say I could relate to that sentiment.  He ended his share about how he now spent his life chasing responsibility.

What does that mean? To me it is doing the thing I know is right and needs to be done regardless of what I want to do.  So this past weekend, regardless of what I really wanted to do, I shut down the Community House as I and 3 other ladies went and got Covid tested.  The hope was that we would have results in time to decide on running the event, but I knew it was probably going to lead to the event being cancelled.  Indeed the results didn't come in until Sunday late afternoon, and although they were all negative, it was a bitter-sweet discovery.  

Still, I had been feeling a bit off for a couple days, and then I knew I was sick.  In the past, I would have charged through praying for the best.  But I realized that it was not just me I had to be concerned about.  I was reminded twice that week about members of our recovery community who had died from this deadly disease and it just wasn't sitting with me not to find out for sure.

So four of us went and got tested -negative.

Thank Goodness for Small Blessings.

A reminder to myself and a piece of food for thought, this is not the type of project that depends on a single event, every action and reaction is leading us either closer or father away from loving community.  I believe being responsible to the health and well-being of everyone in our community is that one step closer to where we want to be.