For Franki...

You’re under no obligation to fulfill some version of you that I’ve created.  That’s my job.  You’re off the hook for ever needing to live up to some expectation that I have of you.  That’s up to me as well.  I hold you not responsible to answer to me or to validate me or to please me.  All of that, also up to me.  You are free.  I want nothing from you and want everything for you that you want for yourself as you define it.  My greatest value to you is to hold you in your highest, not only for your benefit but mostly for my own.  And to my alignment I hold true.  I am devoted to my alignment.  

I wrote this with Franki as my focus, and realized that this applies to anyone I love, know, or interact with.....

Being Silly

Picture this….five adults in a Walgreens, laughing uncontrollably as we played with an updated version of the whoopee cushion known as… a “Flarp”.  Yes, Flarp in hand, I laughed so hard my eyes watered and I almost peed my pants.  For those of you who know me, this little display and fascination with the whoopee cushion comes as no surprise, but to those with whom I was with, I think it was indeed a surprise.   I was there as the “life coach” for the weekend and so there may or may not have been some level of expectation from myself and others as to what type of behavior would fall under the category of “appropriate”.   The combination of all of it made the moment so funny.  Here we were, this small group of five people, just getting to know each other, already primed for fun, and we come face to face with a Flarp.  I couldn’t resist…a Flarp on a shelf is just begging for attention, don’t you think?  Every one of us joined in on the fun, and every one of us gave in to the moment and any inhibitions or notion of appropriate behavior were forgotten and we fully embraced the opportunity to Flarp.  The next day, one of the guys that was amongst our group of five shared with me that my silliness and eagerness for play created the space for him to be playful and to just “let ‘er rip” ….pun intended… where normally, he wouldn't have done that.  He said he hadn't laughed so hard in years and that moving forward, he wanted to have more fun and play.   Although that sort of behavior is nothing uncommon for me, I had no idea of the impact it would have on another.   I didn’t do it because I was trying to have any sort of impact; I did it because I just couldn’t help myself but to cease the opportunity for fun.   It was another reminder to me that the best example and the most service I can be to any other person is be joyful, to be happy, to play and to have fun.  We did no harm in that store and in fact, several people who were within sight or ear-shot of us got in on the giggles too.   There are moments of inspiration to be found in every day and there are ways that you’ll affect people in ways you may never know and one of the best ways I know how to do that is to feel good which creates the space for others to feel their joy.