Day 25

Wow! It's Sunday already! The weekend goes by way too fast!

Yesterday I walked the dog, went to yoga, brought the bunnies to get their nails trimmed, and did a little housecleaning. We went to SoupPlantation for dinner and then relaxed at home watching a DVD. Today I got up late because I had a horrible night sleep. Chester was yowling all night. It gets to to the point that I want to strangle him because there is no place I can put him where I can't hear him at night. He's an 18 year old cat so he's got issues, but he's causing me issues due to lack of sleep! I went to church and had a wonderful time chatting with my accountability partner who met me there. I stopped to do some shopping at Target and started to feel very ill (horrid headache that led to feelings of nausea and a couple of times made me feel faint). I came home and laid down. The cat welcomed me by starting to yowl. Great. I have a massive headache and the screech of his yowl was like nails on a chalkboard. So I picked him up and petted him and he was quiet. By not resisting his noisiness but meeting it with love and patience the yowling stopped and my headache eventually went away. A good metaphor for how I need to stop resisting and pushing away but instead surrounding this issue with loving kindness. Surrender is surely my lesson to learn right now.

Something I am proud of from yesterday: Didn't eat to uncomfortableness at SoupPlantation. Went to yoga.

My daily give: Picked up a Chai Latte for my husband who had been working in the yard all day. I also had a nice chat with a lady at the House Rabbit Society. That might not seem like a give but I think having a nice conversation with someone who is alone is a gift--assuming they want to talk. I asked her questions about her bunny and focused on her rather than sharing information about myself.

Something I'm grateful for today: The Unity Center. I've been attending for about 8 years and love the people who attend. I connect with such great energy there.

My plan for the day (which is half over!): Avoid wheat & sugar even in the tiniest of forms. I need to do Week 3 of C25K again but I need to get some water and carbs in me to have the energy for it. My headache has eased but isn't completely gone yet.

Got this AWESOME newsletter from the Kabbalah Centre today.

I was speaking to a Kabbalah Centre student not long ago, and he shared with me the difficulties he's having in business. Whatever he does, nothing seems to be working —cutbacks, consultants, restrategizing — he's tried it all.

It got me thinking about the deficits we all have at one time or another. One person may be seeking a soul mate; another, financial success; yet another, his life's purpose; and another, better health. Of course, our minds instantly go the 1% material solutions:

"Has he tried everything?"

"Maybe she should do that online dating thing?"

"He just doesn't have the skill set."

"What about alternative medicine?"

It's absolutely vital to do everything we can in the physical realm to create manifestation in our lives, and it's certainly not enough to sit and meditate ... and wait. But at the same time, we can try all the "right" solutions and still remained blocked.

The answer is that you must open the gates.

It's not about saying, "God, let me find a system to be more successful." Again, you do need to have a system, to create order, and to have a plan. The truth is we all have gates that are locked to those blessings.

The problem is you can't open a non-physical gate with a physical key. Part of the reason we cannot open those gates is because we don't know what's locked. Opening the gates does not mean asking for money or for Susie Whatserface to fall in love with you or for a breakthrough in science. Instead, we need to focus on how to unlock the gates.

Don't get me wrong, we all have gates that are open. We have moments in life or areas of life in which things just flow naturally. Sometimes too naturally. Even the wrong gates can be open. It's possible to use our blessings to do more damage than good.

Chances are those blessings will be short-lived if you go down that route. We need to work on closing the wrong gates and opening the ones that will lead to long-lasting fulfillment.

If the gates are open, you don't have to sell clothes, you can sell the hangers.

If the gates are open, you find yourself sitting on the bus next to a doctor doing research on your particular issue.

If the gates are open, you wake up and realize the love of your life was a good friend or acquaintance that you've been ignoring all along.

This week check in with yourself. Which gates do you need to open and which do you need to close? You might have the 1% skills, but know that the seed of your success is opening and/or closing the right gates. If they are open, nothing can stop you, and if they are closed, you can do everything in your 'power' but nothing will give.

All the best,
Yehuda

Wow! That really hit me today! I'm doing all the right things but there is some gate that is not open. As I talked with my accountability partner she said something like "Do you notice the switch is either on or it's off?" i.e. You're either living like you're in the zone or you're not. While I'm doing all the physical right things (food, exercise) there is a gate still shut. The switch is off. The cool thing is that I've had the switch be on. I've had the gate open. I know what it feels like. I consider myself lucky in that respect! At least I know what I'm shooting for. Most recently the switch was on in January & February. What was I doing then? I had a very clear eating plan and I followed it militantly! There was room for fudging. No fried chicken strips--because even though it's chicken, it is wrapped in breading. No letting a goldfish cracker pass my lips. The switch doesn't just get turned back on because I have sugar and wheat out of my system, but that I've opened the gate of Surrender--by not fighting against but just embracing that this is how I have to eat to lose weight and remain in higher consciousness.