198. Hug Yourself

Some days are just not great. Everything seems to go wrong… you hit every red light you come to, you spill your drink, and drop food on your shirt…the dog or cat pees on your carpet… you know, one of those days when you really need a hug!

There is a Hindu woman who understands what a hug can do to help people. According to Wikipedia, ” Her Holiness Sri Mātā Amritānandamayī (born Sudhamani Idamannel; 27 September 1953), often known as Amma (“Mother”), is an Indian Hindu spiritual leader, guru and humanitarian, who is revered as ‘the hugging saint‘ by her followers. ” She began hugging people she met who felt down or sad when she was just a child. She felt it was her job to let the love that poured out of her be offered up to others through her hugs. For years she has worked up to 20 hours a day just hugging anyone who needs a little love. People line up and wait for hours for one of her hugs.

But what if you’re not near family or friends who might offer a hug when you find yourself in need? Hug yourself! Poppycock!!… you say, how can you hug yourself?!? It might sound silly, but it works. Simply quiet your mind… take a couple of deep breaths… close your eyes, and think back… picture yourself, or think of yourself as a child. It doesn’t matter how old, just your younger self. Let your younger self stand or sit right beside you. Think about how great that little kid was! Not about their problems, but just how awesome that you wish they knew they really were… How much you love that little kid, or how much they need the love. Now, give them a great BIG, long hug! REALLY hug them tight! As you’re sending love to your younger self, do you FEEL the love coming back??! You bet you do! It really works, doesn’t it??! You just hugged yourself… now, don’t you feel better?!

132. Expect Amazing Things To Happen

I recently read a blog post, inviting people to expect and look for a miracle every day for a week. It sounded like fun, and I almost commented with an, ” I’m in!”  Although I quickly had second thoughts, wondering if I could really notice something amazing happening every day, so I didn’t comment. A few minutes later, after a visit from a couple of goldfinches,  I was having third thoughts (that’s a thing, right?).

I sit, every day, in my chaise with my laptop on a table in front of me. Across the room, directly in front of me are two big windows and outside the windows are several bird feeders. I use my laptop all day and watch the birds on and off throughout the day.
They are funny, interesting and beautiful.  I have a huge list of all the different types of birds that have visited my feeders. Today though, there were two goldfinches that found me interesting, maybe funny, and dare I say it…  beautiful.

Although our windows are made to look like they have separate panes, our birds sometimes don’t notice those lines in the middle of the window, and sometimes fly into them.  I don’t think any have been seriously hurt, but they do get the wind knocked out of them. They hit the window, and quickly fly off like it was the window that attacked them!  I sometimes wonder if they are going for the feeders and overshoot and hit the window.  Today I heard a bird hit the window again and looked up to see what happened. That’s when I saw a goldfinch fly away and circle back around to hit the window again, just enough to make a noise, not enough to really bother him.  He did this a couple of times and then landed on the feeder. I started wondering if he was trying to tell me he was out of food or something because our birds eat a lot!  Just then, a different goldfinch hit the window and hung onto the screen. He stood there for a while looking around inside and then flew off. As soon as he left, he was back again, and again, and again, each time hanging onto the screen to have a look around inside. This went on about fifteen minutes as he landed in different places on the screen to get a really good look at me, the dog, and the entire family room, twisting his head from side to side, and up and down, over and over again. It was hilarious!  This all happened just minutes after I had read the blog post.  I choose to believe that he was my sign that I could see something amazing happen, each and every day if I paid attention, and even if I don’t, someone will make sure I don’t miss the awesome miracles in my life!  If you pay attention, you’ll see that miracles happen on a daily basis. What amazing thing or awesomeness have you noticed?

 

129. Love Is The Answer

Love is the answer.  It doesn’t matter what the question is.  Love is always the short answer.  Sure, you can go into detail and use as many words as you’d like, but it all boils down to love.  At least it should.

We are living through, how should I put it…… tough times?  A pandemic, and so much death.  Lives have been taken due to illness and lives lost for no reason at all, lives taken in anger and hatred.   Is there any way to find reason in it at all?  No, not that my human mind can fathom.  We could really use a Martin Luther King Jr. right now in our world.  A Desmond Tutu, or Mahatma Gandhi.  Things in the U.S. seem to be getting out of hand.  We can do better.  We must do better. How do we do better? Love is the answer.

We do have wise ones still among us who speak up and offer words of wisdom.  Sadhguru comes to mind.  What must  we do?  We must never give up.  We must keep on keeping on.  Desmond Tutu said, “Do your little bit of good where you are ; it’s those little bits of good together that overwhelm the world. ”  So do what you can to spread the love and kindness in your little part of the world.

I would like to see music used to bring people together.  Music has always been a source of strength, and a way to communicate our feelings.  Even if we have to stay six feet apart, we can come together and support and love one another,  We need a bit of the 1960’s brought back to life, that feeling that we are all brothers and sisters, all connected as one.  That message that all you need is love.

95. The Power Of A Hug

You’ve heard of the power of love.  That power is very real, and some would say is the answer to every problem.  If you want to change any situation, it can be done with love.  Love comes in all different forms.  It can come through a kiss from a person or a puppy.   It can come through a thoughtful gift, or kindness shown from one person to another, or maybe a homemade meal.  It can also come through a hug.  A hug is unique in that you don’t really need to know someone in order to give them a hug. You might want to ask them if they want one first, but that’s really all it takes.  Having arms that work definitely helps if you’re on the giving end of a hug, but there is no muscle required to receive one… Lucky for me!  I had a visit a few days ago from an old friend and part of his family.   During their visit,  I was lucky enough to receive nine hugs in a row, one from each of them!  Yes, nine (I think??  I honestly lost track)!  It seemed a bit like Christmas.  Holidays and special occasions are usually the only time I might receive so many in one day, and even then, I’m not sure if they would add up that fast!  A hug just instantly brightens your day.

There is a very well known woman from India known as Amma.  She travels around the world giving hugs to all who would like one.  People come from great distances to receive a hug from Amma.  Her name is Mata Amritanandamayi and she was born in a small village in South India.  She was a very spiritual little girl, and tried to help others she saw suffering in her village.  She did whatever she could to help, giving them clothes and food. She started hugging them to try and help them feel better.  They began calling her Amma, which means mother.

According to Hinduism, the suffering of the individual is due to his or her own karma — the results of actions performed in the past.   Amma then reasoned that if karma caused the people their problems, then was it not the dharma (duty) of others to help ease their suffering?

Amma travels all over the world giving talks about helping others.  In her programs, she speaks on both personal fulfillment as well as the most pressing matters of our time.  She offers wisdom and guidance.  After each of her programs, she offers up a hug to everyone in the audience who would like one.  People of all faiths and many suffering from illness come from near and far to listen to Amma and receive her hugs.  People say that they can feel the power of love through one of Amma’s hugs.

Amma is the embodiment of pure love. Her presence heals. ~ Dr. Deepak Chopra, M.D.

Amma is truly such an enormous fountain of energy, love and compassion. I think if all of us were to get even a fraction of it within our own beings, there would be only joy in the whole world… Whatever little I can do with her inspiration, I will strive my best to accomplish it.

~ Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri, 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Winner

She is said to have hugged over 39 million people, all over the world, one at a time.  She has been known to give her motherly embrace for 22 hours straight without stopping.  She is an amazing woman who understands the power of love.

So, the next time you get the chance, give someone a hug.  It can make their day, and brighten yours.  You never know what one simple hug could do to help someone or how it might inspire them.