On Kindness & Joy

Working toward kindness can bring joy to the bipolar who has needs to overcome daily symptoms and to remain positive with stability.

The ideals which have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been kindness, beauty, and truth. The trite subjects of human efforts, possessions, outward success, luxury, have always seemed to me contemptible-Albert Einstein-

Guard well within yourself that treasure, kindness. Know how to give without hesitation, how to lose without regret, how to acquire without meanness-George Sands-

This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy-George Bernard Shaw-

Give not over thy soul to sorrow; and afflict not thyself in thy own counsel. Gladness of heart is the life of man and the joyfulness of man is length of days-Ecclesiastes-

I cannot believe that the inscrutable universe turns on an axis of suffering; surely the strange beauty of the world must somewhere rest on pure joy!-Louis Bogan-

Age Is The Tool to "Looking Back"

Often times I am pleased to have grown to my 'seasoned age.’ I need not wonder if my age is a draw back to my knowledge and understanding of bipolar disorder. I chat with younger people, often and they are very troubled with their thoughts. I emphasize the importance of age as it relates to security and their balance. We can all look forward to age as a tool to ‘looking back’ at all of our insecurities, and then gain that needed wisdom on change. I still believe that if we "Change our Thoughts-We can Change our Life" As Dr Dyer claims in his book.

"Everything Changes But Change"

Heraclitus was a Greek philosopher who lived in the 6th Century BC. He felt that everything changed constantly and that all things must pass,unless there is change, which happened constantly. He thus coined the term 'everything changes but change'. The analogy used was that of a candle. He thought that the world was like the flame of a candle. It looks the same but is actually ever changing in terms of its substance.

I have talked about the importance of my needed changes in previous posts. This was extremely necessary to continue with a positive life related to my attitude toward bipolar disorder. It is from these changes that I was able to gain the insight needed for knowledge directed toward a positive visualization, to continue on a stable path forward in my life..

Lessons Learned In Life..

Do not ask for fulfillment in all your life, but for patience to accept frustration.
Do not ask for perfection in all you do, but for the wisdom not to repeat mistakes.
Do not ask for more, before saying “Thank You” for what you have already received.”
— Brenda Short

The Healing Of The Mandala

Tibetan monks have a ritual time to make a sand.mandala... - so beautiful and then the wind blows it away and they return some of the sand to the river.

...GRAIN BY GRAIN: TWO DAYS LEFT. WHAT IT IS A Tibetan sand mandala created by monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery. In Sanskrit, this particular "Akshobya" mandala symbolizes healing and indestructibility. The monks, who began making the mandala out of marble sand  at the Naples Museum of Art, completed the mandala over the next two days. Meant to bring positive energies and healing to the Naples area. As I stood by, one of the monks who was waiting to participate, I asked " what will become of this" He just smiled and stated " it is for you and your healing". Then the day came. With a few swipes of a paintbrush, the brightly colored sand that had been a Tibetan mandala lay in a heap, a metaphor of the impermanence of life. Nine Tibetan Buddhist monks spent three days constructing the mandala from millions of grains of exquisitely colored sand, carefully laid into place on a black platform. Shortly after completing the mandala, the monks blessed it and dismantled it. Half of the sand was given to the some people who came to watch,the other half went with the monks to the Naples Beach. There they carefully and blissfully places the colored sands into the Gulf of Mexico. I stood and watched a long time until most everyone was gone. A remaining monk came over and said to me, " Why do you stay....your mind is already healed." And somehow I knew it will always be.....

　

Being Disturbed Causes Growth with Stability

To be a disciple is to always be disturbed. Disturbed by the pain and sorrow in this world. Disturbed by the agonies caused by bipolar disorder.. Disturbed by the difficulties of medications.. But, true disciples can never sit smugly back while the rest of the world screams out in their pain. For we people of bipolar disorder, need to continually grow forward into stability for the benefit of ourselves and all others.

Life Is Like A Teeter Totter.

 When you need someone’s help to make something work, and you have to place yourself in a position of vulnerability, it is important to pick someone you can TRUST.

Otherwise, like being on a teeter totter, they might just jump off and let you fall to the ground.

I can say, I am always trying to balance the teeter-totter. I was not one of those kids who would run away when the other person was at the top.

Remember going on the Teeter-Totters, and all the people were taken, so you paired up with a bigger kid you did not know too well ? And then all of sudden, he would jump off at the crucial moment and you would go SLAM into the ground ! And he would walk away laughing. Every kid learns this lesson, at least once. It taught me that very big lesson in achieving bipolar disorder balance and that few are available to help you acquire that needed balance of mood swings. You have to be responsible for your own balance and be positive with achieving stability in life.