{"id":298,"date":"2020-10-24T17:53:23","date_gmt":"2020-10-24T21:53:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marshasummers.com\/wordpress\/?p=298"},"modified":"2020-10-24T17:54:09","modified_gmt":"2020-10-24T21:54:09","slug":"looking-at-what-i-already-have","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marshasummers.com\/wordpress\/?p=298","title":{"rendered":"Looking at what I already have"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

 From 7 & 8 of DC March 78<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[from Marsha:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing up in this manmade world has been an ever unfolding adventure. As a teenager, I just knew happiness would be mine if I could drive. And when I could drive, then I wanted more freedom to do what I wanted to do with no sanctions from my father.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then I went to work hoping for a better job, more income and a perfect mate who would give me security. And when I had a husband, home, and children then I became somewhat discontented with that and wanted something different. In the 60\u2019s it was suggested that I should \u201cto find myself\u201d.  So what I had, I took for granted and that lead to greed of wanting to develop my potential \u2013 not saying that\u2019s bad or good, just the suggestion of those days<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Definition of greed from the internet<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGreed goes much further than money. A person can be greedy for money but also for fame, possessions, attention, compliments. It could be fun to make your own list.  <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happiness was evident at times, but only very temporarily. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so as conflict and discontent grew, I was fortunate enough to start vocal lessons with a teacher who was familiar with the \u201cteachings\u201d of Dr. Bob Gibson: and I began using his 48 tapes one each week. One of the ideas he mentions is that we\u2019ve always had what we need which is provided by the Host \u2013 X \u2013 God.  <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But coming back to the \u201cNOW\u201d in 2020, I chose this subject for the blog because the covid scare is diminishing many of the things, events, and privileges we have taken for granted \u2013 even a simple hug.  It feels alien to me to see people with masks on; and it takes away from their personality, from communication and a sense of oneness as though we are all divided from each other and very alone.  <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I treasure this exercise of \u201clooking at what I already have\u201d in a very new and different situation.  It can bring about a sense of thankfulness instead of a forboding of \u201clack\u201d \u2013 even if only for the moments we spend on it.]<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And here\u2019s the excerpt.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                From the workshop<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 But the Host\nbasically provides for me all the time and I can have tokens to play with\nbecause I\u2019ll exchange with you okay?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now when we see that fairly plain, do you not of necessity\nhave to have another purpose of living \u2013 simply to be a good guest \u2013 you forget\nall about being nondisturbed because there\u2019s nothing here to really disturb us\nanyway.  Why work at somethin\u2019 so hard\nwhen you already have it \u2013 come to think of it. \nYou have food, clothing, shelter, transportation, interesting things to\ndo, interesting people to be around, delightful other guests to play games with\never since you\u2019ve been here haven\u2019t you Barbara?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Sure have.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now why work so hard to be nondisturbed when you already got\nit except you\u2019re frettin about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So you see I can put an end to all this old purpose of\nliving \u2018cause I see I really already have it. \nDon\u2019t you Mr. Pinkous?  You\nalready have it \u2013 you have food, clothing \u2013 everything that makes for a\nnondisturbed state.  You have food\nclothing, shelter, transportation, interesting things to do, interesting other\nguests to be around, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Uh huh.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So why work so hard to get something you\u2019ve already\ngot.  You see \u2013 only an infant has\nforgotten that he didn\u2019t have something for a minute and so we still go on with\nthat same habit runnin\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that you have it, could you not make a contribution to\nthe party we\u2019ll say \u2013 just simply being a good guest.  I don\u2019t know what\u2019 you\u2019d do.  I haven\u2019t the foggiest.  My contribution probably\u2019d be different that\nanybody else\u2019s contribution \u2013 yours would be different than anybody else\u2019s; but\nit\u2019s worthwhile.  You see, the party\u2019d\nget along if we didn\u2019t make it anyway, Did you know that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Yeah.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The party would get along just fine if I didn\u2019t make the\ncontribution.  So it only does something\nfor me, it gives me a feeling that I can say thank you in some way or\nother.  Party\u2019d get along anyway,\nwouldn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now when we look at that, we\u2019re bound to come up with a new\npurpose.  Now I said when we look at it \u2013\nI didn\u2019t say we\u2019ve already looked at it, but I, at least, gave the place to\nlook, okay?  The area in which to look;\nand you\u2019re bound to see that if you look around a bit, that this is what\u2019s\nactually goin\u2019 on out here, okay?  And\nthat all the other guests are doin\u2019 what they feel\u2019s right, proper and justifiable;\nand a lot of \u2018em obviously don\u2019t know where they are \u2013 they don\u2019t\u2019 know what\nthey are, they don\u2019t know what\u2019s goin\u2019 on here and they don\u2019t know what they\ncan do.   That\u2019s true.  And you have even been a little extra\nprivileged to get a chance to look at that, okay?  No sweat then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now if that be the case, then you could have a new purpose\nof living without any effort of makin\u2019 it; and you could choose from a few\npossibilities how you want to put it to work. \nThat\u2019s when we say it is consciously chosen because by looking at it as\nit really is, you\u2019d have to have a new purpose of living, you just couldn\u2019t keep\nfrom it, okay?  I didn\u2019t say you could\nlook at it this minute. It may take you several days lookin\u2019 at it.  May take you one  minute and maybe you already have; but\nwhatever it is, it\u2019d come up a new one and essentially it would be some form\nthat the only thing I can do here is be a good guest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[from Marsha\u2026.From this little excerpt, I took a walk around the block to really take a look at what I already have.   I have food \u2013 plenty of it \u2013 maybe too much and I\u2019m working on not eating all of it all the time because the body doesn\u2019t need as much as is available.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have plenty of clothing \u2013 it may not be brand names; but it is certainly fine for me and I can mix and match.   I can dress up when I go out because it feels good to me and it also makes the environment a little prettier.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In one of the workshops there was a woman who hated putting her makeup on in the morning. Dr. Bob suggested that she was beautifying  the environment. After that, she never had a problem and I adopted that idea also.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have shelter.  It\u2019s not an expensive house, but it fills all my needs and is just enough.   Also have a private fence in the back yard where I can have a garden and ponder with privacy.  <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I may not be able to drive, but I have transportation to the places I really need to go.  May not get to go everywhere I want whenever I want, but it\u2019s that way with everything in life.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I certainly have interesting people to be around; and they don\u2019t fit my ideal of what people should be or should do; but it reminds me to do the work of the teachings and maybe experience agape (understanding) for each and every one. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I have interesting things to do despite the blindness.   Yes, the things I can do are limited; and yes, they are sometimes very difficult to do; and yes with diminishing sight I need to keep looking for alternatives to seeing, but so far, I\u2019ve been able to do that.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So when I think about making a contribution and\/or be what, to me, is a good guest, I have found many opportunities \u2013 I keep tweaking the process each day. I think it\u2019s a contribution to not try to change all these interesting people I\u2019m around even though the temptation is great when I see them saying and doing things that may not be to their advantage.  Most times, they don\u2019t want to hear my opinions; and they are on their own path.  <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And there are the obvious contributions like playing piano on Zoom or telephone for sequestered friends. I can go on conference calls with other students of the teaching. I can learn new songs and develop piano skills and memorize words  even if I never get to use them for an audience. I have taken up creative cooking and planting a garden of vegetables and herbs (and I always felt I didn\u2019t have a green thumb).My mind is challenged to come up with new ways to fill my needs for socialization. Once long ago after a bout with depression I experienced the idea of learning to be my own best friend.]<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

 From 7 & 8 of DC March 78 [from Marsha: Growing up in this manmade world has been an ever unfolding adventure. As a teenager, I just knew happiness would be mine if I could drive. And when I could … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marshasummers.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marshasummers.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marshasummers.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marshasummers.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marshasummers.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=298"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/marshasummers.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":300,"href":"https:\/\/marshasummers.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298\/revisions\/300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marshasummers.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marshasummers.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marshasummers.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}