Drink from the Source…by Marcia Johnson

During my youth, I was raised in a small town, a place where everyone knew each other and for the most part, they looked out for each other; with one exception. With that watchful eye came a major dose of gossip. People knew what I was doing and even conjured up when, why and who I would be doing something before the thought even crossed my mind. I would also be prejudged of doing things that I would never even consider doing.

Some of the people in my town would talk about not only me and my friends but also almost everyone else. Under the guise of “concern” conversations would last hours, days and are still taking place lifetimes later. When it comes to gossiping and creating rumors, it is like poisoning the town’s water supply. Depending on the dose, it can either be enough to seriously harm other people in the town or make everyone involved very sick.

For many years in my life, I did the same. I would consciously and unconsciously find myself doing the exact thing that had only brought negativity in my life. It really did not matter the content of the conversation, what did matter was that the subject was none of my business to begin with. Truth be told, the only reason I would focus on what I would call another person’s problems was when I did not want to look into my own life and deal with my own pain.
In my life now, if something comes up that brings me concern, I go right to the source. It is like climbing up to the place where the fresh water is pouring out of the mountain rather than drinking miles downstream where the cows and wild animals have defecated. Drinking right from the purest place of information helps to keep everyone involved healthier. The climb to the source also allows me time to truly consider if the reason I am climbing honestly affects me. Unless my family or my businesses are going to be harmed from not finding out the truth…it does not matter. If there is no impingement, there is no reason to climb further!

This approach to gossip is how I have been able to honor my friendships with others in a very loving and sincere way. It is very liberating not to carry the guilt and worry that talking behind someone else’s back brought into my world. In the long run, not only did it hurt the people that I would talk about, I was the one that it would hurt the very most.

Building me up by tearing others down is no way to find true happiness. Bathing in the filth infested waters of gossip ended up making me stink the most. I now make the decision to shower at the source of all information. By deciding to turn off the tap of gossip, I have lost some friends along the way however, they were the type of friends that would pull me in with them because they were drowning in their own lives and did not want to be alone in the misery they created for themselves.

Allowing myself to climb out of the lake of gossip, I have been able to create new friendships with people whose intentions are out front for the world to see. People who are transparent in their desires to make the world a much better place by building it up and not tearing it apart. Thank you dearly for being a piece of my new world. A world of Love, Peace and Understanding.

Most Humbly,
Marcia

Are you living life by Default or by Design?
All too often we spend our days on auto pilot, coasting through time like robots day in and day out. A friend of mine stopped in to tell me about her day. She went to work early because she had a meeting with her supervisor. When she stepped out of her car and put both feet on the ground she realized that not only did she have different shoes on but they were different heights as well. OOPS.

When she told me the story, I laughed like crazy, since time had passed, she did as well. This is a great example of how she was on auto pilot and not living in the Now. She was so concerned about her meeting that she never even checked in with herself to see how she looked.
When we are Awake for the moments in our lives, we can truly learn to appreciate the miracles that all too often get taken for granted. When our auto pilot is turned off, we feel a rewarding freshness and aliveness. We experience living a life that is passionately fulfilled inspiring others to do the same; an astounding life that results from making deliberate choices.

"The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind." Dr. Wayne W. Dyer. When we simply coast through our days, we are not making conscious decisions. This ends up taking us down a path that we never would have chosen otherwise.
So now I ask you, are you living your life by Default or by Design?
Marcia Johnson