Full Tummy, Empty Bladder, Warm Bed


March 11, 2006

At 10 years old, my Doberman Winston enjoys a full life. Winston never experienced a "bad day" or mistreatment from his family and friends and he's never been sick. All in all, Winston lives a charmed life. Gently carrying his rubber ducky around the house, Winston sighs when he settles down on the pillow next to me in my office. After turning around a few times before the down pillow's fluff suits him, Winston - and his duck - enjoy their respite from the rigors of guarding the house.

He looks up at me with winsome eyes as if to say, "Life's pretty good. I got a full tummy, an empty bladder and a nice warm bed. Thanks."

I think that pretty much sums it up.

Full Tummy
With tummies full, we no longer operate out of scarcity or need. We approach life with a confidence only a full belly can provide. Not foraging for food or enlightened nourishment, we enjoy the comforts of a satisfied spirit. While a full tummy proves temporary, so do moments of connectedness with our Creator and the Universe around us. When spirit satiates our desires for oneness with God, we focus our energies on growth and progress. The eternal, serial, search for the "full tummy" of life causes a love/yearn condition in us. We constantly strive for peace of mind, for a quiet spirit, for satisfaction. By nature, the ebb and flow of life creates an alternating resting and seeking modality. Interestingly, "junk food" does not sustain us. Food with little or no nutritive value provides short periods of relief from hunger, leaving us often with stronger cravings and a sense of emptiness even when our stomachs are full. Empty attempts at spirituality comfort us half-heartedly and temporarily. Conversely, whole foods rich in vitamins and proteins stay with us longer and the body uses this food more efficiently and responds smoothly in kind. Powerful concepts of spiritual food provide long-lasting effects on our well being and in fact, the quality of our lives. Our tummy growls when it needs food. Do we even notice when our spirits hunger?

Empty Bladder
Nothing quite matches the urgency of a full bladder! Not something we can ignore for very long, no amount of mind-over-matter can resolve the situation. We need to rid ourselves of waste, of that we no longer need. Like the immediate sense of relief of an empty bladder, our lives become instantly lighter when we toss away outdated notions and thought-processes. With our reservoir for new information empty, we enjoy the prospect of taking in new ideas and experiences until they, too, ultimately fill us up. As with our tummies, our bladder of free-thought cycles through every stage of full and empty.

We undergo a constant state of flux and intake and outgo of thought. When a thought served its purpose we can easily discard it to make room for other, new thoughts, can't we? Some of us find this difficult to do, others impossible. Many of us remain on the brink of brain-sphincter contraction with respect to our old thought-patterns. Not wanting to change our thinking (and hence our lives), some folks choose to argue to retain old patterns of reasoning and thought rather than move forward into discovery. Changing the way your mind processes and generates ideas requires hard work. It takes "paying attention" to how your thoughts flow, and noticing when you slip back into old patterns. You can, however, alter your old methodology. Discipline of thinking soon evolves into habit and before you know it, we empty ourselves of outdated thoughts which no longer serve us. Nothing is quite as satisfying as to sit contented with a mind devoid of noisy, busy thoughts which no longer propel us forward.

Warm Bed
When we think of the "warm bed" of our lives, we move beyond the literal mattress and blanket concepts. A life filled with happiness and contentment, a life of security and stability, a life of friends and family and love and celebration comprise a "warm bed" for our souls. Not just a safe place to spend 8 hours of rest each night, the metaphoric warm bed provides sanctuary from the harsh daylight of reality, offers rest from weary thoughts and business, and serves as a resource to recharge our energies to move forward on this plane of existence.

For many of us, our attitude alone represents our "warm bed." As we embrace and take comfort in thoughts which serve us, when we relax, these same thoughts provide the support we need throughout the day. When we wrap ourselves in the blanket of positive thinking, and lie on the soft pillows of optimism the warmth generated from our spiritual frame of mind sustains us and gives us peaceful rest. We enjoy safe harbor from concrete floor negativity and immerse ourselves in the feather bed of positivism and joy.

We've all heard the phrase, "You made your bed, now lie in it," many times. The message conveyed means we created a situation and we must endure the consequences. Me? I'd like to enjoy my fluffy pillows of loving thoughts and warm comforter of confidence and know that life works out for the best. I know that "God's got me" and life works out in the perfect time and sequence for the perfect outcome. My "warm bed" is my faith.

And there's Winston, curled up in the corner of the bed - happy and content with the basics of life. A sigh, a look, a wiggly tail, Winston expects life to treat him well and he's always right.

May your tummy fill with positive, loving experiences of spirit, may you rid yourself of old ideas and worn out thought patterns and may your "warm bed" bring you pleasant dreams for the highest and best for your life.

Marlene



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