A Note From Anne

Dear ,

Last week I had a surprise visitor – my daughter and her unborn twins. Of course I knew they were coming, but not until the day before they came. It seems as if Houston is the home of world class doctors with a specialized expertise in twin pregnancy issues. Mommy and the twins are holding their own, but always in need of prayer – so please send the Wann twins plenty of healthy thoughts and prayers.

My schedule is normally full, but it amazes me that I could just stop all my normal activities and focus on my daughter and the twins. It shows that many set things are not set at all. It is the mind that boxes us into commitments and timetables that can be undone more easily that we imagine. Even though certain obligations cannot be undone or done differently, many of our tasks are up for questioning. We have more choice than we can imagine.

Some questions that help me get out of the box of unexamined choices are "What do I need to do right now? Do I have to do it? Do I want to do it? Can I do this in an easier or simpler manner?" These questions help me undo the assumption that something is urgent or must be done right now. Too often I forget to question my actions and run my life as if it were a machine. Questions are brilliant tools. They can knock us off the mountain of harried habit and land us in an easier space and place.

Anne

  Rageaholic or Guardian Angel?

Last year I spent a month in Los Angeles taking care of my sister, Lois. Staying in the hospital was difficult; I was sleep deprived and on edge about my sister's health. Her condition was delicate for far too many days. Besides her health, one of the more challenging aspects was driving in the LA traffic. My sister's car was old, the air conditioning didn't work, and I am a timid driver. I might have rented a car except there is a parking problem in her neighborhood; with a rental there would be two cars to move and find parking spaces on street cleaning days. At night all the parking spaces were gone, so when I slept at her place, I had to drive around for 20 minutes, park and make the long trek back to her apartment. Not that I mind walking, I just prefer not to walk for 20 minutes alone in the dark. Having two cars to deal with would have multiplied my problems, not solved them. Parking was a part of the daunting aspects of life in LA.

On the last day of her stay, I checked Lois out of the hospital and went to get the car while the nurse's aide brought her to the car. My sister was queasy about leaving the hospital, afraid to be without expert care, and we were both concerned about her non air-conditioned car. It was about an hour's drive home. She could barely walk and faced 25 stairs to get to her upstairs apartment. There were a lot of unknowns, and facing the traffic, in addition to a host of other unmentioned problems, was challenging.

She rose from the wheelchair, slide into the car, and off we went. We rode with the windows up to avoid the fumes. The sun beat down on our bare arms though the windows. I was concerned she would get overheated and she was in a very delicate condition. Have you ever driven in a closed car when the temperature was 80 degrees outside? Probably not, because you had on your air-conditioner. Even though I had made the drive many times alone, it was still difficult. I was bone tired, sick, sleep-deprived, over-heated, and concerned about the fumes. We were 2/3 the way home when I had to change lanes. I inched over but didn't pull into a lane as fast as one driver would have me do. She gave me a dirty look and laid on her horn. She was in her 40's, well-dressed, had a new model car, and was impatient. I snapped. It was too much. I started sobbing. I couldn't handle any more stress or disapproval. We did make it home, and the trip was a memorable one, but for the wrong reasons.

People Have Bad Days

People make mistakes when driving. They drive too slowly for the normal flow of traffic or pull into a lane that is occupied. People drive too fast or follow too closely. Rather that get angry with them, I prefer to empathize with them. I never want to add to their stress by giving them a dirty look or honking my horn. I have no idea what they've encountered up until the moment they pull out of a parking lot without looking, or move into the lane prematurely.

I am most frustrated with people driving slow or doing something goofy when I am late. When I have plenty of time, I have more patience. I try to tone down the drama when I'm late by remembering that this one is on me, not on others. They don't deserve my irritation, just because I'm in high drama. And in case you are wondering, being late, then hurrying, is high drama. And of course, it is a habit.

Walk in Others' Shoes

We never know what moment of a person's life we walk into or drive into. Maybe the driver is just careless, but she is careless because she is sleep deprived from visiting her premature baby in the hospital while trying to hold down a job to pay the bills. She drives and old rickety car and hopes it won't break down; she lives for the moments she can see her baby.  Maybe a young man is grief stricken because his grandmother just died or his dog was run over. He pulls in front of you.

Years ago a friend was going through a divorce. She was emotionally unsteady. She got in the car and aimlessly drove around. She thought to come to my office. She almost had two accidents by the time she reached me. She came in and it was easy to see how unhinged she was. I sat her down, gave her a blanket, talked with her, went back to my office to work, checked on her intermittently, and I didn't let her go home until she came back to earth. Maybe the person driving in front of you didn't have a friend to look after their best interests. Maybe they needed a guardian angel, not an incensed reactive driver.

Join the Angel Force

Last week I wrote about compassion in special relationships. Compassion is not a commodity reserved for those we know; it is a way of life that spreads safety and establishes heaven on earth. We are the caretakers on this planet. We set the tone wherever we go. We make a difference by how we act and react. Can we make a contribution to peace on earth by becoming compassionate drivers? We need not add blame, shame, irritability, or anger to any situation we encounter.

Life makes no mistakes. When we face less than perfection on the freeway, we are there to help, not to harm. This week I challenge you to be a compassionate driver, or if you don't drive, be a compassionate traveler. When you let others off the hook and you apply compassion, you will find that your indignation dissolves and life becomes easier and easier. We are on mission while inhabiting our bodies. The mission is not about me and mine; it is about we. It is about a collaborative peace. Life is about a collective creation of well-being. It's a wonderful concert, and it's up to you to buy the first ticket.

Make it easy.

Anne

  Quotes

"If you light a lamp for someone else, it will also brighten your path."
  – Buddha

"Be still and know yourself as the Truth you have been searching for. Be still and let the inherent joy of that Truth capture your drama and destroy it in the bliss of consummation. Be still and let your life be lived by the purpose you were made for. Be still and receive the inherent truth of your heart."
  – Gangaji

"[...] Essence simply enjoys and commits attention and love to whatever is. In fact, committing attention to anything that is present results in enjoyment. The ego enjoys so little because it commits attention to what isn't present and to what it doesn't have, and suffers over that, instead of committing attention to whatever is. It loves its fantasies, dreams, and desires more than it loves reality."
  – Gina Lake: What about Now?: Reminders for Being in the Moment

  Houston Theosophical Society

Anne Sermons Gillis currently serves as the president of the Houston Lodge of the Theosophical Society.

We encourage our members to live a life in service to humanity, in stillness through mediation, and in study of ancient wisdom.

"Recognition of the unique value of every living being expresses itself in reverence for life, compassion for all, sympathy with the need of all individuals to find truth for themselves, and respect for all religious traditions."
   --The Theosophical World View

Meetings are held on the first and third Saturdays at 10 AM Central Time in Houston, Texas.

For more information visit The Houston Lodge or visit our national organization at http://www.Theosophical.org.

  Anne's Books

Standing in The Dark

EZosophy

Offbeat Prayers

Click here to see all three of Anne's books

What people are saying about Standing in the Dark:

"Standing in the Dark, by Anne Sermons Gillis, isn't just another positive thinking book. It's a book about the difficult times in life and what we can do to make it through them. It does, however, give us positive ways to make life easier. It's a short book, but it's one that may just turn your thinking on its head, which will probably be the best thing that's happened to your thinking in a long time. It's about how to bring more ease into a life that isn't easy all of the time. Anne discusses six main areas of life: Ease, Mission, Health, Relationships, Money, and Loss."
  – Charles David Heineke

Now available on Kindle. Click for details.

What people are saying about EZosophy: The Art and Wisdom of Easy or at Least Easier Living:

"Although most conscious people understand that life doesn't have to a struggle, the "how to" has been missing... until now. Anne's book makes it "easy."
  – T. Harv Eker - Bestselling author and Founder of Peak Potentials Training

Now available on Kindle.
Click for details.
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What people are saying about Offbeat Prayers for the Modern Mystic:

"I love your book. It is filled with much wisdom, humor and heart. Really beautiful."
  – Alan Cohen author, Enough Already, mentions Anne and EZosophy on page 99

Now available on Kindle.
Click for details.

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  Anne's Services

  Schedule Anne

You may reach Anne by phone at 281-419-1775 or click the button below to contact Anne by email. Anne is also available to officiate at weddings and funerals.

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  Healthy Living

What My Daughter Taught Me About Yogurt

I don't pay much attention to the protein in my diet, but this week my daughter is with me and she is supposed to eat 60 to 70 grams of protein a day to feed her developing twins. This seemed over the edge to me, but my research showed that a lot of people recommend that much protein for this doubly pregnant lady.

My daughter taught me that there is a difference in the protein content of yogurt. Greek yogurt takes the prize. It you look at White Mountain Bulgarian plain organic whole milk yogurt, you'll find a puny little 8 grams of protein per cup, but if you eat one cup of Stoneyfield plain lowfat yogurt, you'll be eating a whopping 23 grams per cup.

I'm not a big yogurt eater; I try to steer clear from dairy products. But if I get on one of my yogurt moods, you bet your bippie, I'll be eating Greek yogurt.

  Anne Talks

Anne Sermons Gillis Interview - Part 3. I don't have goals, but sometimes goals have me. Dennis Tardan interviews Anne. (7:41)

Celebrate Life Meditation (8:42)

  What is EZosophy?

Click the graphic above to find out.

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Editor/Publisher: Charles David Heineke of TheDoorway.org.