A Note From Anne

Dear ,

I'm off on another trip. People say I live the good life and they are right. Traveling is wonderful and I look forward to my trips. I am not all that pleased about the work that goes into packing, unpacking, regrouping, and getting my work done in a short amount of time, so I have to keep the principles of EZosophy at hand so as not to have a hard attack. I love the EZosophy mantra, "Everything can be EZ or at least EZier."

We are going to see my step-daughter, in Colorado Springs, with a stop in Palo Duro Canyon along the way. We will be there or somewhere great when you get this, so you know I'll be having lots of fun. I love to be outdoors. We'll do some camping and who knows what. Our trip is somewhat loosely planned and I love it that way.

In the 1970's I went to Italy. I wore myself out trying to see everything. I knew there had to be an easier way, so I began to see less, do less, and relax. Isn't that what a vacation is about? Take it easy and don't wear yourself out taking a vacation.

Anne

  Smell

One Sunday morning I returned from an event and found my tail-wagging, wildly enthusiastic dog, Lucy, waiting. As I often do, I went for the floor and we rolled around together. We had a grand time, and in between our antics she managed a sniff or two. I watched her smelling me. It was intimate. She’s sniffs me all the time, but until that day, I really didn’t take part. I offered no resistance and became a co-conspirator in this animal act of recognition. “Oh, I know you; this is your smell.” In the past, I’ve smelled her too, but not to recognize her; just to manage her health. Does she smell bad? Does she need a bath? Does the inside of her ears smell funny? She’s the only living animal I smell.

With a few exceptions – I smell people’s breath, their B.O., and their gas, and that’s not pleasant. I don’t intentionally smell others; no sniffing and drinking it in. No smell and tell. Their odors just happen to be in line with my nose. Human odors don’t have much character. I can’t ever remember thinking, “You have such lovely breath.” I’m not counting perfumes or other nonhuman fragrances when I talk about odors. I’m talking natural odors. I can’t imagine living 300 years ago. Smelling others was nor optional. Every day was a smellathon. Now we’re sanitized, scrubbed clean, and antibacterialized.

If you lick your arm, and wait 3 seconds and then smell it; you can smell your breath. It does work. I think that’s why I brush my teeth three times a day. And, in full disclosure, I admit I do smell under my arms frequently. This is my maintenance smelling.

I have a smell joke. Can you believe I know a smell joke? Actually, I know two. A janitor is in the elevator. He is alone and lets out a big one. It was one of those stinky ones, so he sprays some Pine-sol. When the next person get in the elevator, he exclaims, “What the heck? It smells like someone shit a Christmas tree.”

I can’t resist. My mom told me this next smell joke. It was so uncharacteristic of her. She was a little on the prim and proper side until she got Alzheimer’s. Then all that propriety leaked out. “The blind man passed a fish market. ‘Good evening, ladies.’” That was the family dirty joke.

I wish people were not so standoffish – that 18 inch rule – too close and we’re in someone’s space. I wish people could get close enough to recognize each other’s fragrance, that one identifying odor unique to him or her. I remember that deep time of intimacy with a new lover, when I wanted to drink him in. I would smell his clothes, his chest – I just wanted to be closer. I wanted my breath to bring him into me.

I wonder, if we knew each other intimately - I knew your smell and you knew mine, could we call ourselves enemies? Could we forget that primal, musky call to life? Could we go to war and kill each other? If I was intoxicated by your essence, what would I do? What would you do? What would we do? If we’re that close, would we go to war?

Anne

  Quotes

"Our lives are easier when the mind no longer serves as our ruler, decider, and conflict generator. When we immerse ourselves in omnipresent goodness, the need to change, manipulate, dissect, control, or get more dissolves. We enter the kingdom and rest in the peace of being."
– Anne Sermons Gillis

"For from joy all being so born, by joy there sustained, being born, and into joy they inter after death."
– The Upanishads

"… so often we block deep joy. To block joy is our privilege as finite, particularized children of the universe, but it’s hardly an action to our credit. We get caught up in a routine, little fears, and goals. We merely skim the surface of little puddles of joy as we run by, ignoring the vast oceans of it that wash up on the beach of our conscious minds. We may even think that, instead of joy, the untapped levels of the mind are subcellars full of dirt and dragons. If only we knew - and we can know."
– Excerpt from Finding Deep Joy by Robert Ellwood

  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.

  What is EZosophy?

Click the graphic above to find out.

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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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  Anne's Schedule

All times here are Central Time.

Wed. & Fri. Sept. 17 & 19, 2014
10:00 AM-Noon, “Synchronicity”
Lone Star College ALL Program
Montgomery Campus
3200 College Park Drive
Conroe, TX 77384-4500
936-273-7000

Wed. & Fri. Sept. 24 & 26, 2014
1:00-3:00 PM, “Alive, Awake, Aware”
Lone Star College ALL Program
Kingwood Campus
20000 Kingwood Drive
Kingwood, TX 77339-3801
281-312-1600

Wed. & Fri. Oct. 29 & 31, 2014
1:00-3:00 PM, “EZosophy”
Lone Star College ALL Program
Kingwood Campus
20000 Kingwood Drive
Kingwood, TX 77339-3801
281-312-1600

  Healthy Living

Oral Care

64 percent of people aged 65 and older have some kind of gum disease. Yikes, the disturbing thing about that, beyond possible bad breath, is that a recent study links Alzheimer's disease and oral health. Seems like some of the bad bacteria in our mouths can get into our bloodstream and go to the brain. The research makes a great case for regular flossing, brushing, and professional cleaning.

A few weeks ago I mentioned "pulling" - a form of removing bad bacteria from our mouths. This idea is more and more beguiling. I tried it for more than a week, then I went traveling for a couple of weeks. It's not convenient when traveling, but when I was able to pull, my breath smelled wonderful and my teeth felt amazing.

Even the Mayo Clinic says oral health is linked to overall health. Antihistamines, diuretics, and other medications dry up saliva. Our saliva washes away bacteria and neutralizes acids so we can maintain a healthy mouth without gum disease.

It's easy to let our oral health slide, but taking care of our teeth, gums, and mouth is as important as exercise. I floss frequently because I can't stand to have food between my teeth. I recently attended a conference and during breaks I was surprised to see a lot of women flossing or brushing their teeth. I've not been so public with my oral habits, but I think I'm gonna' try it. I hope, if you are still rebelling from your mama telling you to brush your teeth, that you will take note of the hazards of gum disease and run to the bathroom more often. Life is just easier when you have healthy teeth.

  Anne Talks

Reality Check. Short one minute video. Move pointer to the right to display the video player and press the Play button.

  Anne Art

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

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