Anne's Note talks about Summer Time. The Main article, Some Rules are Meant to be Broken, invites us to consider the validity of the rules we live by. The Healthy Living article, Blueberry Pie, give you a quick recipe for a fresh fruit pie. The Anne Talk is Be A Nobody. Learn how Anne made her life EZier. The Featured Product this month is Anne's first book, Offbeat Prayers for the Modern Mystic.

The EZ Mantra: "Everything can be EZ or at least EZier." – Anne Sermons Gillis

Living EZosophy, July 5, 2016
Published Weekly on Tuesday Mornings

Phone: 281-419-1775
Email: anne@annegillis.com

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  A Note From Anne

Summer Time

Dear ,

Summer is in full swing. I am settling in after a quick trip to Nacogdoches, TX. I am excited to have decided on a title for my new book. The title is, Magical Words: Affirmations, Visionary Statements, and Revolutionary Ideas for Transforming Ourselves, Our Culture, and Our Planet. I think this is the right title, although the title has changed numerous times during this process. The book is entering the layout phrase. It's been a slow birth for this book, compared to the last book, which I put together in about 6 weeks.

The oppressive heat of the Texas summer makes me infinitely appreciative of air conditioning. When I was young, we slept in front of a fan and kept a wet wash cloth beside the bed to moisten the skin. When the wind blew over our wet skin, we were cool. I was so happy that we had fans. While technology provides endless complications, it brings with it endless advantages. Yes, it's hot, and it's wonderful that many of us can say, "It's hot; so what!" Here's a prayer for those who face oppressive heat in the summer. "May you have relief from your suffering. May the coolness of spirit bring comfort to your days and nights, and may you have all the clean water your body needs today." Take a moment to be thankful for what you have, and then send a blessing for those who are in need. While it is important to heal ourselves, it is equally important to remember the plight of others and to also lend our thoughts and prayers to their well-being. This life is not a Story of Me; it is a Story of We.

Anne

  Main Article

Some Rules are Meant to be Broken

Our street appeared on the local news last night. It seems we are the lost street. The county over-looked us, and 6 weeks after the last flood, our trash lined streets received media attention. This morning, trash trucks lined up to clear the debris, but not all of it. The leftover trash was not following the trash rules. The county only has the right of way to take trash that is on the curb. Those who didn't know the trash rule are sentenced to a few more days of heaped up sheet rock, discarded appliances, and molding furniture.

Have you ever thought there were rules in life that you missed? Have you felt out of place and couldn't figure out why? Unfortunately, there are unspoken powerful rules that dominate  every aspect of our culture – from the boardroom to the bedroom. There are unspoken rules for behavior, for dress, and handling emotions. While it's easy to find the county's rules for handling trash, it's not always so easy to find out what is expected from us, what is socially acceptable, and what rules need to be broken.

It is advisable to wear clothes when going out of our homes, but women no longer need to wear long sleeves in the summer. That's why it's important to access our intuition, so we can follow the rules of our hearts, not the rules of societal expectation. While they might align on some things, we need the freedom to reject rules that don't serve us and to follow rules that make our lives easier. Sometimes rules provide more freedom. We expect people to stop when traffic lights are red so we can freely cross the road without worrying about being run over.

One of the unspoken rules of our culture is that one grows up and gets serious about life. This seriousness seems to apply to everything, and we heed these rules as if we had taken vows. I call these unspoken rules The Vows of Seriousness. Almost everyone can find something to identify with in the vows that follow.

The Vows of Seriousness*

I am now an adult; therefore, I must be perfect, know everything, be everything, and never make a mistake. I will not express any strong feelings, and I will be the rock, the foundation that many can build their lives on. I will have a mate, and if I don't have one, I will be looking for one while improving myself so that I can have a good relationship with a significant other. I will always be responsible and get my work done before I play. I will not let the fact that the work never gets done slow me down from working. I will be busy; never idle. I will try to do my best at all times.

I will be as still and quiet as I can be about the things that really matter and then spout off about things that make no difference whatsoever. I will maintain proper seriousness in all my business meetings; especially board meetings. Silliness is only for children, so I will refrain from silliness because I must remain dignified at all times. I will feel ashamed if I fall down, make body noises, or don't know the answer. I will be positive, bright, and cheerful at all times, especially when I feel awful. I will feel guilt over the fact that I do not exercise every day. If I smoke, I will either feel guilty and hide it, or be a smoking warrior, demanding that others not step on my rights as a smoker. If I am on a road trip, I will refrain from going to the restroom until I am miserable, because that makes me a better person. I will wear clothes that make me uptight so that I can fit in. I will wear shoes that contort my feet so that I can appear powerful or sexy.

I will be good at the expense of myself so everyone will like me. I will hang on to people who don't treat me well so I don't have to be alone. I will not take a stand on what I believe in order to avoid serious discussions. I will try to please everyone and get everyone to like me. I'll do things I hate to do just to hold on to you or to avoid disapproval. I will try to convert others to my point of view about everything, including vitamins, self-help, metaphysics, computer type (Mac or PC), philosophy, and religion.

I will insist that I have the freedom to believe my way and you have the freedom to believe your way, as long as your way includes letting me believe my way. If you won't allow me the freedom to believe my way, I will call you an enemy and you will then forfeit your freedom to believe your way. I will put off eating when I am starving until I am grumpy and faint. I will stuff when I am already full until I feel miserable. I will read self-help books to analyze what others are doing to me. I will rebel against things that are good for me so I can do it my own way. Yeah, though I walk through this world of enoughness, I will find the lack and problems of life so that in fixing them and figuring them out, my life can have meaning and purpose. AMEN.

When we recognize that we are following silly, life-denying rules, we can free ourselves to make informed choices about our lives. When we do, we find that life can and will be EZier and EZier.

* The Vows of Seriousness are excepted from Offbeat Prayers for the Modern Mystic by Anne Sermons Gillis.

Anne

  Quotes

Why say, "It's too good to be true."? Why not shout, "It's so good it must be true!"?
— Anne Sermons Gillis

"None of us completely escape the limits defined by our past; therefore, we step into adulthood with high hopes and low skills. The challenges, events, and circumstances that molded our childhoods create today's reality. It's a false reality, but it's a reality we defend as our own. Our wounds are anchored in the past and we howl when someone steps on them. "How could you treat me like this?" We don't realize that we showed up in the relationship, at work, or in our friendships, with our guts already hanging out."

Excerpted from Easy Times Press's upcoming book, Magical Words: Affirmations, Visionary Statements, and Revolutionary Ideas for Transforming Ourselves, Our Culture, and Our Planet, by Anne Sermons Gillis

"We all age, but maintaining our minds and bodies gives us the opportunity to remain healthy and active as we age. Use your mind to assist you in creating youthful maturity. The nature of youth lives in us. We are neither our bodies nor our attitudes. Our attitudes are only the filters through which we view reality. It's easy to experience the ageless nature of consciousness, but sometimes we become so identified with the body, thinking we are that body, that we fix our beliefs, activities, and opinions into a stone-like mindset and resign ourselves to a narrow, limited life. Blessed be the youth makers, for they shall see the kingdom of heaven. Maybe that wasn't one of the original blessings, but it should have been."

Excerpted from Easy Times Press's upcoming book, Magical Words: Affirmations, Visionary Statements, and Revolutionary Ideas for Transforming Ourselves, Our Culture, and Our Planet, by Anne Sermons Gillis

  Featured Product This Month

  What is EZosophy?

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  Healthy Living

Blueberry Pie

I am not an early riser, but last week I picked blueberries in Nacogdoches, TX, at 7 AM. I had never picked blueberries nor seen a blueberry bush. Bush after bush, row after row, blueberry bushes stood, ripe for the picking. It took about an hour to pick a big bucket of blue fruit. After picking, we, my friend, Mary Helen, and I, weighed our produce and left our money in a cash box. It's amazing that at the blueberry ranch, everyone picks and pays on the honor system.

Fresh Blueberries

A friend alerted me to the intricacies of blueberrying, so when I returned to my home in the Houston area, I placed the berries on a towel to dry for 24 hours. Seems they can stay in the fridge for weeks if they are stored after drying completely.

I was Jones-ing for a fresh blueberry dish. I found and made a delicious blueberry pie. The recipe calls for four cups of blueberries, but only three of them are cooked. You gotta try this. You will be in blueberry heaven.

Blueberry Pie Recipe

• One cooked pie crust

• 4 cups fresh blueberries

• 1/3 cup agave

• 1/2 cup water

• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

• 2 tablespoons corn starch

Anne's Blueberry Pie

Mix agave, water, lemon juice, and corn starch thoroughly. Add one cup of blueberries. Place on medium heat. Stir continuously. Cook until berries pop and the liquid is thick and clear. Take off heat. Add remaining blueberries to mixture. Add mixture to cooled off pie crust. Let cool and eat. Store in the refrigerator.

What a wonderful flavor, and who can resist fresh, raw blueberries? This recipe is not super sweet, yet it satisfies the health enthusiast, the sweet tooth, and the foodie!

  Anne Talks

Today's Anne Talk is Be Nobody. Click to learn how Anne made her life EZier. Time: 0:20.

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  Anne Art

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  Anne's Schedule

All times here are Central Time.

Sunday, July 17, 2016
11 AM Service: "Creating Ease"
Unity of Brazosport
507 S. Brooks St. (Hwy 36)
Brazoria, TX 77422
Phone: 979-798-4171

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  Your Next Meeting with her.

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.