The Anne Report, Fear or Ease?, tells of Anne's and Jim's visit with their grand twins and their parents, and how we often make scary choices instead of easy ones. The Main article, The Frog and the Dragonfly, tells of Anne's conversation with two nature friends and how they blessed her day. The Healthy Living article, Taking Risks, encourages us to be Thrivers instead of just Survivors. The Anne Talk is More EZosophy. Learn about Anne's newest book: The Living Book. The Featured Product this month highlights Anne's second book, EZosophy: The art of EZ or at Least EZier Living. Click to read What is EZosophy?  Click here to learn about Anne's newest book, Words Make a Difference.

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

Living EZosophy, August 8, 2017
Published Weekly on Tuesday Mornings

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

Anne's Websites:

  The Anne Report

Fear or Ease?

Dear ,

We arrived in Mt. Pleasant, SC last week and were met by the excitement of two three-year-olds. After we settled in, there was a long and detailed conversation. "Grand Ma Ma, do you have a vacuum cleaner?" "Yes." "What color is your vacuum cleaner." This made me think: "Dark red." Then I altered my answer to "Gray." They would have none of that. Very emphatically I hear, "No, Grand Ma Ma. Your vacuum cleaner is dark red!" I let it slide. I knew I wasn't going to win this one. "Does it have a button." "Yes." "What color is the button?" The questions continued. Next, we go to the closet to view the house vacuum cleaner and finally we return to the kitchen to hear stories about how the twins do not like the vacuum cleaner to be turned on.

When the twins were two years old, they were very afraid of the vacuum cleaner and the noise it made. They still fear the noise, but they are curious about the machine. It seems like the "Tale of the Ego." The egoic mind tends to be fascinated with things that scare it. People love horror movies and others feel enlivened when they live on the edge. They sky dive, climb mountains, and catch poisonous snakes. Fear sells, from the micro to the macro. We talk about wanting happiness, but seem to be happier when we scare ourselves! We love the chemical fix of the adrenaline rush. Humans are clever, in that they have a diverse range of creative expression. Our interests span from the mundane to the bazaar, but in a strange twist of logic, we choose things that go against our best interests.

EZosophy is a philosophy that invites us to choose again, to choose in a way that values ease above hardships and that places peace before drama. Being a drama lama and living in a drama rama may be familiar, but these choices place us at the bottom of the consciousness realm. When we use the EZosophy mantra ("Everything can be EZ or at least EZier.") as our guideline, we not only make EZier choices, we also make our lives EZier and EZier.

That’s it for the Anne Report.

  Main Article

The Frog and the Dragonfly

It was break time. I went outside and pondered the speaker's words. It was an Eco-spiritual conference and we were encouraged to develop a personal relationship with animals, trees, and all of nature. I went outside to stretch, get some sun, and to get a whiff of the true meaning of the conference. I enjoyed each speaker, but I needed nature. I sat near the pond and tried to concentrate on the comedy skit I was performing that night, but the pond was alive with dragonflies, grasses, drooping willows swaying in the wind, and wild flowers. I stood up, left my notebook behind, and walked to the water's edge to watch the nature channel in living color. The dragonflies darted and danced, the winds sang, and the flowers played in the wind. I watched in rapture. I was close enough to see the black and white dragonfly wings. I spoke briefly to the little creatures, but caught a glimpse of the biggest green frog I'd ever seen, stretched out lazily in the pond. I stared in amazement.

"I'm surprised you didn't hop away, Mr. Frog. Thank you for staying." I talked to the frog, telling him how fortunate I was to make his acquaintance, blabbed on about his beauty, and then had a terrible thought: "He looks dead. No, no, no!" "Mr. Frog, if you are alive, please move your leg." I lifted my leg and moved it back and forth as an example. Nothing. "If you are alive, please move your leg." I moved my opposite leg. Nothing. I thought. "I'll sing. What kind of green frog songs do I know?" I thought of Kermit and started singing, "Why are there so many songs about rainbows and what's on the other side…" The moment I started singing, the frog swam over and started singing with me. A large red sack bellowed under his chin. It was miraculous. We sang for a while; he stopped and listened as I continued singing, and I finally said, "Mr. Frog, it's been wonderful to meet you and spend time with you, but I have to work on the show for tonight." At that moment, he swam away.

I returned to the bench, and as I sat, a dragonfly landed on my knee. "Miss Dragonfly, I'm sorry. I was so taken away with Mr. Frog that I didn't give you enough attention." I admired her, looked through her gossamer wings, bragged on her amazing, black, multifaceted eyes, blessed her life and the lives of her family, and commented on her beauty. Eventually it was time for me to get my act together. "Miss Dragonfly, it's been wonderful to meet you. Thank you for dropping by. I must prepare for my act tonight. Goodbye." At that moment, she took flight and I was left to work on my comedy routine.

There was an inner warmth as I worked. The frog and the dragonfly captured my heart, and I felt as if I had two new friends. They are sentient beings. Even now I wonder where they are. Dragonflies live about seven months and bullfrogs can live to be seven years old.

It was a wonderful conference. I saw old friends, made new friends, learned about St. Francis and Pope Francis, two men who honor nature. But if one asked me what was the main event, I'd have to say, "I met a frog and a dragonfly."

Anne

  Quotes

Anne's Quotes

"The spirit of nature is not how beautiful nature is; it's how alive it is."

"Don't look at life assuming something is wrong. Look at it assuming something is right; then find it."

"It's ingenious how the egoic mind sets up emotional and intellectual climates that keep us at arm's length from the truth of our being. While there is much cleverness needed to set up this spring loaded mental trap, it's a kind of maneuvering that goes against our best interests."

Anne's Affirmations

I place everyone in the custody of love and well-being, surrounded by the blessings of enoughness.

I am in the right place and perfect space, through grace.

  The Living Book

The Living Book, by Anne Sermons Gillis

• Suppose someone told you that you could change your life radically, for the better, if you spent just three minutes a day doing inner work? Would you believe it? Maybe not, but wouldn't it be worth an investment of three minutes a day to try it?
• The Living Book offers just this. Devote three minutes a day to this process and your life will become a living testimony to the seed principle. A tiny seed can grow into a mighty tree, but it must be planted. Plant your daily seed for three short minutes and notice both subtle and miraculous changes in your life.
• In addition to the daily practice, one can use the process when they are stumped or afraid or angry. This process transforms anger into love. When we plant seeds of light into our thoughts and emotional bodies, we move into higher frequencies of well-being.

The Living Book, by Anne Sermons Gillis
PDF Book Download $0.99. Kindle Book: $2.99.

  Featured Product This Month

Click here to check out Anne's newest book, Words Make A Difference, a book of affirmations, action plans, and deep insights into the human consciousness that transforms and heals the soul, the local and global community, and the planet. Travel with Gillis on a journey through deep psychology, metaphysics, and nondualism.

  What is EZosophy?

Click the graphic above to learn about EZosophy.

NOTE: If you are viewing this on a cell phone, be sure to scroll to the right to see the other column.

  Healthy Living

Taking Risks

Are you a survivor or a thriver? Do you try to scrape through life or are you willing to risk failure after failure so that you can thrive? Playing it safe is a way to survive, but it's not way to thrive. People who thrive are valiant in the face of success or failure because they don't define themselves by their accomplishments.

It's safe to take some kinds of risks, but foolish to take others. No one need drive over a railroad track when the train is coming, but there are other risks worth taking. I had an older friend who lived about four miles outside of town. She drove to her church, her doctor, the grocery store, and a few places on that well-known route, but never drove anywhere else. Jim and I took her to a beautiful park in town and she was thrilled. This town was not a suburb; it is a town of 80,000 people. It was easy to get around. One could get drinking water from the natural springs in the park. It was a magical place. In the years she lived near this town, she had never been to the park. This paradise was close to her home. Her son took her near the park one time and she remembered the visit fondly. Her friends never knew she didn't drive around. I remarked that since she knew how to get there, she could return. She said, "No. I might get lost." She lived her life in safety, and she didn't get lost. This was before GPS and she was in her 80's, but she had her full faculties and could drive. I was from out of town, but from then on, when I was in town, I tried to take her out if I had time.

How close are we to paradise? Have we refused to take risks because we felt uncomfortable or out of control? What is that one thing you are holding back on? Not the trip you always wanted to go on, that would put you in debt, but the yearning to help others or walk dogs at the animal shelter.

We are all fine, even if we don't take risks. The woman I wrote about lived in a mobile home and never ventured far from home, but she had a powerful influence on my life. I miss her poetry and antics.

It's not to late for you. You know who you are. You are reading this and are on the edge of taking a chance; just waiting, wondering. This is your sign; take the risk. It's okay to make a mistake. You can survive looking foolish and even failure, or fizzling, but who knows? Maybe taking this risk will be much more that you hoped it would be. It's time. Take that risk!

If you have any healthy living tips for the newsletter, send them to me at anne@annegillis.com.

  Anne Talks

More EZosophy

  Anne Art

Original Anne Art
Click the image to see a larger view.

Enhanced Anne Art
Color and Words by Anne
Assembled by Charles Heineke
Click the image to see a larger view.

NOTICE: Here are two shareables from Anne. Feel free to pass them along.

The World's Best Weight Loss Secret

Thought Freedom

  Anne's Schedule

All times here are Central Time
unless otherwise specified.

Friday, August 11, 2017
Workshop, 9 AM - 3 PM EDT
"Building Self Esteem and Courage"
5 hours CE credits
Location: "The Cottage"
122 Alicia Drive
Summerville, SC
Click Here for Registration

Sunday, August 20, 2017
12:30 PM to 3 PM
"Synchronicity"; Cost $25.00
Bring a sack lunch, light snacks provided.
Creative Life Spiritual Center
5326 Spring Stuebner Rd. Ste. 200
Spring, TX
Phone: 281-350-5157

Friday, October 6, 2017
Workshop, 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM EDT
"Building Self Esteem and Courage"
5 hours CE credits
Location: "Phoenix Center"
1400 Cleveland Street
Greenville, SC
Click Here for Registration

Call or Email Anne Now to Schedule Her for Your Meeting.

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.

  Anne's Services

Need a Coach or a Rent-a-Friend?

Interested in getting ongoing support? Try life coaching with Anne. Anne offers both short-term and long-term coaching. Contact her for details. Click here to contact Anne by email or Click here to view information on Anne's One Year Seminar and other training too.

The EZosophy Bracelet