Friday, October 21, 2011
Many years ago I had a student named Dianne Collins. She was a dynamic, strong woman and a championship dancer. She was a metaphysicist whose goal in life was to be a philanthropist. Dianne once told me that I had an “Atlas Syndrome”, and was carrying around the world on my shoulders. She told me, “If Atlas had only straightened up and stood tall; the world would have fallen off his shoulders”.
Dianne’s words have come back to me many times when I have felt life’s burdens and the weight of the world pulling me down. At those moments I have physically just stood up, lifted my shoulders and said, “I’m free”. Sometimes our freedom is gained just from letting go and releasing difficulties off of our shoulders.
How many times in today’s world do we now see young people walking, heads down, and not communicating? They may be holding a ‘communication’ device, but they are alone and solitary. We all see people in our daily lives who are on foot, slumped and heads down, with no smile or glimmer of hope.
Then, we see a group of young vital people laughing, smiling, and showing the light of youth. They are in tune with living and are clearly expressing happiness and joy. We sometimes see an older person striding, tall and erect, with a smile and head held high. They seem to be without dread and fear, and free from the worries of life.
What is the difference? What makes these two types of people so diverse? I think it is just letting go, moving on, and not letting the cares of life get us down. Recently, I have had to ask for help through prayer. I have called to those who have gone before me to help me find my way. They have helped me to overcome anger, anxiety, depressing and negative thoughts, and they have illuminated my many blessings.
After a few moments in prayer, I find myself thinking about dancing through the holidays, Thanksgiving Day, my upcoming visits to Disneyland. I begin to visualize my upcoming 15 K in the Santa Monica Mountains. After a while of joyous thinking and happy thoughts, I stop and say, “Thanks for the help”, to those I reached out to in the heavens above.
Stand up, stand tall. Let life’s cares fall by the wayside. Then give Atlas a call, or perhaps a friend, and brighten their day with a loving and uplifting word!
Next week: Preventative Medicine.
Very Sincerely,
David Woodbury
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