For those who know me personally, you are well aware that my house is not a home without a dog. My family felt the same and we always had at least one pup when I was a child. I now have two wonderful furry critters, both rescues, which I hold near and dear to my heart. One is 13 years old, while the other is around 7. The younger one is often my therapy assistant, coming to work with me and allowing my clients to love on her as they open up their souls to heal from the happenings of their own human condition.
Recently my older dog was diagnosed with an inoperable tumor which surrounds a vital nerve in his neck. For several days he was unable to walk and cried in excruciating pain. This both terrified me and filled me with sorrow as I remained helpless until a diagnosis could be made and pain medication could be effectively administered. The challenge now is maintaining my own composure knowing that his life will be ending, along with my daily connection with this amazing furry creature.
This experience has raised my own consciousness about loss, one in which I am all too familiar. Having had older parents, three of my four grandparents had passed away before I was in highschool. My father died when I was 21, followed shortly by the remaining grandparent. All blood-related aunts and uncles had passed away by the time I was 30, and my oldest brother passed away last November. I have also experienced the loss of close friends while in high school and college. In some ways, I guess you could say that this makes me very good at 'loss'. I've had multiple opportunities to practice grieving and have come to know myself quite well in what how I handle these occasions.
However, in the situation with my beloved pup, I'm becoming ever so conscious of the fact that I am not good at the process of 'losing'. Somehow knowing that his life will be siginificantly shortened has thrown a whole new wrench in my ability to 'lose' gracefully. Knowing that at any minute the tumor could get worse and I will have to see him suffer-- and then make the decision of when to let him go-- has added a whole new dimension to the idea of being a good 'loser'. Perhaps it is the unknown of how and when it will happen, or whether I will feel I've done enough to ease his discomfort and show my own unconditional love to this truly unconditional creature.
As a result of my new awareness of 'losing', my consciousness has also been greatly heightened in stopping the non-essential tasks and fully attending to my little guy whenever I am near him. I have also become increasingly aware of the need to gleen every bit of meaning from life at any given time. I am more present and mindful when speaking with friends and family-- or grocery store clerks... or delivery persons... or anyone for that matter. I am more attentive to my own self as well-- allowing my emotions to come closer to the surface, sharing my thoughts, hurts, sorrows and joys more willingly.
In essence, this process of losing, although painful, has brought me more joy as well. I am making every attempt to step out of the fear of losing, and step further into the love of 'having' each moment. I am taking more time to breathe in each experience and both relish and cherish each gift of experience that comes my way. I'm also eliminating more and more of the unnecessary distractions of life... the nonsense commercials on t.v. which I 'mute' the second I can... the nonessential trips to the store to get something that could wait a few days longer.... the annoying political phone calls that seem to be flooding the lines these days... and so on.
I want to be better at the process of 'losing'. I want to be more graceful and genuine as I head into these unchartered waters. I want to remain present, even though I may really want to run away from the pain deep inside. In doing so, I know I will gain more and more from each moment, each interaction, and each breath.
Join me in this process.... lose the nonessentials... and gain your consciousness just a little more. Become better in your own 'losing' process, whatever you may be letting go of.
Hold yourself firmly in your consciousness and cry your way to joy!
Friday, August 24, 2012
Monday, June 11, 2012
Fun and Leisure!!!
So, it's June 11 and I finished the first draft of "the" book this weekend! "Soul Health: Aligning with Spirit for Radiant Living" is in its final stages... and should be released sometime this fall (2012!). What seemed like both a long and short process-- long because I was so excited about getting this done, and short because I somehow wrote the entire book since January--- is wrapping up. Hard to believe. But long awaited.
The Soul Health Model is my baby. I'm very proud of it and use it daily with clients. The model describes the importance and process of creating the ultimate life balance so that your soul has the best platform to evolve. Long story short-- we must balance the 10 key aspects of our 'human condition'-- our everyday challenges-- with our spirit condition-- in order to thrive in this world. Ironically... the last branch added was "Recreation" or the Fun/Leisure component of our human lives-- which is far under-rated as far as I'm concerned. In fact, it was the hardest chapter for me to write-- both because it is the one which is most overlooked or pushed to the side in our experience in the human condition-- but also because at the point in which I was writing the chapter, I wasn't exactly having fun in my own life. I had been working long hours, writing during what was left, and getting out far too little! It's hard to write about fun and leisure when you're not having any of it yourself!!!
I do try to practice what I preach. But I'm also an agent of change. I love the work I do-- sometimes too much. And in my own consciousness, I can become unconscious! I can get caught up in the 'busy-ness' just like anyone else. I'm much better than I used to be, but I, like many, have to intentionally schedule fun.
Are you having enough fun in your life? Do you laugh enough??? Probably not. But onward and upward... I vow to have more fun today... how about you???
The Soul Health Model is my baby. I'm very proud of it and use it daily with clients. The model describes the importance and process of creating the ultimate life balance so that your soul has the best platform to evolve. Long story short-- we must balance the 10 key aspects of our 'human condition'-- our everyday challenges-- with our spirit condition-- in order to thrive in this world. Ironically... the last branch added was "Recreation" or the Fun/Leisure component of our human lives-- which is far under-rated as far as I'm concerned. In fact, it was the hardest chapter for me to write-- both because it is the one which is most overlooked or pushed to the side in our experience in the human condition-- but also because at the point in which I was writing the chapter, I wasn't exactly having fun in my own life. I had been working long hours, writing during what was left, and getting out far too little! It's hard to write about fun and leisure when you're not having any of it yourself!!!
I do try to practice what I preach. But I'm also an agent of change. I love the work I do-- sometimes too much. And in my own consciousness, I can become unconscious! I can get caught up in the 'busy-ness' just like anyone else. I'm much better than I used to be, but I, like many, have to intentionally schedule fun.
Are you having enough fun in your life? Do you laugh enough??? Probably not. But onward and upward... I vow to have more fun today... how about you???
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Time Flies....
It has been a while.... as you can tell by the date of my last entry. This is partly because I haven't quite embraced this social media thing and partially because of happenings within my own 'human condition'. Shortly after the last post I went headfirst into a very busy fall with a full client load, 27 presentations/workshops between August and December, and also indulged in my usual fall travel-- hiked Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons National Parks in September then headed to Peru for another wonderful spiritual adventure. However, while out of the country, I received word that my oldest brother had passed away, which led to more travel back to my homestate of Colorado twice before the end of the year. Since then I have been immersed in the writing/completion of my first book-- "Soul Health: Aligning with Spirit for Radiant Living". (Stay tuned for release date.) This adventure has brought its own challenges, but much learning about myself and others along the way.
You see, even though I write about the human condition, I am not exempt from experiencing it myself. This 'being human' thing tests us on a daily basis, many times when we least expect it, and when it is the least 'convenient' to feel as if we can manage it let alone learn from it. But human we are. And this means that we must take what comes to us and open ourselves to the 'pop quizzes' of life along with the major exams.
Last year when walking along the south rim of the Grand Canyon I had my own conversation with God, Universe, or whatever else you may call 'it'. It was a moonlit night, far too wonderful to want to go inside even though it was too dark to even see the canyon. I was wandering along wondering why life has to be so hard at times. The thoughts that came to me went back to my graduate school days when, to me, it wasn't an option to allow anything to get in the way of finishing, no matter how difficult other parts of life might have been. I just kept pushing forward. I found myself chuckling as the words came to me that I chose the 'graduate school' of life when I committed myself to learning, growing and evolving no matter what. Like those days in school, I realized that I wouldn't be doing life any other way than to just push forward no matter what.
I often tell clients that one of the hazards of therapy is that once you begin to learn and grow you never want to stop-- which creates a vicious cycle of more learning and growing along with the challenges and discomfort that comes along with it.
So, here's to the 'graduate school' of life for those of you out there who are committed to your own evolution!!! Congratulations... and my sympathy all at the same time! No one said this human thing would be easy... but we keep pushing onward and upward.
Let us continue on our upward journey.....
You see, even though I write about the human condition, I am not exempt from experiencing it myself. This 'being human' thing tests us on a daily basis, many times when we least expect it, and when it is the least 'convenient' to feel as if we can manage it let alone learn from it. But human we are. And this means that we must take what comes to us and open ourselves to the 'pop quizzes' of life along with the major exams.
Last year when walking along the south rim of the Grand Canyon I had my own conversation with God, Universe, or whatever else you may call 'it'. It was a moonlit night, far too wonderful to want to go inside even though it was too dark to even see the canyon. I was wandering along wondering why life has to be so hard at times. The thoughts that came to me went back to my graduate school days when, to me, it wasn't an option to allow anything to get in the way of finishing, no matter how difficult other parts of life might have been. I just kept pushing forward. I found myself chuckling as the words came to me that I chose the 'graduate school' of life when I committed myself to learning, growing and evolving no matter what. Like those days in school, I realized that I wouldn't be doing life any other way than to just push forward no matter what.
I often tell clients that one of the hazards of therapy is that once you begin to learn and grow you never want to stop-- which creates a vicious cycle of more learning and growing along with the challenges and discomfort that comes along with it.
So, here's to the 'graduate school' of life for those of you out there who are committed to your own evolution!!! Congratulations... and my sympathy all at the same time! No one said this human thing would be easy... but we keep pushing onward and upward.
Let us continue on our upward journey.....
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
"Shake Awakes"...
The east coast earthquake that hit yesterday is said to have been felt by 100 million people. In a matter of 30 seconds this huge number of people were suddenly jolted into awareness that the Earth was moving beneath them.
I can't help but wonder what would happen if this many people were suddenly jolted into overall consciousness within the same amount of time? How would it change the world? How would we treat each other differently? How would our priorities change? How would we spend our time? Who would we love more... or less? How would our judgments change toward other people... and toward ourselves? How would we care for our selves and others? What would we care about more... or care about less?
Instead, our world is waking up just a little at a time. Perhaps humankind would not be able to handle a mass consciousness in such a sudden way. Perhaps we would panic and resist the consciousness... more than we already do. Perhaps the journey of consciousness really IS the key rather than the destination. Our evolution is a very slow process... and perhaps we can't rush it.
But I yearn for a time of oneness.... of unconditionality... of total and complete love rather than this utter fear that we seem to swim around in. I ache for a time when we don't judge one another for our differences. I pray that it happens in my lifetime, but I'm not willing to put money on it at this point.
About a week ago I had a startling realization on one of my walks. I realized I am greedy. My greed, though, is based on wanting to be a change agent for as many people as I possibly can while I am still on this Earth. I am not afraid to admit this greed... in fact, I am proud of it. I am proud of the drive that I have had as long as I can remember to help people to heal and to evolve. As a kid I remember seeing elderly people barely walking through a store or sitting alone in a restaurant looking tired and depressed. I remember telling the Universe to take some of my youthful energy and give it to these people so that they could go on just a little longer or with just a little more energy. Even then, I wanted people to live their lives to the fullest... to experience every drop of life that we are gifted with as humans.
And so my mission continues... My name is Katherine Kelly and I am greedy. I will stand up any day and admit this as long as it helps someone to grow... to become more conscious.. and to do the ultimate service to our creator.... to evolve.
May your own personal earth shake enough today to bring you even a little more consciousness.. which will connect each person to the other.
I can't help but wonder what would happen if this many people were suddenly jolted into overall consciousness within the same amount of time? How would it change the world? How would we treat each other differently? How would our priorities change? How would we spend our time? Who would we love more... or less? How would our judgments change toward other people... and toward ourselves? How would we care for our selves and others? What would we care about more... or care about less?
Instead, our world is waking up just a little at a time. Perhaps humankind would not be able to handle a mass consciousness in such a sudden way. Perhaps we would panic and resist the consciousness... more than we already do. Perhaps the journey of consciousness really IS the key rather than the destination. Our evolution is a very slow process... and perhaps we can't rush it.
But I yearn for a time of oneness.... of unconditionality... of total and complete love rather than this utter fear that we seem to swim around in. I ache for a time when we don't judge one another for our differences. I pray that it happens in my lifetime, but I'm not willing to put money on it at this point.
About a week ago I had a startling realization on one of my walks. I realized I am greedy. My greed, though, is based on wanting to be a change agent for as many people as I possibly can while I am still on this Earth. I am not afraid to admit this greed... in fact, I am proud of it. I am proud of the drive that I have had as long as I can remember to help people to heal and to evolve. As a kid I remember seeing elderly people barely walking through a store or sitting alone in a restaurant looking tired and depressed. I remember telling the Universe to take some of my youthful energy and give it to these people so that they could go on just a little longer or with just a little more energy. Even then, I wanted people to live their lives to the fullest... to experience every drop of life that we are gifted with as humans.
And so my mission continues... My name is Katherine Kelly and I am greedy. I will stand up any day and admit this as long as it helps someone to grow... to become more conscious.. and to do the ultimate service to our creator.... to evolve.
May your own personal earth shake enough today to bring you even a little more consciousness.. which will connect each person to the other.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Finding Humor in the Human Condition...
Well, well, well.... the human condition continues... and always will, I suppose. Being a psychologist, one would think that I wouldn't get "stuck" like many of my clients do. However, the human condition doesn't descriminate with whom it takes hold.
And somehow this amuses me. As many know, I have been working on a book... then another... then... well... yes, another. Are any of them done? No. Why? Because the human condition seems to be playing tricks on me. That and the fact that the publishing world has taken many turns in the recent past and it seems that it is harder and harder to get things accepted by national publishers. I was told recently that the book "The Help", a national bestseller-- was submitted to 60 publishing companies before it made it to print... and now look at the previous 59 who are thumping themselves on the head for not grabbing it.
I must say though, that I do believe that for everything there is a season... a time in which the fruit ripens and is ready for a grand harvest. Apparently the time was not right for "The Help" until it was, well... the right time. And thus progresses the human condition.
I wonder what the author did while waiting. Was she patient? Frustrated? Disillusioned? Bored? Probably all of these. And yet she persisted.
Much like anyone who can call themself a human, this condition that we find ourselves in offers infinite combinations of experiences as we make it through life. Our job is to simply remain conscious and learn so that we can evolve beyond our last reaction to our unfortunate situation. Our learning is inevitably fruitful.
So, to this ever amusing human condition I say "Bring it on!" Bring on the consciousness... bring on the learning... and most of all-- tickle the funny bone of this journey through life. It's an ever so fascinating one at that!
And somehow this amuses me. As many know, I have been working on a book... then another... then... well... yes, another. Are any of them done? No. Why? Because the human condition seems to be playing tricks on me. That and the fact that the publishing world has taken many turns in the recent past and it seems that it is harder and harder to get things accepted by national publishers. I was told recently that the book "The Help", a national bestseller-- was submitted to 60 publishing companies before it made it to print... and now look at the previous 59 who are thumping themselves on the head for not grabbing it.
I must say though, that I do believe that for everything there is a season... a time in which the fruit ripens and is ready for a grand harvest. Apparently the time was not right for "The Help" until it was, well... the right time. And thus progresses the human condition.
I wonder what the author did while waiting. Was she patient? Frustrated? Disillusioned? Bored? Probably all of these. And yet she persisted.
Much like anyone who can call themself a human, this condition that we find ourselves in offers infinite combinations of experiences as we make it through life. Our job is to simply remain conscious and learn so that we can evolve beyond our last reaction to our unfortunate situation. Our learning is inevitably fruitful.
So, to this ever amusing human condition I say "Bring it on!" Bring on the consciousness... bring on the learning... and most of all-- tickle the funny bone of this journey through life. It's an ever so fascinating one at that!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Technology vs. the Human Condition
So.... my consciousness was greatly challenged as I tried to rescue my computer from the nasty viruses and worms that chose to invade it. Those who know me understand that my brain does nothing less than ache when I have technical diffulties. You see, my brain just doesn't work like a computer.. nor understand them. I simply choose to consciously acknowledge my deficit in the area of computer language.
For those of you who follow my newsletter, you may have noticed an almost 2 month gap since you received the last one. The saga began as I inadvertently (and unconsciously!) emailed a 1/2 written newsletter to my entire address book rather than forwarding it to my home email as originally intended. A few days later I went to actually send it out only to find that the completed newsletter had disappeared! Try as I might, I could not retrieve it. I decided that was my sign that I just needed to wait a month and redeem myself for July.
However, shortly before the new month, I realized the computer had been invaded by the lovely worms and viruses that are circling the web right now. So, off to the 'doctor' it went... along with my laptop which also caught it's brother's cold. After over two weeks, about 6 trips to the computer wizard, and way too much money later, my magical boxes are back in service.
My own consciousness about this period of time took me through many twists and turns. At first I was frustrated with not being able to deliver my promise of the newsletter... which then turned plural as the computers were being resuscitated. Then it turned to my awareness of the frustration I had at those who have misused their energy to actually sit and create these viruses to send through innocent bystander's systems. Then, at last, I returned to the place of peacefulness in knowing that everything happens exactly as it is supposed to... and I once again let go and let life happen.
Now that I am back at the keyboard, I feel even more aware of the world around me. And increasingly grateful for the technology in front of me. For in only in this way can I consciously connect and touch the worlds of those who read my blog, facebook, twitter, etc.... May the consciousness expand and continue despite our human technological glitches.
Namaste
K Kelly
For those of you who follow my newsletter, you may have noticed an almost 2 month gap since you received the last one. The saga began as I inadvertently (and unconsciously!) emailed a 1/2 written newsletter to my entire address book rather than forwarding it to my home email as originally intended. A few days later I went to actually send it out only to find that the completed newsletter had disappeared! Try as I might, I could not retrieve it. I decided that was my sign that I just needed to wait a month and redeem myself for July.
However, shortly before the new month, I realized the computer had been invaded by the lovely worms and viruses that are circling the web right now. So, off to the 'doctor' it went... along with my laptop which also caught it's brother's cold. After over two weeks, about 6 trips to the computer wizard, and way too much money later, my magical boxes are back in service.
My own consciousness about this period of time took me through many twists and turns. At first I was frustrated with not being able to deliver my promise of the newsletter... which then turned plural as the computers were being resuscitated. Then it turned to my awareness of the frustration I had at those who have misused their energy to actually sit and create these viruses to send through innocent bystander's systems. Then, at last, I returned to the place of peacefulness in knowing that everything happens exactly as it is supposed to... and I once again let go and let life happen.
Now that I am back at the keyboard, I feel even more aware of the world around me. And increasingly grateful for the technology in front of me. For in only in this way can I consciously connect and touch the worlds of those who read my blog, facebook, twitter, etc.... May the consciousness expand and continue despite our human technological glitches.
Namaste
K Kelly
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
The Soul's Vacation
I just returned from a trip to Colorado to visit family and friends. Because I grew up there, I will always call the Rockies home. And because I have the travel bug, I always feel "fed" by my adventures. When there, I took my 16 year old niece on a helicoptor ride for her birthday, went boating with my sister and her family, visited a horse rescue center and played with my sister's horses, ate my mom's killer fudge brownies, and got to see my best friend of 26 years. I can't think of much more to feed my Soul from my days there.
Although the Soul has endless opportunities to grow and evolve through our human condition, even it needs time to regroup, take a breather and recharge. Our Soul is fed by our human fun-- if it is nourishing rather than depleting. "Good, clean fun" is hard to come by these days as our everyday lives are filled with everyday stressors, ongoing responsibility, and never-ending challenges. When asked, most people report that they don't have enough fun in their lives... which means they also aren't feeding their Souls enough. When our Soul is depleted it feels as if it has a slow leak--- nothing can fill it up and there is always a sense of loss.
By taking time to enjoy some human fun--- through a formal vacation or not--- we feed our Soul. When was the last time you had a good belly laugh-- soothing isn't it? Or the last time you thoroughly took in the scenery around you? Nourishing. When we don't take the time... we don't fill our Soul.
Find a way to recharge your Soul today. Find the right combination for your own Soul's Vacation!
In shared light,
Kathy K.
Although the Soul has endless opportunities to grow and evolve through our human condition, even it needs time to regroup, take a breather and recharge. Our Soul is fed by our human fun-- if it is nourishing rather than depleting. "Good, clean fun" is hard to come by these days as our everyday lives are filled with everyday stressors, ongoing responsibility, and never-ending challenges. When asked, most people report that they don't have enough fun in their lives... which means they also aren't feeding their Souls enough. When our Soul is depleted it feels as if it has a slow leak--- nothing can fill it up and there is always a sense of loss.
By taking time to enjoy some human fun--- through a formal vacation or not--- we feed our Soul. When was the last time you had a good belly laugh-- soothing isn't it? Or the last time you thoroughly took in the scenery around you? Nourishing. When we don't take the time... we don't fill our Soul.
Find a way to recharge your Soul today. Find the right combination for your own Soul's Vacation!
In shared light,
Kathy K.
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