Current Inspiration

Serve

The Inspirational word of the week is…

Serve (verb) 1. to offer 2. to be of use, helpful 3. to show obedience.

I was talking with a lady friend of mine this morning. We were discussing the vote about the Debt Ceiling yesterday. We’re both astounded at the lack of accountability our Congress has toward the middle and lower classes. Instead of focusing on taking care of ALL Americans, it seems our elected representatives are only interested in serving the big corporations that lobby a.k.a. bribe them. Our Congress, Democrats and Republicans alike, are serving their own interests above the best interests of our country. The rich are getting richer, big corporations are getting stronger and the rest of the country is carrying the burden. Instead of making realistic cuts (like to their own health care and pensions) and forcing big corporations to pay the taxes they’re already supposed to be paying instead of subsidizing them, Congress voted to cut services and programs for the people who need them the most.

I don’t bring this up to frustrate you, my friendly blog reader, but to illustrate the point that what we love the most is what we serve.

In his speech to the Northwestern University Graduating class, Stephen Colbert talks about the most important lesson he was taught about improv……

“You’re not the most important person in the scene. Everybody else is. And if they are the most important people in the scene, you will naturally pay attention to them. But the good news is you’re in the scene too. So, hopefully, to them, you’re the most important person and they will serve you. No one is leading, you’re all following the follower, serving the servant. You cannot win improv. And life is like improvisation. you have no idea what’s going to happen next and you’re mostly making things up as you go along. And like improv, you can’t win your life.

But if we should serve others and together serve some common goal or idea — for anyone, what’s that idea? And who are those people? In my experience, you will truly serve only what you love, because as the prophet says, ’service is love made visible’.  If you love friends, you will serve your friends. If you love community, you will serve your community. If you love money, you will serve your money. And if you love only yourself, you will serve only yourself. And you will have only yourself.

So, no more winning. Instead, try to love others and serve others, and hopefully find those who love and serve you in return.”

It’s quite obvious who our elected officials are serving.

It’s easy to get caught up in the details, problems and drama.  Focusing on what we don’t have makes us feel even weaker, more frustrated and angry. We lose confidence and end up wallowing in self-pity and apathy.  It’s a vicious cycle and it needs to stop.

So what can we do about it?

First, we can focus on filling ourselves up in order to be able to give from a full cup.

For instance, I didn’t post the inspirational word last week because I was really tired. I don’t want to write from a place of frustration and resentment. I want to offer inspiration, courage and joy!  So I spent the weekend relaxing, playing with my family and filling myself up with inspirational stuff that makes me feel good, strong and healthy. Like Goddess Leonie’s Goddess GuideBook e-courses and Jen Louden’s Savor and Serve Cafe. Both of these ladies, Leonie and Jen, are my s-heroes and I’m so incredibly blessed to have found them. I would highly recommend them, my friendly blog reader. If they’re not you’re cup of tea, then go find your own sanctuary, some place safe to go in order to re-charge and replenish. You deserve to feel better. We all do.

We can recover! We can speak up! We can call our elected officals and tell them what we think. In the mean time, we can go out into our community and share a laugh with the people we know and love. That’s how we can make a difference, right now.

We become the stimulus we need when we speak well and often of the people, opportunities and events within our community. Pam Belding (yes, me!)

I serve my Captain best when I help people find something good to look forward to in a fun atmosphere and then share it.

One of the things I was working on last week was the Enjoy the process Coloring contest at the BB&E. People were instructed to simply fill in the supplied shape with anything they wanted. Paints, pens, pastels, or gravel, glitter, grass, dead leaves, shells, paper, pudding. Anything at all!! As long as it was FUN!!  The point was to ENJOY THE PROCESS. Each entry cost a dollar. Everyone in the park was invited to vote for their favorite piece in each category. We had 19 entries, 7 in the 12 and under and 12 in the 13+. All of the moneys collected went to the winners of each category (pictured below). All of our entries were beautiful and extremely creative!  I’m really looking forward to doing it again next year!

I don’t know how the problems in our country are going to be fixed, and you probably don’t either. But I do know that when we nourish ourselves, help take care of our Crew and do our best to enjoy the process, we create a life worth looking forward to. And that serves everyone.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post, my friendly blog reader. I hope it has inspired you to nourish yourself, to serve the people you love, to look for the good and appreciate the blessings in your life.

Have a wonderful week!

I’ll be back on Monday with the Inspirational song of the week.

xoxo Pam

p.s. “Just because I don’t know now, doesn’t mean I won’t know then. Just because I don’t know how, doesn’t mean I won’t know when.”