BEE A READER!

BALANCING HEAVEN AND EARTH
by Robert A. Johnson

I’m adding another four letter word to the list your mother gave you: B-U-S-Y
Why are so many people declaring, insisting, and defending their busy-ness? What are the rewards of being busy? Busy people will defend their lifestyle because they believe they are benefiting from it, but what is the emotional and spiritual cost of this behavior? Does being busy really make you happy?

In the 80’s we watched television shows like “Dallas” which focused on having luxury and leisure time, then in the 90’s the popular series “ER” demonstrated that the characters had to sacrifice their personal lives in order to have successful careers. I think society reflected this change. Suddenly, it was not cool to have time on your hands, it was a race to who could be the busiest - as if busy had become a status symbol. You’re a loser if you are laying around watching clouds and listening to the birds sing.

I was raised by a Father who didn’t mind letting his supper go cold if someone called or stopped by during the dinner hour. He always had time for people, friends or strangers. It was his way, and he was loved by many because he invested in relationships. Yet, he also had a full and very productive life.

Many of my friends preface conversations these days with, “I’ve got 2 minutes…” At times, I’ve wondered if I am too chatty, needy, or worse, that our relationship is merely another obligation, another detail to check of their ever expanding list.

Robert A. Johnson’s book, “Balancing Heaven and Earth” contends because we are both a soul and a physical body we have to do the practical things like clean our house and shop for groceries, however, we must also balance these physical deeds with a spiritual connection to our existence. Its called being. In balancing heaven and earth, we must balance being and doing. Busy people are overly focused on doing.

Being is “attentive solitude with our thought and feelings,” a “meditative time to open up to your inner self.” He says that loneliness comes not from being alone, but from being cut off from your deep inner self, and isolation can actually cure loneliness.

We think, if we keep running, our thoughts will never catch up, yet they will not stop chasing us either. “Soul work, or inner work, takes place when something moves from the unconscious, where it began, into conscious awareness. The path is never straight and neat inside oneself, as if you could go to a library and do all you inner work there. Instead, when something is ready to move from the unconscious to the conscious, it needs a host or intermediary. Generally this intermediary is some person or some thing.”

“Think for a moment of the horizontal beam of a cross as representing doing, or the earthly realm. We have all kinds of daily activities—going to work, raising our family, paying our bills: these are the necessary and proper business of the earthly realm. Often all this doing just fills up our lives. But when we become focused exclusively on doing, our lives start to feel empty and meaningless; we start to wonder why we work so hard. We may secretly ask: Is it worth it? What’s the point? What is the meaning of my life?

This is a sign that we have neglected the opposite of doing, which is being. Now think of a vertical beam of a cross as representing being, or the heavenly realm. We also must have time and place in our lives in which we connect to something that is larger and more enduring. We need at least a taste of the Golden World to make our lives bearable, and this requires time for reflection, for meditation, for inner work and attentive solitude. In short, we need a balance of doing and being.” (excerpts from "Balancing Heaven and Earth" -R.A.Johnson)

My friend and fellow blogger, Michael, recently wrote a piece called, “Have You Never Been Mellow.” He discovered a way to quiet his mind and de-stress his life by being. The title comes from an Olivia Newton-John song:

“Have you never been mellow,
have you never tried,
to find a comfort from inside you?”

I highly recommend reading Robert A. Johnson’s book, “Balancing Heaven and Earth,” and Michael’s thoughtfully written article, “Have you Never Been Mellow.” Be sure to manage equilibrium between being and doing, stop separating yourself from your life and friends with the walls of busy, and do your inner work. It has been said; treat others as you would want to be treated. So to create a happy fulfilling life, begin with the relationship you have with yourself.

BEE A READER!

Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man
When bee-ing a reader you must not waste your time on lousy books. In case you are curious about the hype, and #1 position on the best sellers list, I have read "Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man" for you. While guiding you to the good stuff, I will also warn you of what is not so good. But first let me tell you why. The following letter was sent to the author, and I received no reply from Mr. Harvey. Gee, I hope he's not busy writing a second book...cause I'm really not that into him.

"Dear Steve Harvey,
The male need to “fix” problems is a demonstration of ego, not a caring act of love.
It rolls like: Watch me get your problems out of the way like a super hero, because I’ve got to hurry back to my needs, my business, and my cookie reward(sex). Men who have to show me they can fix things often make promises they cannot shore up, leaving me to figure it out anyway, adding to the disappointment of not getting what I needed in the first place - compassion. My problem becomes eclipsed by the man’s need to succeed. How about the gift of listening and a reminder, “Baby, it’s gonna work out, don’t worry.” Where’s my big shoulder?
Support, Loyalty, and the Cookie, the three most important things to a man, play out in your book like Sex, Money, and Power - the lowest vibrations of human energy. Women have adjusted to the simple, base drives of men, but when are men going to seek the heart, throat, and higher consciousness toward Love, Communication, and Spirituality?
Put ASIDE the PRIDE, and go INSIDE!
You mention faith and attending church, and suggest women not lower themselves by having affairs with married men, lessening men’s opportunities for weakness. Can’t men pray for strength? Doesn't the committment of marriage involve mutual support, loyalty and intimacy? Seems a simple lesson to learn that you have to take responsibility for your decisions despite temptations. Religion never taught me that my ego would make me a miserable person. Have you read “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle?
Wanting to be “chosen” by a man is another scheme of the ego to secure worthiness. Skip the ring and envied price tag, I want something more valuable, priceless, and everlasting. Choosier women have evolved to provide, support, and bake, our own cookies. I do expect more from men, and I will continue happily on my own until I find one who owns the responsibility of being a good man. Love me for who I am, not how I make you feel.
I sincerely hope you will read “A New Earth” and consider the ideas I shared with you."

-Cherrie Hanson, Queen Bee

BEE A READER!

Woman: An Intimate Geography by Natalie Angier

“A tour de force, a wonderful, entertaining and informative book.” -The New York Times

“Intimate and idiosyncratic….Angier’s brilliant and witty fantasia will inspire women to believe in their powers.” -The Boston Globe

“Natalie Angier has that rare dual talent: a true passion for science combined with a poet’s linguistic flair…Surprising and fascinating.” -People

“Angier writes about biology with unabashed zest.” -Chicago Tribune

“I wish high school curriculums included this book. If girls read
“Woman: An Intimate Geography” before becoming women, they would be mind-blowingly impressed with themselves, and would naturally make better decisions about sex, relationships, and reproduction. My second wish is that boys would read it too. I'm certain they would become more respectful of girls and less afraid of women. The girlfriends, lovers and wives will be understood completely, fostering compassion rather than tired old uniformed jokes about PMS and menopause. This book is a universal "must-read".
Angier is a wordsmith likened to Shakespeare. If you don’t like flourless chocolate cake, you might not like her style. She serves up complicated material decadently, rich in history, thick with scientific data. If knowledge is power, this monumental manual delivers like a nuclear reactor.
Angier does not dally, there are no lulls, she cranks out the miraculous functions of the female body with reckless abandon, and writes so playfully, you’ll remember them forever.

This fourteen dollar investment could change all your relationships, especially the one with yourself. Imagine reading it out loud to your Man - suddenly you’re a Rock Star, a scientific wonder, his favorite racecar, a perfect machine. Give it to your Mother or Daughter, show her how precious your bond is. Discuss it with friends, co-workers, and clients, find out what they think. Pick it up for your Son, make sure he will have a happy marriage….”

-Cherrie Hanson, Killer Bee