How Are You?

I was at work this morning when suddenly I heard rock music blasting from the office next door. Since I’m an acupuncturist who offers peaceful, soothing sessions I felt I needed to address this right away. It was a cold New England morning and so I put on my hat and coat and scarf and ventured next door to deal with the noise issue.

The neighbors agreed to lower their music, and on my way back to my office I bumped into the property manager and I figured that this was as good a time as any to fill him in on what had been transpiring. With limited time and the cold wind howling I launched right in and began to let him know what was going on and what I thought should be done about it. But somewhere in the middle of my diatribe I heard a still small voice whisper: Ask him how he is.”

Now, I have learned when I hear a still small voice speaking to me to stop and listen and so I stopped mid sentence, turned to the property manager and said: You know I launched right in, I want to stop and ask you how you are. How are you, by the way?

I paused and really made space to hear his answer and this big burly guy who generally doesn’t say very much and is sort of rough around the edges looked at me and said, Not very good.

And then he started to cry.

The wind was howling and I was cold but I just stood there so thankful that something in me told me to stop talking and start listening. And so I stood there and I listened for a while and the property manager talked.

He told me his dog had died unexpectantly two nights ago. His dog was his constant companion, perhaps the deepest bond this loner had on the planet. And so I put aside my concerns about this and that for another time and just let him tell me about his special bond with his dog.

And the wind howled and he talked and I thought but for the grace of God go I. But for the grace of God that I heard that voice that told me to ask him how he was.

I had good reason to be in a rush that morning and to be distracted. I still had a client on the table with acupuncture needles in. It was cold outside. The wind was blowing. The neighbors where being really loud at 10:30 in the morning. The massage therapist in my office was waiting to here what was going on with the noise issue. But something in me said just stop. Stop moving so fast. Ask this man how he is.

I share this story as a reminder to all of us because I almost missed this moment, this opportunity to help a fellow traveler on this journey called life. I was distracted, I was annoyed. I almost was so wrapped up in myself that I could have missed the moment.

This was a good reminder to me that everyone is suffering and everyone has some pain they are carrying.   It was a good reminder to slow down and be present. It was a good reminder, to remember to look people in the eye from time to time and ask: How are you and really listen to their answer.

People will talk if you will listen.

Find someone to comfort this weekend. Find someone to ask: how are you? It could be someone in your life, or a store clerk or the teller at the bank. You never know where you might be needed.

So often we look for grand, lofty ways to be helpful. Sometimes the best contribution we can offer another on this planet is to care enough to ask: How are you and listen to the answer.

Have a good weekend everyone. May the force be with you. And may you lighten someones burden and may someone lighten your burden as well.

And if you want to join with others in the spirit of community and healing and transformation, we will be having our group healing at 800 Main street, this Monday, March 11 from 7-8:30 at 800 main Street in Amherst. The class is drop in and all are welcome.

Sincerely,

Hayley Mermelstein

Already Loved

I was listening to a young woman speak about how she was always striving for something just out of reach: more money, more love, more beauty, more weight loss etc…etc.. She decided for a while to stop all the striving and just see herself as already there.  She decided to stop the what I want is just out of reach tape and just embody and feel what she hoped to feel in the future, as if it was here now.

This mirrored much of what I have been learning about lately, where you adopt the frequency of what you want to achieve as if it where here now.

For example, if you want to have more wealth you would carry the vibration of a wealthy person and allow wealth to be drawn to you.  If you desired more love, you would carry the vibration of a person who was already loved and see what shows up differently when you show up differently.

(I know this sounds a little crazy, but just bear with me here….)

The basic philosophy is that it is hard to create from a place of lack.  If you feel like there is never enough love, it’s hard to create a life filled with love.  If you always feel you don’t have enough money, it’s hard to actually generate a life of abundance.  The philosophy is in a nut shell, change your vibration and see what shows up differently. Or to put it another way, nothing changes until you change.  Or to put it a third way, one of the definitions of insanity is to do the same thing (or repeat the same thoughts) day after day and expect things to show up differently.

Now I’m not entirely sure if this philosophy is accurate or not but what I do know for sure is that it is not very fun, or expansive, or life affirming to walk around all day with a feeling of lack, i.e. not enough money, not enough love, not enough weight loss, not enough fun, etc…etc..

What would it be like to adopt a feeling of enough and just feel thankful in advance?  What might change if we stopped running the there is not enough tape?  What might change if we elevated our vibration, changed our frequency and radiated a new electromagnetic field out into the universe.  What might change, if we stopped running the same old tapes in our mind and had some new thoughts for a change?

It is in this vein, that I wrote Already loved.  You may want to read it slowly and embody the statements as if they are already here now.  You may want to pick one of two statements and practice going through the day embodying a new energy.  For example:  You could go through the day embodying the feeling of a wealthy woman or go through the day as if all your needs were already meet or go through the day as if your life was filled with love.

Let this be a fun experiment.  What shows up differently, when you show up differently?

No one needs to know about this experiment, by the way.  It can just be your own subtle shift in energy and personal experiment with life.

Already loved.

I am already loved.
I am already cared about.
I am already surrounded by friends.
I am already surrounded by the love of my life.

All my needs are already met.

I am already beautiful.
I am already the perfect weight.
I am already sexy and attractive.

All my needs are already met.

I am already filled with great devotion.
I am already of great service in the world.
I am already offering my full contribution.

All my needs are already met.

I am already very wealthy.
I am already very abundant.
I am already wildly successful.

All of my needs are already met.

I am already seen.
I am already valued.
I am already cared about.

All my needs are already met.

I am already having great travel experiences.
I am already having great adventures.

I am already living a life of adventure and fun.

All of my needs are already met.

I am already in great shape physically.
I am already working out on a regular basis.
I am already enjoying my body.

All of my needs are already met.

I am already in excellent health.
I am already feeling really well in my body.
I am already radiating wellness.

All of my needs are already met.

I am already loving myself.
I am already taking really good care of myself.
I am already appreciating myself.

All of my needs are already met.

I am already well.
I am already whole.
I am already abundant.
I am already confident.
I am already powerful.
I am already strong.
I am already humble.
I am already compassionate.
I am already loving.
I am already wise.
I am already deep.
I am already creative.
I am already in high demand.
I am already well able.
I am already capable.
I am already very satisfied.

All of my needs are already met.
All of my needs are already met.
All of my needs are already met.

Walk to your car as if all of your needs are already met.
Go to work as if you already are a wealthy man or women.
Go through your day as if you are already wildly loved in just the way you want to be loved.
Go through the day today as if your needs are already met.

Be thankful.
Be appreciative.
Be relieved.

Embody it as if it is already here now.

Let this be your experiment with life.

Do if for an hour, a day, a week or even a year.
See what shows up differently, when you show up differently.

Radiate a new electromagnetic signature out into the field.
See what changes when you change.

I’ll be practicing along beside you.
Or perhaps,  I am already there.

Hayley Mermelstein