It is Valentines Day. Public transit is very busy with several people carrying valentines gifts for loved ones. Beautiful bouquets of exquisite red roses lay nestled in arms. One young woman carries a single red carnation betweens her fingers as she smiles and texts a message on her cell phone. A deep sense of joy and satisfaction pervades her face. Love is in the air!

A young man gets up and starts to walk toward the rear of the bus. As he does this, he shouts “Thank YOU!” in a joyful loving tone to the bus driver and adds “Happy Valentines Day everyone!!” as he bounces out of the bus. Big smiles ripple throughout the bus, like a ripple of water that grows to become a tide. Love washes over people in surprising ways!

Imagine love growing and expanding in our world. Imagine love as a bountiful crop that is regularly harvested and shared worldwide! Imagine love permeating every being, every home, every nest, every nook and cranny in our planet! How different our world would feel. Love has a natural radiance that emanates well beyond where one can see. As Ghandi once said “Be the change that you want to see in the world.”

Humans cry. Dogs whine. Trees crackle. What do these three have in common? Feelings! At least that is what author Peter Wohlleben proposes in his two popular books: The Hidden Life of Trees and The Inner Life of Animals. Peter shares intriguing facts revealing distinct personalities and the intuitive social nature of all living things! If you can wrap your mind around this notion, you will discover that humans have more similarities with the plant and animal world than you ever thought! In fact, thinking is one of the greatest blocks for humans, being both a virtue and vice.

Plants and animals instinctively know how to survive and even thrive. Humans on the other hand are a little different because of their capacity for imagination. Humans can imagine catastrophic disasters as well as heavenly blissful experiences, unconsciously triggering their nervous system into fight or flight when there is no real risk or meditatively inducing calm when exposed to real risk! Our capacity to thrive is just as inherent as the plant and animal world. We just need to disengage from limiting thoughts and trust our instinctual knowing. Easier said than done? Maybe!

Psychology, as defined in the dictionary, is the scientific study of the human mind and it’s functions, especially those affecting behaviour in a given context. Applying this to the plant world, imagine the behaviour of a tree revealing it’s ‘mindset’. If it grows toward the sun and flexes with the wind; if it grows massive roots that breaks through paved paths; or remains green and vibrant through all kinds of weather, what do each of these tell you about their inherent personality? Whether it is an evergreen tree that remains ever green, a deciduous tree that annually sheds it leaves or a coniferous tree that bears cones, each have a personality unique to its type … which brings to mind the monkey tree. Does it have a monkey mind?!

Buddhist texts use the term monkey mind to describe the continuous chatter of the human mind. Neuroscientists reveals that the majority of human thoughts are not only repetitive, but also negative. Monkeys on the other hand are brilliant creatures who have been tested to be even smarter than humans! This may be due to their instinctual nature and pattern of tuning into what feels right for them … which leads to the ultimate question we all need to ask ourselves: “What feels right for me?” Grab a banana and ponder this question for a while. See what emerges! Eep eeep!!

AHHchooh! sniffle, sniffle. Hawnkkk!!! Schoowhhhh! (wipe, wipe)

It’s cold season. Yes the season of cold! Where temperatures dip below freezing, where there is nip in the air and mist from human breath. Cold is also evident in the human body, where extremities can be chilled to the point of numbness and no feelings at all. Fingers, toes, hands, feet, ears and nose turn rosy red or white! Circulation is disrupted, joints stiffen and internal flow of air and fluids are literally stilted. Such are the perils of human journey!

Cold is also a term for an illness where blockages inhibit natural wellness. Air is constricted to the point that free flow is no longer present. Hence, sniffle sniffle, hawnkkk and schooowwhhh arises! Similarily, a ‘cold’ of the mind inhibits natural vitality with blocks to free flowing thoughts. Likened to mucus, these too can be relieved! Cold of the mind is self-induced for many. Release the ickiness and stickiness so that ease of flow awaits! Surprise yourself by applying this to any physical symptoms in the moment. Release negative thoughts such as “I am sick.” or “I hate this.” and replace it with “I am a healthy and vibrant being.” Repeat this for the rest of your life and see what happens!

A brick-lined plaza sandwiched between a row of stores and a parking lot yields a stream of people. Big and small, young and old meander between large cement planters and a bicycle rack filled with bikes. The array of stores within include a coffee shop, convenience store and a travel agency. Amongst these also is a daycare for preschool aged children, whose bustling activity captures the attention of many passerbys, including a wee 1-year-old toddler.

Grandma stands in the periphery watching her grandson as he toddles towards the daycare window. Curious about the beings beyond the glass and their buoyant energy, the toddler stands transfixed at the window, just staring for 5 minutes or more without moving a single muscle. On the other side of the glass, 4 little ones have now congregated at the window, staring back at the toddler. Both seem mesmerized by each other. There are no words or sounds exchanged between them as the glass buffers all noise. The only form of communication is through their eyes and bodily gestures which evolve into hand waving, head bobbing and cute little faces pressed against the glass!

This animal-like exchange between tiny humans reminds us of an important lesson in life. When we let go of the mental chatter and need to label, define and express in words, we can sink fully into our sensory experiences to inhabit life just as it is in the moment. Surprising insights and revelations arise when we are open to being fully present in the here and now. These tiny children mirror this with their congenial rapport even though they have never met before. Become a vessel for unknowns and surely you will come home to your inner knowing!

A heap of colourful fabrics were mounded at one end of a table. Next to it was a large white roll of cotton batting, squares of cereal box cardboard, scissors, glue bottles and a metal box filled with acrylic paints. The project for the art class was to create art journal covers for handmade art journals made out of recycled materials. The class was specifically designed for teens and participants were eager to start their projects.

A young boy scanned the pile of material looking for specific colours. He had envisioned the sky and was looking for blues, white, and various shades of grey. He found white and blue but to his disappointment, there were no grey fabrics at all. So he puzzled over his predicament and asked the instructor if she had any grey fabric. She replied, “Yes, I do at home. I will bring it in for our next class.”  The boy was relieved but soon discovered he did not want to wait so he sat quietly with the problem and then suddenly came up with an ingenious solution. He decided he would paint the white fabric and create his own array of grey fabrics!

Mixing white with black paints, he found the tone was much too dark to his liking. Mixing white with a bit of grey was perfect though and as he continued mixing different portions of white with grey, he created a wonderful scope of greys for his project!

This young boy reminds us of a valuable lesson in life. When we stay focused on our vision, moment by moment, answers come to us. On top of that, not allowing disappointments to inhibit us but to merely see them as obstacles to overcome is imperative. Stay open to the path of creative adventure and your true potential will reveal itself in miraculous ways!