New Earth Woman

Today was not the best day for this NEW. I began the morning crying in the kitchen because my roommate’s dog was scaring me. I put my foot down — again! The dog has to go. By the end of the day. I’m really not kidding this time.

It’s now 6:30 pm and the dog is still here.

Let me back up a bit. This is not a bad dog. He’s just not well socialized, lacks confidence, doesn’t get enough exercise, etc. He’s a real dog whisperer project, but we don’t live near L.A.

I’d like to think that, had I raised this dog from a puppy, he would be so much better. But, of course, we’ll never know. The fact is that he bites at my cat, my dog, me and occasionally his owner.

All of that is going to change, however. After doing hours of research on the ‘net, we’ve decided to try the program outlined in Sit, Stay, Fetch by Daniel Stevens. We are hopeful, even optimistic, that this course will do the trick.

Even if it only retrains us!

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Talk to most anyone these days and you’ll probably hear them complain about high gas prices. One friend of mine is biking it because he says he doesn’t want to fund the Iraq war. Others of my friends are talking about getting mopeds. It’s safe to say we’re feeling the pain from all directions: higher fuel prices mean higher prices for everything. Our country has grown and thrived on low-cost gas.

Now what? Here’s a technique that I was calling an “urban legend.” I simply was not believing this was possible until I did a little personal research. After I got the whole story, I felt like this was something a New Earth Woman (or her automotively inclined significant other) should at least know about.

You can use a blend of gas and water to fuel your vehicle. Hydrogen (HHO) for fuel is really not something new and was highly touted in the old days of Popular Mechanics (in the classifieds). It’s neat little idea. In the course of my research I’ve seen plenty of ways to modify your car or truck to use HHO or, as the headlines like to scream “Run Your Car on WATER!!!!

Here’s a disclaimer — It’s not possible to run your car on water. But, you can learn how to modify your vehicle to get better gas mileage. The simplest, most cost effective DIY technique I’ve seen is here.

Who says nose-bleedingly high gas prices and recession are all bad? Discovery Channel announced that GM will sponsor Planet Green, a 24-hour eco-friendly lifestyle network, beginning June 4.

Yes, I can hear your eyes rolling. We’re all a little suspicious when we hear Detroit is “going green”. But, hey, I’m optimistic this time. This time, it’s more than a marketing gimmick. Why? Because GM needs to do something to stay viable. Going green for them makes life-or-death business sense. (Notice that I don’t discount the fact that it’s partly a marketing gimmick. I’m not that much of an ingénue.)

So, what will we see on Planet Green? Well, how about “Greensburg,” a 13-part documentary series that will chronicle the story of a small Kansas town coming together and facing the task of greening their community after an F5 tornado destroyed 95 percent of the town in May 2007.

Talk about the glass being half-full or half-empty, eh? Tornado destroys town, town makes it an opportunity! I like these folks already!

You know the feeling. You’re at the end of your rope. You want to choke
somebody … or scream … or punch their lights out. But you can’t. Not at work
or at the store or your in-laws’ house. So you blow it off. Maybe smile and
excuse yourself. But inside you are seething.

Here are some tips to help you let off the steam.

1. Remove yourself from the situation. Breathe. Really acknowledge your
anger and how it feels within your body. Don’t run away away
from it. Congratulate yourself on taking steps to deal with your anger.

2. Allow yourself to be angry. Give yourself permission to feel what you feel
and don’t criticize yourself. Your experience is valuable.

3. Realize that anger is not your enemy (and neither is the person or
event you’re angry about). Talk to yourself about your anger
and listen to your internal voice about why it’s there.

4. Respect yourself by letting your anger surface in a safe place.
Punch a pillow, go for a run, yell. Do whatever you need to do
(within reason) to let off the pressure. Once you feel
more centered, remind yourself that you are not your anger.

5. Reach beyond your anger to determine its source. Did you feel threatened
by something? Allow a space for some quiet reflection and listen to your
own internal wisdom. Be gentle with yourself and realize that you’re not
trying to solve anything here, you’re just looking for the true cause of
the angry feeling. Once you determine it, you can decide what to do, if
anything. Often, just realizing the true cause is liberating.

When I was maybe 9 or so, I remember complaining (whining) to my mother “no one likes me.” My mother tried various ways to reassure me that this was not true. I persisted. Finally, in exasperation she said, “Well then make them like you.”

And while I hadn’t a clue how to do that, at least it shut me up. This was the beginning of my personal development journey. Thanks, Mom. Here are a few tricks I’ve learned along the way that will stand anyone in good stead if they are truly interested in being accepted by others.

Be interested in people. Listen to what they have to say. Astonishingly, you can have a conversation with someone and say almost nothing, just listen carefully, and that person will tell others how very smart and perceptive you are.

Be friendly. Say hello first. Do your best to remember a person’s name. That last bit seems trivial, but in fact, it’s huge. Think about it. Aren’t you flattered (and perhaps surprised) when someone remembers your name?

Become Donald Trump rich. People may not like you, but they’ll pretend they do while you’re around.

The teacher will appear. How many times have you heard that? It’s almost mantric (mantra + mega-metric) in proportion.

My friends and I say it all the time. Often in response to one of those Universal life “lessons” (read a not-so-good thing) or when a happy synchronistic experience comes about.

Today this hit me at a higher level.

Experiences that enhance our lives and move us further along our path are absolutely everywhere. The question is, how are we looking at life? Is it possible that everything that’s happening is for my own good? The spilled coffee? The forgotten notebook? The noisy neighbor?

Does the Universe really have me in its laser focus?

I’m going out on a limb here and stating emphatically that it does. YOU are the center of the Universe … Yes, YOU.

Today, as you go about your busy life, try accepting whatever the Universe offers you in a spirit of appreciation for the experience. Turn it over, look in the crevices, give it a poke and see what comes out.

No, I’m not talking about the hit song from Faith Hill. Although I could ramble on about how amazing her voice is. That’s a topic for another day.

Nope, here I’m encouraging you to take 5 big, long gulps of fresh — or even not-so-fresh — air. Diaphragmatic breathing is the technical term, I’m told. Whatever.

Just breathe in through your nose. Fill your lungs from the bottom up. Let it out through your mouth. If you’re not accustomed to this kind of breathing, you may be tired after the first few breaths. That’s OK. Shoot for five full in and out breaths.

Stuck in traffic? Breathe.
Waiting in line at the grocery? Breathe.
You come home to dog poop on the carpet? Breathe — just not too close to the poop!

Have you ever experienced unwanted thoughts recycling in your head over and over on an infinite loop? You want them to stop !!!!! but you can’t figure out how?

Picture something in your head. Simply supplant the unwanted thought with a picture of something you like. Flowers work well for me. I’ve even gone so far as to “assign” different flowers to supplant different unwanted thoughts.

For example let’s say you’re having recurring worrisome thoughts about high gas prices. And let’s say these thoughts are not leading to inspiration about actions you can take to conserve energy or reduce your overall cost for gas.

When the unwanted thought arises, simply envision your favorite flower – an iris perhaps. Or a white daisy. Look at the flower, see its petals, its center. Maybe it’s waving in the breeze. Maybe there are a dozen in a vase. I promise you that, after a while, that flower or whatever you choose as your picture, will offer to pop in your head every time you start to worry about the price of gas.

There was a time when I could not visualize. Talk about frustration! I just couldn’t see pictures in my head. Luckily, I found help in the form of Dr. Lee Pulos. If you’re like me and just can’t do it, or if you want to be better at visualizing, I highly recommend Dr. Pulos’ classic program, The Power of Visualization. This audio program literally changed my life. I can still remember the first time, over ten years ago, I actually “saw” yellow helium balloons in my mind’s eye. What a rush!

Eckhart Tolle’s “A New Earth” provided inspiration for my blog name. His book, “The Power of Now” had a lovely influence on me. Oprah has certainly been a blessing for Tolle, in terms of his financial success.

I have to wonder, though, how he’s handling the other success - worldwide name recognition. My guess is that he is experiencing a lot of ego-related issues coming up for him. Many opportunities to address what he may have thought he conquered long ago.

I find that to be true with me as well. Just when you think you’ve rid yourself of some habit of thought or action that no longer serves you, you’re provided with Universal lessons that point to the places you missed!

I’m so pleased you’ve discovered New Earth Woman (NEW)! Here, we’ll discuss all aspects of who the NEW is, what she wants, needs, expects. I’ll share with you my experiences in personal and spiritual development over the last couple of decades (yes, I said decades!)

I’ll also let you in on the fun I’m having learning to properly manage a blog (thank God for Wordpress).