Sometimes it seems that life is out to lock us away in a cage….trapped, with nowhere to go. We bounce along day to day doing our best to avoid these cages that roam around cities and towns looking for the next person to catch. How do we end up in a cage? We lose our dreams, we lose our hope…and for awhile we just give up. All of us at one point or another have been trapped in one of these cages, looking at the lock and wondering, “Who has the key to let me out?” until one day over in the corner a shining metallic object catches the sun and lo and behold, there is the key to the lock….it was right there under our noses all along. There are some who will tell us that all of life at some point ends up in one of these cages….maybe so, but the length of time that one remains in the cage is determined by us.

In the movie “Network” a character named Howard Beale hosted a talk show, and one night he looked into the television camera and said “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.” He proceeded to tell all of those who were tuned into his show to get up out of their chairs, open their windows, and yell out that they too were not going to take it anymore. Howard Beale decided that night to break free of the cage that he found himself trapped in. So what are these cages? Some are called bad friendships, bad relationships, unfulfilling jobs. At some point we must ask ourselves how much further can we go by staying in the same situation? The key to letting us out of the cage, funny enough, is inside the cage. The answers, the solutions, to spring open the door lay there right before us….the trick is to see it. The strength to see the key, pick it up, place it in the lock and turn it, overcome the fear and muster up the courage to leave the entrapped quarters. Some of the hardest things to reaffirm in life are Faith, Courage, Love and Conviction….but without them how can we ever leave the cage and never return?

The mysteries of life always seem so complicated, so hard to fathom, when really they’re all so simple. It’s the answers that are hard to accept sometimes. The cages are just a place for us to go when fear backs us into a corner. After awhile the cage can feel safe and comfortable….but in reality the bars of the cage keep us from growing. There’s more life outside then inside the cage.

Turn the key,

Jennifer Avalon
© 1999 Jennifer Avalon

All through our lives we move through the years, hopefully building upon the days to get us to a brighter tomorrow. The only problem with this scenario is that most of us evolve as human beings at different paces, while the world pigeonholes us into boxes where we’re “supposed” to be at any given time. We’re either too old, too young, too tall, too short, too thin, too fat. While we struggle to grasp for perfection and maintain it, we realize the impossibility of the task…and it’s very easy to feel like a failure, unable to come to grips with the idea of the perfect specimen.

Age is not a curse….it is a blessing. It is the tool that can allow us to see our mistakes and correct them. It is the vehicle to help us gain wisdom and insight. Age may produce wrinkles on our bodies, but inside it delivers treasure. The definition of age rests on the shoulders of each individual…in some cultures the oldest members of the family are considered the most valuable. In other parts of the world age is looked upon as a curse…where people must fight it to their death. Age is a part of life…to live is to age. But who can say who is really older? The terrified twenty year old, or the peaceful eighty year old?
As we grow through our lives we evolve through different stages. Growth has its share of exhilaration and pain. As the saying goes, “no pain…no gain.” Well, the pain is really the handling of how we get to the next phase of our life…changes are sometimes the hardest steps to go through until we look back and say “What was I so worried about?” Childhood, adolescence, teenage years, adulthood…senior citizen…all valuable parts of life. Each stage as important as the next. The Soul is ageless…inside we are timeless….even if the face in the mirror changes.

So let’s not be afraid to laugh, play, stretch, and climb the mountain. It’s all a learning game, after all. A classroom open 24 hours a day that teaches Love, Compassion, Harmony and Faith…it’s just up to us to listen. The textbook is open to any age…

Read on….

love, Jennifer Avalon
© 1999 Jennifer Avalon

Ah yes…..The Dance…something we all partake in, whether we’re on the floor, or sitting on the sidelines. The dance, the art of movement in life. Swaying back and forth, up and down, twirling around…circling the floor. A world of motion, depth, synchronicity, thought, touch, feel and love….all moving together, interdependent on one another.

There is nobody who can’t dance….we are born with the gift. The question is, how much do we use it? Somewhere along the way we’ve all had those moments where we’ve watched from the sidelines at the dance floor, wondering, would we look silly on the floor?….but once we’ve joined in we’re amazed at how easy the rhythm carries us along. It’s interesting that while we partake in our dance we become totally unaware of who is watching….we are lost in the feeling of movement. We choose our partners, and hopefully they move with us in time. If not, we choose another until the right person moves with us in balance.

In the Dance of Life no one is truly the master, the know-all and everything….there’s always room for improvement. The lessons of life make us better dancers, and we all dream of one day dancing the perfect dance. We share the floor with others….who also seek to improve upon their movements, while some after just one dance choose to take their seats, and never dance again.
The Dance has its share of exhilaration, hope, humor, fear and tenderness….truly magic in motion. On the Dance Floor of Life miracles can happen when least expected. If there is a mystery to Life, then also that mystery encircles the floor of The Dance. While the music plays, and the dancers participate, up above in the balcony the Heavens watch and observe us mere mortals grace the floor. They applaud when one person’s joy of The Dance spreads to another…and another…and another…..

Let’s never forget that we all know how to dance…..

love, Jennifer Avalon
© 1999 Jennifer Avalon

During the hot days of summer here in the United States one can very easily drift, or feel off-balance as the second half of the year beckons. The following are a few suggestions that may help restore equilibrium…or what I call “The Tools of the Trade.”

There are certain things, I believe, that need to be repeated daily to keep us in better control of our lives. I’m sure you can also add to the list, but here are my personal choices….

1. I find prayer and meditation a vital part of my morning. It helps to center me, and let me know that there is a purpose to my existence, and a reason for my life. It’s so easy to lose track and forget that there is a greater picture and that each one of us make our own contributions.

2. I feel it’s very important to make sure that our bodies have the fuel to accomplish our goals and plans. If we don’t replenish or refuel, it won’t be long before we find ourselves losing interest or getting tired. Diet and exercise can help us drive safely along the road of life. Just because some countries are wealthier than others doesn’t mean they aren’t malnourished.

3. Self-confidence is vital to success. Yes, we all make mistakes, but we must look inside and believe that we matter and that what we say, feel, and do does have an effect on others. No life is too small and no dream is too big.

4. Budgeting is something many of us can’t stand doing, but in order to succeed in what we tackle in life we must be aware of our inflows and outflows. As I wish money didn’t matter, it is the form of currency that we use to represent the value of things. So grab the bull by the horns, make a chart on paper, and see how much comes in and where it goes. It’s surprising how easily we forget where it goes.

5. I find it useful from time to time to look and examine my lifestyle. How I live, where I work, family and friends….all of these have a profound effect upon my happiness and how I feel about myself. Pets too can provide an abundance of positive energy. I, having three dogs, can attest to this.

6. Last, but not least, is LOVE, because without it all the rest falls by the wayside. I believe that to love is the reason we are here…to overcome the doubts, the hurt, the pain and the hate. Love is not always easy…but neither is Life. It’s something that has to be worked at daily…but when one looks inside some of the greatest inventions and ideas, somewhere sprinkled in the center is the passion of Love. Perhaps the greatest lesson we are meant to learn here is the Lesson of Love. To be able to give it, and receive it.

It’s almost humorous sometimes how easily we can float through the day….we get up in the morning, and before we know it it’s one in the afternoon and what seems like half an hour goes by, when it’s suddenly five in the evening…next thing you know, the bed is facing you and it’s time to say goodnight!!! Where does the time go? You know you’ve done fifty-million things, but you can’t remember what they were!!! Hopefully with a little better planning we can slow old Father Time down…enough to see the Greater Picture.

Take the time to Love,

Jennifer Avalon
© 1999 Jennifer Avalon

Why does it seem that some of the best things for us are the hardest things to start, while other thoughts and plans that are not in our best interest seem to engulf us immediately? I, too, don’t quite know why…but perhaps we can explore this point a little further.

Every few months the United States sends a space shuttle into orbit to perform experiments and other tasks. A spacecraft that needs thousands of pounds of thrust to lift it through the atmosphere into space, spending anywhere from one to two weeks circling the globe while we go about our lives on planet Earth. Upon completion of its tasks, the shuttle re-enters the atmosphere, then glides home to, hopefully, a successful mission. Enormous amounts of power to get it into space, when all it needs is the air to glide it home.

Can the same be said for us? Why is it so easy to quit the things we want and need the most? Maybe because to be successful requires much thrust. When we undertake our own missions and goals, at first the amount of energy that is required to turn the wheels seems overwhelming. After a few days is it surprising that many of us throw our hands in the air and say “I’ve had enough!” Well, if the same amount of energy is needed day after day, eventually all of us would quit…but, as the wheels slowly turn they start to pick up speed, and before too long you start to feel like you’re riding an ocean wave that seems to be carrying you along for the ride. What easily can be forgotten is that you have created your own momentum. When we start the car in the morning, and head off down the road, our foot is firmly on the accelerator to get us up to speed….once we reach the desired pace our foot slowly inches off the accelerator and all that is needed is a light tap to stay at the correct level of speed.

Life always looks mysterious at first….but once we peel back the covers simplicity is revealed. The answer, in many cases, is right before our eyes as we look for the needle in the haystack. Life is simple…sometimes painfully simple.
So let’s ride the waves, but let’s not forget what is needed to get there. Belief, Strength, Power, Courage……Momentum. As the Beach Boys once said, “Catch a wave, and you’re sitting on top of the world”…..

Surf’s up….

Jennifer Avalon
© 1999 Jennifer Avalon

When was the last time you actually sat down in a chair, opposite somebody, looking eye to eye…and shared words, thoughts, and feelings for at least half an hour? Because of our busy lives, so few of us these days can find the time to communicate in what is becoming the lost art of communication, or, for a better word, “talking.”

Every one of us evolve as people….growing, changing, trying different things different ways. Have you ever looked back on a photograph of yourself taken ten years ago and asked yourself, “Was that really me? Did I really look like that?” Well, all of us at one point or another pull out the old high school yearbooks to look and reminisce. Change is a part of us….every one of us. In a world full of assumptions, it’s very easy to assume that people around us stay the same and we don’t really need to update our points of view about them, and they about us. Then one day we sit down with a friend or family member over dinner or lunch and as the words flow our jaws drop in shock that across from us is somebody that we thought we totally knew. What we learn is that unless we keep up our conversations with people, we miss the changes they go through.

We grow as individuals, in many cases, from the information we take in. Isn’t it ironic that sometimes the lives of the people closest to us, we look upon as mundane…but in reality they have a profound influence in shaping us as people. Some of the best conversations I’ve ever had were with my Grandmother who has since deceased…but there isn’t a week that passes by that some of her words don’t effect me or cross my mind. As I look back I can honestly say she was one of the wisest people I have ever met. I cherish the moments with her, which at the time I didn’t realize how important they would later become. So if you’re listening, Grandma, thank you.

This weekend pull up a chair, break some bread, look across the table, give a smile….and say, “What’s up?” to someone you care about. The answers are always surprising, but enlightening.

Take the time to talk,

Jennifer Avalon
© 1999 Jennifer Avalon

From the moment we are born, the air fills our lungs, the blood flows through our veins, and all around us is wonder. As we pull away from the womb, for many of us that wonder starts to decrease and eventually we fall into one of the many patterns of life….until one day something shocks us out of our trance and the air, the water, the world looks fresh and new again.

Complacency is such an easy thing to fall into….perhaps it is one of the ways we learn to deal with life on a daily basis. Complacency can stop us from growing and trying new things. One of the crazy rules of life is that when we cease to push forward we start to become less alive. Strange, isn’t it? But with growth and new experiences we have to grasp with fear and doubt…but how else can we grow without taking on the risk? All of us should have, placed by our side the day we are born, a book entitled “We Reserve The Right To Fail.” With perfection there is no room for failure, but there again human beings are not perfect.

The Gift of Life gives us the chance to experience what we are, and in time, what we can become. How we fill that time is up to us, but remember, time, for human beings, is limited….so enjoy life, experience it….embrace it. Be alive as much as you possibly can be…the rewards are endless.

This past week John F. Kennedy, Jr. took off in a plane for a destination. For him, his wife, and his sister-in-law they were bound for Martha’s Vineyard. They expected to spend a wonderful week-end and celebrate a wedding with family and friends…but it wasn’t meant to be. The result was a tragic plane crash. Who knows how much time each one of has left? But in the greater scope of things, John F. Kennedy, Jr.’s plane did not crash…..it just flew to Heaven.

Take the time to live,

Jennifer Avalon
© 1999 Jennifer Avalon

We all believe we have the “patent on pain,”….nobody truly feels the way we do. We walk around town looking at the sea of faces, and we think to ourselves “If you only knew what I’m going through,” when really there could be quite a few people worse off than us. Why do we always feel so separated from the rest of humanity, feeling that nobody else goes through what we go through, when in fact pain is pain, joy is joy, and somewhere in-between is where we live?

Recently Beatle Paul McCartney lost his wife Linda to cancer. A friend said to Paul shortly after Linda’s death, “Is there anything I can do to help you?” Paul’s answer was “Bring her back.” Here is one of the richest men in the world, having to come to grips with loss and pain, and I’m sure Paul would gladly trade every dime he’s ever made to bring his beloved Linda back. We are born, and all around us are people who are also born and eventually die….and as we travel along the road of life circumstances push and pull at us in all directions. At some point we get a grip of some of the mystery of life.

Doctors, lawyers, secretaries, electricians, plumbers etc….we all rise each morning doing our work, hoping for a better day. The Family of Man, looking at its differences, when all the while the strengths are in their similarities. When you hurt, reach out…there are others too who have felt the same way you do. When you feel great happiness, share it…because the pendulum swings both ways. You see, we really are a family on this planet with much in common….sharing all the pain and all the joy. Is the grass truly greener on the other side? A wise man once said, “There can be no measure for pain no matter what the walk of life.”
Mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, neighbors down the street….the voice half a world away….we all juggle the intricacies of life daily. We all feel others don’t understand us, but we may be surprised. So is the grass always greener? or is it just a false perception of someone else’s life. Hey, even Bill Gates has a bad hair day once in awhile and has to go to the dentist!!!

Tend your garden,

love, Jennifer Avalon
© 1999 Jennifer Avalon

This being Fourth of July weekend here in the United States, we celebrate our Independence Day. The blueprint that stands to this day (The Declaration of Independence) represents the beginnings of a nation that stands for “One Nation under God with Liberty and Justice for All.” The Founding Fathers wrote this document as a foundation for the United States to build upon…even today it is a work in progress. As history has shown, America still had much to learn about equality and liberty….but this document has evolved for each generation to improve upon. It may not have been perfect, but as time as proven, it represents, perhaps, the most successful form of government in modern times.

We too have within us a blueprint that can be written down on paper as a guide to help us evolve and become more productive and happier people in our lives. All around us are tools that we can use to create this personal portfolio. The Bible, the encyclopedia, and many other books can present ideas that we can use to better ourselves as people. Will our own personal blueprint contain all the facts and all the ultimate knowledge? Maybe not, but as we live on we will fine-tune and improve our own document to grow stronger and more secure.

There are so many things that try daily to rob us of the power that we have over our own lives…and it’s very easy at the end of the day to look at your hands and see nothing. If we just create tools, like a blueprint, they can be the maps to show us the way when the weather gets rough. It is your life…nobody knows it better than you. Sometimes we wish somebody could do the work for us….but like the Founding Fathers, we too sense what we need to find stability, health and happiness.

The Declaration of Independence, the document on which the United States of America was built, shows us that it is possible to improve one’s life and find a better way. This weekend, over 223 years later, it still stands as a beacon for all those in search of freedom. The United States is not perfect, and still to this day has alot to learn….but at least changes can be made to make it better. A work in progress…. and so, too, is mankind…..

Happy Independence Day,

Jennifer Avalon
© 1999 Jennifer Avalon

Recently I took a trip part way across the United States. Through the four states that I traveled through the differences in the people and places were extraordinary. One was full of mountains, another flat farmland…and it occurred to me that we all see the world through different eyes. Reality is greatly affected by environment, economics, and climate. To lump us all together and say that everything affects us all the same way is a mistake.

Take for instance Love. Many of us believe Love is Love…period. But really don’t we all love differently? A husband may see qualities in his wife that he admires…and she different qualities in him. If the two sat down together to discuss their feelings each may be surprised to see that they both have separate reasons for being together. Same can be said for friends, relatives and siblings. After awhile we realize every one of us sees the world and the people in it in our own unique way. Have you ever stood next to someone and remarked how beautiful that color blue is, and they have said “No, it’s green.” Who’s right? Maybe both?
Have you ever taken a trip overseas, to Paris perhaps? If you’re from America you will start to note how differently the French pass their days from the way you live. For one thing, of course, the language is different…and they love to find humor in most situations. Different atmospheres, different vibrations, different dialects, different cultures, all influence how we see the world. The trap is not to allow yourself to believe that everybody else thinks, feels, sees, and lives the same way you do.

This being the time of the year when many people travel, it’s important for us all to be aware that in our towns and in our cities, many tourists may come to visit. Patience and courtesy should be extended to all. Even though some may be strangers, lifetime friendships may be forged. You never know, one day you may find yourself overseas looking for a friendly face to ask for directions.

Take the time to love,

Jennifer Avalon
© 1999 Jennifer Avalon