Being Influential in a Benevolent Way

Some years ago when living in Arizona I used to drive up Oak Creek Canyon, a beautiful place, to Flagstaff. I’d try to go there once a week just to enjoy the place because it was different than Sedona where I was living at that time and I enjoyed the differences.

One day on my way back from Flagstaff, I was driving down the main drag towards the general direction of the turnoff towards Oak Creek Canyon and I saw a plane, a good sized plane. It looked like what would be considered an old version of a national guard plane flying out of the Flagstaff airport and it didn’t clear the trees by much. It was flying very low and I had the feeling they were in trouble because they would never fly that low.

As they were coming closer to the area I was on the street, a wide street it was, I could see they were in serious trouble. For one thing they still had their gear down and they were doing a long slow turn. I swear, I don’t know what was keeping them up but I could see that they were in trouble.

They were turning slowly and there was no question that they were going to run right into a fairly new hotel. Not a big one, not very tall but tall enough. It was very clear that their right landing gear was going to crash right into the hotel.

So I did the only thing that I could think of in the moment. I stopped my car right smack in the middle of the street and I did something that I’ve done before and this is what I did.

I reached out, even in my car, and I got my hand - you can imagine - using what I call Long Touch and I pushed the plane up. I can only tell you that it managed to miss not only that hotel but it also managed to miss what was at that time the largest mall in Flagstaff and it managed to make the turn.

It was going towards the airport and I breathed a sigh of relief. I was holding it, supporting it and they were flying very slowly and as they got closer to the airport I felt well maybe I can let them go and I let them go and darned if they didn’t clip the top of the trees as they got to the airport and when I saw those trees waver it was like uh-oh and I rushed my hand over there again and gave them a little boost up but then I figured, well they’re going to be landing any second so I let go and they landed as far as I know because I didn’t hear about anything bad and I glanced over in the direction of the airport - I didn’t see anything bad - so I had the opportunity once again to help out.

You never know when the opportunity is going to present itself. I know that your opportunities to help out may not be like this but when you get the chance, if you can, it’s a good feeling.

Goodlife

Take A Chance?

It is time now to experience life as we have known it before in its more balanced state. Our souls are restless - how many times have we heard that but why are they restless?

Do we miss that perfect world of Creator - of course we do but is it something else? Mightn't it be - perhaps. Maybe Creator has something planed for us - not in store for us but planed for us that's different.

Maybe it's time for us to begin acting as the Creator's apprentices that I believe we are here to be. In some ways one might be able to make a point if one desired, that we have been doing that. Many times doing beautiful things but also at other times spiraling down through one mistake after another to discover consequences. All Creators, I believe, must know and understand consequences.

I'm not trying to suggest that we are some kind of creator of terrible things but I believe we are, when I look at it at a distance - not necessarily as a participant though that I am but when I step back and look at it at a distance - we do seem to be students.

Students often make mistakes and then teachers, if they are kind and available, correct us. Sometimes gently, lifting us from one path of error to a path that will lead to something more balanced but what if we don't listen? What if we refuse and steadfastly stick to our path of error?

Then sometimes the teacher gives us a bit of a nudge or maybe even a gentle kick and of course it can continue from there. A student here - us all yes - we find ourselves very often getting nudged, poked and prodded. I wonder - is the teacher Creator? Is the teacher our guides or is the teacher that restless part of our souls looking for the next step for us?

Maybe as a apprentice we are allowed to take a chance and try a pathway that might be more benevolent even though it might feel like a risk. I wonder - is it just a foolish thing?

Can we sometimes respond gently to that rib or that jibe that we receive from others? Can we laugh with them? Sometimes it goes away when we do and other times it sticks. It's hard to say isn't it. So many different pathways. Do they all lead to the same place.

Maybe that place is expanding. Maybe the place is getting better and maybe in order to get to that place we're going to have to do something different.

Maybe we're going to have to try to take the risk and be more benevolent or is it that we need to take the risk - yes - take a chance and be as benevolent as possible. Maybe that's good enough, given the world situation, for now. We can always try it and see if we seem to be getting a poke or a prod from one of our teachers or our guides or - could it be Creator.

If so then perhaps we need to try something else. I feel, though it is a strain for me as well - sometimes even a struggle, being more benevolent can be a demanding teacher but what are the rewards. Perhaps there are rewards.

I know when I have experienced benevolence it has been rewarding for me and many times when I have done something benevolent and others feel good I also feel good.

Risks, rewards, chances - a world, a school, a place. We continue on eh. Perhaps it's worth the risk.

Goodlife to you all and goodnight.