Is Your ATTITUDE One of GRATITUDE!!

TODAY'S INSPIRATIONAL “MYTHOLOGICAL MAGIC”

_________________________________________________________________

Having recently celebrated the 4th of July, I feel it is the perfect time to reflect on how truly fortunate we are in this country.  Things aren't perfect, and we have a LONG way to go toward coming together in UNITY.  But there have been a number of individuals who have crossed my path lately, including a few clients, who are not originally from the United States.  I have been blessed to hear their personal stories of the strife, struggle, loss, and unfathomable challenges they have overcome to transition their lives to this country.  It really puts things into perspective of how lucky we are to live here. No matter what your flat screen televisions may transmit on the daily news.  ;0)

The ONE thing I have observed is that each and every one of these survivors shares an ATTITUDE  FILLED WITH GRATITUDE.  Most of them were forced to leave their families behind, many of them do not own cars, and work multiple jobs just to survive.  Yet, they share a common sense of kindness and appreciation for the smallest of things.  Their smiles are expressions of Soulful Bliss and they expend their energy not on complaining, but in reverence for the opportunity they feel this country has afforded them.  They carry the three attributes of a master; a kind heart, words filled with compassion, and a willingness to be of service. 

I once watched an interview with Oprah Winfrey in which she explained the massive transformation that started in her life 16 years ago when she started a daily ‘Gratitude Journal.’  Every night without fail, she would write down at least 5 things that she was grateful for that had occurred during the day.

“When you allow yourself to feel gratitude in the present moment, in the NOW, what I promise you is that the spiritual dimension of your life begins to change.  It opens up and expands and you start to grow with it.  That is the truth, if I have ever spoken the truth in my entire life.  If you want to change your entire state of being, start to be grateful. ” Oprah has spread this message in many of her speeches across the globe.

The very act of gratitude opens up a channel for Joy to shine through.  It might start off as a small pinhole, but with practice and focused intention, it will grow into a window as wide as you ALLOW it to be!  Admittedly, it is so easy to get fixated on everything that isn't going well in our lives.  Jobs we dislike, money problems, and toxic relationships.  Remember, Energy Flows Where Your Attention Goes!

And life has a way of surrounding us with tangible examples to shake us out of our lethargy and back into a state of appreciation and gratitude.  My mom and I have been caring for a delightful woman who lives down the street from us.  She has no family to speak of, suffers from multiple sclerosis, sever diabetes and has no left arm.  Three days ago,  her best friend, a cat named Logan, passed away.  And yet, she may be one of the most grateful Souls I have ever encountered.  Never ONCE have I heard her complain.  She surrounds her house with mementos and joyful memories that are imbued with the passion, and joy of a life well lived.  And it is absolutely humbling to be in her presence.  It has a way of snapping my own problems into things of fodder. 

Iyanla Vanzant has described the word PAIN to mean Pay Attention Inward Now.  She believes that the path toward enlightenment is to pay attention to each stop along the way of your Journey.  One stop may be an illness, another a job loss, another an amazing new relationship.  And she believes that within each and every one of these stops, is a lesson for us to express Gratitude!

One of my favorite spiritual teachers, Tony Robbins explains Gratitude this way, “It is the reset button and the cleanser of the soul. When you are in a state of gratitude it is no longer about ME.  It becomes about giving thanks.  And when you are giving thanks you disappear.  And when you disappear, I believe you reconnect to the Divine.”  Amen! 

Hopefully, you are understanding the Re-membrance that Gratitude is is the most direct line of connection back to SOURCE.  Back to the Divine from which we came and which surrounds us always to be in service to our desires.  As Bishop T.D. Jakes says, “Appreciation leads to duplication.”  When we focus our energy and attention on what we are in appreciation of in our lives, it activates a system that brings even more of that very thing into our experience!  Yet, most of us spend our time focused on all the things that we don't like in our lives and so we experience....well....even more of THAT!  And I don't know about you, but I think we could all use more experiences that bring us love and inner joy!  And evaporates feelings of disconnection and anxiety and transforms them into lasting inner PEACE.

So what would it look like if we all started to incorporate the practice of GRATITUDE  in our lives starting today.  Keeping our attention on the things we are truly grateful for and perhaps even starting our own Gratitude Journal to write down at least 5 things we have appreciation for from the current day's experiences?!

BE SUPER HEROIC!

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

A LESSON On Why Your BURDENS Are All BLESSINGS...!

~~  Gandalf    (THE LORD OF THE RINGS)

~~ Alfred    (BATMAN BEGINS)

______________________________________________________

Yesterday morning, I was incredibly INSPIRED by a speech given by Joel Osteen.  I must profess I do not watch his show religiously, but as I was switching channels this day, the moment I turned to his program, he was espousing the importance of looking for the blessings that come with most of our daily burdens.  And of course being The New Age Nerd that I AM, I was hooked!  So much of what he was saying resonated at a deeply profound level for me.  Much of it because of how it correlated very closely with the core vibration of this site, that being The Hero's/Heroine's Journey.  And the fact that NO THING that comes into your experience is a coincidence.  Be it illness, loss, betrayal, as well as the many wonderful and amazing things that we co-create each and everyday.  It is all a part of the DIVINE'S way of supporting us on our true path. It does not mean that these experiences and emotions are easy. In fact, some of them can feel downright painful, and cause us to question what the hell is going on in our lives. Some of us get hit so hard, and in so many ways (often all at once), that we start to lose our faith. That is why his message was such a powerful infusion of Re-membrance for me and I am sure many others. 

Mr. Osteen told some powerful and humorous stories about his own life. And the manner in which some quite challenging personal events forced him to face his biggest fears. Many of them becoming the most magnificent BLESSINGS he has yet to experience.  For instance, his father was a pastor who actually started the church with his family.  Joel was much younger then and was quite introverted and shy.  He much preferred to stay behind the scenes and help his family by serving the church away from the pulpit's spotlight. Until his father suddenly passed away.  And in the middle of his heavy grief, he had a huge decision to make.  In order for the church to continue, he knew he would have to take the lead and become the church's head pastor.  Something that scared the ‘HELL’ out of him.   But he decided to put his entire faith in Spirit. And so the following Sunday, he gathered (was given by Spirit) the courage and strength to grab the microphone for the very fist time, and get on the pulpit to carry forth the work that his father had started so many years before.  And as we all now know, Joel is now one of the most beloved spiritual teachers currently on this planet!  He has inspired millions of people to live the Greatest Version of the Grandest Vision ever held of themselves.  Now that is a transcendent example of turing a burden into a blessing.  Not only for himself, but for the world!

It also brought to mind a powerful story from the life of Napoleon Hill, who is one of the founding fathers of modern day self actualization work.  Of all of the magnificent stories he has shared through his many books, none is near as powerful as the story of his second son in his seminal tomb ‘Think And Grow Rich.’  You see, Napoleon Blair Hill was born without any physical signs of ears.  From birth, all his doctors proclaimed that due to his physical deformities, he would live a life being both deaf and mute. A devastating declaration for any parent! However, Napoleon Hill was a true Bringer of the Light.  He made a vow the very day those doctors told them their opinion, that his son would indeed learn to hear and speak!  He has said his steely determination came from a famous quote attributed to transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson, who profoundly stated, “The whole course of things goes to teach us faith. We need only obey.  There is guidance for each of us, and by lowly listening, we shall hear the right words.”

To help demonstrate the power of DESIRE, in the second chapter of his book, he outlined his plan to assist his son toward his goal:

Napoleon's plan included:

• renewing his own daily pledge for Blair's wholeness;
• imparting his burning desire to Blair;
• not teaching sign language to Blair;
• mainstreaming Blair's education instead of sending him to a school for the deaf;
• creating bedtime stories for Blair with themes "designed to develop in him self-reliance, imagination, and a keen desire to hear and to be normal" as well as to establish the belief that"his affliction was not a liability, but an asset of great value"

Through the use of several techniques, Napoleon started gaining some progress, as Blair slowly began to hear vibrations and even music if played loud enough.  Hill was able to incorporate his own famous declaration that “every adversity brings with it the equal seed of opportunity,” through the example of teaching his own son how to hear.  

Blair not only made it through a basic education, but later excelled at the University of West Virginia.  After graduation, he reluctantly traveled to New York to meet with a company who had heard about his story. They had been developing a hearing aid device inspired by Blair's own deep desire to help himself and others with auditory disabilities.  But so many former attempts of introducing such devices into this market had never found their mark.  But little did he know his own Hero's Journey was beginning anew!

This new device actually worked tremendously and allowed Blair to hear clearly for the first time in his life.  So excited and now doggedly determined to use his father's philosophy of  turning burdens into blessings, he asked the company that designed the device if he could work on its marketing plan.  His goal was to “render useful service.... to bring hope and practical relief to thousands of deafened people who, without his help, would have been doomed forever to deaf mutism.”

Blair spent a great portion of the remaining of his life on his mission.  And DID INDEED help millions of hearing impaired individuals all around the world to live new lives through the use of this magical hearing aide device! 

Blair Hill's faith, coupled with the unshakable belief and LOVE of his father, turned misfortunate into a MIRACLE! One that has magically improved the lives of millions of people. It is such an inspirational testament to the power God places within our pain. For while our suffering may at times appear to be arbitrary, this story proves that is far from the truth. Pain is simply a part of the "HEAVENLY HERO MAKING MACHINE" that our Grand Creator has put into place to forge miracles for us and through us. NEVER to us! Please always re-member that distinction. 

And the next time you feel less than, unlovable, unworthy, or simply are lost in you own darkness, re-member that you are a Superhero. Just being here is proof positive of that. Because not everyone who was asked to come here said YES. In fact, the majority said NO. 
Not because any of them are less than in there own making, but because this earthly experience is very dense for the soul. And at times can be quite painful. Some would even say BRUTAL! Growth and expansion at this speed often requires strokes of pain as the catalyst for the birthing process of miracles to occur within this realm.  So please be super proud of the fact that when confronted with the choice to make a lasting difference in a world that is in desperate need of superheroes, you did not back down from the challenge! And that in itself makes you a Legend in Training!

Through the moon lit night....
A single Path is now shown...
Dare I step onto its glowful glare...
For the destination is unknown...

I ask Spirit for Guidance and Strength...
As I take my first move into the Night...
Heavy are the thoughts of my mind...
An internal struggle to hide my Fright...

It is then that I Re-member...
That when our Journey is at its end....
We all forge a path and must go alone....
To those before me, much Love do I send.....

Night swept Fog now blinds my way....
A silent whisper like none before....
Asks for my utter Belief and Trust...
As I traverse this foreign shore..

My sight still betrays me...
Tho I surrender to this special voice...
And brave this dreamlike vision...
For I've learned the power of choice ...

We have many gifts to light our darkness..
Yet still so many lose their will...
Giving way to all their lifelong pain...
Shouting to heaven a powerful shrill....

Perhaps this night's Journey....
Will show me that our pain is power...
Perhaps forgotten along the way...
Inspiring others with this night's swept shower...

Is this the Purpose for my dreamlike state...
To assist in my Re-membering of why I came...
A Steward of conscious spiritual Light...
Teaching others that our Path we can reframe....

As I start the process of Knowingness...
The path ahead begins to clear....
My Hero's Journey illuminates this path...
And leaves me No Thing to Fear.....

Written by Jeffrey Louis Martinez

May these words offer you solace in the darkest of your nights. So you may re-member that all of your burdens are no thing less than BLESSINGS in disguise!

BE SUPER HEROIC!

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

Please OPEN... Special INVITATION....!!

       'The INVITATION"

I'm not interested in the accolades you have accumulated in the presence of others...

I want to know what you do in the solitude of your darkest nights..

When one's true integrity is discovered...

Do you shrivel before the RESISTANCE of your ego..

Or carve through the Veil of Illusion even as your own tears cloud your vision...

With unbreakable FAITH that a Miracle will be birthed on the other side..

I could care less how many times you go to church...

to be 'FED' by the word of God........

I INVITE you to tell me how many hours you've spent feeding others through acts of CHARITY....

It doesn't impress me that you ALWAYS remember Birthdays and Anniversaries..

I'm curious how many times you've done something special for another...'JUST BECAUSE'....

I'll NEVER remember how many Facebook friends you have amassed.....

But I will ALWAYS embrace the times you were a true friend by loving me in times of SORROW.....

I won't treat you any different based on how many degrees you have plastered on your walls....

But I will study how well you've learned by your previous missteps...

I may never know how many musical instruments you have mastered...

But can you make my SOUL SMILE through the song your heart plays in my presence....

I'm not interested in your favorite bedtime stories from a childhood past....

I want to know what STORIES you tell yourself about your

own purpose for 'BEING'....

I could care less about your current net worth....

No.....What I want to understand, is in what ways are you

WORTHY of your own SUFFERINGS....

I won't notice how fancy your 'dance moves' may be...

I want to know if you are courageous enough to 'Dance to the Beat of Your Own Drummer' even if it means being laughed at for being 'DIFFERENT'

And PLEASE do not bore me with how technologically savvy you fancy yourself to be....

Rather...I want to comprehend why you'd rather TEXT ....Then

pick up the phone and hear my VOICE say.."I MISS YOU..TONS!!"..

I'm not interested in how many 'Thank You' notes you've sent for all the amazing gifts you may have received...

I want you to tell me how many times you've said "THANK YOU"..for still being your friend...Even AFTER your words may have 'cut to the bone'...

I will never be impressed by how much money you've earned, or even given away.....

I want to know how often you've shared your ABUNDANCE of FEARS and FRAILTIES with others.....So that they know they are NOT alone when confronted with theirs

And I will not be offended by how many times you forget my Birthday...

For the only thing I DESIRE you to remember...Is how utterly PERFECT...  You already are.......

BE SUPER HEROIC!


NERDMASTE

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

The STORY of The Tiny Seedling...!

TODAY'S INSPIRATIONAL “MYTHOLOGICAL MAGIC”

__________________________________________________________






One day before the Earth had even been made.....
And Time had no true use or need....
There was simply a vastness of pure IMAGINATION..
That lied within a tiny barren seed.....

This was no ORDINARY seedling, as it held within its core....
Visions of pure LOVE, Compassion, and such Divine Plans...
The Dreams and Wondrous DESIRES of God's Mind's Eye...
To UNLEASH its Potential upon ONE planet's green Land.....

And for thousands of years did this seed patiently wait....
For as it was still being formed,  God often Whispered with a calming voice......
“MIRACLES take time, and YOU shall be my FIRST”.....
“And one Glorious morning all you desire to experience will be of YOUR choice....”

This calming tender gesture, gave the seedling such hope and strength....
And so it did Dream of a Life So Grand and Full of Pure Intent....
Vast Experiences of ways to Serve and help others Re-member...
Their divine Purpose and Why They Too Had Been Sent......

So deep down inside, this seedling everyday held vigil....
That everything within its BEING would Re-member its Hero's Journey...
So when God called forth its everlasting Power and Might...
It would listen only to its Soul's constant Majestic Luring....

And just one day sooner than had been expected...
God Called upon this Special Tiny Seedling....
“As I once promised, your time has now come.."
“I have created a place for you to experience your most heartfelt Feelings.’”

“This Task shall not be easy, and this is why I sent YOU!”
For the illusion of separation is an experience so DENSE......
That your brothers and sisters will forget Who They Truly Are...
And amongst this daily Chaos, this World will often not make Sense....

There shall be much fighting and acts of separation...
But I have Faith in your Wisdom and tactful manner....
That when such anger and hate does occur....
Your ways of Re-membrance and Compassion will be the deciding factor.....

For Souls always Re-emember vibrations that stem from truth and Light....
Even though many will forget their path...
You will have LOVE always by your side......
And that my Child cuts through even the Devil's putrid WRATH......

And with the speed of Time now created for this Journey...
This Seedling was spread throughout this newly formed Earth and all its Fire ....
Cast out amongst all its green pastures..
So that ALL may drink from its promises of Dreams and Desires.....

Now that thousands of years have passed...
That seedling that started it all...
Stands daily by your Side....
So that you may bend but never fall....

So on this Journey, please Re-member ALWAYS .....
You have with you  God's Special Guide...
To help you find your true calling....
Who will NEVER,  EVER leave you behind..........

Dedicated to Karen Ann Pavlick! Keep Spreading Your Heaven Sent Magic!!

BE SUPER HEROIC!

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

Here Are TIPS To DEFEAT The Devil (EGO) To LIVE Your GREATEST LIFE..!

TODAY'S INSPIRATIONAL “MYTHOLOGICAL MAGIC”

Permalink

___________________________________________________

Over 70 years ago, Napoleon Hill wrote a book called “Outwitting the Devil”, yet it wasn't actually published until quite recently.  At the time of its crafting, he had already made quite a name for himself in the business world, especially from the success of his seminal tomb “Think and Grow Rich.” (If you have not read it, I suggest typing in Amazon.com in your web browser as soon as you are done reading this post!)  So why exactly did this particular vision from his inner mind lay hidden from public consumption for decades?!?  After all, Hill was the author of numerous books that transformed the cultural zeitgeist of a society that had been been fiscally stripped and spiritually annihilated by the horrors of the Great Depression.  He had made it is life's purpose to take on the near Herculean task of setting aside over 25 years of his life to uncover the underpinnings of life success and what nuances existed that separates those of us who merely survive from those of us who actually eat PASSION FLAKES for breakfast and thrive the rest of each and every day of their brief time here on the planet, fulfilling their Hero's/Heroine's journey along the way. He went so far as to partner with the iconoclast Dale Carnegie who assisted him as a mentor on this mission of a Lord of the Rings worthy proportion!  Frodo who?!?  :0)

“If you undertake this job, you should interview not only the few who have succeeded, but the many who have failed. You should carefully analyze many thousands of people who have been classified as failures, and I mean by the term failures, men who come to the closing chapters of their lives disappointed because they DID NOT achieve the goal for which they had set aside their hearts toward achieving.   As it is inconsistent as it may seem, you will learn more about how to succeed from the failures as you will from the so-called successes.  They will teach you what NOT to do.  Among toward the end of your labor, if you carry it through successfully, you will make a discovery which may be a great surprise to you. You will find that the cause of success is not separate and apart from the man/woman.  That is is a force so intangible in nature that the majority of men never recognize it. ; a force which may be called ‘the other SELF.’  Noteworthy is the fact that this OTHER SELF seldom exerts its influence or makes itself known excepting at times of immediate emergency, when men are forced, through adversity and temporary defeat, to change their habits and THINK their way out of temporary defeat."

~~ Dale Carnegie  (OUTWITTING THE DEVIL)

In fact, this New Age Nerd credits a portion of his found commitment to life purpose on the profound Re-membrance that was gifted through Hill's luminous prose that contains a radical template for the law of attraction that FAR pre-dates this generation's proclamation that “The Secret” is the cure to our feelings of lack of abundance, inadequacy, and disconnection from our authentic SOURCE.   The only real secret he could find for manifesting extraordinary success in one's lifetime came from finding and following your purpose and desire for being here, and doggedly pursuing it with a concrete plan that is backed by daily ACTION STEPS.  Basically, know where you are going, and bust your butt with no complaining or explaining to get there!  Funny that the real ‘secret’ to, well, ‘The Secret’ is that THERE IS NO SECRET!  Perhaps Sean Connery summed it up best in “The Untouchables” with his wicked quip to Kevin Costner's lawman tasked with capturing Chicago's shiftiest crime lord, “Yes, but what are you PREPARED TO DO to get Capone!”  That line can be applied to all of our goals and desired manifestations.  Because you will most often find that those that simply DO, practice the ART OF ACTION.  As my my pop used to implore to his students, in life there are only two distinct camps.  You are either ‘working hard’ or ‘HARDLY WORKING.’  Nuff said! 

Conspiracy theories aside, I believe the reason the Napoleon Hill estate was reluctant to release the contents within “Outwitting the Devil” is due to its narrative premise.  For it is written from the understanding that Hill had an actual dialogue with SATAN himself.  A sit-down for the ages to say the least!  And what exactly would one even dare to wear for such an occasion!  LOL  Even in our contemporary exploitive and sensationalistic media landscape, the announcement of such a journalistic coup would cause quite a furor of frantic frenzy.  So can you you even attempt to ponder the marketing of such a seemingly preposterous declaration back in the days before Marty McFly innocently donned his Calvin Kleins before their time?!?  Although, ironically enough, it does feel like we are having continued dialogue with the DEVIL himself with each and every Donald Trump media debacle!  Forgive me Father, for I have sinned...  ;0)

So while reading the book, I took a page out of the Michael Beckwith (The founder of Agape Spiritual Center in Los Angeles) self actualization playbook, and substituted the ideation of the Devil, into THE EGO.  During many of his fiery Sunday  soliloquies, he would often refer to the Devil as being No Thing less than our own EGO, and it's attempt to keep us feeling separate from our authentic selves.(More on this masterful application in a future post!)

And just as in my beloved “Conversation with God” series, I implore my fellow truth seekers to try and set aside their contemplations on where the information is coming from, and instead intently focus on WHAT in the narrative actually RESONATES with their intuitive feelings.  CAPICHE?!?!
Fantastic! 

What did I find from this Devil's philosophical musings and declarations from the ‘Dark Side of the Force’.  While nothing revelatory in nature, it can be summed up within the context of one potentially destructive paradigm:  DRIFTING!  Napoleon Hill fastidiously used a simple, yet nearly flawless indicator of a person's current probability of achieving stupendous life happiness and success.  Before beginning work with a new group of corporate students, he would line them up and one by one, ask them just two basic questions.  The first being “What is your life purpose?”, and the second being “What is your plan for achieving it?”  After working with tens of thousands of well intended, highly educated individuals, he found that LESS than 10 percent could answer the questions he posed to them.  Many of them staying in jobs they detest, and in relationships that have long passed their intended expiration date!  And this, my fellow New Age Nerds, is the epitome of DRIFTING!

The Devil (EGO) said that this pattern of living energy is his greatest ally toward keeping people from a life filled with soulful expansion, peaceful platitude, and the ability to complete their Hero's/Heroine's Journey.  I can tell you from first hand experience that DRIFTING can become a horrible hindrance to any semblance of lasting happiness.  It's like ‘punching in and punching out’ of the time clock in life.  Living a surface existence instead of a deep, authentic, mindful co-creative process with life.  And it can touch upon and eventually erode what I call the PILLARS of LIFE.  Similar to the load baring posts that hold up any structural foundation, these pillars consist of personal support structures of our existence.  Relationships, jobs, health, fiscal abundance, spiritual practice; these are all the pillars that inform and maintain our sense of well being. 

When we drift in one or all of these areas, we are aimlessly sleepwalking through the precious moments of our days.  In the book, the Devil(EGO) specifically says, “A drifter is one who permits himself to be influenced and controlled by circumstances beyond his control.  He would rather have me occupy his mind and do his thinking rather than go to the trouble of thinking himself.   A drifter is one who accepts whatever life throws his way without putting up a protest.  He doesn't know what he wants from life and spends all of his time getting just that.  A drifter has lots of opinions, but none are his own......   I would advise him to WAKE UP AND GIVE.  Give some form of service to as many people as possible.  He must learn to give before he gets.”

So what can be done if you have found yourself in an habitual pattern of aimlessly DRIFTING through life?  I invite you to contemplate incorporating the following suggestions that can support you away from your EGO and it's treacherous temptations to keep you in a zombie like state of disillusionment, and bring back that ‘authentic swing’ that brings back the PASSION, JOY, and ZEST that makes life such a MIRACULOUS and Majestic experience!! 

1.  Decide what you want from life and what your God given talents might be.  The things that make time seem to FLY while you are participating in them is a great guidance system toward what those talents and passions truly are!

2. Create a plan for how to go about attaining your goal/purpose/mission.  Hiring a life coach is a wonderful way to start building a support team to assist you in this Journey in a compassionate, loving, and even fun manner!

3.  Analyze your past and present defeats or seeming failures.  (They are really not failures, just ways you now know something does NOT serve you.)  Again The New Age Nerd's definition of sin is to SUFFER without meaning.  Allow yourself to truly FEEL your feelings about the state of affairs in your life and ask Spirit for the guidance to help you understand the seed of equivalence in the form of an opportunity that is waiting to be discovered. 

4.  Become hyper aware of your daily habits and actions.  How much time are you spending surfing the internet, daydreaming, writing scripts in your minds for movies that will NEVER get made.  Anything that is actually keeping you away from tangible action steps toward your purpose. 

5.  Understand that FEAR is simply FALSE EVIDENCE APPEARING REAL.  It is the EGO's way of keeping you small, and is the biggest ally to the nasty nature of DRIFTING! 

And if all else fails, seek out your SEARCH and RESCUE TEAM.  Let them shower you with the Love and respect you deserve.  And don't be afraid to ASK FOR HELP.  Sometimes just breaking up our larger purpose into bite size chunks can help maintain the courage to step forward and simply BEGIN!  And a warm, trusting support team can be your own ‘Gateway to Narnia’ that initiates the start of a great big JUICY exciting chapter in your amazing new life!!



BE SUPER HEROIC!

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

TRUE SUPERHEROES Come In All Shapes and Sizes...!

True Superheroes come in all shapes and forms. As was taught to me by a 15 pound Chi-Hua-Hua mix that captured my heart on an unassuming Memorial Day weekend in 2003 while I was still living in Los Angeles, CA. During a nearly ritual weekend brunch at one of my favorite  hangouts, just I was about to deeply divulge my fork into a plate of their heavenly waffles dabbled with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, out of the corner of my eyes I saw a couple holding a small dog who was in obvious distress. From a simple glance, it was easy to ascertain that his back leg was shattered and he was in desperate need of medical attention on many fronts. 

I quickly placed down my fork and scurried out the door to meet the unassuming couple holding this poor pup. They disclosed to me that they had found this scraggly mutt on the street, as he sweetly hopped up toward anyone who paid him any attention. Now just a few feet away from his weakened body, it was quite easy to count every bone on his food depraved body. Not to mention an obvious case of mangled mange. His nails were turning inward from lack of cuticle care, and he was covered in fleas and ticks.  An absolute mess in every conceivable manner. Just my type! ;0)

"We have been knocking on doors for hours around the area where we found him. But haven't had any luck finding an owner," said the sweet couple. "We took him to a shelter, and they said a dog in such a devastated condition would be euthanized almost immediately, " they continued. 

"Would you be open to giving the puppy over to me?" I gushed. "I promise to take care of him and if you give me your number, I'll even keep you up to date on his progress."  It took less than the beat of a beaver's tail for them to acquiesce and hand this "super survivor" over to me. 

I quickly canceled my Napa Valley Memorial Day's plans with friends to turn my full attention over this this "Saintly Furred" newly found friend. My first order of business was to get him to a surgeon who could hopefully repair his badly damaged back hind right leg. It was literally dangling in the air as I gently placed him in my SUV. 

Thankfully, living in a city as vast as Los Angeles meant finding a competent animal surgeon was not as challenging an endeavor as it would have been in other areas. And as an added bonus, my next door neighbor was a former vet's assistant and was quickly able to guide me to whom she considered to be one of the best animal surgeon's in all of Los Angeles! 

I truly threw caution to the wind and zipped my black Jeep carrying this hurting pup in and around the busy streets of LA until being able to pull into the parking lot of the animal doctor my friend had strongly urged me towards. 

I ever so gently carried him into this vet's office. The pain he must have been enduring far surpassed anything I could have imagined. And for those of you who follow my blog, you know I have faced more than my share of unadulterated suffering! 

In fact, when the office nurse came out to greet him, he snarled back at her. Causing her to quickly pause for a couple of beets. Just long enough for me to whisper into his left ear, "I got you buddy. I promise. Everything's going to be OK." 

And with that short burst of trusting words, the nurse's next attempt to approach him was met with much more trusting eyes and even a quick wag of his tail. I handed him over to her as she could see the obvious angst that needed immediate attention. 

"Do whatever you need to do," I quickly blurted out. At that time in my life, I had been blessed with a job in which the money to help heal this pup was no object. And in a short span of less than an hour, his brave perseverance had touched a part of me that resided deep within my soul. A kinship based on all of the many trials and tribulations I had been forced to face on my own SuperHero's Journey. 

I patiently waited in the vet's office until the head Doctor emerged from back behind his operating rooms. "I heard you found this little guy on the streets of LA. Let me tell you something I've never seen before. His leg has been broken for at least TWO MONTHS! His mange is as bad as we've seen, and he has a horrible case of heart worms; and he has lost more than half his body weight for a dog this size," he gently informed me. "Are you sure you want us to try and fix that leg. Or would you rather us put him down?" he understandably asked. And something from deep within my own knowingness was shining a beacon of light on my heart and soul. All telling me that this little guy was a survivor, here for a reason, as well as a season, and NOT to give up on him. 

As I drove back to my apartment, I couldn't help but think about what this little animal had endured. No regular food or drink on the savage streets of mid-town Los Angeles for at least two months. Not to mention the fact that he suffered through a badly shattered leg during that same time period, yet still found it within his heart and soul to carry on. 

And guess what?! The surgeon was able to completely put his mangled leg back together in just one surgery! And as for his other conditions, (Mange, fleas, heart worms, etc.) with lots of patience and buckets full of LOVE, I slowly nursed him back to full health. 

As a pseudo joke, I named him Nacho. I told people it was because when I asked what happened to him, he defiantly splurged out, "It's Not Cho Business!"  LOL  So Nacho it was!

And that dog became one of the strongest guiding lights that has ever entered my life. He became my greatest teacher of patience, a re-membrance of never giving up-no matter what life's odds have sent you-, as well as a beacon of light showing me how to treat all others. With no judgment and absolute unconditional LOVE! 

SUPERHEROES IN TRAINING TAKEAWAYS

Unfortunately, Nacho developed a horrible case of doggie diabetes at the age of ten and I was forced to let him transition back to Spirit. But during his nine years in my stewardship, he became my best friend. Truly! He gave me the strength to persevere through three major surgeries, the loss of everything I owned, the horrific passing of my father to cancer (leading to the complete emotional fracture of my entire family), and a couple bouts of deep depression. He gave me the fortitude to never give up on myself or the blessings of my own life. Even when I desperately wanted to end it all! 

Yet, as low as times would eventually get for me, a simple glance from this precious pup would lift my spirits. I always felt his own Soul whispering directly to mine, "Carry On! Carry On!"  I very often felt as though he came to breathe new life into my often scarred heart. Just as I showered him with an unwavering amount of love and devotion, he spent the remainder of his life doing that and so much more for me! 

And that's why I truly believe that WE ARE ALL SUPERHEROES! Even a 15 pound scrawny mutt is capable of living a life of loving service. I know Nacho did that for me. And that is what being a SUPERHERO is all about. It has just as much to do with what you are BEING with your life in service to others, as what you are DOING for them! 

The badge of a SUPERHERO comes with any and all of the many ways you are being of loving service to yourSELF and all others. As basic examples BEING:

Kind
Compassionate
Patient
Understanding
Joyful
Giving
and of course,  LOVING

And that's just the "starting line" of the many ways you can use your own set of Super Powers to lift up the spirits of others in need of some love and care; the type only YOU can provide!

BE SUPER HEROIC!

LOVE -SERVE -INSPIRE

Nerdmaste,

Jeffery Louis Martinez