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Welcome to the October issue of Stepping Into The Magic Of You! When did you last think what an incredible world we live in? Have you noticed the leaves are creating autumnal magic? What do you choose to think about?
This month, inspired by the global launch of just- a- minute, my thoughts have turned to peace. Have a read of Be Part of the Peace Process and catch some of the peace particles, in this turbulent world, I hope it’s infectious!
I also want to share a splash of inspiration about a prisoner on death row for 22 years who made the decision to leave the bitter thoughts and hellish experience behind in his prison cel when he was eventually exonerated of his crimes. Read his truly amazing story in Forgiveness. There’s a dollop more inspiration in Inspirational Quotes and some Good Books later on that I hope you’ll enjoy too. In this issue:
Be Part of the Peace ProcessI’d forgotten just how big Wembley Arena is when I turned up for the launch of J-A-M (just a minute) on a sunny September Sunday. It was a wonderful afternoon with live link ups to people all around the globe. Ruby Wax and Robin Gibb were there as well as my new fave band Bliss. It was spine tingling to be part of the process.
I got a ‘life lesson’ before we even got into that huge cavern of a place that is Wembley Arena. Talk about prejudging a situation, I did it one more time. Imagine the scene. My husband John and I were looking for signs to the car park. We could see the arena and there were cars snaking along, but some of them were going to the Sunday market. We followed the car in front until it stopped, for no apparent reason. Unsure of what to do next John pulled along side the car. I looked across at the driver. His eyes were popping out on stalks, his mouth was going like a rubber band and he looked mad, bad and I thought really angry with us.
Anticipating a torrent of abuse I wound the window down I wanted him to know that we were lost & hadn’t intended to cause offence, we were going to a global peace launch after all. What he actually said was ‘if you’re going to the arena you need to see the guy at the end and he’ll open the barrier for you’. So rather than being a road rage character, he was a very friendly guy!
I would have had bad thoughts about him (which would have spilled over into London drivers, people…) if I’d gone with my first impression. This was a good reminder for me to give people the benefit of the doubt and not be so quick to judge. His kindness got me back into the reason for being there, to be part of a global peace initiative and I didn’t really know what to expect.
The rest of the afternoon was a wonderful reminder that we can all take just one minute to STOP whatever we are doing, take one minute to sit quietly and breathe, think peaceful calming thoughts, just for one minute, before getting on with our busy day.
If, like me, you spend a lot of time at your pc, it’s especially good to take frequent breaks, stand up and walk around, have a change of scene at least once every hour. Why not do that now? Have a stretch, yawn, gaze into space, look at the sky. You can always log on to www.just-a-minute.org and check out the one minute meditations.
Regular breaks during the day really help to clear the head and de-stress. What also happened for me that afternoon was to see that I can be part of the solution for world peace, that I have personal responsibility to create peace in my world; to be at peace with myself, my family members my colleagues and the wider community.
If you would like to know more about JAM and meditation What can you do today to create peace in your world? Forgiveness
Here’s a thought: “Do you want to be right, or do you want to be happy? Forgive yourself and stop punishing yourself." ~ Louise L. Hay, author of You Can Heal Your Life.
It’s so easy to get stuck in being right, even when deep down we have a suspicion (or, lets face it, we know) that we’ve caused hurt to someone else. Saying sorry can be hard. Many obstacles can get in the way. It might be fear of losing face, or being thought less of, or that it’ll only make things worse. Yet in my experience, when I apologise, I feel a weight’s been lifted off me. And when I’ve been on the receiving end of an apology I’ve been impressed by the other person’s courage. Have you noticed that as soon as one of you says I’m sorry ___ the other person usually says they’re sorry too? Then you both relax and feel closer to each other.
Forgiveness is such a wonderful gift. And you don’t have to wait until you’ve received an apology either to forgive. Have you noticed who is hurting when you hold a grievance or grudge, when you feel wronged? The other person may not even be aware of your feelings, so they may be going about their business blissfully unaware. So when we hold on to resentments we are actually hurting our self.
I heard an amazing account of someone who could have been very understandably bitter and carried a grudge that I want to share with you. Imagine being locked up on death row for 22 years for a crime you did not commit. When asked if he was bitter, Nick Yarris said no, being in prison was hell, he saw no point in bringing that hell out of jail with him.
Nick’s story is quite incredible, his nightmare started with a traffic offence that escalated into a rape and murder charge. With fabricated evidence and a scanty trial he was sentenced to life in prison and thrown onto death row. All appeals were rejected. Hope eventually came with the emergence of DNA science. His was the first case to use DNA evidence in the US. He appealed five times using the DNA evidence and all his appeals were turned down. He then contracted Hepatitis ‘C’. His health deteriorated and was diagnosed as terminal. He was then given an overdose of drugs which left him blind. In 2002, having seen fellow inmates waste away to a painful death he wrote to the appeal judge requesting that he be executed. His lawyer then asked that the last piece of untested DNA be used. The DNA test on gloves in the victim’s car did not match and proved that Nick was innocent.
Can you imagine when, in January 2004, Nick Yarris walked out of prison what freedom must have felt like, after 8057 days on death row? Can you imagine having had no human contact for 14 years (he was led around in chains) what is was like to feel the warmth of his mother’s hand? When he walked out of the prison building onto the street he said he was knocked off balance by the fresh air on his body. The pain in his head from traffic noise and street activity was overwhelming.
Nick now lives in London with his wife and baby daughter. His Hepatitis C has completely gone and he is now healthy. He is so appreciative of the second chance he has been given to live his life fully. His mission now is to change the penal system and he is campaigning on behalf of two prisoners on death row. “Forgiveness does not mean that what you did or what somebody else did was okay, or that the laws of cause and effect can be erased. It simply means that you are willing to let go of the pain you are carrying, learn from it and move on.” The Angels of 9/11 By Caitlin Walsh
To find out more about Nick, his story and what he is doing now, visit his website and be amazed, be really amazed! www.nickyarris.com
Who will you forgive today? What will you forgive yourself for? What will you let go of? Inspiring Quotes
Helen Keller
“People spend a lifetime searching for happiness; looking for peace. They chase idle dreams, addictions, religions, even other people, hoping to fill the emptiness that plagues them. The irony is the only place they ever needed to search was within.” Ramona L Anderson
Good BooksA couple of books I picked up at the JAM event. They are both helpful on how to create inner peace. ‘The Art of Thinking’ ‘InsideOut a better way of living, learning and loving’ ‘The Angels of 9/11’ I thought this might be too a heavy a read. I couldn’t have been more wrong! This is an amazing page turner of a book, I couldn’t put it down. It’s a very reassuring book with a positive message. I would go so far as to say life changing.
That’s it for this month. I hope you have enjoyed this newsletter. If the issues have triggered any thoughts or any experiences that you would like to share with other readers, please email me. This newsletter goes out to over 900 readers. I’d love to bump that figure up to the thousand mark. If you think a friend or colleague would be interested in receiving Stepping into the Magic of You, please feel free to forward this issue. Be magical and shine!
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Peace and forgiveness are closely linked. How can I be at peace if I am holding a grudge or grievance towards someone else? It can’t be done.
"I do not want the peace which passeth all understanding, I want the 