Leave your ego at the door

I was listening to talk radio in the car this morning, as I normally do. An artist was being interviewed about group art projects. She said, "It is imperative that you check your ego at the door. When we all come together with open minds and open hearts, the magic really happens!" What a profound statement for all of us. We are all working together on the art project of life all the time, after all.

I had a visual of what it would look like to check your ego at door:

Imagine walking into an opulent, expansive ballroom. There are incredible light beings dancing, laughing, talking, loving. You long to join them, but you are frightened to. In order to enter, you must remove your clothes, your ego. You are afraid of feeling bare, naked to the room. You hesitate in front of the coat check counter, where egos are being stored. There is a wise old woman behind the desk.

"You know, they all looked just like you when they came in. It takes great courage to remove your ego and expose your true colors."

"I am scared," you admit. "What if they laugh at me? What if my colors are different?"

"My darling girl, listen to yourself! The light beings in this room checked their egos at the door. They will not laugh at you, nor judge you in any way, for they cannot. Their ego selves are hanging here, in the closet. You will be mixing with their spirits, and spirits only know unconditional love for themselves and others. All you have to do is give your ego to me. I will hang it here, on a hook. Should you ever decide that you want it back, all you have to do ask."

Your eyes fill with tears of joy as the depth of the old woman's words wash over you. You can be YOU here, the real you, with no fear, no judgment, no worries whatsoever. You have been longing for this moment for as long as you can remember.

"It is easier than you may think," the old woman encourages. "Just untie it at your throat, the ties will be there."

You place your hands at your throat and to your surprise, there are indeed ties there. You realize that you are wearing a heavy cloak, that suddenly feels very cumbersome and uncomfortable. It is easy to untie it  and allow it to fall at your feet. Your whole body feels lighter. Your true colors start swirling around you in vibrant purples, reds, blues, greens, and gold. You dance away from your old cloak without a single thought, so happy to be free.

The other light beings in the room receive you with love and joy. They are as happy as you are that you chose to remove your heavy cloak.....

You can do it too, you know. You can choose to take off your cloak, bare all, and walk in beauty. Every time fear, in its many forms, shows up in your life, cast it aside. Choose to be supportive rather than jealous, forgiving rather than vindictive, joyous rather than morose.

I am ready to show my whole self, to dance with the light beings, to drop my ego at my feet. Will you join me on the dance floor?

Notes from the bathroom

A really magical thing has happened, and it all started with a kid leaving a notepad on the bathroom sink. My 11 year old daughter, on a whim, wrote "How are you? Please write back" on the top of a notepad and left it in the bathroom at my dad's house. I found it there, not sure who wrote it or if someone forgot to put their stuff away. I responded to the note, saying I was fine, and to have a wonderful day. Later in the day, someone else added a note, and so on. Now, several days later, there are five pages of notes. Some are nice, some are silly, and there are even 2 short poems. It is exciting to go into the bathroom now and check the notebook for new material!

My dad is dying from cancer. We take care of him at home. His house is a revolving door of family, friends, and nurses. I can only imagine what people must think when they find our bathroom notes. I hope that they get a little laugh out of them. I hope that their heaviness over the situation is lifted for a moment or two. I sincerely hope that they see that we are still the loving, happy family that they we have always been. I really, really hope that they will add their own sentiment to the notes. I suspect that we will hang onto these bathroom notes for years to come. Who knew that a notebook in the bathroom would become a source of inspiration?