Mutant Message Down Under

So as part of my New Years resolution I've committed to reading at least one book/month. So for the month of January I picked a book that my cousin Bethany recommended. I was a bit put off by the title and found the desciption to be a bit curious, but in the spirit of trying to pop this large bubble that I've been dwelling in for so very long, I took a chance and was sooo happy that I did. It was exactly what I needed to read at this point in time of life.

Mutant Message Down under is about a woman in her 50's that has found herself in a time of transition and looking for new direction in her life. Her youngest has left the nest and she has been invited to work in the great land down under, Australia. She will be involved in a health education program stemming from her natural health background. On her journey in this new land she comes across the outcast of the Australian society the, "mixed breed" Aborigine/ European men who modern society considers useless and unable to be of value to the coastal, white society.

Luckily, Marlo sees value in these men and starts a project for them, a small business of sorts to provide a way for them to make money in a setting that is not typical of european business. It is a success!

Word gets to an Aborigine tribe of her work, and she is asked to meet with them. What Marlo expects to be a one day experience turns into the adventure of a lifetime. Her ability to say yes, to be open to a great opportunity takes her down a path that radically changes her mentality and her life. She takes a walkabout with one of the oldest people groups in the world.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fresh persective on the world. As the author states, she writes this book for anyone who will read it and invites them to take as much or as little from it as the so choose. Hoping that others will sift through the words and ideas of the book, I am only going to share a few key phrases from the book that I have stuck with me even since completing Marl0's story.

"Humans cannot exist if everything that is unpleasant is eliminated instead of understood."
-Regal Black Swan

In our sterile society, we have adopted the thought that if things are unpleasant they need to be tossed or eliminated. In the physical sense, hair, body odor, ovulation mucus, sweat, bad breath, dandruff, bodily oil, ejacualtion, liquid and solid excrement. I'm sure for some it is even difficult to read these words, acknowledging that they exist. But all are real and all are necessary to exis, and we suffocate the natural functions of the body when we elimate them from our lives. I think if we, including myself, understood just how amazing out bodies are, how the creator of the world intended for us to live and treat our bodies we could really see the great, true miracle the human body is, and maybe not get so offended with the human body and its functions.

This of course then applies to the unplesants of the world around us in our churches, society, the workplace. The unpleasant is part of the whole. For us to genuinly undestand the worl around us, we must even take in and analyze the unpleasant, and make it part of us. I could go on and on about this, but I will not in respect for those who have taken on the challenge of reading this extremely long entry....

"Everyone is recognized by a special party, but it has nothing to do with age or birthdate-it is in recognition of uniqueness and contribution to life. They believe that the purpose for passage of time is to allowa person to become better, wiser, to express more and more of the one's beingness. So if you are a better person this year that last, and only you know that for certain, then you call for the party. When you say you are ready everyone honors that." Marlo Morgan

I LOVE THIS!This people group is so good at recognizing the individual and the unique contribution each person brings to the group. They celebrate it and recognize it as special, needed and sacred. The aborigines laugh at the thought of celebrating an actual birthday. They say that it doesn't take any effort to get older, we all are getting older. What is worth celebrating is when you have become better and only you know that. What an amazing idea! We should celebrate when we are better. Life can be difficult, there are many challenges, things that are unpleasant. And when we choose to address the unpleasant and find a way to live with and not simply eliminate that diffuclty but live in peace with it, that is a victory!
In starting weight watchers, I have had to take notice of my unpleasant tendency to abuse food and use it as a distraction for what I should be doing in my life, it has been my crutch. And it's ugly. But I have set a path to address this issue and i hope that you all will celebrate with me when I can finally come to a point in my life where I can say that I live at ease in the tension of this unpleasant tendency.

If you ever have the desire to celebrate YOU being better, wiser, happier, more cunning, more intelligent, let me know! I would love to celebrate with you!

This is an incredibly long post, but this book moved me and I hope that Marlo's journey and her shared words can inch you into a healthy tension as well.

And here are my resolutions...

So it's 2010. And I do believe in resolutions! We all deserve a time a place to start over and the beginning of the year seems to be a legitimate place to do that. So here is mine!

HEALTHY HABITS IN 2010!!!!!!

Body
-Join Weight Watchers. 30 lbs is the goal, not too much but still a challenge....just right!

-brush my teeth, floss and use mouth wash twice a day.....to some of you, this might seem normal, but for me it will be tricky mainly because I hate to floss. But healthy teeth are important and need to be taken care of.

-Run the mini in May.

-Yoga 3 times a week.

Mind
-Read one news story per day

-Read one book per month

-Reduce the amount of TV I watch by 1 hr every day.

-Only check Facebook 1 per day.

Soul
-Pray. Its been a while since I've made this a priority I think it's time to start it again

-Read scripture once a day. Doesn't matter how much, just once a day.

-Sing in the choir. I love singing in the choir and am not sure why i have waited this long to join the choir at church. I think it will be good for my soul.

-Paint and sew. These hobbies have become my creative outlet and i'd like to continue in growing these abilities.


Seems like alot, but i"m excited about the challenge. Its been a while since I've really challenged myself. This year I'd like to have a self makeover and I believe that all these habits will lead to the makeover.

I'd like to ask for youprayers and support in this change. 2009 was rough for me, probably alot rougher than most will ever know. I don't want to go through that again, I want me back but I can't do it alone.

I hope that all of you who choose to make resolutions this year will be able to stick to them and find them as inspiring as I do!