Upbeat Living: Happy World Day of Peace!

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Jeremy Gilley, Kebba Buckley Button, Peace Day, peace within, Pray, stress, The life you want, UpBeat Living, World Day of Peace

© 2016 Kebba Buckley Button, MS, OM.  World Rights Reserved. http://www.kebba.com

Today is World Day of Peace, appointed by the United Nations as an annual day of peace and ceasefire.  Even the Taliban has been cooperating with taking a day off from war, allowing humanitarian aid to flow into strife-torn areas.  For more on activities for this annual day, use your search bar to learn more about Jeremy Gilley, the founder and probably Chief Optimist of the movement, “Peace One Day”.  Many of us believe we can have peace in our time.  Today, in Phoenix, Arizona, about 250 people will gather at 6 pm, at the Franciscan Renewal Center, dressed in purple.  We will form the word, “MERCY”.  Like the word HOPE, in the photo above, our stubborn hearts believe that we are moving forward and helping to build the peace we wish to see.

Our beautiful planet and its 7 billion human tenants need peace now.  The other beings on the Planet need peace now.  The plant systems and climate systems on this extraordinary world need peace now.  There has been much upheaval lately, in climatic and human affairs.

We are at choice as to how we can help this peace come about.  We need to be good global citizens, work for social justice, develop our individual Peace Within, and pray often.  Number one is to keep ourselves grounded in our Peace Within, so we can keep up with the other needs.  Even prayer must come from a peaceful, hopeful, trusting heart.

With so many people so stressed out today, and with so many social issues hurting large numbers, it is crucial to stay as grounded and clear as you can, even joyful and grateful.  This is a major way you can help the Planet, and it’s a skill set.  Study positive ideas and books (such as Peace Within: Your Peaceful Inner Core), explore your faith, and keep returning to positive languaging and beliefs.  Learn to meditate, taking classes and increasing your personal peace-maintaining skills.  The more Peace Within you cultivate, the better your relationships will be, and the better able you will be to do what you can to help bring forth peace in our time.   Gandhi said,

If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. … We need not wait to see what others do.

For more on what you can do to bring about world peace, read the article Peace In Our Time: 3 Ways You Can Help ( http://wp.me/pyEwf-6C ) .  Then work on your Peace Within, and choose some other simple ways to help the World.  You can be a part of building the world your children will inherit.  And that’s Upbeat Living!

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Energy – Peace – Meditation

• Kebba Buckley Button is a stress management expert and award-winning author.  She also is an ordained minister and has a natural healing practice. Among her books are:  Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br),and Peace Within:  Your Peaceful Inner Core, Second Edition. Her newest book is Sacred Meditation: Embracing the Divine.  That book and Peace Within are available through her office.  Just email books@kebba.com or call the office at 480-250-1177.
• For an appointment or to book Rev. Kebba to speak for your group, email calendar@kebba.com

 

Upbeat Living: 8 Easy Steps to Clear the Energy of Your Home or Office

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Clear the energy of your home, Effective living, Energy of your home, Feeling energized, Feng Shui, Kebba Buckley Button, peace within, stress, UpBeat Living

© 2016 Kebba Buckley Button, MS, OM.  World Rights Reserved.  

In Upbeat Living^sm, we want our lifestyle to be energized and joyful.  To feel our best, we should regularly check on and tune up the energy of our spaces.  So today’s topic is the energy of your home or office.  By now, you’ve probably heard of the idea of Feng Shui, the art of placing objects in your home, office, or other space, to optimize the energy in the space and in your life.  Maybe you’ve even dabbled in adding certain colors or objects to your space.  If so, you already believe in subtle energy fields, the circulating energy patterns that you can’t see.

But you don’t need to understand the complex details of the discipline of Feng Shui, to clear or otherwise adjust your home or office energy.  Especially if you are feeling stuck in any way, there are quick and simple things you can do to raise the energy, the feeling, of your space. At this writing, we are at the end of Summer and almost at the beginning of Fall.  This is a natural time of transition and evaluation. The other natural time of home energy transition is in the Spring, when people launch into Spring cleaning.  That is at time when people in cold areas open their doors and windows for the first time in months.  They “air out” their homes, and they clean and freshen all the surfaces and contents.  Perhaps they take a fresh look at what they own and what they would like to donate or replace.  Perhaps they add some bright seasonal décor. In hot areas like Phoenix, this naturally happens at the end of Summer.

When outside temperatures finally descend to below 80 degrees, people may suddenly open their front doors and find the air is cooler outside than inside—a pleasant, refreshing shock.  At that point, the home or office energy has been stale for a half year, and it’s time for a re-set.  Junk energy has been accumulating all during the closed-window season.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said,

Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine.

Shadow energy builds up when we don’t air out or tune up our space.  Now that the weather is mild, all the energy of stress, illness, fatigue, and discouragement can be aired out and cleansed away.  This is simple. It can take about 10 minutes of your time, plus an hour to continue letting the space air out!  Just follow these 8 easy steps.

1. Set your intention to clear and lighten up the energy of your space.
2. Open all the doors and windows. Leave the screen doors closed.
3. Light an incense stick or sage bundle. You’ll carry it around over a pan that catches the ash.  Any incense will do, coupled with your intention.  My favorite is Nag Champa.
4. Declare your intention and/or say a prayer. Try this traditional one, or write your own: “Visit, we beseech Thee, O Lord, this dwelling, and drive far from it all snares of the enemy.  Let Thy holy Angels dwell herein, to preserve us in peace. And let Thy blessing be upon us forever.  Through Christ our Lord, Amen.”
5. Go around your space repeating phrases about release, such as: “I bless and release all tired, ill, old, or stale energy.  I bless and release all pain, all emotional sludge, all discouragement, all stuck/ness, all unclarity, all brain fog, all distraction, and all outdated ideas of life and who I should be”.  Picture stale energy leaving through the open windows and doors.
6. Go around again, still holding the pan with burning incense or sage, and repeat phrases like this: “I refill this space with new, fresh, upbeat, encouraged, optimistic, can-do energy.  I declare this to be a space filled with radiance and wellness, vitality, fresh ideas, easy concentration, right action, inspiration, and best relationships.  I declare that this space draws the ideal friends, (clients, if applicable,) loved ones, energy, and income.  This is a place of peace, joy, and balance!”
7. Thank God/the Universe/Jesus/the Angels. According to your belief system, express great gratitude that these things are so.
8. Give the space an hour to air out, or more if climate and schedule permit.

Now simply repeat as desired.  You’ll notice the space feels lighter, and everything you do is easier.  And that’s Upbeat  Living!

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Energy – Peace – Meditation

• Kebba Buckley Button is a stress management expert and award-winning author.  She also is an ordained minister and has a natural healing practice. Among her books are: Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br),and Peace Within:  Your Peaceful Inner Core, Second Edition(http://tinyurl.com/mqg3uvc ). Her newest book is Sacred Meditation: Embracing the Divine, available through her office.  Just email SacredMeditation@kebba.com.  
• For an appointment or to book Rev. Kebba to speak for your group, email calendar@kebba.com

 

Anger Stress: When Anger Is Really Something Else

Tags

Anger, Anger stress, Effective living, Kebba Buckley Button, peace within, stress, The life you want, UpBeat Living

© 2016 Kebba Buckley Button, MS, OM.  World Rights Reserved.

© eelnosova – Fotolia

There are three main types of anger stress:  when you are burning with your own anger, when someone else is angry with you or dumping their anger on you, and when someone is actually hurt, but they seem to be angry.  In all these cases, it’s important to touch in with your Peace Within and stay grounded there.

A client called recently, ranting, to sound off about a tenant.  My client, “Jane”, has had an apparently wonderful woman, “Polly”, renting a condo from her for a few months.  Polly has been warm, courteous, and articulate, since they first met.  Jane had thought they would be neighbors for a long time.  She also thought they were becoming friends. Jane had even been referring work to Polly for her virtual assistant business. However, this morning, a night-owl neighbor called to ask if Jane knew Polly had moved out in the middle of the night.  WHAT?  The neighbor said Polly had backed a U-Haul up to the unit and moved out a all her belongings, between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m.  It flew through Jane’s mind that yesterday was the first of the month, and maybe this was Polly’s way of giving notice, of saying she did not intend to pay this month’s rent.

Heart sinking and ready to cry, Jane called Polly. First, Jane simply asked if she could pick up the rent today.  She was thinking, “[S]o you LIED to me?  So you’re a thief? So when you overcharged that client I referred to you, that was you being a con?   If you had given notice, I could have another tenant in that beautiful condo already!”  If Jane had said to Polly what she was thinking, she would have sounded very angry.  Polly launched into a long speech about her business not doing well and that basically, she had vacated.  She made no apology.  Jane bit her tongue and just listened.  Finally, she told Polly that if Polly had been open with her earlier, Jane could have had a replacement tenant ready to move in.  The condo is lovely and in a gorgeous, quiet neighborhood.

By this point in the conversation, Jane told me, her chest was tight and her heart literally hurt.  She was praying for direction.  Her head was beginning to throb and her eyes stung.  She quietly negotiated as best she could with Polly; Jane will be filing in court if Polly doesn’t pay this month’s rent shortly.  Jane kept her cool, was courteous with Polly, and got a promise from Polly to pay the current month’s rent “soon”.  At first, Jane wanted to loudly say nasty things to Polly.  She wanted to strike out at Polly.  That would have looked and sounded like anger.  But was she angry?

Actually, on sorting through her thoughts and feelings, Jane realized she was mainly surprised and hurt.  She felt betrayed.  She was beginning to see Polly as hardly an honest person.  She felt like she had been hit by something, and she said she just wanted to hit back!  So what could she do with those feelings?

In situations with anger stress, Step One is to keep your cool, getting in touch with your Peace Within and strength, calming yourself deeply.  Then be as effective as you can in negotiating with the other person.  Jane did this to an extent, but she will be practicing the deep calming technique more, in case of future surprises.  Step Two in difficult emotional situations is to deal privately with your feelings, journaling or talking it out for clarity, getting some exercise and drinking water, to dispel the physical symptoms of distress.  Or, of course, you can call a clergy person or counseling professional to talk it out with.  Step Three is to integrate what happened, letting your mind/spirit dimension settle the details and determine, in prayer or meditation, any further actions to be taken.  If you are not a person of faith, journaling and counseling may be your strongest tools.  Perhaps the person with whom you have had conflict is actually not a good person for you and your life?  Step Four is to take that action or say those things you have decided on.  And, at every step, if you are a person of faith, pray, for discernment and for the highest and best resolution.  St. Paul said (1 Thessalonians 5:17), “Pray without ceasing.”  So pray as often as you are moved to.  Or write in your journal and talk to your counselor.  Whatever you do, do NOT carry the heat of your feelings into the conversation with the other person.

When anger isn’t anger, be honest with yourself, and effective with others.  Take a little time to cool off and clear your mind.  If you are a spiritual person, take time to prayerfully heal.  After all, it’s your life.  And now you’re in Upbeat Living!

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Energy – Peace – Meditation

• Kebba Buckley Button is a stress management expert.  She also has a natural healing practice and is an ordained minister. She is the author of the award-winning book, Discover The Secret Energized You, plus Peace Within:  Your Peaceful Inner Core, Second Edition. Her newest book is Sacred Meditation: Embracing the Divine. All the books are available through her office.  Just call, or email books@kebba.com. 
• Due to FaceBook changes, our FB likes look low.  Would you please click “Like” for this blog?  You’ll get our unending gratitude and a large uptick in your good kharma!
• For an appointment or to ask Kebba to speak for your group: calendar@kebba.com .

Fear Stress vs. Joy in the Storm

Tags

fear stress, joy, Kebba Buckley Button, peace within, stress, UpBeat Living

© 2016 Kebba Buckley Button, M.S., O.M.  World Rights Reserved.

Almost 5 years ago, I wrote a column called, “Joy in the Storm”.  I argued that, no matter what is going on around you, it is crucial not to give in to a bad attitude or to give up your positive vision.   At the time, a lot of people in the US were depressed and anxious.  I wrote, “As a nation, we are again at a crux.  Gas prices are fairly high, the stock market has hit record lows, foreclosures are still on the rise, and more jobs are being cut.  Hurricanes crippled some areas of our country.  Our national leaders are arguing over more bailouts for the financial and automotive industries.  They still debate what to do next with spending to fight terrorism.  Many are tense and worried, about their own income and investments, as well as about the state of the country.  Many are in outright fear.  In a sense, we are in an emotional storm system.”

Does all that sound familiar?  Yet we survived.  We restructured the mortgage industry and much of Wall Street.  We drilled for oil within the US and brought gasoline prices to half what they were 5 years ago.  The economy is not perfect but is much improved. Lively debates about running the country are taking place in all 50 states, as we consider what the best Presidential candidates are for our upcoming election.

On the dark side, we now face global terror threats and in-country mass shootings on scales we never imagined five years ago.   Millions have lost their homes in the Middle East and Africa.  The European Union, the US, and others are struggling to assist the refugees.  Global weather is shifting and we debate global warming.  Weather systems have brought massive storm destruction to Texas, Missouri, New Mexico, and others.  Floods have destroyed areas of California, as well as areas in the South.  We now deal with challenges that are on a new scale.  Some are asking if we are in the beginning of World War III.  Some ask if this is the Biblical Apocalypse.

But, as was true 5 years ago, this is the very time to work against our fear.  In our health, fear damages the immune system and causes exhaustion.  In relationships, fear makes us brittle, defensive, hesitant to move ahead, and sometimes, it makes us look and sound angry.  Many seem ready to snap.  And that may be exactly why we have so many shooting sprees.  On a national and international level, fear can cause a plummet in the stock markets or a run on the banks, either of which can be disastrous for financial systems.

The truth is that this is the very time to feed our positive feelings.  This is the ideal time to savor every convenience and blessing, being thankful for all the good in our lives.  The body chemistry of gratitude leads to a sense of satisfaction and joy, in essence washing away the biochemistry of fear.  Despite the negative idea storm around us, this is the ideal time to be in touch with the joy in our lives. It is the ideal time to get in touch with our Peace Within.

Goal planners and metaphysics practitioners say it is crucial to hold your intention and your vision of what you want.  Both say thinking negative thoughts leads to more negative occurrences, and holding positive, joyful visions leads to more positive results.  Jesus is quoted, in several books of the Bible, as saying that it is important to stay joyful to get the life results you want.  In John 16:33, Jesus says,

In the world, you have tribulation, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.

Can you have joy in the storm?  Nurture your faith and your Peace Within.  Why not try?  Your life is worth it.  And that’s Upbeat Living!

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Energy – Peace – Meditation

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Kebba Buckley Button is a stress management expert.  She also has a natural healing practice and is an ordained minister. She is the author of the award-winning book, Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br), plus the 2013 book, Peace Within:  Your Peaceful Inner Core, Second Edition(http://tinyurl.com/mqg3uvc ). Her newest book is Sacred Meditation: Embracing the Divine, available through her office.  Just email SacredMeditation@kebba.com. 
• For an appointment or to ask Kebba to speak for your group: calendar@kebba.com .

 

LifeGate Stress: Got a Stargate?

Tags

Kebba Buckley Button, LifeGates, peace within, stress, The life you want, UpBeat Living

© 2016 Kebba Buckley Button, MS, OM.  World Rights Reserved.  

 

 

 

 

This time, we’re brainstorming about gates, gateways, and energetics.  So, where is the most beautiful gate you’ve ever seen?  Was it modern or ancient?  What was it made of?  Was it the gate to a home, or a hotel entry gate?  Was it a vintage City entry gate?  What purposes did it serve?  How did you feel as you gazed at that gate?   Gates are used mainly for security, to impress, or to commemorate something.  They are also used as entryways, to welcome guests.

The most impressive gate I have ever seen is the Stargate from the movie and TV show of the same name.  An ornate circle of “nahquadah” perhaps 20 feet across, the Stargate allows the good guys to travel out or arrive, transferring quickly between planets.  People jump into its circumference, and they are conveyed instantly.   Now consider the gate to your yard.  It allows you ingress and egress for people and packages, and it keeps out some people and dogs you might not want straying into your yard.  In Feng Shui, your gate has energetics, which vary by its placement and appearance.  It is important to keep your gate in good repair, and to keep it lovely, if possible.  Now look at the next two pictures.      

Both show the same gate, first in pieces, and then after repairs.  Which gate would you rather have?  Which is more pleasing?  Which one has better energy?  Obviously, the “after” gate is more pleasing and has better energy.  That one will help energize your yard.  It will draw in great energy, perhaps vitality, great relationships, and prosperity.

If you have been drawing in distractions, wrong turns, repeated illnesses, or untrustworthy associates, you have LifeGate^sm Stress.   So, what about your mental gateways?  How effectively do they protect your Peace Within?  What are your mental gateways allowing in?  Are they welcoming vitality, great relationships, joy, and prosperity?  Over time, you have learned to filter negative thoughts and not allow negative people to disturb your mental/emotional/spiritual peace. No doubt you are always learning better how to do this.

So on the flip side, what are you attracting?  Would you like to learn a simple exercise to attract more?   Today, you can design your LifeGate^sm and install it in your mind.  Ready?  Imagine a beautiful gate, perhaps surrounded by lush plantings, or attached to a lovely wall made of stone.  Make your gate of any material you like.  Look in magazines, in Google Images, and in photo calendars for ideas.  You can always adjust your gate later, in materials, height, width, thickness and color(s).  When you have settled on your initial LifeGate^sm, sit quietly for a few minutes, twice per day, and picture the energies you want flowing into your life through your gateway.  Picture vitality entering.  Picture your vitality arriving, then your prosperity, then any other qualities or energies you would like to have flowing in.  Be in touch with your gratitude, which will strongly support the good conditions flowing in…and staying.

Call up the mental image of your LifeGate^sm often, see it in vivid detail, and see the flow you want coming in through it.  See the gate shut to negativity and takers.   It’s your LifeGate^sm.  You are in charge.  Maintain all the gates of your life for the Highest and Best.  What will give you the best energy and the most of the life you want?  That will center you in Upbeat Living^sm. Now it’s up to you.

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Energy – Peace – Meditation

 

• Kebba Buckley Button is a stress management expert.  She also has a natural healing practice and is an ordained minister. She is the author of the award-winning book, Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br), plus the 2013 book, Peace Within:  Your Peaceful Inner Core, Second Edition(http://tinyurl.com/mqg3uvc ). Her newest book is Sacred Meditation: Embracing the Divine, available through her office.  Just email SacredMeditation@kebba.com. 
• For an appointment or to ask Kebba to speak for your group: calendar@kebba.com .

Deadline Stress: Three Brain Boosters to Beat It!

Tags

author stress, brain boosts, chocolate, Coffee benefits, Deadline Stress, meditation, peace within, stress

©Berc-Fotolia

© 2015 Kebba Buckley Button, MS, OM.  World Rights Reserved.

 It’s the dread Deadline Stress again!  With your deadline looming, you’re sitting at your computer or iPad or with your yellow pad, and the words aren’t coming.  You know your topic and everything about the piece.  But the moments are slipping away, and still the words aren’t getting into the article.  You’re really stuck!

Most advice about writers’ block is all about using your thoughts to control your thoughts. But that won’t work when your brain is stuck, and you can’t grasp your thoughts in order to control your thoughts!  Your brain is depleted right now.

So don’t use your mind!  Use these physical brain boosts to get yourself going.  Here are three of my favorites:

 

• The Shoulder Shift. Roll your shoulders up and forward, then around, slowly, stretching, for one minute.  Watch the clock.  No cheating.  Now roll the shoulders up and back and around, slowly, stretching, for one minute.  Notice the warming in your ankles and feet.  You have now opened up the circulation to the whole body, and you’ll feel it in the brain in one minute.  Notice a warming sensation flowing up the back of your neck.  This is energy, and it’s recharging your energy-starved brain.  You may notice your mood changing already, with positive emotions rising.  Cool, huh?
• The Chocolate Churnover. Earlier, were you craving chocolate?  Now is a great time to munch an ounce of dark chocolate to help your brain. The antioxidants and theobromine in the chocolate will lift your energy and metabolism.  Stimulating the tongue and mouth, by eating, lifts the energy of both the Fire- and Earth Meridians.  The bitter flavor in the chocolate stimulates the Fire Meridian, and the sweetness energizes the Earth Meridian.  If you heat your chocolate in almond- or dairy milk, the warm drink will raise the energy of the entire digestive system, which stimulates brain function, increasing clarity.  Also, the potassium in either form of milk will assist brain optimization.  Now you have churned your whole energy system, and it is pumping in support of you.
• The Latte Lift. If you love lattes, try this trick first.  Get your favorite latte and set a timer for 20 minutes.  Drink your delicious liquid, and lie down or relax in your recliner for those 20 minutes. You get a break, and as you’re rising again, the antioxidants and caffeine (or in tea lattes, L-Theanine, theobromine, and theophylline) are just hitting your  blood-brain barrier.  Now you’re rested and refreshed, yet your blood, oxygen, and energy are flowing well.

 

Now, your brain has what it needs, and your words will be flowing. You no longer have to dread Deadline Stress!  Play around with these brain boosting techniques and make them part of your regular writing practice.  You never need to be stuck again.  Now you’ll be beating all those deadlines and soaring as the writer you are meant to be.

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Energy – Peace – Meditation

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Kebba Buckley Button is a stress management expert and award-winning author.  She also is an ordained minister and has a natural healing practice. Among her books are: Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br),and Peace Within:  Your Peaceful Inner Core, Second Edition(http://tinyurl.com/mqg3uvc ). Her newest book is Sacred Meditation: Embracing the Divine, available through her office.  Just email SacredMeditation@kebba.com.   
• Reach the writer at kebba@kebba.com.

Stress is Contagious! Four Top Tips to Not Catch It!

Tags

breath, Kebba Buckley Button, peace within, stress, Stress can be contagious, Stress Management

© 2015 Kebba Buckley Button, MS, OM. World Rights Reserved.

 

Fotolia

Have you ever been cruising along, enjoying your day, at one with Life, and feeling, without trying, that all is right with the World? You’re deep in your Peace Within. And then:

• An angry person blasts you with a vicious email or memo
• A family member blows in, massively upset about a conflict at work
• A neighbor’s dog is suddenly barking loudly and insistently for at least a half hour now
• While you’re commuting and almost home, a driver rear-ends you

 

Your serenity is shattered. Your heart is racing. Your mind has gone blank and you can’t concentrate. This is it: you’re about to catch stress from someone else. What can you do to shed this stress? If you don’t have your own system, try these top tips:

 

1. Drop your shoulders and exhale. Do this three times. Notice your heart calming.
2. Place your right hand over your heart and your left on your mid-back, if you can reach it. Notice your body calming more deeply.
3. Think of how peaceful you felt right before this happened, and call that serenity back.
4. Take 2 squirts of Bach Rescue Remedy spray (available at most health food stores or from SwansonVitamins.com; keep Rescue Remedy in your home, desk, purse, and briefcase for rough days and sudden jolts).

Fotolia

Stress is basically a disconnection from the earth, a forgetting of the breath. Stress is an ignorant state. It believes that everything is an emergency. Nothing is that important. Just lie down.
~ Natalie Goldberg

Now you should feel cool enough to carry on with the most reasonable strategy for the jolting situation. Do your best. Keep exhaling.

And remember:

1. This stress wasn’t yours before the jolt, and it doesn’t have to be yours now.
2. Don’t move your consciousness into the center of the stress. Stay in your own mental space while considering it.
3. Whatever it is, this too shall pass.

 

Yes, stress can be contagious. You can catch it from others. But you can get over it, too, and get back to your Peace Within.

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Energy – Peace – Meditation

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Kebba Buckley Button is a stress management expert.  She also has a natural healing practice and is an ordained minister. She is the author of the award-winning book, Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br), plus the 2013 book, Peace Within:  Your Peaceful Inner Core, Second Edition(http://tinyurl.com/mqg3uvc ). Her newest book is Sacred Meditation: Embracing the Divine, available through her office. Just email SacredMeditation@kebba.com.
• For an appointment or to ask Kebba to speak for your group: calendar@kebba.com .

 

Enjoy National Cheese Day!

Tags

cheese, In-joy-meant, Kebba Buckley Button, peace within, stress

© 2015 Kebba Buckley Button, MS, OM. World Rights Reserved.

 

© volff – Fotolia

 

Cheese! Glorious Cheese! Who knew cheese had its own day? I found out just in time to share it with you: January 20^th is National Cheese Day, except in France, where it’s April. A statistic tossed around is that 7% of a Frenchman’s budget is spent on cheese. Whether that is accurate or not, clearly, cheese is a vital part of French culinary culture. It’s also paramount in the culinary culture of many countries.

 

It is said that there are at least 500 varieties of cheese. That’s the number recognized by the International Dairy Federation. But some identify as many as about 1000 varieties. Some cheese is best sliced and some is best spread on crackers and served with fruit. Some is ideal for sauces—think, fettucine Alfredo. Some bubbles and browns a little on pizza—think, mozzarella blended with Parmesan. Some brightens any sandwich—think, Swiss, baby Swiss, and Fontina.

 

Cheeses vary by a number of factors:

• type of milk used (including cow’s milk, sheep’s milk, goat’s milk, soy milk and almond milk)
• percent fat
• type of coating
• moisture content
• molds for flavoring and coloring
• degree of salt
• add-ins (onion, fruit essences, seeds, wine)

You can see cheeses in terms of how strong their flavors are. Professional categories are: fresh, neutral, mild, understated, pronounced, strong, and very strong. Some cheeses have an intense fragrance, like the famous Limberger cheese. However, the flavor of that cheese is appealing and mild. So if you’re selecting cheeses for meals and entertaining, go and taste them at a cheese market or cheese department of a gourmet grocery store. I repeat: TASTE cheeses before committing to serve them. I found a fantastic aged cheddar from England, infused with onion, this way. Wow!

 

Now, if you didn’t have your menu set already for dinner, what dishes with cheese are you planning to use? I’m serving salad topped with shredded Parmesan. And maybe brie and fruit for dessert.

 

While you’re pondering your menu, here’s a little fun. Take this cheese quiz, to see what cheese you are most like. My results surprised me. The quiz said I’m American cheese, smooth and young at heart. Okay, I’ll take that! (And now I’m craving a lightly buttered grilled cheese sandwich, made with American cheese.) Just click on this link, and look for “What’s Your Inner Cheese?” down to the left.

 

http://homeschooling.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.ilovecheese.com/cheese_guide.asp

I would love to know what YOUR inner cheese is! So enjoy National Cheese Day. And remember, Life is about In-Joy-Meant. When we are enjoying, we have less stress, more Peace Within, and better body- and brain chemistry. Feeling good makes us literally feel better.  Are you in?

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• If you enjoy this post, please click “like” in the FB widget in the right hand column! You’ll have our undying gratitude plus a huge rise in your Good Karma! Due to a recent FB change, our “likes” look low. Thanks for your help!

 

Energy – Peace – Meditation

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Kebba Buckley Button is a stress management expert.  She also has a natural healing practice and is an ordained minister. She is the author of the award-winning book, Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br), plus the 2013 book, Peace Within:  Your Peaceful Inner Core, Second Edition(http://tinyurl.com/mqg3uvc ). Her newest book is Sacred Meditation: Embracing the Divine, available through her office. Just email SacredMeditation@kebba.com.
• For an appointment or to ask Kebba to speak for your group: schedule@kebba.com .

 

Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr.

Tags

AGNT, Kebba Buckley Button, Martin Luther King Jr., nonviolence, peace, peace within, Peacemaking, Season for NonViolence, SNV

© 2015 Kebba Buckley Button, MS, OM. World Rights Reserved.

 

© Etien – Fotolia

 

 

On January 21, 2013, U. S. President Barack Obama took the Oath of Office for the second time.  He held in his hand the personal Bible of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. That’s the Bible the King family normally keeps in a glass case. That’s the one with Dr. King’s handwritten notes in the margins. That second inauguration also fell on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  The day was first signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1983, to honor the civil rights leader.  The date was selected as the third Monday of January each year, to be close to Dr. King’s birthday, January 15th.  The holiday was finally adopted by all the States as of 2000.

 

Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?

~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. King was a pastor known for nonviolent methods of creating social change, especially working against poverty, racism, and violence.  He lived in a time difficult for some to imagine, when there was great stress between Blacks and Whites in this country.  There were separate hotels, restaurants, and water fountains for Blacks. Blacks had a hard time riding buses, at least in the fronts of the buses. Blacks couldn’t vote. Some Blacks in relationships with Whites suffered violence or death. During these years, an organization called the Ku Klux Klan, or KKK, committed many acts of hatred, cruelty and destruction in the name of White Supremacy. They were famous for wearing white cloaks with pointed hoods and burning crosses on front lawns; also burning homes and churches.

In contrast, Dr. King led peaceful protests and marches to draw attention to the need for equality. Some of the demonstrations were met with hatred, tear gas, and high pressure water hoses. In part due to the work of Dr. King, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was enacted, and the next year, the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Now the law said it was illegal to discriminate against anyone, based on their race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. And now the law prohibited racial discrimination in voting. However, not all in the U.S. agreed with equal rights.

Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis, April 4, 1968, having traveled there to support striking African-American sanitation workers seeking rights.  He is remembered for poetic and strongly inspiring speeches, such as the “I have a dream” speech.  In that speech, he said,

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’  I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood…

In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed into law a bill that made Martin Luther King, Jr. Day a National Day of Service.   Organizations and volunteers now match with each other for needed service, on the federal website, MLKDay.gov.  The site can also connect volunteers with opportunities for service throughout the year. As Clinton said at his second inaugural address, “We must be repairers of the breach.”

On President Obama’s second Inauguration weekend, Bernice King, the youngest daughter of Dr. King said, “Everyone is important, no matter how you define yourself.  We have to finish the work of Dr. King.”

Each year, the Association for Global New Thought (AGNT) celebrates a Season for Nonviolence (SNV), from the anniversary of Ghandi’s death to the anniversary of Dr. King’s death, January 30th to April 4th.  The SNV offers opportunities to explore the qualities and actions of nonviolent solutions, leading to peace prevailing on this Planet.   Together, let us celebrate Dr. King and the strides made as a result of his work.  Together, let us celebrate the good works of good people around the Globe.  Together let us celebrate the question, “What are you doing for others?”

For more on the work currently being carried forward in Dr. King’s name, visit the King Center for Nonviolent Change, http://www.thekingcenter.org/.  For more on AGNT:  http://www.AGNT.org.

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If you enjoy this post, please click “like” in the FB widget in the right hand column! You’ll have our undying gratitude plus a huge rise in your Good Karma! Due to a recent FB change, our “likes” look low. Thanks for your help!

 

Energy – Peace – Meditation

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Kebba Buckley Button is a stress management expert.  She also has a natural healing practice and is an ordained minister. She is the author of the award-winning book, Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br), plus the 2013 book, Peace Within:  Your Peaceful Inner Core, Second Edition(http://tinyurl.com/mqg3uvc ). Her newest book is Sacred Meditation: Embracing the Divine, available through her office. Just email SacredMeditation@kebba.com.
• For an appointment or to ask Kebba Buckley Button to speak for your group: Calendar@kebba.com .

Six Top Tips for Cooling Conflict

Tags

Arguing, conflict, difficult people, Kebba Buckley Button, peace within, stress, Stress Management

© 2015 Kebba Buckley Button. World Rights Reserved.

© eelsonova – Fotolia

 

Today’s article is inspired by the people who love to complain behind your back, and if possible, start an argument with you in person. These people are on most committees and boards. They seek to create conflict. It excites them and helps create drama. Sometimes, it makes them feel important. But it burns your time and energy. There’s a lot of advice available about dealing with negative people, and a lot of wisdom available about how exactly to word what you say to them.

I never make the mistake of arguing with people

for whose opinions I have no respect.

~Edward Gibbon

However, as a stress management expert, I recommend you not spend a lot of energy analyzing these people. Simply use energy shifts to control how much these people affect you. They do it compulsively. You, however, don’t have to get sucked in. If you like peaceful relationships, as I do, here are great strategies for diffusing conflict and hostile energy.

1. To the person who often surges up to you to bitterly complain, about anything and nothing: nod kindly, saying, “I know what you mean”, or simply, “mmmm”.
2. To the person who takes issue with everything you say, reverse the energy. You just took the snow tires off your car for the season, and this person loudly says that THEY always leave them on until MARCH. In a thoughtful tone, you say either, “[W]ell, good!” or even, “[Y]ou know, you’re right about that. I should do that.” You just eliminated their drama. After a few episodes, they may stop seeking you out. This would be good!
3. To the person above you in the organization, who says something nasty to you in front of others: walk directly to their private office and wait.
4. To the person below you in the organization, or your equal, in a club or nonprofit: when they complain, pull their energy forward by inviting them to serve on a committee that deals with the topic they complained about. Repeat as needed.
5. With all negative people and arguers: remain calm and speak back to them as though they spoke pleasantly. Their energy will come down to your calm.
6. With any negative person: while driving to work, or wherever you have to deal with them, picture their face in its typical expressions. Then keep watching until it turns to a relaxed smile. Hold that image in your mind. Notice how different they are in when you see them in person. Do this daily.

I’ve had a few arguments with people, but I never carry a grudge. You know why? While you’re carrying a grudge, they’re out dancing. 

~ Buddy Hackett

Do you want to have the least conflict possible?  Then bypass Paralysis By Analysis, and stay light and even.  Nurture your own Peace Within.  Smile pleasantly and focus on the light and the positive. Be very busy and quickly yet calmly leave those aggressive conversations. People who love drama will calm down and start leaving you alone.  Now that’s Upbeat Living!

 

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Energy – Peace – Meditation

 

 

 

• Kebba Buckley Button is a stress management expert.  She also has a natural healing practice and is an ordained minister. She is the author of the award-winning book, Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br), plus the 2013 book, Peace Within:  Your Peaceful Inner Core, Second Edition(http://tinyurl.com/mqg3uvc ). Her newest book is Sacred Meditation: Embracing the Divine, available through her office. Just email SacredMeditation@kebba.com.
• For an appointment or to ask Kebba to speak for your group: bookings@kebba.com .