Sunday, August 21st, 2022
We continue our series on Don Miguel Ruiz’s The Four Agreements with the second agreement, “Don’t Take Anything Personally.” As Ruiz states, “Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.” We invite you to join in the conversation this Sunday, in person, at 10:30 a.m., 117 Evans Dr., Fort Collins, CO. We’ll have our monthly community potluck immediately following our gathering (details below). You are always invited to the potluck, even if you don’t make it to the discussion! We love being in community with you, however that feels best for you.
Love and Light on this glorious Thursday, Colleen and Mark
Quotes to ponder
“When someone is cruel, harsh, mean, to not take their words personally is one thing, but to hear the silent cry within those words is another. This sort of perspective can not only liberate us from crippling self-doubt in the face of criticism, it can also liberate us from automatically becoming blind participants in the interaction patterns that the cruel person has become accustomed to – a favor we do for the other person as much as for ourselves.”
~ Vironika Tugaleva
“When you lose your ego, you win. It really is that simple.”
~ Shannon L. Alder
“When you let it get personal, the cost becomes personal too. You’re opening your own heart here. You sure you want to do that?”
~ Michael Marshall Smith
“Not taking things personally is a true sign of maturity.”
~ Robert Celner
“There is nothing that strengthens the ego more than being right. The ego loves to make wrong in order to be right. Ego takes everything personally. Emotion arises, defensiveness, perhaps even aggression. Are you defending the truth? No, the truth, in any case, needs no defense.”
~ Eckhart Tolle
Looking Ahead/Notes of Interest
Paths of Heart Sunday Schedule, 10:30 a.m., 117 Evans Dr., Fort Collins, CO 80524
August 21st – in person, potluck after gathering. Please bring food to share and your own reusable plate. We’ll provide utensils, cups/glasses, cloth napkins, and a variety of beverages. We aim for zero waste!
August 28th – No Paths of Heart
September 4th – in person
September 11th – ZOOM gathering
September 18th and 25th – No Paths of Heart
October 2nd – in person, potluck after gathering.
Current Mask Policy
Though Covid cases continue to be at a high level in Larimer County, most resultant illnesses seem to be generally mild, and we are leaving it up to attendees whether they want to mask or not.
Giving Opportunities
Paths of Heart continues (in our 9th year now!) solely through your generous donations. What an amazing thing! Several survey participants expressed interest in signing up for regular monthly donations and we gratefully welcome that! During the pandemic, online donations became increasingly important to our organization, and are always gratefully accepted on our website, https://www.pathsofheart.org/donate/. Once you are on our PayPal site, there will be an option for recurring monthly donations. If you find value in what we do here at Paths of Heart, please consider donating to keep our non-profit running smoothly, with grace and ease. Thanks so much for supporting the continuation of Paths of Heart. Remember, we are a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, so your donations are tax deductible.
Two ways you can further support Paths of Heart are detailed below:
King Soopers Community Rewards Program
If you shop at KS and have a rewards card, you can “link” it to Paths of Heart and King Soopers will donate a portion of your dollars spent (around 5%) to our non-profit. Go to https://www.kingsoopers.com/i/community/community-rewards to sign up and link your card. Our organization name is Paths of Heart and organization number is RG782. Let us know if you want help signing up!
Amazon Smile
We do love shopping locally and very often do, but Amazon sometimes fits the bill. If you are an Amazon shopper, you can make a difference by shopping at smile.amazon.com/ch/81-4175487 to generate donations for Paths of Heart!
“Paths of Heart” Labyrinth and Zen Meditation Garden
This was intentioned to be a community space, so know that you are always welcome to drop by and walk or sit – you do not need to let us know in advance. Do note that we have experienced the outer “halo” of glass blocks in the labyrinth to be slippery when wet, so it’s best to walk it on a dry day (not usually a problem in Colorado!). We also welcome volunteers to help keep our labyrinth looking beautiful and free of debris and weeds. Thank you!
Sending prayers and affirmations
If anyone would like to receive our collective positive thoughts and prayers on a Sunday morning, please ask! We can be as specific or as anonymous as you’d like. Let us know if we can surround you and your loved ones in love and light!
Gratitudes
A break in the heat!! This week our temps are in the delightful 80’s. What a welcome pleasure after so many near (or over) 100 days. Enjoy, those who live around here, and we hope the rest of you are enjoying your late summer as well!
What are you grateful for today?
“I am happy because I’m grateful. I choose to be grateful. That gratitude allows me to be happy.”
~ Will Arnett
“When we focus on our gratitude, the tide of disappointment goes out and the tide of love rushes in.”
~ Kristin Armstrong
“Gratitude can lead you, as it did me, away from the darkness of complicated need into the light of Simple Abundance.”
~ Sarah Ban Breathnach
About Paths of Heart…
Paths of Heart is a high spirited, heart-centered community where we gather together (in new and creative ways!) for music, poetry, commentary, and dialogue to create and nurture joy, compassion, gratitude, and love – in our own lives and throughout the world. Paths of Heart is a 501(c)(3) Human Services/Educational non-profit organization that uses the arts, especially, to encourage and propel seekers of a better, more peaceful world to find ways to serve, while becoming more kind and compassionate human beings.
We welcome you as we collectively and individually explore the sweet mysteries of life – this is an invitation into co-creation!
Visit us on the web at https://www.pathsofheart.org
We hope our physical paths may cross soon!