THE NIGHT & DAYERS 358-359/365

perhaps what appears to be so different
is really the same in disguise

THE OPPOSITES - 334-337/365

it is safer to see what is hidden deep within
when it is acted out by someone else

THE SNEAK-A-PEEKER - 325/365

CURIOSITY

can feed the child within

or bring out the immature adult

THE IMPOSTOR - 324/365

fear of knowing who we really are

can drive us to manipulate others

from doing the same

THE BIRD-MAN - 316/365

just because you don't KNOW

there's a bird on your head

doesn't mean

there isn't a bird on your head

THE HACKER - 308/365

true power

comes from the ability

to access our own information

not from stealing it away someone else

THE EMPATHIZER - 303/365

the more comfortable we stand

in our own shoes

the more vividly we can imagine

walking in another's

THE GABBER - 276/365

to constantly share our thoughts

is to disregard the "quiet" library sign

in the mind of others

THE NARCIST - 273/365

the best way to

avoid living authentically

is to become preoccupied with oneself

THE INTROVERT - 245/365

sometimes

the outer results

we wish to achieve

require an objective

inner reflection

THE PAWN - 209/365

one must first

give permission

in order to be

'used' as a pawn

THE SHMOOZER - 195/365

perhaps

the less one has to say

the more one feels

the need to talk

THE CRITIC - 186/365

it is necessary to

dim one's own light

in order to see

the dark side of another

THE GIGGLER - 160/365

admit to the personal power

that is given

away in a negative situation

and watch the humor of it emerge

Question:

How serious are your situations?

Clay Ingredients:

Super Sculpey

THE DONOR - 117/365

"I've given away almost everything I have...there's not a lot left but go ahead and take my lips too...no one's listening to what I have to say anyway."

My Reflection:

Is it the fault of others when I feel I'm not being heard? Or, have I simply given away too much of my own integrity by not listening to myself?

Question:

How much do you give away?

THE PRETENDER - 116/365

"Who am I? You're guess is as good as mine...I've had this mask on for so long I have no idea who is underneath."

My Reflection:

Sometimes I wear a mask, pretending to be something I'm not - whether it be confident, happy or interested. I may do it to buy some time, be polite or shift my energy from negative to positive.

Whatever the reason may be, I've learned that the opportunity for a mask to dissolve will come more readily when there is conscious awareness that it exists.

Question:

When do you find it necessary to pretend?

THE WAIT...ER - 108/365

"I'm waiting...I'm waiting to see what YOU do...then I'll figure out what I'M going to do. What I do will depend on what you do first because if I go then you don't go in the direction I'm going I won't know where to go next. So...I'm just going to wait."

My Reflection:

Taking care of my own needs will sometimes require I head off in a direction that may or may not be right for others. It can be scary to move on and not know if anyone is going to follow. And if I'm feeling particularly insecure, I may even accuse others of facing the wrong way.

But if I'm being honest, I'll admit that while we all have an inner compass, "true north" can be different for everyone and that as we stand in the landscape of our own lives, there's a possibility we may simply be facing a different direction.

Question:

What direction are you facing and what are you "waiting" for?

THE CRITIC - 107/365

"I think you should be happier - you're just not happy enough in my opinion. You don't take care of yourself either - you let people take advantage of you and tell you what to do. You should be stronger...just tell people to mind their own business."

My Reflection:

Lives are complicated and there are rarely easy solutions to problem situations. It's easy to look at another person's life and think I have the answer but I'm not walking in their shoes...I don't feel what they feel and I don't see all of the prior history that goes into creating their current reality. So, how can I presume to have enough accurate information to make an accurate assessment? I can't.

I'm learning that unless a situation involves me, the only things I should critique are hotels, restaurants and movies.

Question:

Who's your worst critic?

THE BEWILDERED - 106/365

"If you don't mind, I'd like to hide behind you for a while. You can be me...no one will know the difference...really. When they ask you a question just tell them you don't know....or you're confused or you're not sure...that's what I do and it works every time."

My Reflection:

Sometimes life throws a curve ball - one I'm not expecting and in that moment the world I'm living in isn't quite the same. While certain things are familiar, my responses to them are different and that leaves me feeling a little unsure of myself.

That's when I feel like hiding - not exposing myself to the unfamiliar territory. But isn't that just what I need to do in order to become familiar with the new terrain?

I'm learning that with every "curve ball" comes an opportunity to become a more conscious human being and when I hide, I'm letting that opportunity go by.

Perhaps I simply need to remember that only after the unfamiliar has been welcomed will it present the gift it came to give.

Question:

How do you handle "curve balls?"

THE TIME-THIEF - 102/365

"I specialize in stealing "time" - I like to think it's an art but really it's not that difficult. I just hang around people who think they have plenty of it and leave it unattended. They never suspect me of stealing it - they just think they never had enough of it in the first place."

My Reflection:

"Time" is an illusion - the MORE I think I have, the less I use it wisely. On the other hand, the LESS I think I have, the more I worry about HOW I'm going to use it. It's a mess.

Maybe "time" isn't something to "think" of after all but rather to be "aware" of when it's slipping away.

Question:

How much "time" do you think you have?