June 2009
Today I am thinking of old things. All of us have our treasure troves of the past--boxes of old letters, photographs, and mementos from who we used to be. When I read my old journals now, I have expanded so much that it almost feels as if someone else is speaking through those yellowing pages. Why do I keep them?
The past is important to us, both individually and as a society. How many times have you heard a politician reference the intention of the founding fathers? How many times have you heard an old man reminisce about the lost days of his youth? We are a culture obsessed with the past. We devote television stations to it, there are entire college curriculums about it, and we build museums in homage to it. My question to you is this: is the past important?
If we can view the past and our experiences with appreciation, then we can see them as a record of our expansion. I have always liked history because I like the idea of progress. I like to see the way we inherit the wisdom, skills, and knowledge of all those who came before us. Each generation stands on the shoulders of their elders. I like to think about my personal history, because I am in such a place of gratitude for who I am today.
Some bad things have happened in my past: I've lost friends to tragic deaths, nearly lost my business, and lived to see the death of my son. In the midst of those dark times, I struggled to find the lessons and the gifts of wisdom, so that I could view them with appreciation rather than disdain and self-pity. When we can view a negative experience with appreciation, we expand as spiritual beings. When we view those times without appreciation, we contract into ourselves, limiting our potential to enjoy the beauty of life. In this way, sometimes I wonder if we should ever mourn, regret, or lament anything at all!
It takes intention to live a life of appreciation and expansion. It's a change in your entire world view. I make it a point to cultivate appreciation in my life. One easy way I've found to do this is to start each day with something as simple as a smile. If there was a video camera that recorded me as I woke up in the morning, it would see my facial expression change from a sleepy, coma-like expression, to a face of intention: to a smile. For me, a smile is a bridge from the physical world to the non-physical, activating our connection to source. I remember when my son Dominique passed, he had the most beautiful smile on his face. Expansion is our nature. Think of a newborn baby, grasping and eager for more and more physical experiences, every day trying harder to satisfy the curious nature with which we're all born.
I've been in this mindset, celebrating the past and the expansion it has taught me, and years ago I decided to save all of my files, journals, and thoughts on my computer. I've always been a lover of photos and, for the last twelve years, diligently saved all of them, including many of the last photos of Dominique. I digitally archived them on an external hard drive, and then, last night, poof, they were all gone. My computer crashed, and I lost everything. My commitment to expansion and appreciating experiences was tested. I'm proud of myself; I made a choice to chalk it up as one more experience that will keep my spirit and my heart growing ever larger.
The valuable part of the past is not in all those old letters we save. It's not in photos, journals, or nostalgic mementos. It's in who we are today and the way we've changed because of our experiences.
I'm having other experiences, too, that I want to share with you. One was a recent opportunity to have my salt at the last Academy Awards in some gift bags. I designed a hang-tag to be attached to the product with my direct contact information. From these hang-tags, I received a call from a voice and energy from heaven; her name is Carol Connors, and at first I was unaware of the magnitude of her contributions in the world. But now I've gotten to know Carol and even had lunch with her at "Spago," one of Wolfgang Puck's restaurants, in California.
Carol is a talented songwriter with a resume that would impress anyone. (Vist her website, www.carolconnors.com, for more information about her accomplishments.) Over lunch, my son's story came up briefly, and she said she was sensing some words coming to her very strongly. We both realized we had met not by chance and agreed that she would write my son's song. So much more has happened through Carol since then.
The song is done, but I haven't heard it yet. She wants me to be there with her when I hear it for the first time. So my daughters and I will be flying to hear his words come through Carol, to the world and to us. I will let you know about this experience also.
Be well, my friends, and keep appreciating every experience. Keep expanding, enjoying the journey, and celebrating the place it has brought you in your life.
Many Blessings,
Selina
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Introducing the New
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Downtown Disney Opportunity
When Selina DeLangre brought her kids to Disneyland over 25 years ago, she loved how the youngsters immediately connected with the magic of the "Happiest Place on Earth." For snack or lunch time, though, she always took the gang back out to the car to raid the cooler she brought along. This was the beginning of a dream to help Disneyland serve up nutritious foods along with great entertainment. That dream recently took a big step toward becoming reality. On May 7, Selina Naturally™ was a sponsor of the "Downtown Disney Festival of Food & Wine" to benefit Childrens Hospital of Orange County (CHOC). Selina Naturally™ sea salts are on the menu at several Downtown Disney restaurants for the event. Selina Naturally™ also had a booth set up in Downtown Disney the entire week of May 3, with 20% of all product sales sold in the venue being donated to CHOC.
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