Participating for Life

by Greg Lutz

In his book The Hidden Messages of Water Dr. Masaru Emoto describes how ignoring a plant has more destructive effects than thinking or acting negatively toward the plant.  This experiment has stuck with me because I have spent quite a bit of my life being an “ignorer” or non-participator.  I didn’t mean to cause negative effects, I just wanted things to be different and rather than make a change, I found it easier to hide.  Well, hiding under my bed may have seemed to work as a child, but with the more open eyes of an adult, I see that hiding doesn’t really work, and actually can make things more difficult in the long run.  I guess this is an example of what Dr. Emoto was writing about; by ignoring things in my life, I was just making them worse.  So now I have this information, and it is time to make a change.

Over the past couple of years, I have been working on being more involved with life, and my path in life. I have been working on starting an artist community, working for a magazine I believe in and developing personal relationships.  Oh yeah, I have also been making the transition to working in my passion, woodworking.  As I get more involved, I see how much better my life gets.  I don’t spend nearly as much time in a place of fear, I am learning what my talents are and how to use them, and I have wonderful people in my life.  I have also noticed that the more involved I am, the more comfortable I am with money.  I see it coming and going in a natural flow that always keeps me floating safe and secure.

Sometimes I still feel the fear creep up and that child in me wants to go running to hide under the bed again, but then I remember that hiding has not worked out well, and that I want to change.  Plus, what’s the worst that can happen by participating in life?  I find that what I am doing isn’t working out so well, so I try again.  On the other hand, what’s the best that can happen?  I find a truly happy place in life and I inspire others to do the same.  The “worst that can happen” doesn’t sound so bad, and the “best that can happen” sounds very good.  The answer is pretty clear, it is time to participate.

Greg Lutz is a woodworker and community builder living in Royal Oak, MI.  He can be contacted at gdlutz@wowway.com