Dr. Rob On Enjoying, Sharing and Caring

Dr. Rob shares his thoughts on enjoying, sharing and caring in life as he travels back to Syracuse from visiting his daughter in Princeton, NJ.

Transcription:

Hello, good morning. Dr. Rob, another spectacular, awesome, and amazing day as I travel from Princeton, New Jersey where I got a chance to visit and observe my daughter in her dance; enjoying, sharing , creating. Read more

Giving Without Expectations

Since giving and receiving are so intimately intertwined in our lives, we often expect that we can attract abundance by simply conducting ourselves in an openhanded fashion. Yet we find ourselves wallowing in disappointment when our ample generosity is not met with the expected results. The answer to this quandary lies in the expectations that, in part, initially prompted us to give. Though our intention is likely pure, we can unintentionally mar the beautiful experience of giving by focusing on what we will eventually receive in return. When we let go of the notion that we deserve to receive gifts based on giving gifts, bounty can once again flow freely in and out of our lives.

When the gifts you give are laden down with expectations, they cease to be gifts and become units of exchange that you are, in effect, trading for some reward. Thus, the reciprocal laws of the universe err on the side of the giver who shares for the sake of sharing. Read more

The King of Golden Gate Park

He’s on a trip around the world and whenever he gets there he gets there. He’s got time for everybody he meets up with. –Alexander, on Jacob Alexander

The Same Walk, for 27 Years:
For 27 years, he has walked the same path, Monday through Friday, rain or shine. His presence has become as familiar to early morning parkgoers as the cool gray mist that accompanies most mornings. He is noticed, not just because he is always there, but because as he walks, he raises a brown weathered hand and waves to everyone who crosses his path — the joggers, the walkers, the gardeners. He smiles from beneath a wild white beard. He says hello. His hand reaches out for a human touch. “He’s a fixture,” says Vera Rogers, who has said hello to Alexander for the past 12 years. “He’s like the mayor — no, he’s the King of Golden Gate Park.” [more here]

Be The Change:
On Sep 8th, Jacob passed away at the age of 78. Next time you’re on a walk, remember Jacob and spread cheer in his honor.

Letting your light shine

We are each born into this world with unique gifts. Within us is a glimmer of the divine, a light that can potentially make the world a more beautiful place. But in many, that light lies dormant, snuffed out by fears and feelings of inadequacy. To spark it is to attract attention, face the possibility of rejection or the responsibility of success, and risk being labeled immodest. Yet when we undermine the light by hiding our aptitudes and quashing our dreams, we deny ourselves and others a wealth of experiences. Your abilities are a part of who you are and when you take pride in them, you affirm the love, esteem, and trust with which you view yourself. Moreover, as you express the light within, you grant others permission to do the same, freeing them to explore their own talents.

For some, we are taught to hide our light from the world since childhood. Relatives caution us that the professions associated with our aptitudes are unattainable. Our peers may be envious of our skills and thus overly critical of the activities we instinctively enjoy. And authority figures admonish us to be humble and avoid showing off. But there is a vast chasm that separates those who let their light shine and those who seek only to draw attention to themselves. When you dare to share your light with the world, Read more

Mom trying to help my son see his gifts

Dear Dr. Rob,
I have just stumbled upon your web site just in a time when I needed too. I have been having an awakening this year, and have been working on living my life in truth and love, practicing your teachings every day. I am new, but see things that I have never seen before. But I am writing to you because of my son. I am a widow of 8 years now, raising my wonderful, loving, gifted son who has Aspergers, and has been told is Indiego, on my own, and I am so proud to say he graduated with high honors and will be going to ESF this fall to study his environment this fall! Throughout his life Joe has lived the life we are trying to live, with pure heart, truth and love. He has always had a passion for his world and making a difference, until of lately and I am concerned.

Although his school mates were good to him, he really only has about 2 very good friends, and now that summer is here, he finds himself without them, has become depressed, and has gotten obsessed with people in the chat rooms. I do monitor who he is talking with, he is on it all day and night. He has lost that “gleam” in his eye, and his passion for what I belive is his calling. We had a long emotional talk last night, and he admits he does not like who he is becoming. I feel somewhat responsible because I had to take on a new job last year, and I am working 50 hrs a week instead of 30. It makes a difference to not be around him, but I have no choice right now. I pray and meditate everyday, and try to remain positive, and know that I am where I am for now.

I guess what I am asking is if you can suggest any clubs or organizations that my son can get involved with to get him back to the truth. He loves people, children, elderly, all walks, he loves to talk politics and environment, history and his faith. We both have helped at the Samaritan Center, and he was great at that. There are no summer jobs for him, but I want him to go where his mind, body and soul can be expanded. He is such a sweet and loving soul, he has taught me so much, and has sent me on my path, I need him to get back to his.

I don’t know if you can help us, but I do enjoy your page and will put you in my daily life. I hope we can meet you someday. Thanks for reading my story.
Have a great weekend!
~Sandra Cittadino

The wisdom of sharing

Stone Soup:
There are many variations on the story of stone soup, but they all involve a traveler coming into a town beset by famine. The inhabitants try to discourage the traveler from staying, fearing he wants them to give him food. They tell him in no uncertain terms that there’s no food anywhere to be found. The traveler explains that he doesn’t need any food and that, in fact, he was planning to make a soup to share with all of them. The villagers watch suspiciously as he builds a fire and fills a cauldron with water. With great ceremony, he pulls a stone from a bag, dropping the stone into the pot of water. He sniffs the brew extravagantly and exclaims how delicious stone soup is. As the villagers begin to show interest, he mentions how good the soup would be with just a little cabbage in it. A villager brings out a cabbage to share. This episode repeats itself until the soup has cabbage, carrots, onions, and beets—indeed, a substantial soup that feeds everyone in the village.

This story addresses the human tendency to hoard in times of deprivation. Read more

Power in numbers

Like tiny ripples that merge to form great waves, combined human intent is worth more than the sum of its parts. A single individual can initiate worldwide improvement by emitting conscious frequencies of love, beauty, goodness, and wisdom. A group of people focusing their energy on sending out light to the world can set the stage for positive global transformation. All of us possess the ability to channel love energy, to heal, to be a conduit for white light, and to positively influence our fellow humans from afar. Yet one person can only do so much. Imagine if each one of us took a few moments at the start of each day to send out light to the world from our hearts. Mother Earth would be quickly eased and the planet, as well as every organism and being on it, would be bathed in loving light. The world would be an infinitely beautiful place. Read more

Afraid of opening your heart?

It is not easy to have an open heart in a world that offers us a full plate of experiences. This life gives us much joy, love, and light, but it also shows us a fair amount of pain, sadness, and suffering. When our hearts are open, we take everything into ourselves, and we are deeply affected by what we see. We do not hold ourselves separate from the pain of others. In addition, our own personal disappointments may begin to take their toll. We may feel small, alone, and overwhelmed. Most of us may feel like we are not up to the task of living with our hearts open, and we might begin to close down, little by little, so that we can get through our days without having to feel too much. Read more

Words of wisdom, “Don’t we all?”

One evening I was parked in front of the mall wiping off my car. I had just come from the car wash and was waiting for my wife to get out of work. Coming my way from across the parking lot was, what society would consider, a bum. From the looks of him, he had no car, no home, no clean clothes, and no money. There are times when you feel generous but there are other times that you just don’t want to be bothered. This was one of the “don’t want to be bothered” times.

“I hope he doesn’t ask me for money,” I thought.  He didn’t.  He came and sat on the curb in front of the bus stop and he didn’t look like he could have enough money to even ride the bus.  After a few minutes he spoke.  “That’s a very nice car,” he said.  He was ragged but had an air of dignity around him. Read more

Sharing community news, blog style

We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community. -Dorothy Day

The Biggest Neighborhood News Blog:
A woman in Philadelphia hypes an upcoming public knitting day. A man in Karachi, Pakistan, laments power outages that have become the norm for the frustrated residents there. And a concerned citizen in Bangalore, India, critiques racy advertising that recently went up in the city. These posts-aggregated at Metblogs, the largest city-specific blog network in the world-provide little glimpses of life in cities around the world. Read more