오늘은

길을 걷다가 문득 오년, 십 년 후 나의 모습은 지금 내가 무슨 일을, 어떻게 하는가에 따라 결정된다는 생각이 들었습니다. 뭐 특별한 생각도 아닌데 왜 이 생각이 머릿속에서 계속 맴돌았는지 모르겠습니다. 미래의 내 모습을 생각해보다가 그런 생각을 하게 되지 않았나 싶습니다.

영어공부를 한답시고 쫓아다니는 건 지금의 시간을 즐기는 것이기도 하지만 미래를 위한 준비도 되지 않을까요? 지금 내가 어떤 음식을 먹느냐, 어떻게 움직이느냐에 따라 미래의 내 모습이 결정되리라 생각하니 재미있습니다. 헬스클럽에서 이 생각이 머리를 스치자 운동을 하여도 신이 났습니다.

막 운동을 시작했을 땐 오늘은 적당히 쉬었으면 좋겠다는 생각이 들기도 했습니다. 하지만 운동을 시작한 후 시간이 좀 지나고 온 몸에서 땀이 흐르자 힘들다는 생각은 슬그머니 사라지고 기분이 좋아졌지요. 현재의 몸 상태가 좋아짐은 물론 꾸준히 건강을 유지할 수 있다는 믿음까지 더해져 운동의 맛에 빠져들었니다. 

오늘 저녁엔 캐나다에서 문인으로 활동하다 일 년 전 작고하신 이덕형님의 유고집 출판기념회에 다녀왔습니다. 2004년부터 주부문학교실을 운영하는 등 활발하게 활동하시다 젊은 나이(64세)에 세상을 떠나셨습니다.

토론토에 활동하는 문인들이 한자리에 모여 고인을 추모하는 시를 읽고, 고인이 쓴 글을 낭독하고, 주부문학교실에서 글쓰기를 배운 제자 대표가 선생님을 회고하며 쓴 글을 읽었습니다. 고인은 이미 세상을 떠나셨지만 쓰신 글이 새 생명을 얻었습니다. 인생은 짧고 예술은 길다는 말의 의미를 되새겨 보았습니다.

이덕형님은 암으로 세상을 떠나나시기 전 아직도 할 일이 많이 남았는데 가야함을 무척이나 안타깝게 생각하셨습니다. 특히 주부문학교실을 더 발전시키지 못함을 아쉬워하셨지요. 몇 년 만이라도 더 살면서 하고 싶은 일을 하기를 그토록 원하셨건만 바쁘게 떠나셔야 하셨습니다. 

유고집 '재미있는 골프 맛있는 골프' 첫머리에 "세상에는 여러 가지 오락이 있지만 방법에 따라 사람마다 즐거움이 다르다. 즐거움에는 네 가지가 있는데 혼자 즐기는 일에서 최고로 치는 것이 음식을 먹는 일로 이를 일인지락이라 하고, 둘이서 즐기는 일로는 섹스가 최고인데 이를 이인지락이라고 하고, 셋이 앉아서 하는 일 중 으뜸은 고스톱으로 삼인지락이라 하고, 마지막 넷이서 서서 가장 즐겁게 시간을 보내는 일을 사인지락이라고 하는데 바로 골프다."고 쓰셨습니다.

세상이 때론 우릴 힘들게 하고 뒷다리를 잡는다고 할지라도 더 나은 내일이 있을 것이라는 믿음을 가지고 노력하며, 즐기며 살아야겠습니다.

<Imagine your better tomorrow>

Last summer, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi made headlines when they married in California.

Though not a household name, the man who officiated the ceremony for one of Hollywood's most famous couples is also a star in his own right: Wayne Dyer, known as the "father of motivation" is an international best-selling author and speaker who is in Toronto this weekend to screen his new movie The Shift, co-starring de Rossi, at the I Can Do It! conference at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

De Rossi, who stars in the new television series Better Off Ted, has been a fan of Dyer's for years. She says "Both Ellen and I have read a lot of his books ... He's just an amazing philosopher ... an amazing human to connect with."

According to Dyer, the feeling is mutual. "These are two of the nicest human beings I've ever known in my life. Talking to Ellen is like talking to your next-door neighbour ... she's very, very funny - all the time!"

After DeGeneres invited Dyer to be a guest on her daytime talk show, subsequent appearances led to a friendship that has since intertwined their personal and professional lives. De Rossi explains:

"When Ellen and I decided to get married, we couldn't think of anyone better to perform the ceremony than Wayne. While we were talking to him, he casually mentioned to Ellen that he was making the kind of movie that outlined his life's work ... (and mentioned) there was a part for a woman my age. Ellen said, `She'll do it!' Wayne said maybe (I) should see the script first and Ellen said, `No, she'll do it!'"

The Shift is a blend of spiritual teaching and entertainment. Filmed in Carmel, Calif., the movie weaves fictional storylines with a series of interviews by Dyer. Despite the relative affluence enjoyed by the main characters, de Rossi believes the film will inspire those at a low point in their lives.

"No matter where you are in life, or how desperate things may seem, it's so important to be grateful."

Gratitude is one of the cornerstones of Dyer's teachings. No stranger to hardship, he spent his formative years in a series of orphanages after his family was abandoned by an alcoholic father. Since that time, he has overcome his own battle with drinking, lived through a divorce and a heart attack.

More recently, Dyer had to contend with his second wife (and mother to seven of his children) leaving him for another man - his most painful life experience. Still, he believes in the importance of expressing gratitude, saying his advice to his younger self would be to appreciate the low points more, instead of wallowing around feeling depressed.

"Understand that all spiritual advances that we make in our lives are preceded by a fall of one kind or another. These low points give you the energy to propel yourself to a higher place. So, instead of saying `this shouldn't be happening,' practise propelling yourself to that higher place."

One mistake Dyer sees people make when faced with a crisis is focusing on the negative, thus creating self- fulfilling prophecies.

"Einstein said the most important thing you have is your imagination. (It) isn't just some fanciful thing, it's the place within where you create the objectives for where your life is going to go. If you imagine things are going to get worse, they'll get worse."

Dyer, 68, says the way out of negative circumstances is to change your inner beliefs, rather than waiting for external circumstances to change.

"If you could find a way to find joy and peace within yourself, despite all the negative circumstances surrounding you, you would certainly have a better chance of shifting out of those circumstances ... why would you want to continue blaming your life circumstances on what you're feeling inside of you?"

Or put another way, "When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."

The extraordinary success Dyer has achieved - his first book sold more than 35 million copies worldwide - is due in part to an unshakeable belief in the human ability to transcend difficult circumstances.

once you start taking responsibility for whatever you are a vibrational match to, and not blaming something outside of yourself for it, then you have a chance to transcend it. But if you're waiting for something outside of yourself to change in order to be happy, you'll be waiting a long time."

Dyer's advice for producing positive change is similar to the authors of The Secret, many of whom were influenced by his work. He believes that visualization is one of the keys to transformation.

"Number one, imagine your future as a present fact. Then, go to the feeling state, really experience what it feels like in your body. And then, for the last five minutes before you go to sleep, for one month, go to that feeling state. And then watch and sees what happens."

De Rossi says she's seen Dyer's principles work in her own life.

"It's very clear, very obvious, that if you practise (Dyer's teaching), if you are conscious and try to apply it in your everyday life, it does work. It benefits you in ways that you are constantly surprised by."

Dyer's new book Excuses Begone!, due out next month, underlines the importance of affirmations and meditation as tools of positive change. The book explains the scientific principles behind these practices, identifies common excuses for not taking action to change one's life and offers a paradigm to overcome the excuses.

Dyer also believes that to change negative life circumstances, you should surround yourself with hopeful people, limit negative news – "Turn the television off!" and spend more time in nature.

What keeps "the father of motivation" going every day?

"Just staying connected to what I'm here for. It's love. I love making a difference in the world and being able to touch people's lives."

(source : TORONTO STAR, SATURDAY, APRIL 04, 2009 page L7 by Lisa Summers)