Monday, January 30, 2012

Day Girl/Night Girl......in pursuit of Clarity

I was recently introduced to the books of Penney Peirce........

and while perusing her website.......this concept popped up.........

Present Moment Practice


I serve my future self.

Let your "morning self" do something thoughtful for your "evening self" and let your "evening self" do something beneficial for tomorrow's "morning self."


I saw comedian Jerry Seinfeld on the David Letterman show late one night and he was giving a hilarious rundown about how he sabotages himself. He said that "Night Guy" likes to stay up late, party, drink a bit too much, and eat pizza. Then "Morning Guy" has to get up early to be at work and is exhausted, clogged up, and rushing around making lists and getting organized. Night Guy thinks Morning Guy is a wimp and Morning Guy thinks Night Guy is a jerk!

After Jerry's all-too-true description of our schizophrenic lives, I started to think of myself as Morning Girl and Night Girl, or Now Girl and Future Girl. Morning Girl often forgets to exercise and take the vitamins that Night Girl needs, and Night Girl sometimes forgets to brush her teeth or put her clothes in the hamper, which leaves Morning Girl feeling churlish. So I started pretending that Morning Girl was doing favors for Night Girl; she'd change the bedsheets or take a brisk walk. Night Girl would in turn wash the dishes and leave the sink clean. Morning Girl would make the phone calls and Night Girl would organize the piles by the phone. Now Girl helps Future Girl by always putting the car keys in the outside pocket of my purse or closing drawers after she opens them. When your day and night selves, your present and future selves, work for each other's good, eventually you'll know the real self, or soul, that underlies and fuels both.


Excerpted from The Present Moment: A Daybook of Clarity and Intuition by Penney Peirce