“God is not the pushover some people would like you to believe.” — Alex Frankovitch

“Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God.”–sticky note on Stephen Colbert’s computer

If you read E-Squared, you might remember the chapter with the myths about God—that he’s a he, for example, and that he plays favorites and that he likes to makes black check marks after your name.

As the experiments in E-Squared proved, those myths are big fat whoppers. And to fear this force field, this presence that has traditionally been labeled God keeps us from living the life most extraordinary.

One of the biggies I used to believe is that if I surrendered to God, to the universe, I’d be required to work with starving babies in countries with Ebola and typhoid and other unmentionable diseases. I attribute this to the stream of foreign missionaries that came through my home when I was a kid.

What I’ve now come to realize is that the only thing God asks of me is to expand His goodness, to love as much as I possibly can and to create ridiculously beautiful things.

There’s a reason we humans have longings to write and dance and sing—-because that’s what God designed us to do. All of us are bestowed with talents that we’re meant to use to uplift each other. Yes, we are meant to be happy!

Yesterday on Thanksgiving (isn’t it so cool there’s an official holiday to do the thing I practice every day?), I was reflecting back on my year. It struck me that by simply showing up and using the gifts I was given, I received the following extraordinarily epic experiences from the universe:

1. I was invited to Verona, Italy where I danced to a 12-piece orchestra at a 16th century estate that once hosted Winston Churchill and Lady Di and stood on Juliet’s famous balcony. For good measure, I even shouted, “Wherefore art thou, Romeo.”

2. I was slathered by volcanic ash and sand at the Puning Hot Springs and Spa near Mount Pinatubo, Philippines. Yes, that’s me on the left in the above photo.

3. I walked 40 miles of the Cotswold Trail in England. It’s where the PBS show “Father Brown” is filmed.

4. And I got to help break the Guinness World record for most zombies ( I used beet juice for blood) dancing to Michael Jackson’s Thriller.
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The list of cool things the universe (God/FP) blessed me with this year goes on and on.

Normally here on the blog, I share cool stories from readers about their gifts, but since my own unending blessings are fresh in my Thanksgiving-infused mind, I decided to use a couple as proof that God only wants our good, only wants to bless us and only wants us to use what we love to expand Its glory.

Those old beliefs that God has something distasteful for us up his sleeve is fake news. God’s will is only love and peace and really fun experiences for all. Drink it up, my friends!

In honor of weekend “movies,” thought I’d post this awesome Ted Talk I happened to catch earlier today.

Have the best weekend of your life, my fine-feathered friends.

Pam Grout is the author of 19 books including E-Squared: 9 Do-it-Yourself Energy Experiments that Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality and the just-released, Art & Soul,Reloaded: A Year-Long Apprenticeship to Summon the Muses and Ignite Your Daring, Audacious, Creative Side.