There’s a nice Texas folksy saying about parenting. Give your children and nest and wings. I like it. We all need a place called home. Home isn’t a geographical location or a building. It’s a place where one feels secure. It’s a place where one feels loved. It’s a place where one is accepted as he or she is, no questions asked. Home is what happens inside a structure. Size doesn’t matter. It can a simple trailer or a mansion. If love resides there it is a home.
Thoughts
Today’s Thought: Roll With It
I live in south Texas. The weather is usually hot and dry. When we get storms, they tend to be doozies. Last night around 12:30 a hail storm woke me up. This one was a doozie. It lasted for 30 minutes. My yard was covered with hailstones. By daybreak the hailstones had melted but the storm left plenty of leaves and branches to clean up. Got to roll with it. That’s how it is with a lot of things. We may not like them, but we got to roll with them if we want to get through.
Today’s Thought: Things That Matter
The easy way is usually the wrong way. At least that’s been my experience. At lot of it depends on what will satisfy us. I’ve seen talented people stop and their talent is essentially untapped. They didn’t realize that the easy way is usually the wrong way. The things that matter require certain things from us: Commitment, hard work, discipline, endurance, and a firm belief that what we’re pursuing is worthwhile. Things that matter don’t come easy, we have to work for them.
Today’s Thought: Love is All
“There are four questions of value in life… What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made? What is worth living “for, and what is worth dying for? The answer to each is same. Only love.” ~ Lord Byron
NOTE: Love is everything. It heals wounds. It forgives. It empowers. It inspires. If you’ve experienced unconditional love you understand. It grabs a hold of you and won’t let you go. It tells you that you are loved as you are and as you are becoming. It’s a constant. You don’t have to worry about it leaving you for another. When two people love each other unconditionally, the music starts and the dance begins. The music and the dancers become one. Here’s hoping you have this kind of love in your life. As Lord Byron said, it is worth living and dying for.
Today’s Thought: Setting a Problem Aside
I like to write my blog posts early in the morning. Today, I ran into a problem. I accessed WordPress through the Chrome browser. WordPress wasn’t responding. I tried chatting with WordPress. Chat didn’t work. I went online to look for solutions, lots of ideas but none worked. My frustration level began to build. Enough, I thought. I’ll go to the gym and take out my frustrations on the weight machines and the elliptical machine. I came home sweating and needing a shower. The heck with it. I headed for my study. it still wasn’t working. I restarted my laptop. No success. I took another break and made a protein smoothy. I had an idea!! When I finished my smoothy, I went into the study and tried something simple, I switched browsers from Chrome to Safari. My problem solved. I think with all problems it’s good to get away from them and let your subconscious work on it while you’re doing something different. Now, I’m going to enjoy a long, hot shower.
Today’s Thought: Your Smile Carries a Beautiful Message
“It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living.” ― F. Scott Fitzgerald
I’m not sure if we’re losing the ability to smile. Maybe we’re so fearful and distrustful of each other that we think smiling is a sign of weakness. Most people I see are in a rush to get to somewhere, talking on their smart phones and gesturing with their free hand. They walk purposefully with a game face on that says “don’t mess with me.” Smiling is a simple gesture that sends a text message from the heart to a momentary encounter with another person. A warm smile lets someone know the world is a friendly place. It lets the other person know that someone (the person offering the smile) recognizes they (the person receiving the smile) exists. The person offering the smile receives as much benefit as the person receiving the smile.
Today’s Thought: Life is Better When We Work Together
I went to the gym this morning. Today’s my day wear out the elliptical machine (LOL). The aerobic machines are on the second floor. The row of ellipticals overlooks the free weight room. There was one guy swinging a weight in an arc as if he were swinging a golf club. The way he was swinging the weight blocked another guy from using a weight lifting device. The golfing guy continued oblivious to the other guy. The other guy stood there waiting for the golfer to stop. When the golfer stopped, he paused, then began another set. I thought, oh, oh, I wonder how this is going to work out. The golfer noticed the other guy and stopped. He started talking to him. I heard them laugh and knew they worked out the spacing issue. The golfer modified the area in which he was swinging. The other guy used the weight lifting device. It goes to show that we can usually work things out if we stop thinking solely about ourselves and start talking with each other. When we work together, life is so much better.
Today’s Thought: The Power of Kindness
Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by another human being. Each of us owes deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this light. ~ Albert Schweitzer
NOTE: It’s a human experience to get knocked down. Most times we can bounce back. Every once in a while it’s tough to bounce back and you wonder if it is all worth it. Then, in moments of deepest despair something happens. Something you didn’t expect. It might occur in the form of a call, a text or an email. It might be a colleague or supervisor stepping into your space. Everything changes in that moment. It is as if new life was breathed into you. Some may call these moments miracles or grace or luck. It happens. I’ve had a number of them in my life. I didn’t see them coming, they kicked down my door and walked in. I’ve learned, we have the power within us to be the source of new life for other people. A kind word, a kind action, the simple act of listening thoughtfully all carry the power of infusing new life into another.
Today’s Thought: No Regrets
‘Cause I’ll never know ’til it’s over
If I’m right or I’m wrong loving you
But I’d rather be sorry for something I’ve done
Than for something that I didn’t do (Lyrics from I’d Rather Be Sorry by Kris Kristofferson)
NOTE: Great opportunities may lie in front of us. We hesitate to take them. We’re not sure if we’ll be successful. We’re not sure if it is a good move. Were not sure . . . So, we don’t take the leap. We’re left wondering what would have happened if we dared to take the opportunity. Not taking the leap is a sure-fire way to live a life filled with regret. If we take the chance, we lay a foundation of confidence in our minds to embrace the next opportunity.
Today’s Thought: Are You in Balance?
Three days a week I practice balancing on one leg then on the other leg for 30 seconds. I repeat this balancing exercise three times with each leg. I’ve read where practicing balancing is good for our core and brain. It makes me think about my life. An important question is, “Is my life in balance?” A follow up question is, “If I am out of balance, where is my life out of balance?” When our lives are not in balance, we become stressed. We can only stay out of balance so long before we topple over. When we’re in balance we’re able to adapt to the organic process of living. Dial back on the things that are keeping you off balance. Place a greater emphasis on the important things that have been set aside.
