Thinking Out Loud

Thinking Out Loud: There’s Always Some Beauty Nearby

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In July, 1942, Anne Frank’s parents received a summons from the Nazi’s to report to a labor camp. Instead, they went to a secret annex to hide from Nazi’s. Thirteen year old Anne Frank remained there until her arrest on August 4, 1944, deported and eventually killed. Anne Frank maintained a diary while in the secret annex. The following excerpt is taken from Anne Frank’s diary.

“I’ve found that there is always some beauty left — in nature, sunshine, freedom, in yourself; these can all help you.” ~ Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl

NOTE: I went for a walk this evening. The sun was beginning to set. A beautiful sunset was beginning to form. A short distance later I saw a neighbors yard with gold and purple pansies (It’s January and in south Texas we have flowers year round). A mockingbird was sitting on a low tree branch  keeping an eye on me. And a friend sent me a photo of her snow covered yard. It was all beautiful. Anne Frank was right, There is always some beauty left. It’s up to us to slow our minds down and discover what was always there. They help to get us centered and bring a sense of peace.

Thinking Out Loud: Selfless Acts of Kindness

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In July, 1942, Anne Frank’s parents received a summons from the Nazi’s to report to a labor camp. Instead, they went to a secret annex to hide from Nazi’s. Thirteen year old Anne Frank remained there until her arrest on August 4, 1944, deported and eventually killed. Anne Frank maintained a diary while in the secret annex. The following excerpt is taken from Anne Frank’s diary.

“It’s really a wonder that I haven’t dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.” ~ Anne Frank,

NOTE: It takes an immense amount of courage to hold fast to the notion of the basic goodness in human beings when we read of war, pedophilia, bigotry, violence against anyone who is different. Yet, if we look hard enough it is there. There are countless number of selfless kind acts committed each day. Each time we commit a selfless kind act we renew our faith that good will triumph over evil. That love will win. Never quit doing good. Never stop believing that love will win.  

Thinking Out Loud: Old Habits Die Hard

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“Give yourself freedom to try out new things. Don’t be so set in your ways that you can’t grow.” ~ Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

NOTE: It’s easy to get into a rut. When we do something the same way over time a habit forms. Each time we repeat it, the habit becomes stronger. The stronger the habit, the more difficult it is to break it and substitute a new habit. When I was a kid every Sunday dinner was macaroni and meatballs. You knew Sunday was coming when the sauce began cooking on Saturday. No one ever questioned or dared question that a Sunday meal could be something different than macaroni and meatballs. My first experience of a different Sunday meal was when I was in the army. We grow when we dare to have new experiences. We expand our knowledge, friendships, and world viewpoints. It can be as simple as trying a new coffee shop or reading a book from a different genre. Do something different this week.

Thinking Out Loud: We Are the Creators of Our Personal Universe

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“Most people see the world as a threatening place, and, because they do, the world turns out, indeed, to be a threatening place.” ~ Paulo Coelho, The Alchemis

NOTE: How do you see the world? Do you believe the news we read online, watch and listen to in other media outlets is the whole truth? We usually obtain what we are seeking. If we seek to discover the bad, we’ll find it. If we seek to discover the good, we’ll find it. In many ways we are the creators of our personal universe. Our minds act as the gatekeepers. I’ve found being grateful each morning and evening helps me to recognize the wonders in my day, no matter how small. I’ve found that a smile often gets me a smile in return. I’ve found that working with others always gets me further ahead than working against.

Thinking Out Loud: There Are Many Paths

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“It’s one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it’s another to think that yours is the only path.” ~  Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

NOTE: Do you know someone who believes his/her way is the only way? I do. I suffered from that disease when I was younger. Experience taught me, often through painful lessons, that my way was not the only way. When I understood there are as many paths as there are people the world became a friendly place. Instead of trying to argue with them, I began to try to understand them hoping they could teach me something I didn’t know. An open mind opens us up to multiple possibilities.

Thinking Out Loud: Choose to ACT

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“Making a decision was only the beginning of things. When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision.” ~  Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

NOTE: The scariest part about making a decision is the fear of making a decision. Will it be a good decision? Will it be a decision I regret? When we think of things in that way we become paralyzed, unable to act. We will never have enough data to make the decision with certitude. Thinking about making a major decision? Choose to face fear head on. After you’ve collected the data, ACT. Choose to decide. Toss all the life boats over the side so there is no turning back. When the last life boat is tossed over the side something amazing will happen. You’ll have a deep sense of peace. You’ll focus on moving forward. You’ll make the decision you chose turn out to be the right decision.

Thinking Out Loud: Learning Through Experiences

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“There is only one way to learn. It’s through action. Everything you need to know you have learned through your journey.” ~  Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

NOTE: I spent many years in formal education. I began in kindergarten and worked my way through high school to college. I eventually went to graduate school and earned my doctoral degree. I learned lots of things. What I learned on my life’s journey is worthy of three or four doctoral degrees. My teachers were experiences, friends, enemies, strangers, and loved ones. Pain, suffering, joy, and happiness were also my teachers. If we’re awake on our journey there are precious nuggets of knowledge to learn. Some of the wisest people I’ve met did not have the formal education I had, but they accumulated wisdom that formal education could never teach.

Thinking Out Loud: Where It’s Happening

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“I don’t live in either my past or my future. I’m interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you’ll be a happy man. Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we’re living now.” ~  Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

NOTE: Now is all we have. It’s where we love. It’s where we’re broken. It’s where we dance, sing, and cry. It’s where we succeed and fail. When we get to tomorrow, tomorrow will become our now. If we live in tomorrow we miss life because life is lived now. If we live in the past, we live in what was once and will never be again. Live now. Love now. Dance Now. Sing now. Cry now. Experience it all. Don’t let a single moment pass by.

Thinking Out Loud: Live, Swim Upstream

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“Don’t give in to your fears. If you do, you won’t be able to talk to your heart.” ~ Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

NOTE: I have a talented friend who lives in fear. He had many opportunities to have a more prestigious job, he turned them down making one excuse after another. He has a basement stocked with supplies in case of emergencies. He doesn’t venture more than a hundred miles from his home unless a business requirement necessitates travel. He is a prisoner to his fears. Fear can do that to us. It makes us turn unreal things into catastrophes in our mind. I like to recall my childhood memory of going with my dad to the herring run and catching herring with my hand as they swam upstream to spawn. It’s a great metaphor for life, swim upstream. That’s were life waits. If the salmon and herring didn’t swim against the flow of the rivers they’d become extinct. Live, swim upstream.

Thinking Out Loud: Journeying Through the Cosmos

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“We are travelers on a cosmic journey,stardust,swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share.This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.” ~ Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

NOTE: The Earth moves at a speed of about 1,000 miles (1600 kilometers) per hour and orbits around the Sun at a speed of about 67,000 miles (107,000 kilometers) per hour. We travel with our home planet hurtling through the cosmos. Our life expectancies are relatively brief. What do we do with the brief time we journey on our planet? We have choices on how we spend each of our precious moments. In my experience the moments I cherish are moments when I’ve witnessed those I love succeed. I cherish the moments I’ve been loved and had the opportunity to love. I cherish the moments when I’ve experienced the joy of victory with others. I cherish the moments when I was alone in nature with only the sound of the wind and insects to keep me company. I cherish the moments when I was on my knees and I felt as if God were kneeling next to me. How do you experience your journey on our cosmic ride?

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