optimism

Thinking Out Loud ~ There are Moments of Light

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Victor Frankl in Man’s Search for Meaning describes an incident where he was speaking to fellow prisoners about finding meaning in their suffering. He said, “I also mentioned the past; all its joys, and how its light shone even in the present darkness. I quoted a poet to avoid sounding like a preacher, “What you have experienced no power on earth can take from you.” Not only our experiences, but all we have done whatever great thoughts we may have had, and all we have suffered all this it is not lost. Though it is past; we have brought it into being. I told them they must not lose hope but should keep their courage .…” p. 90

NOTE: Each of us has moments of light, joy, and happiness in our past. These are our treasured memories. We can recall specific events where everything seemed to come together. Perhaps it was the moment we fell in love. It may have been a vacation, the birth of a child, there is something there for each of us. When things are not going well for us, we can step aside and recall moments when it did go well for us. In recalling these moments, we have our hope restored. We know there will be another day and that good things will once again come our way.

Photo for Today ~ Life is Beautiful

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Something to Think About ~ We Can Choose How We Respond

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Victor Frankl in Man’s Search for Meaning challenges us to think about life in a way that is far different from what we read and watch in the media. He says, “We had to learn ourselves, and, furthermore, we had to reach the despairing men, that it did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us.  . . . Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answers to its problems, and to fulfill the task, which it constantly sets for each individual. Pp 85

NOTE: Our lives are not identical but they are similar. We each face moments of challenge. Some face burdens that make me marvel at their inner toughness and how they managed. I think of my grandmother (nonna), widowed with eleven children still at home. There was no welfare in those days. Yet, she knew her responsibility was to serve and protect her eleven children. To her credit, all eleven grew up to be productive citizens. We can’t choose what happens to us, we can choose how we respond to it. Stay strong.

Something to Think About ~ Give the Gift of Hope

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Victor Frankl in Man’s Search for Meaning speaks of a man losing all hope, and when he had lost all hope, he died. Frankl says, “Those who know how close the connection is between the state of mind of a man, his courage, and hope, or lack of them, and the state of immunity in his body will understand that a sudden loss of hope and courage can have a deadly effect. . . . When speaking of his friend who died, Frankl said, “His faith in the future, and his will to live, had become paralyzed, and his body fell victim to illness. Woe to him who saw no more sense in his life, no aim, no purpose, and therefore no point in carrying on, he was so lost.” Pps 84-85

NOTE: One of the greatest gifts we can give each other is the gift of hope. Hope is the anchor to tomorrow. Hope gives us something to look forward to. It gives us something to wait with expectation of receiving. Hope is a gift of life. It is an emotional transfusion that reignites the life spark in a human being.

Feel Good Tip for Today ~ An Early Start to the Day

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I’m an early riser. I have always been one. I stepped outside this morning and saw some nice colors among the clouds [In San Antonio the clouds are present each morning during the hot summer months. They look like they’re promising rain, but they’re only tricksters – it’s hot and clear by 9 a.m.]. I took a slow mo video of the clouds and when I watched the video a bird suddenly appears in it, it climbed higher in the sky and darted away. I could the birds singing, they were in good voice.  I took it as a sign I was going to have a great day. Why not read a good sign into it. It’s the small things that bring great joy. Now, I’ll have my first and second cups of coffee. Oh, it’s going to be a great day.

Something to Think About ~ Keep Looking Ahead

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Victor Frankl in Man’s Search for Meaning speaks of prisoners who gave up all hope, “A man who let himself decline because he could not see any future goal found himself occupied with retrospective thoughts. . . .  They preferred to close their eyes, and to live in the past. Life for such people became meaningless. Yet, in reality, there was an opportunity and a challenge. One could make a victory of these experiences, turning life into an inner triumph, or one could ignore the challenge, and simply vegetate, as did a majority of the prisoners.” Pps. 82-83

Note: Frankl’s description of the prisoners is applicable to us. We need to find meaning in our lives, in our everyday actions. When we don’t have meaning in our lives we, like the prisoners Frankl describes, live in the past when we replay grievances and fail to forgive. When we let go of those things that continue to drag us into the past it is easier to get engaged in something meaningful (there are an infinite number of possibilities) keeping an eye on tomorrow. Keep looking ahead, never backward.

Inspiring Quote for Today ~ Don’t Listen to Your Fears

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“Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.”

Pope John XXIII

Photo for Today ~ Imagine What You Can Do

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Photo of the Day ~ Take Your Own Path

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Something to Think About ~ “Nothing Could Touch the Strength of My Love.”

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Viktor Frankl words from Man’s Search for Meaning: “I did not know whether my wife was alive, and I had no means of finding out (during all my prison life there was no outgoing or incoming mail): but at that moment it ceased to matter. There was no need for me to know; nothing could touch the strength of my love, my thoughts, and the imagine of my wife (pp. 50).“

Note: No matter our situation, no matter where we find ourselves, no one can take away the memories we choose to cherish. No one can take away the moments we felt loved. No one can take away those moments when we were surrounded in a bubble of happiness. We can recall those moments anytime we choose. Try it. Recall a time when you felt happy, truly happy. Who was there? What was the occasion? Now that you’ve recalled it, how do you feel?

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