thinking

Today’s Thought: It Really is Insane

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From data generate by Google AI: According to the UN, around 100 civilians are killed every day due to armed conflicts, despite international law protections. The UN head stated in May 2023 that 43,000 people died from armed conflicts in 2022, with 94% of victims in populated areas being civilians.

What’s wrong with this picture? Ninety-four percent of the victims are civilians. I think the leaders who want armed conflicts should be on the front lines. Quickly, the number of armed conflicts would almost disappear. The leaders sit safely in their protected environments while others die for them and as a result of their policies.

Today’s Thought: It’s Time to Release Your Inner Chil

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Triple digits are expected in south Texas this week. School is over until August. Some people will complain about the heat. The kids won’t. I’ll see them playing soccer, football, and basketball. I’ll hear their screams from the pool and nearby playground. Kids adapt so much better than adults. It might be because they know they are powerless (for the most part) and instead of fighting the weather, they go along with it and enjoy it. If we’re lucky enough to get an afternoon rain, I’ll see some kids running in the rain. As adults, we think we are powerful. That’s an illusion. We get angry when we can’t change things we don’t like (check out the news if you don’t believe me). I think children have a healthier attitude. I’m going to get outside today and release my inner child (Yes, Mom, I’ll put on sunscreen and carry a bottle of water). LOL.

Today’s Thought: Tomorrow is Where We’re Going

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Imagine you’re walking across a river on a solid plank. The plank is two feet (61cm) wide. The distance across the river is 200 feet (61 m). What will happen if you walk on the plank looking over your left shoulder at the receding shoreline? I hope you can swim. To get safely across the river we focus ahead knowing where we will place each succeeding step. When we constantly look back in life, we can’t get ahead. If we focus on where we want to go, we initiate the parts of our brain that create our desired future, set goals, and problem solve to increase our chances of success. Yesterday is over. Today is what we have. Tomorrow is where we are going.

Today’s Thought:

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Life is not what it’s supposed to be. It’s what it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference. ~ Virginia Satir

“I didn’t see that coming!” How many times have you said or thought that statement? I have many times. Sometimes they are pleasant surprises. Sometimes they knock us flat on our backs. No one tells us life is going to be easy. It has its tough moments where we have to carry on in spite of the adversity. In between all the adverse times there are lots of good things that happen to us. These are the times when we renew our strength for the next challenge. With every challenge we grow stronger, we develop a self confidence in our set of skills, experiences, and our expanding knowledge base that allows to live each day confident we can handle what the day will toss at us. Trust yourself. Trust your experiences. You are ready for this day.

Today’s Thought: Change is a Constant

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A neighbor is moving today. There house is for sale. In this neighborhood it won’t be long before it is sold. I’ll miss them. They were friendly, always said hello, and they were a loving family. Their lives changed. Their daughter will go to a new school and meet new friends. They are off to new jobs and a new home. Back in my neighborhood we’ll have new neighbors to welcome and new relationships to form. The people who move into my neighborhood will be leaving someplace to begin a new adventure here. Nothing stays the same. That’s the lesson of the four seasons. Things are always changing. When we accept change as a normal part of life, we put ourselves in a good place to adjust to the changes as they come into our lives.

Conquering Unwanted Thoughts: Strategies for a Peaceful Mind

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What are you thinking about today? Do you have days where some event or person grabs hold of your mind and refuses to leave? I have. The best way I’ve learned to deal with unwanted thoughts that want to hang out with me is to ignore them. I tell the intrusive thoughts (literally) to enjoy the visit but I’m too busy to have a conversation with them. It seems the more we grapple with with our intrusive thoughts, the stronger or more intense the unwanted thoughts get. It’s a lot like having a conversation with someone you know who wants to argue. If you give in and start arguing, the whole thing escalates. It’s exactly what this person wants. I faced this situation a few weeks back when I met a friend at one of my shopping venues. The conversation started out smoothly then he tossed a political topic out. It was gentle enough but the answer I gave him was not the answer he wanted. He escalated it. I said, “I don’t want to have this discussion. I’m going to be on my way. Have a great day.” I left. I saw him two days later and we had another conversation without him delving into politics. I’ll admit I could have tried to change the topic; however, it’s not a smooth transition from politics to how do you make homemade salsa.

Today’s Thought: Discover the Magician in You

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I have a professional magician friend. He’s very good. He’ll ask me to come to his house so he can practice one of his new tricks on me. Every once in a while he’ll show me how he made the “magic” happen. It’s clever. He builds his own tricks and sells them to magicians across the globe. Most of us are not magicians, but there are things we do that others might consider in the realm of magic. My mom, for example, could make the best tasting pasta fazool (Italian bean soup). She’d never give up the recipe. How she did it is a mystery. I had a colleague who could tell a story about going out for breakfast and eating a bagel and cream cheese and turn this story into page turner. What’s your magic? Surely you have something others can’t do; yet, it comes natural to you.

Today’s Thought: We Are Free to Choose

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“I am not what happens to me. I choose who I become.” ― Carl Jung

Early in my academic career I researched alienation. One of the attribute of feeling alienated is a sense of powerlessness. It is the sense that no matter what I do I can not make a difference or influence something or someone to change. When we buy into a sense of powerlessness we move toward apathy. We fail to get involved. We give up. Healthy human beings understand that life is a struggle. They understand that choices must be made and that there is always something one can do if one wants to act. We don’t have to be powerless. We can choose to get engaged in life. We might fail. We might succeed. It is through our engagement in life that we begin to realize our full potential.

Today’s Thought: Possibilities Overflow for Us

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“Every moment is a new beginning.” ~ Elie Wiesel

Every moment is new to us. Whatever just happened is over. It’s new all over again. When we experience new, we are given a chance to begin again. When we experience new, we are no longer prisoners to what was. Holding on to the past is a fallacy in the same way waiting for something without putting in the effort to make it happen or acquire it isa fallacy. We’ll have enough challenges with our encounter with the new, no sense in taking all the challenges, hurts, and betrayals from the past along for the ride. Holding onto grudges and grievances sucks the energy out of the new we encounter. The new we encounter overflows with possibilities for us.

Today’s Thought: It Amazes Me

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Some things amaze me. Driving through the city is one of the things that amazes me. Each day when I’m driving, the overwhelming majority of people are driving safely. For the most part, there are no police around. How amazing is this? People stop at red lights. People let those in crosswalks cross the street. Yes, there are stories of road rage, and we all see people running a red light. Most of the time, we’re working together to safely get to where we want to go. It’s one of the things we take for granted, but it is a big deal. It illustrates that when we care for each other life becomes less stressful.

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