What if I didn’t have my morning cup of coffee? Man, my day would be amiss. I take my morning cup of coffee for granted, much like I take the sun rising or setting. It’s that way with life. The things and people we love we often take for granted, as if they’d always be there. When we find out they’re not there our emotions range from disappointment to deep grieving. When I look at it this way, my heart has to overflow with gratitude for the things and people I love. It makes sense to appreciate the things and people I love each moment of my life.
what if
What If . . .
What if I shut down that part of my brain that always has the answers and turned on the part of the brain that wants to learn? Having answers can be a good thing. When we have all the answers, however, there’s no room left for learning. There’s no room left for questioning. When our internal answering machine is shut down, we have an opportunity to learn and gain insights we previously did not have.
What If . . .
What if I asked for help when I got stuck on a difficult task? What’s difficult is different for each of us. What is difficult for one is a simple task for another. I have a friend who is a tech geek. I think I’m pretty savvy with technology, yet, when I get stuck, I ask him. He thinks about my problem for a second or two then walks me through a solution. It keeps me humble. Each of us has a strong set of skills. We also have areas where we need help. When we help each other over the difficult stretches, everything works out for the best.
What If . . .
What if I decided the past can’t hurt or haunt me? Every human has scars, emotional or physical, from past hurts. Physical scars heal over, but the emotional pain often remains. The worse part of the pain occurs when we allow the past emotional and physical scars to continue to hurt us over and again. We allow the memories to haunt us like Dickens’ ghost from Christmas past. We may not be able to prevent these thoughts from randomly popping into our mind. We can make a decision not to join them. Let the thoughts stay as long as they want and tell them not to let the door hit them in the ass when they leave. Don’t give them power by reminiscing with them.
What If . . .
What if today I chose to do something totally different that what I normally do, what would it be like? I might not watch TV tonight. Yikes, what will I do with all that time? Would I slide into staring at my handheld phone, watching videos on my iPad, or going on social media? Can’t do that, it’s just substituting one drug for the another drug. I could go for a walk. I could read a book. I could handwrite a journal entry. I could bake healthy muffins and even eat one as soon as they come out of the oven. I might even sketch a design for landscaping my yard. There are plenty of alternatives.
What If . . .
What if today I decide to roll with it and take the day as it unfolds? I’ve never met a day where every single thing went my way. I’ve had plenty of good days. Yet, even in my good days, there are bumps here and there. I didn’t notice them because they were overwhelmed by the good things that were happening. If I’m looking for a perfect day, I may as well search for gold or an oil well on my property. I’m not going to find either one. If I roll with the day as it unfolds, I’m likely to enjoy the day, maybe get a few laughs out of it. And, maybe I’ll get a few great surprises I otherwise would not have noticed.
What If . . .
What if I chose to take today one moment at a time what will I do about planning ahead? I think I’ll keep one eye on the present moment and the other eye looking ahead for a rainbow. That way we can keep a balance between living too much into tomorrow or too much into the moment. It’s a delicate balance. It’s more like a dance where each partner anticipates the moves of the other. There’s no looking back, take the memories that help or heal, discard the rest and dance on.
What If . . .
What if I didn’t rush around today as if I were in a 100 meter dash? Some days I feel like I’m running a hundred miles an hour (160 Km per hour) and I’m getting no where, but I’m going fast. I think today I’ll lighten up the pressure on the gas pedal. I won’t get impatient at the driver in front of me at when the red light turns greens and he/she is checking FaceBook or texting (this will be a tough one – LOL). I’ll drive in the slower lane and stay within the speed limit. I’ll tackle one task at a time and what gets done gets done. And, what doesn’t get done will wait for me until tomorrow. I think I’ll feel a lot more peaceful.
What If . . .
What if you acted spontaneously today, what would you do? Young children are spontaneous, life is a great big adventure for them. It’s that sense of spontaneity that allows young children to explore their surroundings, learn to ride a bicycle, or skateboard. What if you spontaneously played a song, took hold of your partner and danced around the living room floor? You can’t dance you say? Sure you can, it’s not a competition so don’t worry about rules. Turn your young child loose. There are an infinite number of ways to act spontaneously. Do something spontaneously each day and watch how much more you’re enjoying life.
What If . . .
What if you took the first step to repair a relationship? That’s a difficult first step to take. Someone has to take it, why not you. If it works out, it was because you set aside the hurt you feel for something better. If your efforts fail, you’ll know you gave it your best and can walk away without regrets. If a relationship was worth creating, it is worth saving.
