I had a nice day off on Monday. My wife and I took the day off to watch all of the inauguration festivities. I love pageantry, pomp, and circumstance, whether it be a presidential inauguration, a royal wedding, or a papal funeral. I remember my wife and I getting up in the middle of the night to watch the funeral of Princess Diana. With modern communications one can easily feel a part of such events. On Monday, after sleeping in a bit, my wife and I got out of bed, made some breakfast, and then planted ourselves in front of the television and we watched everything that happened in Washington. I would have watched it no matter who won the election but it’s always better when it’s your guy standing there. I am an emotional person and I found myself a little teary eyed at times. I felt proud to be an American and I felt one with all the diversity found in the crowd of nearly one million people standing on the Mall in front of the capital building. I also enjoyed the fact that Monday's inauguration took place on Martin Luther King Day. He is a very real person to me because I grew up in the civil rights era and I remember his famous speeches and untimely death. There are still many problems in our country but we have also come very far from the kind of society and culture we had in the 1950’s and 60’s.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Friday, January 18, 2013
New Days Bring New Hope
“The present is the ever moving shadow that divides yesterday from tomorrow. In that lies hope”.
-Architect Frank Lloyd Wright
There’s a somewhat corny saying that goes, “Today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present”. The reality is that each new day is a gift that not everyone receives. Each new day is a new beginning and every new beginning is a time of hope that we will be better people, that life will be better for us, and that we can forget yesterday’s troubles. Often by the end of a workday I am tired and frazzled after dealing with whatever came up that day. Sometimes when I finally get into my car and I am putting my key into the ignition, I close my eyes and think “Thank you, God”! I’m not always sure if I am thanking God for giving me the strength to get through another day of work or if I am thanking him for finally getting me out of the office! By the next morning, however, I am usually refreshed, renewed, and ready for whatever the new day brings. Anything that feels overwhelming at the end of a day, or in the night, seems considerably less so at the beginning of a new day. In the early morning I feel like I can do anything. In the late afternoon I am often out of gas and little things can seem like a huge chore. This is why I love early morning. Anything seems possible in the morning. It is generally a peaceful time. I also like evenings because they are also peaceful even if they don’t seem as full of possibility as the morning. If I could just find a way to avoid the whole middle part of the day. Maybe I will start working 6:00 AM to 9:00 AM, go home and take a long nap, then come back to the office and work 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM. How does that sound?
-Architect Frank Lloyd Wright
There’s a somewhat corny saying that goes, “Today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present”. The reality is that each new day is a gift that not everyone receives. Each new day is a new beginning and every new beginning is a time of hope that we will be better people, that life will be better for us, and that we can forget yesterday’s troubles. Often by the end of a workday I am tired and frazzled after dealing with whatever came up that day. Sometimes when I finally get into my car and I am putting my key into the ignition, I close my eyes and think “Thank you, God”! I’m not always sure if I am thanking God for giving me the strength to get through another day of work or if I am thanking him for finally getting me out of the office! By the next morning, however, I am usually refreshed, renewed, and ready for whatever the new day brings. Anything that feels overwhelming at the end of a day, or in the night, seems considerably less so at the beginning of a new day. In the early morning I feel like I can do anything. In the late afternoon I am often out of gas and little things can seem like a huge chore. This is why I love early morning. Anything seems possible in the morning. It is generally a peaceful time. I also like evenings because they are also peaceful even if they don’t seem as full of possibility as the morning. If I could just find a way to avoid the whole middle part of the day. Maybe I will start working 6:00 AM to 9:00 AM, go home and take a long nap, then come back to the office and work 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM. How does that sound?
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Our Lives Make A Difference
You make what seems to be a simple choice: Choose a man or a job or a neighborhood…and what you have chosen is not a man or a job or a neighborhood, but a life.
-Writer Jessamyn West
This quote reminds me of another quote attributed to John Lennon that goes, “Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans”. I have written before about dreams not realized, lives that seem more accidental than planned, and how many of our days are simply ordinary. Some would say these points of view represent a negative attitude about life. Let’s look at life from a different point of view and one that I truly believe is true. Let’s accept that our lives have turned out exactly the way they should and that we are exactly where we are supposed to be. I truly believe this is true even when it doesn’t seem logical. Many of you know that as a young man I lived in a monastery and I thought I would be a monk for the rest of my life. It was a romantic ideal for me that I would live in a beautiful place, that I would walk on air, and that I would be in a blissful aura of sanctity for all eternity. Obviously that didn’t happen. If I had stayed in the monastery, blissful or not, none of you would be reading these thoughts because I would not be here to write them. In addition, my wife would be married to another man, my children would not exist, my beloved granddaughter, Chloe, would also not exist and who knows what great things they may do in their futures. It is easy to think our lives do not make a difference but they do. Your life has more value than you probably realize. You affect the lives of others in ways you may never realize. The lives we have now are where we are supposed to be today and today is all we have right now.
-Writer Jessamyn West
This quote reminds me of another quote attributed to John Lennon that goes, “Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans”. I have written before about dreams not realized, lives that seem more accidental than planned, and how many of our days are simply ordinary. Some would say these points of view represent a negative attitude about life. Let’s look at life from a different point of view and one that I truly believe is true. Let’s accept that our lives have turned out exactly the way they should and that we are exactly where we are supposed to be. I truly believe this is true even when it doesn’t seem logical. Many of you know that as a young man I lived in a monastery and I thought I would be a monk for the rest of my life. It was a romantic ideal for me that I would live in a beautiful place, that I would walk on air, and that I would be in a blissful aura of sanctity for all eternity. Obviously that didn’t happen. If I had stayed in the monastery, blissful or not, none of you would be reading these thoughts because I would not be here to write them. In addition, my wife would be married to another man, my children would not exist, my beloved granddaughter, Chloe, would also not exist and who knows what great things they may do in their futures. It is easy to think our lives do not make a difference but they do. Your life has more value than you probably realize. You affect the lives of others in ways you may never realize. The lives we have now are where we are supposed to be today and today is all we have right now.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Now Is The Time
There are dreams of love, life, and adventure in all of us. But we are also sadly filled with reasons why we shouldn’t try. These reasons seem to protect us but in truth they imprison us. They hold life at a distance. Life will be over sooner than we think. If we have bikes to ride and people to love, now is the time.
-Psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
For those who may not be familiar with Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, she is most famous for her groundbreaking work with the dying. It seems appropriate and good that someone who has spent a great deal of time studying the end of life would also be someone who encourages us to not waste a minute of life and to live it to the fullest. I have often grown weary of my own maturity, responsibility, and dependability. There are times I get so tired of being the guy who always does the right thing in sacrifice of love, life and adventure. However, I am also aware that some people actually admire me for these rather boring traits. Since most of my life has not been spent sailing the high seas, flying around the world in a hot air balloon, or climbing the highest mountains, I have tried to get the most out of a quieter life that seems more ordinary than extraordinary. Still, even those of us who live ordinary lives, doing mostly ordinary things, can have an attitude of yes to life’s possibilities. If you are young, and even if you are old, I encourage you to say yes more than no. If there’s an opportunity to do something, then do it. If there’s an opportunity to be something, then be it. When something new is knocking at the door, do not turn off the lights and pretend that you are not at home. More importantly, don’t assume you will have time to do something in the future. The time to do something is now. This is why I am really going to try hard to get my book published this year. To be honest, it’s hard. I am lazy, I have little drive, I often lack confidence, and my wife says that procrastination would be a step forward for me. I am also tired all the time. Fortunately, I have some friends and supporters who believe in me. They are the wind in my sails. Writing a book may not seem as adventurous as going on a long journey but there was a time in my life I never thought I could do such a thing.
-Psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
For those who may not be familiar with Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, she is most famous for her groundbreaking work with the dying. It seems appropriate and good that someone who has spent a great deal of time studying the end of life would also be someone who encourages us to not waste a minute of life and to live it to the fullest. I have often grown weary of my own maturity, responsibility, and dependability. There are times I get so tired of being the guy who always does the right thing in sacrifice of love, life and adventure. However, I am also aware that some people actually admire me for these rather boring traits. Since most of my life has not been spent sailing the high seas, flying around the world in a hot air balloon, or climbing the highest mountains, I have tried to get the most out of a quieter life that seems more ordinary than extraordinary. Still, even those of us who live ordinary lives, doing mostly ordinary things, can have an attitude of yes to life’s possibilities. If you are young, and even if you are old, I encourage you to say yes more than no. If there’s an opportunity to do something, then do it. If there’s an opportunity to be something, then be it. When something new is knocking at the door, do not turn off the lights and pretend that you are not at home. More importantly, don’t assume you will have time to do something in the future. The time to do something is now. This is why I am really going to try hard to get my book published this year. To be honest, it’s hard. I am lazy, I have little drive, I often lack confidence, and my wife says that procrastination would be a step forward for me. I am also tired all the time. Fortunately, I have some friends and supporters who believe in me. They are the wind in my sails. Writing a book may not seem as adventurous as going on a long journey but there was a time in my life I never thought I could do such a thing.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Seasons Of Life
What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.
-Last Words of Blackfoot Warrior Crowfoot
The images in this quote speak to me of mindfulness and paying attention. When I was a child catching fireflies was one of the things children did. As a young boy I actually played outside, especially on summer days and nights. At that time of my life a summer day seemed eternal. Admittedly, the lack of air conditioning in my parent’s home and the fact that my family only had one black and white television with two channels, motivated me to go outside and be creative with my time. My wife and I were on vacation this past Thanksgiving. We decided to have lunch at Huber’s Restaurant, a place usually so crowded that you normally cannot get in. We took some back roads to get there when I suddenly saw a field full of buffalo. I am talking about real buffalo like you see in movies about the frontier days. It wasn’t cold enough to see their breath but unusual enough to get lost in a moment of wonder. Whether it is spring, summer, fall, or winter, I usually notice the differences in the light and shadows of the day. I have lived most of my life in the same places but they never look the same. As I travel up and down the same road to work each day I see the new growth and colors of spring, the green fullness of summer bounty, the multi-colored tapestry of fall colors, and the starkness of winter. Each season has its own beauty. Our lives are like the seasons. Each stage of life corresponds with a season of nature. Some of you are in the springtime of your lives. Some are experiencing the fullness of summer by being at the peak of your powers. Many, like me, are in the autumn of our lives when we know we have more summers behind us than in front of us. Eventually, if you are lucky enough to have a long life, you will experience the winter of life when the cycle is complete. I think Crowfoot is encouraging us to enjoy the moments and the seasons of our lives for life is made up of such moments. Maybe a deeper question than “What is life?” might be “What is your life”?
-Last Words of Blackfoot Warrior Crowfoot
The images in this quote speak to me of mindfulness and paying attention. When I was a child catching fireflies was one of the things children did. As a young boy I actually played outside, especially on summer days and nights. At that time of my life a summer day seemed eternal. Admittedly, the lack of air conditioning in my parent’s home and the fact that my family only had one black and white television with two channels, motivated me to go outside and be creative with my time. My wife and I were on vacation this past Thanksgiving. We decided to have lunch at Huber’s Restaurant, a place usually so crowded that you normally cannot get in. We took some back roads to get there when I suddenly saw a field full of buffalo. I am talking about real buffalo like you see in movies about the frontier days. It wasn’t cold enough to see their breath but unusual enough to get lost in a moment of wonder. Whether it is spring, summer, fall, or winter, I usually notice the differences in the light and shadows of the day. I have lived most of my life in the same places but they never look the same. As I travel up and down the same road to work each day I see the new growth and colors of spring, the green fullness of summer bounty, the multi-colored tapestry of fall colors, and the starkness of winter. Each season has its own beauty. Our lives are like the seasons. Each stage of life corresponds with a season of nature. Some of you are in the springtime of your lives. Some are experiencing the fullness of summer by being at the peak of your powers. Many, like me, are in the autumn of our lives when we know we have more summers behind us than in front of us. Eventually, if you are lucky enough to have a long life, you will experience the winter of life when the cycle is complete. I think Crowfoot is encouraging us to enjoy the moments and the seasons of our lives for life is made up of such moments. Maybe a deeper question than “What is life?” might be “What is your life”?
Monday, January 14, 2013
Weekend Adventures
I’m not really sick, I just don’t feel good.
-George Carlin
This past Friday I felt wiped out most of the day. I thought the day would never end. When I left work I then had the chore of going to the grocery store. On the best of days I dislike going to the grocery. I am one of only two or three husbands in the world who actually accompaniment their wives to the grocery. My job is to push the cart, get things my wife can’t reach, and pick up heavy stuff like cases of Diet Coke. When I eventually got home I crashed on my couch. I knew I had to get rested because it was going to be a Chloe weekend. Fortunately I wasn’t really sick. I think what I had, and what I still have this morning, is allergies. If I had been truly sick I would have had to disappoint a sweet little girl. We spent Saturday afternoon at the movies watching “Parental Guidance”, a funny film about two grandparents trying to connect with three grandchildren they rarely saw. Afterwards, Chloe wanted to go to Build A Bear. This is a store where parents and grandparents can quickly become separated from their life savings. Fortunately I had a $25 gift card which lessoned the pain. While standing in the store I saw a well-dressed black man that looked very, very familiar. He finally walked over to me and said, “Does anyone ever tell you how much you look like Santa Claus”? I laughed and replied, “All the time”. After he introduced himself I knew why he looked so familiar. He was Muhammad Ali’s brother. He was a very congenial and humorous man. He made my time in Bear A Bear much more pleasant since there seemed to be thousands of children in the store who had eater way too much sugar. When Chloe went home on Sunday I once again collapsed on my couch and quickly fell into a deep sleep. I wish I was still there right now.
-George Carlin
This past Friday I felt wiped out most of the day. I thought the day would never end. When I left work I then had the chore of going to the grocery store. On the best of days I dislike going to the grocery. I am one of only two or three husbands in the world who actually accompaniment their wives to the grocery. My job is to push the cart, get things my wife can’t reach, and pick up heavy stuff like cases of Diet Coke. When I eventually got home I crashed on my couch. I knew I had to get rested because it was going to be a Chloe weekend. Fortunately I wasn’t really sick. I think what I had, and what I still have this morning, is allergies. If I had been truly sick I would have had to disappoint a sweet little girl. We spent Saturday afternoon at the movies watching “Parental Guidance”, a funny film about two grandparents trying to connect with three grandchildren they rarely saw. Afterwards, Chloe wanted to go to Build A Bear. This is a store where parents and grandparents can quickly become separated from their life savings. Fortunately I had a $25 gift card which lessoned the pain. While standing in the store I saw a well-dressed black man that looked very, very familiar. He finally walked over to me and said, “Does anyone ever tell you how much you look like Santa Claus”? I laughed and replied, “All the time”. After he introduced himself I knew why he looked so familiar. He was Muhammad Ali’s brother. He was a very congenial and humorous man. He made my time in Bear A Bear much more pleasant since there seemed to be thousands of children in the store who had eater way too much sugar. When Chloe went home on Sunday I once again collapsed on my couch and quickly fell into a deep sleep. I wish I was still there right now.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Everything Is A Miracle
There are only two ways to live your life. One is though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.
-Physicist Albert Einstein
If the world is divided into two camps, then I am a person who thinks everything is a miracle. I strive to take nothing for granted and to see everything as a miracle and a gift. Have you ever really stopped and reflected on the wonder of life? The natural world alone fills me with awe. The checks and balances of nature, when left unaltered by mankind, are a work of art. When I speak of being one with the universe…what I also refer to as a Zen moment…I am speaking of being in harmony with the miracle of life. You are living a Zen life and a contemplative life when you find yourself increasingly being lost in such moments. The act of listening to music can be an analogy for such moments. For most people music is something in the background. Sometimes, however, when I have music in the background while I am doing something else, the music will take control and I cannot continue what I am doing. I become lost in the musical performance and I am no longer conscious of the moment or what I am doing. There’s an excellent book called The Mystery of the Ordinary by Charles Cummins that reinforces what I am saying. Most of us go through life asleep. We fail to notice many things in our daily lives. We take most things for granted and fail to appreciate the mystery of the ordinary or the miracles of life that surround us. Take a few minutes today and pay attention to life. Let your senses run wild. Look around and actually see things. Smell the bread baking. Taste your food. Feel the wind and the warmth of the sun upon your face. Listen to some music for no other reason than to enjoy the melodies. Don’t pass through your life with no memory of the journey. Slow down. Be present. Breathe. Laugh. Don’t take your yourself so seriously. Be happy. Be a miracle.
-Physicist Albert Einstein
If the world is divided into two camps, then I am a person who thinks everything is a miracle. I strive to take nothing for granted and to see everything as a miracle and a gift. Have you ever really stopped and reflected on the wonder of life? The natural world alone fills me with awe. The checks and balances of nature, when left unaltered by mankind, are a work of art. When I speak of being one with the universe…what I also refer to as a Zen moment…I am speaking of being in harmony with the miracle of life. You are living a Zen life and a contemplative life when you find yourself increasingly being lost in such moments. The act of listening to music can be an analogy for such moments. For most people music is something in the background. Sometimes, however, when I have music in the background while I am doing something else, the music will take control and I cannot continue what I am doing. I become lost in the musical performance and I am no longer conscious of the moment or what I am doing. There’s an excellent book called The Mystery of the Ordinary by Charles Cummins that reinforces what I am saying. Most of us go through life asleep. We fail to notice many things in our daily lives. We take most things for granted and fail to appreciate the mystery of the ordinary or the miracles of life that surround us. Take a few minutes today and pay attention to life. Let your senses run wild. Look around and actually see things. Smell the bread baking. Taste your food. Feel the wind and the warmth of the sun upon your face. Listen to some music for no other reason than to enjoy the melodies. Don’t pass through your life with no memory of the journey. Slow down. Be present. Breathe. Laugh. Don’t take your yourself so seriously. Be happy. Be a miracle.
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