Posts

Forgiveness

Forgiveness We see lots of stories about forgiveness and how people who are damaged severely can forgive the abuser. These are stories of hope and life. Forgiveness only begins when you can come to terms with the fact that we are all human and we all make poor choices in our lives. People that make very poor choices can damage themselves and others to a significant degree and forgiveness of their behavior is often difficult to achieve when considering your own fragile human psyche, but it can be done. Often times forgiveness is a life long goal. I have been struggling with forgiveness for my father. I have not seen him in 20 years and he has been dead for 5 so I need to work on forgiving him in abstentia. I have been living all of my life through his eyes even when he wasn't in it. I think we all do that. So that means forgiving myself for acting and behaving as if he was controlling me and making me behave in certain ways that I am not proud of. Of course he is not controlling
Post a Comment
Read more

Now

Now A constant struggle I have is being able to be in the present. Living life in the present is the most important skill to be able to love yourself and others. When you can enjoy the moment you are in you don't worry about the future or lament mistakes from the past you just enjoy what is around you. The cold of the snow, the warmth of the beach, the green of the trees, the roughness of bark, or the brightness of the sun are but a few of the wonders you can embrace when you are in the NOW. A large part of happiness is just being. Being the trees, the pets your own, and the building going on in the park are all magnificent aspects of life that we often overlook because we are thinking about how hot it is, how windy it is (and I don't like wind) or how much my electric bill is. When you can be the grass, the roar of the ocean, or the smell of garbage then you are creating a snapshot of life that can be nothing but magnificent for yourself.
Post a Comment
Read more

Failure

Failure Failure is an inevitable aspect of life. Everyone fails. I fail daily and often. The difference between someone that is happy and successful is what they do with that failure. I often forget to do important things and fail to complete tasks. Although I do this I look at failure as an opportunity to learn and be better at failing less. Every day is another day to fail less. One great philosopher said that no real learning occurs without failure. Your important lessons are retained longer and are more deeply ingrained in your psyche when you fail. You don't learn much from success or winning. Obviously it is more fun to win and be successful, but failure teaches you more. I don't prefer to fail but I know I will because I am human and when I do I pick myself up and try again. I learn and do it differently next time. Sometimes it takes me many times but I never give up.
Post a Comment
Read more

Love

Love Love is the essence of life. Just like water and air are the essential ingredients to your physical existence love and understanding are the essential ingredients to your emotional survival. We see the effects of when love is absent in people's lives on the news every night. We see murder, mayhem, and crime committed by people who don't love themselves or anyone else. Love is required for you to find purpose and it is as important as every other emotion. If you give love then you get love. You can see that in the development of young children. There is nothing more precious or essential than the giving of love. When you give a young child the unconditional love they so desperately need then they grow up into functional and loving adults. If they are deprived of that needed love then the act out in ways that tend to be against society and our system. Love can be expressed in many ways bur the way that has the most impact upon the human personality is the act of contact a
Post a Comment
Read more

Smile

Smile I learned a very valuable lesson from a 1 year old yesterday. That lesson could be summed up in one word. Smile. When you smile one more time during the day or a second longer than necessary then you will find that happiness expands and increases. Smiling begets smiles. When you smile someone else smiles back whether it is someone you know or not. I found myself smiling because I saw someone else smile as I was walking along in the store. Smiles create smiles. Have you ever heard the saying, "Smile and the world smiles with you." Well it is true. Smiling creates happiness just like thinking rich creates an atmosphere where you can become rich. Even if it is a forced smile. Even if you are not really happy when you smile if you do it with intent then happiness ensues. Happiness is created with just one smile.
Post a Comment
Read more

Growth

Growth Growth is inevitable in every organism including humans. Every seed sprouts into a plant. It may shrivel and die depending upon whether or not it received enough water and food, but it grows until it dies. We humans do the same thing and we are always growing. The complications in our growth lie in the amount of nurturing and love we receive. If we get lots of love and understanding we grow exponentially and become humans of excellence. If our seed lands on barren or dry ground we don't grow very well. As parents we are tasked to provide a great place to grow. When you give your kids, friends, acquaintances, and yourself love, understanding, forgiveness, tolerance, and limits then you provide them and you a place to grow. Your growth depends upon your love and understanding. Love is the key to growth.
Post a Comment
Read more

Happiest Place on Earth

Happiest Place on Earth Some people say that Disneyland is the happiest place on Earth. To many happiness is the place where you can experience joy inherently and for many people that comes in the form of rides, great eats, time with family. and unique experiences. We have this stuff happen to us every day although most of our happy moments are spread out among many hours and days and often times seldom recognized. Well I just experienced happiness to a high level at the airport in the arrival section. As I was waiting for my ride I slowed my thinking and just enjoyed the people arriving and departing. As I was just being in the now, the smiles of the people getting picked up was infectious. When the people where  getting picked up their friends or family had such genuine smiles and joy that it infected me. To see such happiness from the reunion filled me with true happiness. I was reminded that I don't have to be part of that family reunion to experience the joy they were feel
Post a Comment
Read more