Perspective

How Appropriate

My Birthday

Serendipity l, like her sister Karma, is a real bitch. Just look at the message I get from my desktop calendar as I start my birthday.

Self-doubt is an old friend of mine. Every time I think I’ve seen the last of self-doubt in the rearview mirror of my life, he is right there in front of me again.

You would think that since I’m now 58 years old, I would be comfortable in my skin, but that isn’t the case. I’m constantly finding fault with myself, whether I mean to or not. I have a lot of good things in my life, but I always feel like I missed something along the way.

I can’t explain why I feel like this. People tell me I have one of the healthiest egos people have ever met. I don’t consciously try to be a certain way; I am who I am. Yet, I’m two very different people co-existing in the same body. Is this normal?

I’m not going to find the answers right now. I probably never will. I’ll do my best to enjoy this latest trip around the sun and let things work themselves out as they will.

Stop Drinking the Kool-Aid

     Every day we are subjected to the control mechanisms that keep the world running. All the hatred, conflicts, and fear exist because we created them in the first place. We allow those toxic circumstances to govern our lives were designed to preserve the status quo.

     Humanity can’t move forward while carrying all that baggage. When so many people live in poverty due to preventable diseases, lack of education, and health care, we all share the blame for these things. We have surrendered our humanity generation after generation, all in the pursuit of personal gain. There is nothing wrong with successful people, but we still have a moral obligation to help those around us.

     Two things we lack are KINDNESS and COMPASSION. When we highlight simple human kindness and compassion because they are so infrequent, we know we’re in trouble. Don’t attack someone helpless; defend them. Teach

 someone; don’t criticize their lack of knowledge. When you see someone hungry, give them something to eat. You get the idea.

. Let’s inject more kindness and compassion into the world for a change.

A Feel Good Story. History is made as reparations start to flow in Evanston, Illinois

EVANSTON, Ill. — Grey Avenue explains everything. Start at the southern end and walk north, through three blocks of working-class families living in weathered h…
— Read on theundefeated.com/features/history-is-made-as-reparations-start-to-flow-in-evanston-illinois/

Myself

Myself

I read a great article by a blogger I follow about Gratitude and Thankfulness, in which he pointed out that we forget to grateful for ourselves. There is nothing wrong with being thankful for ourselves, indeed it is what makes each of us unique.

My Gratitude journal never mentioned being thankful for just being me, and after reading my friend’s blog post, I saw exactly what he meant. My attention was going outward when some of it should have been focused inward. If we can not see the good in ourselves, then we are truly blind.

Thankful

Thankful

I am in a bind financially until the end of this month. I had an unexpected car expense of nearly $600 that had to be taken care of, which destroyed my monthly budget. While this is unpleasant and uncomfortable, it does make me focus on what I have rather than what I lack. In fact, I have to be thankful that I could take care of the expense at the time.

I can also be thankful that I recognize my budget needs to be adjusted in the future for the next unexpected expense. While I make plans for the future, I am thankful that we have a roof over our heads and enough food to make it until next payday.

I am thankful that this is the first time I’m facing a situation like this. I’m thankful that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I take solace from the lesson learned after reading “Down and Out in Paris and London” by George Orwell many years ago. Once you hit bottom, you realize that you are still alive.

I’m thankful for the desire to write and express myself, and I’m thankful for those who read my words. I’m thankful if my words help someone else, and I hope they pay that help forward to someone else who can then be thankful.

DDP YOGA Day 2

Day 2 Yoga

To be fair, day 2 is a repeat of day 1. I’ll be doing the introductory program for a week before moving to the next level. There’s no reason for me to push myself so hard that I get discouraged and quit.

The introductory exercises are gentle and formulated to “wake up” muscles that haven’t been used in a long time. Having said that, I feel the stretch that I’ve done the first two days.

Starting Yoga Again

Yesterday I finally started yoga again.

I realized that I wasn’t going to feel better unless I did something to get myself moving. I overcame a few obstacles with the yoga app before starting because I didn’t want things messed up with my account.

I feel better after the first day. I know that real change takes time, but at least I’ve taken the first step.

Group Meditation

Group Meditation

Tonight I joined a group meditation session on the Headspace app. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it was a session just like any other, but there were approximately 45 other people taking part.

The only voice was the group moderator. Like I said, if it weren’t for the other people participating, it would have been just like any other solo meditation. The amazing thing is that as I relaxed and really got into the session, I could sense the presence of the other people. It sounds crazy, but I genuinely felt that I wasn’t alone. It was a wonderful feeling that I hope to experience again.

I find this quote very refreshing as I lay awake in bed. Life is about living, not about finding what you’ll be like at some future point. The journey is the important thing to recognize every day as we build the foundation for tomorrow.