What is Joy?

Joy is cleaning out my garage so my kids can play in it.
It’s making my bed in the morning and marveling at the order of it.
It’s my daughter saying, “C’mon Daddy, as she holds my hand.”
It’s having my son burry his head in my stomach showing how much he trusts me.
It’s my oldest son saying, “Watch this dad,” as he amazes me with his talents.
It’s watching my children hug each other after they have been apart.
It’s my wife smiling at me as I walk downstairs in the morning.
It’s sitting in my favorite chair with a great book.
It’s the feeling I get when I use my imagination.
Joy is all those small things I could easily take for granted,
If I'm not paying attention.

This is tonight's lesson.

Here's an '80s tune that helps me to pay attention to the "finer [and simpler] things".

Enough is Enough

“That’s enough.” That’s the thought I had today as I committed to letting go and chilling out.

I’m letting go today. Letting go of what I think I should or should not be doing. Letting go of thinking the weight of the world is my responsibility. Letting go of everything that has been keeping me down lately. But I’m not letting go of the lessons I’m learning.

How can it be that life feels like a sweet dream at times and like a tragic nightmare at others? Maybe that’s how it’s supposed to feel. Life is designed to teach us what we need to learn. Right? Sometimes the easy way works. Sometimes the hard way is the only way. The more I struggle with accepting this truth the more I suffer. Life is light and dark and everything in between. This is what makes it the adventure it is. The trick is to bring light to the darkness I think.

Today I talked with a few friends at work about all of this. The common thought we all shared was “it is what it is”. I think this is called reality. The quicker you accept it, the quicker you find peace. But peace is not on the outside. It’s on the inside. I’ve told myself this a million times and I’ll say it again. Peace is a decision. But sometimes to make that decision you must first decide you’ve had enough. This is tonight’s lesson.

Here’s a mellow song to help you clear your head.

Frozen in Stillness

I have lost sight of the true meaning of life. Worry, anxiety, and discouragement have consumed my thinking and emotions. With all that I have learned and lived, I am at a loss as to what to do.

Control your thoughts. Run and expel the toxins. Breathe deeply and meditate on the wonder of life. Remember life has a beginning and an end; don’t waste a moment of it. Lead with a grateful heart. Your attitude determines your altitude. All these ideas and more swirl around my head.

Stop. Be still.

Kiddo… When did the battle become yours? When did I say I would abandon you? You know too much. You think too much. It’s all good but you’ve lost sight of the truth. I did not create you to crack the code to the mysteries of the universe. I created you simply to be you. You are a manifestation of my love. Do you understand that?

These words you write. Have you forgotten to read them? I’ve given them to you for a reason. I wanted you to know me. Not in some abstract cosmic way, but for real. I’m not some idea or concept. I’m your Father.

You’re suffering kiddo because you’re trying too hard to make sense of things that don’t need to be made sense of. Sometimes it’s alright just to be. You call this the moment right? Let go for now. I will not abandon you. This is the lesson I want you to reflect on tonight.

Maybe it’s time to “break the ice and feel like time is standing still”. Let it flow naturally kiddo. It's like breathing. It's like riding a bicycle.

Angels from Above

In her eyes I see laughter manifested in spectacle,
Her smile radiates divinity in motion.

She doesn’t know it yet, but she’s an angel.
An angel sent to help me find my own wings.

She teaches me more than any book I’ve ever read,
Or wise words shared by a student of life.

She is the moment in its purest form,
Like water she flows through my inner spirit.

I look at her and wonder how something so beautiful,
Could exist in this world.

She reminds me of who I could be,
An angel who loves life simply because it's there to love.

The lesson? Daughters are a gift from God. Cherish them. Thank God I have one more on the way!

Here’s a video of a talented dad who cherishes his own little angel.

Running for Peace

Peace is not a by-product of your circumstances and external life. It is a direct reflection of your interior life.

Thoughts and feelings lie at the core of your interior life. You can argue which comes first, but I’ve found that thoughts trigger feelings. So if you want peace, a good starting point is to examine and modify your thoughts.

That’s actually why I blog. Writing my thoughts out helps me understand what’s going on inside my mind. Over time I can see patterns in my thinking and behavior. In turn, I can take action to modify my thoughts, behavior, and life. My thinking about things is what causes me stress or not.

There are many methods out there to modify thinking habits but the simplest is writing things out. This helps you step outside of your thinking and see if it adds value to your life or not. A lot of stressful thinking is the result of worrying about the past or future. The brain can’t tell the difference between real and perceived threat and will react to both by stressing you out – literally. This is an age-old physiological response known as “fight or flight”.

Ways to diffuse stress caused by poor thinking include training the body and spirit. For me, coming into complete balance means having my mind, body, spirit, and emotions working together in a positive manner. In my life it’s been difficult to focus on all four areas at the same time, but when I do, I have known a great sense of peace.

This is tonight’s lesson. Take action to bring your mind, body, spirit, and emotions into balance. The end result is a peaceful existence. Running is a good start.

Let the 5th Dimension inspire you to "Let the Sunshine In" and bring balance to your life.

Attitude Adjustment

“What a terrible day.” That’s the thought I had tonight as I failed to run again. But was it really so terrible? Let me explore this.

I guess this is all just part of the journey.

Right now it seems like my mind is fixated on solving one problematic aspect of my life – my professional future. To compensate for this stress I’m up to 2 or 3 cups of coffee in the morning and 1 Mountain Dew in the afternoon. I rationalize this by saying it’s part of the creative process. That’s BS. It’s nothing but a mental escape.

It’s like I’m playing a broken record over and over in my mind. One moment all is calm. And the next a storm starts raging. I know running works to bring me into balance, but somehow I just can’t keep a consistent schedule.

Tonight I talked with a new co-worker who brought me a new perspective. He and his wife are living in a motel. Both had been laid off and literally lost everything. He also told me that he’s keeping a positive attitude about the whole thing. He’s working two jobs now and has hope for the future.

That’s it! Today was not terrible. It was a learning experience. The problem with me right now is not my circumstance. It’s my attitude. I lost my attitude of gratitude for a moment there. When this happens the lights go out and all I can see is darkness. Let me turn the light’s back on.

I am grateful for this "terrible" day. That’s tonight’s lesson. You can always choose your attitude once you get over yourself.

Here’s a video that resonates with this lesson.

Looking for Serenity

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

~Reinhold Niebuhr

Tonight's lesson? Surrender is the beginning of acceptance. Then comes serenity.

Here's a song that resonates with this lesson.