KNOWING HAPPINESS

TODAY'S QUOTE:
In order to have great happiness you have to have great pain and unhappiness - otherwise how would you know when you're happy?... Leslie Caron

The contrast between the polar opposite ends of any emotion is a measuring point of reference that contains everything that's ever happened in our lifetime and how we felt at the exact point of each impact. Bad or good it's all recorded there in a kind of auto save mode for easy access. Dealing with it isn't mandatory, unless you hunger to become more than simply a sum total of a series of knee-jerk reactions to random events as they occur.

Our scar tissue should serve as a mighty reminder of just how far we had to crawl to be within reach of even the most imperfect balance between happy and sad. The more pain on the one end, the more joy on the other. No matter what else we do it's important to keep our point of view as crystal clear as humanly possible. We shouldn't franticly search for or cling desperately to either extreme. Our reality is colored and twisted so easily by the extremities of simply living... no need to confuse any situation by letting a desperate need slap rose colored glasses where a magnifying glass would better serve us. 

Someone who almost drowns develops a heightened love for solid ground than most of us ever experience. Facing death head on makes every moment precious, but it isn't only the threat to our life span that inspires hyper sensitivity. Any sort of soul-sickness... heart breaks... or mental anguish can inspire the same kind of personal growth and awareness. The unhappy times in our lives teach us so much about what we need and don't need to be happy. The positives we reap from our negatives are some of the most profound truths we ever encounter. And that's a good thing to remember when our hands get sweaty from clinging onto either end of the see-saw we erect with our choices. To avoid splinters pump the brakes a bit before simply giving into the urge to react. Instant responses too often inspire hasty overreactions that are almost impossible to control.      

Slipping one way or the other is simply part of life. The trick is to control our emotions enough to counter balance any unexpected vibrations from either end. If we throw our arms up in the air and attempt to ride this slick slide from side-to-side the force of any sudden movements may fling us off one end or the other. Without demonstrating any self-control we risk becoming manic-depressive by default to a degree equal to the force used at launch and whichever end we happen to land upon.

To suddenly find yourself even temporarily unraveled is a most unpleasant sensation. A self-administered overdose of one intense emotion or the other isn't any true measure of anything except stupidly. A cocky ego's urge for testing its talent for bull-riding should never be encouraged, or tallied up to prove a point. Find your perfect balancing point then don't cut your nose off to spite your face next time greedy negative emotions attempt to kidnap your positive intentions. Think about it... let it ride... then decide!!!

HOWEVER SMALL INSPIRATIONS

TODAY'S QUOTE:
To do something, however small, to make others happier and better, is the highest ambition, the most elevating hope, which can inspire a human being. - John Lubbock

The ability to touch others in a positive fashion is something we all share; it's the determination and focus that differs from person to person. Some of us misplace that power by default or by design. Some people express it by actions alone... while others sit idle and  imagine that whatever little they could do wouldn't make any real difference anyway... so deliberately do noting.

But just a little bit of kindness goes such a very long way. Something almost effortless, like a smile gifted to a stranger, can alter their mood in the most wonderful way. A single gentle word or a series of them strung together with kindness can raise up a sinking heart and echo on inside the listener for many years to come. An act that only takes moments of time and is mostly effortless can change the direction of a stuck on negative mindset from bad to glad.

It's just as easy to flip the script in the opposite direction. You may be wadded up inside and pass that onto others as a way to ease your own torment. You may imagine that soothing yourself in this fashion is a quick fix to your own discontentment, but all it does is load the karma cannon and point it in your direction. I'd never risk a gapping hole being blown in my soul for any quick fix at someone else's expense.

If for some reason you cannot raise someone else up then at least don't use them as a ladder to further your climb. Make the world a better place or refrain from making a mess that other people are forced to clean up. It costs so little to do good and pays unlimited dividends. Either you multiply the positives for the benefit of all or subtract from them for your own devices. You can either earn a holy soul or a soul full of holes. Think about  it... let it ride... then YOU decide!!!  

WE THE PEOPLE

Today's Quote: If you win, say nothing. If you lose, say less." Paul Brown

This is a quote that in today's climate we each need to take to heart and put into action. Emotions at the point of victory or defeat are intense. When a country, shore to shinning shore, in full view of the world allows those intense emotions to control their words and deeds then we as a whole appear to be nothing more than a manic-depressive giant mess. If we don't get a firm grip our neighbors may imagine us as weak-minded and weak-kneed.

We're all Americans, in spite of our disagreements. But that fact is hard to recognize amid all the actions inspired by panic and fear. This country will be destroyed from the inside out unless we stand together. WE THE PEOPLE... that is our true strength. Love of our nation... unconditional love... that is something I pray that we can all agree on.

It's NOT enough to only love this country when we like who lives in the White House! It's NOT enough to only love this country when everything is in perfect order! Without unconditional love for this country and for each other we'll be doomed to terminal manic-depressive status. There are ways to build our country up without burning it to the ground first. Wait and see what is up ahead before reacting to something that hasn't happened yet and stand firm... not behind a man but behind America. Stand tall and proud behind our country... WE THE PEOPLE!   

A PERSONAL PARDON

TODAY'S QUOTE:
To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you... Lewis B. Smedes

Oh boy, ain't that just scary true? Figuring that out often takes a large portion of our lifetime, but even at a late date the value to our soul is beyond measure. Some, "get it" just in the nick of time, proving it's truly never too late to embrace God's grace. A dawning at sunset is a miracle. True understanding repairs and restores the eternal portion of self; it won't reduce wrinkles of face or form or repair a body worn by time and illness. A healthy soul is always worth the wait, no matter it's length . 

Our main mistake is in thinking that any act of true forgiveness is a gift that we're giving to whomever did us wrong. We instinctively dig our heel in at the very notion of  bending over and ending up getting screwed... AGAIN. Thought patterns like that couldn't be any further from the truth. But it isn't possible to reconsider our own point of view inside the confines of a tightly closed mind. Unclenching is done by a soul brave and true that cannot live in comfort in such tight quarters. Only then can the dawning of the true nature of forgiveness begin.   

Realizing that the gift isn't for the ones who used and abused us demands time and energy we don't possess at the very point of impact. All our natural and unnatural defenses  create a healing distance from the wounding and generate the strength necessary to put it into better perspective. Yes, they can benefit if they choose to, if we even inform them at all. It may be impossible to voice it face-to-face. They may be gone from our life or from this life altogether. Do it anyway!

We must dismiss any misplaced notion that anyone is obliged to say they're sorry for what they did to us for forgiveness to work correctly. If they didn't fret over the pain they caused when you laid wounded at their feet they won't give a sudden shit later on. Sometimes your forgiveness may induce them to try harder to achieve whatever harm they first intended. I'm not saying don't tell them if it seems vital to you somehow. But be forewarned that they may increase the height of the mountain of bull-shit you're dealing with in an effort to show you how little value they place in your pardon.

In the long run what they feel or value has no real power, unless you invite it to matter. If someone punched you in the face  without provocation you wouldn't worry about their feelings. Fight back or walk away... keep silent or scream bloody murder... turn the other cheek or call the police; the reaction of the moment never dooms you to carry that burden forever. They created the baggage, but it's you who strap it onto your own back. Forgiving their fist and the mindset behind its use instantly rids you of the negative emotions their assault inspired. I doubt you'd bother advising them of their pardon, but that doesn't alter the benefit you'll receive.

There is one blessing that makes forgiveness much easier to accomplish. Forgetting isn't necessary to make this magic work. The fact is that forgetting is the cousin of condoning bad behavior. A stove is hot... don't touch it. Forget that and you'll spend your life doing wound care. The stove won't chase you in order to burn; your own carelessness is at fault. Forget about a heavy hand and invite its assault. Remembering will keep you safer, but forgiving will keep you saner.

Do it for your own peace of mind and quietness of your soul. You didn't deserve the pain so don't wear it for a lifetime. Feel it fully, validate it completely, absorb what it teaches, unclench your fist, open your heart, and simply forgive. Get out of God's way and let the magic begin... think about it... let it ride... then YOU decide!!!