Blissful Blunders

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Whenever you make a mistake or get knocked down by life, don't look back at it too long. Mistakes are life's way of teaching you. Your capacity for occasional blunders is inseparable from your capacity to reach your goals. No one wins them all, and your failures, when they happen, are just part of your growth. Shake off your blunders. How will you know your limits without an occasional failure? Never quit. Your turn will come."... Og Mandino

When you fall take a minute to catch your breath... take a minute to attend to any injury... take a minute to regain your footing... take a minute to identify what tripped you up... take a minute to clear it from the path... take a minute to dust yourself off... take a minute to stretch out the kinks... take a minute to get your bearings... take a minute to give thanks for possessing the strength rise again... take a minute to gather impressions and notions to ponder as you travel forward... then continue your journey.

Ten minutes will seem to be way too short a time to some and much too long to others. Some will spring back up and attempt a sprint, only to trip again over the very same obstacle. Some will sit feeling sorrow for so long that a puddle of pity will form, adding a burden they didn't possess until they produced it for themselves. Some will try to skip a step or more in an attempt to streamline the process. Some will add steps galore until the number alone overwhelms any notion of moving on. And some precious few will follow the pattern set and stroll away with a straight back, lifted chin, and eyes that sparkle with anticipation.

Some will waste time trying to make their journey easier. When they finally move... if they move at all... they simply shuffle along, head down searching madly for any danger ahead. Some will start building a monument to their misfortune. Once it's complete they'll worship at its base and give up on any notion of moving on. They'll erect a squatters shelter and spend the rest of their existence telling their sad story to any and all who pass by. Few ever join them in worship there. Most of us recognize the error of allowing any short term fumble to become a life long ending. Most of us move forward and quickly pass both the squatter and the shufflers up ahead.

Some of us may slow down enough to give encouragement as we pass. Some of us may call names, even though we shouldn't. Some of us will leave a trail of some sort, just in case the one's left behind come to their senses and decide to give up on giving up. We'll all react in one fashion or another, but stopping won't ever be a choice of the sensible. The determined among the walking wounded will be driven forward at a steady pace. They won't take the risk of becoming infected by any negatives. They may leave a map. They may leave a clue. But they won't nurse an unwilling patient or try to alter a mindset determined to be hopeless.

They fall as hard as anyone else, but they rise with a grace all of their own. They may want to travel with a companion, but they know to choose wisely who they match their steps beside. They'll eventually find someone who clearly knows where they're heading if they avoid the ones who focus only on where they've been. They'll see some so determined to look at the past that they walk backwards. They may warn of the dangers of cliffs and sink holes up ahead, but they won't stay to save someone so determined to fail. The walking wounded who see themselves as warriors will keep traveling and learning from their failures. And hope of an eternal sort will be their constant companion even if their journey is destined to be solitary.

THINK ABOUT IT... LET IT RIDE... THEN YOU DECIDE!!!

© GLENDA ALEXANDER

Every Word

TODAY'S QUOTE: Your own words are the bricks and mortar of the dreams you want to realize. Behind every word flows energy... Sonia Choquette

Every word you utter has more influence and power than most of us really understand. I think we can agree that negative speech causes damage to our fellowman. I imagine we also realize that using the same formula when we're silently addressing ourselves inspires a similar outcome. You can't build anything solid with negatives; tearing down, stealing joy, and subtracting confidence are specialties of any negativity that recognizes no borders and respects no boundaries. Putting your words to better use doesn't happen automatically. The struggle is real. But if it's worthy of fighting for it's certainly worth the effort.

Self-awareness is the best tool to use in reshaping a faulty mindset. And the best place to begin altering how you use your voice is to pay careful attention to how you speak to yourself. Being your own worst critic doesn't inspire growth. Weeds should never be lovingly tended... if ignored they'll quickly overtake any vacant space... killing them before they multiply may be a mighty struggle, but with practice you'll soon be a master gardener. Stop putting yourself down and start lifting yourself up. Negative thoughts won't nibble where you don't leave any bait!

A brick composed of negatives will easily crumble. Nothing built will survive even the gentlest of storms. Once you free your mind of all those pesky weeds turn your attention to policing your mouth. Words said plant seeds. Ears listen to their echo and take them to heart then harvest their message. Be mindful of what you're planting inside your fellowman, or you'll be the fault of many a weed field. Use your words to create beauty. Use your voice as a peace-maker, not as a shit-stirrer. Use your influence to build bridges. Discourage gossip by never lending it an ear and always denying it the use of your lips.

Once you're readjusted inside and out it's time to make valuable use of handpicked thoughts and well chosen words to breath life into a dream. An uncluttered mind gives your heart an empty canvass on which to create a masterpiece. A soul that isn't being strangled by negative emotions can soar to unimaginable heights and give priceless encouragement to your deepest desires. And anyone touched with even the lightest of pressure will be infected with hope and you'll leave them better off from simply watching your flight. Fact is their waves of hope will leave you better off as well, adding major lift to your journey.

Our differences should always be less important than our ability to overcome them. Reasons to disagree always outnumber the ways we see eye-to-eye. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but how we react when we're at odds with one another certainly can become a tragedy. The use of words as weapons is always wrong. Being right is never as important as being civilized enough to allow others to own their own opinion without fear of attack. Debate can be healthy. By using violence and volume as a way to convince someone to agree with your beliefs sets the battlefield in motion.

I don't understand why people of late act as if the differing beliefs of our countrymen has to inspire something that so resembles civil war where words are flung to-and-fro instead of bullets. Why is it so hard to understand that when everyone is screaming then nobody is really listening. You simply can't hope to change minds and touch hearts by being the loudest. A bit of respect from both sides would do more to unite us as a nation and give equal space for reasonable debate. The world is watching and waiting for an implosion that our actions imply. Why not use our words wisely and debate in a less destructive fashion? We're a fine family and this is our beautiful home; showing our ass to the neighbors won't further anyone's agenda.

THINK ABOUT IT... LET IT RIDE... THEN YOU DECIDE!!!

© GLENDA ALEXANDER
      



    

 

Opportune Enemy Cultivation

TODAY'S QUOTE: "If you can cultivate the right attitude, your enemies are your best spiritual teachers because their presence provides you with the opportunity to enhance and develop tolerance, patience and understanding"... His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

It really isn't a matter of if you can... of course you can. But will you? Now that's a different matter altogether. If you're willing to amend a mindset until you own your attitude and it stops owning you then you'll succeed. If you continue slamming the door on any internal alterations then you won't do the work and you won't gain the reward. Either way is it's powered by personal choice alone. A mind is open or closed according to our instructions. And a bad attitude is a guest invited, not a ruler by the grace of God.

To cultivate means preparation for whatever crop we plan on producing. And oftentimes we don't have a clue about what we're planting. We sling seeds then don't tend our garden so when we reap weeds how can we be shocked? We should figure out what's worthy of planting inside of our mind before we begin. We should give it all the attention it deserves so the harvest will leave us soul satisfied. Change is hard, but growing roots where we stand dooms us to a very narrow existence.

It's all about adapting to our environment then becoming more discriminative in taste and judgement. It takes real determination to alter a mindset, but it's well within our power. We possess the tools; it's just a matter of using them wisely. A shovel can dig a hole. A hose can transport water from place to place. A car can travel many miles on a tank of gas. But none of these tools can do anything unless we utilize them. Using the tools we have wisely is the only path to true wisdom.

Dealing kindly with bothersome people is much easier if viewed as a measurement of our own personal growth. When we don't agree with someone it's criminal to respond with hateful words or violent aggression. Nobody's mind ever got changed in that fashion... nobody's heart was ever softened by hard treatment. No sane person would willingly be changed in a positive way by negative means. I know it's out of fashion, but we really need to try a little more kindness nowadays. A lot more would be even better, but a bit of good is much better than none at all. God bless the USA!!!!

THINK ABOUT IT... LET IT RIDE... THEN YOU DECIDE!!!

© GLENDA ALEXANDER

OUR IMMORTAL ECHO

TODAY'S QUOTE: "The influence of each human being on others in this life is a kind of immortality."... John Quincy Adams

The power of persuasion is a sacred tool with a range of motion that imposes no limits upon its reach. Our touch can be absorbed, digested, and passed on over and over, leaving an echo behind us that may eventually be heard once again up ahead. I'm depending upon my words to produce an echo strong enough to give comfort long after I'm nothing more than dust in the wind.

If we truly seek to leave behind more than we take away then this tool is always used in the most positive of fashions. When our hunger far exceeds our need it gets misused to influence the greedy by negative means. The tools are identical when they're first put to use, but one is quickly made misshapen by its ill-use. The difference between leaving the world better or bitterer rests completely in how you choose to use your precious power of persuasion.

Careful examination of our agenda should help curb some instances of misuse that lead to abuse. We should always know what we're selling and why. No matter what we own at the end it'll surely be picked over by the ones who inherit our worldly goods. If what we are is defined by what we own then once we own nothing our life amounts to nothing of any importance. And that is a shame and a sin.

The only real legacy we can leave behind to benefit our fellowman is an echo profound enough to deserve immortality; even if it never achieves that state, the effort is still worthy of making it a priority. I've used my pain for gain. I don't profit in any way from what I do, although I don't doubt for one minute that my talent has real worth. I spend every waking moment helping others...  through my writing and through the tender care I give my husband 24/7. I consider the first a duty and the second an honor. My echo will be here long after I'm gone, and I'm satisfied it'll continue to give more than it takes.

Use your words for healing and your actions for comfort. Inspire understanding between people when you're able. Never make anyone feel stupid because they're of a differing opinion than your own. Never allow violence to be used in the name of a cause you endorse, because when the shit hits the fan it sprays in every direction. Never show in your actions or words such negative thoughts and emotions that your enemy's delight in your confusion and see it as weakness. Give every man a chance to do good before you condemn him for evil intentions. If we look hard enough we can find bad in everyone, but we can also find goodness... it all depends on the tilt of your soul. PLEASE THINK ABOUT IT... LET IT RIDE... THEN YOU DECIDE!!!

      

A SUCCESSION OF LIVES

TODAY'S QUOTE:
A woman's life can really be a succession of lives, each revolving around some emotionally compelling situation or challenge, and each marked off by some intense experience...
Wallis Simpson

These words were certainly true for the woman who said them; a king abdicated his crown for love of her. Her life was dramatic enough to wobble a kingdom. She became instantly world famous as well as infamous and their life together inspired countless books and movies. For Wallis Simpson this quote was a bit of an understatement, but it's true in some lesser measure for most of humanity.

I think the only thing I may disagree with is the limiting of it to the female gender. Males suffer in life too... maybe not in the same fashion or for the same reason; women don't possess a monopoly there. We simply show our true colors more often and most alterations are done center stage. Men are less likely to turn themselves inside out in public... that doesn't mean they're not very well acquainted with life's challenges.

With that respectful tip of my hat I return my focus to the female portion of, "how to unpucker, untwist, and unwad with grace." Life unfolds, one layer at a time when we're young; gain a bit of age and the speed increases dramatically. Before too long the layers begin to overlap. One role is followed by the next at a speed guaranteed to confuse. That dizzy pattern continues until we learn to unite all layers to create a single masterpiece.

Awareness is the key. As the distance between roles shrinks who we were tangles with who we are and attempts to overpower who we're truly meant to be. It's overwhelming to a ridiculous degree and the more we struggle the deeper we sink. When quicksand becomes our platform it's never voluntary, but letting it all end there certainly is. No matter the number of layers applied to our form our soul is our salvation. No matter how the landscape shifts... no matter how many hats we're forced to wear... no matter what our feet rest upon, our soul can keep us headed in the right direction. But we've got to give it a voice in the selection process.

Roles change as we travel along. Coming of age broadens our choices, while becoming aged shrinks the playing field. It's the in-between years that define our roles, but often so little planning is done that we find ourselves in costumes that never fit who we are inside. Just drifting with the flow and playing a part thrust upon us makes us little more than puppets. If we're not the one pulling the strings and we do nothing to alter our role as puppet we really have no reason for complaint. But we have every reason for revolt, even if we never lift a hand to free ourselves.

Too many decisions are made using shallow facts. Roles come in conflict with one another so there's often an internal war between heart and mind. Our labels overlap to such a degree that we're forced to fight for our very breath. We grow weary and give up... accepting crumbs when we deserve the banquet. Try deep breathing... try deep digging... try letting the deepest part of our being lead the way. Our souls are eternal while a heart will cease beating and a brain will fail us as well. If all choices were made with our souls at the bargaining table then all our roles would be tailor made and fit like a glove. Our layers would reinforce one another and the complete package would be a masterpiece of priceless worth and magnificent beauty. All quicksand would disappear and we'd find ourselves safely standing upon solid rock. Think about it... let it ride... then YOU decide!!!