Posts Tagged: joy

The Journey Beyond — No Comments
2
Sep 10

Simply the Future

Hi there.

I hope you read the last blog entry because if you didn’t the next sentence will make no sense.

This blog entry was last Monday’s future.  It is no longer the future but present.  Tomorrow it will be history.

The motion of time is a stubborn task master.  It stops for no one.   If it does stop for you it’s time to start looking for that bright light.

Before I go on I must say, I feel pretty inadequate tackling the topic of the future.  There are literally hundreds of books about the future where minds much better than mine have studied, analyzed and hypothesized.

Nothing makes me an expert on the future and there is no logical reason why you would even take note of what I have to say.  For those who are regular readers I’m sure you have noticed by now that not knowing something about a topic doesn’t keep me from having an opinion.

Anyway, I think a person who possesses something (in this case a future) has a right to pontificate.  I have a future like anyone else.

I look to the future because that’s where I’m going to spend the rest of my life.
- George Burns At age 87; he lived to be 100

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Like George the future is where I’m going to spend the rest of my life.  Now there are no guarantees as to how long of a future I have.  In three minutes I could keel over from a heart attack.  It’s not likely and I sure hope that it is not the case but… who knows?

So I plan to poke around the edges of the “future” topic and just maybe something will tumble out of my head that makes a little sense and encourage or challenge you.

This future thing can get pretty heady if we are not careful.  And like so many things that tend to feel beyond us we make it much too complicated.  The future in reality is rather simple to understand… not easy but simple.

We may not like the simplicity of it but it is simple none the less.  There are two of the basic truths that are important to keep in mind as we look forward.

Simple Truth # 1

We cannot ultimately control the future.  We can potentially impact and influence the future but as I said earlier there are no guarantees.

Life Alert: It has been well over three minutes and I am still kicking.  There have been no bright lights so that’s good news.  So I still have a future… who rah!

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OK, back to the future.  As I stated, we cannot ultimately control the future.  Our best plans and efforts are just that.  We all on some level know this truth but some use it to justify not doing anything.

Simple Truth # 2

Live life now and live it right.  Although there are no guarantees regarding the future the journey is the joy.   I remember as a kid building little towns in the dirt.  I would make roads and bridges and had all sorts of fun stuff.  The joy and pleasure was in the creating not the completion.  Yes there was a degree of satisfaction upon completion but the good memories are of the process

So to help you loosen up regarding your future you have an assignment.  Enjoy yourselves now.  Enjoy the process.  Here are a few things I encourage you to do.

  • use the good china
  • burn the fancy candles
  • take the plastic off the furniture
  • eat the gourmet food in the pantry that you picked up on vacation 3 years ago and you have been waiting for that special occasion (usually it goes bad before you use it anyway)
  • wear the expensive perfume

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Enjoy!

See you in the future… Monday.

Random Thoughts — 2 Comments
9
Aug 10

A Reunion Tale

Hi.  In case you are wondering I am doing much better today than last Thursday.  As you can tell from my last blog entry it was a pretty weird day.

This past weekend I accompanied my wife to her high school reunion.  Have you been to a class reunion with your spouse lately?  Fun huh?

Now that I have been to a couple of reunions with my wife I of course consider myself an expert in such matters and therefore must share my considerable insights.  I must have some fun with the topic of class reunions before I get to the more serious matters.  Knowing me, I am sure that I will embellish it quite a bit just for effect.  But you will notice that the embellishment will not cover the core truths.

It’s amazing what you see at reunions.  People are nipped, tucked, lifted, padded, pulled in, pushed up, pooched out, colored, covered, or disguised – that’s just the organizing committee greeting you at the door.

After you enter the main room you are quickly swept up in a social mosh pit.  People are smiling, talking, laughing and greet you like you’re an old friend while they try to discretely glance at your name tag to figure out who you are.

Once it is determined that you are not a former classmate you are quickly passed over like a wilted piece of lettuce that has been on the salad bar a bit too long while their eyes dart eagerly to something more appetizing.

Eventually the other spouses like me find themselves forced to the fringes not because of rudeness but because we are unable to compete with the energy and activity the center of the room demands.

So we stand and observe.  After a bit the patterns emerge and shortly you are able to mouth the conversation from across the room.  “Hi, where are you now?  What have you been doing?  Do you have children?”   Once these questions are answered you see the mouths stop moving and the vacant stare of wondering what to talk about now.  This usually occurs with those in the class that you kinda knew but had no real history to connect.  I called this the Level One conversation.

If there is a history between the two classmates then a Level Two conversation ensued.   This conversation starts with, “Remember when…?”  If the situation being remembered is significant enough, other classmates quickly gather and join in.  It sort of looked like the pigeons you see at the park swarming and jostling over the discovery of a few morsels of bread.

Before you know it a chorus of laughter breaks the air.  It is almost like fireworks of emotion shooting off and exploding all over the room.

It was always interesting to observe the classmates who had a history together.  But there is history and then… there is history (if you know what I mean).  For example, at the first class reunion I attended with my wife all eyes were waiting to see how the Captain and quarterback of the football team and the Homecoming Queen would greet each other.  They were “THE” couple in school.  Would there be a spark?  Would there be that “affectionate glance”?

I was interested too because I’m married to the Homecoming Queen.

Side Note: Me being married to a Homecoming Queen is a miracle in and of itself.  Let me just say that if I went to my high school reunion no one would know me.  Seriously, I bet there would be no more than one or two people who would remember me.  No offense to the people who would remember me but they weren’t too popular themselves.

Anyway, back to the quarterback and Homecoming Queen saga.  Bottom-line, it was no big deal (whew!).  My point being is that you could usually tell if there was personal history either by observing the conversation between the two people or by the side conversations of others.

Now I know a lot of people who would say that they hate to go or would never go to there spouses school or family reunion.

If you are a spouse you need to read the next blog.  It is for you.

See you Thursday.

The Journey Beyond — No Comments
22
Jul 10

Big Arms and a Clear Head

Hi there.  Good to have you visit.

I learned something this week.  I learned that if you think you may be a writer; don’t read a book by an outstanding author.  Whoa, intimidating.

I am amazed at the art of words at the hand of a good writer.  It is one thing to create a picture using a myriad of adjectives and sentences.  It is quite another when a brilliant word artist pierces your mind with a vibrant image using a few simple words.

My first thoughts were a short lived comparison of the masterpiece I was reading and my feeble little blog.  “Jerry, you don’t want to go there.”

Now don’t go being all concerned about my damaged psyche or emotional condition.  All’s good.  But it has been interesting to discover what kind of stuff was dislodged and started tumbling around inside of me as a result of all this.  Especially being a person who tends to be pretty protective of what people think of me.

I was reminded that things that grab you by the throat and toss you around a bit won’t kill you but gets your attention and forces you to focus.  It quickly causes one to filter the clutter and grab hold of the center of the issue.

The fact that the author of the book I am reading is an outstanding writer says something about him and his talents, not about me.  I cannot be him and he cannot be me… and I think we are both happy.

“I yam what I yam and that’s all that I yam!”

- Popeye

It’s a nice feeling knowing who you are.  That doesn’t mean we settle for being less than what we can be, but not be burdened by being something we weren’t intended to be.

It is amazing how much time and energy we spend in our lives trying to be something we’re not.  It is a great relief and joy to know who you are.  Just like Poyeye.

YouTube Preview Image

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So this blog journey I started in January is going well from my perspective.  I’m learning a lot and I continue to type away.

I may not be flowery or create great word pictures but I sure hope I make you think.

Oh, by the way, some of you may be wondering what I am reading.  It is the fiction Peace Like a River by Lief Enger.

A Review:

Leif Enger’s remarkable novel Peace Like a River quietly slipped into bookstores in September. Like the smart kid who sits at the back of the class and seldom speaks, it was very nearly overlooked during the brawling Franzen-Oprah hoopla. However, Peace Like a River is a book worthy of the loudest trumpet fanfare and showers of confetti available. Put this one right to the head of the class.

- Reviewed by David Abrams, January Magazine

Bye, see you Monday.

The Journey Beyond — No Comments
19
Jul 10

Fun or Fruit

In Thursday’s blog I talked about how easy it is to forget important things in our lives.  I’m not talking about important things with a small ”i” such as brushing your teeth, recycling and absolutely making sure you don’t miss the last episode of Survivor.

Oddly, it’s the little “i” things we don’t tend to forget.  They are part of our daily routine and are tangible in nature.  The big “I” things are more foundational and abstract.  The big “I” stuff are things such as our core values, our philosophy of life, life priorities and relationships.

Side Note: Although abstract in nature these are revealed in very tangible behaviors.  What’s on the inside comes out in the details of our lives.

I talked about having tangible symbols to remind us of the IMPORTANT things in our lives.  Taking care of the big “I” things strengthens us and breaths life into us because these are the roots of our being.

Just as large trees begin to slowly die when the roots are neglected we to begin to wither when our roots are left unattended.  Tending the roots must become part of our routine.  Activities must be built into our schedule to do things that feed and strengthen the roots.

There are two things that endanger the roots.  The first danger is the most heinous, frightening and common.  Neglect.  We destroy ourselves by neglect.  We are the culprits of our own demise.  We do this by the slow erosion and deterioration of our core by neglecting the disciplines of self care.

Side Note: Unfortunately there is another sad reality.  This to me is almost as scary and frankly just as sad as destroying one’s self.  It is the person who only does just enough tending of the ground to keep themselves functioning.  They function but never know the joy of bearing abundant fruit.

Joy is sacrificed on the alter of ease.

The other dangers are the attacks of things from the outside that invade and destroy.  I live in a small community that is known in our area for our magnificent trees.  The community takes pride in their trees and has in place an ongoing disciplined plan that actively nurtures and cares for them.

But we are having tree problems, not for lack of care but because we are under attack.  There is a very small innocent looking worm that is causing unbelievable carnage to Ash trees.  The Emerald Ash Borer has been on a rampage in our area of the country and these magnificent trees are in jeopardy.

This is in essence the same types of challenges we face in our lives.  There are small innocent looking things in this world that are our equivalent to the Emerald Ash Borer.

And the weird thing about it is that what may be something that endangers me may not be the thing that endangers you.  These are little things that penetrate the protective surface because we have allowed them to bore into our life.

I don’t know what your Emerald Ash Bore is but if you have been reading my blog for any length of time you know a couple of mine… worrying what people think and lack of self discipline.

So to be successful on this journey I must constantly nurture and feed my core and to guard against the small critters that want to destroy.

Honestly it takes work…  and I have a choice… to experience the joy of bearing more fruit or take it easy and wither away.

Humm, I choose JOY.

See you Thursday.

The Journey Beyond — No Comments
20
May 10

Back to the Mountain

Howdy.

Did you notice that my writing accent took on a distinct down home twang since we’re back on the trail?

Side Note: No need to say it… weird, I know… you just have to bear with me.

I have been at this blog thing for five months.  It has been a very interesting journey so far, but not easy.  I have heard that anything substantive and worth doing isn’t easy.  I tend to agree.

That’s one of the reasons I feel pretty good about writing this blog.  It’s sure not because I feel I have set the standard for literary excellence.  But it’s because historically I have tended to be pretty lazy and take the easier way.  It’s sad to say and embarrassing to admit it, but it’s true.

That’s one of the things that I finally had to face up to.  Lies and excuses will keep you trapped in the purgatory of mediocrity.  I was going to hell of mediocrity but pain produces action.  Purgatory is a state of nothingness.  You’re not good enough to experience the excitement of risk and joy of success, but you’re good enough to avoid the pain of failure.  Like I said… nothingness.

I really can’t say what has stirred over the past few years but thank God something has.  Now you can get a glimpse of why this blog was a big step.

I pray (don’t worry, I’m not going to get all churchy on you) that something I share may pierce the shell that either protects you from outside things, or traps you from getting out.

Once again listen to the voice beyond the wall (Blog # 1 & 2) calling you to something more.

“Men go out into the void spaces of the world for various reasons.  Some are actuated by love of adventure, some have the keen thirst for scientific knowledge, and others again are drawn away from the trodden path by the lure of little voices, the mysterious fascination of the unknown.”

-          Ernest Shackleton, Explorer (1874-1922)

Side Note: If you have never heard of Ernest Shackleton I encourage you to read the book Endurance.  It is an absolutely amazing true story and of courage, perseverance and heroism.

You cannot have discovery unless you have the unknown.  Yes the unknown can scare the hell out of you.  Mediocrity is the home of the known.  No risk, no fear, no discomfort, no life.

That’s the beauty of listening for the siren call.  Hearing the call captures the imagination and the fear of looking bad or fear of failure is overwhelmed by the fear of losing out on something great.

Listen… Do you hear it?  I do, what a joy.

See you Monday

The Journey Beyond — No Comments
26
Apr 10

Making A Memory

Aloha.  No… I’m not in Hawaii.  “Aloha” just popped in my head so I said it.  It’s probably obvious by now that weird things pop in my head and I just go with it.

I have had the privilege to travel several places, two of which are Hawaii and Wales.

Side Note: Yes, I know that this is a weird comparison but stick with me and you will see that it comes to a remarkably meaningless point.  (just kidding… just kidding)

My wife and I visited Hawaii first and then a few years later to Wales.  The native language of both is remarkable, and they are especially interesting when compared side by side.  Here is a representative example of the two languages in comparing the names of two towns… Kealakekua, Hawaii and Pwllgwyngyll, Wales.  My wife said she thought that Hawaii should share some of their vowels with Wales.

This a small weird example but that’s the excitement and joy of going to new places… the thrill of experiencing something different and finding quirky things.

The example may be travel but there’s a principle here that is important for all of us who desire to grow and learn.  Being willing to try new things and go to new places is the cornerstone.  This does not mean traveling to exotic places or doing expensive stuff.  It is just stepping beyond our circle of comfort.

It is important to point out that sameness and constancy is not a bad thing.  There is a very important place for this.  Sameness and constancy provide a stabilizer in a very turbulent chaotic world.  But if not careful, these stabilizing elements subtly sedate and we are slowly absorbed into complacency.  And we drone along in life missing multitudes of simple joys that are just outside arms reach because our fingers are comfortably clasped resting on our tummy.

An analogy that fits my thinking is this, sameness and constancy is kinda like the prairie land mass and the different and quirky are the mountains and valleys.  I personally believe that you need both in proper levels to experience life’s fullness.

But it’s the different and quirky experiences that provide dimension and texture to life and it is these that create the memories.

So as you know (if you have been hanging out with me on this blog for any length of time), I like to try different things.  Well… I want to share something that me and some friends did the other evening that was great fun, somewhat quirky (not kinky) and very entertaining.

And yes… because a risk was taken, this activity created a memory that we will share and talk about for years.

So join me Thursday for the details.  It may be something you would like to try.

Aloha!

Weird Side Note: Aloha… Hello and good-bye.  Pretty cool word, or were they just being lazy?