Suckers

If we're really observant, we can learn lessons and get answers from places and things that in a hectic world may seem unlikely.  But it may require some unconventional thinking.  

Many have learned to tap into shrinks, friends and family, Dr. Phil or Oprah for advice. Who am I to knock these self-help avenues if it resolves your situation?  As for me, I am personally going through a metamorphosis of sorts, just like the rest of the country and world right now.  I needed to reach a little deeper to maintain my sanity and peace. Recently I gained some unexpected insight from doing nothing at all, except observing nature from a well-placed seat in my mother's backyard.  

I wondered why my mother felt it necessary to cut branches from the bottom of a pear tree in her garden.  I found out that when a tree is quite young and the trunk hasn't yet developed into a huggable width, suckers are often generated at the bottom.  These suckers are low branches that sap the energy from the tree's growth.  An educated gardener knows to cut them off in order to allow the tree to grow upward instead of outward. 

In life, we all have suckers, whether it be too much television watching, excess weight that causes health problems, procrastination and yes people can be suckers too.  Is it time to get to cutting?

The right time...

There are many things that I need right now and some things that I really want....but I am not lacking. This may seem contradictory because being in a position of want and need are usually synonymous with being without. Notice I say usually. However, my mother told me a long time ago that what is for me, will be for me. And so today, I realize that I have everything that I need. I have made a conscious decision not to chase after things that don't......won't......will never, ever really belong to me. I let go and let God.

Ok Universe, I release my grip in order to better grasp what truly is mine.

As the singers said in that classic song based on Ecclesiastes, to everything, turn, turn, turn, there is a season, turn, turn, turn. We are truly living in a time of change. The first African-American president is in the White House. To be honest, I didn't think I would ever see the day. Pandemic, life-threatening diseases, wars, high unemployment rates, foreclosures, global warming, etc. have many of us living in a constant state of fear. I heard once that fear is nothing but False Events Appearing Real. What are we really afraid of? As horrible as it all is, these events have a place and a reason. I'm not implying that we are supposed to sit back passively and watch the world go up in smoke. But it does seem a good time to put things into perspective and know who holds our future.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

So little time...

When did life get so hectic? It feels like no matter how early I wake up, I just won't be able to get through my list of things to do, on any given Sunday or any other day of the week. It's getting to the point where I have to make a concerted effort to spend time with my friends. A brief conversation with them, whether it be via telephone, email or text, is followed by plugging our plans into my iPhone calendar, a follow up email and the transaction is almost sealed. They are equally as, if not more, busy, and so it may take a few texts back and forth--who has time for an actual conversation--to fine tune the details. There are days that are so jam packed that actually going to bed at a reasonable hour seems an unrealistic luxury.

At the end of one day in particular, I remember only being able to check off three of the ten things on my to-do list. I can't help but wonder if I've just gotten slower? Is this a natural part of the aging process or is time really flying by faster, like the final grains of sand in an hour glass?

A recent report confirms that life is moving faster and that the pressures of a world moving at such a rapid pace is causing thousands of our genes to respond. While it was once thought that human evolution stopped a long time ago, scientists are now saying that today we are evolving 100 times faster. They say that an entirely new human species could possibly be the result of this rapidly-paced world--a species so different, they will not be able to breed with homo sapiens. Wow! If there's going to be a newer, more improved model of me one day, I may as well slooooooooow down and enjoy the view!

Keeping up appearances

Everything is not what it seems, someone once told me. The statement is simplistic, but so true. I have a friend who on first meeting seemed quite gruff, but over time and under the right circumstances, she has proven to be one of the sweetest, most soft-hearted people I know.

There are so many scenarios that without further evaluation are deceptive. Married couples who seem happy on the surface...but dig a little deeper and they are two signatures away from a divorce. Product advertisements that don't live up to their claims. Desserts that look delicious, but don't taste good enough to warrant the calories.

Today was a dreary, rainy day. And although it is technically spring, it sure didn't feel like it. The air was cold and damp. The clouds looming over head were ominous. The trees in a nearby park, on my way to the office supply store, were still without buds. The news on my car's radio told of the chaos in England due to G-20 rioters and the pressure put on President Obama to fix not only the economic woes of the United States but the ENTIRE world. The outlook for this day could not have been much more dismal and gray.

Leading up to this summit were the president's television appearances. His calm demeanor, not giving way to duress that could crack a nut, a weaker man, or both, challenges us all to hope. Hope in a better future. Hope that our government can fix this mess that we're in. Down and almost out, I can hear the referee counting.... where does the tenacity come from?

As I drove back home, I got my answer. Amidst the grass, beaten brown from the winter weather and the oaks long vacant limbs, showing no signs of rescusitation, there was a lone, beautiful, tree with pink buds. A sign of hope.

Feed your spirit

Some of the most joyful moments I've spent have been by myself. And as pathetic as that may sound to some people, I'm secure in my solitude. After all, if you don't enjoy spending time with yourself why should anybody else. It could be that growing up as an only child until my late teens allows me to feel comfortable in seclusion. I'm not a hermit by any stretch of the imagination. Like most people, almost every day of my life I have a heavy dose of social interaction. Most of the time I enjoy being around others. Nonetheless, I truly believe that spending time alone is not only a normal state of being, but a necessary one. And yet, so many people do everything in their power not to be alone with their thoughts, even if that means countless, mindless conversations on the phone. They are even willing to surround themselves with people they know in their heart of hearts are not their friends, just so they don't have to listen to the reasoning of their inner voice. An inner voice that in my opinion is a direct connection to the Creator.

Whether you call it meditation, centering, prayer or just silence, these stolen moments from the fast-paced and tumultuous world we're living in safeguard our sanity, mental agility and stamina. Finding the time to be with (notice I didn't say 'by') yourself is crucial--whether that means a walk in the park, a bicycle ride around a lake, a trip to the museum or sitting on the couch with a cup of hot cocoa under a warm blanket, on a cold winter day. Comparable to the body's need for water, when I don't get enough me time, I have a thirst that refuses to go away until it's satiated.

If I'm so distracted by life to the point that I don't make time for myself, the need for solitude can manifest as exhaustion or an aversion to activity outside my home. And despite the messages we receive from society that advocate constant multitasking, our bodies were not created to go, go, go like that battery-operated bunny. We need rest and time to shut out the noise of the world.

Stress management

I heard today that 75 percent of our thoughts are negative. I found it hard to believe, so I did my research. Supposedly we have between 45,000 to 51,000 thoughts a day and about three-fourths of them are not good. Someone has even figured out that if you live to be 40, you would have had more than half a billion negative thoughts. Come on, could this be true of EVERY person on the planet? If so, it's amazing we get anything done.

Regardless what exact percentage of our thinking falls in the valley of despair, the Mayo Clinic says that positive thinking is a key element for managing stress and overall better health. The experts believe the only way to override pessimism is by putting a positive spin on your self-speak. So for example if you feel you don't have the resources to get something done, you could do your own damage-control by telling yourself that necessity is the mother of invention.

There's a verse in the bible that says: "...whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate [think] on these things." (Philippians 4:8).

Here's to the power of positive thinking!