Monday, January 20, 2014

LIFE LESSONS FROM A NINE MONTH OLD



I just spent three days sequestered in a hotel room with a nine month old.
Just me and my beautiful granddaughter.
Needless to say, we did not discuss the state of the world.
I joined her world.
Here's what I learned:

--Never cry one second longer than the pain lasts

--Dive into full blown laughter for no reason at all

--Don't have any story in your head about failure.  It's all learning.

--Explore things by turning them every which way

--Know who isn't for you and refuse to go close to those you don't trust

--Take your time understanding a situation

--Grab for what you want

--When you are tired of something, just drop it

--Express everything with your whole being

--Sleep when you are tired

--Eat when you are hungry, stop when you are full

--Let people take care of you

--Love easily when you feel safe

--Wake-up happy

Monday, January 13, 2014

TRUDGERY DRUDGERY DOO

I don't know if it's because we're heading into February or because of holiday let down, but I've got that trudge feeling.

I remember climbing a long long long rickety wooden staircase in a jungle in Thailand.  I was out of shape and probably had some heart stuff going on.
I had to use "Trudge Rules" to make it. 

--Don't look up.  
Go 25 steps and stop for a count of 5.
Don't think about how you ended up facing this challenge.
Don't think about how other people are doing (charging up the stairs)
Don't think about where the top of the steps is.
Look around and enjoy during the 5 step rest.
Do not break your forward moving rhythm.
Keep it manageable if not pleasurable.
Work within your own capacity--

That's how I got to the top.
No drama.
No crisis.

Never underestimate the power of trudging.
It will take you places you thought you couldn't reach.
Stretch can come a step at a time.
Grand goals can come with steady pacing.
Getting to the top can be boringly methodical.

"Trudge Rules" rule!!!





Sunday, January 5, 2014

OPTIMISTIC PESSIMIST



I began to think about resolutions and gagged to a stop.
What a perfect arena to be an optimistic pessimist.
Yea for starting.  Nay for assuming failure.  Yea.  Nay.  Yea.  Nay.

I really am an optimistic pessimist.
Did you know pessimists hit the nail on the head as far as predictions go?
Optimists not so much.
There's all kind of research on this.  
We need optimists to spur us on and pessimists to keep us grounded enough to get something done.

So am I a happy sad person?
A positive negative person?
A light hearted dark person?

I don't know.
Joseph Campbell (as always) says it best for me.
I'm a joyful realist.

Go Joe:

"The warrior's approach
is to say 'yes' to life.

Participate joyfully
in the sorrows of the world.

We cannot cure the world of sorrows.
but we can choose to live in joy.

When we talk about
settling the world's problems right
we're barking up the wrong tree.

The world is perfect.  It's a mess.
It has always been a mess.

We are not going to change it.

Our job is to straighten out
our own lives."

Joseph Campbell