I probably won’t have the answer.
(Questions sometimes don’t have answers.)
I probably won’t fully understand, either.
And, no, I won’t know exactly how you feel.
What I can give you?
My presence.
Compassionate presence.
My full attention.
My open ears.
My open arms.
My open heart.
My infinite patience.
My silence if that’s what is needed.
I will never minimize the burden you carry.
I just won’t let you carry it alone.
Photo by Brent Ninaber on Unsplash
You should have seen me, standing alone on stage under the bright lights with the shinning award in one hand and my prepared speech in the other, ready to thank the Academy.
Of course, the only place you could have seen this play out was in my mind. Because it never actually happened.
Sometimes when I’m watching those award shows on TV I playfully wonder who I would thank in my acceptance speech for winning a Grammy. I envision myself emotionally thanking everyone who has gotten me to this point, those who believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself, my family, my mentors, the fans…and, of course, Mom! Continue reading “Who Will You Be Thanking For All You Have Become?”
What if you just decided to be happy, right now, for no particular reason?
Certain things make us happy. That usually happens when the outside world meets or exceeds our expectations. Then we allow ourselves to be happy. Happiness becomes the result when our terms and conditions are met.
But what happens when the world around us lets us down?
Think about how a rainy day off from work makes you feel. We establish our expectations for what a “perfect” day off should be, and then the rain ruins everything. Our expectations are not met and our disappointment undermines our ability to be happy.
Why do we place so much of our capacity for happiness into the hands of the outside world of which we have zero control over?
Continue reading “Embracing the Radical Idea of Unconditional Happiness”
Funny how most of the important parts of our lives don’t come with any instructions. But buy a $10 toaster and inside the box you’ll find an owner’s manual with detailed instructions on how to turn soft room temperature bread into warm crusty bread. Usually this information is translated into several different languages, ensuring that a language barrier will never prevent any one from enjoying the simple pleasures of toast.
As much as I enjoy toast and the science and technology behind it, I’d like to think that a troubleshooting guide to life’s deeper questions would be far more valuable than figuring out how to get my bread to toast a little lighter.
Life, and all the questions that come along with it, is just one of those things you have to figure out on your own.
Perhaps life is just far too complicated to have all its mysteries resolved by following a few simple steps. And since no two of us are Continue reading “Expecting Green To Be Blue”
Perhaps your toaster is trying to tell you something?
I never think about my toaster. Even when I’m plugging it in. Even when I’m putting my English muffins into the over-sized slots. I never think about my toaster.
My toaster is just sitting there on the counter. It’s always been on my counter. Probably always will be, too. It’s just one of those props on the set of my mornings, just like the coffee maker and the can opener.
My relationship with my toaster is decidedly one-sided. It’s always been about what the toaster can do for me. White, wheat, or Continue reading “Why You Really Need To Hug Your Toaster”
“He’ll get what’s coming to him someday.”
I overheard this in a conversation at a store today. Apparently this person was rather upset with another person, but at the same time she seemed to take some comfort in her gleeful anticipation of his impending demise.
In the world of Karma, what goes around comes around. And this person just couldn’t wait for Karma to settle the score. As if Karma was some sort of big brother thug with a baseball bat about to smash the headlights out of this guy’s pickup truck.
Karma is a force in this world for sure. It’s a magnetic energy of attraction with a “give and you shall receive” tattoo on it’s bicep. I, Continue reading “Karma the Boomerang Meets Grace the Stick”
When I think of motherhood, the one word which comes to mind is love. Actually, I need two words…
Unconditional love.
I’ve felt it as a son, and I see it in my wife’s eyes as we raise our three daughters.
Unconditional love isn’t always pretty. It is often loud, sometimes quite contentious. Sometimes it doesn’t even feel like love at all.
But underneath the drama and the slamming doors, the love of a mother is always there.
I have found your peace and happiness. It’s located where you’ve probably never considered looking.
It’s found between your shoulders and your wrists.
That’s right. Your elbows.
Think for just a moment about your elbows. Your elbows play a rather important role in your ability to do many things in your life. For example, elbows make it possible for you to feed yourself. Just for fun, the next time you’re eating something, place your fork in your hand and extend your arm straight. Now try placing the fork into your mouth.
See what I mean?
Without elbows, your functionality and independence are greatly compromised. Spend a few minutes going through your day without Continue reading “Your Elbows Have A Lot To Teach You About Peace And Happiness”
Alcohol, cookies, and red meat.
And we can’t forget about the swearing.
At various points in my life I’ve given each of them up for the 40 days of Lent. I was brought up believing Lent was about giving up stuff I liked to make the God I was taught to fear happy. Eventually I saw into the significance of what spiritual discipline was all about, but I never saw the correlation between my diet and vocabulary and my spiritual salvation. But that’s just me.
As a spiritual meanderer, I’ve often struggled with some of life’s bigger questions. None bigger than trying to figure out what God wants me to do Continue reading “Alcohol, Red Meat, and the Clarity of Purpose”
Are you waiting for the world to make you happy, waiting for the warmth of the sun to make you smile?
We’re all hoping for sunshine, but in the end the weatherman, no matter how experienced and informed, is basing his forecast on something he really has no control over.
Sort of how we hope for happiness.
So much of the happiness we seek is far too dependent upon forces we do not control. We empower things external to placate the internal. We Continue reading “Be Your Own Sunshine”
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