Tag: indifference

The Ever Present Presence Of Pain

The Ever Present Presence Of Pain

The constant annoying chirp coming from the ceiling was doing me a huge favor. The batteries in the smoke detector were kind enough to tell me they needed to be changed. 

My annoyance eventually shifted to gratitude as I climbed the ladder and replaced the two AA batteries. Grateful to be made aware of a situation and to proactively take care of it.

But not everything that is broken tells us that it is.

Especially when it comes to people.

We humans are quite good at masking pain, aren’t we? Of hiding the hurt behind radiant smiles and jovial laughter, creating an outer perception of “all togetherness” while being anything but on the inside.

The expression of pain and hurt is viewed as a weakness, an emotional liability in a world which seemingly only values strength. So facades are built, walls are constructed, and the painful Continue reading “The Ever Present Presence Of Pain” →

The Unexpected Wisdom Of Blueberry Pop-Tarts

The Unexpected Wisdom Of Blueberry Pop-Tarts

My perfectly scheduled afternoon wasn’t running so perfectly.

An upcoming minor surgical procedure required me get a couple of vials of blood drawn ahead of the surgery. The plan allowed me time to get a quick bite to eat after my blood work which would still give me enough time to get back to my desk for a rather important conference call. When the blood work ran much longer than anticipated, eating lunch morphed into grabbing whatever I happened to have in my glove box in the car as I raced back to the office to make my 1:30 call.

In this instance, the only thing to eat in the glove box were Blueberry Pop-Tarts.

I can’t remember the last time I had eaten a Pop-Tart. I’d enjoyed my share of them over my younger years but they just don’t have a place in a more health-conscious food plan I have for myself. As a dad who often transports over-scheduled kids between their over-scheduled appointments, snacks can usually be found in the car to make sure the kids have something in their stomachs before jumping into their next activity.

Not having had Pop-Tarts in quite some time, it was like I was eating them for the first time. I re-discovered the crumbling texture of the crust, the sweetness of the artificial blueberries, the smoothness of the chemically-enhanced frosting on top.

I liked them a lot more before I grew up and knew exactly what I was eating.

When we try things for the first time we do so with a heightened sense of awareness. We notice all the Continue reading “The Unexpected Wisdom Of Blueberry Pop-Tarts” →

Indifferently Ever After?

Eventually even the new becomes oblivious. Ultimately the vibrancy of just about anything simply fades to black.

In a culture of attainment, we often spend far too much time attaining than appreciating all we’ve already gathered into our lives.

Especially when it comes to the people we share our lives with.

Does your someone special know they are still special? Or do you assume they just know it, even though they can’t remember the last time you made them feel that way? And neither can you?

Think of the significant relationships you have in your life as a child, parent, sibling, partner, friend…even your relationship with your self. Has what once made these relationships resonate so deeply within you been tempered by the unintentional but perhaps inevitable cloud of indifference?

None of us would probably look at our relationships and accuse ourselves of becoming indifferent. But while indifference isn’t the intention, often it becomes the result, no matter how well we “justify” our excuses.

Sometimes we just lose our way when we focus on what we think we are missing. A slight shift in focus towards what we already have is the first step on the path leading us back home.

The greatest gift we can ever give is the gift of ourselves, wrapped in love and tied with a bow of compassion. Such a gift restores the original lustre to any relationship, returning the magic to the magical, uplifting both the sender and the recipient.

But even the greatest gift is useless if it is never given.

In a challenging world we all call home, has there ever been a more important time for giving the gift of your love?

Love is always best served proactively.

It’s a great day to be you!