what happened to nice

i am amazed at the lack of nice that exists in the world today.
it seems we have become unbelievably crass and calloused towards the feelings of others.
try being nice today.

just for the day:

• do not insult others
• do not make fun of anyone else
• do not berate someone for their opposing view
• do not trash the other team
• do not make fun of a posted photo
• do not gossip

just for the day:

• smile
• give a compliment
• thank someone for their effort
• pick up a tab
• close a car door
• offer to put away a grocery cart

just be kind.  kind is more than an act - it is a way of life.  this is not a guide of how to be nice or kind, but rather a living breathing example of how we each chose to be.  might i suggest this short read: http://www.superherodesigns.com/journal/archives/002090.html

according to some . . . all is right

some people prescribe to the notion that all is as it should be.  that nothing is out of sync.  that the universe is and all that is in it is.  nothing more and nothing less.

i love that many can look at the world with such acceptance.  and i think i would like to have that ability as well.  but, alas, i do not have that gift. 

where does that leave questions, dreams, challenges and hopes?  if all is where it is supposed to be where does effort manifest itself?

wendy whiner . . . snl reprise?

life is a series of road blocks, challenges, struggles, upsets, set backs, highs, lows, experiences, events, successes and the list goes on and on.  many people way smarter than i have said in all sorts of flowery ways it is how we deal with life that really matters - and i suppose they are correct.

but every now and again i just have to stop for a second and whine.  at least to myself.  sometimes it seems like everything is stacking up and not very much is going right.  i will not delve in to the details as they are really irrelevant to this blog.  but i will propose this question:

are the lessons wasted if we rush into the 'everything is FINE' stage.  (fine is one of my least favorite words in the english language.  totally over used and means very little - unless you are speaking about the texture of one's hair.  but i digress . . .)  is it wrong to sit in a little puddle and lament and whine quietly about your personal situation?  or is that being selfish, self-centered and inappropriate?

how do you ever grow if you do not take time to reflect when you are in the midst of a situation you would rather not be in?  if i am a little whiny right now i apologize.  i'd like to think i am reflecting on how i got here with the intention of not traipsing down this merry little road again.  surely i am not just making excuses to be a wendy whiner.  what i am sure about is IF i am being an inappropriate whiner my dear friends and family will jethro me back to reality in short order!

over lapping words . . . overlapping thoughts

enjoy now
       now is the time to live
                     live the stuff that intrigues you
     you do not want to miss the opportunity
                    opportunity is best served with a little side of risk
                            risk is only risky if you never do it
         it looses its risk and becomes the adrenaline that propels you forward
      forward is the motion that will get you there
                there is no place better than right here right now

where do you go

where do you go when the music starts? do you allow it to take you away? are you bold enough to get immersed in the smooth rythyms and strong currents? where do you go? is it a new place? A place from long ago? somewhere that only exists in your mind?

the music begins and fills the space. there is barely enough room for breathing because the air is so full. i can hear the richness but I cannot see it. at that very moment of realization the music is larger than the thoughts fighting for my attention.

it has become increasingly more obvious to me that the objects that fill space and time (music, thoughts, etc) weigh considerably more than the tangible items we often place value in.

excuse me now . . . i think i will go hum a few bars.

let's discuss

we have free will . . . yet we pray 'your will be done' . . . is that so our free will might mimic his?

if his will is to be done is it ok if we don't do his will but rather our own will?  isn't that what free will is?

can you train free will?

does our free will ever go away?

when there is sickness or illness and someone asks for prayer and there is healing we celebrate.  yeah good god!

when there is sickness or illness and someone asks for prayer and there is not healing . . . then what?

some say deny yourself something during lent.  others say add something for lent.  what about the non-lent times?  should we deny or add something just as a reminder all year long?

muddling through

you know, i never claimed to have all the answers or even want all of the answers.  it is foolish to think that any one person could possess all of the answers for every situation they encounter.  but i am puzzled and perplexed.  when you weigh all sides as best as you can, you tread carefully in to uncharted waters and you truly look about to consider the havoc you could very well be wreaking  if you take one more tiny step forward and things explode in your face any way - what do you do?

• apologize and try again?
• retreat and vow to never step foot there again as long as you live?
• ignore it like it never happened and pick up the next day as if not a beat was skipped?
• acknowledge and move on?

these are rhetorical questions and i realize that.  it just frustrates me to no end that no matter how careful, guarded, sincere, honest, real, open, accepting, humble, genuine, honest, truthful, and authentic you are - the world has a different agenda.

so, in hind sight, the very best i can do is evaluate the situation, critique myself and make my choices accordingly . . . right?

starts with a c. oh what is that one word? oh yes . . . familiar!

such a strange sensation came over me tonight . . .  
same airline.  different route. 
same airport at the end of the flight.  different gate. 
same city.  different people.
same shuttle bus to the car rental lot.  different car. 
same hotel.  different room. 
same client.  different problems. 
same staci.  different thoughts. 
everything that is the same is really quite different . . .