Tag: #inspiration

The edge of anger…

The sun sets on another day…

As the sun set the clouds closed in again. Sometimes I look at the Michigan sky and feel the edge of anger for all the sunsets it steals, but I stop and smile, knowing there is far more to the world, and that high above, the sunset is spectacular.

I talk a lot about passion and about living your life to its fullest. I don’t usually talk much about anger even though anger and passion are very close bedfellows. It could easily be said that anger is a subset of what most people consider passion. After all passion is defined as “near uncontrollable emotion” and so anger can be definitely a part of passion.

Passion is very easy and yet quite difficult. At the core of who we are passion is abundant. Emotions run rampant in our minds and based on our past we control them to the levels we dictate as acceptable. Anger is one of the more destructive emotions. A small slice of anger can level buildings and we see examples of unrestrained anger in our world today. It is amusing to me to watch the news often as people create situations we’re in animate objects imbue such power that they can destroy the world but heartily overlook the edge of anger and beyond.

I have known anger that is almost limitless. As a child and a young adult I had minimal guidance and less than minimal control. Anger was easy because the world was always against me and I was always alone. Moving from place to place an average of once every nine months made making friends near impossible. A broken family and a dysfunctional set of people around me made things even more difficult. Several issues at churches broke my faith and eliminated guidance from that area. My grandparents were a light in the darkness but I saw them only during the summer and for the school years I was near alone with my sister.

I found books and movies where I could, and it was from strange places like “Star Trek” that I learned the value of honor and the passion and power to overcome anger. It makes the world a strange place when you have to evaluate everything constantly without end and be in control knowing that the anger is still there, and you are just at the edge of it.

Today it comes as second nature for me to control my anger and keep a happy demeanor all the time. This is not because anyone is telling me to do it but instead because it is the right thing to do.

How do you deal with your anger? Do you stop it before it gets to the edge? Do you embrace it and let it roll over you? Do you find ways of channeling your anger and changing it all? What finds its way into you to make anger real? What can eliminate anger in a single stroke?

No matter what your answers please remember that anger can easily control you unless you control it. Find your center if you can or get help from someone who can guide you. Make every day an opportunity to lean towards the positive and set aside the negative. Be the best you that you can be no matter what that you is.

So as the sun sets on another day, I hope you find amazingness everywhere. I hope you find a way to peace and the presence to set aside anger more easily. If you are on the edge of anger I hope you can use it and channel it into something more. Mostly I hope you find your way to be happy each and every day, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and be you…

Ultraspectacular…

The sun sets on another day…

I find myself circling a moment and then repeating it. Actually there were a lot of moments. As the sun set in the Western sky I smiled at the colors and creations of the day.

Words are a lot of fun. As words come and words go we have meanings that sometimes stay the same and sometimes change. I like to think everything is spectacular and awesome and that the world is breathtaking, stunning, astounding, astonishing, with a splash of stupendous extraordinary incredibility but that is almost unbelievable. In the end the words do not convey enough.

Today I had the pleasure a meeting number of people that I can only refer to by words. I think there are any words that adequately describe those people. There were the two cheerleaders who’s poise and patience were beyond belief and their grandparent and parent. There were the people who came from a gym that were magnificently communicative. Their engagement in the event was very positive. There were family and friends and people that new the foundation event and those that were there just to share in a fantastic and positive get together.

The second annual Haley Sue Foundation Ball was an amazing success in my eyes as it points all of the positives in a world that we often trip over negatives. From the well spoken emcee to all of the volunteers and officers of the event, to all of the workers that made the event a success. I can only say thank you and feel fantastic at the outcome.

The Haley Sue Foundation was created from a vision of my niece, and right now I believe she would smile at the good work they continue to try to do and at the excitement and tangible elation of people involved in the event. I look forward to this again and if you were there I hope you had a great time.

So as the sun sets on another day, to everyone that went, thank you. If you didn’t, I hope I can see you next year and beyond. Make a difference every day, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and wow!

Storms edge…

The sun sets on another day.

I couldn’t believe how amazing sunset was after an interesting day. As the sun lay its colors across the western sky I was amazed by the beauty. The clouds spotted the horizon and the evening edges of the mountains made everything seem almost unreal. It was a good night.

As I was driving today I had the fun of going through a storm. This was not just any storm it was a storm of epic proportions with rain that was so intense that you could not possibly see beyond a few feet in front of you. Cars and trucks pulled over and people were lost as they waited for the storm to pass.

I was deciding the direction I needed to go and kept on the path that I knew would work. Before me lay a storm and I thought through it every moment and in an instant the sky changed and suddenly it was clear.

I’m not going to say for a moment that storms don’t pass, they do. Storms can be incredibly intense and we all face them from time to time. What makes us different is we can either ride out the storm and patiently wait or we can push through and find a path that works for us. Sure it might be a little tense but we can find a way if we only try.

So as the sun sets on another day, I made it through the storm today and will make it through each and every day because I will not stop until I find my path. Remember that in front of you is something new and often that something new is filled with peace and adventure. Find your path and make it yours, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and push through the storm…

Three Blind Mice…

The sun sets on another day…

Sunset was a little more than fantastic, and I enjoyed watching the sun fall behind the trees. As the days slowly warm, there is nothing you can do but enjoy every moment a little more.

I was with a small group today, talking about a little bit of everything. When you’re with a group, you have a tendency of listening and hearing what you want to hear. Quite often, as the group becomes more excited, the situation becomes more of a response than a practical conversation. The larger the group, the more chances this will degrade.

Today’s group was a little different. Three people from three different backgrounds enjoyed conversations about a little bit of everything. Some of the conversations were very pointed, and some were light-hearted. The interaction was positive and well-meaning, with three people enjoying their time together and smiling at the exchanges. We could have been three blind mice, but instead, the farmer’s wife missed, and we were a little more.

That’s just me, of course. There were two other viewpoints in the room, and they may agree or not agree. I hope they got the same satisfaction from our interactions and perhaps opened their minds as they opened mine. Every interaction with people is an opportunity to learn and grow. Today I learned a lot about two people, but it also offered me a path to consider my future and my growth as well. This is what good conversations should be.

I am pretty big on listening and hearing if you read much of what I write. It is an integral part of our existence and allows us the potential to grow more effectively. If we listen to respond, we do not offer ourselves the ability to process what is being said and instead focus on how we can interact in the conversation. People do both, but I hope we can get to a point in our society where people listen to hear and find far better responses.

So as the sun sets on another day, it was a good day. There was a whole lot going on and a lot of fun in between. I hope you enjoy every moment that you have and in the process meet new people and expand your horizons, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and listen…

Inner workings…

The sun sets on another day…

Sunset, well, it was sunset. IT came and went and there was sun everywhere, then nowhere, like a Ninja sunset that slides in and out, only to leave us baffled and wondering where it went. As I searched, colors spattered the clouds, and I enjoyed it anyway.

Tonight was bittersweet. It is a memory that I will hold for some time as dozens of authors and readers got together and had a little fun. There are a lot of people who watch television and get lost in reality shows as the nights go on. The month of February was a live action reality show and powerful peace of passionate interaction between people’s imagination and beyond. If you missed it, I’m sorry.

I’m sure many of you have seen improv groups where people are put on the spot and have to come up with solutions to situations in mere moments. A group of nine people we’re given minimal information about their characters and set loose inside of a mystery that first covered the theft of a book and later a murder. This was part of a book festival that had readers on the edge of their seats while authors read. For ten to 12 minutes each day the nine people interacted, and the result was hilarity that none could have predicted.

It is with this in mind that I find myself happy that this time has come to an end and that the mystery has been solved. At the same time, I am sad that I will no longer be interacting consistently with these fantastic people. It is not often that you find a group of people that are so entrenched with each other that they can respond with passion and emotion at the drop of a hat. I found the interaction to be more than fulfilling and as the group became more and more involved it was more than just an event, it created a small family.

In an old movie called April Fools Day it was said: “We cannot predict the precise moment when friendships are formed, as in filling a vessel drop by drop, there is at last one which makes it run over. So in a series of kindnesses, there is at last one which makes the heart run over.” It is with that in mind that I hope others felt the same spirit of kinship that I did.

So as the sun sets on another day, I hope your day was spectacular and that you too have found people willing to interact and perhaps a little more. And for all the people that attended the Pages Promotions Virtual Book Festival during the month of February, thanks for being amazing every day, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and the butler didn’t do it…

In my hand…

The sun sets on another day…

Today’s sunset was brought to you by the words wet and gooey. Water pooled everywhere as temperatures raised and a light rain fell. This was much better than the start of the day when the entire area was encased in a giant block of ice. I went out to my truck for a drive and could barely open the door. That convinced me to stay home and enjoy the day.

I spent a lot of time with my last German shepherd teaching her the difference between her paws and my hands. She understood a great deal; if I asked her to put something in my hand, she would probably bring it and place it in my outstretched hand.

Our hands are probably one of the biggest differentiators in who we are as a species. They allow us to carry and work with things that generally other animals cannot do. We carry stuff around daily without thinking; as we do, we often carry more in our minds.

There are times when the mind and the hand are one unit. I often find myself lost in those moments where my imagination runs rampant, and I see things in my hand and think about how it would feel to hold them. The mind is a powerful tool but can also be a difficult enemy. It is straightforward to drop things from your hands, but not so easy to drop things from your mind. That can be a problem.

I hope you can take a moment and drop the negativity you may carry. Please take a moment and hold on to the positivity. I know it is not as easy as dropping something from your hand, but it does offer the ability to do and be so much more.

So, as the sun sets on another day, hands can carry an awful lot, but minds carry even more. Let’s let go of the things we don’t need, like negativity and passive thoughts. Let’s embrace passion and positivity and find our way every day to something fantastic, no matter what

Sleep sweet, love life, and let go…

A matter of trust…

The sun sets on another day…

I sat watching the sunset for a moment or an hour, I could not tell which for just an instant as my mind scanned the entirety of today, and reread it a hundred times before shaking my head, and watching the day end. I was on an unfamiliar street, with unfamiliar people, but the world and the situations were all too familiar.

If you have read anything I have written, you will know I try to be a little more positive and lift people up. Forgive me if it takes a moment to get there today. It will happen.

I was at a funeral today filled with people. Some knew each other, and some did not. The people at the center of the service were warm and welcoming, and in such a difficult time, everyone attending was made to feel as though they were special and important, and it was as it should be.

I was very impressed with the person leading the service at the beginning of it all. There were complexities in the entire scope of what was going on. A series of families broken then melded back together, and some remained broken. Being who I am, I saw the emotions of everyone around me, and it wasn’t easy. Some struggled with the situation, some struggled with the past, some struggled with the future, and some struggled with themselves.

I watched as four people bared their souls and shared the life of a magnificent woman with the attendees. People nodded, people smiled, people laughed, and people cried. I thought to myself, “This is how people should be, sharing and feeling,” and then was lost for a moment as my sister spoke of love, passion, and everything in between. The stories were good, but there was still a complexity and uneasiness as two sides of an uneven coin lay separate and apart.

It was here that the entirety of this post sits. The leader of the service knew the person who passed away well, perhaps too well. At that point, they decided to deliver a series of words with good intentions. They gave a narrative they had been given and expressed it to a part of the family that may not have been familiar with it. They admonished a situation that they had not lived. They assumed that what they were doing was good, but in this particular case, they did not consider all the dynamics of the situation. If I were looking at this from above, I could teach that to give advice or determine a course of action. It is essential to have all sides of the equation filled out. It is even more critical when you guide someone’s life or hold their life in your hand.

You may not think words have an effect. Your comments may be right for a situation. You may be right. You may also need to be corrected.

In the grand scope of communication, the best communication is often silence. What follows for a second here is an opinion that often is the core of personal interaction.

In this situation, there was a divorce. The children did or did not understand the situation and were adult enough to make their own decisions. A rift was created between the children and the parent, and for over 20 years, the situation was strained or nonexistent. That is only what I know, but it is the tip of the iceberg. The leader of the service made a statement and assumed that they knew the situation completely. For them, it was real because what they had been made aware of was devastating, and there was no excuse for how things were. The question becomes, “was that reality?” and in that question lies my issue today. There were three people yesterday looking for guidance and growth. There were three people yesterday dealing with demons that they will never be able to excise now. There were three people that were near defeated, and a series of words were thrown out that was a literal coup de grace.

Is there an answer here?

There is an answer. If you do not know all sides of the situation, it is often better to remain silent. If you are standing with someone and they say they are at the edge of a cliff, your job should be to help them up, not push them over the edge. We often feel that we have a right to push our initiative based on what we think we know, and in the end, what do we really know? I know only one thing: I am on a journey, and I am imperfect. I learn and grow every day. I revise who I am daily because I am willing to open my mind and see beyond myself. I know that all of the things I see are different from what everyone else sees. I am sure many have no concept of what I see, and just as importantly, I cannot see the world through their eyes.

This is a long bunch of words just to say before you open your mouth. It’s important to understand what you’re talking about. It is important to know all situations. It is important to have compassion. It is important to be the person to others that you would like to address you.

So as the sun sets on another day, sorry about this ridiculously long post. I just felt it was important to push people out to the forefront and set aside our personal biases. With that, I leave you with something I used to say a lot, “be careful what you say and make your words sound soft and sweet, for you don’t know from day to day which ones you’ll have to eat.” Be the person that listens more than talks and be amazing every day, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and be you…

Allusion…

The sun sets on another day…

It was a spectacular sunset as the clouds closed in and created a cascading waterfall of fiery light. I enjoyed watching until the clouds swallowed the sun and plunged us all towards darkness.

I thought a lot today about allusion. In many writing techniques there are complexities and you have to know your audience well to apply some techniques. After all me talking about Marsha’s nose would be lost on most people today as it’s from a television show from long ago. Still there are things that easily are timeless. Things like the chains I bear being forged by me may always have refer to Charles Dickens and his work. A significant number exist but does this really help us communicate?

I remember an episode of Star Trek the Next Generation where an entire race communicated metaphorically. Although a metaphor is good to get a point across the episode showed very clearly that it does require that both groups understand the actual metaphor. It can make communication difficult and can quickly date stories and poetry and make them frustrating for future generations.

Who cares, right?

I continue to find over and over that communication skills are slowly degrading in our world for some. We have more and more ways to communicate but fewer and fewer ways that we can communicate effectively. This entire post is there simply to say let’s all communicate better. Let’s find ways of understanding each other and use metaphor and simile and allusion and any way we can to understand each other. In the end we want to understand each other, it may just take a little work sometimes.

So as the sun sets on another day, I hope your day is spectacular, and I hope you communicate well with everyone. Let’s take our time and let people understand us as we try to understand them, every day, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love hard, and make every day spectacular…

An eagles cry…

The sun sets on another day…

Sunset was spectacular for a short time until the clouds swallowed the horizon and sprayed light for a moment across the horizon.

Years ago I wrote a story, the Best Picture I never Took. Today I had another. There are a few bald eagles living somewhere close to me. I am pretty sure it is on the property, but they are hard to track. I see them flying above from time to time, and in the summer they feed off the animals that invade the blueberry fields that are close.

Today as I walked down my driveway I heard an eagles cry above me and 2 adult bald eagles were flying rapidly at the edge of the tree line. I smiled at the barrel roles that Pappy Boyington would be hard pressed to repeat and laughed at the shrill cries of each eagle as they chased each other through the sky.

As I stopped and stood still the two flew over me at high speed and rolled no more than 20 feet from my head, chasing each other down the driveway clearing. It was an awe inspiring sight. My phone was charging, my cameras in the car, all I had was my eyes to stare in abject amazement as the scene unfolded and then was gone.

I smiled.

It is these little moments we should hold onto, and these little moments that make stories to pass on and enjoy. I will file this under “wow” and laugh as the night passes. Yes, sunset was spectacular, but the day is filled with monumental moments as well, and I enjoy all I can.

So as the sun sets on another day, enjoy the moments that sweep you off your feet. Be like a child and feel the wonderment of the world. Take each moment, and make your world complete, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love with a passion beyond compare, and never let the world pass you by…

Piece of peace…

The sun sets on another day…

Ice pelted the trees and everything around them as night fell, and in a moment the world was covered with a crispy glaze, not unlike that of a donut. As the darkness tried to invade the world stayed lit by the sparkles of a thousand thousand thousand shards of snow and ice, and in that, beauty was there.

The world is often a chaotic mess, and it is easy to get lost in the mire and muck. Too often, everyone seems against us and does not guide us to the positivity or peace we need.

It is with that in mind that I say they do not need to guide you. We should all guide ourselves and take a piece of peace each day for ourselves. Some people will say that’s selfish, and some people will say they have no time, but I can say for certain that we are at the center of our universe, and for anyone else to benefit from who we are, we need to find peace.

That doesn’t mean we have to take hours upon hours lost in the mediocrity of meditative meanderings that some people experience. It doesn’t mean we must ignore responsibility or all of the people around us. Instead, it means that we need to find a few moments to ourselves to center and enjoy our lives.

Everyone is different. Some people will need time to find that center, and some people will find peace in an instant. No matter who you are or somewhere in between, take a moment, listen to music, feel who you are, and take a piece of peace.

So as the sun sets on another day, I find a piece of peace each day. I hope you find a little respite and enjoy your evening, and make each day the best day ever, no matter what.

Sleep sweet, love life, and peace…