Endless Ceiling

"Press forward. Do not stop, do not linger in your journey, but strive for the mark set before you." - George Whitefield

Each of us have an ability to move beyond pain, grief or disappointment. We can move beyond the circumstance we find ourselves in. So much is possible if we just press forward and speak the future out loud to ourselves. We can find a way to see beyond what blocks our view.

We can get beyond what is holding us back.

There is an old story about a bedouin within his tent wondering how he would ever achieve all that he wanted. A friend told him to look up at the ceiling of his tent.

"What do you see" he asked the bedouin?

"All I see is the ceiling of my tent" responded the bedouin.

"Come out of the tent and see my ceiling" said the bedouin's friend. "What do you see?"

"I see no ceiling but a sky full of countless stars" replied the bedouin.

Exactly as the bedouin saw, your life has no ceiling above it.

The possibilities are as endless as the stars in the night sky. The paths you can choose are as vast as the eye can see. All it takes is moving beyond the present.

Do not let the past hold you firm in its grip. Break free to reach for a star or even the seemingly impossible.

Step out and look to the night sky. Find a star and begin your journey.

And stay inspired my friends.

Revealing Possibility

Mark Unrau

“Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.” ― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

Many people go through life never seeing all of the great things which actually exist in this world. Their view is clouded by pessimism and doubt of anything being good. You never give yourself the opportunity to see what is good in life.

The lights can hide what we need.

You go into your backyard and sit looking up at the stars. But as you view them, many of them and most of them are obscured by the city lights around you. Your view of the night sky is of a blackness that holds nearly nothing. There are no stars because in your mind there is a 'nothingness' to the sky. This is what a negative mind sees.

The city lights are distracting you from seeing the real beauty of the night sky. The city lights are the negative thoughts obscuring our view of having a wonderfully positive life. Now go to a rural area, away from those lights and take a look.

The darkness reveals possibility.

All of a sudden the darkness of night becomes sharp and clear. Billions of stars become visible, each of varying brightness and clarity. Your excitement grows as you try to count and pick out each of them. There seem to be too many to count. Yet in the clarity of this night sky, with negative obstructions gone, each of these stars are possibility.

There are so many stars and so many things to be thankful for. Your life, your possibility. Find a way to view your life as a starry night, one of thankfulness. Clear those lights of negativity that prevent you from seeing all of the stars. When you do, your life will be filled with billions of shining possibilities and dreams.

Stay inspired my friends!

Twas the day before Christmas

‘Twas the day before Christmas, at the place where I work,
Not a phone was a ringing, a pleasant and nice perk;
The laptops were playing YouTube funny clips,
With hopes that our boss would give not a flip.

The workers they rustled in adjustable chairs;
While thinking of dinner and a good old cold beer;
And me with my headphones clapped over my ears,
Listening to Pandora and Tears for Fears.

When out in the lobby there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my chair to see what was the matter.
Away through the door I flew like a flash,
Down the hall in a hurry, my coffee did splash.

An EMC video, it played on the screen,
To an empty reception room, with outdated chairs,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a UPS truck run into a FEDEX trucks rear.

Both drivers were talking so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment, the tension was thick.
More rapid then a post man, the brothers they came,
A rumble of couriers soon burst into flames.

Now, Airborne and Fedex and A1 did fight,
With UPS and USPS in locked battle might.
To the top of the hood, no sign of a stop;
Now dash away, dash away before we all call the cops.

With a blink of an eye, more boxes to deliver,
They shook hands in friendship and none did shiver,
To their trucks they arose, turning keys to ignite,
More packages to go before they could have dinner.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard in the lot,
Screeching tires of couriers dashing off one by one.
For this was the day, we work before Christmas,
But I heard a faint echo as they drove out of sight,

“Merry Christmas to all and to all a good-night.”

Day Into Night

"To me, every hour of the day and night is an unspeakably perfect miracle." -Walt Whitman

It is a rare moment I get to enjoy when flying to see the actual edge of night. There is a wonderful glow of color as the darkness chases the light, never being able to catch it. I guess one could say something similar of the morning as light chases the darkness away. But this moment of day into night seems more magical.

What I find soothing about this particular moment is how the rush of a day, the worries that entrapped us all day fade into the darkness. The gathering night gives us a chance to rest and slow down for a few hours. While we know that a new day does not eliminate all problems, it does hold promise of something better and the night gives us the chance to realize that.

When the toils of the day become too much, stand and watch the gathering darkness flow in behind the light of day. Allow the day's burden to flow away with that light. Allow the calmness of night to ease your mind and to energize your soul. Know that a new day approaches with new possibility, new answers and a chance to overcome whatever burdens you.

Stay inspired my friends.

Quiet of Night

"Night, the beloved. Night, when words fade and things come alive. When the destructive analysis of day is done, and all that is truly important becomes whole and sound again. When man reassembles his fragmentary self and grows with the calm of a tree." -Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Lately I have been waking up each night at 3:00AM. An odd time in my mind and surprisingly on the dot. At first it came upon me like a rude awakening in anticipation of the phone ringing. Yet the phone never rang, the daylight came and no bad news arrived.

The next time it was again, eyes wide open, roll over to look at the clock and "03:00 AM" staring boldly back at me. This time I lay awake not in anticipation of the phone, but questioning the significance of it. So I decided to research it, not in depth but enough to satisfy my curiosity.

The Internet is full of thoughtful responses to the question. It could be my internal clock is somehow adjusting its sleep cycle. To others it could be the 'witching' hour to the peak time of paranormal activity.

There are religious connections for Christians to 3:00 AM regarding the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is called the 'spiritual' time of night in which one should pray. I'm not certain what it is but thinking about it, I had the sense it was my mother waking me. I don't mean that in a literal way because she passed away from Pancreatic Cancer in 2008.

But it made sense to me in my overly active 3:00 AM mind. So I said a couple of prayers for the health of family and friends and also thought of my mother, having a short conversation with her in my mind.

In the bigger scheme of things, I can't tell you for sure what is causing me to awake at this time. I can't even tell myself for sure what I believe it is. It could be my internal clock, something spiritual, my mother's spirit talking to me or someone simply slamming a car door to go to work each day at 3:00 AM.

What I can tell you is that I'm using the time to reflect upon the coming day. I'm taking a few moments in the peaceful quiet of 3:00 AM to remember lessons learned and make the coming day a better one. It could be that 3:00 AM just happens to be my daily time to try and find enlightenment.

What ever it is, I'll enjoy it for as long as it lasts. I'll enjoy my short chats with Mom. I'll enjoy it as a time for prayer. I'll enjoy the quiet still of the night.

Find your moments in the bustling daylight or the stillness of night. Find a time to reflect, to capture a moment of zen or just to enjoy the quiet. It will refresh and renew your spirit for whatever lay in front of you.