Weaving Your Life

"We sleep, but the loom of life never stops, and the pattern which was weaving when the sun went down is weaving when it comes up in the morning." ~ Henry Ward Beecher

Was there a time in your life when a person or group of people did you wrong? The kind of wrong which sends all of your belief in others shattering into shambles.

Life itself all of a sudden seemed to matter very little anymore.

I recently read again the tale of Silas Marner, considered a classic tale and written by George Eliot many a half moon ago. Silas was a young talented man with the promise of a soon to be new bride. He had talents within a trade and talents in care of his fellow man.

Silas had everything figured out and life was perfect.

It happened one such day that a close and dear friend turned out to be none too close or dear. Silas was set up for failure in the eyes of his community, friends, and worse his soon to be bride. His trust in others had been betrayed and it fell on him as a ton of bricks upon the ground. With the loss of friends, community and his love, all that was left to do was leave and embark on a life of solitude.

It is a story with many similarities that erode parts of our lives.

There can be mistrust, betrayal, loss of love, and loss of faith when we encounter pain each can cause. It can force us into a mere existence of just getting by. It sends our life into a spiral of meager existence within the shadows, while the sun shines brightly elsewhere.

Different forces can be quite cruel if we let them win the battle. The battle I speak of is your own life. Life can be wondrous and amazing but it can also be depressing and dark. Either can happen based on what we allow to enter.

The doorway to your life is controlled by you and not external forces.

It may take time to overcome the hurt in your life. It is not an easy process, but the reward of a great life awaits you if you let the goodness in and push out the pain.

Silas came to trust and love once again. Your life is also worth living in the bright sunshine as opposed to the cold shadows. Find a path to overcome the pain. Allow your life to be full of greatness once again.

Spin your yarn into a wonderful quilt of memories which last a lifetime.

Stay inspired my friends.

Mary Poppins From A Different Vantage Point

“He knew, the moment he opened his eyes, that something was wrong but he was not quite sure what it was.” ― P.L. Travers, Mary Poppins

I would suggest many things depend upon your perception.

Real or not, how life gets presented to you can alter what we think. What if the movie trailer for Mary Poppins had been presented in a different manner?

Has your mind been changed regarding how naughty or nice Mary Poppins was?

Always look on both sides of the story to figure out where the truth normally exists. As we all know, each of us have a gut feeling about things and sometimes we just aren't sure what it is.

Stay inspired my friends.

Ready, Aim, Connect

“Technology is the campfire around which we tell our stories.” ― Laurie Anderson

I have this thing for technology and what it can do in our lives. It can help us find our way to Grandmother's home, provide instructions to repair a leaking faucet or measure the steps we take each day.

The possibilities seem endless to how much we can do today.

Our lives are also about connection and technology can help us with that on a daily, hourly and even minute-by-minute basis. We have the ability for instantaneous connection regardless of where we are in the world.

Connections crossing the globe connecting each of us.

Telegraph and then the simple use of a phone allowed us to move from sending a message to actually conversing with other people miles away. Some may say we have converted the smart phone of today into a modern day telegraph.

As we send text messages back and forth instead of actually talking.

When I travel either here in the U.S. or abroad, my smart phone provides an ability to connect with family and friends at any time. My parents would get a special thrill whenever I called from overseas. They were simply in awe of what communication could do. Once I called them from inside St. Paul's Basilica at the Vatican.

Just think of what you can do with technology.

I was walking and describing everything I could see, relating my experience to what they had only seen in pictures. That is until the Vatican folks caught me and asked me to put away the phone. I gave an excuse about having once been Catholic and forgetting my Catholicism of 'thou shalt not talk in Church'.

The Vatican folks were nice enough to let me stay.

It is also interesting when friends call me on my cell phone. Think about it. Fifteen or twenty years ago, the one thing you never heard someone ask was the question "where are you?" Back then you were located at the place where the phone was tethered.

With cell phones, you can be almost anywhere.

Not long ago, I was in London working and did the tourist thing. I went to Abbey Road Studios where The Beatles recorded much of their best work. Knowing web cams exist everywhere in the city, I knew Abbey Road would have one. In the picture above people can watch you strut across the famous street crossing made famous of course by The Beatles album cover artwork.

Making new friends by stopping local traffic while taking pictures.

So I called my wife Laura, had her get online and watch me real time walk across the street. Sure, geeky cool is all I can say. But today one can do this with something such as FaceTime on the iPhone.

Technology advances faster than we can sometimes grasp.

You can and should us the available technologies we have today and the ones we will have tomorrow. Use them to stay connected with family; use them to stay connected with friends.

It is a great world we live in.

Life can only get better as we take it all in as you connect and grow your life to greater levels with everyone around you. All of those folks are waiting to hear and see you. So ready, aim, and connect.

Stay inspired my friends.

Remember And Learn

“But the thing about remembering is that you don't forget.” ― Tim O'Brien

Just a reminder that we should ensure to learn from the past in order not to repeat the mistakes.

Keep watch on all that happens and ask questions.

Stay inspired my friends!

One More Degree To 212

#FridayFavorite

"It takes only one person with one match to light one candle to fill an entire room with hope." - Joseph Primm

There is a success principle called "212" or sometimes "211 to 212". It is a simple concept to grasp and has to do with the boiling temperature point of water. As we all learned in school, water reaches a boiling point at 212 degrees Farenheit.

The point at which water begins to change form.

One degree less and the water is just very hot. Nothing more than that. Certainly not at a point in which water is transformed. The change from a liquid to a vapor is 212 degrees. A boiling point creates the ability to sterilize, ward off bacteria and other very good fundamental things occur.

It is a point where everything can change.

Stop short at 211 degrees and nothing happens.

Go one more degree in life, that is the principle of 212. To go one extra step, to go where change will happen in your life. The significance is in that one degree.

One degree, one more step, one more person.

That one degree is you.

You can make the difference between nothing and something. You can make the difference that changes everything. You can be that one degree.

Stay inspired my friends!

School Bus Stop Arm - Do The Right Thing

"Just do good, don't worry about the road ahead." - Monk Wansong

August 10 marks the start of another school year in Gwinnett County, Georgia where I live. The county educates over 173,000 students and every year that number grows. With a school system this large, it also involves transporting quite a few students to and from school.

Gwinnett County Schools Transportation Department operates more than 1,900 school buses, which transport more than 127,000 students twice daily. Along with other activities, the GCPS buses travel more than 23.3 million miles annually. One can imagine this means quite a few bus stops five days out of the week.

This means watching out for those flashing red stop signs on those buses.

A 2014 study by the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, statistics from 29 states found that almost 86,000 vehicles illegally passed 97,000 school buses in one day. Put in broader terms, nearly 13 million illegal passes nationally in a typical 180-day school year.

- Those kids getting on and off the bus are your kids.
- Those kids are your grand-daughters and grand-sons.
- Those kids are your nieces and nephews.
- Those kids are your friends kids.

Do you get the picture?

Please be safe out there when driving. Be patient and obey the laws. If you do not know or understand the law when coming upon a school bus stop arm, make the safe choice and stop. You might have a few car horns irritated if you got it wrong.

Better to suffer a car horn than injuring a child.

Stay inspired my friends.

Part Waters With Laughter

"I have a new philosophy. I'm only going to dread one day at a time." - Charles M. Schulz

We can face the future with dread or take it one day at a time or one situation at a time for that matter. We do this quite often. We over-worry, over-fuss, or over-dread what is happening in our life.

Sometimes we just need to laugh and relax a little bit.

Humor can ease the tension and worry. It can have a healing effect on your life.

Sit back and laugh a little more. In fact, part the waters with your laughter.

Smile and enjoy the life you have, no matter how funny others may think it is.

And stay inspired my friends.

Adjusting To Rough Air

“Folks, we have reached our cruising altitude now, so I am going to switch the seat belt sign off. Feel free to move about as you wish, but please stay inside the plane till we land... it's a bit cold outside and if you walk on the wings it affects the flight pattern.” - Unknown

We reach points in life where we are cruising in a smooth free way. The movement being made creates a perfect flow of air across our wings. The thrust of our engine propels us towards our destination in a care free manner. We relax and unbuckle our seat belt and move about.

All the while forgetting turbulence is an unexpected moment away.

As we cruise, a perfect blend of air speed, air flow and altitude control keep us comfortable. Then all of a sudden an unexpected pocket of air disrupts the calm. The plane dips to the left or shudders in a disturbing fashion. You catch yourself by grabbing the edge of a seat.

A passing moment, nothing to worry about.

The seat belt warning light comes on indicating rough air is now expected. We should return to our seat but the last one was not so bad. We decide to remain standing. No reason to prepare, you can handle it. Then it happens, rough air begins to shake and rattle your movement.

Life just took a turn and the seat belt seems miles away.

Your first reaction is to find safety with the seat belt. You scramble to it while the plane knocks you left and right. The whole world seems to have gone into disarray. A bump on the head from hitting the overhead compartment adds to the confusion.

We reach the seat belt and strap ourselves in for a bumpy ride. The seat belt gives us a chance to evaluate the situation, to calm down and gather ourselves. We look out the window and see thunderstorm clouds around us. The thought of getting through them seems impossible.

Once we understand the obstacle, we understand what needs to be done.

It might be to fly higher to get over the rough air. It could mean changing direction to fly around the rough air. In either case, the straight and smooth path we were on is no longer viable.

Change has to occur in response to changing conditions we encounter.

We go through life encountering much of this unexpected turbulence. It catches us off guard when we least want it to. But we have to gather ourselves together and work to understand the circumstances.

Now we are able to make a decision on how best to proceed.

The safety of a seat belt has only a short term calming effect. Something needs to change. The straight and calm path you were on may not always exist. Be prepared to change your course and then keep moving.

The ride will smooth out and your destination will come into view.

Stay inspired my friends.

Rising Above Ourself

"Compassion brings us to a stop, and for a moment we rise above ourselves." - Mason Cooley

Each of us have witnessed on television devastating images of disasters which get reported in detail. Weather, wars, crime, accidents and all manners of natural occurrences that catch our attention. These calamities not only wreak havoc on property, they also impact peoples lives.

Take for instance the Japanese earthquake back in 2011, a large scale tsunami wreaked widespread death and destruction.

Were you moved to compassion for those people affected?

The Wednesday before this natural disaster, I was flying through Tokyo on my way home. During my four hour layover, I learned I had just missed the rumblings of an early morning earthquake. Little did I or anyone sitting around me know what was about to happen.

Yet our hearts will fill with compassion when others are hurt.

Compassion not only extends to great disasters, but can be an everyday piece of your heart. There are people all around you in need. Some more then others and some with just a little need to get them through the day.

This does not mean we have to live with hourly pain and misery upon our mind. There are those who make it their living to help others in need daily. The American Red Cross, Salvation Army, Compassion International and hundreds of other great organizations dedicated to helping those in need.

We can rise above ourselves and allow compassion to flow from us.

Together we can do great things, but if we start small by starting with our self simply by having compassion where its needed. We may not be able to solve many of the world's problems individually.

Starting as one, will eventually find you among others doing great things.

Stay inspired my friends.

Closer Than You Think

“Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird, that cannot fly." ― Langston Hughes

You are well through the year, many months removed from New Year resolutions.

Is hope for accomplishment still strong or fading from your mind?
Is the hope of achieving your dreams fresh and strong within your heart?

Keep hold of hope, keep your dream alive.

Overcome the obstacles and discouragement along your path.
Never give up, never stop trying.

Let the negative be a reason to succeed in spite of it.

Your attitude will determine what success or failure looks like.
Remain positive throughout the adventure.

Stay inspired my friends.

Field Of Flowers - Not Weeds

"Dwelling on the negative simply contributes to its power." - Shirley MacLaine

All of us have asked in conversation how someone is doing. The answer you get in return many times becomes a litany of all the troubles that particular person is experiencing. You listen intently and offer words of advice or consolation. Eventually you begin to feel a bit down yourself.

Negativity in conversation can pull you into a depressing mood.

The feeling of a great day you were having begins to fade away.

It can be eye opening to know how powerful negative thoughts have upon you and the people it surrounds. It feeds upon itself and grows stronger the more you embrace the negative. And strangely, people will believe more in the strength of negativity then in the power of being positive. Being negative is a much easier road to take.

Being positive is like watching a slow developing flower.

Life gains strength the more you nurture a positive attitude.

Negative attitudes are like quick growing weeds, taking over a field in rapid advancement. Great attitudes have to be tended to and the weeds of negativity pulled away. Eventually, you find great things in your life which outweigh any of the bad. Walking through a field of flowers and not weeds is a better life to live.

Stay inspired my friends.

Sound Of Your Laughter

The Sound Of Your Laughter - Poem by Ronberge

The sound of your laughter
Is what pulls me through
The harshest winter

The sound of your laughter
Makes every bright summer day
Brighter

The sound of your laughter
Is what gets me up in the morning
With it
I can take anything life can bring

Not to make too much out of it
But to me
Everyday Is a good day To live
To The sound of your laughter

Stay inspired my friends!

Adjusting Your Happiness

Despair.com

Groucho Marx once said, "I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it."

Simply put, people do not like to hang out with unhappy people.

Sometimes it requires a bit of hard truth in order to get people to see the reality of a situation. Your productivity at work is impacted by being unhappy and it impacts those around you. If you are unhappy with your job and the daily grind of it, move on to something else.

Make a change in your life.

I am not here to say you should simply quit and walk out the door with a smile on your face. No, the smart thing to do is continue to do your job the best you can, but start looking for a new job.

Life's steps should be planned as best you can.

Take time to understand and recognize how your own attitude is impacting you and your relationships. Understand how being unhappy all of the time is impacting your job performance and then do something about it.

Maybe it requires an adjustment of your attitude.

Examine yourself, adjust yourself and reinvent yourself to rid the unhappiness from your life as you can. It starts from inside.

Stay inspired my friends!