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.

Flip a Coin

"In the final analysis there is no other solution to man's progress but the day's honest work, the day's honest decision, the day's generous utterances, and the day's good deed." -Clare Boothe Luce

There is a character in the Batman comic series called "Two Face" whom is torn between good and evil. In his tortured life he believes in chance and his victims fate is determined by the flip of a coin.

The thought that we could live our lives to chance is not something I would subscribe to. We are certainly bound by circumstance in life. There are also those things over which we have no control. But the decisions we make in life impact our lives so much more.

What if each morning you arose from bed and decided your attitude for the day simply by the flip of a coin. Heads means you will enjoy the day and be of good spirit. Tails and you will be that rotten mean individual that each of us have encountered before.

A flip of the coin and the decision is to view the day as being a bad one. A flip of the coin and we will enjoy the day and the challenges we face. A flip of the coin to determine our life.

Don't leave your day, your week, or your life to chance. Make the decision to have a great life, a positive life, a happy life. The decision is yours to make, not the flip of the coin.

Flying High

Given angel's wings, where might you fly?
In what sweet heaven might you find your love?
Unwilling to be bound, where might you move,
Lost between the wonder and the why?
~Nicholas Gordon

The cruising altitude of a large commercial airline is anywhere from 23,000 to 41,000 feet above sea level. It varies based on a lot of conditions. Westbound flights will travel in the even numbered altitudes and of course eastbound the odd numbered.

I find it amazing to this day that such a large aircraft can lift off the ground. In example, a Boeing 757 weighs in around 240,000 pounds and achieves lift at 160 miles per hour. It just amazes me but the laws of aerodynamics were never my strong suit in school.

Flying high above the clouds always tends to inspire me. It reminds me of how much achievement we have the potential for. The "sky is the limit" can reveal itself while viewing the pillow top clouds. All one has to do is turn your eyes up to see infinite space.

Our lives have potential beyond the tallest skyscrapers. We can go higher then the clouds into the thin air and vastness of space. All it takes is movement in our life. All it takes is removing the gravity of self doubt we place upon ourselves.

Believe in your ability to soar higher. The view is wonderful, the feeling is even greater. Fly higher then you have ever imagined in your life.

Goals on Fire

"Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire." -Arnold H. Glasow

Each day people sit in a chair waiting for something to happen. It might be the couch in front of their television. It might be the office chair in front of their computer. Others may even sit in a lounge chair out on the patio.

Each person is waiting for change to happen. They are awaiting the moment when opportunity and greatness happens to them. But the wait will be a long and lonesome wait.

For change to happen or even opportunity, you have to get out there and create it. You have to "set yourself on fire" in wanting change to happen. One of my favorite sayings is that change requires movement and that movement begins with one step.

You have the ability to achieve great things in life. You also have the ability to get up and start moving. You have the ability to ignite a flame inside. Once the flame is lit, the darkness will begin to fade into your light. And this light will reveal possibilities that never would have been seen in the blinding darkness.

Light a fire inside, create change and achieve great things in your life. You have the ability to do it, you have the ability to burn bright.