Fishing Lessons

"I love fishing. You put that line in the water and you don't know what's on the other end. Your imagination is under there." - Robert Altman

This week is called Gma & Gpalooza here at our house. It is a chance for the grandkids to spend a few days with Grandma and Grandpa, while the Moms and Dads get a short break to have some time alone. The week is always a blessing for us as we get to watch these kids grow steadily in life.

We plan events for the kids and one particular adventure was going to the Georgia Aquarium. The largest aquarium in the western hemisphere at just over 10 million gallons of water. To put it mildly, this place is huge.

While watching the fish and my grandchildren pace the tanks and glass walls observing each other, it occurred to me how life can be like fishing. Seems odd I'm sure to think of fishing at an aquarium built with a conservation and environmental mission.

Then again, I find inspiration in the oddest of places sometimes.

there are four things we do when going out fishing and are very appropriate as we travel along our life's path.

1. Be prepared.

Be prepared for most anything that might come along. This doesn't mean planning for the worst in every instance, but also planning in the good that will happen. This can be accomplished by staying well read, keeping up with the latest news and simply bringing the basic needs along with you. Keep learning and always prepare yourself for what is needed during your journey.

2. There are surprises around every corner.

This means you will never be fully prepared for every eventuality. So when these surprises occur, roll with them, adapt and enjoy the experience of the adventure. These unknown events are normally opportunities disguised as a distraction. If a tree has fallen into shallow water in your path, it likely has become home to the fish underneath. Opportunity created by surprise.

3. To have patience and persistence.

Sitting for hours along the dock with a line in the water can seem useless. Yet much can be learned by watching the motion of the water, the movement of the shadows along the shore and where the bugs hang lowly over the water. Our journey in life has these same moments but continuing down the path, we crest a hill, round a bend in the lake only to find what we were looking for.

4. Be in the moment, and live it out.

Every moment of every hour or day is going to be filled with different adventure, boredom or despair. Those moments can also be filled with happiness, joy and laughter. The past has floated by and can not be altered. The future still awaits down the shoreline. What does exist is here and now, so enjoy the moment.

The sea, the lake or the stream are filled with many fish. Each is an opportunity or adventure waiting for us to capture it. Little do we know what lay beneath the water line. But what we do know is that life exists there and all around us, waiting for us to live every moment of it.

Stay inspired my friends.

Happy Firsts

“The soul is healed by being with children.” ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Today is a first in many first things to come along in the life of my youngest granddaughter. Madilyn Rose Primm is having a birthday and a year full of first everythings. As with all of our family, we will celebrate all that happens in the lives of our children and grandchildren.

In a single years time, it is very evident what a newborn child accomplishes. Eyes opening, grasping of your finger, smiling or cooing to crawling and holding the bottle all by them self. We focus on each and every little advancement with awed amazement.

While thousands of generations have accomplished the same firsts, our child's first is the most precious and inspired. Each first step, each first word and with each new activity we are encouraged that life truly is a good thing.

Each of us experience the first of everything.

In our own year whether six, thirty-six or ninety-six, so many firsts can happen. Each should be held in awed amazement just as we do the firsts of a one-year old. Life grants us these experiences or as I like to call it, a lifetime of firsts.

Live a life of first things not just in our first year of life but in all years. Take each birthday and embrace your past year of first things, of first wonders, of first experiences. And then prepare yourself for many more in the coming years.

Happy Birthday Maddy Rose.

And stay inspired my friends.

Your Shield

“Should you shield the canyons from the windstorms you would never see the true beauty of their carvings.” - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

There are many "slings and arrows" perceived or actual which engulf our daily lives. There are road incidents of getting cut off while on your way to work. Did you remember or fail to kiss your spouse good-bye? The coffee shop failed to put the cinnamon sprinkle on top of the cream.

Big or small, every slight feels like a thousand cuts.

So what is our natural tendency? It is to slip into a shield of armor. A cold metallic barrier to protect us from all these misfortunate events. We build the wall in an effort to keep out and defend ourselves from any more pain.

Have you ever tried to walk in a suit of armor?

A suit of armor is heavy and very inflexible. To move forward becomes very difficult and cumbersome, in fact it slows you down tremendously. With chain mail gloves, holding that cup of coffee can even be difficult. The armor may protect you from the outside world but it also makes it very hard to truly interact with the outside world.

Let go of the hard shell we create for ourselves.

There will be plenty of cuts and bruises we take throughout life. There are also plenty of band aids, people and relationships you have developed to help heal the wounds inflicted upon us. There are others we share life and its foibles whom we can be with to defend and strengthen ourselves.

The key is in connection, not in shielding ourselves.

By building our connections with other people, a natural shield happens in our life. The strength gained by friends surrounding you will let you overcome anything that comes your way. Note that I did not say the slings and arrows will never happen for they surely will. But the healing comes from the strength of others around you.

Build a shield through connection with others, not with cold metallic armor.

And stay inspired my friends.

Your Cone of Silence

Still Life of Open Book

"Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don’t wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it’s at work or with your family." - Earl Nightingale

Each of us have had a sense of being pulled in all directions. Rushing to work, making sure those multiple projects get done, getting supper made, kids picked up at school, something at church and the volunteer project you signed up for.

All sorts of things which can have a crushing effect on our lives.

You say all of these things are important but it just seems like we never get time for yourself. A simple answer would be to drop one thing we are doing, but how do figure out which thing to drop? Most of us do not even realize how much time all of our activities consume in our daily life. To help you, here are a few tips I learned which can help you do just that.

The first thing to do is track where your time goes. For a few days write down what you are doing each half hour. Learn what your patterns are and which times of the day are more open then others.

Now figure out what it is you like to do. List out any activities you participated in over the past couple of months. Put a plus sign by those which excited you and a minus next to those that seemed to tire you out. "Learn from the past, but do not be dictated by it."

When you plan your schedule, plan your leisure time first. Most of us were brought up to believe we must finish our work first before we can enjoy what we like to do. Finish your homework, clean the garage, yet we always tend to fill the remaining hours with more work. Set time aside to relax, allot a certain amount of time for work and stick to that schedule.

Develop a "cone of silence" in which to unplug from all that goes on around you. Keep the radio turned off, maybe not watch the nightly news when you get home after work. Use the time to just sit and not think about anything. It will help relieve bodily tension and help you re-energize.

Build pleasure into each day. Listen to music that relaxes or moves you. Stop for a few minutes at night to look at the stars or take a few moments to twirl your partner on your kitchen dance floor. Taking a few pleasurable moments each day rebuilds your passion. As I learned, "you do not have to wait for the big birthday cake of a vacation. Take little bites of a cupcake each day."

Finally, plan your breaks from work ahead of time. A long weekend here or there and an annual vacation. Save money for these vacations or time off as you would for retirement. Ensure your workplace understands that time off is important.

A big key to this time off and I really have to work on this myself - leave your laptop at home. At the very least, keep it in your hotel room and shut off. You can always take a quick check later for messages.

At the end of the day, we find the enjoyment in life by giving ourselves the chance to actually enjoy it. Make time for yourself, make time to enjoy what life has in store for you.

And stay inspired my friends!