The Last Is A First

Night Into Day by Greg Mort

"In rivers the water that you touch is the last of what has passed and the first of that which comes: so with time present." - Leonardo da Vinci

A few days ago (June 21 to be exact), marked a day of change. It was a change of seasons being the last day of Spring. All of the colloquialism phrases about having spring fever or the joys of spring have to be put away for another year.

We like to hang onto the word "last" with nostalgic comfort.

The "last" time we get to say spring showers, or the "last" time for spring flowers. We create lists of "last" events. There are many things we could describe as being the "last".

The "last" piece of chocolate.
The "last" day of school.
The "last" time being single.
The "last" moment of our life.

So many things you could apply this word to, but this word is just a point along the continuum of time. The world keeps spinning, the Sun continues to shine and life remains in motion regardless of our attempts to define ending moments.

The last also marks a beginning.

Instead of thinking something is ending, think of something new beginning. An ending is the beginning of new opportunity. The ending of one job is the beginning of something new in life connected to new people and places. The final day of school is the beginning of a world of possibility.

The last of anything can be the start of even greater things for us.

How you choose to accept the "last" of anything determines the quality of what comes next. Time and life will continue with or without you. Choose to mark the last of anything as the beginning of something new and wonderful.

Let the last become the first in your life.

Stay inspired my friends.

Give It A Go

by Christiaan Brugge

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”
- C.S. Lewis

Many times when I have heard someone say, "I'm too old for that."

My first reaction is to say, "You are never to old to try anything." You may not succeed but the ability to try is there, waiting for you to use it. The thing is, all of us tend to fall to the negative more quickly than not.

In other words, we assume right away something is impossible due to age, ability, money or whatever. We fail to give ourselves the chance to begin with, "Hmmm, that sounds interesting. Let's give it a go."

Instead of saying no, maybe we should give it a try.

I came across a story of a woman named Mary Ho on the or Grandma Mary as she bills herself. And at age 78, is probably one of the coolest grandmas in Singapore.

She first started learning the acoustic guitar at the age of 60. Despite initial fears, physical drawbacks and lack of any musical training, Mary's love for the guitar drove her on. As Mary says, “We need to do something that we love. If you love something, you will definitely go and do it. In the end, you will be very happy.”

Age is only a number used on a form.

Would you allow someone to prevent you from pursuing your adventure? If not, then why would you allow yourself to do the same?

As long as we are alive, we can keep searching for those adventures. To scale part or all of Mount Everest at age 70. To walk the the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu at age 80. To skydive at age 90.

The list is never too long.

There is so much we can do in life. There is so much we can start doing at any age. It is never too late; we are never too old; we are never unable; there is always a way. There might be failure, but don't start with failure.

Start with "Yes, I'll give it a go."

Stay inspired my friends!

Don't Feed The Anger

"Flying off the handle sometimes causes hammers and humans to lose their heads, as well as their effectiveness." - William Arthur Ward

There have been many stories in recent weeks in which people have lost their cool and struck out in anger. Some of these stories have been related to rightful or wrongful involvement of law enforcement. Other stories have been of hateful, terroristic people doing unspeakable harm to others.

Yet there are even more daily stories, some reported by the new but many that go unseen except for those near and close. These are stories of simple everyday anger boiling to the surface. These stories are of anger, hate and rage and come in many different forms.

Anger can turn into rage which can lead to pain for all involved.

A question you might ask yourself is what possesses people when they get behind the wheel of a car? A story in the Glendale, California News-Press told the story in which a man was stabbed after an incident of road rage. Most certainly these incidents are typically fueled by both parties. But why do we carry a large "chip on our shoulder" when driving our car?

There are many reasons, but I believe it comes from anger.

Not necessarily anger coming from the other person's actions, but anger generated from what is going on in one's own life. In the example of road rage, the anger could be stirred up by the stress of traffic after a long day at work. We are tired, we may not have gotten the raise we had hoped for or needed.

It could be one of a hundred other reasons which have placed that seed of anger inside of us. We then get behind the wheel of our car and the anger spills over to be taken out on another person. That other driver is just some non-descript person who happens to be in the sights of your anger.

An unsuspecting stranger who is probably having a bad day as well.

Anger is "...an assertion of the individual's most basic right to being an individual," as described by Dr. Stephen Diamond. When all else seems to be out of your control, job, bills, relationships, traffic; we can let forth anger to stake our ground.

We reach a point of lashing out and try to take back what we feel is lost.

And anger is never about the other person, place, or thing. Anger is our reaction to those things. Those things do not dictate our anger. We dictate our own anger and emotion; we control our own attitude.

You get to choose how you will react.

Many times it take simple self-control; stopping and counting those ten seconds, or taking a deep breath to fight back the anger. But if you find that you simply can not control your anger, then you need to find professional help.

Anger unchecked can have devastating consequences for both you, your loved ones and others who cross paths with. Just think of the lives impacted by the road rage incident in Glendale, California. Lives directly and indirectly altered by unchecked anger. Think of the bigger issues causing anger which are in the news.

Anger only begets anger.

Don't feed your anger.

Starve it in any manner that you can. For if you do not, the anger will feed on you and consume your life.

Stay inspired my friends.

After the Heat Comes the Rain

“A promise is a cloud; fulfillment is rain.” - Arabian Proverb

It was Henry Wadsworth Longfellow who said, “Into each life some rain must fall.” The fact that life will have its ups and downs is true as a blue sky, the moon and promise of the sun rising each day.

When rain is falling on your day, how you choose to handle it determines how bright the rainbow will be at the end.

If you allow despair or depression to take over, you will miss all that is good within the rain. Know that "Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain.”

There is music to be heard in the pitter patter of raindrops.

We can feel melancholy when the rain begins to fall. A rainy day can give us the feeling or need to sit quietly in our home, relaxing and contemplating life. As we sit, we could allow ourselves to ponder the negative. But the negative can overtake and drive our lows even lower.

We can change those thoughts though. We can entertain the idea of dancing in the rain, playing in the rain, collecting tadpoles in the rain or just watching the rhythm of rain happen.

Revel what is good in your life.

The sky will clear as will the problems encountered in life. Know it and speak words of encouragement back into your life.

As John Updike wrote, “Rain is grace; rain is the sky condescending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life.” Life is not only sunshine, but also contains rain. Embrace both and see your world grow even larger.

Stay inspired my friends.