My first day in Costa Rica, and this is what I saw. Nature paints a beautiful picture, and I stand and look in awe
I sit to write every morning having no idea what the subject is going to be. There is only a blank page before me, and in a moment the thoughts begin to flow and words start to appear on the page.
I have no idea where they come from, I just know that they will come. Without fail, every day, the page begins to fill up with those thoughts and then I walk away.
Often when I return to edit the words, I can’t remember having written them. It is like reading it for the first time. It is a form of automatic writing, where nothing is censored and it just spills on to the page.
The editing usually involves rearranging the blocks into something cohesive, because often the thoughts are scattered around with no thread connecting them.
Sometimes I have to change the title because what I thought I was going to write about turned into something else completely.
I am supported in all that I do. I support you too.
The dictionary meaning of detachment is the state of being objective or aloof. That doesn’t sound like my definition.
I like to think that detachment is just not being attached to anything.
Detaching from needing to label everything and find meaning in life is freeing. Sometimes there is no meaning. Probably most of the time there isn’t.
The purpose of life is to live. Birth, living, then dissolution of form – that is how it happens. The judgments that come in between seem to be mostly meaningless and unnecessary. They tend only to bring stress.
Some people need to think that they are here for a special reason, a mission that God sent them on. They are here to save the world and to save humanity, or to leave their mark so they are remembered forever.
A rock more permanent than me, but still not for eternity…
The need for security and continuity is real. It’s funny how easy it is to go on autopilot and not think about the actions we perform on a daily basis.
As I spend more time living in the moment, I am acutely aware of how my body takes me through a routine that developed through the years to get me ready for the day ahead. From waking up, going to the gym, showering and dressing, most of the routine is performed with very little conscious thought.
I’m starting to change that.
I am intentionally drying myself when I get out of the shower in a different manner, putting my shoes on with the foot I don’t normally do first, and making breakfast a little differently every day. While these actions seem simple enough, they are assisting me as I move towards a more conscious life.
Beauty is everywhere. Get out and find it! Costa Rica in all of its loveliness
FOMO – the fear of missing out. Apparently this has become a big thing for the younger generations, but it has been around a lot longer than that. It just didn’t have a catchy acronym before!
Although it usually refers to the next party or the next concert or a one-time event, it could easily apply to life in general. The years go by, we aren’t doing what we want to do, and we start to wonder if this is all there is.
Then we start to push ourselves harder. We don’t want to miss out on the latest opportunity, the next big thing, that one event that will finally change our lives into magical fairytales where we never experience hardship or disappointment again.
It would be nice, but I don’t think life actually works like that.
I remember many things that I thought I wanted, or places I thought I needed to go over the years. With age comes perspective. Most of what I thought I wanted would have been a disaster if I had actually received it.
From guys I thought I wanted to marry, to jobs I felt would be fun, to places I thought I wanted to live – when I look back now, I’m very glad that these things didn’t pan out.
Why? Because I can’t imagine being anywhere other than where I am right now.
Through my own experiences, I have learned that everything seems to unfold exactly the way it is supposed to. Holding on to an idea of how life should be takes you away from experiencing your life as it actually is.
If you look around and are truly dissatisfied with where you are and what you are doing, then by making a few decisions you can begin to move in a new direction.
You could change your entire life in the next year if you wanted to. Let’s face it – the year is going to pass by anyways, and if you don’t take control now then nothing will change.
If you want to lose some weight, then start eating less and moving more. The formula isn’t difficult.
If you want a new career, then look at what you can do today to begin to move in that direction. Take a course, talk to people who are doing what you want to do and find out how they started. Do anything to move you forward.
The fear of missing out is unfortunately all too real for many people, but come back to this moment and remember that the decisions you make today will build your tomorrows. In this moment you have the power to do what you need to do.
Make a decision right now that you aren’t going to miss out on what you want. Then take action immediately. Action builds momentum, and momentum produces results.
If you aren’t where you want to be, then don’t keep doing the same things you’ve been doing. Don’t let fear stop you from living life to the fullest.
Every sunset is a chance to appreciate and enjoy another day of being alive
Sometimes life isn’t fair. No one ever promised anyone that it would be. The breaks go your way, then you can’t catch a lucky break for what seems like forever.
First things first – get real with yourself. You know that there have been times in your life when you didn’t deserve to win and you did. And there are times when it was yours for the taking and something unbelievable happened and you lost.
The important thing is not to allow the tough beats to consume you. When you put that losing energy out there, more of it is likely to come to you.
So what to do when it seems like the lucky stars are shining everywhere but on you? It’s easy. Follow these steps to get back on the winning path.
Five Steps to Get Back on Track
Stop Whining – Take a couple of minutes to wallow in pity, but after that put an end to it. You can never move forward when you are stuck in neutral. Do what it takes to get going again.
Analyze – Learn from what went wrong. There is a lesson in every defeat, and if you don’t find it you are missing a perfect opportunity to advance your skills. Figure out what needed to happen for you to win, and then work on that if possible. Remember, sometimes bad beats are just that. If there is nothing to learn, move on, knowing that these things even out in the long run.
Regroup – Take time to remember why you are doing this. Whatever it is, it should be important enough to you that when you aren’t getting the results you want, you still can’t imagine giving up. There is no such thing as failure. Sometimes you just produce unintended results. If you want it bad enough, figure out how you can get better so you can accomplish it.
Take Action – Don’t wait too long before you try again. Inertia is the enemy. Once you have learned as much as you can from the setback, get back at it. Don’t wait for the perfect moment, because it gets more difficult to start again as time goes by. Take a small step towards getting back in the game.
Focus on the Wins – Any progress forward is a win. Even if you still aren’t getting the ultimate prize, if you get a little closer every time then that is a win. Keep the momentum going and stay focused on the outcome.
What to do after these five steps? Repeat them until you get what you want. Don’t give up. You might be one try away from winning it all, and if you give up now you will never know what could have been.
A journey implies that there is a destination. I am living with the hope that I will never arrive.
Because honestly, the finish line is the one ending we all have in common.
Along the way, and before the final goodbye, I hope to laugh, to love, to embrace every day as the precious gift that it is. The reality is that it could be the final goodbye at any time, and we never know when exactly that day will come.
I’m going to live today like it’s never happened before and will never happen again. Because, that’s exactly what it is!
Five Ways to Enjoy the Life You Have
Be grateful – We forget how fortunate we truly are. As long as there is breath still in you, then there is the opportunity to be grateful. No matter how bad it may seem, remember that everything is temporary. Including you.
Laugh – Whatever puts a smile on your face, do more of that. Watch a funny movie, look at cat videos, or spend time with people who appreciate the lighter side of life. Research has shown that an upbeat attitude can change your physiology and assist the body to heal and recover from serious health issues. Laugh out loud like no one is watching.
Give – Give freely of yourself, whether it is your time, your expertise, or your companionship. By giving to others, we forget how needy we can be sometimes. Those who give always receive far more in exchange. Do it because it feels good.
Dream – Never stop believing that you can achieve anything you want. Strive to improve yourself by learning and doing things that challenge you. Don’t always look for the path of least resistance.
Learn – School is where we are told what to learn. Life is when you get to learn what your heart leads you towards. As long as that heart is still beating, fill it with the joy of discovery and the more you learn, the more you will realize that you truly know nothing.
Dance, live, love and laugh. Take the gift of life and cherish it like your most valuable possession in the world.
I don’t fear death. I think about it sometimes, but I am more curious about it than scared.
Maybe it’s because I saw a lot of it when I was a kid. I grew up in the country and there were just a lot of animals who died.
One day I was riding my bicycle on the road. I was about 8 or 9 years old and a bird almost hit me on the head when it dropped out of the sky. Scared the crap out of me I must say. I looked at it. It was dead.
Then there was the time I had to get a big shovel and scoop my favourite cat out of the horses’ water trough after it had fallen in and drowned. I might have been around 10 when that happened, and I remember it was hard because he was so heavy. My dad was away on business or he would have done it.
Cats, dogs, birds, coyotes, skunks, horses, mice – there was no shortage of things that died. It was just the way it was.
I saw a man die once. We were training race horses and his horse ran into a fence. I ran to help, and as other people got the horse off of him and were calling 911, I knelt down beside him to comfort him as he lay in a twisted heap.
He asked me to move his arm for him, which was trapped under his body. I told him the ambulance was coming and to just hold on, that everything would be okay. Then his lips turned blue and his head rolled back and it wasn’t okay.
I moved him then. I knew he was gone, but did CPR on him anyways. The paramedics finally came and they tried to force him back into the world using all of their skills, but to no avail. He didn’t live there anymore.
Death is just a part of life. So live while you are alive.
