Category: The Spirituality Center

I am learning that life is about paths, about free will to choose them, about obstacles in them, about resistance to them, and about us listening to our heads sometimes, as opposed to our hearts and souls. For years, I have followed my head and made choices that have shown me some level of accomplishment, of happiness, and of success. However, these also came along with some level of stress, tension, disappointment, and heartache. Today, on the contrary, following my heart is leading me to choices that truly fill my soul, lift my spirit, show me peace and calm that I have never known before, and given me an excitement and sense that nothing is impossible.

My heart has taken me on a spiritual journey, a philosophical journey, a journey to becoming a better more loving human being. This journey has me reading, watching, and researching all kinds of things, from religion, self-help, transformational, mystical, to governmental, health and wellness, informational, and even sometimes the good old dictionary and/or encyclopedia. This journey is bringing me greater awareness, greater ability to live each moment in the here and now, and greater recognition of life’s messages, coincidences, synchronicity, connectedness to others and God, call it whatever you want.

The reason for this blog post is me wanting to share something I became clearly aware of while watching a movie the other day. There was something said that I immediately recognized in myself. Something that I thought the years had me, in small ways tackling; until I was put on this path and realized how far I still had to go. What was said had me truly recognizing my life following my head vs my life following my heart. The movie was The Replacements. The part of the movie has a football team in the locker room with the coach writing the word FEAR on the blackboard and asking the players what they were afraid of.

One player responds quicksand and goes on to define what he meant in this way “your playing and you think everything is going fine, then one thing goes wrong, and then another, and another, and you try to fight back, but the harder you fight, the deeper you sink, until you can’t move, can’t breathe, because you are in over your head – like quicksand”. Whether he is talking about the steady stream of losing confidence or not, that was what I recognized in his statement and applied it to myself.

Choosing to educate myself and follow that path that came from my logical self, led me to many jobs. And at each job I thought I was doing just fine, until I continued to watch others being promoted above me. So with each passing job I worked harder, tried to proof myself more, tried to show that I was deserving. But, with each lack of promotion, fear creeps in and begins to whisper “you know you can’t, you know you are not good enough, you know you would be in over your head”. Before you know it, your stuck, you can’t breathe, and you just go through the motions. Then fear almost keeps you from leaving, keeps you even more stuck, keeps you drowning in quicksand.

Well the best thing I could have ever done, was to begin to listen to my heart. To listen to what it desired, to listen to what it said I could do, and I began to follow that path. It hasn’t necessarily been an easy one either. Following your heart means you have to recognize your damage and begin to heal it. The further along this path I travel, and the more knowledge I seek, the stronger and more confident I become. The more I recognize my abilities, my desires, my truths, my strengths, and my weaknesses. Following a path that truly makes your heart sing, eventually seems as though it takes less effort, less work, and movement around obstacles becomes far easier. So my advice, listen to your heart and soul, it is the place of love, try not to be afraid of where it takes you, because no matter the path; the destinations are far more rewarding.

Got thoughts, don’t be afraid to leave them..

Happy Birthday America!!!

Yesterday most of us gathered, in different size groups, to celebrate the birth of our nation, and to celebrate how blessed we are to be a part of it. Many probably never stopped to think about what else celebrating yesterday gave us. I am becoming keenly aware of the other part of it, as today is my birthday. That other part we might not think about, is the abundance of love that we have, when we gather with friends, and what we are shown on our birthdays. From strangers that come across our path and find out it is our big day, who pass on a loving greeting, to friends we have known our entire lives, birthdays are a great day to feel surrounded by love. That is of course if we let it happen, or take time to recognize it. Some people tend to be embarrassed by the attention. I used to be one of them. I am finding though I would much rather relish in all the love I am shown, then to hide from it anymore. Who knows, you might even get some great advice, or told something you really need to hear, if you pay attention.

That happened to me today, and really one of the reasons for today’s post. I took about an hour for me and went out on my own. On my outing, I ran into someone I had not seen in about a year. For the seven years prior, I used to see them every day. Each day in all those years we would spend a few minutes making small talk. We never were really intimate, we never had the time. They had a job to do and so did I. Today, however, we could take a few minutes longer to talk. They asked how I was doing, what I was doing, and told me it was great to see me. Of course I also mentioned to them the same. I told them how I was and what I had been up to in the last year, and then said some days I am just not sure. They told me to remember that everybody has to endure storms, but we all usually make it out. They also told me to stick with what I was doing, that it would pay off some day, that I would just have to make it through the storms. That is when it hit me. We never really know how many friends we have, or how many people even think about us or remember us, until a day like today. When everyone makes it obvious and goes out of their way to help you celebrate. Today I was being shown such love (friendship) from a person I had enjoyed seeing for years. And now they were telling me something I really needed to hear, besides Happy Birthday..

I know I will continue to get loving messages, even after this post is written. As I have yet to go through my e-mails and social media. My cup runneth over on my birthday and I bet yours does too. So this is just a thank you to all for the love shown on birthdays and a reminder, that if on no other day, you recognize how truly surrounded by love you are, stop for a moment on your birthday and feel it, soak it in, and be grateful for it. Maybe we will all get a little better about sharing it and showing it every day, until then bathe in the abundance on your birthday. As for me, I say thank you God, or the universe, I got all the messages and truly felt the delivery of my best Birthday Gift – Love..

 

 

I have lived a pretty abundant life and did not recognize it until I began a journey last year. Maybe I should say, I recognized it at times, though never really appreciated it. On this journey, I realized that life has not given me every materialistic thing I ever wanted and that is okay. Because I now know it has given me everything I have ever needed and more; A loving, compassionate, generous family, a curious mind, loyal friends, humor, a place to live that fills my soul, and great teachers – not necessarily and not only the ones in schools. I could go on and on, but I will stop here and let you know that I am learning to accept these things with much more gratitude and grace than ever before.

This journey has had me question the meaning of almost every word I have ever learned; words to include abundance, money, title, success, power, influence, and happiness. In redefining, I am learning that I have done some things in completely the right way; given from a generous heart, loved completely and wholly, laughed with every part of my being, and shared my existence with others, if only for a few minutes and then never again. On the flip side, I am also learning that there is something I have done completely wrong. I have spent my life, until now, chasing the money that I thought I needed to achieve the goals I wanted. Constantly living in fear that I would never have enough. Now, I am setting goals, dreaming dreams, and walking towards them both. Shocking as this may sound, I am finding the abundance I need to take steps towards them. This tells me I am on the right path. For if abundance did not flow in, I would have no choice but to change course. With a joyous heart I write, and realize that Heaven is the place, and what I feel, where and when dreams come true.

I have talked a lot about fear, and mentioned it again above. I never really thought about how life consuming it is and/or was. For fear keeps us in the dark. It has us hold onto things we do not want to lose and keeps us from really enjoying these things. It keeps us in a place of hate, from really getting to know one another. It keeps us from really experiencing life, and from letting go when we know we should. It keeps us feeling like we are not good enough, pretty enough, strong enough, and well I guess just enough. Beyond all these, and really most important, it keeps us from the thing that brings in light, goodness, love, and peace; that is faith.

You see this whole journey began with my fear of losing someone. The grip of fear, how I would live and what I would do without them was so engulfing and paralyzing, it stopped me from truly living with them. It took me months to loosen that grip and see it for what it truly is. The latter is really important, because fear is not something that likes to go easily or quietly. We must see it for what it is and kick it back as soon as possible. We must push through it to faith. Faith is teaching me “to love my neighbor as myself”, as well as, so much more. In regards to abundance it taught me this “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Mammon”. Luke 16:13 – Merriam-Webster’s defines Mammon as “material wealth or possessions especially as having a debasing “reduce in quality or value; degrade” influence”.

My interpretation of this; you can either hate God and love money, or you can be loyal to God and despise money. So what happens when you hate God and love money? Oh you just may rise to the top. However, you rise to the top in darkness. Your rise is usually plagued with greed, dishonor, jealousy, envy, and yes even fear. I can only imagine, and do not want to, that the downfall from there is never pleasant. On the contrary, what happens when you are loyal to God and despise money? You learn to follow your path. And along this path you bring in honesty, integrity, and love. The reward for following your path, in loyalty to him, is abundance in more ways than you could possibly imagine, including money. So I ask you to look around you. I say you are everything and that you have more than you really think you have. I hope you see the same. If not, find faith in yourself and God, and get rid of the fear and abundance will appear.

 

Recently I came across an excerpt in a book I am reading called Original Intent-The Courts, The Constitution, & Religion. This excerpt had me wanting to seek deeper truths, as my mind immediately applied it to where we are today in regards to religion, government, education, and law. The excerpt is by John Dickinson-signer of the Constitution “Nothing is more certain than that the forms of liberty may be retained when the substance is gone. In government, as well as in religion, “the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life”~ 2 Corinthians 3:6”. Have we not actually done this? Removed the spirit from all of these? Are we not trying to live strictly by the letter? I could be wrong and/or we could still be in the process. All I know is it sure seems like we are heading in that direction; to the letter as opposed to the spirit.

Now the religious may say we are losing liberty because we are removing God from government, and every place else, and they may have a point. As 2 Corinthians 3:17 says “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty”. But, is it possible that this all may be happening because of them or us, if I include myself? I say this because the excerpt from Corinthians above is used in the context of the sufficiency of ministering. It says that the sufficiency does not come in the ministering of the letter on tablets of stone. Because just doing this has produced some really big atrocities, all done in the name of God. But, that sufficiency comes in the ministering in the Spirit of the heart; in the Spirit of love. Maybe if we would do more of this, love thy neighbor as thyself, than fewer people would stray away from his light.

Take for instance someone recently quoted as saying “This feels like the moment in our democracy when people have to make uncomfortable actions and decisions to uphold their morals”. I ask what their morals are. Never in my life has doing the right, the moral, the just, or the good thing made me feel uncomfortable. How can showing love be uncomfortable? Unless of course what you are doing is not upholding your morals, not living them, and not showing love. It is no longer good enough to say we love, we must start showing love if there is any hope for us. Zephaniah Swift, Author of America’s First Legal Text so eloquently put it “Jesus Christ has in the clearest manner inculcated those DUTIES which are productive of the highest moral felicity and consistent with all the innocent enjoyments, to which we are impelled by the dictates of nature. Religion, when fairly considered in its genuine simplicity and uncorrupted state, is the source of endless rapture and delight”.

So here is where I find myself, trying to define love. Is love completely removing myself from the situation and not returning the evil? Is love actually showing kindness in the face of the ugly that is presented to me? Is love taking the time to look at the entirety of the situation and then acting accordingly? And there in lies the struggle of all mankind, in my opinion. How does one protect themselves from the evils that exist in this world, while at the same time loving their neighbor, if their neighbor is the one presenting such evil? I am finding that in order to protect myself, this may vary, according to my strength, resolve, and situation at the time. The one thing I am not doing, however, is presenting evil to the evil. Or maybe I should say trying not to do. In my awareness, if I find myself spewing the same evil, or acting the same evil, as quickly as possible, I am asking for forgiveness from them, from myself, and from my God.

In my quest to becoming a more loving, more educated, more transformed human being, I am realizing that much of what I have been taught in my life, from all these places, has been the literal of things and from a very narrow perspective. What happened to the Spirit of it all? What happened to the why’s, who’s, and what’s of it all? As Aristotle said “Educating the mind, without educating the heart, in not educating at all”. I am finding that when I put the Spirit of love into looking at the entirety of both sides of the coin, then it is far easier for me to see the evil and where it exits. And it is far easier for me to act accordingly. I am making the choice to talk the talk and walk the walk. We all have choices to make, and you, and everyone else must find your own path to love and light. I am just here to sow seeds, and begin a garden of love, light, faith, and hopefully truths. I hope you will join me in the planting, the watering, and the growing.

 

 

I have always loved to walk, it is very cathartic for me. I have done it for as long as I can remember. It is my chosen form of exercise, as well as, the way for me to collect and prioritize my thoughts. With that said, for several days now and possibly several weeks, I have been grappling with the definitions of helping others, of right and wrong, good and bad, and virtuous and evil, in relation to doing this. I have even looked to many sources: academia, holy books, seminars, self-help books, etc. for guidance in this area. I still am unsure and think it will be a life long, case by case, day by day decision as to what is best. I think all I do know is that there is much to learn and much to teach in this entire process.

Is it right, good, or virtuous that I may consume an inexpensive product, when it was produced, very likely, by someone making less than one dollar an hour. How is that helping? Is it right, good, or virtuous that my government takes my hard-earned income, that my blood, sweat, and tears went into making, to give it to someone not willing to do the same as I? How is this helping their productivity and my ability to live a life as I desire? And by the way, am I really helping someone by providing their support with restrictions? Would it not be better for me to help them find a way to help themselves? In all of this, I am learning that help is still a word I am trying to define.

As humans we always want, or desire, to help the less fortunate, the down-trodden, the handicapped; the blind, deaf, dumb, or mute. I ask who really are the ones that are handicapped. As I continue to look for answers to who I am, to what I want to be or do, to my life’s purpose, I realize that I may need all of them, more than they need me. Oh yes, I can find ways to show them both the beauty and ugly of human existence, to show them their value and worth in this world. I can teach them how to see, hear, learn, and speak. But, the task they were given, in what they need to teach me, is much more valuable if I am willing to learn.

For it is only when I close my eyes to my exterior and make the attempt to see inward that I truly find the likeness of my creator. It is only when I give silence to the chaos that surrounds me, that I can hear the whispers of my creators likeness directing my every move. It is when I remove all thoughts of my existence and begin in complete and utter darkness and silence that I begin to feel my spirit guide me. And it is when I learn to shut my mouth and listen that I find the guidance that I need to hear. We call this meditation, connecting to our source (to the divine). They are all one step ahead of me when I stop to think about it. So who really needs more help.

I know as I step out more into this world, that I have been afraid of for far too long, that I will need to grapple with the definitions and hypocrisies of words and their uses in our human existence. And my hope is that I truly learn, before I leave my human form, how to love my creator, how to love myself, and how to love my neighbor. For these are what has been asked of me; nothing more – nothing less.

As always, you may be grappling with what I have to say. But, I am waiting for you to join the conversation, and share our existence, when you are ready.

 

 

 

 

 

This past week, I witnessed two things that have been weighing heavy on my mind and heart. Both made me shake my head in disbelief and sadness. The first, showed me that we do things that we view in a positive light, yet do not consider or completely ignore the intent in our actions. Take for example, we may want to show off our new boyfriend or girlfriend, and this is great (very positive), unless we are doing it to hurt his/her ex, who we know is going to be where we are going. I think you get the idea. Why not just go someplace new? Why do we continue to think something is positive, when we clearly have negative intent. In my honest opinion, nothing good comes out of ill intentions. Even if the ramifications are not immediate.

The second had me watching someone trying to classify different levels of hate. What is the difference between me being vile to you, whether I hate you for your politics, because you are a man, a woman, a different color, speak a different language, are of a different religion, or no religion, are gay, or straight? Is not hate, still hate? We seem to want to classify hate in order to make justifications for our actions, or the actions of someone else with whom we agree, or whom we may like or even love. Shy of something being a crime, and that is a whole other topic or post, my opinion is that hate is all the same and we shouldn’t be doing any of it or justifying any of it. Is it not time to get over it and find a new way?

In both these instances, I like to try to follow the advice given to me in Romans 12:17-21 “Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good”.

That last line, overcoming evil with good, had me in a discussion with someone about a topic I continue to bring up in post after post, love. This person and I have gotten into some great conversations the last few times I’ve seen them. The last time was whether or not people had the ability to change the world. This time, although I started the conversation at where we left off the last time, it soon transgressed into something else. Amid the conversation, they handed me a pamphlet to read a small excerpt; a daily thought. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the author’s name or title of the excerpt. The gist of it, however, was that love is like running a marathon, not a sprint. That life will continue to throw obstacles in your path, to try to keep you from reaching your goal. That you need to train yourself to complete it, even though it is taking a toll on your physical being. And you will need strength, stamina, power, will, faith, among other things to make it to the finish line. I so got the point.

Life can be easy loving someone who loves us, but the ones that truly need our love are the ones that love us the least. I truly am trying to do my best to walk that walk, or run that run, and perhaps bring some of you along with me. Have no fear, our evil sides will make sure we stumble and fall along the way. The key is that we get up and continue toward the finish line. As always, whatever you want to add is more than welcome here. We just ask that your addition be something positive or constructive. Until next time..

In my last post, I told you that I was exiting the matrix of fear, hate, anger, and envy, and that I was trying to come from a place of faith and love moving forward. I realized in researching, in meeting new people, and in sitting back and perceiving, that I was not only ignorant, but I was also manipulated by powers that be. This is the reason why I wanted this to be a place to learn about each other, and a place to learn in general. A social media post yesterday and the quotes on my daily planner for yesterday and today made me want this even more.

I will preface what happened yesterday, with the two quotes from my daily planner. Yesterday’s quote by A. W. Tozer “We must shift our interest from the seen to the unseen. For the great unseen Reality is God” and Today’s quote – 2 Corinthians 4:18 “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal”. In thinking about those, I realize I am learning a similar lesson for the second time in my life. Long ago I met someone who I did not like very well because of what I could see, or more what I thought I was seeing. To their credit, they actually had the chutzpah to approach me and say “you do not like me very much do you?” to which I responded “not really”. Then the big discussion begins with the question “why?”. So we sat, and I explained from my viewpoint, why. This allowed him to make some admittance to truths that I had only partially correct. But, there was so much that I couldn’t see and he took the time to broaden my view. Needless to say, although it has been many years since I have seen him, that day and that discussion changed much in our relationship for the better.

Fast forward to today’s world. I believe there is far more unseen, than seen. And we continue to allow what we see to shape us, instead of allowing the unseen time to surface. This leads me to yesterday’s post. A friend was pointing out people’s hypocrisy in relation to their responses to different acts committed by the same person. I responded that one problem is that not everyone is being held to the same standard, and that many are defending people they shouldn’t with whom they politically agree and then not defending people they should with whom they politically disagree. And even more so that neither is showing love and both say they want it.

Today I gave further thought to her post and my comment. Today I began to question was I a hypocrite. Was I commenting based on only what I could see and not allowing for truths that might be unseen. We all say we want to have really needed, hard discussions. Do we really? Because if we did, we would be coming from a very open-minded, open-hearted place. We would be willing to not only speak our truth, but to hear and feel the pain of the truth of someone else. For if I am to believe, and I do, that WE ARE ALL created in the likeness of our creator and that likeness is the spirit of love, than I also must be willing to share the pain of what takes people away from that spirit and I must be willing to do my part in helping not only myself, but them get back to it.

Also, today I saw an additional comment had been added to that post by a new commenter and I responded to that. I wanted to also share this, as it is food for thought for us all. The additional comment to the post was “How are the mighty fallen?” and my response “The mighty fall from the weak and the wise fall from the foolish”. The actual verse from 1 Corinthians 1:27 is “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty”. So until next time, I leave you with this: It is my goal moving forward, that no matter the topic, I will try to address it from the foolish and wise, the mighty and weak, and the seen and unseen.

Today was supposed to be another day of sharing my last trip with you, however, the last 24 hours taught me there are things far more important to share. This post will be long, and I apologize for that. But I hope you will stay with me until the end and live this one day in my life. For it was a day of truths, of awakens, of admittance, of love, of joy, of fun, of sadness, of giving, of sharing, and of grief. Today I felt a need to discuss it further.

It begins like this. Yesterday on my way to a benefit for a friend who had recently lost her husband, I stopped to pick up a few items for the auction and bake sale. While finishing up with her last customer, the cashier says “hello” to me. We proceed into a small conversation in which she says “all I know is I am waiting for you to give me a piece of that cheesecake”. Although a big part of me wants to open it up and give her a piece, I decide  to explain why I am purchasing the items. She expresses sympathy and then, my first light bulb moment, I say “a truth I do not want to admit, but that is what we live for isn’t it?”. She says “to die? I guess you are right, cannot deny it”. Even her last customer, as she is walking away, who I am sure was uncomfortable saying it, agreed.

Then, my second light-bulb moment, as the cashier and I continue with a brief conversation. I say “because of this awareness, I want to, and am trying to live a complete, joyful, and happy life. A life, true to myself, sharing moments like this. Admitting truths and getting to know a little more about a stranger”. She says “too bad it does not always work out that way”. As I leave, I say “you are right, but at least we can try”. I told her, I once did her job and by experience know it is not easy, as there may be moments of great joy and laughter, there are also moments of being the recipient of someones bad day, their anger, frustration, or just pure evil. So I wished her luck, kindness, happiness, and all else and continued on my way.

Now at the benefit, sharing brief moments of conversation with different people, word comes to me of another friends loss. Her daughter, only recently turned 21, whom I also was getting to know both in person and on social media, was killed in a tragic accident in the early morning hours of this day. A brief conversation starts between a few of us, about the hows, when’s, and whys of someone’s death. Something none of us will ever understand. And here comes the third light bulb. Maybe it is not for us to ever understand. But instead, for all of us with passage of time, to find our will. Free will to decide whether we will stay in our grief and anger forever or whether we will allow others to share this pain with us, to help us take baby steps out of the chasm we find ourselves in. No one will ever fill voids that cut us to the core, but the love and support of others can sure bridge some gaps, if we allow this to happen.

Soon I got dragged into moments of darkness, remembering lives lost in my life. I knew I could not stay there long, that I must return to the light and become a beacon because my friends needed me to be. So, as my thoughts bounced between life and death, a fourth light bulb came on. A remembrance of a friend, also taken away too young, spoken of in a prior post, and something she said that took me until today to figure out. She told me people were ugly to me because I possessed something that many had given away a long time ago. Whatever this was, she said, they could never get it back. She begged me to never let them take it from me. All these years, in the moments she would appear in my memory, I never understood what she meant. It came up in conversation yesterday.

You see, what I had not given away was my child-like qualities; my faith in my creator and others, my pure and loving heart that many times had been broken, but found a way to heal, my innocence to evils that some had protected me from, and my ability to speak the truth no matter how painful to myself or others. Some or all of these are lost when we experience a death that we feel to our core. Some are even lost in our quest for success, money, and material things when we make choices from our evil sides. The longer we stay in these dark places, the more away from these qualities we move and the more damage we cause to ourselves and others.

In that light and truth, for those of you past, present, and future that are street smart, that teach me lessons, and protect me at the same time so that I can retain these qualities, please know that even though it seems like I may not be learning my lessons, I am. I just am praying that I will never have to use them, but I will be prepared for the day that I will. I know why you are here and cannot love you anymore for it. You may never know how truly grateful I am. To everyone else, forget about needing to hit a reset button with Russia, I think we need to hit a reset button for ourselves. A reset back to the qualities of our younger years. I realize that evil exists and some are cut too deep and are in a darkness they will never get out of. But for many, I believe there is hope. So please join me in hitting the reset button and beginning a fresh new journey in trying to live a full life with these qualities.

As I wait for the people I need to come into my life to change this blog into what I really want it to be, a place of healing light, of teaching, and sharing, I leave you with this: Yes, life can be full of disappointments, sadness, frustrations, obstacles, compromises, and death, but it is imperative that we find a way to still find joy, happiness, positivity, and fulfillment in it while we are here – alone and together.

I know, in my last post, I promised to share with you, the places I have been recently, and I will. Sadly, I am still trying to upload pictures and reorganize. While at the same time, trying to get back to my normal routine. In the meantime, I wanted to talk about something else that we all come across daily, and for sure come across when we travel. That is customer service. I am really, really big on customer service. I am one who is all about finding ways to make others happy, even if it is sometimes detrimental to my own well being. In my journey to discovering who I am, or changing who I am into someone I believe to be better, I am trying to find ways to make us all happy.

So today, I was going to share with you some stories, involving customer service, we experienced, before, during, and after our trip. But, I decided to leave them out as rehashing them only upsets me and does nothing to bring about the positive changes that are needed. I will let you know, however, that some of our stories did have happy endings. I just do not understand why we cannot provide great customer service in the first place. As in all of my posts, when I recognize that something is missing or wrong in our society, and wonder how we got here, I begin to look at my part in it. Another thing we are all good at, blaming someone else and never looking at ourselves. So first let me ask the questions that came through my mind from my prior work experiences and recent travels.

Who do we blame for poor customer service? Do we start at the top? Do we blame the CEO’s and Boards Of Directors for paying more attention to making money and expanding the business, than to those working on the front lines? Do we blame middle management for wanting their bonuses and for cutting staff hours in order to get it? Do we blame location managers for putting people with no customer service skills in such positions? Do we blame the worker, who may be overworked and under paid, who may be doing everything from cleaning restrooms to cashing us out, who may not like to be working with people, or who may be goofing off and not doing their jobs? And should we add, do we blame ourselves for going into places with the mindset that something is someone’s job and they get paid to take care of us? Should we consider their pay? Should we not take time to recognize different situations and actually help a little if someone is overwhelmed and could use the assistance?

Maybe everyone is a little bit to blame. And to fix it, maybe it all needs to change a little. Maybe the worker could take a little more pride in doing a good job, or maybe they should not take a job working with the public if they are not people people. Maybe the location managers could be a little better at recognizing each employees best attributes and utilizing them. Maybe middle management should spend a little less time shuffling papers and data and a little more time on the front lines helping the staff. And maybe the top should be a little less worried about lining pockets and expansion and a little more worried about doing what is right for the customers; the people who actually are the reason they are in business. And lastly, maybe we the customer, should be a little more patient, a little more understanding, a little more observant to the situation we find ourselves in. Maybe our voice and/or our actions can help, but we must learn that they need to come from a positive place, not a negative.

Maybe one day being considerate of each other, no matter what side of the counter we are on, will become trendy again. One can only hope. Have you any thoughts on the matter? Ready to join in the discussion? We are here wanting to share and listen when you are ready.

I spent 15 years living in what I would consider a big city environment and have said to some that living there cured me of ever wanting to live in a big city again. No offense to all of you that choose to live in one, were born in one, have grown up in one, etc.. There are some wonderful things, wonderful people, wonderful places in each one of them, and I do miss some people and places that I left behind. I just have never really been a city person. I grew up in a small town and now live in a smaller town. I seem to thrive in a less congested, less traffic, less stressful situation.

With that said, I am currently on a trip and will share photos and more of where I am and have been in future blog posts. Today, however, I wanted to share with you thoughts that entered my mind on my travels about things that I observed. You see the closer I got to the bigger cities, to the areas with millions of people, the more I noticed things that many of us do in society, and I began to question the whys and the hows.

Take for instance, why do we drive 100 miles per hour to get to our destination? Knowing we are going to have to slam on our brakes as we approach the bottleneck. Many of us drive without regard for anyone else on the road except ourselves. Another one, why do we do things that are completely uncomfortable for us physically in order for us to be considered cool or trend setters? We act as if we do not care about our own safety, let alone anyone elses. Or why do we continue to make the choice of our careers over the protection of our own well-being and that of others who are our peers or are to follow in our footsteps. I have not figured out the answers to any of these or the answers to the following: How did we get to where we are today? When did we become so detached from each other? and why in the world do we continue to allow, people we are supposed to trust, to further divide us?

I know that as I continue to search for answers, I continue to try to change myself into someone who includes you, or at minimum, thinks about you in the decisions I make, in the road I walk, in the life I live. I am trying desperately to further educate myself to everything in life so that no one has any influence over what I think about you or anyone else. I am also trying to look all of you in the eye when we meet so that you know that I see you and am there to get to know about you and your life. More importantly, I try desperately to be a positive in your day, in hopes that the here that we are all at, will become a more positive place one day.

Among the many things I have learned in my life, there are two I thought I would share. The first is to always be grateful and thankful. If I wake in the morning and am grateful that I live to see another day, then maybe I can be grateful for every other little thing, good or bad, that I must experience in this life. I realize there are reasons for all of it. The other is to try to be beautiful from the inside out. I have learned that those that are beautiful in this way actually radiate and that such radiation enhances their exterior no matter what that looks like.

I keep thinking, that if we can try to remember these two things in our daily lives and possibly act upon them, then maybe our days can begin to get a little bit better. What about you? Do you have your advice to share with all of us? Do you have observances that make you shake your head that you want to share? We are all here, ready and waiting for when you are ready to share whatever is on your mind.