A Better Life

In all of the time that I have worried about anything (meaning every day of my life), I have yet to see any positive effect.  Sure it makes me feel better dwelling on it thinking I am "doing something about it" when in actuality all I am doing is diving deeper into despair for no good reason.  Most, if not all of the time the event I was worried about never came to pass anyway.  So why do I continue to exercise this effort of futility?  Is is nature (in born) or nurture (experience)?  As far as why I continue to worry is because sometimes when faced with a difficult situation or decision I want to think I am doing something about it.  Worry is the grand daddy of all procastination devices.  This isn't sitting around watching TV instead of dealing with a difficult task, or reading a book or even discussing it in a meaningful way with a friend.  No, it is delving deeper and deeper into all the possible outcomes of the event.  Most of the ti...

Well, here we are at another Thanksgiving. No turkey or ham in sight. No dressing and no cranberry sauce. No family around just me alone to celebrate the one day of the year we set aside to celebrate and give thanks for everything. Normally I would have been at my parents but instead I am home thinking about what I am missing this year. I called my mother and talked for a long time (I don’t believe our phone calls have ever been less than 30 minutes). This is exactly what I would have been doing had I made the 3 hour trip to their home. Sitting around talking about nothing and everything like every other family on the planet. I was supposed to spend time with a friends family but that has seemed to fall through. However, I am not disturbed by this but thankful to have this time to reflect on the past year and all everything that I have to be thankful. I have a wonderful, good paying job which I enjoy. I live in a nice apartment surrounded by friendly neighbors. I belong to ...

The most amazing part of my work day is the walk I take around a pond which is situated between a bunch of office buildings. No matter how bad my day may be going, I always look forward to seeing the ducks. They are usually swimming, resting, eating or just talking to each other (I don’t know what they are saying but I imagine it is dreadfully interesting). The weather does exact a certain influence on their festivities but they just seem to not have a care in the world. How much more would we accomplish if we could just be like the ducks? How many hours have we wasted worrying about things we cannot control? In my life I have never accomplished a thing worrying but I have spent a great number of hours with this worthless activity. To be honest most of what I have worried about never came to pass. How much better would my time had been spent with family, friends or just focused on my job? Now I try to remember that no matter how bad things get the ducks just swim about without...

As the day of reckoning (election day for your mere mortals) we are faced with a barrage of media hype to sway our vote for that faithful contest to determine who will get to put their feet up in the grand White House.  Along with many other Americans, I have registered to vote but for the life of me I have no clue who to vote for so I may be writing in my selection.  For my money I believe Mickey Mouse would be a better candidate than either of the Bozo's we have to choose from.  Mickey runs a multinational corporation.  He has dealt with foreign relations on a grand scale (ever considered the logistics and nightmare of distribution for a worldwide release?).  He is heavily involved in settling conflicts not only between races but between species.  He has an extremely high approval rating.  Can either candidate boast that they ever negotiated with Steve Jobs of Apple, Inc. and won?  No, I did not think so.  I have very serious doubts about w...

Throughout my life I have found inspiration in many different places. Sometimes it is while doing something totally mindless like walking down stairs, brushing teeth, shaving , etc. Other time it is more serendipitous like working on one task which isn’t going anywhere and getting an idea that has nothing to do with the task at hand. My favorite ways to be inspired involve observing others. I used to go to a mall, the bigger the better, sit on a bench and just watch people as they strolled by sometimes even hearing bits and pieces of conversations. This can lead one to think about who are these people, where are they from, what are they doing here and will I ever going to see these people again. I find it helpful just to wonder and imagine a story for each of these people, especially the more interesting ones. You will see couples, triples and even throngs of people making their way from one store to the next with nothing more on their mind but what should I get Uncle Jerry for ...

How many times have you been asked “What Do You Want?”.  This could be with respect to what to have for dinner, what movie to watch or what college to attend.  How do you answer these questions?  Do they really want to know what you want or for you to agree with what they have already decided?  So many times I believe this is not so much a question for honest input but more for affirmation for a decision already made.  This puts one in a very awkward position how they should answer this particular question.  Personally, I find the most appropriate answer is the honest truth.  You will know immediately if they were really wanting the truth or for you to agree with their predetermined choice.  In my dealings with people I try to keep this in mind and when I ask this question I am honestly wanting them to tell me what they want not what I want them to want.  Makes life much easier.  However, if your goal is to not hurt their feelings there ...

Six words that send chills down my spine, What is in it for me? Recently while conversing with a close friend these words were uttered and it made me think about the human condition. This really sums up most of our motivations doesn’t it? We always want to know that if we invest in this person, event or idea that we will be rewarded. Our time and effort do have worth but is that really all there is to life? Do we really have to put a dollar value on everything we do? I believe sometimes you spend time and effort on people, places or things just for the reward of doing it. The fun is in the journey not the final destination. I would love to think that most people look beyond what they can get but in reality we are a pretty greedy bunch. For instance, taking a walk around the neighborhood can be seen as a waste of time but in actuality you would be amazed how much good can come from this simple event. You get exercise, fresh air and you never know who you may run into as you s...