A Better Life

Over the last year we were informed that the world would end on December 21, 2012 due to the Mayan calendar ending on that day. Well, nothing traumatic happened to the world at large so the Mayan calendar had no mystical meaning and served no other purpose than to make some people rich from selling books about the end of the world and expounding on Mayan history. So I suppose this exercise did serve the purpose of bringing people together (at least those that bought into this idea) who were preparing not to be here this morning. Throughout the ages and several times in my lifetime someone or some group has come out to say the world is going to end on such and such a day. Oh they always have a good explanation on why this particular day is going to be the end of everything as we know it but alas the disaster and calamity never occurs. But what if the world had ended yesterday? What would be different? How would we prepare for such an event? Most of us would be praying maybe call

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 time my worry centers around an

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 whichever of these guys make it to the Wh

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 are a few tell tale signs that will tell you if t