Month: September 2023 (Page 2 of 4)

Every time I’m feeling under the weather, it seems to be a time for me to reflect upon my health. Most importantly, how grateful I am to have such good health most of the time.

As I lay in bed with body aches, a headache and congestion, I always say that once I’m up again, I won’t take my health for granted. And I don’t.

As inconvenient as a cold or the flu is, it’s a reminder for me to slow down and savor each and every minute of life.

Even if I’m feeling less than stellar. Because we’re never going to re-live this moment again.

That’s something to think about.

I recently read a detailed account of an adventure a friend had written when we had a grand excursion together. It was quite ambitious, but not an impossible task. Nor were we breaking any records.

However, there was several months of training involved. There was planning. There was excitement and anticipation. And of course, there were expectations from both of us.

As I look backed on the experience, I had a certain perspective about how the adventure went down. Then I read his account of it.

It’s always fascinating to me the moment we are instantly teleported into a different perspective. It’s akin to when you’re in a guided meditation and the guide asks you to observe the observer. He explains it as if someone who is watching someone through a window from the outside at night is suddenly caught by someone behind him.

I say this because it completely shifts the view of my experience in an instant. All of the sudden I have gained a large amount of information I hadn’t had before. It was very clear to me that my friend had his own expectations, opinions, experience and perspective of our expedition.

Even though my ego may have taken a few shots after reading his account, I was grateful to be able to have my mind opened to what I didn’t have access to before. It filled in some of my blind spots in order to create – maybe a more – true picture of what went down and more importantly, I was able to learn more about myself.

For that, I’m grateful.

Kindness never gets old. I haven’t ever said, as I walked away from a person, they are too kind.

Yet, we can easily forget the power of small gestures of kindness; opening a door for someone, allowing them to cut in front of you in line at the grocery store or waving someone in on the freeway.

Kindness has legs and can travel long distances in our relationships with others – or even strangers.

It’s not complicated. It’s not even really that difficult either.

It takes self-awareness to drop our ego and a few seconds of unselfishness.

And it goes a long way.

Kindness. Try it out.

What does it take to feel alive?

Before we answer with a response that most-likely will be categorized as ‘good.’ Such as, being out with friends on the town having the time of my life – which, no doubt would fall into this category. Let’s refrain from defining the experience as either good or bad.

I certainly know I feel alive when running 13 miles. Or doing an ab workout or going through a real crisis situation with friends or family. Are those good? Or bad?

My point is this; there are numerous ways to feel alive if we’re open to what life brings us no matter what it is.

Rather than having unrealistic or delusional expectations hoping that everything in our lives will be good and somehow we can avoid ‘painful’ moments, let’s try to embrace what comes our way and genuinely feel where we are in the present moment.

There’s an ebb and flow to life. It’s impossible to only experience one side of the pendulum swing. ‘Good’ or ‘bad.’

Maybe we can focus on feeling alive instead.

It can never hurt to be more intentional throughout our day.

Whether it’s, what we intend to accomplish? What we intend to learn? Or who we intend to meet?

Being clear with ourselves eliminates the clutter, the distractions and the noise in order for us to focus on what’s important to us.

Unless of course your intention is to meander all day.

Let’s get intentional.