Start of a new year
Many doors are now open
Possibilities
With eyes wide open
Our dreams are within our grasp
Time to fulfill them
Make your first step count
Take on the world without fear
Everlasting hope
Ideas
Navigating the Unknown
Lost in thought
nowhere to turn,
what have I done
that makes this a concern
I’ve lived a life
of certainty and control,
stayed in my lane
eyes on the goal
But one fateful day
I decided to jump
Heading into the unknown
taking me out of a slump
These unchartered waters,
scary with every wave
What course do I take?
How do I behave?
This path that I’m on
terrifying and new
Has me out of whack
my life a bit askew
With the chips all down
and back against the wall,
staying strong is the key
to endure the long haul
I’ve learned to be patient,
I’ve learned to be kind,
I became more trusting
by using my heart with my mind
This bump in the road
riled with stress and strife,
I’ll get past this somehow
it’s my test in life
I have to be positive
never wavering in thought,
look at all that I’ve done
be grateful for what I’ve got
Life it too short
I’ll do the best that I can,
live for a better tomorrow
“Everlasting Hope” as my game plan.
One click away from your upgraded Inbox
Patience…
time concept, selective focus point, special toned photo f/x
Patience…
is what it takes to the path of
your dreams, your goals
Patience…
is a virtue they say
but to me it’s a test
Patience…
challenges your hopes,
your strength of will,
your endurance to bear
the uncomfortableness of it all
So that the light at the end of the tunnel
shines big and bright
like the radiant sun
And all the riches of your hopes and dreams
are there for your taking
So relish the moments
that require patience…
for it truly is a valued trait.
When It Feels Scary To Jump…
While channel surfing couple years ago, I happened upon a channel that featured a 2014 movie called “A Most Violent Year”. Although I consider myself a movie buff, I’ve never really heard of this movie until that one fateful day. I won’t tell you what the plot was because I stumbled upon it and really didn’t watch it till the end. But I did happen upon a scene where a man by the name of Abel Morales said “When it feels scary to jump, that is exactly when you jump, otherwise you end up staying in the same place your whole life.”
This one line totally resonated with me and I just had to write it down. I turned off the TV and soaked in those words. I took it to heart and it quickly became etched within my subconscious. You could almost say that I had an epiphany of some sorts.
This one quote, this one line from a movie I have never seen told me that in life, you need to take chances regardless of the outcome. There are times when you’ll succeed and there are times when you’ll fail, but you must learn from it in order to grow into the person that you were meant to be. Life is too short to play is safe, it needs to be explored with eyes wide open. Life if full of endless possibilities with the potential to be great.
I took this to heart and felt that I needed to try anything even if it took me out of my comfort zone. I lived by the code of being open to different things; doing so would broaden my horizons both mentally and physically. Living by this way of thinking helped me to try different things; just facing the impossible or the uncomfortable with complete abandonment. Living this way made me realize that to do these things require both strength and faith; the will to pursue what your heart desires with the self-confidence to know that you’ll achieve something positive from it regardless of the results.
Ever since then, I’ve been bestowed with nothing but great outcomes. I dared to take a chance and came out a winner so to speak; I count my blessings everyday for doing so. So if you are faced with doing something that takes you out of your comfort zone, go all in and bet on yourself. The first step will be scary, terrifying even…but the end results will be much more rewarding. Take that leap and dare to be great!
Life Affirming Haikus
Precious memories
Helps to pass the time away
Nothing but fondness
My mind’s eye sees love
Living everyday with joy
Learning to live right
Liebster Award
I am truly honored and appreciative of the fact that I was nominated for the Liebster Award by Haylee. I had stumbled across her log one day and was pleasantly surprised by her posts…most especially her poems. They are simple, profound and touch on life experiences that we all encountered at some point in our lives. If you get the chance, check out her site: stumblingaboutourworld.wordpress.com
You’ll be pleasantly surprised as I was.
Questions from stumblingaboutourworld:
1. What is the most extreme thing that I’ve done?
When I was in college, I hiked along the entire ridge of Diamond Head. Which I’m glad I did because now they do not permit anyone to do so because of the dangerous conditions.
2. Out of all the places I visited, which did I like the most?
I really like Hawaii (also known as the “Big Island”) . I got the opportunity to see an active volcano, walk on solid lava, got to go to the top of Mauna Kea, experienced the black sand beach as well as the green sand beach and saw many historical Hawaiian sites.
3. What is on of my favorite memories?
The birth of my daughter Chloe and my son Conor. It truly was an experience that surpasses anything and everything that I encountered or will encounter.
4. Why did I decide to start my blog?
It was on the advice of my literary manager but in the end it was my passion for writing and sharing my inner voice for the world to see.
5. What is my favorite book or book series?
“Writing Movies For Fun And Profit or How We Made A Billion Dollars at the Box Office and You Can, Too!” by Robert Ben Garant & Thomas Lennon
6. Do I have a post (one of my own) that you favor over others?
The one that I liked best was a post called “Our Special Gift” :
midlifemaniacalme.me/?s=our+special+gift
7. If I could go anywhere in the world and take one person, who would it be and why?
I would go and see Japan with my wife because she is my everything – the love of my life, my best friend, the foundation of our family, strong, smart and a fighter.
8. If I were given $500 today, what would I do with it and why?
If given a $500 today, I would spend it on a dinner for my parents because of all they’ve done for me. They’ve taught me the values of life, helped shaped the person into who I am today.
9. What inspires me to write?
It’s just a passion that I’ve had for the past 27 years. The joy I get from writing anything totally frees me and lets my inner voice be heard and shared with both strangers and all of my blogging colleagues.
10. What is my opinion on the advancement of technology?
I think that it’s great. A lot of what we do and see whether it be writing, seeing something is all instantaneous. It’s truly convenient.
Nominees:
I had a hard time trying to determine what blogs I was going to nominate because I follow so many great ones. The ones that particularly stuck out were the ones that touched me, inspired me, made me laugh and provoke thought. These blogs are written by the people who provide encouraging words and have the gift of prose. They really don’t need my help in sending people their way because so many people have found them already. But on the off chance you haven’t stumbled across them, please check them out..you won’t be disappointed.
Questions For The Blogs That I Nominate:
- What made you decide to start a blog?
- Which one of your own posts do you like the best and why?
- What inspires you to write?
- What have you learned from following other blogs?
- How has blogging affected your life?
- When do you like to do your writing – day or night?
- How do you decide on what blog you want to follow?
- Has your blogging experience been so far?
- Who is your biggest influence in your craft of writing?
- Would you recommend blogging to your family and friends?
Rules for Nominees:
- Thank the person who nominated you, and put a link to their blog on your blog. Try to include a little promotion for the person who nominated you. They will thank you for it and those who you nominate will also help you out as well.
- Display the award on your blog — by including it in your post and/or displaying it using a “widget” or a “gadget”. (Note that the best way to do this is to save the image to your own computer and then upload it to your blog post.) At the bottom of this post, I’ve included a whole lot of images you can use for your 2017 Liebster Award.
- For the 2017 Liebster Award, I will be shaking things up! Write a 150-300 word post about your favourite blog that is not your own. Explain why you like the blog, provide links.
- Provide 10 random facts about yourself. (This year I’m making this optional. If you wish to engage with your readers it’s a great idea to include random facts about you.)
- Nominate 5 – 11 blogs that you feel deserve the award. (Note that you can always ask the blog owner this since not all blogs display a widget that lets the readers know this information!)
- List these rules in your post (You can copy and paste from here or simply link to this post.) Once you have written and published it, you then have to:
- Inform the people/blogs that you nominated that they have been nominated for the Liebster award and provide a link for them to your post or mine if you don’t have all the information so that they can learn about it (they might not have ever heard of it!) (info)
Midlife Reflections #4
How do you deal with change? Especially the life changing ones. This has been weighing on my mind the past couple of days. In the past, when I was much younger, this was never a concern; in fact I enjoyed experiencing change.
As I got older, I got married, had children, found a secure job. I found a daily routine that made my life simple. I was content with the way things were in my life and for a person that likes control…I was in heaven.
Now all of a sudden, I’m changing jobs. Going from a good paying job to something that is much less but with great benefits. On top of that, opportunities are presenting themselves to where my passion, my dream, can become a reality.
My younger self would’ve been thrilled with what’s going on. Welcoming the change, the unpredictability. But my present self and my current state of mind is a bit hesitant. Don’t get me wrong, a part of me is really excited but three quarters of me is not. Fearing the unknown is truly terrifying.
You would’ve thought that through all my years, all of my accumulated experiences would prepare me for this. But it never does. The only thing that I’ve learned was that sometimes you got to take a leap of faith into the unknown.
It might work out, it might not. It’s a chance that I have to take. I’ve always learn to bet on myself to endure whatever life threw at me. It’s so cliché to say this, but as long as my family and friends are there for support, advice and guidance, change can be bearable.
It’s a given that change will always happen. We will always be both excited and scared from it but we should have the confidence in ourselves to know that we’ll get through it. Possibilities for great things are there if we just take a chance.
Life’s Haikus
What is life about?
Making memories special
That’ll last forever
Always try new things
Get out of your comfort zone
Love every moment
Now’s the time to act
Life’s hourglass waits for no one
Make new memories
The Cycle of Goodness
When you perform a good deed for someone, whether it be family, friend or stranger, their look of expression exhibits gratitude. Their appreciation for your generosity and kindness in giving of yourself and your time is reciprocated with a smile, a kiss, a hug, a handshake or words of thanks and praise.
And it’s a good feeling; it gives us a sense of self-satisfaction and prideful joy. Because it feels good, almost intoxicating, we tend to do more good deeds. As for the recipient of your actions, their positive experience compels them to try and do the same for others. Spreading the wealth of selflessness…that’s the cycle of goodness.
It’s the power to connect with people and let them know that there is good in the world and in everyone’s heart. Seeing all those happy people and their smiles, truly makes one proud. You can never forget the look on a person’s face when they express sincere gratitude and acknowledgement.
When we share an experience, a positive one at that, we form bonds. Perpetuating the cycle of goodness, that’s the bond…the synergy of doing something exceptional for someone in a selfless manner.
We can all incorporate this into our daily lives. A simple act can go a long way for someone in need. We must never forget the power of the human heart…goodness is the key that can link the hearts of many.
Writing Haikus
Writing is a gift
That’s given to few, so share
Let your voice be heard
Creating stories
Inspiring today’s children
To always dream big
Writing sets us free
Imagination unchained
Unknown worlds are born
Writing shows our heart
Passion reveals our true self
Our love knows no bounds
Words are our allies
Strings together emotions
Stirs up memories
Midlife, Maniacal & Me 