How We Should Live

You are the sum of your memories

so make every hour,

every minute,

every second

of your life

count

Love like there’s no tomorrow,

laugh till you’re blue in the face,

sing like you’re a famous rockstar,

smile brighter than the sun,

play till your body aches

Savor every moment

Be free

and live to your heart’s content

and know that

you’ve truly experienced

what life is all about.

Midlife Reflections #8

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Time heals all wounds” they say but a lot of us cling to the past which makes it quite difficult to move forward in life.  Memories of the past is like a double edged sword.  Many of the experiences we hold so dearly are often ones of joy, love or laughter that was shared with family, friends and loved ones which can never be replicated.  Others are of fractured memories that bring sadness, pain and loss that we try so hard to forget but to no avail.  Often times when we’re in a different setting, we encounter a similar situation or experience and expect it to follow what had happened in the past.  When it doesn’t live up to the hype, to our expectations, the end feelings leave us disappointed, discouraged and depressed.  Or when it brings about the same feelings of sorrow it just fuels our doomed outlook on life.

It’s truly hard to move past these things and I for one can admit that I find it challenging to do so.  But everything that we experience makes us into who we are and really does help us to become stronger.  Time really doesn’t fix things, it just add more to our already full plate and lessens the degree of our greatest or most horrible past memory.  It really just finds a way of taking us out of our comfort zone and pushing us beyond our limits.  Whether we bend or break is all up to us.  I for one take it by its horn and wrestle it aside.

So if you find it hard to find happiness in life or just trying to make it day by day, take solace in knowing that you’re not alone.   We’re all grinding it out the best way we can.  There’s a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for all of us, it’s out there waiting for us to discover it.  If things are not going your way or your ready to throw in the towel, take stock in where you are right now in life.  You’ve made it this far, just think how much further you can go.  It hard to stay positive but if you just have a tiny spark, it’s all you need to start that fire in you to go out and take action!

To Live Another Day

Live

As I sit here in front of my computer

pondering life

and all its wondrous possibilities,

I can’t help but reminisce

about precious memories

shared with

family,

friends,

and loved ones

To have such treasured moments

is truly priceless

Knowing that a point in time

created feelings of

unbridled love,

pure joy

and non-stop laughter,

puts a smile on my face

To go through something that can’t

be recreated

is magical

But knowing that

the future presents opportunities

to experience similar feelings again

is what makes me

live for another day.

The End of an Era

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When all things must come to an end

How do you say goodbye

to the friendships formed through years of…

laughter,

good times,

rough patches,

sorrow,

arguments

The bond that was created was unique,

one that can never be broken

A rapport that can never be extinguished

Is it possible to find that in the unknown?

A place where

you’re new,

vulnerable,

scared

Is there hope in finding

that special connection

with another person again?

One who’ll share

Your smiles,

sadness,

concerns,

fears,

joy,

You can never go back,

you can only cherish that special memory

of a past that you can no longer relive

You can only be grateful,

appreciative,

and carry on

By the grace of God,

with some luck,

you’ll stumble upon a new era

and experience new things

that will resemble the past.

Midlife Reflections #3

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The past couple of days, I’ve pondered on my life’s journey and what it took to get me here today.  It was a smooth ride that had numerous speed bumps and detours along the way.

I’ve had days when I hit the jackpot and everything went my way; even my mistakes and miscues resulted in a favorable outcome.

AND THEN there were those days where anything and everything went horribly wrong; where life put me in a loop and a series of jokes slapped me in the face one after another.

Regardless of what kind of day, week, month or year I had, I somehow survived; I lived to tell the tale and more often than not, I remembered in detail all of the good that I encountered.

Throughout all of my life’s experiences, I’ve come to the realization that sometimes my greatest memory can be my worst enemy.  Relishing and reminiscing about all those happy times brought about a false sense of thinking; that everything would result in something wonderful.

It was good to have a positive outlook but I needed to embrace all the bad that happened in my life wholeheartedly.  With every failed attempt I grew closer to success.

With much introspection, I’ve learned to value everything that crossed my path.  It helped me to be strong, wise, compassionate, focused, determined and grateful.  Life is way too short, so “Find the beauty in every moment” and bring out the best in yourself.

Life’s Haikus

The road may be dark

But always look for the light

Never give up

 

Life’s full of unknowns

You are stronger than you think

Always forge ahead

 

 Laughter exudes joy

Enjoy life to its fullest

Make precious moments

 

  Be with your loved ones

Make love spring eternal bliss

Let you heart explode

 

 Live with no regrets

Challenge yourself constantly

New things await you

Take two aspirins and “HUG” your pet

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We’ve all experienced a day, or days, when things just didn’t go as expected.  You know what I’m talking about…car getting a flat tire, being chewed out at work, vicious fight with our significant other, being sick to our stomach and so on and so forth. 

 It’s like we felt like the world was against us and we were the butt of a million jokes all lined up waiting to slap us in the face one after another.  We just wanted to crawl into a hole and wake up the next day as a new person who was draped with every good luck charm the world had to offer.

 It’s hard to recover from something like this. Yes it takes time and for some of us a good stiff drink. For the fortunate few that owns a pet, getting through something like this helps accelerate the process much, much faster.

 After life has beaten you to a pulp and your spirits are gone, you trudge your weary feet through the door and are greeted by your beloved pet.

 They make a mad dash for you at the speed of light and greet you like there’s no tomorrow.  Having that “warm” reception, after the day you’ve been through, helps to ease the pain and kick start the endorphin in your body into overdrive.

 They remind you that no matter what transpired “out there”, I’ll make you forget all that ever happened.  Our pets, whether it be a dog, cat, bird, hamster, pig, horse, etc., show us unconditionally what love is all about.

Just the sight of their perked up face, wagging tail and herky-jerky body movements is enough to put a smile on anyone.  Dare I say even the most hardened of faces.

 Having that unabashed feeling from this animal is a truly most extraordinary phenomenon to behold.  They make us laugh in our  darkest of days by just being themselves.  Their power to elicit all that’s happy, funny and joyful in us is just simply AMAZING.

 Being able to hold our pets and confide in them REALLY, REALLY makes our life all that more precious.  We forget all that “terrible stuff” and soon take delight in the positive.

 We no longer feel that doom and gloom and are hopeful for an exceptionally grand tomorrow.  We soon think to ourselves that “Life’s not all that bad” and our luck’s about to change for the better.  All this was because of our pet…all their positivity seeped into our core beings.  It became the perfect antidote to our dilemma.

 Our family member, our pet, that looked past all our faults and unexpected misfortunes and gave us inspiration and hope that life is best experienced together.

 So if you have a hell of a day, don’t despair…just take two aspirins and “HUG your pet!