What Does It Mean to Grow Old Gracefully?
I was getting ready for work the other day and this question came to mind. I had always said I wanted to grow old gracefully, but what does that really look like? I am 62 years “young,” as they say. I exercise and like to take care of my body. I also enjoy my quiet time with the Lord each and every day. But often times, I neglect my soul. Soul, meaning my mind, will, and emotions. I grew up being a people pleaser. I always tried to “keep the peace,” staying out of the way of anyone who was in a bad mood. I never got punished too badly, because I knew when to hide. We were a family of eight, 6 children and 2 parents. My dad owned his own business and always had constant demands put on him. Once in a while, my mom had reached her limit with...
The Power to Change
When I was just 16 I remember going to Florida with my sister-in-law and her mother. It was a long car trip from Indiana to Florida and I remember my sister-in-law feeling sick to her stomach. Her mother told her to put on some lipstick and it might make her feel better. It sounds funny, but in some small way I believe there to be some truth behind the idea. Many things can give us an upset stomach, the kind where you aren’t going to throw up, just that nagging feeling that you are not right. Emotional and/or physical problems can make us feel sick. I have been watching some Tony Robbins videos lately and he has been talking about how to change your state. It’s not enough to just think differently, or even speak out loud what it is that you are...
Black And White
I just witnessed an act of prejudice. I was at a local grocery store when I heard a man yelling something. I didn’t really pay attention until he kept yelling so I turned around to look. It was then that I heard him say “I’m talking to you boy,” and looked to see a black man walking some distance away. It made me feel sick that this still exists today. Oh, I hear of it on TV or read about it in an article, yet I never actually witnessed it. When you witness something, it becomes real. I thought we had evolved as a race to realize that we are all made in the image of God. After all, Jesus was a “man” of color. When will we learn to accept each other’s differences and embrace them for who they are as a human being? After...
Are You Driven or Motivated?
There are two types of people in this world. The driven and the motivated. The driven operate from their minds, while the motivated operate from their spirit. One is physical in nature, one is spirit in nature. Often times both think theirs is the right and only way. How wrong this is. The driven do what has to be done, while the motivated do what they want to get done. The motivated are the slow and steady while the driven are often times the fast and furious. Oh, both can be a little of each, but usually one is dominant in their character. For example, I am motivated but I lack skills to be driven. I have to want to do something not for the end result, but for how it makes me feel. I am thin and yet I am an...
What Gives?
Have you ever noticed how overstimulated our society is getting? We talk on the phone while operating a keyboard, reading a newspaper, or whatever. When I turned on the TV this morning, I was watching Good Morning America to not only notice one news feed scrolling across the bottom of the picture, but now there were two! It’s hard enough for me to listen to the news and/or read at the same time. Now I have something else to switch my focus off of. I didn’t know what to pay attention to. It was like a strobe light affecting my brain. I had to turn it off. It was just too much. I guess the second news feed was about the business news. Do I want to read about CVS doing better than expected, or Brian Williams being punished with 6 months leave with no...
I Wanna Get Better
Have you ever wondered how to keep, keeping on? How to be consistent with exercising, or organizing, or eating healthy? For many people, starting is the easy part, but sticking with it is impossible. The New Year has just started. It’s only February and already I heard a report on Good Morning America, on how to get out of a gym membership. What motivates us? What can we do to be faithful enough to start seeing results? These are the questions I ask myself. Sometimes it’s the guilt of failing that causes us to quit. Or we simply don’t see results fast enough. Or even see that someone we know, doing the exact same thing, is getting the results we wish we had. Whatever may be the reason, most people suffer with the defeat of not following through....
Don’t Let Loneliness Stop You
For years, all my life really, I have been afraid to go to a movie or out to eat alone. I’m not comfortable going anywhere alone really. Oh, I will go run errands by myself, but other than that I’ve pretty much relied on other people’s availability if I wanted to go to a restaurant or go to a movie theatre. Today is the day that I will overcome that fear. I’m waiting for 7 o’clock to roll around. It’s only 3:30 so I have a while to go. This is a big step for me. I hadn’t planned it but I drove past the movie theatre on my way to work and saw that the movie I had been wanting to see is playing tonight. I had wanted to go with some friends of mine, but they already went....