The truth of the matter: feelings or fact

Photo by The Climate Reality Project on Unsplash.

Not too long ago, I noticed a recurring theme in my speech. While I’m not suggesting the following phrases aren’t valid, they gave me pause: “I don’t feel like it,” and “I’m not in the mood.” But here’s the problem: both are based on emotion vs. truth. And the truth is:…[read more]

Give it up

[Image credit: photostock]

To gain that which is worth having,
it may be necessary to lose everything else. ~ Bernadette Devlin

A close friend of mine has invested a lot of money.  She’s sacrificed relationships and her health, time with family.  She’s forfeited sleep, fought the good fight and hit pretty darn close to rock bottom in some people’s estimation.  But she is gaining that which is worth having … to her.  I’m a bit envious because I don’t know that I have what it takes to lose everything in order to gain that which is worth having … to me.  I recently watched a YouTube video about how success is synonymous to breathing.  That you have to want to succeed as much as you want to breathe.  In other words, do you need whatever it is in order to live?  Because if you do, you must be willing to sacrifice everything you hold dear.

Would you be willing to lose everything, in order to gain that which is worth having?

Bottling the joy

[Image credit: markuso]

Joy is the will which labors, which overcomes obstacles,
which knows triumph. ~ William Butler Yeats

When my daughter was little, we enjoyed a particularly joy-filled day.  I emailed her dad something along the lines of wishing I could bottle the day, so that on the hard ones, I could pop the cork and remember our good times.  Over the years, on those not so great days, her dad made it a habit to forward me that same email and I’d reflect on our special day.  Although I haven’t seen the email for many years now, there are still times in my life I wish I could bottle, events I could replay — those instances where all is fleetingly right with the world.  Especially on days when I feel like I’m spinning my wheels in limbo or feeling the sting of rejection.  On days like that I would uncork the bottle and allow the sweet memories to bathe me in their heady tonic, reminding me of my worth.  Of course, it doesn’t work like that.  The highs are highs and the lows are lows.  But as Yeats suggests, when I overcome the obstacles, my joy will be waiting.

How do you “bottle” the highs?

More trouble than it’s worth?

[Image credit: Vlado]

Recently, an acquaintance of mine was excited to receive a batch of fishing flies in the mail.  I joked about the fact that he hadn’t gone fishing in over a year and a half.  Well, how long have you wanted to write a book?  Okay, he had a point.  But at least I’ve been working on that goal long before he announced his sporting interest.  Later we talked a little more about how I am able to write at any time and in any place — whereas he doesn’t have that advantage as a fly fishing enthusiast.  Not only isn’t he close to a body of water, but it takes time to coordinate a trip, gather the requisite supplies and work around potential weather conditions.  And I realized how very fortunate I am.  Because even though I regularly schedule time to work on whatever writing project is on the schedule, I don’t have to travel anywhere special or make extraordinary plans to carry out this particular pleasure.  If paper and pencil or laptop isn’t handy, I can tuck my thoughts away to be retrieved at any other given moment.  It also doesn’t cost me anything except maybe a little sleep, blood, sweat and tears.  Not too shabby a price to pay to do what I love.

 I’m just going to write because I cannot help it. ~ The Bronte Sisters

 Do you have a passion that sometimes feels like it’s too much effort?