The Hand of God - 2:45am

I woke early this morning with tangled thoughts and wondered where my soul goes when I’m sleeping.  Does it wander beyond the world I know, stretching far past the boundaries of my mind and body?  I’d like to think there is a place it goes, where for just a brief moment; it’s touched by the hand of God.  A vision I don’t want erased. 

Bonds, Bridges, and Others

Like most of us, my life is composed of multiple projects.  There’s our new washer / dryer that needs their doors switched, and the watering system that still needs some tinkering, and engagement models and upcoming presentations that never seem quite done.  Lately, my reading has been around social capital and social contagion theory, or the connections we make with others through our shared values and behaviors.  I’ve been writing at both ends of the candle and as I rode home last night in the quiet streets of midnight I saw our neighborhood street person.  I stopped, asked if he’d had anything to eat all day, and if he needed more mosquito repellant.  We talked about tomorrow and his front flat tire, and I rode off thinking about him and the mosquitos – long lost were my multiple projects, replaced by gratitude. Our lives have meaning because of the bonds and bridges that connect us with others.   

Houston Homeless

Change and Growth

I’m a dyslexic and didn’t get diagnosed till after college, my Army tour, and knowing I could do better.  My dad and granddad were also dyslexic’s and my son is dyslexic.  Elementary school was tough; I repeated the 3^rd grade.  Middle and high school were not much better and my first 4 years of college were more about work and the Vietnam War than school.  My diagnosis was a fluke, but after being diagnosed my world changed.  I began to realize that I learned by exploring and doing, and my imagination and creativity were strengths.  Hans Christian Andersen, Beethoven, Leonardo da Vinci, Edison, Einstein, Steve Job and many more were all dyslexic.  One of my favorite John Maxwell saying is, “Change is inevitable, growth is optional!” Today, be open to change and the growth opportunity it brings. 

Super Moon Sunday

My wife and I walked early this morning and a few steps from the door I could feel the pulling presence of the moon.  Did you catch the “supermoon” on Sunday?  It was at its perigee or closest point to the earth’s orbit and full.  A super full moon is 14% larger and 30% brighter, and if you are a moon watcher like me, it’s special.  Sunday I watched the low hanging moon set between leaves of the live oak across the street.  Still moments in our lives, shared with nature, shift our presence and give us new beginnings.  I’d been writing most of the weekend and needed a shift, what Richard Moss calls focused-spacious awareness.  Give yourself some still moments today with nature. 

Fear of a Tomorrow

I’ve been listening to Windham Hill’s 2002 release of the 30 Greatest Hits all day.  It’s now 1:13am and I’m still being mesmerized by the rhythmic sounds of the piano that seems to keep my brain aligned with my soul, focused and believing in tomorrow.  We all have tomorrows that can stir up fear, but I like what Ruth Gendler, artist – writer, says about fear, “Fear has a large shadow, but he himself is small.”  My favorite track on the release is Cloudburst, a solo piano piece that reminds me my fear of tomorrow like a cloudburst is fast and painful, but disappears as I reconnect with my hope and faith.   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Dy_apBWeis

Getting Old

My wife and I spent the last four days in New York City visiting her dad who lives in Manhattan on the corner of 40^th and 2^nd street.  He’s in his 80’s and suffers from macular degeneration and is deaf in one ear, but loves to walk and talk.  Being with him challenged me to rethink my aging process.  We walked a lot, ate at restaurants where he was treated like family, and talked about family, politics, and life.  He’s thriving through his people connections, and in his own way still exploring the meaning of life.  I returned to Houston inspired to be a better “life mentor” to family, friends, and colleagues – realizing it is one of the most important elements of healthy aging.  Check out Pfizer’s new site “Get Old”, getold.com.

Faith and Hope a Deeper Smile

Yesterday, someone who attended one of my survivorship classes reminded me in an email that “cancer sucks”.  Its links to sickness, fatigue, and death give the word a power that can challenge the life journey of cancer patients and caregivers.  Carolyn Rubenstein, in her book Perseverance: True Voices of Cancer Survivors reminds us that it is hope that brings people to MD Anderson, but it is faith in their MD Anderson journey that maintains their perseverance.  Share your hope with someone today, and let faith guide your shared journey.   

http://www.amazon.com/Perseverance-True-Voices-Cancer-Survivors/dp/0765317788/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371122233&sr=8-1&keywords=perseverance+true+voices

Loneliness

My dad moved us to Irving Texas when I was in the 4^th grade.  We were the first house off a busy street. I really missed my friends and the make-believe world we had created in the swamp and bamboo forest in my old neighborhood.  After a year, my dad moved us back to the old neighborhood and my lonely feelings immediately went away.   Loneliness is caused by loss of community or disconnect from those who care.  After a trip to America, Mother Teresa, suggested that the greatest illness of the West was loneliness, accompanied by a spiritual vacuum.  Connect with others today and experience the unique synergy created and joy.

Connectedness

Listening to the stories last week during survivorship week and the gratitude expressed for the power of connectedness gave me a different meaning for “learning to dance in the rain”.  Part of being human is craving an intimacy with others and our spirituality, which allows us to step beyond self and creates a life dance of possibilities and peace.  I like Khalil Gibran’s description of our life dance, “..let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you.”  Be mindful of your life dance today and the connectedness it brings your journey. 

The Art of Survovirship

Saturday, I participated in the Art of Survivorship retreat, where survivors and caregivers learned to express and share their joy of living through blogging, dance / exercise, and origami.  During lunch I talked about my experience as a cancer survivor learning to live beyond cancer and the role joy, gratitude, and happiness play in my life.  Joy is a choice we make as we connect with our journey and share with others happiness, and gratitude. 

Joy brings hope, and hope brings joy

Hope – we had a man fighting cancer from Michigan talk about happiness and hope yesterday.  All his life he had been a builder, he’d built a loving family, a business, and now he was looking to build hope at MD Anderson and change his prognosis of six months to live.  Hope has been described as a fire inside and it connects us to a joy that ignites our spirits, energizes our souls, and strengthens our hope.  Joy is an internal smile that opens hearts, removes fear, better connects our mind-body-spirit, and leads to greater life clarity and wisdom.  Add joy to your life journey every day and change your life dance.  

http://www.amazon.com/Joy-Diet-Daily-Practices-Happier/dp/0609609904

Happiness

We live in a world searching for instant happiness, but Harvard psychologist William McDougall writes that this feel-good type happiness is ruled by the law of diminishing returns and rarely last.  Real “life happiness” comes from the joy we experience inside when our lives are meaningful, worthwhile, and we are content with who we are, our life purpose, goals, and values.  Martin Seligman, father of positive psychology, recent book Flourish, suggest that happiness is one of the five pillars that help us build lives of profound fulfillment.  We choose happiness with positive thoughts, real smiles, deep laughter, and an attitude of gratitude.  Choose happiness today!

http://www.amazon.com/Flourish-Visionary-Understanding-Happiness-Well-being/dp/1439190763/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_z

Journaling

In our group yesterday, Jim was from Washington State and described his hiking treks around Mt. Rainer.  Electra shared her memories as a little girl visiting her Uncle Jack and the magical world she created in his rose garden.  They both shared memories woven with insight and life lessons.  Many of our life experiences get stored, forgotten, and at times misunderstood.  Journaling is a way to deepen our awareness, capture what we feel, how we got there, and why.  It slows down our thinking and creates space for deeper thoughts that lead to insight, growth, and a stronger mind-body-spirit connection.  Take 3 minutes today and start a journal.

The Art of Calm

Yesterday, one of the participants in my “Attitude” class was an anxious husband, who was waiting for his wife to come out of surgery.  We all have moments in our lives where our stress response is put into overdrive and we need to find a place of calm.  The “art of calm” is learning how to redirect our sensory skills to recognize stimuli that provide us moments of calm in times of stress.  The fragrance of a flower, soothing sounds of slow jazz, or a hug can link us to memories and emotions that immediately take us to a place of calm.  By cultivating the art of calm we are able fully live in the present moment.

Attitude Check

My oldest grandson just turned two and like many children at this developmental stage is going through what has been called a terrible twos attitude.  Attitude has been defined as an inward feeling expressed by outward behavior.  Our attitude makes a difference in how we approach life, our relationship with others, and how we face challenges.  In his book, Attitude the Difference Maker, Maxwell reminds us that we need to recognize when our attitude needs changing, and manage and cultivate it by changing our thoughts.  We are what we think, not what we think we are.  Take an attitude check today.   

http://www.amazon.com/The-Difference-Maker-Attitude-Greatest/dp/0785260994