It's always in times of personal struggle and pain that I look back and long for those moments when I was most content but failed to realize it.
Hindsight is a reliable teacher but an unforgiving friend. The trick is turning hindsight into foresight without allowing fear to be our rudder.
Photo by Christopher Drost
When we wield the powerful sword of "I'm leaving you" the fragile bonds of forever are tested. Sometimes beyond repair. Those words cut, creating distrust, anger, and vulnerability. That's not fighting fair.
What happened to the sacred oath that included 'til death do us part? Commitment is sacrifice over convenience and true love's secret code.
"I wanted to see you walking away from me without the sensation of you leaving me alone." Counting Crows song - Time And Time Again
There is no greater darkness than that which causes us to go numb, stop giving of ourselves and cease caring. There is no greater death than living with apathy, a choice that has rendered many of us dead already.
When we can give away more than we take and strip ourselves from the pursuit of wealth, we become alive with endless potential to make a difference. Filled with compassion we become free and fearless, no longer content with being reckless in our quest for living the good life. Are you willing to take that leap?
“He who gives when he is asked has waited too long.” Lucius Annaeus Seneca
"The faster you run away from the problems you have, the closer you get to the problems you don't want."
Ray Basile
Objects In Your Life Are Closer Than They Appear
It's no secret that there are times when circumstances in my life turn out far more positive than I believed they would. The ideal ending takes me by surprise because it far exceeds what I was able to envision. I often error on the side of magical thinking when it comes to life's challenges.
While every life challenge I face does not produce my ideal ending, it's believing it will that keeps me in the fight. That's called hope.
It's not life's challenges that we must be wary of, but rather the power of our own disbelief. What do you believe?
"Change is the unavoidable consequence of carrying around large bills while making small purchases. In this
case change is inevitable. Expect change." Ray Basile
When you let go of your dreams it can take the better part of a lifetime to catch them again. It makes more sense to never let them go in the first place. Even If they eventually pass away, at least they were yours to hold onto all the while.
"Better is one day with an impossible dream planted firmly in your heart, than a thousand days spent in regret over the one you gave up on." Ray Basile
"Before you sacrifice everything to reach the top, ask the people there if it's really worth the climb. The fall is always faster than the journey it takes to get there. I encourage you to treasure the journey."
This of course does not apply if you're falling down a bottomless pit. That could take a really long time.
A young boy stood near the shore captivated by his own reflection cast before him in the tranquil water. With great caution he approached his image in the perfect light, careful to spy if anyone near by could see what he could see. He felt fear and quickly fled the truth he found squandering his courage to the wind. He toiled with great pain from that day forward to gaze upon his true self again, a reflection once fearless and unrestrained.
"What we seek we shall find; what we flee from flees from us." Ralph Waldo Emerson
"The way you get meaning into your
life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your
community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that
gives you purpose and meaning." Mitch Albom
