The power of words.

It was a beautiful night to sit on the porch, listening to the hundreds of crickets and night birds that inhabit my yard. Earlier in the day we had a couple of hours of much needed rain which cooled things off and created that fresh clean smell that follows a good rain storm. Life is not only good, but it’s there to experience. Get outside!

While sitting there in the rocking chair, I was thinking about words and language. Actually, one word, the word “hate”. It’s a very strong word and in my opinion it is the most negative word I know. I have been for some time trying to eliminate the word from my vocabulary.

So instead of saying “I hate”, I say “I dislike” or “I don’t care for”. There are many ways to say you don’t like something without using the word “hate”. I do feel more at peace and more positive when I don’t use that word. There is no way to use the word and feel good when saying it. There is no way to use it in a sentence without putting force on the word “hate”.

Practice not using that word. I promise you will feel better and see positive results.

Peace!

Tiny bits of Freedom.

Most of this year I’ve been learning to minimize in a lot of areas in my life. I’ve cleaned out closets, drawers and the attic. I’ve reduced the amount of time I spend driving. I buy only the items I need from the grocery store and no longer make impulse buys or purchase anything without making absolutely sure I need whatever it is.
I’ve also learned to minimize in the area of language. Say only the words necessary to make a point. I complain less. (When you have less stuff, there’s less to complain about). Instead of complaining about the weather (which we can’t control) I’ve learned to embrace it. It is what it is!
As a result of minimizing, I feel great. I love the feeling of getting rid of stuff. I love the floor space I now have in the house, the closet space I now have. Minimizing is invigorating. I encourage everyone to get rid of the stuff you don’t need.
Peace!

Family Time

You know, sometimes the plans we make, might not always go as planned. This evening I planed to have dinner with my dad and then attend the local stock car races. We both love and enjoy watching auto racing and I might call it the local track, but it’s actually a one hour drive from home. We drive up and share a splendid meal at a restaurant in the area and then head out to the track only to find that they have canceled the races due to bad weather conditions. It was in fact sunny and pleasant when we arrived. However, it meant that we just return home. Things did not happen the way we planned but it couldn’t have been better. During the hour drive back we shared some great conversation about family, auto racing and many other topics that came to our minds.
In my early years, my dad was much too busy trying to make a living and tying to feed a family and provide the necessary things for his wife and three children. There was no time for father/son bonding. I would have loved to have known my father then. With that said, I don’t look back. I can not change the past or predict the future. All I have is “right now”. I plan to make the most of “right now”. I deeply cherish time spent with my dad. Tonight was no exception. We shared laughter and sadness which brought us even closer together. I am who I am because of my dad and my mom. Think about that when you are raising your own children.
Peace!

Birds aren't Fat!

Sitting on the screened porch observing the birds eat from the bird feeder, the squirrels trying to pilfer from the feeder, the blue birds and blue jays eating bugs or worms from the earth, something occurred to me. There are no fat animals in the world. Animals don’t overeat the way we humans do. They eat for continued existence whereas we eat for contentment. What if we had to eat for survival instead? Just think how much thinner we would be and how much healthier we would be. Just think of how much food we would save and how much of an environmental impact it would have if we ate instinctively. We owe it to our planet to eat or consume less food. I encourage you all to not only eat less but cut back in all areas of your life. Use less food, less gas, less driving, less paper, less water, less hate……..more love and peace!

Burn Baby Burn!

Can one ever truthfully acclimate to heat? I’ve lived here in the south all my life. Still, I can not get used to good ole’ southern heat and humidity. I’ve run in it for the past 26 years and still don’t like it. And believe me; no matter how naked you get in the south, it’s still hot as blazes.
This morning was a classic case in point. I ran a trail 10k this morning in one of the neighboring counties. It was a beautiful course around the reservoir but it started at 9:00 A.M……..bad idea! It was already 75 degrees by 8:00 A.M. and the temperature was climbing.
I was completely saturated when I finished. I looked like a slice of bread left in the rain overnight! Not an appealing sight. However, it was a fine day with numerous friends and training partners and everyone in our group came home with age group awards. Sweet!