To sit or to stand

I have learned that "doing the right thing" isn't always so simple. This point becomes evident to me when riding on a crowded NY subway train. It would be obvious based on how I was raised and my own insight that if a woman, child, older person or someone with a disability got on the train that I would get up for them. Well, I have received snarls from all of the above. And when I stay standing to leave seats open for others to sit, I have seen healthy young men practically knock people over to sit in them, leave older men and people with small children or canes standing. This has all left me thinking at times that maybe I should just sit. I realize though, that if I sit in this instance, I will begin sitting in others. Like "one more piece of paper one the ground won't matter" or " why speak up when nobody listens". This world gets different by people standing because it's the right thing to do and not because others do or because they gain favor by doing it. So, to answer to the question "to sit or to stand?".....STAND!

Fast

Over the weekend I went on a food and media fast with my wife, Marie. We ate only fruits and vegetables and didn't use the Internet, listen to music or watch television or movies. I have done these separately before, never together. I know it's not called a Fast because you discover things quickly, although maybe it should be. First, I discovered that I function better with protein and complex carbs, although I don't need them to function. I also discovered that I use the internet to grow my knowledge and support me in what I am up to and I also use it to distract myself from what is uncomfortable and the things that are truly important to me. this weekend because we took less time preparing our food and didn't have the distraction of the internet or the option of watching movies for entertainment, many new possibilities opened for us. We completed our new "team" vision board that we had sitting on a table waiting for us to complete for three months and we spent more time just talking than we have in a long time. So, next time I catch myself saying I'm too busy. I will ask myself the question "with what?". there is nothing better for gaining new perspective than spending a little time doing without.

It gets better

Even if you don't watch or read much news, as I don't you are most likely aware of the recently not so recent "epidemic" of teenage suicides. Many of these have been due to excessive bullying by classmates and others. These kids were bullied because they were "different" in the eyes of the others, in some cases ever their families. I saw an article that a man is campaigning to show kids and everyone that there is another alternative. He's calling it "It gets better". The message is to reach out, move forward and hold on because it always gets better. I heard one story of a college man who's roommate filmed him with another man and posted it. When he found out, he walked to a bridge and jumped. I thought to myself, if he could have held off even one day, he would have seen that it dies get better.
This is not even about suicide or bullying. It's a message to all of us to treat people how we would like to be treated and to keep moving forward no matter how hopeless things may seem and to teach others to do the same. Even though sometimes it may seem to get worse first, we can all attest to the fact that it doe get better and so do we for having gone through it.

The giving puddle

Recently, I was having breakfast with a friend. After breakfast w got up from the table and walked outside and continued our conversation while standing on the corner. A fireman had opened up the fire hydrant near the corner while we were having lunch and it had formed a puddle in the walkway. About a minute after standing there an older man with a Cain was struggling to maneuver around it and a woman took his arm and helped him. Then, a woman with a package in one hand and a small dog on a leash approached. The dog would not walk through the water and a man came by and carried it over. Another woman with a stroller stopped and looked for a way around and another woman helped carry stroller over the puddle. A UPS man with a cart of boxes found himself stuck and a man grabbed the other end and they carried it over.
I was attempting to watch this and have a conversation at the same time until I finally shared it with my friend. That fireman who had created an "annoyance"......I noticed people grumbling when he first opened it....had actually created an opportunity. That simple puddle gave people an opportunity to give and other the opportunity to see that people do still care when they just may have been losing hope in that. The thing is that the opportunity is always there if we just look around.....or down for it.

Information Detox

A couple of weeks ago, prompted by a book I was reading I went a week where I limited the information I was taking in. This meant no watching the news, reading newspapers or magazines, surfing the Internet for information, limiting watching TV and reading of any kind and no listening to audio. Well, I didn't have much of an issue with most of it, except the reading, Internet and listening to audios. I mean, I need information right? Listening to audios and reading positive, forwarding books is what I feel keeps us growing and learning.

It turns out, the author doesn't disagree with that. Listening to audios and reading books on a regular basis is a great practice to get into. The lesson that I learned from the "Information Detox" is not to depend on information from other sources to do my thinking for me. There is such a thing as information overload, even if it's good information. No matter how brilliant or reliable the source may be, the greatest source will always lie within us.

Stretching the Limits

So, I consider myself to be a pretty fit guy. I exercise every day, I push my limits, expand my comfort zone. Then a couple of weeks ago a friend of mine started teaching me Yoga. I've done yoga before, but this is one on one. As in you can't hide. In just a couple weeks it's exposing what still Can be improved on with my body and mind that I wasn't aware of before. And, of course the only way I could know that is by doing something I haven't done before or to do it in a different way. This can be scary, uncomfortable, even painful. As I keep learning, when I'm willing to stretch my limits, I realize that I really don't have any.

Back to the blog

On January first of this year, I began my daily blog and committed to writing every day for the year. Well, it lasted about five months. When I broke my commitment of writing every day, I think mentally I felt "that's that....no need to write any more". As if it was all or nothing. My words and thoughts were only worth expressing if they were written in consecutive days. As if people could only get value from my thoughts if I had stuck to my original commitment. Of course, none of that is true. And, if I hadn't lost sight of why I started this in the first place, it wouldn't have mattered.
Making commitments is an extremely beneficial thing. As long as we don't make them our prison. So, now here I am writing again with a new perspective. My new commitment is to share myself, my thoughts and experiences as I have them.