Education

From the book, "Blue Highways: A Journey into America":

"I want to show them that there's only one place they can get an education - in the school of thought. Learning rules is useful but it isn't an education. Education is thinking, and thinking is looking for yourself and seeing what's there, now what you get told was there. Then you put what you see together." (390)

Let us keep that mind. Look around, see the world around you. Learn about it, educate yourself. Life is where the real education begins.

How To Quit Your Job

A lot of people don't like their jobs. They would love to quit, do something else, retire, or any number of things. But they don't, usually because they can't (or don't think they can) afford to quit their job. Sometimes, they are right.

However, the disappointing thing is that most people in this situation don't actually do anything to try and change their life. This generally is because they have a fundamental misunderstanding about money, and the affect that it has in their life.

After reading Your Money or Your Life, it has driven the point very hard into me - our society does not understand money and what it does to people. We are ruled by materialism, and it is making a lot of people lead unhappy lives. We live in a society where "more is better," and where it is looked down upon to live a simple life where you don't need new gadgets.

This type of attitude seems to make people think (in my opinion) that they need certain things, or that their life will be happy if they can only afford [new car, huge house, etc]. No longer is it enough to simply take care of your needs, we need more and more stuff (even if it doesn't make us any happier).

Of course, this has an averse effect on our life in the big picture. If we buy more stuff we don't need, we will have less money for savings, for retirement, for having some money just in case we decide we want to pursue a different direction in our career.

In the long run, we buy things we don't need (or really even want) with money that would be better used for savings, which means we have to work more and longer at a place we don't like. Seems kind of funny, no?

If you find yourself in a situation where you are dissatisfied with your career and your job, you have a choice. You can look for another job, and you can also rein in your spending as best as you can, to put yourself in a better position for you to make changes.

After all, cutting back on some non-necessities sounds a whole lot better to me than continuing in the rat race you never wanted to run in the first place.

Using Your Gifts

All of us have been given certain talents and gifts in our lives. Sometimes we recognize them early on, sometimes we don't realize we have them until later in life. No matter, when we know what they are, we should work hard to utilize them to make others lives better.

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." - Steve Prefontaine

If we do not give all that we can, or use our gifts as best as we can, we are sacrificing the gifts that we have been given. We are then not becoming the people that we can and should be.

For example, if your talent is writing, but you never write (not even letters to friends), you are not using that gift for all that it could be. Even if you are giving your best to enriching the lives of others through writing personal letters, you are using your gift. If your gift is music but you never play, you are sacrificing your gift.

This quote, I believe, can bring about good reflection. What is your gift or gifts? Are you using them? In what ways could you use them even more?

How can I change the world?

It is very easy for me to get caught up in everyday life and the busyness of it. It can seem like there is never enough time for things like writing and reading. It is often during these times that I might wonder if anything I am doing is actually helping to make those around me better people, or if I am doing anything to help the world.

It is daunting, on the surface. The world is a big place, and it's easy to think that there is no way we can affect 6 billion people, and therefore we cannot change the world. Fortunately, in practice, things are not as hard as we make them seem.

You need to look at where your talents are, where your passions are, and this is how you can affect the world. There are countless other people with the same skills that I have, and personality traits that I have... but likely there are some ways that I can affect people, or at least the people that I know, in a way that nobody else can. This is how I can change the world.

You don't need to come up with a great invention, or become a political leader in order to change the world. You simply have to love other people, and try to make their lives better. You have some unique talent or skill that will allow you to do this, you just have to find it.

Times They Gotta Change, But So Do We

So often we hear people (sometimes even ourselves) bemoan the state of society. When we hear of a murder, or a drug bust, or any of a number of other different crimes, we read about them and say, "What is our society coming to?"

And it is true. Society is (in my opinion) heading some negative places, and things are being acceptable that make me shake my head. But at the same time, we have to always change ourselves to in order to become better people.

It is easy to judge ourselves and our actions against the backdrop of society, or the people we know. We have to try and avoid that temptation. That leads to thinking such as, "Sure I didn't act very nicely there, but nobody else would have acted nice in that situation." Or, "Sure I don't set time for prayer everyday, but most people don't even go to church, so I am still doing good there." And so on and so on.

We have to judge our actions based against the best person that we can be, not against what everyone else is doing. If we are not living up to being the person we can and should be, it doesn't matter if we are still acting better than some or most people. We are still falling short of what we can be.

This is another reason why it is important to surround yourself with quality people that will lift you up higher. It will help you avoid this temptation and always make you strive to be a little bit better than you are, and a little bit better than you think you can be.

By the way, this is a lyric from a song called "Quiet as a Mouse" by Margot & the Nuclear So and Sos.

"He said times they gotta change/
But so do we"

Love Will Set You Free

One of my favorite bands is Mumford and Sons, and one of the songs I particularly enjoy is Sigh No More. They seem to at times have lyrics in their songs that are uncharacteristically deep when compared to other popular radio songs (and they sound good too, which is a nice perk).

For instance, in Sigh No More, they have this lyric near the end of the song.

"Love it will not betray you
Dismay or enslave you, it will set you free
Be more like the man you were made to be"

Rarely in music have I seen lyrics so right on. They are so simple and so deep at the same time. We can look at them in a couple of different ways.

One is in relation to our relationship with those around us. If we are in a relationship where we feel like we are enslaved to someone (or vice versa) that is not a loving relationship. If that is true, then we are being used (or, again, doing the using), which is the opposite of love.

Love should do what the last lines of the lyric say - allow us to feel free and become better people, indeed the people who we are meant to be. For myself, I will be married in 4 months or so... and if I felt that my fianceé was holding me back from becoming who I was meant to be, or if I felt like I could not be myself around her, then I should not marry her, and what was shared between us would not really be love. (Fortunately, that is not the case, and October 8th will be the best day of my life! But I digress... :))

At the same time, we can look at this lyric in relation to our relationship with God. Oftentimes people (who don't really understand God) think religion is simply about rules. "I have a personal relationship with Jesus," they will say, "I don't need religion." And they will use that excuse to justify doing whatever they want.

But God's love is not about rules. He does not betray us. He does not tell us that we cannot get drunk, or have premarital sex, or lie to others as a way of enslaving us. It rather a way to set us free to live happy, fulfilling lives. It is like this, when you play a game of basketball, there are rules. If you play a pickup game anywhere, you won't be able to run with the ball and foul everyone. There are fouls and there is the rule of traveling. These things are not in place to enslave us or prohibit us from enjoying the game, but rather the opposite. They are there to allow us to be free to enjoy the game.

In the same way, God does not put things in our life as a way of making us "enjoy it" less, or make it seem like all we do all day is follow rules. Rather, he puts things there so that we can live more freely and fully.

Love shall you set you free and allow you to become the person you were meant to be. Anything less is simply not love.

Be Careful To Not Judge

I just read Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, and it struck me about how different we look at things based on the results of the action.

I thought of it because, on the surface, trying to climb Mt. Everest is, in a word, nuts. At 29,028 feet, it is the highest mountain in the world. If you make it to the top (or really, anywhere on the mountain), you will be battered with high winds and cold temps. The threat of frostbite, or altitude sickness, or any of a number of other things that you wouldn't want happening to you are pretty high. (They said in the book that if a person was taken from sea level to the top of Mt. Everest, they would be unconscious within a few minutes because they couldn't breathe, and a few minutes after that, they would be dead.

If you are planning on climbing Mt. Everest, you better be ready to pony up tens of thousands of dollars (for the permit to hike it) and block off a couple of months of your time (to get to the mountain and especially to get acclimated to the altitude). Oh, and even if you do everything right, if there is a storm at the top on the day you are trying to reach the summit, you will likely either not actually be able to make it, or you will die. If you do make it safely, you will not enjoy it. It will be a miserable time getting up and experiencing the conditions.

Now, picture a person that is not all that experienced in climbing, but is a go-getter and is able to afford the time and money that it takes to hike Everest. If that person dies while climbing, people around them will likely wonder what they were thinking. If they make it, they will be lauded for their toughness and determination. In reality, the difference between these two outcomes is often luck or chance. And yet we would likely look at the people differently.

In the same way, we need to be careful about judging people in all walks of life. Often, the reason they are where they are is because of some bad luck, or chance. This seems to be true all the time in how people view homeless people - they might think them simply bums that are afraid of hard work. In reality, for many homeless people there is a bad set of circumstances that led them to where they are. In other cases, it might seem as if the people almost never had a chance.

We can't know the circumstances of how people got to where they are and the people they have become. Because of this (among other things) we should strive not to judge these people, but to understand and help them.

John Wooden's Three Rules

A couple of weeks ago, I posted an article which contained a video of John Wooden speaking about his definition of true success. In the same talk, he also said he had three rules that he practically almost always followed and gave to his players and students. They were:

1. Never be late
2. No profanity
3. Never criticize a teammate

Certainly, whether you are looking at these rules from sports or in life, the practical application is there. If you follow these rules, you will likely be more successful, more liked, and more respected than if you do not.

Being on time, often, is a matter of respect. By not being late, you are respecting that other people have things to do and places to be, and they do not like waiting for you because you are running late. In life, there are few quicker ways to lose respect than being late.

Never criticizing is another issue of respect and teaching. There is no good that will come out of criticizing someone else. It is not constructive, and often the person on the receiving end of it is not actually getting anything out of what you are telling them, they are upset about being negatively chewed out.

This is not a comprehensive list of ways to live your life, but it is certainly a start. If you follow these rules, you will be treating others with respect, and in turn they will treat you the same.

There Is No Progress Without Change

There is a quote that says something along the lines of madness being doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Or another, similar sentiment was expressed to my junior high class, "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always be what you've always been."

Both points are saying the same thing as the title of this post... there is no progress without change. If you want your life to change, or you want to improve some area of your life, chances are you are going to have to do something different.

Many of us would like to magically be better at some things, whether it is personality traits (we would like to be more giving, more caring, more patient, etc) or skills (such as cooking, or being organized and clean). But we aren't willing to actually taking any steps towards making that happen. We tell ourselves that "next time we will be better." But, if you don't make any type of change, next time will not be better.

If we want to improve some area of our life, we have to consciously work towards making that a realistic possibility. If we don't, if we just continue to hope that it gets better, we are going to be hoping for a long time.

The Story of Joe Delaney

Joe Delaney was an NFL running back in the 1980s, playing two seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs (including winning the Rookie of the Year award. But that is not why he is so well remembered.

On June 29, 1983, Delaney died while trying to rescue three kids from drowning in a water hole in Monroe, Louisiana. He didn't know how to swim.

To say that Delaney's actions are a great example and role model would be an understatement. When someone else was in trouble, he didn't hesitate to help, even if he didn't exactly know how. He put his life on the line without hesitation to try and help others who were in trouble.

How often do we find ourselves in situations where somebody we know needs help, but we are not sure how to help them? For many people, the response then is to try and push the responsibility off to someone else, and hope that someone else can help them. But we need to take the lesson of Joe Delaney, and jump in with whatever help we can provide. It may not be perfect, but some help is better than no help.

I will end with a quote from Rick Reilly's article on Joe Delaney, which is very much worth a read (and also short):

Anyway, the point is, next time you're reading the sports section and you're about half-sick of DUIs and beaten wives, put it down for a second and remember Joe Delaney, who, in that splinter of a moment, when a hero was needed, didn't stop to ask why.

No Margin of Error

For everyone, there are people that we might not get along with, or simply might not enjoy their company. Sometimes we might not really care about making them a better person, or acting nicely towards them. There are people we might see as lost causes, or as being beyond redemption.

However, in the eyes of Jesus, there is nobody that matches that description. A reflection I once read said:

"There is no margin of error that's acceptable to Him, no percentage of lives that don't matter. He makes an astonishing claim: It's not God's will that even one soul be lost. Everyone counts. Everyone. So the next time it seems expedient to write off somebody, or some group, as not worth our time, resources, and compassion, remember the percentage that interests Jesus when it comes to salvation: 100%."

I don't think anyone would read this and be shocked by what it says, but I doubt there are a lot of us that are really living this out. We don't go the extra mile for those we don't care as much about, and generally are only interested in them so far as we can get something from them.

How different the world and people would be if they saw each soul and each person as a unique person created by God to be loved and known. If we treated everyone with the respect that we would treat those we most admire.

How do we treat others?

How do you receive information?

When we think about communication, we usually think about the ways in which we share information... but what about the reverse? How do we receive information?

This is more, I think, than simply being a good listener or being a bad listener. It has to do with body language, which can have such a large effect on the person sharing the information.

We discussed this during marriage preparation... sometimes another person is going to have to share bad news, or disappointments, or ways in which they have failed. If they don't share these things, then it is not really much of a deep friendship. However, whether they share or not share might be largely dependent on how well you receive information.

It means that you have to make the other person feel comfortable, and that you are interested in hearing what they have to say and doing what you can to help them, rather than judging them if their information is not happy. If you are able to do this, then you will both be more comfortable with each other, and your friendship (or, in the case of marriage) or love will grow.

100 Reasons To Love Spring

Spring is upon us. Temps are warming up, outdoor activities are increasing, and we have officially been in the season of spring for a few weeks now.

Spring might be my favorite season of them all.... How do I love spring? Let me count the ways...

1) You can once again hear the birds chirping outside.
2) Apples are good all the time, but there is something about eating an apple outside in the sun that is especially refreshing. This is possible once again in the spring.
3) The baseball season begins...
4) It is lighter earlier and later in the day, meaning more time to play outside and enjoy the natural light.
5) Hearing the sound of the rain outside as you are trying to fall asleep.
6) The flowers have begun to bloom...
7) Great temperatures for things like running, hiking and biking outside... not too hot, but warm enough that you will be comfortable.
8) The beginning of barbecues, which means the smell of the barbecue.
9) Winter meltoff means you can see more flowing water and (better yet) waterfalls.
10) The excitement and anticipation that spring brings... there is the thought and hope of new life and of summer adventures.
11) The NCAA Tournament finishes up in spring... best sporting event of the year!
12) The smell of the outside world as things are starting to grow.
13) When in school, there was always spring break! Which meant different things to different people, but for me it meant the Pay It Forward Tour, which means going on a bus across the country with other students doing service projects. I couldn't recommend that highly enough!
14) Things start to turn green outside, and green is the best color ever!
15) The crack of a wooden bat on a baseball diamond and the snap of a baseball as it hits the glove.
16) When you wake up to leave in the morning to go to work or see the sunrise, it is actually an enjoyable temperature out.
17) Going outside on the deck and reading a book in the sunlight. No better way to read!
18) How you can even handle the occasional cold days, because you know that the warmth of the rest of spring and summer is coming.
19) Rolling down the windows in the car and letting your hair blow in the wind.
20) The Cherry Blossoms in Washington D.C.
21) Going for a hike in the mountains and still seeing snow-capped peaks in the distance.
22) Shorts weather!
23) Wearing a baseball cap outside instead of stocking cap.
24) Planting flowers and a garden.
25) Opening the windows in the house and smelling the freshness.
26) Being out on a baseball diamond chewing sunflower seeds.
27) Going for a walk.
28) Finally being able to leave the windows open at night to hear the sounds of the world.
29) Seeing the birds flying across the sky and in the trees.
30) There is still a variance in the weather... some days will be chilly (but not too cold), and some days will be warm (but not too hot). But all of the unpredictably is still in a comfortable range.
31) Hiking to a lake and actually see the lake, not just the ice covering (though ice is cool too...)
31) The bugs haven't had time yet to make themselves comfortable all over your house.
32) The more sunlight will make you a happier, more vibrant person, especially if it has been a long and dark winter.
33) Don't need tennis shoes or boots if you don't want them, you can go outside in just your sandals.
34) Finally you can get thunderstorms again and enjoy the pouring rain, the awe of lightning, and the boom of thunder.
35) When you get off of work, it is actually still light outside!
36) Getting out and playing golf and tennis, if those are your sports.
37) Depending on where you live... since spring is when people start taking more vacations, you have a chance of being visited by friends and relatives.
38) No more days of wearing winter coats... at least until next year.
39) Instead of just watching basketball on TV, you can get outside and play it!
40) Longer days of sunlight mean more time to enjoy your favorite activities outside.
41) 0-0 records for everyone in the MLB. "Hope springs eternal..."
42) "Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush." - Doug Larson
43) Sitting outside, drinking sweet tea, and enjoying the weather.
44) The start of softball season.
45) Simply the anticipation of summer puts people in a happier mood.
46) Knowing that the first day you can reasonable wear shorts (and even if you can't really do it reasonably), you will... just because that will make it feel more like spring!
47) Going to the park and tossing a football or frisbee around.
48) Being able to go to playground (especially the swings).
49) Just after the sun goes down, when it is still light enough to see, and the air is crisp and refreshing on a spring evening.
50) No more days of slick driving conditions.
51) Hearing the shouts of kids as they play the first soccer games and practices of the season.
52) How everything outside and even the clothes that people wear are brighter.
53) The celebration of Easter every spring, a time to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus!
54) The greater likelihood of seeing wildlife out and about (depending on where you live).
55) Being able to go for a bike ride and feel the wind blowing in your face.
56) Being able to play volleyball in the sand.
57) Going to the park and just walking around or messing around, having fun and getting the fresh air.
58) Opening the windows or shades in the morning to get natural light instead of turning a light on.
59) It actually sounds good to go out and get some ice cream.
60) "Science has never drummed up quite as effective a tranquilizing agent as a sunny spring day." - W. Earl Hall
61) The smell of rain, either before or after the rain.
62) Taking pictures outside, capturing the beauty of the Earth.
63) Seeing people out going for runs, inspiring you to want to do the same.
64) The refreshing taste of water when you are out doing something in the sun.
65) It is the start of being able to go for a swim outside (and not freeze too much).
66) Being able to plant a garden or flowers.
67) Playing baseball - whether it is just playing catch, taking batting practice, or shagging fly balls in the outfield.
68) Being able to wear flip flops outside, giving your feet some needed fresh air.
69) Seeing a butterfly perched on a tree branch right before it takes off in flight.
70) "If you've never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom." - Terri Guillemets
71) How you love a rainy day because you know the Earth needs it and it provides a nice atmosphere to enjoy the indoors.
72) How much easier it is to get exercise when you can go outside and do it instead of going to dreary inside of the gym.
73) If you have to go to work early in the morning, it will actually get light on your drive, waking you up for the day and inspiring you to get better work done.
74) Laying in the grass and watching the stars.
75) The start of camping season, getting out and enjoying the outdoors and embracing a more rugged way of life (if only for a night).
76) Planning vacations, knowing that you can plan a whole day doing stuff outside, and you won't get too cold.
77) Seeng wildflowers when you are out in the wilderness.
78) If you are a paper deliverer, you can walk or bike from house to house instead of having to drive from house to house!
79) The sound of crickets at night (as long as they are not in your house).
80) "[Spring is] when life's alive in everything." = Christina Rossetti
81) Seeing leaves back on the trees as they spring to life.
82) Pickup basketball games... outside.
83) If you are near the mountains, you can still enjoy the majesty of the snow-covered peaks in the distance, only without being in the cold yourself.
84) Everyone starts to get green grass, rather than brown, dead grass.
85) As long as you are not walking in a high traffic area (in which case I do not recommend this), you can go for a walk and read a book... at the same time!
86) Going for a long bike ride through the neighborhoods... nowhere to go or be, just seeing where the road takes you.
87) The NBA playoffs... when all the best athletes in the world show up to play.
88) Taking long drives and roadtrips, with the windows down, the roads clear, and the radio up.
89) If you are lucky enough to have a porch or deck, sitting out and reading a favorite book, drinking some lemonade.
90) "An optimist is the human personification of spring." - Susan Bissonette
91) You don't have to pile on all of the blankets when you crawl into bed at night.
92) Since people tend to be in a more joyful mood once the winter is over, and happiness is contagious, everyone is more joyful!
93) You can fly a kite! (or, perhaps more accurately, try to fly a kite...)
94) You can enjoy the myriad of activities that a lake or river offers, such as boating, waterksiing, going to the beach, or simply swimming.
95) The feeling of "newness" that comes with everything. With new life comes new hopes, new dreams, new ambitions, and new motivations.
96) Being able to see one of the most beautiful sights in creation, the sunrise... when it is warming enough that you won't be shivering with cold.
97) Playing two-hand touch or flag football.
98) Instead of having to drive everywhere, you can walk or bike to get from place to place. Being environmentally friendly and getting exercise at the same time.
99) If you live in a safe enough area, you can go for walks at night when the moon is out and the world is more peaceful.
100) Did I mention hearing the chirping birds outside? :)

Where True Happiness Lies

In "Story of a Soul," St. Therese of Lisieux offers this insight on where happiness can be found. Rather, where happiness IS found.

"I realized very clearly that happiness has nothing to do with the material things which surround us; it dwells in the very depth of the soul." (79)

To take a look at this, all you have to do is to thing about the things which make you happiest. Odds are they will not be things like your TV, or your car, or your computer. If those are the first things you think of, be wary! Your happiness is very fleeting, because those things will not provide you with long lasting, sustaining happiness.

For truly happy people, their joy and happiness lies in their loved ones, their experiences, and the things to which they dedicate their life. These are the things which provide a more fulfilling happiness, one which cannot be taken away by the loss of possessions or circumstance.

For me, it is easy to find that the things that make me happiest are not my material possessions. They are things like going for a hike with my fiancee, reading a good book, getting a letter in the mail or writing a letter, coming upon a beautiful site in the outdoors, Adoring Our Lord, or making someone else smile or laugh.

None of these things are dependent on material possessions or wealth, but they come from the very depths of the soul. They come from those free gifts given to us by God, through the natural beauty of the earth, our friends and loved ones, or our own curiousity.

What brings you happiness?

Being a Disciple of Christ

We are all called to be Disciples of Christ, to place him first in importance and follow Him. But how do we do that? I once read a quote that sheds some light:

"Discipleship only makes sense without a road map, a prenuptial agreement, or a money-back guarantee. If we put our trust in Jesus, that means falling behind Him wherever the road goes. Scary? Leaving home and the familiar always is. Necessary? You bet your life."

Many of us try to have our priorities the opposite... we think that when life is in order, when we are at a good place, then we can start following Jesus, and doing things like going to Mass, Confession, or tithing on a more regular basis. First, we have to get our own life in order, then all of these things will come. Or so we tell ourselves.

However, the rub is that if we are waiting for that perfect time, it will never come. There likely will always be something else that you think should be demanding your time, money, and attention. If we place the safety in first priority, Jesus will not fall in line next, He will slip off the page.

If we are at a place of disorder in life, all the better to start becoming a Disciple of Christ. When you have nothing or have lost everything, that is the perfect time. That is the time to establish routines and beliefs that we will carry with us.

Tithing is a perfect example, I think. Let's say you make $100/week (just throwing out numbers)... if you can't tithe $10 out of that, do you think you will really tithe $100 when you make $1000 per week? I doubt it, but this is what people tell themselves.

If you follow Jesus and become a disciple of Him, it could take you scary places, or cause you to make decisions that will be uncomfortable at the time. That is OK. I am guessing Peter, John, and the rest of the Apostles wrestled with the same decisions that we still face today.

Jesus is the way to get your priorities and life straight. If you wait until you have those things secure before you follow Him, you will keep Him waiting a long time.

A Lesson in Humility and Leadership

On Holy Thursday we remember the story of Jesus washing the feet of his Apostles. To me, this is a great lesson in both humility and leadership.

On the one hand, it is great humility to put yourselves at the service of others in the manner of washing their feet. Many people see feet as "awful," and would not go near another person's feet (let alone a lot of them). Yet there Jesus is, insisting that he be able to get down on His hands and knees and wash their feet. There is nothing that He is not willing to do for another person, and we too must sometimes let go of our pride to help others.

The other thing is that Christ is showing us a great example of servant leadership. Even though He is the teacher of the Apostles (Peter calls Him 'Master') it is Jesus who washes their feet, and not the other way around. This shows us that the best way to lead others is often to serve them, and to set an example for them in that way. He tells the Apostles to go and do the same for others, and teaches them that no master is greater than a slave.

I believe servant leadership to be the most effective manner of leadership. If you would to earn the respect and trust of others, serve them and look out for their needs. This will teach them to do the same for others.

This is a great lesson for us as we prepare for the the Resurrection of Our Lord.

Do Not Judge

I got this little story in an email forward, but thought it was pretty cool, so decided to post it here!

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A young couple moved into a new neighborhood
The next morning while they were eating breakfast,
The young woman saw her neighbor hanging the wash outside.
'That laundry is not very clean,' she said.
'She doesn't know how to wash correctly.
Perhaps she needs better laundry soap.'

Her husband looked on, but remained silent.

Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry,
The young woman would make the same comments.

About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband:

'Look, she has learned how to wash correctly.
I wonder who taught her this.'

The husband said, 'I got up early this morning and
Cleaned our windows.'

And so it is with life.

What we see when watching others
Depends on the window through which we look.

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Do not judge, but only look at others through the eyes of love. Lord, Give Me Your Eyes.

What Keeps You Awake At Night?

Sometime last week I had some type of great idea or something that excited me a little bit before I went to bed, and it got me so excited I had trouble sleeping for a bit. Isn't a great feeling?

So it got me thinking... we need to spend more time thinking about the things that keep us awake at night (in a good way!). Those things that excite us with their potential, these are the things that we need to focus our mind on as much as we can, because those are the things that lead us to happiness and fulfillment.

I once read that those deepest desires that we have, the things we barely even dare to dream, those are the things that God wishes for us, and the things that He wants us to aspire to and achieve. I like to think that these are the same things that get us excited when we think of them. The things that instantly wake us up and cause us to smile at the mere thought of them.

Too many times we find ourselves focusing on the opposite things... things that bring our mind down, things that exhaust us, things that we dread... and as a consequence, we forget how to dream and how to have goals.

So, what keeps you awake at night?

".. He became a man in love again"

I saw this video and thought the overall message of it was something that we could all take a lesson from.



The key phrase in it, I believe, is, "By acting like a man in love, he became a man in love again."

I have written before about how a way to get a certain behavior or become a certain kind of person is to act as if you already have that trait. Fake it til you make it.

I think, in a roundabout way, a similar message is shown here. As soon as he began to act as if he was in love (by taking his wife to shows, reading to her... all of the things that she loves), he found that he no longer had to act like he was in love - because he WAS in love again.

In the same way, if we pretend we are nice to strangers, kind, generous, patient (or any other virtue which we hope to possess), we will soon find out that we are no longer pretending, but we have become that person.

We are creatures of habit. Excellence, Aristole said, is a habit. If we struggle with patience, but then, in a sense, "pretend" that we are patient. we will become patient. We are what we repeatedly do.

Go And Play

I once read this story in a reflection:

"Recently I read an account of one of those martyrs, St. Saturus, who lived in the third century. Just before his death he had a vision of heaven. Saturus describes an intense light, a garden of lush flowers, tall majestic trees, angels in white robes, and the chanting of heavenly voices. In his vision Saturus actually kisses the face of God who touches the saint's face with his hand and then says, "Go and play."

I loved this story when I heard it. So often we take our lives so seriously... work, work, work, and we never think we have any leisure time or time to enjoy life. But this vision tells us that these things are important.

We need to take time to recreate, to enjoy our leisure time, and to enjoy the beauty of the earth. These activities relax our minds and bodies, and allow us to focus on the simple pleasures of life.

It is my belief that the better we can appreciate and enjoy the simple things in life, the better people we will be, and the happier people we will be.

So, go and play!