Archive for February, 2007

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Whatever

Monday, February 26th, 2007

Open forum here. Nothing specific to talk about tonight, and yet I felt like making a blog post, possibly to create the illusion I’m being productive. It’s okay, though. I’ve got all night to pound out another blog entry and I guess my fingers are just along for the ride. I’ll never forget the day I was born. What a mess. I like to freestyle every once in awhile because it may lead to a mental breakthrough that could send me over the edge and into another dimension, and I would love to do that, just for the experience of blogging about it. It would give me some new topics to talk about. I have some dreams that seem so real that when I wake up, I’m kind of disappointed because it is amazing to me that the places in my dreams are all fabrications of my imagination. Every little detail is the inner workings of my brain, of my mind. There is so much data in there, and it’s so hard to quantify it, so most of the things in my head are a mystery “waiting to be unraveled.” Maybe I didn’t get enough sleep last night and this is making me sound strange, but I feel a bit loopy tonight, and I’m just going to run with it.

I grew up knowing that the only way a man can skin a cat is with his grandmother’s razor blades. I came to find out in my later years that this was a misguided assumption. There is definitely more than one way to skin a cat, although I wouldn’t recommend doing so under any circumstances. I can say one thing, though. One of my fondest childhood memories was playimg Monopoly and becoming so bored, I started laughing and laughing and laughing and eventually we just stopped playing, because of all the laughter. The game was no longer important. But I’ll never forget that day as long as I live. And I’ll never forget Stratego, the game I never won at, ever. Boy, what a miserable game that was, for me, but I made the best of it. I did the best I could with what I had. I’m just glad it wasn’t my dream to become general of the U.S. Army because I’m quite sure it would not turn out the way I wanted it to.

But I am not a man of war anyway. I am a man of peace. It is easier to have peace than war, yet people seem to lean the way of the sword. You can be a pacifist and pass-a-fist, or you can be a warmonger and kill a bunch of people. You always have a choice. Your destiny is your own, not someone else’s. If you’ve made it this far, I encourage you to keep reading. One of my favorite things to do is stop mid-paragraph and just go off on another tangent. There are no rules when it comes to writing, unless you’re writing in one of those countries that doesn’t have freedom of expression. There is an upside and a downside to this freedom of expression. Sure, all the great ones can spread their message, but so can the cult leaders and the hate-mongers. And you can’t tell one group of people not to express themselves without censoring everyone. As South Park says, “It’s either all okay, or none of it’s okay.” I’m just glad to be in a world where I can write whatever I want and publish it and allow other people to read it as well. There are no boundaries and that makes me happy inside.

I love the world we live in with endless possibilities and how any of them can be true for you or me or whoever else exists. It’s good to be here now, in this time period, where the world is becoming a better place every day, with our help and the help of others, we are becoming more peaceful and less quarrelsome, although we are not as peaceful as we could be. There just needs to be a shift in the collective consciousness of us all to surrender from the emotions of greed, hatred and disgust, in all aspects of our lives, and start to love and cherish every moment we have on this Earth, because we all know it could very well be our last. Life is unpredictable. I forget who said, “Live as if you’d die tomorrow, but dream as if you’ll live forever.” But it’s an interesting quote I have come to love.

I wish we all knew what a wonderful world this is, but with all the negative news and constant reaffirmation of negativity in the media and the social conditioning, we all feel like the world is getting worse, or at least most people do. Optimistic people are looked at as ignorant, with comments said to them like, “How can you be so happy with all the suffering in the world?” It is because I choose to be happy. Happiness is a choice. Peace is a choice. Every emotion and feeling you have is a choice on one level or another. We’re conditioned on how to feel in certain situations, but you don’t need to follow that path. You don’t have to be miserable if you don’t want to. There is always a choice for your emotions, I guess, would be the bullet point of this paragraph. God, I love Family Guy. (To those of you who don’t get that reference, don’t worry about it.)

I’ve had a tremendous time writing on this blog. I don’t even know if that last sentence makes sense, but I’m leaving it in there anyway. I have enjoyed this experience and my previious experiences blogging thoroughly. I am going to continue this blog with further posts, obviously, and I encourage you to keep reading, if you are so inclined. The choice is up to you. Take or leave my ideas, or ideas in general, as I usually do not like to claim ownership of my ideas, except for that one patent I bought beck in 1997 (caffeinated water). Anyway, I think this has gone on far enough. Have a fulfilling day. Good night, and good luck.

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Posted in Humor, Inspiration, Rants | 2 Comments »

The Joy of Doing What You Love

Friday, February 23rd, 2007

It’s your life. It’s your responsibility to decide what to do with it. It’s not someone else’s choice. It is only your own. If you do not make a conscious choice, someone will make one for you. It is as simple as that. And living a life someone else chose for you is not something most people want to do. But I see this every day, wherever I go. People staying at a job they hate for the pension plan. People who are afraid to pursue their passions. People who kind of got stuck into something and cannot find their way out. These people have fear of the unknown. They fear what will happen if they make a choice and it does not work out the way they wanted. These are the people who have settled for less than their best.

If there’s one thing you ever learn in life, it should be to always do your best in everything, while at the same time not being so attached to outcomes. Don’t compare yourself to others, either. You are not them. The only person you should compare yourself to is yourself, your ideal self that is. Most people know what they are capable of doing. Some people have not discovered where their strong points are, but the only way to do that is to try something new and see how it goes. Give it your best shot, no expectations, no regrets, no disappointments. It’s not complicated, although many people make it that way.

I wonder what would happen if everyone awakened to their real purpose for being here. What would happen to the world in a state like that? Everyone pursuing their dreams, doing what they love to do, enjoying pervasive inner peace. What a world that would be! And is it possible? If I can imagine it, then yes, it is possible. We just have to work harder to make it happen.

The first step to making this transition has to do with doing what you love to do in your spare time, as I do with this blog. Then, gradually incorporate more of these things that bring you joy into your daily life until it becomes your entire life. Eventually, if we all did what we loved to do, do you think there would be all these depression medications and commercials that make you look deprived of some amazing service if you don’t buy the Jack Lalame Juicer? We all have choices in our lives and the most important ones are the choices that will make us not happy, but completely fulfilled. No one wants to spend their entire life living out someone else’s dream, or do you? The choice is up to you.

“Do what you love and the money will come.” –One of my Business teachers in high school.

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Posted in Inspiration, Intentions, Rants, Theories | 1 Comment »

Peace and Balancing Services…and My Private Beach

Thursday, February 22nd, 2007

How much do you give and how much should you get? How do you balance the two? You can’t give everything you have, and you can’t expect to get everything you need without effort. So, how do you balance the two sides of the spectrum and get yourself where you give and receive in a mutual way, in a way where you have optimum balance? People say giving is better than receiving, and others say receiving is better than giving. Which side to you lean on?

It’s one thing to be selfless and a whole other thing to be selfish. Sure, you could try and compromise. Give here, take there, etc. You could do that, but at certain times you’d be selfless and other times you’d be selfish. Is there a way to align yourself where you are both serving yourself and others harmoniously. Sure, there is, it’s just not an obvious answer. The key is to do something where it serves you well as well as serves others at the same time. You help yourself while you help others.

If that’s something to strive for, then I would encourage everyone to go for it. It’s a great balance. I can’t say I have achieved this balance yet, but I have heard from those who have and they feel at an amazing equilibrium. If you’re living in the real world, it may seem impossible to do this, but it’s possible…believe me.

I don’t know how high personal fulfillment is on your to-do list, but it is a number one priority in my life. I want to feel at peace, and I am getting better. Peace is the key here. To feel at peace is something I really enjoy. It may not happen as often as I want it to, but feeling at peace is something I love to embark on whenever I have time. I just wish I could do it in all situations, which is more along the vein of equanimity. But feeling fulfilled in all areas of life by aligning yourself so giving service to yourself is the same as giving service to others, then you will eventually reach this peace, this calm mountaintop among the tranquil valleys.

I have this space in my head, this location, this peaceful area, a beach, a wonderful beach, with a beach chair and a glass of water and a small table where I sometimes recede to when I need a break and this helps me get closer to peace. Closer to balance. Closer to eqanimity. I think we all want this sort of peace, but very few of us ever get it at all. The problem is most people can’t imagine what this peace would be like. The only way to imagine it is to get as peaceful as you possibly can, then imagine a place ten times more peaceful than that, then a place ten times more peaceful than that, and so on until you get to the edge of the universe and they take you away to the mental institution, just kidding.

Sidenote: I don’t know if this has ever happened to you, but I thought I would throw this in. I have these experiences sometimes, where I am deep in thought and I lose all awareness of the world around me. I totally blank out everything except exactly the thoughts I am focusing on at that moment. I don’t know who I am, where I am, what is going on around me. I just am. Then, I realize that I am away, I am not where I am supposed to be, that I am not in my body, but off somewhere else, and as soon as I realize that, I am back into awareness. It is a great state to be in, but it can be very disorienting when you come back. But the journey back is worth it in the long run. I have never done astral travel, so I do not know what it is like, but I am sure this is somewhat similar. It’s kind of like, “The lights are on, but no one’s home.” It’s like an old school friend of mine who said when the teacher asked if he was here, “Not mentally. I’m in the Bahamas today.” I’d like to visit my private beach again soon. Find your own private beach. It will be worth it.

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Posted in Inspiration, Intentions, Rants, Theories | 6 Comments »

Having A Sense of Humor in Bad Situations

Friday, February 16th, 2007

I have always had a sense of humor that people could appreciate. Witty, sharp, logical, smart. And it was only after I had suffered brain cancer that I had the courage to display this great sense of humor publicly with more than just close friends and family. I would often look at my situation, whatever it may be, no matter how bad it made me feel, and think something funny about it. This is a string of personal stories that will show you how humor can be used at anytime, and make yourself happier.

I was getting an MRI, for the twelfth time after going inside this machine so many times I could tell you every possible noise that took place in the machine. I started wondering if they offer any benefits to repeat customers. So I went into the MRI room and told the technician, “I only have to go in one more time before I get a free examination.” I pulled out a card with twelve hole punches in it, reminiscent of somesort of Subway Club card, where if you buy a certain amount of subs, you would get a free sub.

I was going through my radiation treatment for thirty days, as was persecribed and the first fifteen days was a general radiation, but the second fifteen days was this very precise radition table, where the table moved and the laser beam moved in all directions. My body went up, down, around in circles. I got off for the first time and said, “Boy, I thought this was a treatment, not a ride. It’s kind of like the Scrambler, isn’t it?”

At one point, and this was relatively soon into the radiation, I got an eyepatch from my aunt. My eyes were not following each other, probably because of the swelling, and she bought me an eyepatch to help me see things clearer without double vision. I was in a lot of pain, but I still managed to say, “Arrr!” I had a good laugh about it, and it got me through the day.

I am not sure if someone thought of this quote or if it is my own creation of pure magic but here it goes, “Life is rought, so you had better develop a sense of humor. If not, you might now get out alive.” Although none of us get out alive anyway. We all end up dead at the end. I have heard comedians joke about suicide pretty well, and it was hilarious. Joking about cancer is something I do on a regular basis, but more on a personal me basis…”I don’t know if I’ve told you before, but I suffer from short term memory loss after my operation. I don’t know if I’ve told you before, but I suffer from…” “I can’t look up at all. I guess I can never date a woman taller than me.”

So I guess all I have left to say is that no matter how bad things get, no matter how awful your life seems, you can always take the time to joke about it, add some humor to the situation, and you will most likely feel better about it. Even when I get really frustrated, like if I am filling out the dreaded FAFSA, and the questions are so confusing they drive me insane, I can still take a time to laugh about how absurd it is we have to fill this nonsense out in the first place. Let’s not forget doing my taxes, got to fill out my 10-40, W-2, and my WD-40. Have a nice day.
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Posted in Humor, Theories | 8 Comments »

Please, Stop Complaining

Thursday, February 15th, 2007

I hate it when people bitch about how terrible their life is and you feel like you’re stuck there, unable to get out of such a conversation. You know, the people who complain and complain and complain until they can’t complain any more, but they still keep complaining. Hell, if I complained even one fifth as much as these people do, then I would be complaining once every sixteen seconds. What do you say to these people? “Stop complaining, you’re dragging me down with you!”?? I call these people energy vampires. You could be in a great mood, a wonderful state of mind, until these people come across and try to suck the good feeling right from underneath you.

I don’t like to talk to these sorts of people, the people who are perpetually negative, all their emotions swirling in what they don’t have or what they need to get, and how depressed they will be if they don’t have whatever they think they need. If you have ever had a conversation with these sorts of people, then you know exactly what I am talking about. The people who don’t even listen to anything you have to say, and would rather have something to complain about than have a meaningful conversation. The people who probably secretly like their suffering, as it at least gives them something to talk about, something to take up your time from meaningful work. That’s just my theory on that, because we only attract what we want, so if your life isn’t what you want it to be, it actuallly is.

I have seen people complain about things I don’t even give a second thought. I find it very trivial when it comes to complaining. I guess I have a slightly different perspective being a cancer survivor and all, having been through a horrific experience like that. But I am grateful for the experience and I did not complain much. When I would hear people complain about things that were so unimportant, like they didn’t make the soccer team or they scraped their leg or whatever, I would think that if they knew what some people go through in everyday life around the world and don’t complain at all, then they might see that they have nothing, absolutely nothing, to complain about.

One reason why I hate complainers is because complaining about your problems gets you nowhere except deeper into depression or frustration. Why don’t you try and change the situation if it is so bad? I’ll tell you why. Because then you’d have nothing to complain about. And if that happens, you’ll most likely have nothing to talk about. Good. At least then I won’t have to listen to your negative comments about how horrible your life is. If you are one of these people who complains constantly, I encourage you to go to a hospital to see the dying patients and complain to them about your backache or sore neck. It is all about perspective. That is what helps me not complain whatsoever. Whatever is happening, it shall pass.

If you look at your current situation and think to yourself, “What am I going to care about this situation I am in right now ten years from now?” Like if you’re in debt, and it is making you anxious, think about how trivial it will seem ten years from now, in your ideal life, your ideal way of living, where all your problems are solved, except for what to do with all the money you have or whatever else you desire. If your life sucks now, you have the power to change that, by making positive changes in your life, not by dwelling on the negatives, like how you can’t do this, or didn’t get that or whatever. I mean, some days I wake up and don’t want to get out of bed, but I do because I know there is a potential to do better, to live a better life, rather than lie down and just think about how tired I am or whatever else is going on with me. Life is a journey, and to live life to the fullest, you have to be grateful for the good, the bad, and the other.

Know that you have power in every present moment and that you have the power to make each of these moments better than the previous. I have used this numerous times to better any situation. If you are having a rough day, take some time to laugh about it like you would laugh about it five years from now looking back. I remember working in the supermarket and it was Fourth of July weekend and all the tourists were in Myrtle Beach at my store shopping like maniacs. It was very intense, and at one point, I just burst out laughing. And I laughed and laughed and laughed just like I would laugh about it now at how ridiculous the situation was. I know I must have looked like a crazy person, but what did I care? I was happy at that moment and took that happiness throughout the rest of the day, unruffled by all the stress looming around me. I just wish everyone had such a cynical sense of humor.

The main message here is to start being grateful for every experience, every moment you exist, because we all know how fast your existence can come to a close. So no matter how bad things are, at least you’re still here, and at least you have the power to make the next moment better. Instead of dwelling on misery, start creating positive fulfillment.

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Posted in Food/Health Related, Inspiration, Intentions, Theories | 7 Comments »

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