What Things Should Change?

What things should change?

What things need to be arranged?

What things will be different?

What things will stay the same?

At each stage of life, we will have to think about these things.

When going off to college…

What things should change?

What things need to be arranged?

What things will be different?

What things will stay the same?

When entering a significant relationship…

What things should change?

What things need to be arranged?

What things will be different?

What things will stay the same?

When starting a job…

What things should change?

What things need to be arranged?

What things will be different?

What things will stay the same?

When getting married…

What things should change?

What things need to be arranged?

What things will be different?

What things will stay the same?

When having a baby…

What things should change?

What things need to be arranged?

What things will be different?

What things will stay the same?

When changing jobs, cities, houses, professions, or anything else…

What things should change?

What things need to be arranged?

What things will be different?

What things will stay the same?

When entering a new stage of life...

What things should change?

What things need to be arranged?

What things will be different?

What things will stay the same?

Yes, at every new stage of your life…

When life changes for you, or you make a change yourself…

You owe it to your future self, to ask yourself…

What things should change?

What things need to be arranged?

What things will be different?

What things will stay the same?

Dear Reader - In this year, when many of you will give up one way of life for another way of life, you should set yourself up for success by asking…

What things should change?

What things need to be arranged?

What things will be different?

What things will stay the same?

Good luck and wishing you an awesome and successful transition to your new life!

The Student Asked The Master

The student asked the master, how long should I persist, and when should I stop?

The Master said,

"Persist until the unknown becomes the known

Persist until the unfamiliar becomes the familiar

Persist until the unusual becomes the usual

Persist until the uncomfortable becomes the comfortable

Persist until victory, and even beyond victory

Persist in the face of fear

Persist in the face of opposition

Persist in the face of obstacles

Persist in spite of being tested

Persist in the face of limited resources

Persist even when success is not guaranteed

Persist in the face of setbacks

Persist in the face of odds

Persist through weakness and strength

Persist despite distractions

Persist through stumbles and falls

This is how small goals and big dreams are met."

Things Get In The Way

I want to love with all my heart

But things get in the way

So many different things

A different one, on any given day.

One day it will be a reaction

To something someone did or said

My loving spirit then flies out the window

And I fret and fume instead.

On some days it just seems I wake up

Not my usual cheerful, happy self

On those days, my loving spirit will be grumpy or absent

And I am neither pleasant to be with, nor willing to help.

On some days, I read or hear something

And a negative view of humanity unfolds

Fool that I am not to realize

That I belong to humanity's fold.

Another day it will be my temper or ego

Which is always looking for slights

And finding them, gets the better of me

Unleashing unloving behavior until my spirits are set right.

On some days, physical weakness, illness, or low self-esteem

Make it hard for me to love or cherish someone else

Recovering my strength, health, and self-esteem is all I can think about

I am focused entirely on myself.

Some days it's just that I am busy

Keeping up with the things I have to do

On those days, I am all about getting this or that done

And I function from a purely mechanical point of view.

Then there are those days, all too frequent

When I am full of ideas and thoughts

I am a bag of opinions and condemnation on those days

And neither my kindness, compassion, or wisdom can be bought.

I have ideas about countries and government

Ideas about family and life

Ideas about religion and philosophy

Ideas about words such as "man" and "wife".

I have ideas about words, actions, and clothing

Ideas about music, health, medicine, and food

Ideas about nature, animals, and humans

I have so many ideas, frankly, too many for my own good.

The run-away train of my ideas

Makes me damn other people and look down

Makes me think I am superior and deserve special treatment

Makes me unloving, and unpleasant to be around.

Yes, I want to love with all my heart, dear reader

But things get in the way

If there's a silver lining to report

It's that I am getting better every day.

If You Can. If You Can.

There's already too much sadness and grief in the world.

 

Don’t add to it.

 

If you can. If you can.

 

There's already too much divisiveness in the world.

 

Don’t add to it.

 

If you can. If you can.

 

There's already too much hate in the world

 

Don’t add to it.

If you can. If you can.

 

There's already too much fear and insecurity in the world.

Don't add to it.

If you can. If you can.

 

There's already too much violence and intolerance in the world.

 

Don't add to it.

If you can. If you can.

There's already too much friction in the world.

Don't add to it

 

If you can. If you can.

 

There's already too much mistrust and suspicion in the world.

Don't add to it

If you can. If you can.

 

There's already too much hopelessness in the world.

Don't add to it

If you can. If you can.