Opportunity knocks- are you listening?

We are all familiar with needing to be prepared for unexpected bad things happening. Earthquakes, hurricanes, fires, weather related flooding, etc. We make up emergency kits, have plans of who to call and where to go. And in cases of personal emergencies, weather health related or otherwise, we make plans.

But what about the unexpected good? Are we prepared to take advantage of good fortune- especially opportunities for us to expand our horizons and try new things? There is a chance we may miss out on those opportunities if aren't prepared. How do we prepare? I have a 5-point plan.

One, we must know ourselves and our capacity to take advantage of opportunities. How much time and energy do we have at our disposal. How much give room do we have in our schedules? Could we realistically take on a new project? Two, what kind of skills and experience do we have to tackle a project.

Three, what is our comfort level and how much do we want to stretch? For instance, if I were offered the opportunity to take a trip to New Zealand, as long as the funds were there I would have no hesitation. However if I were offered, at no cost to me, a chance to skydive, I would refuse. No amount of money would induce me to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. I get my thrills in more sedate ways, though I have friends who would and have 'jumped' at the chance. We all have our own comfort zones.

Closely related to that is 'what do you want to do?" We have our different interests, passions, dreams. Things that appeal to me might not appeal to you. We have to know ourselves in advance so when the opportunities arise we can decide quickly whether or not it is for us. Many things that come our way have no appeal.

And finally we have to remain aware of sources where we might find opportunity. If we know what we are looking for we can direct our attention to those sources. One of my regular activities is Toastmasters and outside of my local club there often come up opportunities to speak in clubs around the country and the world. I have seen many lately and determined that I should make sure I am ready to take advantage of those. 

When opportunity knocks make sure you are ready. Surprises can be positive, you know.

Goodbye to superheroes

 There are times in our lives that we need to get away, physically and mentally, sometimes emotionally, from the stress of everyday life. We use many means to do this, two of my favorites are books and movies. To delve into another world allows me to take a breather and reset. Some people do that to excess and it can be detrimental, not only to themselves but to others. 

I do not begrudge anyone their escape, and realize that different people have different tastes, and may be in a different phase in their lives. I have gone through phase changes in life and left a lot of things behind as well as adopted different attitudes. One of the most recent was on superheroes in general, and one in particular. Captain America.

Captain America is sort of a quasi -superhero. Yes, he got injected with a serum that vastly increased his strength and confidence, plus adding a very powerful weapon to his arsenal (his shield), but he wasn't in Superman or Hulk category. I read comics as a kid and enjoyed superhero movies. But something dawned on me when I watched his origin movie. I was troubled by it.

My ancestral history has something to do with it. My great-grandfather (mom's side) fought with the Union Army in the Civil War, including service with the Vermont 14th Brigade at Gettysburg, on Cemetery Ridge resisting the last Confederate charge. My grandfather (father's side) served with the AEF (American Expeditionary Force) in Europe during WWI. And my uncle (mom's brother) died preparing pilots to fly in WWII. So I am very conscious of the service and sacrifices that millions of Americans and other nations made to defend freedom - ours and others. 

With that in mind the notion that the Captain America film portrayed of a hero coming in to save the day and repulse our enemies seemed ludicrous and even slightly offensive. We didn't have a superhero and yet we won the day, repulsed and defeated the enemy. There were ordinary people who stepped up and did the hard, dangerous, death defying job - many who could have easily avoided it. They were the heroes.

I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade, nor cast aspersions on what someone may enjoy. But for me, I am done with superheroes. No need for waiting for the few fantastical creatures to save the day. it is for us ordinary folks to be willing to step up, be willing to roll up our sleeves and work. To stand for what is right, to defend the vulnerable, to oppose the wrong and those who do wrong. To speak for the speechless and encourage the disheartened. And it is for us to celebrate the real heroes who, though ordinary did extraordinary deeds. 

Live in the present

 I believe in time travel, because we do it all the time. We live in the past or in the future, whether it be better or worse. Oftentimes we live in the past, dwelling on and regretting past failures and  missed opportunities, or celebrating and resting on past laurels of victories and happy memories. Or we live in the future, either dreading future deadlines or anticipated disasters, or looking forward eagerly to happier times and gatherings especially if desired to escape current or past woes.

But as we are jetting off to the future or dwelling on the past, reality is present and we need to live here. We cannot change the past -except to use it for lessons to apply today. And we have no control over the future - except to plan ahead for better outcomes tomorrow. And if we are not living in the present we may fail to appreciate the good things that are here today. We are only guaranteed today and it is a special gift.

Have you ever had a conversation with someone and realized that they were not with you? Their eyes had that glazed over appearance. You have a time traveler on your hands. You may feel like saying "can you hear me now?" or "are you with me" We all have times when we are like that. Let that be a reminder to you, when you are here, be here. Look them in the eye, listen to the words they say, ask questions to show that you hear them. 

Someone once said, The past is a cancelled check, the future is a promissory note, the present is cold hard cash. Spend it wisely.

Habits

 I walk every morning, rain or shine, at least 30 minutes, often more. I do it partly because it is good for me, both physically and psychologically, but mainly because I enjoy it. The best habits are like that. We often resist starting habits when they are suggested as 'good for us'. We may not outright reject them, because we acknowledge that the person recommending the habit means well, cares about us, and that they have a good point. But often we drag our feet because we are not drawn to start a habit even though we know we "should". The sense of obligation acts as a deterrent. We also feel that if we start something we have to continue. And we often plan a specific date to start - like New Year's Day - and then fall behind and quit.

It has been said that doing something for 30 days in a row establishes a habit. You don't have to start on a particular date, just start and keep it up for 30 days. By then it will be ingrained in your day and a day without it would be lacking. It is best if you can start habits because you like them, like my walking. But there are some habits that you can start doing because they are important and then find that you do enjoy them. Sometimes you just do things because they are important - like my daily blood glucose testing and food diary. 

My blogging has gone through stages. I started as a spotty thing - blogging when I had an inspiration and had some grand presentation. I would do a series over time and then lag. I did a series a couple years ago for a Toastmaster speech project which required me to do 8 posts over a month and then give a speech about the process. I did and then faded. It was too easy to miss and too hard to schedule an every other day post, or twice a week. So I decided that what I needed to do was just post daily. No waiting for inspiration, no long involved posts. Just doing something daily.

 I realized that I didn't have to share the post (FB, Linked In, twitter, etc) all the time. I could treat it like a diary and share on FB, etc, when I felt it was really good, or at least 2 or 3 times a week. And the day I began was April 3rd - not the 1st, not a specific date, but just when I decided to start posting. There have been a few days when it was late by the time I posted and sometimes I would wake up with an idea. I don't know how long it will last, but for now I am planning to continue, and I hope my sharing is beneficial - not only to me, but to a wide range of people. I would appreciate your comments on my posts. Thank you.

Celebrate Earth Day

 On Earth Day it is good to remember that we all share one home - one planet - we are a global community whether we like the concept or not. Climate and weather and all the ills and benefits of both do not respect national borders. And as the native tribal people recognized no one really owns the land. Neither you nor your ancestors have  always occupied the land you live on, nor will you or your descendants always occupy that land, and in truth you occupy it with a responsibility to preserve it for those who will come after and occupy it. We must remember the lesson of kindergarten - share. 

How do we do that? We need to raise our awareness level, to see both the beauty and the peril of our world. It doesn't take much, just "a walk in the park" and "stop and smell the roses along the way". On this Earth Day go out for a a walk, without a radio or music player. Listen to the wind, the rain, the birds. Look at the vibrant colors in nature around you. Smell the flowers, feel the wind blow. Immerse yourself in nature for a while. Take a bag along, and maybe some gloves, so that you when you see litter you can pick it up and desposit it where it belongs - in the trash. 

Take time to plant flowers or vegetables - it doesn't take much. I have just a balcony but I plan on planting some cherry tomatoes again this year, and maybe try some carrots and radishes as well. Nothing tastes as good as fresh veggies right out of the ground.:)   You may think you can't do much to help, but loads of people doing just a little, helps a lot.

On this Earth Day, and on every other day, celebrate life and our home.

choices

 Have you ever resorted to flipping a coin to make a decision? How about doing eeny, meeny, miny, moe? Or one potato, two potato? And when you got the result did you immediately go with the decision or did you think "let's try 2 out of 3"? Or are you more practical, listing pros and cons of each possible choice? Do you have a version of "buyer's remorse" - once you have made your decision do you regret it? Sometimes we have real trouble making up our mind, and sometimes it is for seemingly trivial matters.

I'm not saying that we should be flippant and impulsive in our decision making, but sometimes we treat things way too hard, so serious. Part of it is that we are afraid of making the wrong decision, with terrible consequences. We want to make the best decisions, which is laudable. But the truth is that we will often make wrong decisions just like everyone else 

As I look back on my life I can see where I made bad decisions or avoided making decisions and have often wondered how different things would have turned out if I had decided differently. My first year of college was a disaster. I partied too much and studied too little. I ended up with a 1.5 GPA in a 4.0 system.. I flunked Shakespeare - me, a fan of the bard who knew several passages by heart!:(   I, an incurable experimenter, failed to put together a project for chemistry lab, rarely showing up, and got a C in chemistry only because I did very well in class. As a result I ended up changing my major and giving up my dreams of studying abroad. 

For both my wife and I had similar experiences and yet because of the paths we took we ended up together and have been happily married for over 26 years. It was meant to be, even with the errors we both made in our decision making. So when you take a tumble making a decision, pick yourself back up and go again. Look at the bright side of it all and celebrate life - you might even make a rash decision or two, but still celebrate. And by the way, if you really took inventory of all your decisions you've probably made many more right than wrong.

Justice

 What is justice? Is it getting the right outcome in a trial? Is it passing laws to combat discrimination? Is it protesting till authorities take action against unjust practices? Those are all part of it, but it is more. For one thing it is more than just structures and laws, it is the encouragement of fair and equitable processes. It is the equal sharing of resources and opportunities with all. It is changing from requiring mandates to a mindset of doing right because it is the right thing to do, not just because you have to do it. 

A recent example is hospital visitation, specifically the ICU. The usual rule for patients in the ICU is that visitation is limited to immediate family members. For many hospitals with a religious foundation have ruled out visits by same sex partners, even married ones. There has been legislation to address this problem, forcing hospitals to change policies. But why is a law required to prompt institutions to do the right thing? How can those who are in the healing professionals deny comfort to those hurting, based on some dogma when the visit would help and not hurt anyone? Isn't the first rule of the Hippocratic oath "do no harm"?

Sometimes I think we see ourselves separate from justice. We formalize justice into a system and forget that we need to be administrating and demonstrating justice in our daily lives. We can't and don't have to wait for justice to be done, we need to be doing it ourselves, with the lives around us that we can help.

As the Old Testament admonition goes "Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly" It is not just something that is done, but something we all do - or should.