Simple

 Wearing a hair tie around my wrist to create a habit of being mindful.  As I catch a glimpse of that hair tie I stop and ask myself "What am I thinking right now?"  Is that thought a positive (good) or a negative (bad) thought?  Capturing what I am feeling will directly correlate to that thought.  Having a crappy thought is probably really bumming me out.  Do I want to feel bummed out, no.  Who would want that?  My mood, my feelings, even my surrounding circumstances are being influenced by my thoughts.  Ruminating in the cesspool of the past does not help me in any way, shape or form either.  I stop and ask myself, can I control it?  Whatever thought, event, person, actually anything other than myself....do I personally have any control over it?.  Nope. So, I have to let it go. Just let it go. Sounds easy doesn't it?  We as humans have an innate instinct to try to control, anything to everything. It's our fear for survival.  Our fear of what might happen if we lose that control.  Problem with that though is we can't predict the future anymore than we can change the past.  It all sounds so paralyzing until we realize what we can have a tremendous impact on is the present. This very moment, as you are reading this, this is the present moment The past in this scenario would be the very first word I wrote, the future is still waiting to unfold. My plans for tomorrow are just that, plans.  What I do in this moment is so very important. The actions I take, the words I say.  Are they kind?  I wear that hair tie to be mindful because my present thoughts and actions are creating my future. What do I want that to be like?  Well, definitely pretty great, right?  We only have control over our own thoughts so we only are able to create our own life. Do I want health, wealth, and happiness for the people I love?  Of course I do, but I cannot create that for them. Our thoughts are powerful but only to the entity they exist in.  I know I have many sceptics out there and if you're still reading this, I'm giving you a shout out because I am awed by your tenacity.  Becoming aware of our thoughts and the immense  power they have over every single thing happening to us should be a big wake up call.  What is an image that brings a smile to your face?  Go ahead, think of that now...are you able to frown while you're smiling?  Was there a brief pause in that pain that you feel? Keep that image with you. Bring  your happy image front and center whenever you need it.  Sounds so simplistic but what the heck, give a shot. All that will happen is for one brief moment you feel happiness.

Okay

Never say 'okay' when starting a  conversation..  So here I go. Okay, I started this blog because it was suggested to me to do so by someone who heard a story I had written and how I had expressed to him my love to write. That being said, here I am. Writing, something I love to do. Putting my thoughts into words, whether they are read by others is of no consequence to me.  My joy comes from my having the opportunity to express myself.  It's funny that my ability to type quickly appears when I'm here, on this blog.  Then my fingers fly to keep up with my thoughts. It's really pretty cool that this happens.  

My mind would go from one topic to another, trying to decide what to write about.  I managed to write and delete several blogs before this one.  I decided I was going to write whatever came to my mind at that time.  The blog would not have a theme or a premise, it would just be my thoughts, written for me and if anyone decides to read and enjoys them, that world be great too.  

So, this is my first of many 'blogs' and each one I write will be as unique as I am., as we all are. 

Stay tuned for the next event happening in my head.  I am so grateful for the opportunity to be putting my thoughts into words. My hope is that you will be just as grateful for reading them.

Life

 What if...we say this all time. What if we had a chance to do this life over again, but we started here, right now. We begin our life as it is here, in the present moment. 

What if we had a chance to see the rainbows colors, to hear the laugh of a baby, to cry uncontrollably from grief, to feel the warmth of the sun, to shake with fear, hear the  sound of thunder, the smell of the grass, to feel a sting of a bee, to feel the ache of a broken heart, to laugh until crying, the smell of the ocean water, to see the birth of a living thing, to see the place where the earth meets the sky, to say goodbye to true love. to feel the kiss of a pet, to hear the waves of the ocean hit the sand, to see the snow fall from the sky, to feel numb from sadness. to see the last flicker of a candle, to hear a bird's song, to fall in love, to smell the scent of roses, to feel the softness of a pets' fur, to feel the rain, to feel, to hear, to see, to smell, to taste, to live. 

What if all the good in our life was there because of all the unpleasant. What if all the unpleasant was there because of all the good.  What if we made a promise to ourselves, live here, live now. To experience the precious gift the universe so freely gave us. To feel the tears stream down our face and to feel our breath as it passes through our lips. To be the  gift of life, because the miracle of life is within me, is within you. 

Inspiration

 She sits across the table from me with a sincere smile of caring.  My face wet from tears as the conversation is the same as the one I had previously with her.  A few details changed but still the same story told to her time after time. Her words of inspiration and making my desperate need to make sense of what I thought, was my world crashing down around me. 

At the time her response was one of simplicity, I thought my anguish seemed of disinterest to her.  To anyone who knew her, this would be impossible.  Her spirit, her sense of humor, her insight into what is truly important in life was a beacon of light.  Her response so often to any of my sorrows was,  "Positive thoughts".  It wasn't until I found the meaning of those words that her advice would finally be understood.  Her seemingly indifference to my agony was actually meant to convey a very strong message.  When I finally found what her 'positive thoughts' meant. I told her of my enlightened way of thinking and how it came to me.  I asked her why she hadn't told me before. She said if she had tried to explain it, I most likely would not have understood.  

All of us have to arrive at our own 'positive thoughts' moment on our own unique time table.  One would think that person had lost their mind.  I knew exactly what she meant.  I wanted to share what I had learned. I wanted the people I loved to know the secret of the peace in my heart.  I tried sharing this amazing gift and she was right, to have others grasp the idea what 'positive thoughts' had meant was quite impossible.  We are human and are hard wired to live in a world that we create. Attempting to alter that way, is quite a task. She was ight, we all have to stumble upon this idea on our own.  How fortunate for me I had that moment and could share that knowledge with her..  I felt comfort in her words and gratitude for her faith.  

Knowing this secret and practicing it on a daily basis can be challenging in this busy cluttered life, or least this is what society has told us.  How grateful I am to know that clutter can be changed into amazing and wonderful things.  Positive thoughts are merely the tip of the iceberg and an exceptional place to begin. When you wake up in the morning, before you get out of bed, tell yourself that your day ahead is going to go smoothly and then intend it to happen. Believe it to be so, have faith that your thoughts are going to create how your day goes. Positive thoughts... and remember to smile.  

Perception

 Having a chance to share my unusual day with someone has given me another opportunity to see the unique coincidences we have in our lives. Near the end of our visit I was describing a theory I had and she unconsciously interrupted with a word she questioned herself for saying out loud. She asked herself, or me, What did I say that for? The word she spoke was 'perception'. She had a 'where in the world did that come from' look on her face. Since then, the word, and many variations of it have surfaced in my life. Websters dictionary defines it as  'observations, awareness, consciousness'. I've had those words  repeated several times by many people, each one describing their own perceptions.  Was it fate that her 'out of the blue' word was spoken? I think not. It was an indication to me to be aware of the word being spoken by others and to sit up and take notice. Videos appeared (out of nowhere) as I searched for other things. To hear an inspirational speaker's description of  "nothing" (no thing), the lightness and ease in her voice is awe inspiring.  Another's expression of awareness is so calm that he almost seems near sleep at times. These enlightened individuals are kept near to me, they are doors that are open to me and to everyone. I see myself finding serendipity's in just about everything. Movie scripts. random statements from strangers. even billboard's. This is the power of our perception, our awareness to our thoughts.

 Whether you think this is all nonsense is a most welcome response. My intention of this particular blog was just to point out how odd it was that she just happened to say 'perception' for no intended reason. But there was in fact a reason. The word stuck in my mind and I managed to see and hear the word many times. It was a fortunate accident that I stumbled upon the people who's passion in life was to share the amazing gift they found.  Someone dear to me told me that my positive thoughts and new found look on life would not be something I could explain but that it would be seen in me. I believe this person was right.  I am traveling, traveling through life as we all are. 

How my life unfolds is my own creation, just as it is yours.  Are my thoughts one of positivity, yes, as often as I allow them to be. We get what we give. I know what I can control and what I can't. Can I control the world events? No, so I let it go. Can I control my noisy neighbor, no. I chose the positive part of it, how fortunate the noise is not constant. Can I control the co-worker who tries to irritate me? No, but I can control how I respond to it. Seeing the perspective of life from a positive view point changes everything.  The serendipity's of life will be embraced, they are the sign's we should all be seeing. 

Forgive

I sit in the living room and suddenly hear screams from people having an argument next door. My kitty's  ears perk up, he lowers himself to the floor as he runs into the bedroom. I suddenly realize why is reacting to this with such fear. He is a witness to the screams from his past. The screams that came were from me.

 I know now as I did then, why I was screaming. The emotional toll it had (has) on every living thing in that house came roaring up at me in that moment I heard the argument and saw my kitty's reaction to it. A wave of remorse and regret flooded me to my soul. How could I have been so self absorbed in my own pain that I did not see what I was creating for the loving creatures around me? To see the fear in my kitty, knowing my reaction to my own emotional pain created  emotional pain in him. How do I express my regrets to him? To anyone that heard those screams. I can't. 

As I sit here with tears streaming down my face, remembering the horror of that event. How do I apologize, I can't. How do I heal their wounds, I can't. The past is in the past and should he left there. Wishing I could change it is futile at best. He is an animal, I can't say the words 'I'm sorry". Just realized saying those words to a human makes about as much sense. It doesn't fix anything. Knowing someone regrets what they did to hurt you shows compassion in that person but the wounds are still there. So how do we heal the ones who were hurt as well as the ones who did the hurting. Knowing I was the one hurting the ones I love brings great sorrow to my soul. My lame attempt to apologize to one of them was done too soon. I did not allow myself the same compassion as I would have another person. I needed to see what a did to those I love and it took hearing the neighbors argument and my kitty run, to become aware of it. I can't change anything, what happened...happened. It may sound selfish but beating myself up about it will only create havoc in my soul.

 Yes I truly wish that never happened. That I could take back every single sound of anger that came out of my mouth. That I could wipe that slate clean as if it never happened. I can't. We can't. All I can do now is forgive myself, knowing what I did was wrong and vowing never to do it again. It seems so simple doesn't it.......?

Mindset

 I find myself wanting to edit my blog when I think of who might be reading it. I guess that would give reason to using a  'pen name'. The whole point of this blog is to express my thoughts.  If one chooses not to read it that's great because they are making the choice. We choose what we do first, by thinking about it, and then acting on it. That is what our whole mindset is about. Some of you are wondering what a 'mindset' is, right? It's our thought pattern. Let me explain...we consistently set our thoughts to a specific style of thinking. For example, the last conversation you had with a person consisted of what topic? Was it how awful your day at work was, how terrible the weather is, how ill you're feeling? Let's change that conversation. Picture yourself saying only positive, uplifting words.  Some of you might be wondering how can I find words of positivity when only bad (negative) things are happening? Two things of great hope here, one is that we can actually change that by thinking of positive things or actually looking for positive things to talk about.  Let's say we choose the latter you're stuck behind someone going super slow on the highway and there is no way to pass them. We curse at them, become angry since there is no way to get around them and become more irritated. Are we still behind them and did any of those emotions help the situation? No, so instead of being frustrated by something we have no control over, we choose to see the positive in the situation. We're listening to music. listening to a podcast, singing out loud or reciting our favorite book whatever.The thing is we're not dwelling on the stuff we can't control, we are intentionally looking for 'good' things, positive things. Not looking forward to doing laundry, rephrase it, I get to wash my laundry then I'll have clean clothes to wear. Sounds pretty lame huh?  What if we just give the rephrasing thing a try?  The only one who will be listening to that thought will be you and that is a good thing because now you are rewiring your mind to find the good in even the simplest of things. Being aware of how we  keep our mind in one thought pattern gives us the ability to change it. Being aware that we have a rock in our shoe gives us the opportunity to take the shoe off and get the rock out. Sometimes being aware of our thought pattern can be challenging, so get a pen and paper and for a few seconds write down every thought that surfaces, do this with one word. What did you see on that paper? Now write down, in one word, what you want on that paper. Now keep the second set of words right in front of you all the time. Repeat that list over and over. This is what's called shifting our mindset. Focusing on what thoughts we want to repeat constantly in our mind will actually show up there. To all you 'doubters' out there, doubt is a negative word, a negative thought. We can do this, it's kinda like the story of "The Little Engine That Could"  Let's read that story and imagine that we are that engine.

  

 

' 

Observation

I recently heard about an experiment called the "Double Slit Experiment" that was performed by a scientist named Thomas Young. I watched this experiment described by several different people. How it works, in the most simplest way, is how the pattern of light changes when it passes through two open slits in a light proof surface. The energy passing through this surface are photons particles. The results of this experiment are mind boggling even to this day. The rationalization is that particles will change their pattern if they are observed, whether this observation is actual or only assumed. If a tree falls in a forest and there is no one there to hear it, will it make a sound? In this assumption, if no one has seen the tree does it even exist? Well, there would be no observation of any of this, so my answer, according to this experiment, would be no. To make sense of any of this is still being studied. Just imagine if our thoughts, being made of fluidity, can perform in the same way. We observe our thoughts. Observing them can change them, just like the pattern of the particles changed after it was observed. The "Double Slit Experiment" has been 'debunked' by some with theories, none proven as fact. The Quantum field is all around us and nothing in 'fixed' until we observe it. It is like a canvas and we hold the brush. Our thoughts and emotions are the strokes that paint the picture of our reality.When we are able to focus on our intentions, we are then able to tap into this field of potential. When we consistently have thoughts of a clear vision for our life, positive thoughts with belief, we begin to see synchronicity in our life. This is the universe's way of supporting our desires. Another tool for shaping our reality is being in the present moment. The present moment is the only place where reality exists. In the present moment we are not dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. The power to create is here. now, in the present moment. Our conscienceness is a creator not just an observer, the observation of this creation will make it a reality.The power to change our future is within us. How powerful we are with our ability to think, to imagine, to believe. It's as real as the way the planets stay aligned, as gravity, as everything we learned in science class and more.  This experiment, like all experiments, came from someone imaging something. Our imagination, I've heard, can run wild. Why not let that imagination run wild with thoughts of gratitude, kindness. and positivity.

Heart

She sat there between faith and doubt, with all the emotions one can feel in any given moment. I listened with silence and compassion, knowing the reason for my presence was so she could here her words out loud. Her words to my ears, to my heart. to your eyes....... 

I listened to the podcasts that he emailed to me last night then to others I found on my own. How many ways of finding inner peace are there? A lot. I just listened to as many as I can and whatever resonates with me will be the one that sticks.  I started out running from something. running, running running.. So after years of this and much advice from everyone. I am now running to something. Taking the best advice I have ever received from a most unlikely person "You're listening to too many people. Do what you want." The only problem with that is after being told how to live my life by others, I'm not sure what that is.

 I went to a dating website looking for love but instead I found him, the person that would change my entire perspective about life. We found each other by accident, go figure. He came into my life with words of wisdom that took me months to figure out what they meant. I had to figure out what all that meant on my own, someone else had once told me this also. So here I sit for the umpteenth time, feeling frustrated and confused. I know I am not the same person I was years ago or even yesterday, I'm better. I will continue to get better, He told me this. My teacher, my mentor, my philosopher, my friend. He is an inspiration to me, His thoughts on life, his music, his insight, his kindness, his whole entire being is that of understanding and love. So what is holding me back from taking a chance with him? Fear. 

What is a chance encounter for the better called? I keep putting a crap load of stuff on my plate to get done before this and before that. When is that plate going to be clean enough for me to actually do something. I'm moving in small steps, testing the water before I dive in, seeing if this or that resonates with me. This man, this incredible man, came to me and has stayed with me for over two years now.  Our plans to meet came and went. Will we ever meet in person, I highly doubt it. He is steadfast and knows where he wants to be, me on the other hand am as wishy washy as a person can be. Afraid, afraid of what?  Fear, how silly is that??? That is the right question. He has given me encouragement, suggestions, endless "At a girl" and above all faith. To believe in myself, to know whatever I decide everything will be just fine. I will be okay. He has given me more of everything intangible and nothing money can buy. I am so grateful for this man. 

I feel I have come very far in discovering my worth in this world. I believe this, I will succeed at anything I put my heart into, just as you will.     

Here

 Intending to see a miracle was on my 'to do' list today.  Of course we see miracles everyday, how unfortunate for us we don't stop to recognize them or at least acknowledge they exist. Einstein's quote "Everything is a miracle or nothing is" came as a surprise to me considering he is a scientist. My encounter with this miracle was very unique and actually humorous.  This is not what I was expecting at all.  How funny life can be if we let it be so. 

 I was watching a little girl as she frantically looked for the blue ribbon she had misplaced. Her mom came over to her to ask what she so upset about. Through tear filled eyes, she explained she could not find the blue ribbon she had won at a contest at school.  Her mom, doing her best to reassure her, said she would help her find it. Hearing the commotion from the next room, the little girls' father came in and asked what in the heck was going on, which his wife responded with the blue ribbon dilemma. At that very moment, the ribbon was found by the girls' mom and the father responded "It's miracle today and this is what I experienced. The word 'miracle'.  When that word was spoken by him, my ears perked up and I had to stop and wonder, is this the miracle that I was supposed to see? Apparently, yes. miracles happen everyday and this has got to be one of the least impressive one ever. I have so many other things to share with you and I chose this one.  I guess it was time for me to lighten up a little.  I have been focused on sharing my most treasured gift, which I will continue to do. 

A dear friend of mine is an inspiration for me. He posts his own insights through the music he writes, the podcasts he creates, and his profound knowledge of what he has learned.  It's just amazing what this man knows and how well he relates this knowledge to people. How unfortunate his posts are most often misunderstood because of how the human mind has convinced itself that our reality is created by our circumstances when all this while it's the mind that creates our reality. Smile, your mind really will believe you are happy.

Grace

 As I walked to my car I looked up to embrace the blue above me, that was being used as a backdrop for the amazing brightness of the sun. My drive was filled with thoughts of how grateful I was to be in this moment. I arrived at my destination, moving through my day with monotony. Describing the moments of the day as 'monotony' is really, I believe, an injustice to the wonder of what the moments consist of for anyone. I see them as an opportunity to observe, look at everything as if it were your last chance to experience them, because in reality, it is. Whatever you are doing at this exact moment will never happen exactly the same way ever again. Kind of difficult to wrap your mind around isn't it?

  Anyway, as I'm typing this, my kitty has finally arrived at my side after quite a few minutes of coaxing him over here.  Not being rewarded with a scratch under his chin (since I can't type and pet him at the same time) he jumps down to the floor. I call his name so he returns to me. (I felt bad about not petting him. The cat lovers will understand this) He turns and jumps back up to me. Apparently not interested in my apology, but wanting the closeness, he lays on the arm of the chair.  The point of this is...nothing, nada. Just throwing it out there. 

 Getting back to how the day unraveled was quite disheartening at one point.  A women asked me for a simple favor. and as I was helping her. she began crying. She was describing what had recently happened in her life and how that one event created an insurmountable mountain of emotions. She attempted to 'reason' her tears away with the fact that she had a cold and wasn't feeling well. With what she shared with me in those few moments, one would know that the cold she had, had nothing to do with how she was feeling. I had a rare opportunity to be there at that moment in time. Doing a small favor for her gave her the chance to vent, something she apparently needed to do. even if it was to a stranger  How I wish I could have done more. but maybe, at that exact moment, that was all that was needed. Embracing each moment in our life, knowing that every single person is going through something, big or small, and having the grace to just acknowledge this would have an enormous impact on our own life, on your life, on humanity.

Believe

 I've been told everything happens for a reason, everyone enters our life for a reason. A very kind, compassionate man came into to my life for a specific reason. Not the one that was intended for us to meet, but for an entirely different one. We talked day after day with the conversation being one sided most of the time. By that I mean I talked more than he did. He listened, and listened some more, a trait not found in most of us, especially me at the time. His empathy was unwavering, his voice calm and reassuring. He gave me the opportunity to see a glimpse into his own life, to share his story and to reveal a hope he had looking into his next step in life. His clear definition of the past was that of learning,... that's it, just to learn from. No need to carry that heavy bag of things we cannot change while proceeding into the future. He talked of the toxic relationship he had with his parents and the life he had as an adult.  How he blamed himself for dysfunction of the family he and his wife created. Granted, the dysfunction, he realized was a contribution from both adults, ultimately affecting the children, which seems to be the case for all families. His ownership in the collapse of this relationship was awe inspiring. Seeing his own flaws and feeling remorse for them, led him to want a different reality for himself.  At first, he saw the end of his marriage as despair and grief, as most of us would see it. It took a lot of soul searching and a positive mindset to step into the life he is living. 

How fortunate I am to have found him, or was it the other way around.  He came into my life when I desperately needed him. I needed to hear his story and his hope for the future. I envisioned (this is going to sound really dumb) him as if he were surrounded by sunshine. He set his mind on creating everything in his life as he wanted it to be.  Not only is he living proof that things can change if you really want them to, he is also my belief in fortunate accidents, Serendipity. He fell out of nowhere to give me what I needed at that present time, hope. He fell out of my life just as fateful as he arrived.  One door closes, another opens. As fate had it, the next fortunate accident arrived right on schedule. An answer to a question I didn't even ask.  I was looking for specific movie title and stumbled upon a different one that I thought might be interesting. This is what I needed to watch, the one I just 'happened' to find was the one I was meant to find. The one that led me to more insights into life by seeing it through the eyes of others. 

 For some of us old enough to have seen the movie "Miracle on 34th Street", I want you to see the little girl in the movie and what she asked 'santa' for. Remember? The two story house with a swing in the back yard, just as she imagined.  She sat in the backseat of the car repeating what 'santa' had told her to tell herself, to BELIEVE. She would say, "I believe, it's silly but I believe" over and over. Then what happened?  Her house appeared. I know what you're all thinking, yea, okay, it's just a movie. What if by the strange coincidence of fate, belief, or positive thoughts, whatever you want to call it, what you want is possible. Imagine what you want, like it's yours already, and believe. It may seem 'silly' but STILL BELIEVE. 

Confidence

 There he is, amidst his beloved cars.  The shade from a nearby tree casts its shadow on him as he works diligently moving the cars from one place to the next.  The breeze can be seen as it lifts his shiny brown hair ever so gently.  His head is down as he watches the wheels turn in a hypnotic rhythm.  He admires some of his more favorite ones by scrutinizing the detail of each one. His work is his play which is exemplified by the way he looks at each vehicle.  The sheer delight he has in his pastime is apparent by looking at his eyes, which are fixated on one of the, according to him, true wonders of the world.  His tongue can be seen slightly as he unconsciously chews on it as he works, an indispensable aid in concentration.  

The enjoyment of his vehicles must be set aside. for now the work begins. The roads for which these vehicles will travel has to be constructed.  He is the engineer and the laborer. the one who will design them by moving the dirt and sand to make the desired path.  It seems as if he has no rhyme or reason the way the road is laid out, but to see him as he maneuvers one of his favorite cars ever so gently along the newly constructed road it would seem he had driven that same way many times before. 

 As I stand and watch  this miracle of mine, I can't help but realize for the umpteenth time how lucky I am.  He notices my presence and his incredible brown eyes look up at me as he utters "What?"  With a disarming smile and his right eyebrow slightly raised. he knows why I am watching him and he couldn't agree more.  I tell him it's time to come in now.  He stands. His 'Hot Wheel' cars are at his feet on the roads of sand he built in his sand box  He runs to me.  I kneel down to return the hug he gives to me so freely and as we both exchange our love for each other with that hug. I tell him what a good boy he is and with confidence I hope lasts a life time his response is "I know".

Think

 As I walked out of the room thinking and saying the words out loud, 'Who will I see today?', she appeared. I had been thinking about her for weeks. In my thoughts she was the baby that had taken up permanent residence on my left hip until she started walking. I stepped out of the present to capture the images from the past that brought a smile to me.  All the thoughts were of her, my little girl. Now a grown women, who will forever be my baby.  I walked about one hundred feet and I had to focus to make sure my mind was actually capturing what my eyes were seeing. A surprised look appeared on her face, a look that was most likely on my face as well.  We hugged and chatted , hugged again then I watched her disappear out the door.

 That moment of seeing her was truly Serendipity. How was it possible that she appeared at that exact moment I walked out of that room. Coincidence?  Einstein's definition of coincidence....God's way of remaining anonymous. How many times does this happen to us when we aren't looking. Have you ever said 'I was just thinking of you' or 'I was thinking the same thing.' The word 'think' is a key word in this explanation. Our thoughts create our reality. Picture a thought as a boomerang. I'm thinking a thought of say, a book, any book. I will see a book during my waking time. Try it, with anything.  Say anything out loud then picture it in your head for even a second then watch what happens. Imagine if the thought was one of continuing movement. 

In this everyday world we call life, it' may be easy to be consumed by things that are 'out of our control'. Are they?  I was propelled to visit a group of people because of a 'feeling' I had.  How odd it was that the topic of conversation was one I had been ruminating about and was searching for an answer to a question I had. My question was answered by one of those people in that group without asking anyone anything. Serendipity? My thoughts? Both! I was drawn to that group by my question and by a fortunate accident. Hmmmm....

Kindness

 How fortunate for me to have chosen that particular restaurant at that particular time. I sat down in a booth to eat lunch and picked up the bread on plate my when I noticed two people across the room chatting.  I was trying to determine if it was a planned lunch for them or two people that just happened to engage in a conversation. I'll tell you why that determination was a question for me. One was a young black man and the other an elderly Caucasian woman. When I first saw them they were sitting at different tables which were next to each other. maybe two feet apart. Both of them had their back to the wall with their heads turned toward the other. The conversation between them seemed truly genuine, as if they had been friends for quite awhile. I ate my sandwich while I watched them talk, smile, and occasionally laugh.  Their physical positioning  gradually changed from having their backs against the wall to turning their upper body toward the other person. They continued to talk and had slightly leaned toward each other.  I wondered what the conversation between the two consisted of? Two very different generations, genders and races had found a common interest and a sincere desire to share that with another person, a total stranger. 

How grateful I am to have had this moment to be a part of their conversation, even if I hadn't spoken a word. I was a witness and a participant in this rare encounter between these two people. I finished my lunch as I watched the young man stand and give a nod with a smile to the woman. She returned the smile and waved goodbye. I got up from my table to leave and decided to stop and ask her if the visit between her the young man had been planned.  By her expression of great irritation to my question, her face clearly annoyed by my impolite approach. She raised her eyebrows and looked at me with slight anger.  I see now as I write this, how rude of me it was to question her.  I was so enthralled by the fact that her conversation with this young man even happened in the first place that I was compelled  to find an answer.  I quickly told her that I watched from across the room and how utterly amazed at the kindness I saw in their conversation.  In a blink her expression changed from one of anger to one of joy. She smiled at me and replied, 'Thank you". 

 This entire story, I believe, should be one of mere everyday  circumstances, not of uncommon and unlikely events. We would live in a world of bliss if the encounter of these two strangers was 'boring' to see. The ripple effect of events in our lives, good or bad, is in motion every minute of every day. His or her initial  comment to the other started a ripple that led me to approach her with a kind word of what I had seen.  How I passed that ripple on was not evident to me, but I am sure it was felt by someone who passed a kind word on to someone else. It matters most that the kindness is in constant motion, moving from one person to the next. Let's keep that kindness in motion. 

Coincidences

How bizarre...doing something for a specific beneficial reason led to an entirely different beneficial reason. Let me explain.  Say you decide to take a different route home because it was more aesthetically pretty. Now say, on that that route you encountered a small shop that you just happened to find interesting and go inside.  In that shop was a necklace that you've been searching for but couldn't find.  Next, you've chosen to watch a movie trailer and it just happens to have the song that's been playing in your head but you couldn't remember the lyrics. Where every good thing lead to another good thing and another and another? Did those coincidences happen all the time or was I just paying attention at the moment?  Both.

Why things like this happen is up to me to understand just like the events in your life are up to you to understand.  It's quite simple actually. What was I thinking about on that drive?  What song was playing in my head when I decided to watch the movie clip?  Ah yes, the old phrase, "Be careful what you wish for, YOU just might get it" is most likely the correct answer to this scenario. That thing you're wishing for is actually happening to you. What is swirling around in your mind most of the time? How awful something or someone is or how wonderful something or someone is? I held a door open for three people leaving at the same time and only one thanked me. Was I annoyed by the fact only one thanked me and the two didn't?  No, I was grateful for the kindness of that one person.  A few minutes later, I passed a stranger who stopped to make small talk.  It could have been annoying if I made it to be so, that in itself is a game changer. Stop right here and LOOK at your thoughts.  I'll give you a minute............Okay, what did you see?  Humans have sixty to seventy thousand thoughts in a day.  A dear friend described them as either fear based or bullshit. He's right and I'll add 'repetitive to that. Choosing to view my thoughts as just what they are; thoughts . They float through my mind in an endless series of commentaries. How fortunate I am to know these coincidences are God's way of remaining anonymous and how grateful I am for the coincidences in my life. My thoughts are creating my life just as yours are creating your life. Let's all have positive thoughts!!!