Daily Gratitude: “You often meet your fate on the road you take to avoid it.”

I stopped in my tracks when I read this. Why? Because it so true.

As I am in the latter part of my 7th decade (7 is my lucky number thanks to Mickey Mantle), it has finally dawned on me that we really have very little (and probably no) control over what happens in our lives.

This quote reinforces that idea. It’s as if we are this tiny human being, standing behind a ship’s wheel, trying to steer this massive hunk of steel in another direction. Remember the Titanic? Oh, and the iceberg? Same thing.

I believe there is a destination that we have and we can choose that. Where we end up may or may not be that place. It depends on whether we’re able to be exact and consistent in our desires (like the olympians who start visualizing standing on the podium (at the Olympics – remember “specific”) from the time they were little. Too often we’re not specific enough or we vacillate too much.

The other possibility is that we end up where we want but the road we take is not the one we planned. I think that’s a lot of what this quote is about. We just need to have faith that the universe
• Has heard your desire
• Knows much more than you do
• Has figured out the best way for you to get there even if it’s not how you planned

I’ve bored you with the story about my wanting to be a doctor before but here’s the basic takeaways:
• I KNEW what I wanted (because God had told me so as hokey as that sounds)
• I “kind of” knew the path I should take – you know – high school, college, medical school
• But I didn’t visualize any of that specifically “because” i didn’t know any better
• There were detours which I thought were the end of the world (got rejected, got epilepsy, got rejected, I was immature, discovered osteopathy)
• Each of these detours served a vital purpose in the trajectory of my life and career. In other words they weren’t really detours. I had labeled them as such because I didn’t know any better. I didn’t have faith (then) that each of those supposed detours had a definite purpose.
• I lost faith in God and everything. But when my faith became restored, it had become a fortress, not the flimsy hut that had been easily blown down by a huff and a puff.

The important thing to remember is that there is a force, a power, that is stronger and smarter than you. You don’t have to control everything and as soon as you let go of that need to control, the quicker the ultimate good will come to you.

Daily Gratitude: “Where were you when the world stopped turning?”

What does this one word, remember, mean to you?

I bet there are specific moments in your life about which you remember everything.

For me and for many today is one of them

25 years ago and I can tell you everything I did or felt for almost 24 hours. Depending on your age I’m sure you can too.

But with 9/11 as with everything in life, remembering means more Than just recalling the events. It means honoring what you learned in addition to what you may have given up.

Ask yourself what you gave up that day – you personally. And then spend time thinking about what you learned and what you became because of that day when so many people lost their lives. Pray for their souls but pray more for their friends and relatives. Pray for those who served and tried to rescue. Pray that they didn’t die in vain.

And whether you’re a country music fan or not I encourage you to listen to or read the lyrics to Alan Jackson’s song, “Where were you (when the world stopped turning”)

Remember!

Daily Gratitude: “Every day may not be good, but there is something good in every day.”

“So what? Everything sucks!” You might reply vehemently. “You just don’t understand”

But I do understand. I understand a few things. One – I’m sorry you’re having a tough time but two – there is nothing I can do to change that tough time and if we just keep commiserating about it, it’s not going to make things better. In fact it will probably just make them worse because you’ll be dwelling on the bad so much.

It’s important I let you know that I support you and care about you. But it’s just as important that you know I want to help you raise your vibration so you can draw some good into your life to help elevate your mood at least a bit.

The best way to do that (increase your vibration) is to search for some good in your life. And I believe that there is always some good. Part of my job as a friend is to help you find it because when you’re down, it’s hard to identify even if it’s staring you in the face.

Embrace someone who’s trying to help you focus on the good instead of staying in the yucky part. Why would a friend want to leave you standing in the rain when they have an umbrella they are offering you. And why would you want to stand out there getting drenched when you could be under that umbrella your friend is offering you.

Find the good and be grateful for it.