Nonstop Running

While driving, I glanced over at a drug store and watched a guy bolt from the front door and race down the street. Bystanders watched him fly by, and no one from the street or store cheered him on or stopped him. What caused him to run? Maybe he left his wallet at another store or received an urgent phone call. Or maybe his running represented  part of a larger plan. Something like this: 

                                         https://youtu.be/xf4eJgwrUyA

We manage our dreams in three ways: in wait mode, by running toward them or running away from them. One of those ways is counterproductive. You’ve probably caught yourself running away from a seemingly small task, yet important task. We all need inspiration stay motivated. Who will you call on to support the path you’re running?        

Chew On It

Have you ever gone fruit-picking? There’s something special about walking up to a plant, plucking off delicious, sun-ripened fruit and plopping it into your bucket to take home. If you’re a gardener, you know the satisfaction of toiling in the dirt, watering for days and celebrating the results of your tender, loving care. It’s like producing a masterpiece!

Masterpieces come in all forms; fruit, flower and unusual plants remind me of great works of art and they require a similar patience before we can enjoy the final product. Everyone can appreciate cultivating a piece of food from a seed, but the definition of "art" varies by individual. Take a look at one man’s artwork:

                                             

                                          https://youtu.be/WSzkKEKcmN4  

How interesting that a kid’s preoccupation with chewing gum grew into a life-long passion and a career. Anything is possible once passion and creativity collide. What’s your passion in life and how can you use it to bring joy to others?     

               

Reprinted from August 2012  

Your Bedtime Story

During a long car ride, one of our children complained that their book had no plot. I wasn’t familiar with the story, so I asked how many pages had been read. The answer: twelve. Once our stories stop flowing the way we want, we like to jump in and control the process. We prefer skipping boring parts, tossing aside bad sections, and boosting the excitement. When we overmanage our stories, they turn out like this:

                                         https://youtu.be/bWwOWTkZydA

The video featured a perfect picture book with good doses of drama and purpose sped up and ruined.  We make that mistake with the stories we read and the story we live. We’d like to skip the mad-sad-bad parts of life and keep the rest, but the mixture formed, and continues to form, us. What sentence summarizes the plot of your life story?     

Playing with Fire

None one remembers the number of times during childhood an adult advised us not to grasp a fragile item in a store, grab with a precious keepsake in a relative’s home, or touch a hot stove. We’ve heard Smokey Bear’s advice on not playing with matches or fires, and at some point, we’ve ignored the warnings. Watch a community ignore that well-meaning advice:

                                         https://youtu.be/5cg6Gl7SzAQ

This fiery, annual festival in El Salvador commemorates a volcanic eruption that occurred decades ago. Despite the potential for injury, the community relishes fighting fire with fire as spectators continue to support the friendly cultural tradition. Although the festival lacks rules, police and medical staff stand by to handle issues that might arise. Who stands by you to ensure you don’t get burned in life?

A Golden Rule

Two rules to remember: don’t close your eyes while using a treadmill or while showering. In an earlier post, we reviewed the potential result of over relaxing on a treadmill and anytime the shower steam tempts you to close your eyes—resist! One misstep and you’ll have a problem. After I closed my eyes, I bumped the wall, but not hard enough to cause an injury. Few of us always appreciate rules, but watch what happens when we ignore them:

                                         https://youtu.be/_4Uucys-B8o  

Not fun. Well, the crowd had a huge laugh and even the officer took pictures. Most good rules are for our safety, not to limit our freedom. But, as we know, we have choices. Not following good rules leads to consequences and don’t we hate consequences? Which rule do you wish you had followed?