Ray's Daily

… joy and sorrow are inseparable. . . together they come and when one sits alone with you . . . remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.

Kahlil Gibran

I lost another friend and fellow Kiwanis member yesterday, a good guy who gave much to others, he will be missed and long remembered. His passing reminded me that we each must learn to deal with grief and sadness. Today even more than in the past sorrow raises its head because of things like unemployment, loss of home and friends, and in my case dealing with the health problems of those of us who are on the path to “Old Guy” status. Associated with these realities is the necessity for each of us to resist being taken down by the burdens we carry. If we succumb to letting our sorrow take us into depression it often puts us in a hole too deep to crawl out of. As hard as it may be to realize, lingering sadness is a choice that you do not have to make.

Here is something I saved to revisit when tragedy, bad news, or health reversals hit. I hope you never need it but if you do I hope it helps. And oh yes, do me a favor and smile often.

Here are some steps to take to turn your sad feeling into a happy one.

By Lori Snyder

 Step one: Feel happy that you are aware of your sad feeling. This means you are alive, deep down you really do not want to stay the walking mummy you may now feel like, it is not who you really are. Now that you want to change something you are not happy about, you can begin taking the steps to do so. Know that this is an inside job it is your choice and no one else’s. So feel happy that you can get going with this task right now, no need to wait for any one thing, it is all inside you.

You can take action towards changing that sad feeling. You may not be able to change the situation, but you have the power within you to tackle the feeling, and create a happy one, along with creating things in your life that make you happy. So feel happy that you are aware of your sad feeling, and take the steps to change that feeling into a happy one.

Step two: Since you are aware you are living in a moment of feeling sad about something and are not happy, you now have the power to choose to live in the moment, and be happy. You are of course allowed to acknowledge your sad feeling, but then let it go. Do not let it control your essence. Begin to live in the moment. By living in the moment, you can change those recent negative energy vibrations into happy, energized empowered vibrations. You can begin to feel happy, and take those not so great energy vibrations and trash them; you can be empowered with the knowledge of knowing that what you send out is what you get back. So, be aware that the more good energy vibrations you send out, the more you will attract those good energy levels back to you.

Step three: Now, let’s take a look at all the good things you can expect to pop into your life now that you chose to take the steps towards living in the moment. For starters, you can treasure each moment for the precious moment that it is, and immerse yourself fully in creating the kind of moments you truly want in your life and enjoy them to the fullest extent.

Being in the moment also:

• Helps you to forgive and forget unhappy situations of the past.

• Helps you to not focus and worry about a future that is not here yet.

• Makes you much more confidant to make decisions based on now, not on what would’ve, could’ve, and should’ve been.

• Helps you to bring more passion into your intimate relationship now, without worrying about where you are going together. That moment will come on it’s own.

• Helps you to focus on the steps to take now, at this moment, to ensure you of achieving your goals quicker then you may have thought, because you are taking the steps, at this moment, each day to come a little closer to your wish.

• Being in the moment, gives you the chance to be at peace, and to be content and happy, not when something happens, but NOW.

Step four: Know that the emotional or physical pain you may feel, is good. This means that you can now start peeling away at those deep layers of what is not working, and make a decision to start coming up with a better solution to your situation. Make it start working towards your happiness, not against it. Research, dig deep into your soul, meditate, and educate yourself to learn what you need to in order to change a situation. Become focused, determined and strong to strive for the outcome you want. Do not settle for anything less, you are too special.

Step five: Now that you are aware that you may not have been enjoying your journey to it’s fullest, wake-up and smell the roses. When you stop taking for granted all that is around you, and begin to notice and appreciate it, your whole world opens up to beauty and love.

Start taking notice of an amazing rainstorm, a wonderful sunset, a beautiful baby laughing or crying, all the amazing different opportunities and variety in this world, great sex, empowering music, people we love, our family and our friends, etc. There is so much we have to be grateful for; I can’t even begin to touch the surface of it. But notice it, be aware of it and appreciate it.

So there you have it. Five reason to be happy you WERE sad, now you are on a different path one that leads towards your being happy. Enjoy the journey, enjoy the change. Begin now to only look for the silver lining.      

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We have to believe that even the briefest of human connections can heal. Otherwise, life is unbearable.

Agate Nesaule

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When it hurts to look back, and you’re scared to look ahead, you can look beside you and your best friend will be there.

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A GOOD HUSBAND:

·      Consistently spills things in the same location as to avoid making more than one stain in the carpet.

·      Sees to it that he doesn’t always sit in the same place on the couch, to avoid making those unsightly twin-divots.

·      Masters the art of halfway-communication so that he can watch TV and still answer: uh huh, oh, I see what you mean, etc. at the right time.

·      Is able to avoid use of the same excuse two-times-in-a-row.

·      Has learned that a new vacuum cleaner, iron, etc. do not make acceptable anniversary presents.

·      Admits with only minor prodding that watching Monday Night Football together does not constitute a "date" or family home evening (where applicable).

·      Has learned all of the children’s names so that he doesn’t have to refer to them as, "Hey, you there".

·      Knows the proper time to give a sincere compliment and also the proper time to say something such as, "Its definitely an interesting dress."

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"Inside every older person is a younger person – wondering what the heck happened"

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A little old man was escorted into the witness box. After being sworn in, the lawyer asked him to explain what happened. After a lengthy discussion of the events leading up to the incident, he finally got around to the meat of the case. 

"and then she hit me with a maple leaf." 

"Surely that couldn’t have caused you any serious injury?" said the lawyer. 

"Are you kidding?" exclaimed the old man. "It was the leaf from the center of our dining room table." 

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If aliens are smart enough to travel through space, why do they keep abducting the dumbest people on Earth?

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The pain passes, but the beauty remains.

Pierre Auguste Renoir

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Stay well, do good work, and have fun.