Sunshine, Shadows, and Scars

 I love the sun. 

Especially when the sun makes its daily grand entrance and when it takes a bow for another brilliant performance before it retires to sleep. 

The sun warms. It grows. It brightens and enlightens. 

It also gives life to shadows and imperfections.

When the sun brightens your space, shadows come from corners and crevices and creep along their way. The sun also highlights things like crumbs and cat hairs invisible to the naked, shadowed eye. 

It's the paradox of life. 

Sunshine is so giving. So great. To soak it up like Timothy Green is an amazing feeling. But too much sun withers and fades as well.  

Sun giveth, sun taketh away. 

The good and the bad. We can't feel one without the other. You can’t feel the joy without experiencing the pain. The pain of a scar runs deep but the scar remains seen to give us strength. 

The imperfections of a perfect Sun. 

As is life. 

The Human Current

We've all heard of an electric current, right? 

An electric current is a stream of charged particles, such as electrons or ions, moving through an electrical conductor or space.

But have you heard of "the human current?" 

The human current is when two people cross paths (seemingly random) and connect at some level for a reason not known at the time, but later, the purpose of the encounter becomes clearer.  

I've had several of these random encounters recently. 

One was brought about over a story told on the radio about another random encounter several years ago. 

One was brought about by a friend of a friend. 

And another was brought about by a note to a mutual acquaintance. 

All three proved to bring deeper meaning that was originally evident on the surface. You don't realize the spark that can be created by these 'random' connections.  These human interactions and encounters drive us.  They keep us going. They give the fuel that we need to realize it's all worth it. 

Always be looking for these.  Always be plugged into the human current. 

On. 

Which Loss Loses More

 “All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.”

Loss. 

We all have experienced it in one form or another. 

Whether unexpected or something known, the sting and hurt from the loss can be crippling. 

But what loss loses more?  Death or walking out? 

By walking out, I mean that someone is still very much alive but no longer is in your life.  For whatever reason.  Anger. Indifference. Or simply, growing apart. 

Death has a finality to it but I will argue the memories tend to be sweeter. 

Walking out still presents hope but there's more sadness to it. 

Each one takes a piece of you away.  Your wholeness is compromised. 

But like damaged muscles, tendons, and ligaments, the area around it usually gets stronger. Make the area around your hurt stronger. 

"Anything you lose comes around in another form." 

Always. 

PS; That's a picture of my Dad and Sister. I have lost both. 

How High is your Bar

 

Ever date someone who told you horror stories of their ex?  

Made you feel pretty good about having a chance to clear the bar that was previously established, right? Basically, in some cases, all you had to do was take a normal step and the bar was in the distant past. 

If the past relationship was McDonald's, you need to shoot for a four-star restaurant. 

When you are setting personal goals, you need to ask yourself, "how high is the bar?"

Setting it too high, sets yourself up for failure and disappointment.

Setting it too low, leads to unfulfilled potential. 

Always ask first, how high is the bar, and then find the right height and take a run at it. 

Ready, set, go! 

PS; Several years ago, I told you about a bar in the Cayman Islands named Calico Jack's and I said the barstools and bar are ungodly high but the climb was worth it.  This latest brain dump made me think of that because...they set the bar high. 😉

  

 

Land of the Loss

 

"Marshall, Will, and Holly..."

You know the rest. 

"On a routine expedition." 

Land of the Lost. A Saturday morning staple. Another Sid and Marty Kroft brilliant creation that glued us to the television set as we devoured our Cocoa Puffs or Fruity Pebbles.  

As the calendar is slowly turning to 2022, I started to look back in my rearview mirror at the year that was.  So many people I know suffered a loss of some type this past year.  

Death. Divorce. Irreconcialble differences.  They are all losses.  And, they all hurt.  

I've often said, earlier on in our adult life, we celebrate births and marriages.  Later on, we tend to mourn the deaths and divorces.  

Here's the thing though...

We can't celebrate the gains, the wins, the loves without experiencing the losses. Without the loss in our life, we don't realize how good the gains feel.  

It's cliche, but true... "when one door closes, another opens." 

For those of us who have suffered a loss this year, I am truly sorry.  But fear not, because there's a lot still there that can bring a smile to our faces. 

We do live in the land of the loss...but not the land of the lost. 

We'll leave that to Marshall, Will, and Holly (and that weird little furry guy Cha-ka).  

 

Hit The Trees

 

Let me introduce my youngest son, Charlie. 

He is an amazing kid and has taught me so much about life. 

"Hit the trees." 

One rainy day long ago, Charlie and I took a walk downtown after dinner and we happened to wander under a tree that was full of rain-drenched leaves from top to bottom.  

Charlie decided it would be fun to jump as high as he could and hit the soaked leaves so they would rain down upon us.  

He did so and yes, the rain dumped on both our heads.

Charlie looked at me and for a moment was wondering if I was mad.  I laughed out loud and Charlie did as well. He said to me, "you laughed...I thought you might be upset because others probably would've been," and I told him why would I be upset at something so fun.  

From that day on, if Charlie or I were sad or down, we would remind each other to "hit the trees." 

Spontaneous laughter.  

Silliness.  

Fun.  

Living life in the moment. 

Don't take things too seriously. 

That's what life is all about.  

Doesn't matter how tall you are, you will always be able to hit at least one wet leaf. 

And...leave the umbrella at home.  

Random Thoughts with Room Service

 

Every once in a while...random brain matter wants an audience and the content doesn't necessarily warrant a whole 8 1/2 x 11 but it doesn't mean it's not good. And what better time to put it out in the universe than traveling and doing the hotel thing. 

So with that...

Randomness. 

The ideal number of martinis one can have in a given night is two.  Not one.  Not three.  But two.  

Music stirs the brain and awakens the heart. 

Art and Life.  One and the same. 

We all have a little "Walter Mitty" or "Average Joe" in us. 

Toast is the most underrated food.  

Giannis Antetokounmpo is truly what Disney movies are made from.

Water, wine, and coffee.  The trifecta. 

A good coach...goes a long way. 

COVID-19 sucks. 

No matter how old I am, I will never lose the excitement of Friday night lights.

Forgive DOES NOT mean forget. 

Red wine tastes better in Autumn and Winter. 

Extroverts and Introverts migrate to the other side as they get older. 

Sex is better when in love.  It's true. 

And...

Never underestimate the power of human connections.  It can move mountains and save lives. 

Alarm set. 

Good night.