The Caring Catalyst

Who Cares - What Matters

ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE

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Is  there?

Is  there a  r e a l

Difference between an

a     c     c     i     d     e     n     t

and

on     p  u  r  p  o  s  e .     .     .     ?

I gave a presentation at a hospital

to case managers

to administrators

to social workers

to nurses

I was so effectively good

telling stories

about killing my grandfather by hitting a softball.     .     .

about a beloved youth group leader/pastor who ran over his daughter with his truck.     .     .

about a 34-year-old mom of 3 boys under the age of 6, dying of cancer.     .     .

about an 84-year-old altar boy who was throwing away his pain meds.     .     .

about a long ride home, watching my daughter cry in the backseat, after losing her fiancé .     .     .

about   how   our   respective

H     O     L     Y          H     E     L     L

isn’t a one-size-fits-a  l  l

not even

c    l    o    s    e

and  how

y o u r     s u f f e r i n g

y o u r      p a i n

is

m y     s u f f e r i n g

m  y     p a i n.        .        .

H          O          W

Grief can’t ever be fixed

Grief can’t ever be taken away

Grief can’t ever be elevated

H            O           W

Grief can only be

c o m p a n i o n e d

and  that we  are  the

c  o  m  p  a  n  i  o  n  e  r  s.       .       .

I wrapped it all up by

making them all stand up

and giving themselves a standing ovation.       .       .

and there were

t e a r s

and unusual-never-before-seen-amount-of-tears.       .       .

The head Administrator then gave an update

on one of their long-time good friend colleague

who had just found out she had cancer

and right there.     .     .

moments after I had finished my

H    O   L   Y        H   E   L   L

we walked through

t h e i r s.     .     .

t       h       e       y

couldn’t believe the

t i m i n g

of  it  all.     .      .

A  C  C  I  D  E  N  T

or

ON     P U R P O S E.     .     .     ?

There   were   28   of   us

t  h  a  t        m o m e n t

w      h      o

  didn’t  have  to

w     o     n     d     e     r.      .      .

Y  O  U.     .     .     ?

Burning the Candle

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How.       .       .

H   O   W           D   O           Y   O   U           D   O           I   T ? 

How   do   you

B U R N      Y O U R      C A N D L E ?

Some do it in the most unconventional way.       .       .

t  h  e  y

actually light their candle

by putting a little dancing flame

on the tip of a small wick

that accepts it gratefully

and in return for the gift,

sputters out some warmth and light.       .      .

But how do you burn your candle?

One  End?

Both  Ends?

In   the   Middle?

You don’t burn your Candle at all.       .       .

you use it as a Decoration?

There have been countless studies on how to avoid burn out.         .         .

maybe the greatest way to avoid  Burn-Out

is simply never to Light the Candle at all

.           .          .but who wants to live in that

c o l d    d a r k n e s s ?

Apparently.        .        .

a whole host of folks.        .        .

Y     O     U ?

The only true way to

Burn    Your    Candle

i s

Both   Ends   and   in   the   Middle

AS     LONG     AS     YOU     KNOW    

WHERE     TO     GET     THE     WAX     AND     THE     WICK

Pssssssssst:  We all know where  OUR  wax and wick are.        .        .

we just don’t take the time to go and get it!

In fact,

most have the audacity to actually think

it should be delivered to them on time,

without even ordering

or slowing down long enough

to receive the special shipment.

So the next time someone prescribes the ultimate antidote for Burn Out by

FINDING   TIME   TO   DECOMPRESS

TAKING   FREQUENT   BREAKS   THROUGH  OUT   THE   DAY

WATCHING   WHAT   YOU   EAT   AND   DRINK

EXERCISING.      .      .EVEN   MODERATELY 

GETTING   PLENTY   OF   REST   AND   SLEEP

INVESTING   SIGNIFICANTLY   IN   RELATIONSHIPS

SETTING   LIMITS   AND   NOT   CHOOSING   TO   DIE   ON   EVERY   HILL

PAYING   ATTENTION   TO   HOW   YOU   REALLY   FEEL   AND    W H Y

Part of not only  b e i n g

 but by maintaining

the honorable status of a Caring Catalyst

is not just recognizing,

but actually taking just a few mere seconds to

burn a little bit brighter

burn a little bit warmer

by going to get

YOUR WAX

YOUR WICK

to burn the Candle at both ends and in the Middle

W   H   E   R   E  ?

Simply to  that  place

that makes your Heart beat differently

that makes your Soul glow

that makes your Spirt soar

Shhhhhhhhhhhh.     .     .

How long has it been?

Has it even been with what you are currently doing?

Is  it  just  your  hobby?

.          .          .and you want to know the truest reason for Burn-Out?

Ask the Composer

who never put never fingers to keyboard

Ask the Artist

who never dabbed brush to canvas

Ask the Writer

who never put pen to paper

Ask the Sculptor

who never put chisel to marble or hand to clay

.        .      .the   flame   never   brought   to   wick.       .       .       

Want to end Burn Out ?

FIND   YOURSELF   AND

D O

B E

Y O U R

T R U E S T

I  T

and  experience  

a  light  and a  warmth

unrivaled but  n o n e:

Y          O          U          R      ‘     S

Be more of

 Y  O  U  R      S  T  O  R  Y 

and less of

T  H  E  I  R     S  T  U  F  F .       .       .  

Ain’t it grand

Ain’t it majestic

Ain’t it glorious

Ain’t it perpetual ?

Pssssssssst: This is one thing you can bet your life on.     .     .

or

burn out!

Why be a

G    L    I    M    M    E   R

when  you  can  be  a

G           L           O           W

.        .       .        ?

Looking Out the Wrong Window

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Looking out the Wrong Window and Seeing.        .        .

We’ve all been on them before, haven’t we?

F      L      I      G      H      T      S

We’ve, in fact,

most likely been on flights where someone.     .     .

maybe a child,

maybe an adult,

who’s actually flying for the very first time;

Amazing, isn’t it?

Seeing their  WONDER   for the first time–seeing it all.     .     .

what they expect

and what they most likely didn’t expect at all.

I remember hearing a little boy one time,

peering out of the airplane window

once we took off and got above the clouds.       .       .

He mentioned about how they looked like

“MOUNTAINS      OF      MARSHMALLOWS.”

Or, or the little girl wondering,

maybe what we all have,

but didn’t have the gumption to quite say out loud:

“Hey, where   are   the   angels?   I   thought   I’d   see   angels   up   here.”

Hmmmmm.      .      .

p  r  e  c  i  o  u  s      stuff:

PURE      INNOCENCE,

even more,

undiluted   WONDERINGS,   huh?

We’ve all looked out the wrong window and seen the most amazing things,

haven’t   we

.        .        .or have we?

THE FLOOD WATERS FROM KATRINA HAD KNOCKED OUT THE POWER. DOCTORS AND NURSES WERE OVERSTRETCHED AND OVERTIRED. PATIENTS WERE DYING AND THE EVACUATION OF MANY OF THE SICKEST SEEMED IMPOSSIBLE. INJECTING DRUGS WAS ONE ANSWER THAT SOME MEMBERS OF THE MEDICAL STAFF DECIDED ON. WERE THEY TRYING TO COMFORT THOSE PATIENTS–OR HASTEN THEIR DEATHS? (new york times magazine, August 30, 2009–Sheri Fink)

W R O N G           W I N D O W ?

A 70 YEAR OLD MAN WITH METASTATIC PROSTATE CANCER TO THE BONE IS IN INTRACTABLE PAIN AND IS PLAINLY TELLING YOU THAT IF YOU DON’T DO SOMETHING TO TAKE HIS PAIN AWAY N O W HE HAS THE MEANS AND THE WAY AND ABSOLUTELY THE MOTIVE TO TAKE THINGS INTO HIS OWN HANDS AND IT WILL BE MESSY.

W R O N G           W I N D O W ?

A  34  YEAR OLD MOTHER OF THREE CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF  6  IS BEGINNING TO SHOW THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF ACTIVELY DYING WITH A HIGH RISK OF ACTUALLY BLEEDING OUT. NOT ONLY DOES SHE HAVE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF SPIRITUAL/EMOTIONAL PAIN LEAVING HER THREE CHILDREN BUT SHE WAS ALSO PRESENT AT AN EARLY AGE TO WITNESS THE DEATH OF HER MOTHER WHO DID BLEED OUT. HIGH DOSES OF MEDS ARE BEING ADMINISTERED TO HER ROUTINELY WITH BREAK THROUGH MEASURES IN PLACE AND SHE IS STILL IN EXTREME TERMINAL RESTLESSNESS.

W R O N G           W I N D O W ?

Amazing isn’t it?

Some windows are dirty,

smudged and even cracked.       .       .

Some windows just seem to be the very worst,

the absolute Wrong ones to peer through.       .       .

Some windows.         .         .

The most amazing things can be seen when you look out the

W R O N G           W I N D O W ?

.        .         .with no Focus on Noticing  A N Y T H I N G

and seeing what you never could have imagined.        .        .

maybe what you never wanted to envision

and then suddenly

have to now  entertain;

Crystal Clear

or  highly  smudged.         .         .

We’ve all looked out windows and been surprised by what we’ve seen.

The    WRONG    WINDOW ?

Sometimes.        .        .

sometimes we look out the Wrong windows and see

The      R I G H T       T H I N G S.     .     .

F        O        C        U        S

B e c o m i n g

a  Caring  Catalyst

is so much more

about looking out the wrong windows

c o n s i s t e n t l y

and    s e e i n g

the right things

and

r  e  c  o  g  n  i  z  i  n  g

we  already

A          R          E

Caring  Catalysts  

with   just   the   right   kind   of

f       o       c       u       s

WE is the New I

By 1 Comment

Uh-oh,

there’s another reported case of the Zika Virus in Florida after numerous other reports already.     .     .

Uh-oh,

there’s a young lady,

recently married with brain cancer who is moving from her home in California to Oregon so she can participate LEGALLY   in Physician Assisted Suicide.

Uh-oh,

WE   DON’T  have a problem,  do  WE?

Seriously,

WE    DON’T    HAVE    THE    ZIKA    VIRUS,   do   WE?

T  H  E  Y        D  O !

T      H      E      Y

Always live somewhere else,

or speak different languages,

or have different colored skin.        .        .

T    H    E    Y

Need to live somewhere else;

travel somewhere else;

get sick somewhere else.        .        .

T      H      E      Y

Remind us that we’ve already dealt

and been scared to death

of  Tuberculosis,

Aids,

Polio,

and many other forms of illness and disease.       .       .

Here’s   the   Deal:

The   new   WE

is

I

W  E

are

T      H      E      Y

T           H           E           Y

are

W  E.

T     H     E     Y.       .       .

T      H      E      M.     .     .

is

Y  O  U

is

M  E

Z I K A

is something

W  E

all have;

Everyday,

1479 people die from cancer;

everyday there are 3483 new people diagnosed with it.      .      .

Everyday,

in the United States 895 people die from cancer;

and 2938 are diagnosed with it.      .      .

Cancer is something

W E

all have;

It’s time for

US,

WE,

THEM, ‘

THEY

to become the true

I         of         the        Storm.       .       .

Compassion

S          C          R          E         A         M         S

there is no longer a

T     H     E     Y  

or a

T     H     E     M

or an

I

or a

YOU.        .        .

only   a   WE,

an   US.       .       .

The RESET,

the RESTORE BUTTON

  gets tapped not only when

WE    get    IT.        .        .

But when we

S        H        A        R        E              I        T—–

N   O   W.          .          .

why     couldn’t     we     get     bit     by     a     bug

that  would  infect  us  with

C      O      M      P      A      S      S      I      O      N  

and a horribly, dreaded

E          M          P          A        T          H         Y

that  becomes  an  incurable

e p i d e m i c .     .     .     ?

Your Mantra

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Bill Parcells, Super Bowl, Hall of Fame Coach has a Mantra

that he would strongly encourage his football teams to

adopt:

“D O N ‘ T     E V E R    L E T    G O O D    E N O U G H    B E    G O O D    E N O U G H”

A G R E E

OR

D I S A G R E E ?

New Year’s Day is still a whopping

1     0     8     Days  Away,

so don’t get any ideas about getting crazy and making

r          e          s          o          l          u          t        i          o          n          s

but how about something that’ll last longer than the obligatory

couple of weeks past

January 1 ?

Why not a Mantra?

L E T     G O O D     B E     G O O D     E N O U G H

Seriously.     .     .

There’s something about that simply Manta that spells:

H     A     P     P     I     N     E     S     S

Voltaire once said,

“Don’t   let  the  perfect  be  the  enemy  of  of  the  good.”

I’ve never been accused of being a  perfectionist

but at times I like being close.     .     .

You?

In his book,

THE    PARADOX    OF    CHOICE

Barry Schwartz says there are two kinds of people:

S A T I S F I C E R S

and

M A X I M I Z E R S

SATISFICERS are people who make a decision or take action once their criteria are met.

MAXIMIZERS  want to make the optimal decision–even if they see a bike or a backpack that meets their requirements, they can’t make a decision until they’ve examined every option and done ultra-uber-research and data collecting.

Now the studies suggest that SATISFICERS tend to be

h          a          p          p          i          e          r

than MAXIMIZERS;

Maximizers spend a lot more time and energy to reach a decision, and they’re often anxious about whether they did, in fact, make the  b e s t   c h o i c e

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm of the Day kind of stuff, huh?

So what about a new Mantra?

Last week I was talking to a friend who told me that having adopted this mantra:

LET   GOOD   BE   GOOD   ENOUGH

has literally changed her life.      .        .

Jennifer Kunst, Ph.D seems to agree.

In her book,

WISDOM  FROM  THE  COUCH: KNOWING  AND  GROWING  YOURSELF  FROM  THE INSIDE  OUT 

Dr. Kunst suggests:

“.     .     .by accepting ourselves as enough, we must accept our limitations and the limitations of life itself.  But in doing so, we also gain access to life’s real possibilities.  By forsaking the false path of seeking something bigger and better, we choose a real path that may be smaller but less to a different kind of better.  By choosing to accept ourselves as enough, we choose a better way of being who we already are.     .     .     .”

It’s some  1 0 8  days away from another

New  Year,

why waste another resolution

why waste another moment

when this very instant

when  this  very  n o w

you  can

L E T         G  O  O  D        B  E         G  O  O  D        E  N  O  U  G  H

you

can

personify

h a p p i n e s s

H   A   P   P   Y          N   E   W     life      Y   E   A   R

Has Your MESSAGE Changed?

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Has Your Message Ever Changed?

Not only is

T     I     M     E

moving  at  an  unbelievably

fast  pace,

but so is everything that is attached to

T      I      M      E

like our information .       .       .

Has your Message Ever Changed?

Have what you believed

a year ago.      .      .

five years ago.       .       .

ten years ago.       .       .

fifteen years ago.       .       .

twenty years ago.       .      .

thirty years ago.       .        .

FIFTY years ago.       .       .

S I X T Y-S E V E N     Y E A R S     A G O .     .     .  

still what you    N  O  W    believe

without any shadows of doubt

or

bet-the-farm-

bet-your-own-life

assurance?

It’s amazing what was

B E L I E V E D

K N O W N 

T O U T E D

in 1949

so profoundly factually

has been so significantly been

debunked.      .       .

ever have any thoughts

ever have any feelings

ever have any on-your-children’s lives

S            U            R            E            T            I            E            S

ever evaporate into

a-not-so-thin-puff-of-smoke

H  A  S            Y  O  U  R            M  E  S  S  A  G  E            E  V  E  R            C  H  A  N  G  E  D

.            .            .Should     I T ?

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm  Of   The   Day:

Lost and FOUND

By 1 Comment

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I’ve only heard of it happening.     .     .

Has it ever happened to you.    .     .     ?

Losing your Parking Garage Ticket

I had it in my pocket,

I thought for all day

and I thought wrong.      .      .

When I got to the attendant

I already knew that I would have to be

T H E       A L L       D A Y       F E E

Uhhhhhh.     .     .I was wrong about that, too.       .       .

The sign read in

extremely bold numerals

$ 6  0 . 0  0  FOR  THE  LOSS  OF  TICKET

I pled my case to the young girl parking attendant.    .    .

A c t u a l l y.       .       .

I thought my argument was very convincing,

telling her that I had just finished presenting

at a Conference at the Hyatt Regency.     .     .

for good measure,

I even showed her my fancy, super-shiny

name tag that boldly showed my name

and the even more prominent

S            P            E            A            K            E            R

label under my name.   .   .

She asked me what time I arrived

and when I told her

she got on her walkie-talkie to

T  H  E       M  A  N  A   G   E   R

told him, quite eloquently my plight and without hesitation he responded:

“Uhhhhh, yeah, he’s going to have to pay the Sixty-dollar fee without a ticket.   .   .I’d have him go back in and hunt for it again.”

She looked at me and shrugged her shoulders,

moved the cars behind me out of the way to another line

(They really thought that was a great idea)

and I went back in to the Hotel/Conference Center

to search every place I had been that day.   .   .

including the Starbucks literally right outside of the door of the room I conducted my presentation

.       .       .n  o      l  u   c   k

.       .       .back to my car, up the ramp to the attendant.     .     .

“Ma’am, I’m sorry.  .  .I looked everywhere and I can’t find it.     .     .It’s not your fault, it’s mine, and I’ll have to pay the fine.”

And I was reaching for my credit card and extending it towards her

I   T      H  A  P  P  E  N  E  D

Her hand went over top of mine as I extended the card to her and she held it.    .    .

she held my hand until I looked up

I saw her eyes–wet–

“Sir, I am so sorry,  I hate this.  I know you are a good man.  I know you’re not lying.  I know you didn’t lose this ticket on purpose and I really like your tie.”

T H E R E      I T      W A S :

WHAT     I     LOST

wasn’t  as valuable as

WHAT     I     FOUND:

Pure

unadulterated 

sincere

Compassion

We do, don’t we.     .     .     ?

We so very often fail to

Notice what we Recognize.     .     .

Uhhhhhhh,  NO!

Not today

Not now

Not this Blog-post

Recognize–won’t you.     .     .

Notice–will you.          .          .

When you have  L O S T

You’ve   F O U N D

Found  what?

S o m e t h i n g

.        .        .something sometimes more awesome than what we’ve lost.     .     .

but we won’t stop

focusing

recognizing

noticing

on what we’ve lost

so much that it’s literally impossible to

focus

recognize

notice

what’s   f o u n d

So can you.     .     .     ?

Can you

recognize or notice

what was found after what was lost.     .     .     ?

A new relationship

A new job

A new challenge

A new goal

A new fortune

A new journey

A new beginning

A new door

A  Newness  you’ve never

envisioned

known

experienced

s  h  a  r  e  d ?

The next time you go to the

L   O   S   T        A  N  D       F  O  U  N  D

don’t look for what’s been

L          O          S          T

search

for  what’s  to  be  found

and don’t fail

to notice or recognize it.       .       .

or    share    it

Best In Show(ing UP)

By 2 Comments

FullSizeRender

This past Wednesday afternoon

there was a small gathering of staff in the Atrium

at David Simpson House House on

East 185th Street

to celebrate a very important

Member of the Hospice Staff

Tallulah

She’s been a therapy dog at The House for the past seven years

and it would be impossible to try to calculate

just how many lives—

patients.    .    .

families.    .    .

staff.       .        .

Tallulah has not just touched

but inspired—

patients.     .     .

families.     .     .

staff.       .        .

to also reach out and

T       O       U       C       H

We all gathered together

and surrounded her in a-not-so-perfect

c            i            r           c           l          e

and while Tallulah was in the center

chewing on a treat

Dr. Kevin Dieter

led us in a unison reading,

TO   LEARN FROM ANIMAL BEING:

Nearer to the earth’s heart, Deeper within its silence; Animals know this world in a way we never will.

We who are ever Distanced and distracted by the parade of bright windows thought opens; their seamless presence is not fractured thus.

Stranded between time gone and time emerging, we managed seldom to be where we are: Whereas they are always looking out from the here and now.

May we learn to return and rest in the beauty of animal being, Learn to lean low, leave our locked minds, and with freed senses feel the earth breathing with us.

May we enter into lightness of spirit, and slip frequently into the feel of the wild.

Let the clear silence of our animal being; cleanse our hearts of corrosive words.

May we learn to walk upon the earth with all their confidence and clear-eyed stillness so that our minds might be baptized in the name of the wind and the light and the rain.      

One   by   One

 each of us

by instinct

rather  than  instruction

left the circle and went into the middle

and gave her our own

little blessing that only

a heart can shout

and a mouth can’t begin to whisper

.          .          .I stood there and noticed

that eyes were weeping

what tissues can’t ever quite absorb

and chose not to think it was some kind of a

meaningful, sincere

G    O   O   D       B   Y   E

as a much more

intentional

devout

T H A N K    Y O U

Tallulah

was making her last visit to the House

but not giving us her

Final Lesson.       .       .

Her Last Lecture

if we are Student enough to

l e a r n:

J      u      s      t

S H O W I N G    U P 

B   E   I   N   G      P   R   E   S   E   N   T

brings a

h   e   a   l   i  n  g

not found in an

intervention

therapy

prescription

plan of care

I V

syringe

pill

capsule

s a l v e.       .       .

And like her.     .     .

makes us the

BEST    IN    SHOW

Willie Morris wrote a book called

MY  DOG  SKIP

The Family Movie came out in 2000

As I was standing in that most sacred-imperfect Circle

the ending scene came to mind:

https://youtu.be/nLKMroK2bA0

Good Bye?

THANK  YOU?

For now

and

for an ever

May the Peace that

Tallulah

has brought to many

now be that

Profound Peace

she’ll  enjoy

f o r e v e r m o r e

as she crosses over

The Rainbow Bridge

but never out of our hearts.

Are You The 9 0 %

By Leave a Comment

Unknown

Are you included in the 90%

Are you a part of the ever growing

not-so-much-of-a-minority

any longer

group

of the

C         O         U         L         D         A

S         H         O         U         L         D         A

W         O         U         L         D         A

Continent

9 0 %

90%  of the people say they have a major

R          E          G           R            E          T

about something in their lives.          .          .

You?

Regret is the second most frequently mentioned emotion after

l        o        v        e.       .       .

Researchers from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management

found that our biggest regrets tend to revolve around

Romance:  18.1%

Family: 15.9%

Education: 13.1%

Career 12.2%

Finance 9.9%

and that we feel the most regret about missed chances:

In the long run, we’re more likely to regret things we didn’t do

than things we

d  i  d     d  o.        .        .   

The   W  H  Y    of   it  all:

“Our ‘psychological immune system’ helps us recover from bad experiences quicker than we assume, thanks to our ability to rationalize and reframe how we see things.   .  .But it’s harder to use these tricks to get over never having tried something in the first place.    .    .    .” 

So.        .        .

what’s a Ninety-percenter to do?

According to Bronnie Ware’s book,

THE  TOP  FIVE  REGRETS  OF  THE  DYING

you’ll be much more satisfied at the end of your life

if   you:

L I V E     A     L I F E     T H A T ‘ S     M O R E     M E A N I N G F U L     T O     Y O U

H A V E     T H E     C O U R A G E     T O     E X P R E S S     Y O U R     F E E L I N G S

S I M P L Y     A L L O W     Y O U R S E L F     T O     B E     H A P P I E R

P R I O R I T I Z E     F A M I L Y     T I M E     O V E R     L O N G     H O U R S     A T     W O R K

S T A Y     I N     T O U C H     W I T H     O L D     F R I E N D S

Maybe Ted Hughes, the British Poet Laureate was right:

“The only thing people regret is that they didn’t live boldly enough, that they didn’t invest enough heart, didn’t love enough.  Nothing else really counts at all.”

Maybe the Chinese Proverb is correct:

If you want to be happy for an hour–take a nap

If you want to be happy for a day–go fishing

If you want to be happy for a month–get married

If you want to be happy for a year–inherit a fortune

If you want to be happy for a lifetime–

H  E  L  P      O T H E R S

Being a Caring Catalyst

not only means giving up a life of regrets

but picking up  o p p o r t u n i t i e s  to

make others happier.     .     .

Hey,

if you want to build skills for a happier life with fun,

science-based  activities and games

then you can click in:

www.happify.com

If you want to begin

at this very moment

become a

Certified  Caring  Catalyst

Uhhhhhhhhh.         .           .

need I say it.           .           .

 need you read it.       .       .

Y   O   U

W   O   N   ‘    T

R    E    G    R    E    T       I    T

A Sewing of Special Oats

By 2 Comments

https://youtu.be/eoyq9pcp4Cg

 

What a Grrrreat Video, huh?

W H A T    I F

.      .      .what if you got the chance to do something you’ve always wanted to do.      .      .

but.      .      .

B      U      T,

You had to start  

T             O             D             A             Y–

B E G I N     R I G H T      N O W ?

I love my children intensely.

Most parents do,

no matter what their ages,

conditions,

situations

or willingness to return the same kind of love.

As School has already begun and Summer vacation has come to an abrupt end

My mind has wandered back to

T       H       O       S       E              D       A       Y       S

when we had all five of of our kids under roof at one time during the Summer.

Best Memory:

I would take each one,

by themselves,

out to the Breakfast stop of their choosing.

Not only would they get whatever they wanted for breakfast,

we’d usually hit the Dollar Store

or Thrift Shop

before returning home to the others.

There were no times in my life,

more sacred and precious.

We’d laugh,

joke,

pull stuff on the others at home that they were never suspecting.     .     .

TALK   ABOUT   ALL   OF   THE   OTHERS   AT   HOME,

scheme,

dream,

talk about

‘once upon a time’s

and time’s to come;

they’d listen to their favorite music or radio station during that time;

we’d just be together.      .      .

we would love.

I remember when I was a little kid,

I’d be just a tad jealous when Mother’s and Father’s Day would come around.

Seriously.      .      .

PARENTS    GET    A    DAY,

I’d think. . .?

One time I even asked,

“HOW COME KIDS DON’T GET A DAY?”

.       .       .and I loved the answer:

“BECAUSE    EVERY    DAY    IS    CHILDREN’S    DAY!”

.        .        .these are the things that I initially thought about when I first saw this video.        .        .

B     U     T.        .        .  

the Question:

“WHAT    IF    YOU    GOT    THE    CHANCE    TO    DO    SOMETHING    YOU    ALWAYS    WANTED    TO DO    BUT    YOU    HAD    TO    START    TODAY ?”

Cranked me right between the eyes and thankfully,

sank in much deeper than the outer eye could see

and the inner eye had to examine.

Well.       .       .

what if you got    that    chance?

What if.        .        .

you never got THAT Chance.      .      .

but    manufactured      it      anyway?

Would your life be different,

T    O    M    O    R    R    O    W ?

Hmmmmmm.       .       .

that’s enough to Roll your Oats,

isn’t   it?

Forget letting  THAT  stir something up in you.        .        .

let it be your Life-Long meal

that sustains you again and again and again.          .          .

and.          .          .

feeds others in a way,

they too,

never hunger again!

A   Sewing   of   a   Special   Kind   of   Oats

Bon  appetit!

Professional Speaker, Author, Assurance Man