The Caring Catalyst

Who Cares - What Matters

BROKED .9

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What a License Plate, huh?

We probably all could support
T H A T
Plate
because we are all
B R O K E D
. . .none of us are
U N D E F E A T E D
but all of us
has this
R E S E R V E
that makes us
U N D E F E A T A B L E

Helping the Broked
will get you
B R O K E D
chipped
cracked
sharp-edged
slivered
never-more’d
Perfectly
I M P E R F E C T E D
unmitigatedly
totaled
(almost every time)
9 9. 9% of the Time
but
roll-the-dice-gamble
Go all in
Bet your Farm
And your Neighbor’s
on the
.9%
and until then. . .
from my brokednesss
Let Seep from me
all that is good
that I may
Refill once more

(Change is always good because it often keeps, not so much THINGS, but you, me, US, fresh and alert. For the past couple of weeks I’ve added a poem I’ve written instead of a personal story that illustrates without many words what it means to be a Caring Catalyst. So, what’s the verdict. How can I not only better represent, how can I better share what it means to be a Caring Catalyst? I’m open to suggestions. Currently, I begin the week with a video that illustrates what it means to be a Caring Catalyst and how you might become a better Catalyst. On Wednesday’s blog posting, I usually put in some bit of data based information on the good effects and the how-to’s in becoming a better Caring Catalyst; On Friday, I use a personal story. Poetry was my first love and use of sharing; it was my social media in high school and college and then it was fiction. I’ll be interjecting a new format on Wednesday or Friday that includes THE POWER OF THREE as I share what I’m watching, reading, using and name this segment: BEGGAR BITES that brings home the adage: SHOWING ANOTHER BEGGAR WHERE THIS BEGGAR GOT THE FOOD. Again, I’m looking for you feedback and suggestions that you might find most helpful, educational, inspirational and motivational. In the mean time, I humbly thank you for following and most of all for being a constant source of inspiration and awe. Thank you!)

Ashes, ASHES, We ALL Fall Down

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images-2

“. . .WE HAVE TALLER BUILDINGS BUT SHORTER TEMPERS; WIDER FREEWAYS BUT NARROWER VIEWPOINTS; WE SPEND MORE BUT HAVE LESS; WE BUY MORE BUT ENJOY IT LESS; WE HAVE BIGGER HOUSES AND SMALLER FAMILIES; MORE CONVENIENCES, YET LESS TIME; WE HAVE MORE DEGREES BUT LESS SENSE; MORE KNOWLEDGE BUT LESS JUDGMENT; MORE EXPERTS, YET MORE PROBLEMS; WE HAVE MORE GADGETS BUT LESS SATISFACTION; MORE MEDICINE, YET LESS WELLNESS; WE TAKE MORE VITAMINS BUT SEE FEWER RESULTS. WE DRINK TOO MUCH; SMOKE TOO MUCH; SPEND TOO RECKLESSLY; LAUGH TOO LITTLE; DRIVE TOO FAST; GET TOO ANGRY QUICKLY; STAY UP TOO LATE; GET UP TOO TIRED; READ TOO SELDOM; WATCH TV TOO MUCH AND PRAY TOO SELDOM.

WE HAVE MULTIPLIED OUR POSSESSIONS, BUT REDUCED OUR VALUES; WE FLY IN FASTER PLANES TO ARRIVE THERE QUICKER, TO DO LESS AND RETURN SOONER; WE SIGN MORE CONTRACTS ONLY TO REALIZE FEWER PROFITS; WE TALK TOO MUCH; LOVE TOO SELDOM, AND LIE TOO OFTEN. WE’VE LEARNED HOW TO MAKE A LIVING, BUT NOT A LIFE; WE’VE ADDED YEARS TO LIFE,
NOT LIFE TO YEARS. . . .”

I miss George Carlin.

He died June 22, 2008

He proved to us that ONE out of ONE of us dies.        .       .

T           H           A            T

 we have all been born with a sexually transmitted, terminal disease

C   A   L   L   E   D       L   I   F   E

I always thought that the above sentiments were George’s.        .        .

but NO.        .        .

they are not:

They’re not the words of the Dalai Lama’s or a Columbine High School student’s, President Obama’s or
Pope Francis’s.         .         .

THE  PARADOX  OF  OUR  TIME

it turns out, actually originated with

D r.  B o b   M o o r e h e a d,

a retired minister near Seattle;

Big Deal, huh?

Just like us.          .          .

One not-so-good

Ah, Ahhh, Ahhhhhh, Ahhhhhhhhh-Choooooooooooo

and we’re floating away never to be the same again;

because as we’ve been poetically

P   U   T :

“YOU ARE DUST AND TO DUST YOU SHALL RETURN.      .      . “

Humpty Dumpty would have a better shot of being seamlessly put back together again, minus all the King’s Men’s and their Horses!

Ashes,

Ashes,

We

All

F   a   l  l           D o w n.          .          .

and never get up quite the same way ever again

(A N D   T H A T ‘ S   T H E   G O O D   N E W S !)

Once you’ve been Smudged,

You never become

U N – S M U D G E D

(AND   THAT’S   EVEN   BETTER NEWS.     .     .)

If   you

Figure   IT  

o   u   t

and

A   c   c   e   p   t

I    T

again and again and again and.          .         .

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-Choooooooooooooooooo

B l e s s   Y o u

ASHES

ASHES

WE ALL

FALL DOWN
hard
harder
Hardest
and it hurts
but before we become
p a r t i c l e s     i n     t h e     w i n d
We swirl
We SWIRL AROUND
WE SWIRL
as we rise
RISE
R            I            S            E
never to settle
a g a i n

Not ANOTHER Birthday

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Mark Twain
once said,
“The two most important days in your life are
THE DAY YOU ARE BORN
a n d
THE DAY YOU FIND OUT WHY”

We celebrate a person’s Birthday

Not because of the Day that they were born

But because of what they have born;

Because of what they have given Birth in us. . .

I’ve celebrated well over 33 Birthday’s
with my wife, Erin
And not one of them
has ever been without the over apparent
R E C O G N I T I O N
that I,
that many
aren’t far more better
because she’s been Born
than she, herself

“I never saw it coming
and all of a sudden
there was YOU
and I don’t have to live without you anymore. . .”

which means that the best
Birthday Gift of all
Is what you birth in others. . .

There’s no Candles on a Cake
that could ever illuminate more
and they’re
u n e x t i n g u i s h a b l e

THE OCEAN

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I am not an Ocean
I am THE OCEAN
A Turbulent
C H U R N I N G
Slap you Down
J U M P I N G S A L T Y

KIND OF THE OCEAN
That sees
That seeks
No Shore

But an occasional Raft
That I won’t so much Wreck
But gently ROCK YOU

From One WAVE to the Next
Or the ONE
That never Breaks

I am not an Ocean
I AM THE OCEAN
Waiting for a Fisherman
to drop his nets
or His Guard
and dance on my Tides

I am not a WAVE
I am a SAND SHIFTER
A Hurricane
not to be feared or evacuated
F R O M
but relished
invited
accepted
As a
ONCE UPON THIS TIME
m o m e n t

I AM THE OCEAN
as are You
Meet me at the Perfect Storm
that sports an
everlasting
RAINBOW
with no Pot of Gold
but the entire
undiscovered
ever rich
M I N E




The Happiness PRICE-TAG

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HOW   DO   YOU   REALLY   SEE   THINGS?

DO   YOU   NEED   SPECIAL   LENS

TO   KNOW   WHAT’S   THE   MOST   REAL   THING

IN   YOUR   LIFE.          .          .          ?

Recently, the adage “Money can’t buy happiness” was given a leg to stand on by a study suggesting a raise won’t have a real impact on your state of mind. But a different study claims that in regard to your income, there is totally a financial sweet spot for optimal satisfaction.

The expansive study, published in the journal, Nature Human Behaviour, used a Gallup World Poll to evaluate the income and happiness of 1.7 million people around the world. The authors of the research found monetary averages associated with satisfaction: For daily emotional well-being, people were generally best off earning $60,000 to $75,000 a year, but for long-term satisfaction, the mark was $95,000.

In North America (and most “wealthy” countries), for daily emotional well-being, the sweet spot is an annual income of $65,000 to $95,000, and for long-term satisfaction that number is $105,000.

 

Those numbers are the worldwide average, however; the averages vary from country to country, and in North America (and most “wealthy” countries) they are higher. For daily emotional well-being, the sweet spot here is $65,000 to $95,000, and for long-term satisfaction that number is $105,000. The area with the lowest income marker for long-term satisfaction is Latin America, at $35,000, and Australia and New Zealand report the highest, at $125,000.

People were likely to see decreased happiness if they achieved more than the optimal income for long-term satisfaction, partially due to a phenomenon Money described as the “hedonic treadmill,” in which people adjust to increases in income.

But happiness does peak at a certain point, according to the researchers. If people achieved more than the optimal income for long-term satisfaction, they were likely to see decreased happiness, partially due to a phenomenon Money described as the “hedonic treadmill.” This describes when people very quickly adjust to increases in income.

Still, the study has its shortcomings: Gauging and measuring happiness is a subjective practice that often relies on self-reporting. Additionally, the study examined individual income instead of household income, which might have skewed conclusions about how much money someone needs in order to be happy. Not to mention that the concept of happiness itself is contentious, and many nations don’t place as much weight on it as Americans do.

So, while you should definitely hustle at your day job and also find a side gig that’s meaningful to you, remember to make time for yourself and don’t make money your purpose. Instead, leave work early every now and then to go have fun with your #squad.

SO.          .          .

What brings the Fire

to your   P   I   T

Is   the   Fire   enough   to

I N F L A M E   Y O U

enough    to

E   N   L   I   G   T   E   N            O  T  H  E  R  S

.          .         .It’s the only question

worth asking.          .          .

worth answering;

and it’ll cost you

E V E R Y T H I N G

.           .           .will it be enough

to make you

H          A         P         P         Y

?


S O N D E R

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Are you?

Are you a people watcher?

Are you more of a STORY-TELLER
than a
S T O R Y – H E A R E R. . .

I certainly wasn’t looking for this video

THE DICTIONARY OF OBSCURE SORROWS

so I don’t know if it
FOUND ME
or I discovered it
after having my
A T T E N T I O N
averted to it
but now it’s one of my most favorite sites:

S O N D E R

was the first one I saw
but it’s far from the last
and they are now
o n g o i n g

S O N D E R:
“n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own–populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness–an epic story that continues invisibly around you like an anthill sprawling deep underground, with elaborate passageways to thousands of other lives that you’ll never know existed, in which you might appear only once, as an extra sipping coffee in the background, as a blur of traffic passing on the highway, as a lighted window at dusk.”

I love watching people
at the beach
at the store
at the bank
at the casino
at the restaurant
at the postoffice
at any intersection that brings
my path
to theirs

and as it does countless times over
every single day. . .

I wonder:

WHAT’S THEIR STORY

and then I hope that I don’t so much become a part of it

as to simply
N E V E R
mess it up–
affect it negatively. . .

What’s INTOXICATING:

Awaiting
Coming to the next guaranteed
I N T E R S E C T I O N

Everyone has a story. . .
but not everyone has a
H E A R E R
of the Story that not so much desperately
needs to be told
AS HEARD

Pay Attention, Class:

SCHOOL IS ALWAYS IN SESSION
(and EVERYONE is your Professor)

Cookie Borrowers

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tea-cookies

You’ve done it before,  haven’t you?

Even as an adult,

maybe even more so as an adult,

I’ve kifed my share of cookies when no one was looking

or better, at home.

I’ve got great alibi’s too.       .       .

G    R   A   N   D   K   I   D   S

I can always say,

“I bet the kids stuffed their pockets or book bags with those cookies!”

Or, just the lame,

“Geez, I  don’t  know  what  happened  to  those  cookies.”

So.         .         .what are you?

A  Cookie  Stealer?

A  Cookie  Borrower?

A  Cookie  Sharer?

I love the story,

you probably do to,

or at least, now you will.        .        .

Ben was still a little boy who had no great alibi’s.         .         .

no kids,

no grandkids,

no brothers or sisters.        .        .

Just Ben.       .       .

But, Ben possessed something that most don’t ever have:

An Imagination!

He knew how to use it as well.       .       .

Ben smelled the cookies

baking all the way from his homeroom in school.       .       .

When he got home from school,

the smell was the most sweetest,

best smelling ever.        .        .

Heaven on Earth

is when you get home from school

and the air is more filled

with fresh baked cookies than oxygen,

A             N             D

there’s a note from mom, saying,

“I had to go run some errands I’ll be back very shortly,”

And then in real bold,

Black Permanent Marker letters,

D   O       N   O   T        E   A   T        C   O   O   K   I   E   S !

Uhhhhhhhhhhh, Really?

He’s a boy.       .       .

He’s hungry.       .       .

Cookies are begging him

if he as one single taste bud to

A            T            T            A            C            K

until thoroughly conquered.

He does.       .       .

Mom comes home

and finds the obvious.        .        .

a lack of cookies on the tray

and in the jar,

even though Ben strategically rearranged them

to look as if not one had been broached

let alone eaten.       .       .

Mom’s good.          .          .

r  e  a  l      g   o   o   d

and lays down some

G o d l y    M o t h e r l y

I     N     Q     U     I     S     I     T     I     O     N     I     N     G 

that would buckle the strongest of knees:

“Did   you   eat   any   of   the   cookies   I   told   you   NOT   to   eat?”

“N   o   p   e,”

Ben shoots back over his shoulders.     .     .

“Now, you know God was right here when you stole those cookies, right?”

“Y u p,”

Ben says, wiping the last of the cookie crumb evidence from his mouth.       .       .

“And you know he was looking at you the whole time, right?”

“Y u p,”

“And just what do you think he was trying to tell you?”

“I think he was saying, ‘There’s no one here but the two of us–TAKE TWO!'”

Classic, right?

Classic, except,

we’ve all been caught red handed,

crumbs on the lips,

milk mustachioed,

belly-filled-not-so-little-kids-anymore, huh?

I guess it’s alright to be caught red handed

every once in a while.          .          .

especially if that every once in a while

also includes getting caught red handed

b       o       r       r       o       w       e       r       s

and even more,

s        h        a        r        e        r        s

Bake me up a batch of

T          H          O          S          E

c  o  o  k  i  e  s   and   I   guarantee,

the air won’t just smell sweeter.          .          .

Life itself will suddenly become

i   r   r   e   s   i   s   t   i   b   l   e       t   a   s   t   y

with your hand

in and out of the

C   o   o   k   i   e        J   a   r!

Hey,

Want    a    Cookie–

Why  not  T W O ?

LOVE = BENEFITS

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V A L E N T I N E S
D A Y
isn’t really over yet. . .
N O T
if you you’re still hitting the
75% off aisles at the stores. . .
uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
that may be the bad news. . .

B U T

if you can get past all of the stale candy
and the
ROSES ARE RED, VIOLETS ARE BLUE
DISCARD Cards. . .

I F

I f
you’re in a relationship, Valentine’s Day
F O R W A R D
may be some of the healthiest days of the year — despite the champagne and chocolate.

That’s because love come with some solid health benefits, according to a growing body of scientific research. Dr. Helen Riess, director of the Empathy and Relational Science Program at Massachusetts General Hospital and author of the forthcoming book The Empathy Effect, told TIME MAGAZINE how falling head over heels can help your health, both mentally and physically.

Love makes you happy. . .

When you first fall in love, dopamine, the feel-good brain chemical associated with reward, is especially active. “That is a mood intensifier, so people feel extremely positive and very appreciated,” Riess says — hence that “on cloud nine” feeling you get in the throes of a new relationship.

But new lovebirds also experience a spike in the stress hormone cortisol and a concurrent drop in the mood-regulating neurotransmitter serotonin, according to a letter from the Harvard Mahoney Neuroscience Institute. That may account for some of the erratic behavior — passion mixed with anxiety, obsession and nervousness — that often goes along with blossoming love.

Dopamine levels may stay elevated even as your love matures, studies suggest, but you’ll likely see cortisol and serotonin levels return to normal, helping you calm down and settle into the relationship without losing the mood-brightening perks.

Love busts stress. . .

After the honeymoon phase subsides, all of that dopamine starts to share real estate with another brain chemical: oxytocin, or the bonding hormone. That not only gives you “warm and fuzzy” feelings for your partner, but it can also be good for your health, Riess says.

“When people feel securely attached, their stress levels go down,” she says. “Just being in the presence of someone who greets us with positive regard and caring can actually lower those levels of cortisol and adrenaline and create greater homeostasis, which means that your neurochemicals are back in balance.”

If you’re away from your significant other, thinking about them, talking to them on the phone or even texting with them can help conjure these feelings, Riess says.

Love eases anxiety. . .

Quite a few studies have pointed to ways that loneliness can hurt your health, from increasing inflammation to activating pain centers. “The feeling of loneliness stimulates anxiety, which is mediated by different neurotransmitters, like norepinephrine,” Riess says. “Also, cortisol and adrenaline levels rise when people feel insecure and threatened,” which triggers your body’s stress response. Being in love and feeling close to another person can mitigate anxiety.

Love makes you take better care of yourself. . .

The benefits of love aren’t all in your head. “Couples encourage each other to go to the doctor when they don’t want to,” Riess says. “There’s a lot of denial around medical illness, and individuals are more likely to shrug off something and say, ‘This can’t be serious.’”

The data bears this out. People who are paired off may be able to detect melanoma earlier than singletons, since their partner can spot suspicious moles right away. The same goes for abnormal bruising, which can be a sign of serious conditions such as leukemia, kidney disease and Cushing’s disease, Riess says. Sometimes, partners will even notice signs of allergies or other persistent health problems before the sufferer does.

Love helps you live longer. . .

Research has shown that married couples enjoy greater longevity than singles — making “’til death do us part” even more of a commitment. Studies suggest those long-life benefits are largely explained by consistent social and emotional support, better adherence to medical care and having a partner who can hold you accountable to healthy lifestyle behaviors and steer you away from bad ones. Married couples have been found to have lower rates of substance abuse, lower blood pressure and less depression than single peers.

But there’s also good news for the unattached. In 2010, a review of 148 studies found that longevity benefits were linked to all close social relationships, not just romantic ones — meaning your friends and family are good for your health, too. . .

L O V E = B E N E F I T S

More than a Calculator can add
More than a Dictionary can define
More than wetness in an ocean
More than heartbeats in a young heart
More
MORE

M O R E


W O R D S

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Sometimes the best
W O R D S
I’ve ever said
are the ones
I’ve never spoken. . .

Sometimes the Heart Shouts
what a mouth can’t Whisper. . .

SOMETIME WORDS
AREN’T THE RIGHT WORDS TO SAY. . .

Sometimes if you just use WORDS
to communicate you’ll never quite say
the right thing. . .

Sometimes if you just use Words
no one will ever know exactly what
you’re saying. . .

S O M E T I M E S

Inspired Compassion

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When   was   the   Last   Time?

He was standing at the off ramp of the highway and a car had stopped and the driver handed him a 12″ Subway.     .     .he immediately ran across a 4 lane street, tore the Subway in half and hand it to another who was standing on the On-Ramp of the highway.       .       .

When   was   the   Last   Time?

An estranged wife lay next to her dying husband who gave her countless reasons not to ever be there with him at that very moment.       .       .

When   was   the   Last   Time?

A Toddler sharing her large pretzel with her father in a crowded food court without ever being asked to give him a bite.       .       .

When   was   the   Last   Time?

A man in a walker holding open the door to a restaurant for a young couple with a baby.       .       .

When  was   the  Last  Time?

A little boy picking and bringing dandelions to a funeral home for his grandmother’s memorial service.       .       .

When  was  the  Last  Time?

A hospice doctor who sat on the floor when he met with a patient so that the patient could look down on him as opposed to the patient looking up to him as he asked,    “How can I serve you?”.       .       .

When  was  the  Last  Time?

Seeing a squirrel on a snowy afternoon dragging a dead squirrel out of the middle of the  road as it dodged traffic.       .       .

When  was  the  Last  Time?

Does  Compassion

S         E         E         N

Inspire  Compassion

T O    B E  ?

When  was  the  last  time

you actually saw an act of Compassion?

Maybe the more pending question:

When  was  the  last  time

you  unknowingly 

provided an act of compassion

to be witnessed.     .     .     ?

Is your Compassion

more of a Verb

Is your Compassion

more of a Noun

Is your Compassion

more of a good idea

Is your Compassion

more of a nice thing

Is your Compassion

more of a thing

to be performed

or

e x p e r i e n c e d.         .          .            ?

Sometimes the greatest

C  O  M  P  A  S  S  I  O  N

there is

Is the Compassion

yet   to   be   seen

d  o  n  e

k   n   o   w   n.     .     .

When

Was

The

Last 

Time

?

Make   a    c r a c k e d 

h e a r t

beat

w  h  o  l  e

BE  COMPASSION

(where compassion hasn’t always been).

 

Professional Speaker, Author, Assurance Man