Life is a Ride...

   Life is a ride.  The day will come for each of us when we must look inside ourselves and realize that it is not about us.

   Ask anyone who has truly lived, they will tell you that the moments of greatest impact in their lives, the moments of greatest joy and love have all occurred when they where focused on doing something greater than themselves.  Whether it is a simple act of kindness or being part of some greater cause or assisting someone else to believe in them self or to helping them to see the bigger picture or even helping them take care of their basic needs so that they no longer have all of their attention on poverty of spirit or means.  This is when fulfillment happens.  When we become what we are created to be.

   The greatest gift you can give to anyone is being completely present when you are with them.  Presence is a marvelous thing that defies the laws of physics and fulfills the laws of spirit.  The more you give it away and share it with others, the more of it you have!  The more it grows the more it becomes contagious and blesses all who experience your presence, even if they themselves are not yet ready for it.  It's like planting seeds. The seed is now there until the day that they are the fertile ground for it to grow and develop in.

  That is the beauty of being on this ride.  There is a song that Garth Brooks sings called "The Dance".  Some of the lyrics of the song expresses for me how much of an incredible ride this life can be.  Being a ride, we cannot know the outcome or where it will lead us, we simply choose to either enjoy it or not.  I know which I choose.

And now I'm glad I didn't know

The way it all would end the way it all would go 

Our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain 

But I'd of had to miss the dance 

   This particular song was at the top of the charts when our first daughter was born.  She did not stay with us for the whole day before she left.  I still have a hard time listening to this song in public.  I am sure glad that she came and blessed our lives with her presence, no matter how brief.

   Some of the greatest blessings of my life have come from her visit.  I began my path to greater awareness of  presence and inner peace because of her influence and the not always gentle nudges that life has given me.

   I am thankful for every breath!  I am grateful to know presence!  I love life and could not, not live it having the perspective I do now.

   May you live a fabulous day!  May you be grateful for all you meet this fine day and may you share this gratitude with someone who needs to feel it.

Grace and love to you,

Billy B.

Stress is....

Hello There!

Got this from a friend on facebook. ;D

   Stress = worrying, spending energy and thought on something for which you can do nothing about.  Do what you can do and be at peace. 

   I know that I am not alone in this matter.  It is said that the last great hurdle to enlightenment is detachment.  Taking nothing personal, not having any "self" invested in the world.  It sounds boring, yet at the same time, that too could be a self defense mechanism of the ego.  I imagine if you could participate and fully enjoy, appreciating without any stake in the outcome the same as accepting blessings without the need to keep something going beyond it's time or trying to create permanence out of the temporary.  Acknowledging what has been added to your joy and experiences without seeing it's passing as sad, bad or anything but "as it should be".  

   Ok, sounds great! Except, I will be the first one to admit that I am not anywhere near there yet.  It doesn't mean that I cannot see it as a possibility, just that my personal evolution does not yet reach that far.  Right now I am reading (along with many other books at any given time, of course) Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. It's a novel he wrote that very closely, not exactly, follows the life of Prince Siddhartha, the man we now call Buddha.  I admire that one can seek as Buddha did, yet I seem to fall short of such lofty reaches.  I have read many works on the subject of Enlightenment and would in many ways consider myself a seeker.  I also understand that I am a husband, father, brother, neighbor and friend.  I am a professional with a career.  All of these things, titles, roles, if you will, are part of who I am.  The responsibilities that I have taken on during my life up to this point.  

   Some of these roles are ones that "If I knew then..... what I know now" types of situations.  However, that does not excuse me from the responsibilities I have accepted.  There have been many different motivational speakers and I cannot remember which one that said it,  here goes in my own words.   You must decide in your life which relationships are good for you and assist you in living your life on purpose and those that do not.  For those that do not, you must look at them and decide if it is worth the consequences of keeping that relationship (IE; a friend who's influence only creates negative action, thoughts or influence.) and if not create and execute an exit strategy for that relationship.  So that you may use your energies and focus on that which adds to a life on purpose.

   Now in my romanticism (being very much a romantic by nature), I felt for years that this was unacceptable thinking.  Since acquiring some experience and wisdom from said experiences, I now see the bigger picture and potential drama, heartache and such from not following this wisdom.  Some relationships, cannot be "cancelled or exit-ed".  I doubt I need to go into this to deeply, be wise and consider the consequence when you think about such things.  I do not want critical relationships (IE; marriages, etc.) broken up over poorly thought out decisions or when the real catalyst to a better relationship lies within.  

   What I am saying is, we all need some perspective, some "enlightenment" at times and as for me.  I am doing my best to walk The Razors Edge (a very good movie by the way, look it up.  Bill Murray) of living a life that is enlightened yet, fulfilling that which makes life worth living.  My marriage as an excellent example.  It is the most rewarding relationship with anyone in my life.  I would not want to walk away from this relationship for some esoteric feeling when I know that my marriage adds greatly to the overall quality of my life.  I believe that there must be balance in all things.

   Perhaps, stress really is the lack of balance.  In perception, understanding or even action.   Imbalance is the one thing that seems to exist in some area of my life or at the moment when I am experiencing stress.  Balance is the one thing that seems to bring peace and end stress.

   Although, I believe in evolving to the point of true enlightenment, I also understand that I am not willing to do it at the cost of some critical elements of my life.  I hope this makes sense for those of you reading this.  Balance for me is being able to have a big picture view of the world around me, keeping in perspective all humans, relationships, attitudes, actions and otherwise.  Remembering the sacred natures of all men, doing what I can to see everyone without judgement, accepting what is, enjoying what is without demands or expecting something other than what is.  Then, it seems as if the creator within comes into his own and has real power to influence, to create real enduring value for those around me.  Only when, I give up the need to self serve or justify.

   I guess that is the real trick to balance, to stepping a way from stress.  Letting go of the need or desire to have what is not or not "seeing" what is already.

   May you find that balance in your life that allows you to be free of stress.  To have quality relationships (only a healthy inner relationship can allow healthy outer relationships) in your life.  May you see beyond judgment and know real peace that wells up from within and flows outward.

Billy B

Brotherly Love

   There has always been something about an image that shows peace and tranquility that stirs me.  Something deep down feels connected with these two things.  I wish I could share that feeling with all who would listen.  

   A feeling that has become more prevalent in society, as a general rule, is how often we forget that each person is not the same as us and does not seen things just as we do.  Meaning, when we forget to consider another's viewpoint, we segregate ourselves from the power and presence of brotherly love and the connections with others that makes life so enjoyable to participate in.  Such as sharing, appreciation, love,  personal connections and communion with our fellow beings.

   When will we, as a people, give up the need to feel important and focus on making others feel important?  In my opinion, most of the challenges that our country is facing right now and all of the division in our government  is caused because we as a people have forgotten to love our brother as ourselves.  The golden rule in it's most basic form.  How often, as a people have we chosen self service over service to others.  This is a general statement and not aimed at anyone individual, not even our politicians because they are just a reflection of our our country's current attitudes and perceptions.  When we as a people change, so will they.  When we as a people let go of our ego and the need to feel justified then will our society as a whole begin to become a real world power for good, again.

   Some might see this as a political statement or entry for my blog. I would suggest otherwise.  It's really about perspective.  About how we view the world and our value scale for those around us or even those we may not be able to see.  Knowing how important and what a miracle each one of us is, gives perspective that increases the expression of brotherly love.  I believe, that when we doubt or have fears about our own self worth then we become self serving because we lose perspective, the big picture is no longer in view.

   So, the question becomes, how to we bring big picture thinking back into view or restore our non-egocentric perspective?  I personally like meditation or reading materials that inspire me to be more than just an individual.  During the Blog Hop this month I am giving away a copy of the Tao Te Ching, one of the oldest and most influential documents of human history and very much focused on having a social conscience.  It is both poetry and spiritual instruction.  (Not using the words religious instruction as it works with all faiths and spiritual belief systems.)  Such sources or your own preferred methods and practices that allow one to re-center ourselves, IE; "Get out of your head and into your heart."  grants us the peace to accept ourselves and others as we are.

   It is my sincere wish that we will all accept everyone around us spiritual beings and not as labels.  That each one of us will know peace that comes from the core and is a wellspring of goodwill and brotherly love.

   May you see "brothers" today where before you saw "others".  May peace bloom in the garden of your life.

Peace of soul and mind to all,

Billy B

 

Life has challenges.

   I know that we have all heard the saying "Stop and smell the roses."  I wonder though how often we take time to marvel at the beauty around us.  I find it immensely humbling to see everything that goes on around me in nature.  The picture above was taken about 7:30 last night just a couple miles from our home.  It was a marvelous full moon sunset!

   My wife and I have had are share of challenges, when we were young in our marriage we lost our second child at birth.  We named her Alexis because one of the meanings for her name is "little angle", we had some very expensive medical bills to go along with our loss and of course, as young parents, we questioned if it was our fault in some way that our daughter did not remain with us.

   Not even six months later we received a call at just after 1 AM to find out that a close family member had taken his life to compound our heartache.  This particular year was very hard on us.  We dealt with dramatic financial challenges, we hurt deeply over the loss of a child and the loss of another close family member, my lovely bride was emotionally very confused and lost.  I stumbled on as best I could.  Last of all, I was still quite young being in my early 20's so I was not the most skilled or prepared to help console my wife while she mended her broken and troubled heart.

   We went through an a lot that year, both as individuals and as a couple.  Personally, I can share with you the lessons that I learned.  First, love the one you are with.  Yes, I love our daughter that came into our lives for such a short time however, once she had left, her needs were meet and it was my wife, best friend and wonderful companion that was still by my side, who needed my love and support.  Secondly, never, ever forget to show and express your love, every single day!  This one lesson is probably the one that saved our marriage from certain disaster.  Lastly, true love's value is immeasurable.  Don't forget this lesson and in the words of Winston Churchill "Never, never, never give up!"  True love is beyond the value of any career, possessions, worldly titles or perceived opinions of others, it's value is beyond anything that you can imagine.

   I acknowledge how incredibly blessed I am to have true love in my life.  I can tell you that true love is worth fighting for.  My life would be much poorer without it.  I also learned that we must all go through moments in our lives that test our metal.  My wife and I now understand much better that the short time our daughter was here, she was to bless us and yes, because of the challenges of that year and her brief stay with us, we have been blessed in more ways that we can count.

   It is so easy to judge a situation "good" or "bad" and we probably shouldn't.  The situation we call good today will most often lead to some of our greatest challenges and those times we call bad will bring us our greatest blessings.  Developing the faith and courage to accept life as it is can be one of our greatest and most powerful assets in having a marvelous life!  Appreciating every moment will give us clarity that we would otherwise miss out on.  Failing to step back and breathe can give us cause to take life as a personal affront and miss the grace and bliss that is life it'self.

   It is probably the strength and bonds our marriage gained from that year of heartaches and blessings that we have been able to survive as a married couple through the many other challenges that have come our way.  We are in our second decade of marriage and have three beautiful children that have growth to be healthy, happy and active parts of our lives.  We still remember and carry in our hearts the one that visited us twenty years ago and most of all, the beauty she gave us by allowing us to see that some blessings are to valuable to overlooked, even if their visit seems way to brief.

   Every morning the last couple of years, I have taken to the habit of being available to watch sun up and "greet the new day".  It has proven to have a very powerful positive effect on my life.  I would recommend it to anyone looking for more clarity and positive energy in their lives.

   Don't forget to stop and smell the roses.  Even when you do not feel like it.  Remember, smiling sends endorphins to the brain that help you feel better especially when you don't.  They can also give you perspective to see the blessings that might not be so obvious.  Most of all, never forsake the value of love.  Love takes effort, grace under pressure (ie; focusing on your partners concerns and not your own) and a willingness to go the extra mile whenever, wherever.  On the flip side, love will return to you blessings that you simply cannot find anywhere else.  Love creates synergy that returns blessings to you that are much greater than those that come from the efforts of one.

   May you remind the ones you love, just how much you do love them and appreciate them in your life today.  May you smile when you don't feel like it.  May you feel the bliss of being loved, this fine beautiful day!

Thank you for reading.  Peace be unto you and yours.

Billy B

Getting more than you imagined.

   A tweet inspired me today.  "You can be self centered and get what you want or you can be non-egocentric and get more than you imagined."

   I have been asked to give a short presentation to a group of Technologists today about how technology is no excuse for poor people skills.  As I have prepared for this little presentation, I realized that sometimes our poor people skills is caused by us listening to the wrong voice within.  Meaning that being self serving, (intentionally or unintentionally) we assume that others know what we are thinking or see things just as we do.

   You know what happens when we assume, we make an ....... out of "u" and "me".

   I agree that technology has become very important to us all whether we realize it or not.  The question is, do we allow it to complicate our lives or do we use it to allow us to focus on what matters most.

   There are people who will get attention because of what they will do for it and there are people who will get attention because of what they do.  Do we understand the true measure of intention?  Do we realize that the true rewards we receive is determined by our intentions?

   When self serving, we get our own reward immediately.  Just as Jesus said of those that pray on the street corners, they get exactly what they wanted.  Instant gratification in essence.  When we serve others with real intention (not simply as a hired hand or by obligation) then there are rewards that come from sources you could never access through self service.  Such as love, appreciation and loyalty, these are the rewards and blessings that come through selfless service.

   I am not perfect, nor would I suggest that I know more than anyone else.  I have learned from my own experiences that when we look beyond ourselves and seek the well being of others, our eyes are opened to a life that becomes a magical work of art that can stir the souls of men to even greater causes and greater good.   To put it another way, selfless service creates big picture thinking and big picture results.

   Who wouldn't want to be part of something bigger than themselves?

   May you find yourself in the service of others this day.  May you see the canvas of your life intermingled with the greater cause of humanity.

   Peace and Big Picture living for each and every one of you.

Billy B