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"Entertain the possibility that you may be mistaken."
That was my daily thought a few weeks ago from Ralph Marston. I enjoy receiving his notes daily (thank you Tom Miura for the gift!) and usually they will stay with me a day or two. This one has danced around in the back of my mind for some time. "Entertain the possibility that you may be mistaken." What a concept. I look around and I see we all need to hear this from time to time. We are great rationalizers - rational liars - Humans have the capacity to justify everything we do and think - "That guy is a jerk, but we are just having a bad day." "She drops the ball, but I have a lot on my plate." We've all been there. We've all justified our behavior. We know ourselves, and we often don't give someone else the benefit of the doubt. Beyond mistakes in our judgments of others compared to our self-analysis, we also think the bad (or good) situation we are experiencing will last forever. I wrote a poem about this in the 7th grade:
(not too bad for a 13 yr old!) When we are in the middle of what feels hopeless, it's hard to see the eventual solution to our woes. Some people make horrible decisions in the midst of chaos that are irrevocable. I lost a friend to suicide last week, and a friend lost her son the same way. Last week's paper ran a story of a man in a custody battle over his beautiful 3 year old baby girl. In desperation, he shot her and then took his own life. These people thought their situation was permanent and immutable. But we never know how things will turn out unless we stick around to work through them. Life changes dramatically from day to day. NO ONE knows the future. Not the pundits, not the commentators, not the banks, not the President of the United States. We are mistaken when we think our current situation - whether good OR bad, will last forever. Everything changes. Everything. If you don't believe me, go look in the mirror! Depression, grief, sadness, and confusion - all will pass. Think you are on a winning streak and nothing will go wrong in your life again? That too shall pass. Life is a series of hills and valleys. We exalt and rest on the hills, and we struggle and learn the lessons in the valleys. The only solution is to keep on going. Keep being creative. Keep having faith and acting on it. Sitting in a chair and not doing a dang thing is not faith, it's INACTION. But getting up out of that chair, turning off the TV and the negative thinking, THAT is faith-in-action. We will look back on this, and Oh, the stories we will share with the young'uns. We will learn our lessons, we will find a way through it all, and we will be better. IF we are able to admit we might be mistaken, learn from the mistakes, and get out there and do something about it. All the best on your journey!
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Cool LinksThis is really a wonderful site. Figure out your real age: Age calculator Since today is the Real Memorial Day, I want to share a link for anyone who is related to a service man or woman, or who knows of a military family in need of support. So many of our Viet Nam vets are now living on the streets, and so many of the VA hospitals are underfunded and understaffed, we need to find ways to support and remember those who served. Here is a link that provides a forum, social networking, solutions, and an ear to listen: Not Alone. |
Fan Mail from Friends!RE: Affirmations vs Magical Thinking "I'm a great believer in luck, the harder I work, the luckier I get." ~Thomas Jefferson Mark |
The Word From Xena!
It IS hot here. Beth has been threatening to give me a "Lion Cut" - whatever that means. We'll see who wins THAT one. If she does, I promise a picture in the next newsletter. Maybe I'll give HER a lion cut! Opportunity. Change. Crisis. I don't know what any of this means. I'm a dog. So I don't know how to help you on this one. >From my perspective on the floor, it looks like LIFE to me. You humans seem to thrive on stirring things up. You buy things you don't need, then fret about how to pay for them. After that you fret about how to get rid of them or how to sell them on something called EEEE BAAAAY. If you were going to get rid of them, why did you get them in the first place? I'm still drinking from the same dish I brought with me from Hawaii. I've had a couple of food dishes because Beth keeps dropping them. I have the same bed I was brought home in. So does Lezard. We've gotten bigger collars, well, cuz we got bigger. But we don't have a closet full of collars we don't wear! Duh. Maybe this is all good. Maybe you can get rid of all the things you don't need, don't want, don't use, and don't like anymore. Let someone else worry about them. And remember the lesson: never kill anything you aren't going to eat, and don't buy things you aren't going to use. Hey Wish me and Lezard a Happy Birthday! Lezard was 12 years old yesterday and I'll be 11 years old on Thursday! I don't look a day over 5. Beth says I'm a PermaPuppy!!! LOL That's the view from the floor anyway. Ooh, gotta go. A grasshopper! I can eat THAT! I tried to catch the Quail in the yard this morning. They are FAST! Hugs, Xena Write to me and tell me what you think about this newsletter! |
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