Life is Meant to be Lived

I was out for a drive on my own yesterday and put on a carpool karaoke-style playlist of songs that I love to rock out to. As I hit the road, I hit play and the first song that came on was Paranoid by Black Sabbath. Perfection for setting the tone of my drive: up-tempo, rocking and, above all, fun. What would be up next on my randomly shuffled playlist?

Song number two: Paranoid by Black Sabbath.

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Meditation

When you think about meditation, what do you picture? Do you see a long-haired hippy kinda guy wearing nothing but white? Or some wise old monk sitting on a mountain top? Maybe a group of uber-flexible people sitting in weirdly unnatural positions (seriously, they look like pretzels!).

Many people say things like, “I tried it once, and it didn’t work.” Or maybe you’ve heard (or even said it yourself), “I can’t turn off my brain long enough to do that.” In reality, people have as many different opinions and views on meditation as there are different kinds of meditation. It’s not a one-size-fits-all kind of approach, and that’s what I want to discuss today.

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Lighten Up

As I write these words, I am just a few hours shy of my Second Life Day. March 3rd marks the 15th anniversary of my discovery of being diabetic and the entire ordeal that was my diabetic odyssey. I’m not going to rehash that tale in detail again, as I’ve written about it in detail in past years. You can read my multi-post blog starting here.

As I approach my Second Life Day each year, I become very introspective and look at my life; this year has been no exception. What I’ve come to discover I need to focus on is quite simple. I need to lighten up.

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An Abundance of Abundance

With my mental state being a bit in flux as of late, I find myself scouring the recesses of my mind for some of the items that I’ve added to my toolkit over these past years of doing self-work. One of the items that keeps popping to front of mind is the power of attraction. Now this may be a divisive subject for some people. I am not here to proselytize on the matter – I’m not here to convince you that what I’m saying is 100% true, or that if you suddenly start to think you’re going to win a million dollars in the lottery that you’re going to win a million dollars in the lottery. I’m just here to talk about energy, positivity, attraction and abundance.

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Let the Magic Begin

I have come to realize that I’m writing and posting blogs much less frequently than I have been historically. For a few years, I endeavored to write at least 1-2 posts per month, but this has fallen by the wayside over the course of the post-COVID world. When taking a moment to assess, I’ve realized recently that I have not been at my best. I think one of the reasons (not the sole source of my lower-energy states, but one factor) is that I haven’t really had anything major to look forward to in some time. Yes, we went to Paris last spring, but that was a semi-impulsive trip that was only planned out a few weeks prior. And since then, there has been nothing big to speak of.

Until this past week.

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Follow Through

Today’s post is a continuation of sorts from my last post.

I am an idea guy. I always have a multitude of thoughts jumping through my mind about things to do, places to go, how to make things better, etc., etc., etc. As my former manager used to say, I’m a “blue sky thinker”. The challenge that comes along with these ideas, at least for me, is following through.

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Tick Tock

I’ve had a lot of moments of solitude and quiet over the past few weeks and months. Between Isabelle being back on the road for work and being gone for a day or two from time to time, to our wonderful bouts of stomach flu for our anniversary, I’ve had plenty of time for contemplation. It was during one of these moments of solitude that a thought crossed my mind for the first time, and it caused some consternation on my part. It was the realization that the hourglass of my life was now lighter on the top than on the bottom.

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It’s Not All Rainbows and Sunshine

As with most forms of social media, blog posts can be somewhat misleading for readers. Most people put out the highlights when they publish something on social media – fun experiences, delicious food, beautiful sights and moments. Having nothing but positive experiences being shoved down your throat can cause some people to have negative self-views. “Why is my life so crappy when everyone else seems to be thriving?” As much as I strive to be fully authentic in my social media, I do recognize that I rarely post anything overly negative on my Instagram or Facebook. Occasionally, I do talk about more negative aspects and thoughts here in my blog. So today, it’s a bit more real talk.

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What Makes You Happy?

During a recent visit to Starbucks, I saw a display in the store with a bunch of Post-It notes stuck to the wall. Upon approaching, I found the question posed in today’s blog title – What makes you happy? On the counter below the sign were stacks of Post-It notes and pens. Evidently, this particular store had had this up for a few days based on the number of notes stuck up on the wall.

I added my own items to the list (on that particular day, it was good tunes and a road trip as we were out and about for the day). Afterwards, I got to thinking… what does make me happy? Why not pose the question openly, like Starbucks did, and ask the world? Or at least ask you.

What makes me happy? Here’s a brief list of a few things at the top of my mind.

  • Isabelle & Roxie
  • My family & friends
  • Road trips
  • Disney World
  • Loud music
  • Good books
  • Good food (okay, most food to be perfectly honest!)
  • Silence
  • Being in nature (whether forest or beach)
  • Discovering new things
  • Bacon 🙂
  • Cooking (when I feel like it, not when I NEED to do it)
  • Visiting new places
  • Going to the movies
  • Having dinner out with my wife
  • DINK days

Obviously this is not an exhaustive list. There are so many things that make me happy. Sometimes we get so caught up in the day-to-day of our lives that we lose sight over the pleasures; over what truly makes us happy.

And you, my dear reader, what makes you happy? Feel free to share!