44
2002
“Annie, wait—You’re going to write about fate, luck and—Nick? Who’s Nick?”
2002
“Annie, wait—You’re going to write about fate, luck and—Nick? Who’s Nick?”
Smiling mischievously to quell the anxious feeling, which has mysteriously quickened the beat of my heart, I answer, “Mom, you know Nick ... Everyone who’s ever experienced a situation in which the day is saved—in the Nick of time—has spent time with Nick. I’m planning to write about what happens when the powers of timing, good fortune and KNOWLEDGE combine. For example, the doctor's timely arrival, combined with his knowledge—and the fortunate fact that Lauren's problem was not related to SIDS—saved Lauren's sight.
My stories will emphasize this fact: *TIMING, LUCK, and KNOWLEDGE can be as vital to the well being of the human condition, as ATTITUDE. *In fact, knowledge is often the catalyst causing attitude to change.
*As each story unfolds, the reader will see how often negative attitudes lead to negative consequences whereas positively focused attitudes, coupled with readiness to absorb knowledge, reveal insights leading to personal growth. As perceptions expand, viable solutions, which had previously escaped detection, emerge, intuitively, from within."
*If you choose to follow my trains of thought, you may see why our instinct to fight, flee or freeze is hardwired to act first, think later, during desperate times—unless we choose to train our brains to take a spontaneous time out on the spot in order to maintain conscious control over instinctive emotional reactions thus freeing our whole brain to think smart (logically) on the spot. For example, the doctor had absorbed knowledge, which the firemen had yet to learn. Upon spying the oxygen mask over Lauren's waxen features, fear (for her sight) propelled the doctor's arm to shoot out, striking the fireman's hand away from my sister's face. If asked what had saved Lauren’s sight—Fate or Lady Luck—I’d say luck was on my baby sister's side in terms of the doctor arriving with knowledge in the nick of time to save her sight. On the other hand, the doctor could not have altered Janet’s fate of succumbing to an illness as deadly as SIDS.
Generally speaking, people are so bombarded with information that our need for division of labor causes some to seek knowledge in one area while others absorb knowledge in another. Eventually, as each grass roots movement moves knowledge around the world, information, which proves essential to the well being of all, becomes common knowledge.
Luckily, when I was a young woman, a neighbor invited me to a meeting where parents learned innovative communication skills. Though I was fascinated, drawn in, others, who’d accompanied me, were not. And so as luck would have it, several of us attended those meetings. Then as individuals make decisions, which determine each one's fate, I chose to attend those informative meetings for years while others chose to wing it on their own.
As that meeting proved a jumping off point for me, I've continued to seek, absorb, make sound use of, teach and write about innovative techniques, concerning positive discipline, for more than 40 years, suggesting that much of my time, both personally and professionally, has been devoted to making sound use of listening and speaking skills, necessary to clarity. And by way of the media, these skills have recently gone viral. More about that later.
This next train of thought illustrates society's pattern, concerning the widespread acceptance of innovative changes, which contradict mindsets that we'd been taught to adopt when we were kids: * It takes more time, energy and patience to motivate closed minds to open to new ways to think and behave than those with open minds can believe. As my stories aim to prove that hypothesis true, you'll come to see why I believe it's wise to set a high value on patience, which proves difficult during desperate times.
*Desperate times often call for desperate measures—which observers may not understand. *Commonly, the person who grows toward desperation is the one whose knowledge of a particular situation outweighs that which has been experienced by those who comprise the rest of the group.
As you shall see, those lacking depth in terms of personal experience tend to misjudge and condemn the little, which can be seen on the surface. If you stop and think about it, most every novel we read attempts to inform the reader of this fact: Judge not in haste, because you do not yet hold every pertinent fact. And thus, spurred on by curiosity, we tend to turn the page. Though hints pile up aplenty, a story teller, who succeeds in offering readers a series of surprising twists, creates a page turner, and I always wonder how fast pages would turn had I chosen to write my story sans philosophy, concerning skillful solution-seeking communications. Hopefully, one day, an editor will feel intrigued enough to embrace that challenge. As for me, I feel compelled to write whatever my mind feels in need of releasing.
2014
If you ask: Annie, why not take on that editing task, yourself? I'd reply: The timing's not right for this reason: You see, it's the communications teacher in me, who inspires the writer to spend hours a day weaving philosophy into story. Perhaps readiness to switch mind sets will surprise me, one day.
BTW, if you wonder why I write so often about joy, I'd reply with a question of my own: I wonder how many of you realize that to feel joyful ... or not ... is a choice. I wonder if you are a creator of joy or a waiter, waiting for others to serve their sense of joy on a silver platter to you.
If you ask me, it's much more fulfilling to nourish the pleasure centers of others than to wait in hopes of being made to feel like the center of attention. Hey! I just discovered a silver lining, hidden in the darkly clouded portion of my youth: The fact that I'd unwittingly offered joy to others in hopes of not being forgotten, myself, became a subconscious habit! Though that habit was originally catalyzed by defensive fear, the fact that the warmth of my smile had been genuine won genuine smiles in return, suggesting that over time, a personal vulnerability developed, unwittingly, into a deeply valued strength, and here's why that's true: At a glance it's plain to see that my smile proves true, through and through. Why? Because each smile sparkles forth naturally from my eyes, which open windows into my soul. So if, while walking toward you, you sense my spirit is all aglow, please know full well that the nearness of your presence catalyzes my heart to open to welcome you in with such gladness that once your comfort zone expands, thus freeing you to extend the same warm welcome to me, a surprise a minute waits to hug you close, and here's why that's true: I've come to know myself as a person, who, in addition to conjuring up simple plans, creating change for the better when conflicts ensue, also offers up a passionate cornucopia, overflowing with a joyful, Happy sense of Dopey corniness, a Bashful sense of vulnerability, a Grumpy sense of feeling 'left out', which thankfully emotes infrequently, because my well-practiced line of control sends Grumpy's defensive reactions directly to time out to think smart ... more about the people, who people my personality, later. (Uh, wait... One question: Can you imagine who I've deemed leader of this group of hard working souls, who people my mind and whistle while they work to get a grass roots movement off the the ground? And as these same folk exist within you, here comes the second most important question to ponder upon, today: Who, inside of you, is in charge of deciding which of those people to free and which to suppress ... not to be confused with repress? As to today's most important question ... with patience, my friends, it is sure to appear. BTW, I had no clue that my smile was so contagious until a treasured friend made me aware of my brightness of being. I mean, it's not as though I'd not heard a friend ask Will: Does she ever wear a frown? It's not as though Barry's best friend calls me Sunshine for nothing. It's just that I'd not been aware of my smile as a strength, because it impacts upon those I love in such a contagious, positively focused manner. In short, those I love seem so delighted with my delight in spending time with them that, seemingly, a darkly cloudy period, early in my life, which catalyzed the frequency of my smile to grow so naturally sunny as to sprinkle heartfelt warmth over everyone I love ... and as with everyone else, that which I sow, I reap ...
As you shall see, those lacking depth in terms of personal experience tend to misjudge and condemn the little, which can be seen on the surface. If you stop and think about it, most every novel we read attempts to inform the reader of this fact: Judge not in haste, because you do not yet hold every pertinent fact. And thus, spurred on by curiosity, we tend to turn the page. Though hints pile up aplenty, a story teller, who succeeds in offering readers a series of surprising twists, creates a page turner, and I always wonder how fast pages would turn had I chosen to write my story sans philosophy, concerning skillful solution-seeking communications. Hopefully, one day, an editor will feel intrigued enough to embrace that challenge. As for me, I feel compelled to write whatever my mind feels in need of releasing.
2014
If you ask: Annie, why not take on that editing task, yourself? I'd reply: The timing's not right for this reason: You see, it's the communications teacher in me, who inspires the writer to spend hours a day weaving philosophy into story. Perhaps readiness to switch mind sets will surprise me, one day.
BTW, if you wonder why I write so often about joy, I'd reply with a question of my own: I wonder how many of you realize that to feel joyful ... or not ... is a choice. I wonder if you are a creator of joy or a waiter, waiting for others to serve their sense of joy on a silver platter to you.
If you ask me, it's much more fulfilling to nourish the pleasure centers of others than to wait in hopes of being made to feel like the center of attention. Hey! I just discovered a silver lining, hidden in the darkly clouded portion of my youth: The fact that I'd unwittingly offered joy to others in hopes of not being forgotten, myself, became a subconscious habit! Though that habit was originally catalyzed by defensive fear, the fact that the warmth of my smile had been genuine won genuine smiles in return, suggesting that over time, a personal vulnerability developed, unwittingly, into a deeply valued strength, and here's why that's true: At a glance it's plain to see that my smile proves true, through and through. Why? Because each smile sparkles forth naturally from my eyes, which open windows into my soul. So if, while walking toward you, you sense my spirit is all aglow, please know full well that the nearness of your presence catalyzes my heart to open to welcome you in with such gladness that once your comfort zone expands, thus freeing you to extend the same warm welcome to me, a surprise a minute waits to hug you close, and here's why that's true: I've come to know myself as a person, who, in addition to conjuring up simple plans, creating change for the better when conflicts ensue, also offers up a passionate cornucopia, overflowing with a joyful, Happy sense of Dopey corniness, a Bashful sense of vulnerability, a Grumpy sense of feeling 'left out', which thankfully emotes infrequently, because my well-practiced line of control sends Grumpy's defensive reactions directly to time out to think smart ... more about the people, who people my personality, later. (Uh, wait... One question: Can you imagine who I've deemed leader of this group of hard working souls, who people my mind and whistle while they work to get a grass roots movement off the the ground? And as these same folk exist within you, here comes the second most important question to ponder upon, today: Who, inside of you, is in charge of deciding which of those people to free and which to suppress ... not to be confused with repress? As to today's most important question ... with patience, my friends, it is sure to appear. BTW, I had no clue that my smile was so contagious until a treasured friend made me aware of my brightness of being. I mean, it's not as though I'd not heard a friend ask Will: Does she ever wear a frown? It's not as though Barry's best friend calls me Sunshine for nothing. It's just that I'd not been aware of my smile as a strength, because it impacts upon those I love in such a contagious, positively focused manner. In short, those I love seem so delighted with my delight in spending time with them that, seemingly, a darkly cloudy period, early in my life, which catalyzed the frequency of my smile to grow so naturally sunny as to sprinkle heartfelt warmth over everyone I love ... and as with everyone else, that which I sow, I reap ...
2002
Once the doctor opened his mouth to explain the reasoning behind his actions, the firemen, respecting his expertise, comprehended the rashness of his fearful reaction. With understanding, none took offense at the fact that one had been manhandled with 'rudeness' in order to save the day.
*Unfortunately, 'comprehension' does not result when words, hurled in desperation, strike against the sensitivities of those who have wandered so deeply into the brain-maze of emotional defensiveness as to be blind to that which causes heart wrenching words to ring out with harsh truths—at last.
*While conversing with those whose sense of clarity has been detached from certain aspects of reality—a solution seeker is bound to go mad or get mad or both. *In fact, if both sides remain in denial, as to why a relationship barrels downhill, a cold war, sizzling with tension, is bound to explode into WWIII ... unless one or both people have grown practiced at maintaining a strong line of control.
Having tripped over the mine fields of others in the past, while holding fast to my line of control, I work make my way toward clarity—cautiously and consciously—one step forward at a time. *And as I know that clarity, self control and self awareness, concerning mindset expansion go hand in hand in hand, my chosen path has become one of self discovery—not to be mistaken for selfish self absorption—as I’ve been told ... by those who unwittingly hold fast to emotional chaos, because that's all they know ...
2014
As a gatherer of knowledge, who chooses the road less taken, the path I choose can feel lonely, from time to time. On the other hand, heightened levels of listening skills enable me to recognize a mind maze before I get sucked in, and thus, you'll not see me engaging in head-under-pillow sieges or listen to me shout painfully (silently) when my hot spots are poked. Send me a mixed message, and watch me respond briefly and to the point. And if you wonder why I choose to sit quietly at peace within myself though sad for those who have no clue as to how often they cook their own goose—repeatedly—you might want to consider today's last insight into deeper truth:
Tis true that choosing the road less taken is not for the faint of heart.
Why?
A whale of courage is necessary to withstand the backlash that makes one feel like an outcast by those, who continue to mistake their defensive blindness for personal strengths ...
BTW, in case you 'd like to know why I consciously choose when to speak and when to remain silent—perhaps you might ponder upon this question until we meet, tomorrow ...
HAVE YOU GOT A CLUE (as to why certain relationships keep barreling downhill)? OR IS YOUR BRAIN STILL FOOLING YOU as my brain sometimes fools me?And with that, I'll wish you a joyous day, like the one I'm about to create for myself.
I think the first thing I'll do is freshen my smile and go out and make friends of strangers who cross paths with my own :) :)
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