Seeing ‘what is’

A Little Stupid, But Fun

/ James Browning

Home from a week-long trip, I was unpacking last night while my mind was out of gear and wandering as I worked.  Putting things in my closet the thought popped up about how useful wire coat hangers can be and I began to mentally catalog a few. Other than their intended use there must be a hundred other functions a hanger can serve. My initial list totaled nine items, which I augmented with more found on-line.

Make a sturdy s-hook
Replace a cotter pin
Bend it into a loop, string pantyhose over it and make a paint strainer
Fish items from tight spaces
Unclog the vacuum hose, drain or toilet
Make a frame to build papier-mâché onto
Roasting hot dogs/marshmallows (sand the finish or paint off first)
Tape a match to the end of a piece to light the pilot light in a furnace
String up a car muffler
Tree limb hangers for bird feeders
Make a giant bubble wand
Make-shift toilet paper roll holder
Stand for soldering iron
Hang a plant
Make a paint can holder for when up on a ladder
When keys get locked in an older car, open the door with a coat hanger
Repair chain link fence
Keep door to the guinea pig or bird-cage shut
Seed row markers in the garden
A suitably bent length in an electric drill makes a good paint stirrer
A replacement car aerial (not my style though!)
A hook to hold a dart board onto the garage door
Hanging up tools and extension cords
To dry clothes on

It’s a little stupid, but fun, to express gratitude for something so ordinary and utilitarian as coat hangers. If I am truly open and thankful for all that contributes positively to a good life, such humble things deserve my gratefulness.

Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex…
It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage
to move in the opposite direction.
E.F. Schumacher

Amid Pleasures and Palaces

/ James Browning

The past six days have had me traveling; first on business and the latter half of the week visiting a dear friend. Time has passed very quickly while hanging out with my buddy. He introduced me to several new people including one I feel a particular kinship with and hope in time we might become friends. Time will tell. 

Knowing I will be home in twelve hours is a good feeling. When I have been a way for a week or so, walking into my home is refreshing experience. It’s then I more keenly notice the house I live and what is in it. The feeling of that moment is gratitude for the common things that often get overlooked on a day to day basis.

There are shaggy asters blooming in the bed that lines the fence,
And the simplest of the blossoms seems of mighty consequence.
Oh, there isn’t any mansion underneath God’s starry dome
That can rest a weary pilgrim like the little place called home.
So where’er a man may wander, and whatever be his care,
You’ll find his soul still stretching to the home he left somewhere.
From “The Path To Home” by Edgar Guest

Whether it’s my bed, the coffee pot that I am accustomed to or unwrinkled clothes, I will be glad to get home.

Amid pleasures and palaces
though we may roam,
Be it ever so humble,
there’s no place like home.
John Howard Payne

Stettling A Person’s Nerves

/ James Browning

Up early to go over a presentation for work and while sitting here wishing sleep could have lasted longer I was stuck by a moment of gratitude for my job.  So easily how one makes a living can be taken for granted, especially when it’s enjoyable (well most days, for the most part).  I work for a good, family owned company and with a local staff I enjoy.  We’re an eccentric and electic group of talented people who accomplish what many could not. Lots of folks are not so lucky.  Either they don’t like what they do, the company the work for, the people they work with or worse yet, don’t have a job. 

I am blessed and expressing thankfulness is important, especially just a few hours before I stand before the board of directors to present the results  for the year so far.  Being grateful goes a long way in settling a person’s nerves!

There are no menial jobs, only menial attitudes. 
William J. Bennett

Small Gratitude

/ James Browning

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself, “what self-image do I project to the world and more importantly to the universe?” or ” what are my actions and words actually saying”. Today I’m speaking to you specifically about gratitude and how you express it. Do you project appreciation for the gifts you receive no mater how small or seemingly insignificant, thereby opening yourself up to receive more. Or are you projecting a low self-worth that says I don’t deserve this small thing so please don’t burden me with my total abundance.

Now I don’t believe any of us would consciously stop the flow of abundance into our lives, yet the way we express gratitude may be doing just that. How you ask? Well, have you ever received a gift from someone and said any of the following statements “thanks, but that wasn’t necessary”, “thanks, but you really over did it” or “thanks, but you really shouldn’t have spent so much on me”.

The first thing these statements do is to diminish the effort the giver put into the gift. Secondly, these statements also tell the universe that you’re not worthy of receiving such a gift so please don’t send any more. These statement are merely a reflection of our belief of low self-worth which when projected to the universe stops our flow of abundance. The flow can very easily be turned back on by accepting gifts and gestures of love, appreciation and simple kindness without any conditions whatsoever.

By moving in this direction you will instantly improve your relationships because the people in your life will feel appreciated and the universe will see that you are open to receive all it has to offer to you. So starting now realize that you are worthy of all the things the universe provides to you and simply say “thank you” with no add-ons to the giver or more importantly to yourself. This one action will open you up to receive your total abundance very quickly. Coach Mike http://www.warriorforum.com/mind-warriors-success-power-self-improvement/

We have no right to ask when a sorrow comes, ‘Why did this happen to me?’
unless we ask the same question for every joy that comes our way.
Unknown

It’s Doing that Matters

/ James Browning

Conditioning for hundreds of years has left modern western culture with a vile neurosis: the belief that happiness must be “earned” and can be obtained only through enduring unpleasantness such as drudgery,grief, misery, pain and discomfort. If a person chooses that route to “happy” how is it possible to know when one has suffered enough and deserves happiness? 

There is a second rule believed deep down by many, but never spoken: responsible adults never endure enough unpleasantness to truly be worthy of happiness.

Then there’s a third rule spoken constantly by advertising: spending money will make you happy. That’s akin to candy coating a rotten apple, then trying to enjoy eating it.

Like a hamster on a wheel it is the way of the majority of Americans to never stop working, never stop spending money and to never be really happy.

One of the definitions of “slave” is completely subservient to a dominating influence.   

NEWS FLASH: It is impossible to suffer your way to happiness. Being a slave won’t get it done!

ADVICE TO SELF:

1 – Remember, happiness comes from being grateful for what “is” and living in the current moment.

2 – Happiness is not attained. It never comes from grabbing at what I do not have. It comes from finding contentment with what I DO have.

3 – The future will look at lot like today does. If I can’t find a way to allow happiness to come to me now, not much of it will find me in the future either.

4 – Being happy is NOT about the absence of difficulty and heartache. It’s about feeling the full scope of what lies beyond and outside of my troubles.

This morning I am grateful this line of thinking came to me on the first full day of this new birth year. More than ever it is my intention to live well. Achieving that is not just about knowing what to do. That is only a small part of accomplishing the life I need and want. Thinking, talking and knowing what to do is hallow compared to actually practicing it. It’s DOING that matters!

Don’t talk… do.
Don’t complain… do.
Don’t make excuses… do.
Craig Jarrow

If Only…

/ James Browning

At this point in my life I am aligned with no particular religion, but am open to what I perceive to be the best that each has to teach. My beliefs, morals and ethics are my own unique combination of western and eastern followings, some current and some ancient. There are many great leaders in many walks of life I can learn from such as the following words of a Hindu teacher of the “Vedanta” named Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayananda.

All of us seek happiness and we want to be happy. But our happiness is always dependent on objects, beings and places. IF I get such-n-such a thing, or IF a particular thing happens in my life, or IF I become this-n-this, THEN I will be happy.

We all want happiness now, and want it to be forever. There is an inherent contradiction here. I want happiness and I want it now, in the present moment. If I always say IF such a thing happens, or IF I go somewhere, IF I will be happy… our happiness is projected in the future.

Simply stated, our happiness is never in the action, but in the result of an action… Every action will produce a particular result, but here I put a condition – I will be happy only IF it produces such-n-such a conditional result. So happiness is always in the future, even thought I want to be happy now. What a contradiction!

We always prepare for happiness, or we pretend to be happy. When we finally get something we’ve wanted for a long time, are you happy now that you have acquired it? “You were craving it for a long time, are you happy now that you have acquired it?” they ask. You feel compelled to say “yes”, sometimes reluctantly. You have to say yes!

One secret of happiness is to enjoy the action. Enjoy the action itself; discover the joy in every little thing. Enjoy the opening of eyes, listening to something, ability to see, touch, hear, feel, everything is wonderful. There is really nothing to complain (about). There is benefit in everything – even in being bald. No combing of the hair required. Someone asked a 103-year old lady “what is the benefit of being 103 years old?” “There is no peer pressure” she replied.

Today I can gratefully say I am the happiest I have ever been. While far from feeling happy all the time, my ability to know contentment increases as I am able to accept things as they are, appreciate what happens in my life (good and bad) and remain open to a power beyond my singular self.

Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued,
is always beyond our grasp,
but, if you will sit down quietly,
may alight upon you.
Nathaniel Hawthorne

Full article at http://cmdfwmedia.org/resources/Files/Pursuit%20Of%20Happiness.pdf

Hope and New Ways of Being

/ James Browning

In my time I have come to life on two separate occasions: the day of my physical birth and the moment I was ‘reborn’ emotionally. The former was when as a baby I came into the world and the latter was when I woke up and became psychologically self-aware about five years ago. At both times I was barely functional, but each was a grand beginning.

My second birth occurred when I got into recovery for codependence and depression as I accepted both were conditions of my being. Over and over, like a baby I have learned to do things through repetition, growing a tiny amount each day. There is yet much to learn and experience in ways I never could have before. Life is filled with possibility, hope and new experiences.

There are many things I don’t know, but quite a few I do.
I know you can’t be lost if you know where you are.
I know that life is full of precious and fragile things,
and not all of them are pretty.
I know that the sun follows the moon
and makes days, one after another.
Time passes. The world turns, and we turn with it,
and though we can never go back to the beginning,
sometimes, we can start again.
Megan Hart

Today when all is considered, I’m probably about fourteen years old emotionally which is a far cry from the “wailing baby” I was for many years. Truly the child within is growing up emotionally now. The pain to get here is something I hope never comes again, but for the result I will be continually grateful for the rest of my days.

The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur
when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled.
For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort,
that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching
for different ways or truer answers.
M. Scott Peck

I’m Living Proof!

/ James Browning

It’s a shame modern society trains to hold our emotions in and not express them fully, including gratitude. Most of us robotically say “thank you” and “I appreciate it” a good bit of the time, but words alone are not an expression of feeling. We’re frequently taught that emotion plus words equals expressed feeling and its our feelings that make us vulnerable. I suppose that’s true, but hiding our feelings always insulates us from enjoying the full richness and fullness of life. Being happy takes risks!

All relationships to be functional must contain a level of mutual duty and loyalty. Gratitude is a step past being such moral obligations and gratefulness generally falls under the heading of “altruism”. Altruism is a motivation to provide something of value to a party who must be anyone but the self with no expectation of any compensation or benefits, either direct, or indirect. In other words, expressing true gratitude is giving purely for the sake of giving.

A study by James Fowler of the University of California, San Diego, and Nicholas Christakis of Harvard, stated when one person behaves generously, it inspires observers to behave generously later, toward different people. In fact, the researchers found that altruism could spread by three degrees—from person to person to person to person. “As a result,” they write, “each person in a network can influence dozens or even hundreds of people, some of whom he or she does not know and has not met. In other words, the ‘giving’ of gratefulness breeds gratefulness.

Giving (such as expressing gratefulness) has been linked to the release of a hormone released during sex and breast-feeding that induces feelings of warmth, euphoria, and connection to others. In laboratory studies, Paul Zak, the director of the Center for Neuroeconomics Studies at Claremont Graduate University, found that a dose of the hormone (oxytocin) will cause people to give more generously and to feel more empathy towards others, with “symptoms” lasting up to two hours. And those people on an “oxytocin high” can potentially jumpstart a “virtuous circle, where one person’s generous behavior triggers another’s”.

That’s boomerang effect of giving gratitude. Plainly and simply, what you give comes back to you. Maybe not in the quantity or frequency you give it, but more gratefulness expressed will cause you to get back more. Further, telling others of your gratitude for them is it’s a gift you give yourself. Expressed regularly, thankfulness can change the world and your perception of it. Author Mary Angela wrote, If you were to stop and feel the thank you each time you gave it, you would be living in gratitude. True gratitude is spiritual and fills the heart with warmth and joy!

Genuine gratitude, given or received, accumulates over time and softens a hard heart and opens a closed one. I am living proof!

Live with intention.
Walk to the edge.
Listen hard.
Practice wellness.
Play with abandon.
Laugh.
Choose with no regret.
Appreciate your friends.
Do what you love.
Live as if this is all there is.
Mary Anne Radmacher

Pictorial Expressions of Gratitude

/ James Browning

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then here are 10,000 words to express my gratitude this morning.

    

 

 

  

   

  

    

 

As I discovered these images each one provoked a positive emotion within: one of gratitude for life; for the ability to see, feel, hear, touch and smell. I hope they bring you a similar sense of awe, beauty and thankfulness.

Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet
and the winds long to play with your hair.
Kahlil Gibran

Great and Little Things

/ James Browning

On a hilltop in Italy in 1971 Coca-Cola assembled young people from all over the world to create a commerical with a message in song: “I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony and keep it company…”.

In a recent video Coke focuses on the good in simple things like
People stealing kisses…
Music addicts…
Harmless soldiers…
Honest pickpockets…
Potato chip dealers…
Attacks of friendship…
Love…
Kindness…
Friendly gangs…
Unexpected firemen…
Rebels with a cause…
Peace warriors…
A lot of crazy people…
And a few crazy heroes…
Let’s look at the world a little differently.

See the video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auNSrt-QOhw

By including the video below I am making no statements one way or the other about the Coca-Cola Company or its products. However, I do think the core content the marketing message has been wrapped around is a good and worth ninety seconds.

While the video did not make me want to rush to the fridge for a Coke, I am grateful watching it made me pause and acknowledge there are a lot of good people in the world doing many mostly unnoticed small and meaningful positive things all the time.

Character, in great and little things,
means carrying through what you feel able to do.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe