Monday, April 22

Maintaining Wonder 4/22/13

God asks no man whether he will accept life. That is not
the choice.
You must accept it. The only choice is how.
--Henry Ward Beecher
     Good evening,

How was your day?  Mine was pretty good, and warm, too.  I met with three new clients, in addition to the regulars I normally see.  Starting off the day at a later hour was a relief.  I slept in.  Ya ay!

    Sometimes my sessions are three act plays wrapped within
90 minutes. Today, that was case with one couple I saw.   I was worn out when it was over. The good news is that the outcome was positive----they are learning to communicate without using judgment or blame.  Lots of tears were shed, though.
Rolled by here, today


        Afterwards----returning to Alameda after spending a day in San Leandro, decom-pressing, cycling twenty miles, tracing the shore of the bays San Francisco and San Leandro----I took in the beauty nature offered.  My journey provided wonder and solace from the demands of urban life.

         The cool bay breeze, the lapping of water, the plain-tive cries of seagulls, the swaying plants in the marshes and twittering songs of new-born birds and viewing waterfowl calmly sitting in the bay waters immersed me in a deeply sought vacation lasting one hour and seven minutes.  Way better than any flat screen can offer.  Am I a lucky and grateful man.

       I am a zombie as I write this entry.  I'll head for bed pronto.  This morning I arose at four a.m.  Today's exertions have claimed my body.

My Gratitudes for Today:
1.  I loved my day at work.  Wonderful sessions are encouraging.  I thankful I can serve others and identify possible solutions, and developing their potential.
2  I delight in innovating and working with like-minded others, people who want to improve.
3.  I love the variety between working with others and alone.  My research is fulfilling, and it is more satisfying when I'm able to apply it when serving others.
4.  I was happy cycling today, even though I was in dress clothes.
5.  It was rewarding meeting a couple for the first time, they went gangbusters----they went into the attack mode with each other right away.  I regretted that I did not wear a black and white broadly striped shirt---I certainly felt like a referee. It was deeply satisfying that they were willing to look at the need beneath their criticisms of each other. When we did that, we saw progress right away.
6.  God is good. I cherish His deep love for me.

How About You? 
What are your gratitudes for today? 

2 comments:

Broken said...

Dear Pablo,

Your post made me smile as always :)I've truly missed reading your posts so much...But hopefully the work will pay of and I'll get accepted to a university so I can take one step forward into helping people like you do :)

Hope you're having a great week!

Carl H said...

Dear Innkeeper,

On this cooler Tuesday evening, I am grateful...

1. I could find my misplaced sunglasses two days in a row. With blue eyes in Northern California, sunglasses for me are like gills to a fish!

2. I could meet my friend today, swap some animated stories, share some snacks, catch up a bit on some breakthroughs in his life, and (later) locate his misplaced fleece vest in my van, to be returned when next we meet.

3. I could find a similar, replacement Peet's coffee mug as a surprise, "appreciation" gift for my son tonight, who accidentally dropped and shattered his the other day.

4. That mi esposa could mood-swing back up again after no one empathized with her as expected or hoped for; reading with worry the worst news into some relatively (hopefully) benign, initial news from her doctor. We can't control these things anyway, so best to let it go until we know more.

5. For the slogan; "An expectation is a resentment waiting to happen."

6. That I could attempt to recoup my lost opportunity to empathize by filling up her gas tank (it seems women hate to pump gas...) and cleaning her windows, albeit in the dark. I hope they turn out ok, in "the light of day!"

Quotes from the Posts

"I'm mindful that our thoughts affect the words we use, our words influence our actions, our actions shape our character and our character determines our destiny."

From "My Character Determines My Destiny." To read it, please click here.

"Progress not perfection, is better than no progress at all, especially when we're trying to rid ourselves from unwelcome dragons that dwell within the closets of our soul."

From, "Still Learning" which, within four days, became the most popular post
written. To read it, please click here.

"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its trouble, but it does empty today of its strength"
From the post: "Life Is Not a Correspondence Program." Click here to read it.

"Even though we cannot control our circumstances, we can control how we choose to respond to them."

From, "Handling Stress and Dealing With an Emotional Bully."Click here to read this post.

"Nope, being busy isn't exciting. Boring is good. Because boring is not boring; boring is being healthy, living a balanced life that has serenity"

From: "Do You Know What It Means If You Are Too Busy?" For more, please click here.

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