Wednesday, February 5

Joy, In Spite of Exhaustion 2/5/14

    Last night I hoped to catch up on sleep, bedding down early.  Such was not my fate.  At 4:00 a.m. there was a fire twenty feet from my place. Oh brother. More drama than my weary body needed.  Five loudly idling firetrucks and thirty-plus firemen and female firemen kept
me company from 4:00 until 6:00 a.m.

     The squawking of their walkie-talkies, the pounding upon the flame-licked house with axes and the sawing of the floor with two power saws, kept me wide-awake.

      I was a zombie, earlier in the day, the result of not sleeping well. I'll bed down, after writing this post.  Despite tiredness, I'm happy.  I've enjoyed amazing correspondence the past fourteen months. It has been a blast, and gratifying.

      I enjoy the dialogue shared with this person.  Better, has been our time on Skype.  Connecting, celebrating life and delighting in each other's company provides fulfillment greater than materialism, hedonism, or intellectual stimulation, although we feast upon brilliant, uplifting conversations, tinctured with laughter.

      Here's the kicker.  We connect, spiritually.  No, I'm not talking about religion.  Heavens no.  I refer to the relational combustion that happens when values, thoughts, dreams, way of processing life is in synch with the other person.  When that happens I am tasting heaven, here on earth.

My Gratitudes for Wednesday:
1.  I am exercising discipline, financially, occupationally, spiritually and mentally. This month I am pushing beyond what has been my normalcy.
2.  Life is treating me well.  Probably because of the pre-vious gratitude.
3.  Marvelous conversation was had with a client.  I'm thrilled seeing others overcome depression, past trauma and learning to express the voice of their inner child.  It is encouraging seeing individuals take steps that allow them to celebrate life and liberate---make happy---the wounded inner child, including, letting that young person express their voice.
4.  This evening, I met with friends. I am touched, seeing those attending grow before my eyes.  I love the conversations shared.  Authenticity, warmth, humor and perspective were shared.  Everyone stayed in the solution.
5.  I'm putting plenty of psychic miles between me and an Al-Anon meeting I had attended for years that sadly has become toxic.  It doesn't adhere to the basic principles of this program: the steps, traditions and concepts.

      I love being with positivity.  I delight in staying in the solution.  Boundaries protect me, allowing me to drink in life and serenity.

How About You? 
What are your three gratitudes? 

1 comment:

Carl H said...

Dear Innkeeper,

On this Thursday night, I am grateful for;

1. The blessing that rain has finally come to our parched land.

2. A gathering of friends in our home tonight to share in song and discussion.

3. A song that moved me to tears tonight...

"This Is My Song" is a 1934 hymn written by Lloyd Stone (1912-1993) using the Finlandia Hymn melody composed by Jean Sibelius.

This is my song, O God of all the nations,
A song of peace for lands afar and mine.
This is my home, the country where my heart is;
Here are my hopes, my dreams, my sacred shrine.
But other hearts in other lands are beating,
With hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean,
And sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine.
But other lands have sunlight too and clover,
And skies are everywhere as blue as mine.
O hear my song, O God of all the nations,
A song of peace for their land and for mine.

This is my prayer, O Lord of all earth's kingdoms:
Thy kingdom come; on earth thy will be done.
Let Christ be lifted up till all shall serve him,
And hearts united learn to live as one.
O hear my prayer, thou God of all the nations;
Myself I give thee, let thy will be done.

(beautiful choral versions are available on YouTube)

4. The re-emergence of quality conversation and sharing with a loved one.

5. An act of human compassion for a son in crisis.

6. The last and final work day of the week tomorrow; a lighter day than most, that should gently deliver me into the waiting arms of a restful weekend.

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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