Loving Life, The Answer to Excessive Mental Chatter................... 2/18/22

And improve your driving, I might add. 

    I'm following Flannery O'Connor's approach tonight.  A post past due.  I have not sub-mitted anything at this inn lately. 

    O'Connor didn't know what she had to say until she started writing. In the same boat, I find myself.  The following reveals what is floating within my mind.

Celebrating Life: Seizing Moments of Joy....................... 2/18/21

   
     No, I'm not in bed, even though it is a few minutes after midnight.

     I met with friends tonight.  It met my need for connection and community.  It is in our relationships we devel-oped our distorted think-ing and it is through healthy relationships we

A Big Day...... 3/13/20

   Thank you, for crossing the threshold of this inn, joining me on this special occasion, celebrating a milestone the next few days.

    It is a big day today.  This is the ninth birthday of this inn of praise.  My, what has transpired since this place of gratitude opened it's doors.

    Visitors from around the world have warmed the rooms of this inn.  The tally in the top

Slaying the Dragon of Fear............... 6/4/19

      Saturday was amazing.  It ended even better.

      Several friends and I gathered.  There was a cross-pollination.  Friends of mine who did not know one an-other met, enjoying each other's company.

       A male friend with a

Gratitudes of Another Kind 8/29/17

    It is dismaying.

   The destruction and lives lost in Houston, Texas.  I am with you, I am alarmed and sad-dened with this part of the country devas-ted by Hurricane Harvey.  The Federal Emergency Management Agency says it will be

Rolling With Manipulative Punches, Enjoying Life.................. 7/26/17

     Good after-noon, everyone,  I am getting back to the vision of this inn of gratitude. This is the place where we can share what we are thankful for.

     I would be happy, if you could join me, by adding your gratitudes. I only ask for three.

 My Grati-tudes for Today:
1.  I am sleeping better.  I am getting more hours of it.  This is progress in the right direction. When I sleep more, my thriving and equanimity increases.

Saying What We Want, Not Being Controlling......... 8/17/14

       An in-depth conversation with someone dear, for five hours and fifteen min-utes.

        During this difficult conversation I exercised a patience I did not know I had.  Stating what I wanted, I did.

       Like  having a thousand biting ants crawling up my legs and remaining still was it to be calm and quiet, while I listened. I resisted blurting out the confused thoughts exploding within my head. Instead, I allowed time for her to digest what I said.

The Innkeeper Is Evolving, His Wings Are Unfurling ...... 6/30/14

       My heart is evolving.  No, that isn't strange. In fact, it is good, but, different.  A part of my inner self is transforming. In touch with my feelings, I am.  I live being present. However, my emotions are balanced with

The Beauty of Authenticity---A Partial Overview From a Tired Innkeeper ..................5/5/14

      Hi everyone.  Sunday, which just ended, was the best day I had all year.  Another day this week may replace it.  I'm expecting a fantastic gift, which will make my year.  In the meantime, I'm soaking in the wonderfulness of this day.  Oh, if you can't tell, I'm happy.

      Should I just be obvious and say it?  You have an idea as to what is going on with me.  I'm in love and this relationship is improving by the second.

The Beauty of Authenticity

      I'm happy that I have broken through the lid of my own self-imposed limitations. I say what is alive within me, what I feel, when connecting with

Letting You Know Me a Bit Better 2/20/14

Image: "England, Cumbria, Buttermere" by Tim
 Blessed. Copyrighted photo. Used by permission

     Yes, I'm up.  I shouldn't be.  An 8:30 appointment, tomorrow morning, awaits.  I'm not retiring for the night, yet.  Let me deviate from the normal focus of this inn, while we spend time together.

      Someone has

Happiness Is An Inside Job, Part II 2/18/14

      Where to begin?  Many stories to tell.  Adventures, physi-cal exertion, personal growth, along with romance thrown in, for good measure.

       I'm beat. Bushed. Wiped out.

       The past two days have been hectic. On top of that, I'm speaking Saturday at the monthly fellowship for the local district of Al-Anon Family Groups.  I'm squirreling away parcels of time, preparing for that occasion, also.

       There are other pressures I'm wrestling with, as well.  And such a life is the case for most of us.

        We are often overwhelmed with all the responsibilities doled out to us.  It helps to take life fifteen minutes at a time.  This is being present.

        We'll know more serenity.  It comes with living by recovery principles.  At times we need to HALT.

 "Fear makes true that which one is      afraid of."   Viktor Frankl. 

        The good thing is, we can still be happy, delighted with life, when pressured.  Joy isn't externally related.  It is not based upon the job we have, being in a relationship, the type of car we drive or how we are doing financially.

        Happiness is an inside job.  It is attitudinal. our pre-sent, persistent pressuring predica-ments can be at a pitch that without recovery, can push us towards perseveration.

        Our happiness is not because our circumstances change.  We change.

      This is the difference between surviving and thriving----enjoying life deeply with joy, knowing how to have a peace that transcends our difficulties.

       We are responsi-ble for our feelings.  We want to checkout how we can nurture ourselves when stressed.

       One outlet is ex-ercise. Going for a walk, cycling, work-ing out with weights, or doing yoga.  When we do, stress is released from our bodies.

       Keeping ourselves active, there will be no need for a windbreaker or vest on cool days.

        Despite the pressures faced, we can still be happy and thrive.  And no, we won't be crazy.

      Helping others overcome trauma is traumatic for me. This is where acceptance with recovery is the balm for healing the difficulties we experience.  It is not passivity, taking what comes our way. 

      Awareness is clear-headedness, seeing our circum-stances, accurately.  Then, we decide our options---what can be done to overcome our challenges.

      Staying in the solution regard-ing our fears, troubles, and anxieties, transforms our daily quota of betes noires. They become approachable, less frightening.  Our character grows, our life becomes manageable, our joy increases. 

      We move from the ghetto of child-like responses to won-drous valleys of emotional maturity. 

 My Gratitudes for Tuesday:

1.  Perseverance, the fruit of physical exer-cise and maintaining spiritual disciplines. It helps us to draw strength from our relationship with God.

       We are happier, we celebrate life, even when the storms of urban living shower us with ongoing pressure.

     Growth requires going beyond our comfort zones. It is realizing our limitations and appropriating a Power Greater Than Ourselves. Doing this, we are seizing life.

     Life is richer when we move beyond our limited understanding.  Inspirational literature helps us mature and become wiser. We gain a wider perspective.
2.  For writing. It provides mental clarity. This is especially true when we do an inventory of our lives.

      We empty what percolates within. Scribing is self-care, it is making time to get acquainted with our inner selves.
3.  Daily working on our recovery makes us grow.  We will be stronger than we were last week, more level-headed. We handle challenges more successfully than we did a few months ago.

      Working on our personal growth daily, life becomes more dynamic.

       Our days become more fulfilling with each passing month, day, hour, each minute. Recovery helps us move from being reactive to having greater executive functioning.  When we work on ourselves, "each character flaw [is] replaced by a new and good quality."  (One Day at a Time, p. 280)

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

Revealing The News......2/2/14

Did you realize that this subject is
related to today's date?  Tutus: 2/2

       Last Wednesday, I startled Ted, a reference librarian at the Alameda Free Library.  For twenty-eight years, he's been a fixture at the place, pony-tail and all.  In the mid-afternoon, when the sun shines through the skylight into his face---while sitting at his desk---he dons a visor.  The only

Enjoying LIfe, Knowing Fulfillment and An Overview of the Past Year ...........1/1/13

      It's great feeling good, elated, even.  Many want that experience.  Unfortunately, depression is the lot for many.  As I've written before, all negative feelings are a result of an unmet need.

      Doing what we love and expressing our voice are two ways that allow us to meet our need for meaning, celebration of life and participating in the quest for fulfillment.

     I have the good fortune of being in a profession that

Grateful for Victory, Celebrating Life 10/28/12

         For those of you who don't live in the United States, please bear with me.  I know my enthusiasm for baseball may not resonate with you.  However, if you look at the bigger picture, the lesson this team offers, perhaps you can relate with that. More about that in a second.

Can't Beat Days Like Today ...... 10/24/12

       Good evening,

I just got in. Tuesday was good, ethnically different, challenging, challenging (deliberate repetition), irritating, encouraging, full of intimacy and wonderful. 

       Other than that, not too much to say about the day. :->

Calmness In the Eye of the Emotional Storm, Part VI ..10/10/12

      The past few months have been a inspiring time of personal growth and learning.  More importantly, its been a time where I've seen the value of

Having Had a Spiritual Awakening While Cycling .................. 5/31/12

If we expect to receive happiness we are obligated to give
happiness. We have no right to consume it without producing it.

        Hello guests to the Attitude of Gratitude Inn,

Yep, I did it again. Tonight, I hit the road on my bike. Am I glad.  I made time, investing in the physical part of me. Enhancing my serenity and expending pent-up energies was both

The Joy of Giving ................................5/4/12

  A Special Time
       I met with someone I mentor today, in addition to my regular work schedule.  The time with the person was

The Tyranny of the Urgent Did Not Override the Important and, I Was With A Pouty Person Tonight ..5/2/12

Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a road, but
when many people walk on it,the road comes into existence.

       Hello everyone,

I hope Thursday turns out well for