Travelling Tips for a Long Trip

We are given turns on the road in life to remind us that we need to slow down. We are given straight roads so that we have the freedom to speed a little. There are rest stops because everyone, at some point, needs a break but cannot stop where it’s comfortable. We are given destinations so that we have direction. We are given passenger space for the moments we need help to drive and so when travelling alone we have enough room to carry the cargo that is required for the trip. If we have both, remember that they are there to help us unload the baggage even though it may on there because they are.

We are always given the proper help, tool and required reasons for everything in our life. We are never alone, regardless of how it feels. Sometimes we just need to look outside the usual and call on a person that we wouldn’t normally reach out to. We meet and keep the people we have in our life for a reason, even if it seems unclear as to why. Use the resources that you are given and you may just find that although the trip seems long, it is greater than even you could have imagined.

Continuous Creation of Self Through Love

I have never been right, if the saying stands true.  I’ve followed my heart without fear of what was next for I knew that whatever lay ahead would be something to smile about.  The outcome, although not ideal or what I had hoped for or wanted, gave me a reason to smile at some point in time.   The idea to keep moving forward is one that has always captured my imagination but I feel that often I overlook the parallel lifestyle of passing it forward.  It’s easy to get caught up in either one and hard to do both because I feel that most of the time I am catching up with myself, eventually feeling that I am not moving anywhere at all.  Then…A smile.  A reminder that even though I may feel as though I’m not going anywhere, life is continually moving.

The desire to better myself is one that I believe everyone attempts at on a daily basis and although we may (as has been pointed out to me) be programmed to respond in a certain way, the choice to respond is entirely up to us.  An aspect of our lives that we tend to take for granted is that the love we gather from our surroundings are the purest influences of our Creation of Self.  This is something that is usually brought up during times of loss, the constant reminder that we could have done more had we taken advantage of people or persons that allowed the Continuous Creation of Self Through Love.

Still

I have lost my way.

Like walking in the forest with a compass but no map, what is  direction if you have no idea where you’re going?

I have been searching for a destination so that my direction may have more meaning but I find myself deeper into the dark woods, tripping over any obstruction that rests in my path.

I fall down, lay there wondering if I should just stop to nurse the wounds that I’ve neglected to acknowledge in fear that I will lose my direction.

Still.

I Rise

To look up knowing that I have not a clue in mind of finding a place I’ve never been to and still, I Rise.  I brush off my pains with the feeling that although I may scar easily, it is not what defines me.  I fear not the death that is ever so imminent but the thought that wherever I end up will not be the direction containing my personal happiness.

I refuse to let the world weigh me down as I carry it on my shoulders,  it is meant to be a reminder and not a burden.

Still.

I Rise.

I ignite the fire that lie within me with a friction like walking into the wind.  Now standing with only but my own demons I stand my ground, throw the world from my shoulders and watch as the weight I’ve carried for so long weighs down the only true oppositition one ever truly has.  With this new found inner warmth and strength, I open my eyes to see the chaotic beauty of my misguided environment.  I realize for that brief moment, I had found my destination.

There I stood, in shock and awe, a concept ever so simple yet overlooked because of so.  When one embraces the direction, the destination can forever change.  Although frightening, we should cherish the fact that we can not know where we’re going and still find a place we call home.

Here I stand, still.

The Objectivity of Myself

I was reading a paper written about the often quiet controversial subject of the After Life process.  It was a very eloquent piece bringing to light the oft ignored subjects surrounding death, including the morality of the embalming process.  Although a very short paper, the concluding paragraph caught my eye for it is a feeling that has been flooding my thoughts as of late:

Excerpt from “Sleeping Beauty: The Untold Story”:

As we begin to review the purpose behind trying to extend the life of someone passed, we are forced to wonder why we would impose the tortures of the living world upon this person.  How strong the desire to eternalize beauty for just a small piece of internal contentment will drive us to allow the objectivity of a human being.  It is when we stop glorifying the truth that our appreciation for what “is” can become as great as the person themselves.  That is when we will stop looking for sleeping beauty and allow for true beauty sleep.

As I read this paragraph, I began to put together the scattered pieces of my thoughts to form the question Am I objectifying Myself? I believe that on some levels I am, detaching myself from certain aspects of who I am allows me to see a bit clearer than if I were tied up emotionally.  Emotions tend to devour my thoughts resulting in actions that I may not regret, but I admittingly claim as a mistake.  It is through this breakdown and ultimate vulnerability that I begin to view others as well as myself in 3 dimensions.  My vision changes and I see that my conduct, even when others don’t see or notice,  is still apparent to me thus I become the object of my own fascination about the human mechanics of life.

Excitement of Being Nowhere and Everywhere

I’m excited about my life, it has been a dream.  I could not have asked for any more and although there were times I would have asked for less, I didn’t.  Not because I couldn’t, but because I would have it no other way.  It’s why I am where I’m at with not only the world, but with myself.

Acceptance is quite possibly one of the hardest things to gain throughout ones life and yet one of the most fulfilling.  The outward version, is one of the most unhealthiest as it tends to taint or obscure the type we all truly require beyond any measurable doubt.  If we can learn to forgive and not forget, to accept and not just acknowledge the person we often hide from the world and from ourselves we will begin to find excitement even when we’ve stopped to look around.

The Excitement of Being Nowhere and Everywhere is the culmination of a few ideas with a common goal.  When we begin to reflect upon our lives, Being Everywhere means having the ability to reflect not just on the past, but the present as well.  Where have we been and where are we now?  Excitement of Being Everywhere comes from our Love of being where we’re at with ourselves while knowing that we aren’t done, yet.  When we dream of our futures, this is the Excitement of Being Nowhere.  The future has yet to come and our dreams are not a reality, but the Excitement comes from knowing that it can be and if we believe in ourselves enough, they will be.

One day my dreams will become my reality, but until then I must do 3 things.

1. Accept where I’ve been

2. Love where I am

3. Be excited about where I’m about to go

“When we love, our Heart is excited.  It knows where we’ve been and the heartbreak we’ve experienced and yet it tells me, Be excited.  The message here is that the darkness is behind is, let’s focus on the light ahead”

The Truth about Kindness

Behind the wall of flattery, good wishes and kind words is a world of perceived lack of appreciation.  Although we do not seek gratification, we have been taught to say please and thank you and yet they are the simplest words to forget.  This is not to be mistaken for a rudeness or lack of character, just a reminder that often it is the simplest things can be forgotten.  We should not let this deter us from being kind to others, even something as small as saying “Bless you” to a person that has sneezed or thanking someone for holding a door open.  We must always remember that true kindness will for the most part go unnoticed  but do not believe it is not appreciated.  Sometimes, it is our own selves that appreciate these acts, we just have to see why.

Why should we appreciate our own acts of kindness?

The reason for this is because as most of you know, every action we take is like dropping a pebble in the ocean of our lives.  There is a ripple effect that sometimes we may not see, but it is for our own good.  Here is an example:

3 days ago I sent a message to an ex-girlfriend of mine wishing her a happy birthday.  For many days prior to that I had been contemplating whether or not I should, I was afraid to stirring up the dust that had finally began to settle.  I had asked a few people close to me whether or not this was a good idea and the general consensus was, “It won’t hurt”.  I had gotten a couple of responses saying that it wasn’t a great idea, but all in all, I felt that just because we were not speaking I was not beyond acknowledging an important day.  I sent that message and I did not get a response back.

It was to be expected.

I took to heart the idea that it wouldn’t hurt, but in truth, it did.  At first, I was hoping to get even a simple thank you but as time ticked forward I began to realize that it wasn’t necessary.  Not because I had expected no response, but because it told me that even though there was no reply I had reached out for the simplicity of trying to be a good person.  I was reminded that just because things don’t go my way, there is no reason to be sour about where my life has gone.  I have a new found love for where I’m at and the path that I’ve chosen to become a better version of myself, Shawn 2.0.

The truth about kindness is that it may, for the most part, be over looked but it is hardly ever forgotten.  It is an aspect of ourselves that we should treasure, regardless of where it’s directed.  In order to find yourself on the path of Self Improvement, we must dig deep into where our kindness lay and make it a part of our daily lives.

“To be kind to another regardless of agenda is the first stone on the path to enlightenment.  If we grab onto this part of us, we will find new meaning in the word Humanity.”

How I came to Be

Typically this story begins, an explanation about how one was consummated or how some strange event had changed the life of a person.  This Eye-dea will be a bit of a tangent from the norm in order for us to see the connection between where we’ve been, what we’ve seen and the person we hardly speak of unless the time is appropriate.

This is how I came to Be.

At a young age I was able to embrace the idea of change.  I grasped it as I grasped my ice cream cone, afraid that if I didn’t hold onto it tight I would lose the treat I held in my hands.  I walked the path not chosen by most, intentionally made my life difficult so that I could learn the lessons many people wish to avoid.  Spent most of my years becoming the person most know me as now, the extremely analytical and ironically open-minded person I lose in the mirror every day.  It is through this embrace that I am not only a friend, but a confidant to those in need of someone to talk to.  As tiresome as it can become, it is this very purpose that allows me to continue with the level of thinking I’m notorious for.  For me, it’s unavoidable, but that’s the beauty of it.  I am because I choose to.

I love meeting new people, talking to them and hopefully become to them what I’ve been to others.  I use my love for anaylzing to find out what makes this person tick so that by the end of the conversation I may receive the response, “You’re creepy, how do you know so much about Me?”.  It is through this self-realization of what I love that opens up a world of unseen possibilities.  Because I love to talk, to listen and take the time to recognize the idiosyncrasies each individual offers, whether they know it or not, I have been able to forge relationships I never thought I’d be blessed to have.  I have been able to see life from so many perspectives but have found there to be a common bond between each experience, whether regarded as a failure or not.

This bond is that we are all Linked.

For an example:

I recently took a trip to visit my brother, not a trip uncommon to me but a rarity due to the location.  He lives in Chico, CA and attends Chico State and although not extremely far, it is a place I don’t visit very often due to the lack of entertainment.  This time, this trip was a bit unprompted and far from planned.  The night before my departure, I had been sitting around reminiscing and came to the conclusion that a trip was in order.  I spoke to my brother who had said this was a good time to go and so the very next morning I was off.

During my drive, I began to think about people I wish I could see or hadn’t seen in quite some time.   I arrived in Chico and after a much needed rest (if anyone has ever drove in that direction, it’s quite boring) my brother asked if I’d like to join him at a performance that he was doing that night.  Being more than happy to support my brother, I agreed and promptly got ready to leave.  We arrived at the venue and it went extremely well, the performance went exactly as he had planned.  One perk of performing at this place is my brother received a 50% discount on all drinks so after about 15 minutes of discussing if we’d like to stay or not, we decided to not let the discount go to waste.

As the night continued on, we contemplated attending a function that was at a friends house so we decided to have one more drink and then we’d go.  As the liquid in our glasses dwindled faster than water in the desert, we stood up to leave.  Just as we started to walk away, someone bumped into me.  I turned around to see one of the people I hadn’t seen in quite some time, a friend that I had been thinking about just that morning.  Coincidence?  I think not.  After a few pictures, short & quick conversation and a warm hug, we walked our opposite ways but not before a smile crossed our faces.

It was a reminder to me that even the most random of choices are made for a reason.

So, why did I use the phrase “Eye-dea” in the beginning of this writing?  It’s because we often don’t see the beautiful idea of life until it has already passed.  We overlook the smaller facets of what we are given because we spend so much time focusing on other things.   The peace we are missing within ourselves can be found by simply paying attention to this life we have.  If we open our minds to envision ourselves as not just an open book but a sponge as well, we’ll realize that even the raindrops can be a source of happiness.  This is not a writing of how I came to be, it is a story of Eye came to Be.

“As humans, we often find ourselves looking to complete the larger picture of our life.  Until we realize the larger picture is just a collection of smaller pieces, we will not find the masterpiece that is what makes us who we are.”

Our Genius

“Sometimes the real genius of life is quite simply the denial of truth.” — Shawn Lee written in 2004

The rain clouds begin to fill the sky of a life I once knew, passing over like a sheet of black hiding the warmth of the sun that reminds me of times much simpler.  I made a promise, to live to my full potential without regret regardless of the outcome and yet the solitude that I found within that promise was what made want to stand outside in the rain.  Closing my eyes, I lifted my head into the direction that I wished my life would go in and as the rain fell onto my face, I found that the water was not the only thing running down my cheek.  Remembering happenings  of my life as if every raindrop was a memory, tears begin to wash away the rain reminding me the irony that sometimes it’s the hidden secrets that can wash away the obvious.

As I began to let go of myself, the reality that these memories I’d supressed for so long started to set in.  It was like a cleansing of my soul.  The release of these denials all at one time, although a bit overwhelming, allowed me to realize that the promise I’d made so long ago to myself had been realized.  That these tears were not those requiring sympathy, but thanks.  The memories I’d buried, were done so to remind myself in the future that I had no reason to regret because until this very moment I was Free.  I had no reason to hide from myself because it was those very moments in my life that had created the man currently standing in the rain.  These happy moments created a truly fulfilled life.

Although things may not go our way or at least how we’d like them to, it does not discount the worth of those moments.  I find myself quite often doing something most would not do, looking at mementos of a time when I can distinctly remember being happy.  These memories caught in time remind me of a time where I was at my best and for that, I shall always treasure those memories.  A physical representation that moving forward does not have to mean letting go, it just means we can continue down the extraordinary path we have yet to explore.  I hold onto these various things, not because I’m incapable of evolving but because I know that my evolution is because of those very things.

The best lessons in life are not only on the road least traveled, they are wherever we allow ourselves to realize our true potential.  We must realize our genius but whatever you do, don’t forget to breathe.

The Principals of Life

Guidelines, Rules or Parameters.

There is this belief that our life is ultimately determined by forces of nature that are either beyond our control or in control of by an outside source, yet we refuse to let go of the idea that we are the ones in control. We see the 3 phases of our life in the past, present and future but spend so much time and effort into pleasing the one part that is self explanatory.

The Present

This is our gift. To be able to experience and share every facet of every moment. To appreciate the solitude of both the past and the future without forgetting the knowledge that our past is passed and our future is because of so. I’m sure we’ve all heard at one moment or another that what we’ve done “Is against the rules” or “Isn’t what others would do” but if this gift we live has taught us anything, it is that forging ahead is only truly possible when we lay down the preconceptions of what Is or Isn’t and just do. We will begin to find that The Principal of Life is our own self and that we are the ones who moderate it. That our love and devotion that is so eloquently condensed into our relationships with others, is the looking glass into our true selves.

The next time you say you don’t have the time, remember that time is and has always been man made. That a simple phone call or letter, although may not feel like much, means the world to not only others but to our self as well. Whether it is scribbling on a note pad or a well kept diary, the physical notation of our gift will allow us to reflect upon the past with only what’s next in mind. We always have time, sometimes we just need to get over our fear of not having enough to see that it is not the time we’ll be missing but the person inside.

Travelling Without Moving

Change.

We feel that we must even if we don’t know what we are trying to change, we search for reasons yet we do not ever truly open the door to ourselves.  It is frightening to explore a world of endless possibilities, where we never know what’s around the corner so we find ourselves clinging to items in our lives that we are sure of.  Regardless of the nature in these items, we know that they are there and not just a possibility that could slip away.

When we begin to look deeper into the world we’ve closed ourselves out of, we begin to see new and exciting things.  That love, for whatever or whomever, is about progress and not perfection.  That much like when we’re in the airport, we are standing on the moving walkway, standing still yet continuing to move forward.  As we approach our gate, the true nature of who we are begins to unravel as every possibility becomes real.

I hope I’ll be okay.

I can’t wait to get there.

I don’t know what lay ahead, but I know I want to find out.

We board the plane and regardless of how far we travel, we’re moving much faster than we could have ever imagined.  Depending on the destination, the flight could seem shorter or longer.  We never know who will be sitting next to us, but when we find out it seems less significant because we realize it’s out of our control.  We make do, we lean back and try to relax because the reason why we got on this flight was no longer about the destination, but the multitude of possibilities that could happen, it excites us.

As we travel through this life, we must begin to realize that every situation we ever encounter is much like the experience of travelling great distances.  At times, we can stand still and let the path continue to move us forward.  We can cling onto the foundations that we have, but know that it’s a foundation because it’s not going anywhere, only we are.  Moving forward does not mean ignoring who we are, what we have or where we’ve been, it’s about experiencing a world seen only through our eyes.  These seemingly impossible situations are only a catalyst so that we may regain appreciation for the times when we can just stand still while moving.  A beach just outside the city where you hear no cars, just the crashing of the waves and the wind blowing.  A bench in the park or a bowl of soup, these are our comforts.  Life moves fast because of the things we miss only to find out that what we miss, is Us.

We have change so that we may see what stays.  Appreciate what doesn’t move and you’ll never miss anything.  Appreciate You.