Today’s Just Be thought is about hope

It is also about pain.

I believe hope and pain are intimately linked.

As we experience various levels of pain, we also envision a better state of existence. I believe that vision is the birth of hope.

Just like we cannot have growth without struggle, we cannot have hope without pain.

Sometimes the pain seems overwhelming and there is no hope. That is a very real feeling and I’ve been the receiving end of that.

But just because we can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there.

I don’t go around pretending to be happy or see happiness and hope and rainbows and cute bunnies in dark times. That’s self-delusional.

But what I do is honestly ask God to help me see the better state, the path that takes me to a better place, the vision that will make me fulfil my task using my natural talents.

I ask for Hope.

Today’s Just Be thought

This one is on the power of questions. In any conversation it’s easy to feel uncomfortable asking “why” and “what is this” when everyone else nodding their heads as someone is speaking.

In my profession there are so many opportunities to ask questions because so many things are brand new to me, even though I’ve been doing this for over 30 years.

During the first 10 years I always asked my questions quietly and in private because I assumed I was expected to know everything about the processes.

The next 10 years was spent asking the questions but only to a small group, since I understood not everyone expected me to know the answers up front.

Since then I’ve gained enough experience to know that if I’m not always asking questions, I’m opening the doors for failure since sometimes no one’s asked the critical questions soon enough.

Funny how as I get more experienced, I say things that young me thought would lead others to think I don’t know anything. But the truth is, I’m being complimented for doing just that. If only I’d known that 30 years ago, haha

Today’s Just Be thought is a rerun from a while back

This is about deciding what to spend time being concerned about. We will never know everything, but we usually know something about any given situation.

In any scenario we can choose which items to address and which to put off or ignore. The tricky part is knowing when is the right time to address or ignore something.

The attached post screen shot was a reminder to me today about what I can change and what I can’t. I was very frustrated today, but was reminded by my post that I don’t have to fix everything. Just some things, ha

Today’s Just Be thought is on how stillness transcends the physical realm.

There’s a reason powerful prayer and meditation and thought involve staying still. Things are in motion in this world all the time. Stuff clamours for our attention. Things blink and spin and go whirrrrr everywhere around us.

It’s the solid, still things in the world that allow all the action to take place around them and on them. I dare say these are some of the most powerful things around.

To grasp that power, we must focus on the stillness of our moments and our thoughts. Stillness does not mean dead to the world. It means seeing the path of action, and holding still until we choose it is the right time to move in mind, spirit, and heart.

Here’s the quote:

“Stillness is the only thing in this world that has no form. But then, it is not really a thing, and it is not of this world.”

Read more: https://www.wiseoldsayings.com/stillness-quotes/#ixzz6W4AebWXZ

You’re welcome! It’s good to fix things that can be fixed.

Makes up for the things we can’t fix.

I think that counts for a Just Be thought, hehe

Today’s Just Be thought

Today’s thought comes after the chat and news about your relocation plans 😊

I’m honestly excited for you. I admit I did cry a bit after you all left. But these are a mix of pride, excitement, and “missing you” tears.

My response during our chat shows exactly why my ongoing practice of Stoicism is valuable. At that moment in time when hearing the idea, and as we chatted about it, I could set my emotions aside – not because the are unimportant, but exactly because they are important. Waiting til later to examine my feelings was what was needed to take in the information and provide the very best and cleanest feedback.

Later on I allowed myself to recall what you and the Grandboy and That Fella and yes, even little Tiny Girl have shared. That’s when the tears came to visit. I’m so very proud of you for so many reasons. I’m proud of That Fella also for his actions also.

Mostly I’m proud of both of y’all in sorting through issues and challenges together and coming up with plans instead of being anchored to things that trip you up.

I cry a little because I honestly will miss you but moreso I cry because I see you on a great path. No matter where you live you will excel while you approach things as you all do.

And that’s a great reason to shed happy years ❤️

Today’s Just Be thought

This one is on being aware of being alive.

Not just the usual thoughts like, “Hey I woke up today, that’s a pretty good start” (which is actually a really good starting point), but on the idea that we are experiencing life in all its good and bad moments.

We can learn through all of these moments in time.

We can grumble about having to get up in the morning and face problems, or we can eagerly awake, knowing a problem that’s waiting for us is going to take a licking from us.

I thought about the huge pile of scrub that needed to be disposed of next to the burn area in my yard as I watched the video I linked to. It’s still there, but exists in ash form. This was costly to collect – I paid three guys to gather it here – and was a lot of work to break down and burn.

But this challenge is over and done.

It’ll come up again, as trees and vines do their magic and the work has to be repeated. But I’ll be up for the challenge again as needed.

Just as I plan to be ready for all the challenges that come my direction.

Here’s the video:

Today’s Just Be thought

This is coming a bit early today but I wanted to pass it on now, after listening to a podcast a friend shared.

There is a lot of bad in the world. People can be cruel, cold hearted, and terrible. Events can take place that harm others, and many times these events are triggered by people with the intent of causing harm.

But then again, right now, there are people going good things.

People are caring for each other, right now.

People are doing things with the intent of helping others.

I imagine these people’s hearts sound like Bob Ross talking while he paints.

Here’s something to listen, and the man himself explains why he took to painting in the first place while serving in the military.

http://www.ouramericannetwork.org/story?title=Why-We-Love-Bob-Ross

Today’s Just be thought

I was taking a break and as I looked outside the window I noticed three butterflies chasing each other.

Right now there are a lot of them in the area and I see them all over. These three seemed so playful that I wished for a second I’d have captured them on camera to share.

But then I remembered that some things are meant to be enjoyed fully without also trying to capture the moment for later review.

Here’s the quote – she captures the idea better than I

“Life is made up of a collection of moments that are not ours to keep. The pain we encounter throughout our days spent on this earth comes from the illusion that some moments can be held onto. Clinging to people and experiences that were never ours in the first place is what causes us to miss out on the beauty of the miracle that is the now. All of this is yours, yet none of it is. How could it be? Look around you. Everything is fleeting.

To love and let go, love and let go, love and let go…it’s the single most important thing we can learn in this lifetime.”

Rachel Brathen

Today’s Just Be thought

Today’s thought is on thankfulness and how it changes ones perspective on how we communicate with others.

I was reminded of that as the grand boy and I were working on our new Lego kits I bought for his visit. I was impressed by how many times he said, “thank you” as we worked on these.

There were moments of his frustration and I guided him through them without picking up on his angst 😊

The best part was when he got past the moment and almost immediately thanked me for the guidance or assistance or just the silence if he asked me to not speak while he was sorting through his emotions.

This encouraged me as I knew you are taking the same level of care to help him and you get through the day, moment by moment, in a world of thankfulness.

The quote is actually a meme that came across my news feed