Generosity

 

 

"Generosity brings happiness at every stage of it's expression. We experience joy in forming the intention to be generous. We experience joy in the actual act of giving. And we experience joy in remembering the fact that we have given."

                                                                                                                                          - Guatama Buddha 

 

One of my favorite memories of years past is when I went to a restaurant, Shoney's I think, for a breakfast buffet. After I finished I went up to pay my bill. They had one of those crane machines that had stuffed animals stocked in it. I used to be somewhat addicted to those things, not the least because I had a success rate of about 80% at getting the thing I went after.

Anyway, while I was waiting to check out I saw this woman and her young son fiddle with the crane machine trying to get a stuffed dog. At 50 cents a pop, she attempted about 4 or 5 times at it with no success, and then said to him, "I'm sorry. I guess luck is not on our side."

I stepped up behind her and dropped my 50 cents in the slot and zip! pop! got the same dog on the first try. I turned to the mother and son and gave the boy the dog with a "here you go." The mother asked "why did you do that?" In all honesty I told her "I don't really want these things. I just like showing off that I can do it."

I never saw that mother and son again. I like to think the kid got years of enjoyment from the stuffed dog, but I am not under the illusion that either the son or his mother remember the event. But I do. Even going on 30 years later. And it warms my heart to remember the smile on that boy's face when I gave it to him. 

Generosity sometimes comes hard when you are focused on just the immediate situation you are trying to accomplish and not noticing that things are going on around you that might give you the opportunity to be blessed. 

It doesn't always require an outlay of money to be generous, sometimes it can just be a matter of a minute of time. Holding the door open for someone. Letting that guy or lady behind you in the grocery line go first, since he or she only has a couple of items, but your basket is full. Or just a gift of time, and effort on your part to help a neighbor, or even a stranger.

When I was 21, I had a paper route. After delivering the papers one morning (about 4am), I was heading home to get some much needed rest. On the way home I saw a woman pulled over with a flat tire, and she was obviously struggling to use that car jack they put in cars. I stopped and ask her if she needed help and ended up changing her tire for her. She offered me $20 as a payment, but I declined, telling her I was glad to help. I think I may have said something along the lines of "pass it on". 

I admit I looked at that $20 bill with a bit of remorse at having turned it down, since in 1983 that was a lot of money, but the feeling I got for helping out a stranger in her time of need more than made up for the loss, which would probably have been used on alcoholic beverages anyway... and that would only have been a fleeting feeling of happiness, and I probably wouldn't even remember the incident today like I do.

Thus I'm not saying you should devote half of your surplus income to the local charity to be generous. Many more opportunities can be had just by doing something that others seem to ignore: like picking up that piece of paper lying by the trash barrel. Even that minor act can be an act of generosity. Just keep your mind open to the possibilities of being given the opportunity to be generous.

May your spiritual journey be fruitful.

Quiggy 

 

An Approach to the Future

 

 

 

"A man is as unhappy as he has convinced himself he is." 

                                                                              -Seneca 

 

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." 

                                                                                                                                -Matthew: 6:34 (NIT) 

 

Sometimes things happen in my life that cause to be apprehensive about the future. Not often, mind you, because I have almost always had the idea that the future is going to happen at it's own pace, no matter what I do. I am a mixture of several philosophical outlooks. In this case I am sort of like how Egg Chen sums up Chinese philosophy in Big Trouble in Little China:

"Look at what we have to work with. Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoist alchemy and sorcery. We take what we want and leave the rest."  

So my approach to things that are out of my control, such as the future, tend to take a path of "que sera, sera". In case you haven't even heard the old Doris Day song, here is the chorus:

"Que sera, sera!

Whatever will be, will be.

The future's not ours to see,

Que sera, sera!"

 

You might say I am somewhat of a fatalist in that respect. And sometimes you might be right. But a pessimistic or apathetic approach is not the whole ball of wax, in my case. Because I can approach it from a perspective of possibly influencing the outcome of the future by my actions here in the present. I do believe that my present situation is the ultimate product of the actions I took in the past. That's why I am here today, instead of being a diplomat in some foreign country or some other such alternate universe outcome.

And, as I stated earlier, I believe that none of it was by my working at trying to achieve this goal, I just let the chips fall where they may. Where I will be, say, six months from now, is entirely up to the fates, or God, or what have you. All that I can do, in my opinion, is just try to strive towards making this very moment a benefit rather than a hindrance to my progress towards that future. 

May your spiritual journey be fruitful.

Quiggy   

First Steps

 

 

"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." 

                                                                                                             - Martin Luther King. Jr. 

 

 One of the most iconic scenes, for me, in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, is when Indiana comes to a vast chasm in his final quest. Reading from his father's diary notes about this challenge he quotes: "only in a leap from the lion's head will he prove his worth". 

The thing is, at this point Indiana Jones must complete his quest to retrieve the legendary Holy Grail of Arthurian legend, because, if he doesn't his father will surely die. So there is only going forward: there is no going back, and giving up is not an option. But the chasm is far too wide for him to leap to the other side. He finally determines that it is a "leap of faith". Faith, which is something that Jones lacks.

Have you ever had to step out into the unknown, relying only on faith to guide you through whatever may lay beyond? Speaking only from personal experience, I have to admit that "faith" has been seriously lacking in my endeavors. I have almost always relied on whatever I could muster in my own self-sufficiency to help me muddle through hard times. 

But reliance on a spiritual advisor, whom I choose to call God,  is sometimes necessary in hard times. "The future is uncertain and the end is always near", as Jim Morrison once said, is far too cynical a sentiment when you have help from a higher source. I no longer look at life from such a cynical point of view. Stepping out into the unknown doesn't have to be done alone.

This blog is a perfect example of taking a first step or, if you prefer, a"leap of faith". I honestly don't know whether my own musings and ramblings about a search for meaning and progress will affect anyone but me. And, to tell the truth, I really don't dwell on it. I am writing this blog as a way of coping with my current situation, so, as I said in the initial post, the goal is really to enlighten myself. I have hope that others will get something out of it also. But if I had never taken the first step to create the blog, all of these musings would have remained just in my mind.

Take time to share and express the joys as well as the misgivings of your life with others. Your "experience, strength and hope" as we call it in my recovery program will be of help to others. That's why I leave the comment section open. I am interested in hearing how you are coping with life.

May your spiritual journey be fruitful.

Quiggy 

Inspiration and Work Ethic

I finally got a page-a-day desktop calendar yesterday for 2026. 

 

This is rather late in the year for me. I usually buy a desktop calendar in October or November of the year before. But chalk it up to moving to a small town area. When I lived in San Marcos (in south Texas). there was an outlet mall just down the road, and a calendar and games store was easily accessible. Over the 35 years I lived there I made an effort to buy a new desktop calendar every year. Usually just something that caught my eye, with no agenda for a specific topic. For instance, one year I bought a Marvel comics calendar.

The one pictured above I found in a bookstore. It is the "Inspire 2026" calendar.  Since I started this blog I have looked for sparks of an idea that would inspire me to write. With this inspirational quote calendar I have the potential of a spark every single day (although I probably won't post every single day... I am a great one for procrastination...)

Already, however, I have, from the backlog of the previous pages from 21 days, a couple of really good quotes and a couple more that have some serious potential.

"If you want to fly, you have to give up the things that weigh you down." 

                                                                                         -Toni Morrison 

 

One of the most important things I am learning in these declining years is that that affinity for procrastination I mentioned above is a serious hindrance to my progress, whether in the physical realm or the spiritual realm. I have dreams like anyone else, but as someone once said "great journeys begin with a single step." Meaning that if I want to achieve any particular goal I actually have to get started on it right away, and not put it off until later.

This blog, for instance. If you know the background, the initial idea to start it was sparked by a comment my cousin made. All well and good, but the idea would have just remained that, an idea, if I hadn't stepped up and wrote the first entry. The blog can be useful only if I continue to fight that inclination to put off indefinitely what could have been done today.

In the same respect, the life I want to live, or what remains of it at least, can only progress towards a goal I set if I remember that I need to get started on the journey if I want results. Nothing is every accomplished if all I do is dream of a better future. I actually have to strive to reach that better future.

May your spiritual journey be fruitful.

Quiggy 

Being Grateful

 

 

 

 

"He is a wise man who does not grieve for things he has not, but rejoices for the things he has."

                                                                                                                                         -Epictetus 

 

Once, in 2009, when I first started attending meetings in my addiction recovery group, I went after the meeting to Cracker Barrel to get something to eat.

For those of you who may not be intimately familiar with Cracker Barrel, it is a restaurant / gift shop. Typically the front is a gift shop, with all kinds of Southern inspired knickknacks, with a dining room connected to it where you can get old-fashioned Southern fare. BTW, the best part of the dining establishment portion is that you can get breakfast all day! Which is why I went there at 1:00 in the afternoon... I can eat breakfast anytime.

Anyway, I went to get my meal, and when I went to check out at the front, there was a little tray with polished stones that had inspirational messages imprinted on them.

 

I browsed through the pile just out of curiosity, but I ended up buying one that had  the word "Gratitude" imprinted on it. I brought it home and put it on my nightstand. It was there to remind to be grateful.

But I am the most disorganized person in the world. For the next 6 or 7 years I would put that stone somewhere, but I would forget about it.  Over that period of time, I would occasionally find it, and it would inspire me to make a "gratitude list". Then, as per usual, I would misplace it again in a week or two. 

Finally, about 10 years ago, upon rediscovering the hiding place that I had last used, I determined I was going to put it on my computer desk in front of my monitor. I was going to keep it there, and it's presence would remind me each day to think about things I am grateful for. Sometimes that list is short and sometimes it is extremely long: it all depends on how much time I actually spend contemplating gratitude. But even if, as I am wont to say when asked how I am doing, the list only comprises three things ("I'm alive. I'm awake. And I'm sober."), that is progress in the quest to be grateful for today.

Here's the deal: I fully believe that each and every event, although maybe on the negative side at the outset, has at least some little niche where gratitude can exist. For instance, if you have been following along from the beginning, you know that in late 2024 I was told that my job of 30 years was going to be no more, since the company had decided to close up that location. The initial reaction could have taken hold and stayed, that of "Woe is me! What will I do now?"

Instead, as I intimated in one of my earlier posts, that initial thought was transferred to a more grateful thought in that I saw the opportunity to move in with my sister. Both of us are unmarried and neither of us had an extended family, so we were all that was left of immediate family. The fact is, not only did I find gratitude in the fact that she was agreeable to a roommate situation, but the loss of the job and it's negative impact, was immediately put on a back burner. I am grateful now that the company decided to close the plant. It gave me the motivation to move closer (we were living 300+ miles apart at the time, and only saw each other once a year), and the resulting situation is a better relationship.

When I feel the pressure of a bad situation bearing down on me, I find it uselful to take a look at it more intently and try to find that thread of positive reaction to a potentially negative situation. It is there. Believe me. The only thing I have to do is to get out of myself and look at it as a casual observer.

May your spiritual journey be fruitful.

Quiggy 

 

Don't Worry. Be Happy.

 

 

 

I know EXACTLY what's on your mind right now, especially if you are over 40. That little brain worm (sort of like an ear worm) is running through your head and you've got a snappy little reggae beat and a singer telling you that in every life there is trouble, but that worry makes it double.  

I am coming back to that concept of serenity. Serenity, as a concept, is easier to contemplate from the outside than it is to employ it from the inside. I find that I can desire the peace and inner calmness that serenity would provide, but often I find myself looking longingly through that doorway that leads to serenity, being held back by my own natural pessimism and the frustrations that abound in my life.

I read somewhere that serenity is not a goal. You can't just run a race and cross the finish line, and presto! Serenity. The process requires an active endeavor to shut the worries out of the mind and thus create a space for serenity. The old adage that nature abhors a vacuum can be translated here to a mental state. When I shut out those negative thoughts, something has to take the open space and fill it.

When I worry, I am in essence saying that there is something wrong with my life and that I can do nothing about it, much as I would like to. (See the chart above). The way to achieve a serene state is to accept the fact that I can't change the outcome and let it go. This is not defeatism, because defeatism would stir me into another realm of the negative state of mind. Pessimism. "Oh, well, it's all going to Hell in a hand basket, so what's the point?" This, too, is a state that is counterproductive to achieving serenity.

Looking at the positive side of a situation can be a challenge sometimes. And believe me, if you try, there is some positive aspect to most, if not all situations. Why do you think people of religious backgrounds say, when a loved one dies, "well, he's gone on to a better place"? It's a matter of mindfulness, the ability to let the worries go by the wayside. Instead "flight or flight", think in terms of "rest and digest". Meditation, that sometimes elusive state for me, is in effect the best way to not worry and be happy.

In addition, one blogger I read on the subject suggested journaling. In other words, something like this blog. I came up with the blog idea from a suggestion by my cousin when I was diagnosed with this cancer, but the blogger hit the nail on the head. One other thing the blogger suggested on the path of serenity was visualization. In other words, think happy thoughts. I think that means if you think happy thoughts you end up building a wall that worry has a difficult time scaling.

Now, the next goal would be to try to create physical space that inspires a world of happy thoughts, and I have to admit this is probably going to be my most difficult assignment. That same blogger suggested decluttering your physical environment. (In other words, "clean your room...") 60+ years of just collecting useless stuff, as well as not letting stuff go when they have outlived their usefulness, has made me pretty much a hoarder, of sorts. 

I laughed at her at the time, but a landlady I used to rent from told me that if I cleaned up my room, then the evil spirits would leave in disgust and the good spirits would move in. I think she was a Catholic, she had a lot of Catholic church iconography in her own home. But maybe there was something to what she said. Even if I don't particularly subscribe to that idea of "evil spirits", any more than I subscribe to feng shui, there seems to be a connection to the environment I surround myself with and the mental state I have living in said messy environment. So that's my next project.

May your spiritual life be fruitful.

Quiggy 

Listening to God

 

 

 

It's been a few days since I checked in last, but I was contemplating that concept of meditation and listening for inspiration from my spiritual advisor.  

If you pay attention, you can actually hear God talking to you. 

Occasionally I find my thoughts disrupted by a different thought that is almost in direct opposition to the train track my thinking is actually taking. These disruptions are, most often, my spiritual advisor trying to point out another way of looking at the situation. As usual, when left to my own designs I have a tendency to look at things a bit more negatively than I really should. For example:

 Several years ago I was visiting a friend in Tulsa. I was staying in a hotel on the north side of town. In the course of my stay I had discovered an early morning (6:30AM) meeting of a recovery group located on the south side of town. I had left sufficiently early enough so I was in no real hurry to get to my destination. I was traveling south on a major street that went from the north side to the south side of town.

During the course of the trip, I kept hitting the traffic lights as they changed from green to red. I am a conscientious driver, so I came to a complete stop and waited for the light to change. There were two lanes and I drove on the right side. In the left lane came a driver who would stop at the red light, but then instead of waiting for it to change, would immediately go, running the red light.

I wasn't traveling over the speed limit (I don't think..). But somehow I gained on the guy and passed him. Sure enough. the next light changed to red before I got to it and I came to a stop and waited. The same driver in the other lane would, again, come to a stop at the light, but go before it turned green. After the third time I mused 'What are you in such a hurry for?"

In a rare instance, I think I actually heard the voice of God. At any rate, the voice asked: "Are you angry because he is getting away with it, or are you angry because you don't think you would?" And it got me to thinking. Sure enough, if I had pulled that stunt, there would have been more red lights, this time behind me.

Being open and receptive to inspiration has a two way aspect to it. You can be encouraged for the good deeds you do, but you may also receive some insight when your mind might not be going on the right road. The great thing about this is there is always time to change the road you're on, to take a cue from Led Zeppelin. (Please, no comments about what Robert Plant may have been referring to in those lyrics.)

The main essence of this kind of inspiration is that it can help you along the way to achieving a state of serenity. I personally don't want to get into a long, drawn out rant in my mind of the injustice I perceive from others. There is nothing I can do about how others interact with the world. But sometimes, as I am wont to say, God has to hit me upside the head with a baseball bat to get my attention because I am way too focused on things that shouldn't really concern me.

So, when I do get that bump on the noggin, I have to come to attention and look at the situation for what it really is, not for what I perceive it to be on my own. 

May your spiritual journey be fruitful

Quiggy 

On Failure

 

 

 

"Failure" does not occur when you fall down. "Failure" occurs when you do not get up again.

The concept of giving up, conceding defeat, has always been an anathema to me. The old adage of "if at first you don't succeed, try try again" is an optimistic way of saying it, but also the classic children's tale of The Little Engine That Could ("I think I can, I think I can") plays over and over again in my struggle to achieve success.

Years ago I tried to attend recovery meetings in Austin (I lived about 30-50 miles south in San Marcos). Most of the time I left San Marcos with the intention of attending such-and-such meeting somewhere in Austin, but I only had a general address for the meeting. Since this was in the days before I had GPS on my phone, I relied heavily on remembering details from checking out the location on my home computer before leaving.  

On more than one occasion I would arrive at the location, only to find that it was in a business park, or a mall setting, and I had no idea which building in particular I was looking for. On those rare occasions when I came up empty, I would travel back to San Marcos somewhat defeated. But that insistent feeling I had of never wanting to admit "complete defeat" would inspire me. So on the next occasion to try to find that meeting I would use Google maps  and the option of "street view" on the maps so I could look at the front door of the entrance and know what I was looking for the next time.

The first sentence of this blog entry is my own encapsulation of various other quotes that I have read on the subject of failure. One of my favorites, however, comes from a guy who really exemplifies the "can do" determination of someone who refuses to let failures defeat his perseverance.  

"I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

                                                                                   -Thomas Edison 

 

I think that cultivating an attitude of perseverance in the face of defeat is a useful thing in many circumstances. Ultimately I have to use discretion in how I approach the situation. What I mean is, hearkening back to previous entries on this blog, if the situation is something I can actively control, in this case using utilities available to me to achieve success, I can come to a solution to the dilemma at hand. The key is knowing which situations are within my control and which are not.

To me, this means that failure to control outside influences is not necessarily "failure". Is it failure that I can't actively stop the progression of the cancer I have on my own? No, not in the least. But it is failure if I give up and just let the chips fall where they may without taking advantage of the resources to help. Neither is it failure when I rely on my recovery group to help me overcome addiction. Even though the source book for the program stipulates that admitting "complete defeat" as a requirement to go forward, that defeat is only failure if, after admitting complete defeat I remain unwilling to accept help.

There is a negative factor to defeat, but then, there can also be a positive factor to it, if only I am willing to learn the lessons being presented to me. My spiritual advisor, whom I choose to call God, has a lesson for me in this situation. Perhaps it is only that I can use my experience to inspire others to persevere, rather than becoming a unique case of how faith can bring about miracles; i.e. "faith healing", which I have often said I don't entirely believe in in the first place.  But just writing the blog entries has been effective on my own outlook on life, and I guess that could qualify as an aspect of "faith healing"...

May your spiritual journey be fruitful.

Quiggy  

Temperance vs. Temptation

Years ago I had a cat. Her name was Pennie.

Pennie taught me as much as I taught her. In particular, I think of what she taught me about temptation and succumbing to, instead of controlling, desires.

I had a desk on which Pennie would climb up and sit. Sometimes when she did that I would grab a ball of string, unravel it a little, and dangle it in front of her. As cats are wont to do, Pennie would paw at the string. Sometimes I would dangle it just out of her reach over the edge of the desk. Often she would reach too far and lose her balance and fall off the desk to the floor.

(I can hear you now. "That's cruel!" Come on, people! It was less than a three foot fall. She never got hurt.) 

I got to thinking about it one day at a meeting in my recovery program. I compared the temptation to drink somewhat to my furry friend and her ball of string. Putting myself in harm's way by going to a bar, even if ostensibly I was just going to watch a sports game, could easily have led to the temptation to reduce my resolve to not drink.

As a result I listened to a LOT of games on the radio. (I didn't have my own T.V., which was why I would have even considered going to a public place to watch one...) One of the common aphorisms I often hear in recovery meetings is "If you hang around in a barber shop long enough, eventually you are going to get a haircut." You can take that and apply it to the bar. If I continued to go to bars, it is a foregone conclusion that eventually my resolve would have been reduced and I probably would have said "well, one won't hurt me..."

Now, the essence of the recovery program I am in says I don't HAVE to do it alone. I can count on others to help me in my quest. Which is why Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is not the ONLY program in the pond. You also have Overeaters Anonymous (OA), Gamblers Anonymous (GA), Sexaholics Anonymous (SA), several drug specific programs like Cocaine Anonymous (CA). Heroin Anonymous (HA), Marijuana Anonymous (MA) and a variety of other groups that help people who may be addicted to something.

The temptation to over indulge does not have to be limited to just intoxicating beverages, drugs, or other less than desirable situations, however. For instance, I absolutely LOVE cheesecake. But if I buy a whole cheesecake and proceed to try to eat the whole damn thing in one sitting, not only am I going to get a serious stomach ache, but I also won't have any left to share or eat at a later date.

This is where the concept of temperance comes in. In essence I have to become "master of my own domain", that essence of the first part of the previously mentioned Dichotomy of Control. The idea is that I must take action in that part of my life that I can control, in this case my desires, and keep them in rein. And that includes emotions, which I have touched on previously.

Let me say this: It's OK to be angry. If someone cuts me off in traffic, the immediate emotional response that comes, to be upset at the infraction, may be hardly avoidable, at least it is for me. The problem comes when I dwell on it too long. It is out of my control when the actions of others interact with my own personal space, but it is my control to prevent it from taking over my own personal attitudes.

"Most powerful is he who has himself in his own power."

                                                                                -Seneca 

 

"We pause when agitated" is a phrase I have heard. Often it takes a few minutes for me to move from agitation to reflection, but when I do, I leave myself open to the insights that God may reveal to me. I am usually more receptive to the lessons I get from rebuke or remonstrance when I have over indulged in negative emotions than I am to curbing those negative emotions in the first place.  But these are teaching moments. And, like anything else in my life, I can take what I learn and use it to improve my life, if only I will stop and take time to listen.

 

May your spiritual journey be fruitful.

 

Quiggy  

The Dichotomy of Control

 

 

 

 

"Some things are within our power, while others are not. Within our power are opinion, motivation, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever is of our own doing; not within our power are our body, our property, reputation, office, and, in a word. whatever is not of our doing." 

-Epictetus 

 

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference." 

-The Serenity Prayer 

 

The essence of living serenely is to determine what you can or cannot change within your own life. The Stoics call this "the dichotomy of control". The quote from the Stoic philosopher Epictetus (above) distills it all down very succinctly. In addition, a common prayer used in various recovery program meetings (also quoted above) put the essence of this idea into easy layman's terms.

When I was a kid, my maternal grandparents had a plaque on the wall in their house (pictured above). As a kid it really meant nothing to me, as I didn't understand the message. After my grandfather died, my grandmother began a process designed to reduce the bulk of what had been theirs to a more manageable state. This included getting rid of some stuff, like books and bric-a-brac. She asked me if I would like the above plaque.

At the time it still held no significance for me other than it was memorabilia from the past. But I took it. Several years later it did acquire some significance, since, as an active member of one of those previously mentioned recovery programs, I had heard what is commonly called "The Serenity Prayer". The plaque now has a permanent place above my bed.

In essence, what the whole dichotomy of control means is that there are certain things I can take control of in my life. These include, but are not limited to, how I react to situations and stimuli that enter my life. Note: I can't actually control which situations and stimuli enter my personal world, but I have the option of controlling my reactions to said situations. 

I can do all things within my power to get you to like me, for instance, but like the horse and the body of water, I can't actually "make" you like me. I once heard someone say that the serenity prayer gets it wrong. You don;t get acceptance through serenity, you get serenity through acceptance. The dichotomy of control states that I can only have control over my own actions, and any outside stuff is not worth sweating over since I can't actually change it of my own free will. 

Of course, that does not mean I have to defeatist attitude; i.e. "'there's nothing I can do about it, so screw it". In terms of my imminent departure from this life- another quote from Epictetus: "I cannot escape death, but at least I can escape the fear of it." Modern science has improved exponentially since the days of Epictetus, so I can take advantage of resources available, but I don't have to dwell on the negative side of the equation.

The ultimate benefits from accepting what I cannot change and focusing only on the things I can are many. 

The main benefit for me is that elusive word "serenity". In my recovery program I have often said that the primary benefit of the program is that it has helped be overcome my addiction. But the second benefit, and that thing I want most of all is serenity. It turns out that one of the best ways to achieve serenity is to not stress over outside influences.  To harken back to that treasured T-shirt I mentioned in an earlier post: "You need to let that **** go."

Another benefit is that when I am not stressing over those things I can focus on other projects that are more productive. How much time I have wasted on fretting or grousing about the productivity of my co-workers, when I could have just jumped in and helped and gotten the job done sooner. This also would have improved my relationships with said co-workers. But since I cannot change the past, all I can do is work on the present, and hopefully improve the future. Again, that stressing over things I can't control: the past, the actions of those around me now, and the outcome of the situation outside of my own personal effort become useless in my striving towards serenity.

Today is the first day of the rest of my life. Living only for today and doing what I can to improve it, whether for me personally, or possibly those around me is the best way I can approach it. And since today is actually the first day of the new year, it is a good way to start the journey of 2026.

May your spiritual journey be fruitful.

Quiggy