I am no better, and neither are you . . .

We are the same, whatever we do .  .  .

That's Sly . . . Everyday People .  .  .  The man is a genius!

I'm so tired of separation .  .  .  Let's unite .  .  .  

2012 is coming .  .  .  It isn't about the end of anything, but a subtle transformation into a new age .  .  .  

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love .  .  .

Ciao!!

Angels among us . . .

My biological father was an alcoholic, and probably a drug addict too .  .  .  He left my life when I was three, so I really have no recollection of him whatsoever . . . 

When he left, never to return, the family (my mother, my sister, and me) began to fall apart .  .  .  Then, my maternal grandmother stepped in .  .  .  Without her action, I'd likely be dead now, or in prison, or doing something completely meaningless .  .  .  She was the angel that saved us, that saved ME as a child with no means to deal with anything .  .  .  

And I wonder, how many people have that angel?  Or, someone who literally saved them when they had absolutely no way to do it themselves?  My guess is, many of us have that person .  .  .  

But, I often think of those who are cast adrift by life, and who have little or no chance of ever achieving dreams and goals .  .  .  

We often minimize our impact, because we think we're only one person .  .  .  What can ONE person do?  In truth, one person can do a lot!  So, at some point, if you have the chance to help someone, do it!  Be their angel in a time of need .  .  .  Be compassionate and empathetic .  .  .  And sometimes though, that means kicking someone's butt .  .  .  I've had my butt kicked more than once, and it was EXACTLY what I needed at the time .  .  .  lol

Peace and love . . .

Life is beautiful baby!

Ciao!!

Inspiration

What is life without a little inspiration now and again?  Hopefully, occasionally I'll say something to someone that may inspire them .  . .  And, I look for inspiration anywhere and everywhere .  .  .  


So, yesterday, at the gym, I was planning to do cardio, abs, and arms .  .  .  I not only did that, but was on the receiving end of some serious inspiration .  .  . 


Case one .  .  .  A young man I've known for a few years is opening his own fitness facility next week, and he has a terrific, optimistic outlook on life .  .  .  I love that!  I hope he's wildly successful .  .  .  He's planning to offer a wide range of options for clients .  .  .  He knows I meditate, and have taught meditation to individuals and groups .  .  .  It seems, he wants to offer meditation, and asked if I'd do it .  .  .  I might, or might not .  .  .  I spend so much time out of town that really, it might not work . . . But the point is, this young man will do VERY well .  .  . 


Case two .  .  .  One of my gym buds is in his early thirties, and looks the picture of health .  .  .  It's been tough for him .  .  .  He injured his back badly a decade ago, and has had surgery .  .  .  After the injury, because of the pain, he drank heavily and went crazy with prescription pain killers .  .  .  He became addicted to alcohol and drugs .  .  .  He's long since over that, but there's more .  .  .  He has two daughters with his ex-wife .  .  .  Now he's dealing with a condition that might be MS, or something else . . . This man has such a positive outlook, it's incredible . . . He said, I want to inspire people, I want to be there for my daughters when they graduate, and walk them down the isle .  .  .  When he tells me what's happening (he spent significant time in the hospital last weekend), he isn't complaining . . .


Case three .  .  .  Someone I occasionally spot for, and another gym bud, won in his category at a national bodybuilding competition last weekend .  .  .  Atta boy Steve!!  


So yes, without question, life is beautiful baby!


Peace and love .  .  .


Ciao!!      

Did Isaac Newton envision this?

My feeling?  NO!!  LOL


But, JB is one of my all freakin' time favorites .  .  .





Peace and love . . .


Life is beautiful baby . . .


Ciao!!

Life is too short . . .

"Life is too short, grudges are a waste of perfect happiness, laugh when you can, apologize
when you should, and let go of what you can't change.  Love deeply and forgive quickly, take chance give
everything, and have no regrets. Life is too short to be unhappy, you have to take the good with the bad, smile when you're sad. Love what you’ve got and always remember what you had. Always forgive but never
forget, learn from your mistakes, but never regret. People change and things go wrong, but always
remember...LIFE GOES ON!!!"


Those are the words of George Carlin after the passing of his wife .  .  .


Yes, I truly believe this .  .  .  Forgive . . .  I forgive everyone .  .  .  Does everyone forgive me for my perceived transgressions?  Probably not .  .  .  


"Perfect happiness" . . . Nothing is perfect, but we have to rise above the shit we ALL experience .  .  .  Rise above baby!  Happiness truly IS within .  .  .


Yes, life is too short to be unhappy . . .  Let's NOT be whiny and negative and complaining . . .   


Smile and laugh when you're sad . . .  YES!!  And as my beloved grandmother always told me .  .  .  When you feel badly, DO something for another human being .  .  .  Acts of generosity evoke gratitude .  .  .  Generosity and gratitude raise consciousness .  .  .


So, will YOU do something to raise consciousness?


FORGIVE . . . RISE ABOVE . . . DON'T WHINE . . . BE GENEROUS AND GRATEFUL . . .


And when we encounter weak people, our strong vibration might just help them RISE ABOVE!!


Together, we CAN do this!


Peace and love .  .  .


Life is beautiful baby!!


Ciao!!

Am I allowed one more?

OK, I said I was saying goodbye to blogging, but I HAVE to write this one more post .  .  .  :)


I'm sitting here with morning coffee, and pondering a few things .  .  .  Like, along with everyone, how truly imperfect I am .  .  .  And, how much inspiration we can draw from the strength of others .  .  .


I spent a few hours on Saturday with two very dear friends .  .  .  One of them has a terribly serious form of cancer, and treatment is not always successful .  .  .  It's multiple myeloma .  .  .  Only 35% of victims are still with us five years after diagnosis .  .  .  It's almost one year now .  .  .


However, this man displays such incredible strength of spirit!  He's upbeat and positive, and never speaks of anything but recovering .  .  .  He seems to be doing quite well so far, and no doubt his attitude is playing a huge role .  .  .


He said something that truly resonated with me .  .  .  He said, and this is a direct quote, I'm doing my best to live every moment, every day, as big as possible, because that's the only way to do it .  .  .  He no longer takes anything for granted .  .  .  And, he said it perfectly .  .  .  THAT'S THE ONLY WAY TO DO IT .  .  .  BIG!  He hit it squarely on the head baby!


It's impossible not to be inspired by this person .  .  .  Maybe we all need a friend who can inspire like this, to make us realize we should be more grateful for what was have, and to be perfectly involved in every moment of life .  .  .  


So Tommy, I and everyone else you inspire thank you for being you!  And you know what? If anyone is going to make it, it's YOU!


Life is beautiful!


Peace and love .  .  .


Ciao!!

Goodbye

Been a blast . . .  

My posts say everything about what I think and feel . . . 


It's about the mind and the heart!  Don't forget the heart .  .  .


To those who read my posts .  .  .  I wish you well!

To those who commented .  .  .  Thank you!!

Be grateful . . .


Peace and love .  .  .

Ciao!!


Life is beautiful baby!

Gratitude with Deepak Chopra

An excellent and short meditation by Deepak Chopra .  .  .





Life is beautiful baby!


Peace and love .  .  .


Until next time .  .  .  Ciao!!

Happy

Know what pisses me off?


People who are all about negativity .  .  . I don't get that . . .  I don't enjoy that . . .  I don't like that . . .  Nor do I tolerate that . . .  I simply walk away from those people . . .


Yeah, I'm a happy, a positive person .  .  .


Had a chat with a dear friend whose wife had surgery recently . . .  It's cancer . . .


And we talked about . . . Why do we not value the moment until we have a traumatic experience?  Is there something about the human being that prevents us from enjoying the moment?  Until .  .  .  We are smacked in the face?


So, my message is this . . .


Enjoy and treasure the moment . . .  And if you do, you're one of the point zero zero zero one percent .  .  . 


Life is beautiful baby!!


Peace and love .  .  .


Until next time .  .  .  Ciao!!

Random stuff on a chilly afternoon . . .

Just back from lunch with a friend .  .  .  Had planned to get to the gym, but ate too much, so will let it digest for an hour and write this in the meantime .  .  .

So many people who worked at the WTC site after the attacks have developed cancer .  .  .  Why is it that they have to fight so hard to obtain health benefits that should be automatic?

Serena went ballistic again at the US Open .  .  .  I don't like to see that .  .  .  I have nothing but admiration for the Williams sisters, but man, ya gotta dial that stuff back Serena!  Did it help you win?  Not quite .  .  . 

I don't talk much about politics, but the Republican party in the USA has gone absolutely freakin' insane!  Some of those tea party folks are just plain whacky .  .  . 

Summer is ending .  .  .  I NEVER like to see it end!

No matter what I do at the gym, and no matter which supplements (all legal!) I take, I can't seem to get past 180 .  .  .

I hope I'll never encounter a salt water croc .  .  .  Those things are beyond vicious .  .  .

I'm a Steelers fan, but they looked OLD against the Ravens yesterday .  .  .

What can you say about Ray Lewis of the Ravens?  This dude is still playing like a 28 year old .  .  .

I was flipping through channels last week looking for a college football game, and I happened upon Keeping Up with the Kardashians .  .  .  I have to ask, how much cosmetic surgery has Bruce Jenner had?  At a certain point, people just start to look VERY weird .  .  .

As I compose this, Nadal and Djokovic are going mano a mano .  .  .  I have to go with Rafa, 'cause I always like the leftie .  .  .

Can you believe it?  I've never owned a cell phone .  .  .

I was at a restaurant recently and saw a man with a group of six .  .  .  He had two blackberries going, and was completely ignoring everyone else .  .  .  I thought, Why not just stay home?

A gym bud just got back from Thailand .  .  .  He said, Snake, you have to go!

OK, I'll go .  .  .  And .  .  .  I'll be humming this song .  .  .



Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love .  .  .

Until next time .  .  .  Ciao!!

A GREAT summer . . .

Yeah .  .  .  Wonderful .  .  .  Absolutely fantastic!

I can hear Mozart playing his piano in the background .  .  .  lol


Time with family .  .  .  Time with friends .  .  .  A cancer victim hanging in .  .  .  Traveling .  .  .  Whale watching on the West coast .  .  .  Visiting friends on the East coast .  .  .   


Working out like a demon .  .  .


All in all .  .  .


I won't and can't complain .  .  .


Life is beautiful baby!!


Peace and love .  .  .


Until next time .  .  .  Ciao!!

To those . . .

.  .  . two or three who read this blog .  .  .   lol


I'll be gone for a while .  .  .

Wishing y'all the BEST!!


Life is beautiful baby!


Peace and love .  .  .


Until next time . . .  Ciao!!

Do we hear the messages?

I love this joke, and its message . . .


Preacher Joe is standing on the steps of his church while the flood waters rise .  .  .  As the water reaches his waist, a boy in a rowboat happens by . . . Get in the boat Preacher Joe! The water is rising! . . . No, God will save me! says Preacher Joe . . .


A half hour later, water up to his chest, and a second boat comes by with a young couple in it . . . Get in the boat Preacher Joe! This is serious! . . . No, God will save me! says Preacher Joe . . .


A while later and the water is up to Preacher Joe's neck . . . A third boat appears  .  .  . Get in the boat Preacher Joe! You're gonna drown! . . . NO! God will save me!! says Preacher Joe . . .


Alas, the water rises even further and Preacher Joe drowns . . .  He goes to Heaven, where he meets his Creator .  .  .


I've done everything I can to follow all your rules, I loved you and feared you, and you let me drown, says Preacher Joe . . . I don't understand?


God looks down at Preacher Joe with a bemused look . . . You're my son and I love you Preacher Joe . . . And I know you did your best . . .  But you dumb motherf*****!  I sent you THREE BOATS!!


Moral?  The Universe sends us messages, both subtle and not so subtle . . . Are we AWARE enough to recognize them when they come our way?


Life is beautiful baby!


Peace and love . . .


Until next time . . .  Ciao!!

Looking for inspiration?

Daryn Kagan was a fixture on CNN for several years . . . She began doing sports when CNN had their evening half hour sports show at 11 pm Eastern time .  .  .  She then transitioned into hard news and did a weekday morning show with Leon Harris . . . I always thought they had terrific chemistry together and was sorry to see them go .  .  .  

DK now has a website .  .  .


http://www.darynkagan.com/index.html


The website features feel-good and inspirational stories .  .  .  There is something there for everyone who might be looking for some inspiration, or who might be experiencing self-pity, or simply killing some time online .  .  .  This site is definitely WELL worth checking out!  I go there regularly and always find something inspiring .  .  .  


Life is beautiful baby!


Peace and love . . .


Until next time . . .  Ciao!!

Who goes to Heaven?

 No, I didn't write this, but I do like it!

I was shocked, confused, bewildered
as I entered Heaven's door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
nor the lights or its decor.

But it was the folks in Heaven
who made me sputter and gasp--
the thieves, the liars, the sinners,
the alcoholics and the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade
who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
who never said anything nice.

Herb, who I always thought
was rotting away in hell,
was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
looking incredibly well.

I nudged Jesus, "What's the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here?
God must've made a mistake.

"And why's everyone so quiet,
so somber - give me a clue."
"Hush , child," He said, "they're all in shock.
No one thought they'd be seeing you."

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . .  Ciao!!