One Step At A Time
It’s two in the morning and for some reason I cannot sleep. I can hear the fog horn as it blows every twenty or thirty seconds, lasting for about three seconds each time. I hear the occasional car drive by and more often a skateboarder roll on home from wherever. I hear the crickets. I can hear the fridge coming on. I came into the kitchen to avoid disturbing my wife as she slept. I can now hear the clock ticking in the dining room.
As I began to awaken not wanting to open my heavy eyes for knowing the moment I do falling back asleep would be even further away from that moment; I began to wonder why in the world I am awake so early. I then began to think about too many things and to prevent my mind and thought getting ahead of me as I try to decide whether to slumber back to sleep or ponder my thoughts further. I focus my attention on what is beneficial and needed while ignoring the storm which can easily and quickly brew out of control ( is it only me who has a mind that wanders and drifts if not plied to something or anchored? ). I begin to think of my next expression in words and no sooner does a minute go by I’ve already dictated a magnificent intro ( in my mind )… which is not being written by the time I’m at my computer after quietly sneaking out of bed. I have forgotten the perfectly worded and smooth intro I had conjured up in my mind; so much for catching inspiration when it first hits you. So here I am chasing that inspiration as I hear the clock behind me push forward into the future.
I begin to recall what I mentioned to my wife last night when out for dinner about making an effort to choose to drink water ( with lemon ), holding the ice, at every meal we have out of the house. Doing so would not only positively reflect a nearly ten dollar difference but the choice would benefit a healthier direction for us physically as well. Looking to remove anything artificial from one’s life seems like a monumental task sometimes. You remember reading or seeing something about it somewhere and are inspired by how someone shared their experiences in making it sound all too easy to do, but when it comes down to you actually doing it, well, that’s another matter altogether.
I then begin connecting that to a small choice any given person can make from one day to the next. As I was lying in bed, I tried to keep track of that faint fog horn. During the day from this proximity to its location, there is no way that horn can be heard over the hustle and bustle of the traffic and everyone being awake going about their day. I thought for an instance; at this moment, most of the city is fast asleep. Although the challenges / issues / problems of life haven’t simply disappeared from one day to the next because people are unconscious and asleep, those problems are not ‘happening’ at the moment for them. These people are asleep and it is the memory of their past in the formation of the future from the memories of the past from which those problems / issues / challenges are to materialize themselves the moment they awake and begin to think about them… but does this have to be?
The power to ignore something is quite interesting… and psychologically and logically there are some things which should not be ignore no matter how tempting, like the “check engine light” on your vehicle… or a baby crying ( or silence )… or a leak / clog of some kind… or the days and times for street sweeping… the list can go on and on. What if one was to ignore some things? What if some things were ignored and put out of one’s mind? Will the ignoring of certain thoughts or things actually cause ‘problems’ later on? Think about what some of these items may be. There are plenty for me… one is ignoring a harsh response I’m tempted in making when someone does or says something wrong to me or someone else. Another one is the increasing size of my belly ( the water choice is a step towards this being resolved… or at least dealt with ). Another one is ( and continues to be exercised ) the reluctance to buy something simply because it is the latest thing or everyone else is buying one. I have mentioned three covering three different aspects of life: spiritual, physical and economic. There are other aspects of life as there are things to ignore doing / saying / acting upon / responding to and so on.
This weekend I came down with a heavy allergy attack and no matter how much apple cider vinegar I would gulp down, the runny nose, sensitive eyes and overall discomfort would not go away. This was something I simply couldn’t ignore, for it was already ‘in me’ and was coming out in all the wrong ways. After coming home from struggling to simply keep my eyes open being outside on a beautiful sunny day, I took a shower… and experienced a moment of relief. I then recalled how maybe it was my shirt ( and perhaps some pollen or dust ) which was giving me the problem. The shirt was lying out for a few days over the back of a chair near my desk which is next to an always open window and I figured some dust or something had recently blown in through that window one day when I was out and not present to notice. Maybe someone was cutting the grass or using a blower outside and all of that may have flown through the window and infiltrated my shirt… and now that I had that shirt off and had showered, I experienced a moment of relief. I began to also think and realized that the bed linen is most likely ‘contaminated’ since I was wearing the shirt only that particular day and I’ve been suffering for two days… and as I began to make decisions to wash these as soon as possible, I also began to further stretch out the quarantine effort. As I was vacuuming I realized the curtains needed a good dusting, smacking around and vacuuming as well… so I broke a nice sweat in trying to rid the entire space of whatever was literally bothering the snot out of me.
So these past actions are playing through my head as I am waking up this early morning… and the notion dawns on me that if I were to have kept a cleaner environment ( or had closed the window when I am not home to prevent a dust storm from infiltrating my environment ), I would have possibly prevented the last two days of discomfort and bewilderment as to why the apple cider vinegar wasn’t working as it has always in the past. Yet I am glad to report after a washing of the linens, beating up on those drapes, vacuuming everything within sight, wiping down the desk and other areas dust can accumulate… that evening as I lay down to rest, my breathing was clear and my eyes were closed in comfort and without issue. I had now set in my mind choices in preventing from happening again, for occasionally some folks do blow dust around outside, so now I’ll close the windows when I leave; a simple and preventive solution.
So why am I sharing this and writing this at… 2:47 in the morning as I now hear some neighbors making too much noise coming home from wherever they were last evening? Well, some things take one step at a time in getting resolved. Me ignoring and not being prepared for allergy season ( in the spring and the fall ) caused some discomfort which I couldn’t easily exterminate and had to figure out the ‘why’ of the issue.
In choosing to stick with water for the most part during meals out of the house, my wife and I could be eliminating an unnecessary additional expense to our budget, healthily increasing our collective bottom-line. What is more important and of a higher priority than keeping more money in our pockets is the physically healthy result that single choice may have over the span of our lives! Sure I like a tasty drink before or during a meal… whether it is iced tea ( either sweetened or with or without some sugar added ), or a frappuccino or other caffeinated drink, or a beer / wine / martini depending on the mood or the type of meal, or some flavored soda, etc. Who doesn’t like something snappy other than plain old boring water? Yet consider this; it is plain old boring water that doesn’t cause all the negative effects all of those other drinks I mentioned cause ( of course, one also needs to be aware of what ‘kind’ of water they are drinking, thus why I have lemon and no ice with mine, but you see my point ).
Much the same aim comes about when considering choices which affect our mental, emotional and spiritual sides. For some, the physical / exterior adjustments are easier than the ethereal / interior adjustments… and for others it is the opposite or at times both dimensions are much the same. For me personally, it is easier to mentally adjust ( for the most part ) than physically adjust… perhaps I would suppose this is because I have exercised the interior things more often than the exterior things… and I have my reasons for having done so.
For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.
- 1 Timothy 4:8-10
It has been the choice to limit my time on FacePlant ( FaceBook for the laymen ) and other social media outlets to no more than an hour a day which has led me to enjoy the real world aside from the encroaching paradigm of the virtual. This has also helped my interior monologue working through my thoughts and exterior dialogues with others both on that virtual realm and in the real world. The virtual plain does have its positive attributes in enhancing this life’s experiences, but as with any other item of life, restraint and discipline makes a difference in revealing at what measure any given thing is adding to one’s life and in which manner. The time limit has helped me avoid prolonged and useless debates over things which are out of my immediate control or sphere of influence, while encouraging me to focus my attention to things which are within my immediate control and sphere of influence. This choice has also allowed me to realize that the world just outside my front door is the paradigm I am challenged and needing to keep up with, not so much the virtual world. The virtual world has brought faraway friends near and has also allowed me to learn about distant peoples and distant places, whether in this time or a past time. The virtual world has also brought traps in many forms and prolonged distractions which have, at times, kept me from doing more productive and positive things with my limited time on earth.
I now recall beginning to briefly pray as I lay in bed in asking and contemplating why in the world I was up at this time. Immediately thoughts began to cross my mind as to what good use I can make of this early time, and thus began the notion and motivation in getting out of bed and writing something.
Another step towards literally a brighter future is the practice of prayer. I use the word ‘practice’ because this too is an effort and exercise that becomes stronger through use. Of course, one needs to believe in order to express and utilize this tool, but the faith necessary is much smaller than one may think. Yet, in simply choosing to have some uninterrupted time set aside to pray, even just a few seconds to start with, grants returns in immeasurable quantity. The act of prayer isn’t so much a ritual as one would assume looking at it from a particular perspective. It is an exercise and discipline in dealing with yourself and your inner-most thoughts / struggles / fears / anxieties / joys / desires / dreams / etc. It is maintenance of the heart as is eating to nurture the body. Personally, much of my ‘revelations’ of what is going on within me have been ‘revealed’ as I struggled to pray the truth out of me. Meaning; I would be surprised by what my heart would throw up in trying to let out what I was truly feeling, experiencing and thinking about. This and the calming effect of either words I’ve read before or simply a short sequenced sentence coming across my mind and heart leading to peace or positive solutions. But please, don’t get me wrong… there surely is some One listening to you and drawing all of this out of you. You simply need to do your part. Prayer isn’t simply a meditation in speaking to yourself ( whether in thought or verbatim )… that is not the definition of prayer, that is talking to yourself. Prayer is the conscience act of revealing yourself, choosing to express yourself and consciously communicating to the Higher Power in a private environment under intimate circumstances. This One already knows your heart and what is going on, what you are about to say and what you are reluctant in expressing or thinking about. This One knows what you’d rather not touch upon and where you’d rather not go. Yet, it is the journey of pushing through such fears and spiritual obstacles which removes baggage and burdens from of the things of the heart. Have you ever gotten something ‘off your chest’ and remember how light, free and relieved you felt after doing so? That ‘feeling’ isn’t by coincidence or a play on your mind, it is real! It is the lifting of a weight / burden. It is a physical response from a spiritual reality. This is simply one single aspect that prayer accommodates. If praying out-loud ( verbatim ) is challenging, simply express your words in thoughts coming from your heart and the realest and deepest part of your being. If your thoughts sometimes get away from you and you cannot focus on a single train of thoughts, then an out-loud ( verbatim ) expression may be more suitable. I do both. If in public, I’m most likely praying in my heart and mind for what is going on around and within me… and do both, usually verbatim when I have that time alone with the One who sees and hears all things. Praying with my wife has also solidified our relationship in an inexpressible way. It is a true blessing to have someone who believes and has the heart to express herself. Praying together is awesome and necessary as praying on your own is necessary.
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
- James 4:1-3
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Yeshua.
- Philippians 4:4-7
Prayer is releasing.
Prayer is gratitude.
Prayer is confession.
Prayer is peace-seeking.
Prayer is priceless.
Pray to the Prince of Peace… and may His peace reside in your heart now and forevermore.
As I began to awaken not wanting to open my heavy eyes for knowing the moment I do falling back asleep would be even further away from that moment; I began to wonder why in the world I am awake so early. I then began to think about too many things and to prevent my mind and thought getting ahead of me as I try to decide whether to slumber back to sleep or ponder my thoughts further. I focus my attention on what is beneficial and needed while ignoring the storm which can easily and quickly brew out of control ( is it only me who has a mind that wanders and drifts if not plied to something or anchored? ). I begin to think of my next expression in words and no sooner does a minute go by I’ve already dictated a magnificent intro ( in my mind )… which is not being written by the time I’m at my computer after quietly sneaking out of bed. I have forgotten the perfectly worded and smooth intro I had conjured up in my mind; so much for catching inspiration when it first hits you. So here I am chasing that inspiration as I hear the clock behind me push forward into the future.
I begin to recall what I mentioned to my wife last night when out for dinner about making an effort to choose to drink water ( with lemon ), holding the ice, at every meal we have out of the house. Doing so would not only positively reflect a nearly ten dollar difference but the choice would benefit a healthier direction for us physically as well. Looking to remove anything artificial from one’s life seems like a monumental task sometimes. You remember reading or seeing something about it somewhere and are inspired by how someone shared their experiences in making it sound all too easy to do, but when it comes down to you actually doing it, well, that’s another matter altogether.
I then begin connecting that to a small choice any given person can make from one day to the next. As I was lying in bed, I tried to keep track of that faint fog horn. During the day from this proximity to its location, there is no way that horn can be heard over the hustle and bustle of the traffic and everyone being awake going about their day. I thought for an instance; at this moment, most of the city is fast asleep. Although the challenges / issues / problems of life haven’t simply disappeared from one day to the next because people are unconscious and asleep, those problems are not ‘happening’ at the moment for them. These people are asleep and it is the memory of their past in the formation of the future from the memories of the past from which those problems / issues / challenges are to materialize themselves the moment they awake and begin to think about them… but does this have to be?
The power to ignore something is quite interesting… and psychologically and logically there are some things which should not be ignore no matter how tempting, like the “check engine light” on your vehicle… or a baby crying ( or silence )… or a leak / clog of some kind… or the days and times for street sweeping… the list can go on and on. What if one was to ignore some things? What if some things were ignored and put out of one’s mind? Will the ignoring of certain thoughts or things actually cause ‘problems’ later on? Think about what some of these items may be. There are plenty for me… one is ignoring a harsh response I’m tempted in making when someone does or says something wrong to me or someone else. Another one is the increasing size of my belly ( the water choice is a step towards this being resolved… or at least dealt with ). Another one is ( and continues to be exercised ) the reluctance to buy something simply because it is the latest thing or everyone else is buying one. I have mentioned three covering three different aspects of life: spiritual, physical and economic. There are other aspects of life as there are things to ignore doing / saying / acting upon / responding to and so on.
This weekend I came down with a heavy allergy attack and no matter how much apple cider vinegar I would gulp down, the runny nose, sensitive eyes and overall discomfort would not go away. This was something I simply couldn’t ignore, for it was already ‘in me’ and was coming out in all the wrong ways. After coming home from struggling to simply keep my eyes open being outside on a beautiful sunny day, I took a shower… and experienced a moment of relief. I then recalled how maybe it was my shirt ( and perhaps some pollen or dust ) which was giving me the problem. The shirt was lying out for a few days over the back of a chair near my desk which is next to an always open window and I figured some dust or something had recently blown in through that window one day when I was out and not present to notice. Maybe someone was cutting the grass or using a blower outside and all of that may have flown through the window and infiltrated my shirt… and now that I had that shirt off and had showered, I experienced a moment of relief. I began to also think and realized that the bed linen is most likely ‘contaminated’ since I was wearing the shirt only that particular day and I’ve been suffering for two days… and as I began to make decisions to wash these as soon as possible, I also began to further stretch out the quarantine effort. As I was vacuuming I realized the curtains needed a good dusting, smacking around and vacuuming as well… so I broke a nice sweat in trying to rid the entire space of whatever was literally bothering the snot out of me.
So these past actions are playing through my head as I am waking up this early morning… and the notion dawns on me that if I were to have kept a cleaner environment ( or had closed the window when I am not home to prevent a dust storm from infiltrating my environment ), I would have possibly prevented the last two days of discomfort and bewilderment as to why the apple cider vinegar wasn’t working as it has always in the past. Yet I am glad to report after a washing of the linens, beating up on those drapes, vacuuming everything within sight, wiping down the desk and other areas dust can accumulate… that evening as I lay down to rest, my breathing was clear and my eyes were closed in comfort and without issue. I had now set in my mind choices in preventing from happening again, for occasionally some folks do blow dust around outside, so now I’ll close the windows when I leave; a simple and preventive solution.
So why am I sharing this and writing this at… 2:47 in the morning as I now hear some neighbors making too much noise coming home from wherever they were last evening? Well, some things take one step at a time in getting resolved. Me ignoring and not being prepared for allergy season ( in the spring and the fall ) caused some discomfort which I couldn’t easily exterminate and had to figure out the ‘why’ of the issue.
In choosing to stick with water for the most part during meals out of the house, my wife and I could be eliminating an unnecessary additional expense to our budget, healthily increasing our collective bottom-line. What is more important and of a higher priority than keeping more money in our pockets is the physically healthy result that single choice may have over the span of our lives! Sure I like a tasty drink before or during a meal… whether it is iced tea ( either sweetened or with or without some sugar added ), or a frappuccino or other caffeinated drink, or a beer / wine / martini depending on the mood or the type of meal, or some flavored soda, etc. Who doesn’t like something snappy other than plain old boring water? Yet consider this; it is plain old boring water that doesn’t cause all the negative effects all of those other drinks I mentioned cause ( of course, one also needs to be aware of what ‘kind’ of water they are drinking, thus why I have lemon and no ice with mine, but you see my point ).
Much the same aim comes about when considering choices which affect our mental, emotional and spiritual sides. For some, the physical / exterior adjustments are easier than the ethereal / interior adjustments… and for others it is the opposite or at times both dimensions are much the same. For me personally, it is easier to mentally adjust ( for the most part ) than physically adjust… perhaps I would suppose this is because I have exercised the interior things more often than the exterior things… and I have my reasons for having done so.
For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.
- 1 Timothy 4:8-10
It has been the choice to limit my time on FacePlant ( FaceBook for the laymen ) and other social media outlets to no more than an hour a day which has led me to enjoy the real world aside from the encroaching paradigm of the virtual. This has also helped my interior monologue working through my thoughts and exterior dialogues with others both on that virtual realm and in the real world. The virtual plain does have its positive attributes in enhancing this life’s experiences, but as with any other item of life, restraint and discipline makes a difference in revealing at what measure any given thing is adding to one’s life and in which manner. The time limit has helped me avoid prolonged and useless debates over things which are out of my immediate control or sphere of influence, while encouraging me to focus my attention to things which are within my immediate control and sphere of influence. This choice has also allowed me to realize that the world just outside my front door is the paradigm I am challenged and needing to keep up with, not so much the virtual world. The virtual world has brought faraway friends near and has also allowed me to learn about distant peoples and distant places, whether in this time or a past time. The virtual world has also brought traps in many forms and prolonged distractions which have, at times, kept me from doing more productive and positive things with my limited time on earth.
I now recall beginning to briefly pray as I lay in bed in asking and contemplating why in the world I was up at this time. Immediately thoughts began to cross my mind as to what good use I can make of this early time, and thus began the notion and motivation in getting out of bed and writing something.
Another step towards literally a brighter future is the practice of prayer. I use the word ‘practice’ because this too is an effort and exercise that becomes stronger through use. Of course, one needs to believe in order to express and utilize this tool, but the faith necessary is much smaller than one may think. Yet, in simply choosing to have some uninterrupted time set aside to pray, even just a few seconds to start with, grants returns in immeasurable quantity. The act of prayer isn’t so much a ritual as one would assume looking at it from a particular perspective. It is an exercise and discipline in dealing with yourself and your inner-most thoughts / struggles / fears / anxieties / joys / desires / dreams / etc. It is maintenance of the heart as is eating to nurture the body. Personally, much of my ‘revelations’ of what is going on within me have been ‘revealed’ as I struggled to pray the truth out of me. Meaning; I would be surprised by what my heart would throw up in trying to let out what I was truly feeling, experiencing and thinking about. This and the calming effect of either words I’ve read before or simply a short sequenced sentence coming across my mind and heart leading to peace or positive solutions. But please, don’t get me wrong… there surely is some One listening to you and drawing all of this out of you. You simply need to do your part. Prayer isn’t simply a meditation in speaking to yourself ( whether in thought or verbatim )… that is not the definition of prayer, that is talking to yourself. Prayer is the conscience act of revealing yourself, choosing to express yourself and consciously communicating to the Higher Power in a private environment under intimate circumstances. This One already knows your heart and what is going on, what you are about to say and what you are reluctant in expressing or thinking about. This One knows what you’d rather not touch upon and where you’d rather not go. Yet, it is the journey of pushing through such fears and spiritual obstacles which removes baggage and burdens from of the things of the heart. Have you ever gotten something ‘off your chest’ and remember how light, free and relieved you felt after doing so? That ‘feeling’ isn’t by coincidence or a play on your mind, it is real! It is the lifting of a weight / burden. It is a physical response from a spiritual reality. This is simply one single aspect that prayer accommodates. If praying out-loud ( verbatim ) is challenging, simply express your words in thoughts coming from your heart and the realest and deepest part of your being. If your thoughts sometimes get away from you and you cannot focus on a single train of thoughts, then an out-loud ( verbatim ) expression may be more suitable. I do both. If in public, I’m most likely praying in my heart and mind for what is going on around and within me… and do both, usually verbatim when I have that time alone with the One who sees and hears all things. Praying with my wife has also solidified our relationship in an inexpressible way. It is a true blessing to have someone who believes and has the heart to express herself. Praying together is awesome and necessary as praying on your own is necessary.
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
- James 4:1-3
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Yeshua.
- Philippians 4:4-7
Prayer is releasing.
Prayer is gratitude.
Prayer is confession.
Prayer is peace-seeking.
Prayer is priceless.
Pray to the Prince of Peace… and may His peace reside in your heart now and forevermore.
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