Wanzology

What if we gave ourselves more recognition for the simple things we do? Self acknowledgement, for even the simplest things, can help support and even build self esteem!

I had an experience I was not prepared for.  Walking to my car after a dinner date, I came upon a person seemingly OD-ing, lying seemingly dead on the sidewalk and another person giving them chest compressions!!  The person lived because I had Narcan in my car and could quickly get it to them!  What's the lesson?  BE ready, so you don't have to GET ready!

What's going on elsewhere in this world away from where you are, you ever wonder such things?  I do.  I am sometimes fascinated with what other humans are doing in other parts of the world. Let's do an exercise, let's play with time zones.

I just turned 65 years old.  In this episode, I share a few observations.

Ever notice how sometimes, you can talk yourself out of doing the very thing you'd like to do? That's something that fear can do.  It can rob us of the strength and confidence to do even the simplest things! "Fear is the mind killer!", a line I remember from a movie, helps to find the courage to act on the choices we make.

"To Thine Own Self Be True." Part of a quote from Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare.  In this day and age, what does it mean to be 'true to yourself' (one word)? What could it mean to you?  Let's find out!

When's the last time you remember having a GOOD conversation with someone?  One where both of you leave feeling heard, understood, respect or even loved? Here's my experience with such a conversation.

Are ya feelin a little down? Do you feel like you're not useful, not needed or not worthy of whatever? I suggest you find somewhere to volunteer your time.  It doesn't have to be a lot of time, it just has to be interactive with other humans.  Old ones, young ones, it doesn't matter. Here's an example of what recently happened to me.

A question my mom used to ask me, "If you could do something nice for someone, why wouldn't you?"  I've never had an answer. What I did have was an opportunity to help someone and his family forget about life for a while and have a little fun.

Have you ever thought about why you 'don't want' to do something you KNOW you are capable of, yet you don't make an attempt to do it? Me too...

Do you choose to live on principle or values? What's the difference?  Let's find out!!

I wanted to share my experience of having lunch with someone I haven't seen in a very long while. When's the last time you've done that? Who was it? Once you sit with that person and start talking about life currently, what things used to be like and what you hope they'll be, you may rediscover a part of you that had been neglected or overlooked.  

All of us get the 'lonelys' every once in a while, here's another possible solution to changing that feeling.

Everybody has a story. Most folks won't share it thinking their story is worth less than someone else's. How do you know? How do you know that someone hearing how you grew up, what you went through in your life, wouldn't help someone? Always tell your story!

How you 'do' things have changed from when you were younger.  There are things that used to confuse you about how other people talked and acted, now, it's second nature to just ignore those things.  There's a difference between how we handled thing then, versus, how we handle things now.  But, do we have the wisdom to know the difference?

'But what if?' is something all humans do, but don't realize they do.  Re-evaluating a decision to determine if there were a better way or choice. Navigation, food, relationships...there are tons of places we do this! Not sure you do? Let's find out!!

We know that everyone has opinions. What do you think about when someone shares their opinion OF you, WITH you? Do you get defensive? Maybe you ignore them, those 'opinions'.  Let's dig in and find out.

When it seems life isn't 'moving' and you feel as if you're not progressing, maybe you've reached a plateau. A plateau vs peakin' is 'need to know' info!  Why? Check out this episode!

Like America, you probably want to become fully independent. You want to make the decisions for you that you believe will be best.  Emotional independence is the goal.  Do you know the process of achieving it??

How was your day? Good?  Bad?  Mediocre?  Do you think you deserve a reward for such a day? A reward, like ice cream? Ask yourself, "Did I do enough to earn ice cream as a reward?"

How you are 'seen' isn't as important as how you 'see' your-self (two words).  Is your subconscious your friend, or your enemy? What do you think of yourself (one word)?

Sometimes, does it feel like life is going around in a big huge circle? The you're taking 'looks' straight, but you seem to always end up in a similar situation or result.  I think of this as "The Clover Leaf Pattern".  I mimics the old highway system's solution to changing direction when you're traveling an interstate. Does this resonate with you?

Just wanted to share my experience attending Brandi Carlise's "Echoes Through The Canyons" 3-Day festival.  One can learn a lot about humanity by watching folks outside of your comfort zone.

Have you ever noticed that you've had similar experiences with some things in your life that others have had?  Do you ever share your experiences with others? If not, why not? Every human being has a story.  Here's why we all should share them more often.

Have you ever hurt someone or been hurt by what was said and wished you could take it back, but you can't, given it's been said and heard.  So what next?  Maybe, you can make amends, because really, you can't take it back.

How did you develop your individual sense of 'self'?  What kind of shirt do you like to wear? What style of shoes? Pants? Coats?? Did you have the same journey to 'self' that I did when it comes to style???

Mindfulness is a meditation practice I've gotten interested in because of my fearful/avoidant attachment style.  The technique starts with focusing one's attention on the breath and how it interacts with the body.  This engages the frontal cortex and gets a person out of their 'lizard brain'. Wanna know the difference between a reaction and a response?  Check this episode out.

Remember, you have been through a lot to make it to where you are, that's your 'evidence'!!

...and you may ask yourself, "How did I get here? And you may ask yourself, "Where does that highway lead to?".  Everyone has a story, why don't more people share their story???

"...and the wisdom to know the difference.". This last line of the serenity prayer is what I call 'the catch'.  Everything in life has a 'catch'.  In this episode, I question is 'we' can always tell the difference between what going to 'happen', what is 'happening' and what has 'happened'.

Do you  know what you 'spiritual condition' is or how to maintain it?  You'd be surprised how simple yet, how difficult, it can be to keep your spirit 'upright'.

I learned something interesting from those who supported the No Kings Protests and those who didn't. I was taken by a single question, is there a difference between a person and a human?  What do you think?

My favorite line from my favorite movie "Shawshank Redemption" is, "Hope.  Hope is a good thing.  Maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies." Where would we be without hope?  Let's consider a few things...

A different take on the concept of wasting time.  Even if it feels like you're not doing anything or you're lamenting in your head what you COULD have been doing, do you feel you've wasted time?  I think not.

I came across a video on YouTube outlining steps to recondition the body to feel positively about what used to be a negative experience. Feelings are connected to our body which is primarily run by our subconscious.  If you had a bad experience with a parent around learning how to drive, you may be tentative to teach your child how to drive because you feel 'some sorta way' about it.

All of us have an inner critic.  That voice that causes us to doubt, to not take chances, even when we know we can be successful. Here's a personal story of how I overcame my inner critic.

Knowing where you are in a given process is important information to have.  Why? When one knows where they are in any given process, one knows how far they've come, as well as how far they have to go. Stopping to evaluate where you are is always good.

"Trust the process" people say...well, what does that mean?  Which process?  Who's process?  Let's find out.

I have found that I am today triggered by people, places, things and situations that frustrate me.  That frustration is perceived as anger. Mindfulness and Self Awareness are, hopefully, my pathway back to self regulation, better communication of my needs and less crappy behavior in relationships.

Like a caterpillar that creates a cocoon around itself and after a while emerges as a beautiful butterfly, we humans are also in some state of 'becoming' whatever we decide is next for us.