Monday, January 30, 2012

Passion Party #423 - Three Day Getaway

This is why you work so hard
This day of leisure
vacationing in Paradise
without getting on a plane
Three days of taking care of just myself
and my wife
our bodies
so in need of repair
our minds
so in need of a cleaning
Not blanking out
just turning off the noise
exercise and conscious eating
and being together.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Passion Party #422 - Compromise

Somehow in our society
compromise has become a bad word.
"My way or the highway" has become the
Standard Operating Procedure.
Cars have Personal Climate Control
so driver and passenger
need not negotiate on temperature.
Beds come with Firmness Control Numbers
so husband and wife
need not negotiate on sleeping conditions.

We strive for convenience
not compromise
Rather than the pursuit of happiness
we are in pursuit of personal comfort

What do we lose
in embracing the technologies of comfort?
If we no longer need compromise on the easy stuff,
what about the important issues?
Compromise is a skill
and like all skills
it needs to be nurtured and developed
or it will atrophy from lack of use.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Passion Party #421 - I'm Not So Different From My Dad

He got his start in the Sheet Metal Business
and soon he knew he had to be his own boss.
He did not love the sheet metal business
He saw it as a way to make money
improve his life
take care of his family
and be able to live well.

I got into the Mortgage Business
and soon I knew I had to be my own boss.
I did not love the mortgage business
I saw it as a way to make money
improve my life
take care of my family
and be able to pursue my creativity and dreams.

The difference is
my dad was consumed by his business.
It meant everything to him.

I built a business designed to give me
financial security and freedom to pursue my passion.
I may not get really rich financially
but my life is incredibly rich
in passion - love - friendship - creativity.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Passion Party #420 - No Limits - No Expectations

Certainly life has natural limits.
No one lives forever.
A tree does not grow to the sky.
But the human mind and human potential has no limits
Every time someone says "You can't do that",
all you have to do is search for a while
to find someone that has already done it,
and then you know it is possible.

Couple this belief in having no limits
with a lack of expectations
and you get powerful movement.
The voice that says, "It won't work" is momentarily silenced
by "Let's see what happens".
You won't know the result in advance
but isn't hat what life is about?
Living today with
no limits -
no expectations.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Passion Party #419 - After Thanks

After I give thanks
and tell someone how grateful I am
the most valuable thing I can give
is my time
and my talent.

It can be as big as spending a day at the food bank
or as simple as taking a less fortunate friend to lunch
or taking the thing I am best at
and giving it away for a day.

Imagine if everyone in the world agreed
to give 10% of their time and talent.
2 hours and 15 minutes a day
or 36 1/2 days a year
of just helping others.

It would be a different world.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Passion Party #418 - Why? vs. How?

When we were kids
every question was "Why?".
Why is the sky blue?
Why do I have to brush my teeth?
Why do the stars twinkle at night?

Then our questions turned to "How?".
How do you make breakfast?
How do I tie my shoes?
How do you drive a car?
And how does the engine work?

Schools are filled with how.
Jobs are filled with how.
We get so filled up with How
we often forget Why.

But the passion is in the why:
that is where the power lies.
Why are you doing what you are doing?

If you have a strong enough why
you can always find the how.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Passion Party #417 - The Welcome Mat

Sometimes it is the smallest things
that make the biggest difference.
A single rose in a simple vase
Allowing someone to get in front of you on the freeway
A shoe shine

Today it was my wife, returning from the store
with a new door mat
that says,
"ENJOY LIFE"
and now I get to do just that
every time I go in and out our front door.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Passion Party #416 - Sixty

Sixty years
of waking up
taking in the sweet smell of morning
another deep breath
an opening of my heart

Who would have thought
life could be this good at this age.
This Age.
How strange.
When I was young I had trouble imagining life at 50
much less 60
but now, looking at my mom as she approaches 90 this year
I see a different view from this side of the lens.
Only 2/3 of the way through life
this short span we are given on earth
and surely i have another 33.3%
or more
to give - get - and love.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Passion Party #415 - It Came Upon The Midnight Clear

An evening of carols,
peace, love and a clear night
the stars twinkling over Los Angeles
not a common sight.

The message
not one of miraculous birth
but one of kindness, brotherhood
and of good will to all men
a time of caring for our sisters
making our amends

But with the woes of war
our world has suffered long
We dream to hear the angels sing
as we live two thousand years of wrong.

The love song that the angels bring
is drowned out by man's noise and strife.
If we could hear the song they sing
then love might steer the course of life.

Perhaps, for more than one night,
we can quiet our voices
listen, and give back
the song which now only angels sing.

(Thanks to Edmund H. Sears)