Key to Happiness

My friend asked me the other day,
“Is there a key to happiness,
That lasts from day to day?”
From the point of view,
I see the world,
All I could do was laugh,
“It’s simple really”
I declared,
“Just follow your dream path.”

Be yourself,
And you will see,
How truly happy,
You can be,
Follow your dreams,
Follow your heart,
Believe in yourself,
But that’s just the start,
Because the truth about happiness,
It’s a complex art.

The world is your canvas,
And there’s no need to rush,
Your hopes and dreams,
Make up the paint upon your brush,
The only problem,
That you will find,
Is that the brush is on a shelf so high,
You climb and jump into the sky,
To reach the brush,
You try and try,
But always fall back down,
The only way to stay aloft,
Is to make a smile out of that frown.

And when you finally,
Paint your masterpiece,
You’ll want to paint another,
One with brighter colors,
More beautiful than the first,
Now that you’ve had a sip of happiness,
It’ll be hard to quench your thirst.

You’ll pass on your talent,
To a sister,
Or a brother,
And they will love it so much,
They’ll pass it to another,
Sooner or later,
The world will become,
A place where happiness,
Is seen in everyone.

Your happiness,
Your smile,
Your thoughts,
In a brightened world,
Makes the flag of optimism,
Be the one thing that’s unfurled,
So let’s paint a picture every day,
Showing happiness is here to stay.

My friend had a response to this,
I think I remember how it would go,
“Although you write those words of truth,
I must admit this so,
Sometimes you try to share your happiness,
With someone that you know,
You see the smiles on the outside,
As they hide their pain from you,
They don’t want to burden,
Your happiness that is new.”
And all that I can say to this,
I hope one day,
They will find,
The key to happiness.

What We Know From Snow – Part 2

When the power went out I bet many of you were wondering how having no power would affect your daily life.  Your life was already hard enough to begin with.  Your stress level was already at its limit.  And then the stress and problems of a power outage was added to it all.  So what is this situation an example of?  It is an example of our human resistance to change.

When something is changed in our life we seem to get angry or concerned about it.  This anger and concern is what leads to riots and protests throughout the world.  Someone in the government makes a change and there is most often a group of people that don’t agree with it. This disagreement sometimes may be based on reasoning, but it may also be based on anger and frustration due to our resistance to change.  After a few days or weeks with the change we may start to agree with it and wonder why we disagreed with it in the first place.  So wouldn’t it be better if we reduce our resistance to change before our anger gets the best of us?  I think so.

But first, let me give you a more specific example of how our resistance to change can make life more difficult.  Lets say that your friend does something that you do not completely agree with.  You cannot believe that they would ever do such a thing. You then get angry with them for doing so without thinking about their side of the argument.  Then, the fight between friends begins and it seems like the disagreement will last forever.  But if you wait for the anger and frustration to dissipate and then talk to your friend it is more likely that the conversation will end in a hug.  Hopefully, looking back, you and your friend will able to look back on that fight, not with anger, but with an open mind.  So wouldn’t you want a way to reduce that anger and resistance before it leads to breaking a friendship apart?  I have a way to make this happen.

First of all, you can count to ten and wait for the anger to subside before you respond to the change.  It is much easier to think clearly when anger is not clouding your judgment.  You can also try not to complain or make comments about the change.  Complaining only adds to the stress and makes the anger last much longer.  Thirdly, if you are in a fight with your friend, you can try to look at the situation through their eyes and with their perspective.  It will allow the anger to subside and also help you understand what your friend is going through.  It will also allow you to think of what to say to your friend to keep your friendship alive.  So what has this taught us?  It’s simple really…

“When something in your life has changed, don’t let the anger make your life rearranged.”

What We Know From Snow – Part 1

Take a step back and look around the room.  I bet you see so many things that you just take for granted.  A big screen television set with surround sound; a computer that allows you to read my blog and talk with people all around the world; maybe even a Wii or Xbox system.  But did you ever realize how lucky you are to have these things?

This week has been so brutal so many of us in the northeast region of America.  Just a little bit of innocent snow shut down power for most of the area.  Some of us still are without power.  We feel as if we have lost many of the luxuries and conveniences of life.  We feel trapped inside of our homes and the stress begins.  No heat, no hot water, no showers, no hot meals, and nothing to do.  Even with all these problems we must go on with our daily lives at work and at school as if nothing has happened.  We feel jealous of the people that are not affected and wish we were in their situation.  Most of all we feel that we cannot learn anything from this situation when truly we can.

Now think of the people around the world that face these problems every single day.  There are people that are struggling to feed their children and themselves and end up starving themselves so that their children can survive.  Adding on to this, these same people do not have a place to call their own.  They are forced to live in the streets and drink polluted water and breath toxic air.  These people will be lucky to have the small things that we take for granted.

Even though the power may be out everything is still there.  Nothing is going to be taken away.  You still have your home, your friends and your family.  All of the things that make you truly happy, you may be sitting around the candlelit table eating takeout but you’re with the important people in your life.  When the power is on these same people may be around less.  That’s what makes these times better then all the rest.  People are not preoccupied with all the gadgets and gizmos, from watching the game on TV to delving yourself into virtual and unrealistic world of video games.

Let this power outage teach you a lesson.  Let it show you what is really important in your life.  It may seem that all of life’s luxuries are tangible and rely on electricity to work.  It’s not the objects in your life that make you happy; it’s the people that are brought together by the object itself.  So go out into the world and look at everything and say…

“I’m lucky to have what I have today.”

Coloring This Empty Room

Guest Post - Jimmy Pittaro

Trapped inside my head
I am better off dead
This blank white room
Everything’s leaving all too soon

I want to reach out to the color of life
Yet the doors are shut and I’m inside
The shades have been pulled down
But the room is filled with light

I put my ears against the ground
And I can hear nothing but life
This is when that voice started screaming
“It’s time to get out of here and stop dreaming”

So I followed this voice out the window
And it led me to a place I can call home
Where I lived and rejoiced with others
This planet and its people I call brothers

We can fill our oceans with love
Or just keep dreaming of above
But we always reach for the top
The clouds is where we’ll stop

So we can look down on all the paint
Flowing through the Earth yet never stained
And we’ll take the brush
For a final stroke of love

To show how we’ve grown
And that the Earth is our throne

Thank You, Anthony

Guest Post - Ricki Nell

I never knew I would meet such an aspiring fellow

Though the clouds were gray, he still shined yellow

He could have sat around and sulked miserably

But he knew that was not the way life was suppose to be

He knew it was to enjoy every second that we have here

So he teaches to give, to help, to guide, and to love with no fear

No matter what is thrown at this young king

He will always be the champion fighting in the ring

He is strong and smart and there is no giving up

So lets join him now in the fight to lift the world up

Anthony you are constantly teaching me to smile and be optimistic everyday

You are a true amazing friend and I thank you in every way <3

One Heart

Guest Post - Jessi Daichman

Sun shimmer feeds the plant it grows
Frog swimmer in and out of my toes
We all feed off the sun’s light energy
Living in harmony a love synergy

A leaf falls down into the little stream
When I die I know this will happen to me
We’re all swimming in God’s beautiful sea
Gotta keep your heart open constantly
To the magic of the one we all come from

There’s no life or death cause this journey’s never done
Every single breath you take keeps the universe awake
Inside is the out
There’s no reason to doubt

That your heart is every place, every face, the entire human race
We are here to save each other from the unnatural pace
So tell yourself today “I will help show the way”
This love revolution is now here to stay

Find your own rhythm
Play it out loud
Help this earth keep spinning round and round

Forgiveness is the key to our humanity
We’ve got to accept one another
Love your sisters and your brothers
This peace is our creation
We can use it to unite all the nation
But first you’ve got to bring it back in
To your very own heart where it all must begin

The sky’s the only limit to who you can be
And what you can achieve
Don’t let anyone take away what you believe

Find your own rhythm
Play it out loud
Help this earth keep spinning round and round

How are you going to live your life today?
It’s your choice to create it or waste your life away
We’re all dreamers here
Painting our own stay
In this home called Earth where we forget to pray
To our very own soul that lets us smile and cry
That lets our consciousness fly
Through the eyes of the Divine

Take a breath…
Take a moment…
To be with your own heart
Let go of the dust
That keeps it in the dark

Let it shine so bright like the sun
To nourish everyone
Watch their seeds grow and helps their little flowers bloom
All this world needs is a little more room
A little more space
A little more being to connect the human race

Back to the start
One breath
One blood
One beating heart!

Second Thoughts

On second thought,

I won’t,

On second thought,

I can’t,

On second thought,

It’s impossible,

On second thought,

Hey, it may be possible.

Now haven’t you heard,

Those words enough,

They don’t make you strong,

They don’t make you tough,

When you try so hard,

But you’ve had enough,

That does not mean,

It’s time to give up.

Even when life seems like,

It’s rolling away,

Like it’s just out of grasp,

Way too far away,

Just keep trudging on,

Through the sweat,

And the dirt,

Through the tears in your eyes,

And the years you may despise.

Cuz if you just say,

On second thought,

I can’t,

How will you know,

What you missed?

It could have,

Changed your life,

If you had made it through,

It could have given you something,

Unbelievable to do,

Indescribable to do,

Giving up,

Won’t ever change you.

Life is a challenge,

Let’s face the facts,

But even it,

Is a possible task,

So go out in the world,

Get out from,

Behind the mask,

Make a difference,

Make a change,

And never give up.

And when you look back,

At all the things,

That you’ve done,

The game of life,

That you’ve won,

You’ll be happy to say,

“I never gave up,”

You stayed optimistic,

From then until now,

If someone may ask you,

How to give up,

You will not know how.