Author: Dan

The beginning of a new year offers a time to reflect, review, and renew our spirits. We are given a “clean slate” on which to draw the outline of what we want the year to be. We are full of hope – hope that “this year won’t be anything like the last.”

But…how do we make that happen? How do we make this year better than the last?

The answer is simple. Start every day with an attitude of gratitude.

GRATITUDE – the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and return kindness

How much of life do we simply take for granted?

Electricity at the push of a button.

Water at the turn of a knob.

What about…sleeping & waking?

We go to bed thinking about all we want to accomplish “tomorrow”. Our focus is on “tomorrow”, not on whether or not we’ll actually wake up. Admit it, we take waking up each day for granted.

We need to be grateful for each and every day we are given. Each day we receive is a miracle, but we don’t act as if it is…and that’s sad. This needs to change!

Change how? By practicing gratitude.

Practicing gratitude daily is like creating a giant snowball – you begin with a small ball of snow and just keep rolling and rolling and rolling until you can roll the ball no more.

It works the same way with gratitude. You start small, say, by being thankful you woke up. After a few days of being thankful for that, you’ll add other things you’re thankful for like coffee or friends or maybe even your job (what??) and the list just keep on growing!

So, why not begin each day by asking…

“What do I have to be grateful for today?”

…and giving thanks for it?

Make it your goal to start each day in 2021 by being grateful for “waking up”. Heck, roll “morning coffee” into your “gratitude ball” too! It’s simple. It’s easy.

That’s how I’m gonna roll my “gratitude ball” in 2021 – a little each day.

Join me and let’s see just how large a “gratitude ball” you can roll 2021!

There. I said it.

Not “Happy Holidays”.

Not “Season’s Greetings”

But “Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas!!” Oh boy, that sure felt good…but…

…why the heck are you here, reading this right now? You should be surrounding yourself with friends, family, colleagues and anyone else who is important to you. You should be enjoying egg nog, cocoa, coffee, tea or whatever your preferred beverage happens to be…and you should be enjoying your beverage with grandma’s special Christmas cookies, gingerbread men and making gingerbread houses…after all, it’s Christmas Eve!

That is exactly what I’ll be doing after I post this and leave work. To me, that’s what Christmas is all about – spending time with loved ones making memories. The toys/clothes etc under the tree will be played with, broken, worn out and thrown away, but the memories will remain forever.

Go! Go now and make those memories…

oh…just one more thing…

“Merry Christmas!”

Memories of gatherings past…

Was the “catch-phrase” AT&T used to advertise their long distance services during an era when phone rates changed based upon day of the week and time of the day.

My, my, my, how times have changed.

When was the last time you reached out to a close friend, family member, or maybe an old acquaintance? What’s holding you back?

During the holiday season I spend much of my workday on the phone answering questions and taking orders for the fruitcakes made at the abbey. This year I’ve noticed the calls have been a bit longer, more conversational and less transaction based.

So, of course, I wondered “why?”.

Maybe it has to due with our cakes being more geared for “older” clientele, ya know, older people who may live alone, who may not have many friends remaining or who may receive few (if any) visits from family. People who are considered “fragile” and “at risk” due the the pandemic. People who rely on others to take them shopping or simply “out of the house” for a change of scenery. People described as “shut-ins”.

We all know someone like that, right?

Everyone has a story to tell. And all ya gotta do is listen. Are you willing to do that – listen?

I’ve listened to…

…a widow tell me about her husband’s health issues – how he battled constant neck pain, had surgery, became pain-free and then died suddenly from a massive heart attack later that year. And how grateful she was that he did not suffer…

…a delivery driver who has driven trucks of every imaginable shape and size, totaling over a million miles driven, without every having a major incident occur while he was behind the wheel. And how thankful he is for the protection he receives from above…and how much better the world as a whole would be is everyone practiced gratitude daily…

…and many, many more…

The thing is, though, before you can listen…you gotta make the call!

Are you willing to “reach out and touch someone” this holiday season?

A phone call is a far better gift than anything you can purchase at the store or online.

A call is personal. A call says “I care”. A call says “You are important to me”. A call says “Just talk, I’m here to listen”.

To a “shut-in” a call says “I haven’t forgotten about you”.

Nobody should feel “forgotten about” this time of year, or any time of the year for that matter.

So, this holiday season why not just reach out, touch someone and listen?

I’ve seen multiple posts on Facebook from people leaving FB in favor of other social media sites which provide a less censored source for news and information. Many people site their support of the 1st Amendment (which provides freedom of the press and speech) as the reason.

It’s my belief the issue is more fundamental than Facebook (or any media platform) censoring…it’s about trust.

Who do you trust and why?

This may be cynical or naïve of me but…

Isn’t all news biased or censored in some way? How can it not be?

Although a reporter gathers the info, his life experiences color what he sees and reports. Even though his job is to collect the facts – the who, what, when, where, and why – he obtains those facts through the prism of his life experiences.

In turn, the reporter works with a writer (and thus another prism) to make the story informational and interesting…turning into a “news story”.

Multiple editors, producers, and anchors are also involved in the creation process. Someone, somewhere signs off and the “news story” is aired/printed for consumption by the general public. The “news story” ultimately generates ratings/sales; from which income is generated.

Thus, the better the ratings, the more advertisers can be charged and “the bigger, better and more entertaining” the next news cycle must be…

…but at what cost to “who, what, when, where and why”?

Is “news” news or has it become “entertainment”? Are Facebook & other social media platforms acceptable sources for news or should they simply be viewed as entertainment and buyer beware?

Maybe I am just that cynical and naïve…maybe…

Who do you trust for news and why?

How do you receive “the news”? Newsprint like your local paper, The Washington Post, or Wall Street Journal? Digitally? Podcasts? News magazines like Time & Newsweek? TV/cable news? NPR?

Do you perform your own “fact checking/ story cross-checking” or rely on someone else who you trust…and why do you specifically trust them?

Are you open to other sources that may challenge your point of view or open your eyes to how “the news” is reported in the US? Do you utilize news sources available outside of the United States that report on the US like Reuters, BBC News, or NHK News?

Do you even care?

These are certainly tough questions. Questions without easy answers. Answers each and every one of us must decide for ourselves. Answers that will help us understand ourselves, the country in which we live, and our world.

I’d like to share one final thought…

I’ve learned that the news generated from inside the fishbowl is often vastly different from the news generated from the outside looking in. In fact, the contrast is quite startling. I don’t know if this difference is good or bad. Sometimes, simply acknowledging that a difference exists offers a place to launch a journey of exploration and investigation.

And I like that.

I can do that – explore and investigate.

How ’bout you?

I truly believe the “i” in iPad, iPhone, iPod etc stands for “isolation”. Use one of those items and you’re transported to your very own iLand – isolated – from your surroundings and those nearby.

Isolation is not good. Isolation is not healthy.

We’ve allowed technology to divide & rule us. Years ago it was the VHS vs Beta, then CD vs DVD vs Blu-ray. Now it seems to be iOS (Apple) vs Android. And don’t tell me you haven’t touted the “superiority” of your choice because, well, I’m not buying what you’re selling…

When & why did posting pictures of your location, drinks, meal or whatever become more important than the person or people sitting across from you? It’s as if people tend to their “Facebook life” more than their “real life”. That’s just sad.

Oh, don’t get me started on the “social media influencers” that are all over Instagram & tik tok…geesh…

Anyway, back to isolation…

When your nose is glued to your phone you’re missing out on what’s happening right in front of you. You’re isolating yourself. You’re not participating. You’re just not “present”. You are a ghost. And probably not a friendly ghost either…

You’re also an addict. You’re addicted to the “attention” your posts receive. What happens when a post doesn’t receive enough attention? You feel depressed, alone…yup, you got it – isolated. So, what do ya do? You try another post…and another…and another and spiral ever downward. The “blue screen” that allowed you to briefly escape the “real world” and “real problems” has become a one way ticket to your private iLand of iSolation!

Don’t get me wrong. I love that technology brings us together. I love Facetime and Zoom calls; especially during the pandemic due to COVID. Facetime and Zoom allow me to see my family – from Texas, to Washington, to Illinois and North Carolina – they all appear on my screen here in Oregon. Ain’t nothing better than “live” conversation and seeing them all.

That couldn’t happen without technology.

If used correctly, technology is a powerful tool.

All I want to say is this…

Take control of the technology available at your finger tips by…

…limiting everyone’s screen time

…posting “reality”; not only “what you want others to see”. Or, take a break from social media for a day, a week etc…

…putting your phone down, going outside and looking around- even for just a few minutes every day.

…decorating a box to hold phones during meal periods and keeping that box far away from the table. No exceptions. That means your phones too mom and dad!!!

…scheduling family meetings. Asking mom & dad about their day. Asking the kids if anything exciting happened ; you may be surprised by what you may learn.

“Grant Us Peace”

Dona Nobis Pacem is a round for three parts found in many hymnals and songbooks. The round is popular for secular quests for peace and easy to sing. So easy, in fact, I recall singing as a child. Perhaps the time has come for us to pick it up, dust it off, and rally around it for the sake of all mankind.

Listen…(courtesy of YouTube)

Dona Nobis Pacem – A plea for help? A simple prayer?

Grant Us Peace – Peace for the world…peace for the nation…peace for all mankind

Dona Nobis Pacem

May you be granted peace, love, joy & happiness this holiday season

I know, I know, I know…

I know you’ve heard the following statements – “think big” or “dream big” or “go big or go home” about a million times , but if you did just that, you’d be making a big mistake.

You need to also “start small”. And I mean small; as in mustard seed small. Small as in about 1-2 millimeters in diameter small. A mustard seed is so small it is dwarfed by a single grain of rice…and a grain of rice is tiny! You should think that small.

Starting small keeps it simple. Keeping it simple makes it easy. Making it easy helps you accomplish it. And isn’t that the goal of the exercise?

How many times have you had “great plans to achieve great things” only to not get started because the task seemed too big or seemed full of obstacles you felt were too large or numerous to overcome; whether or not the task was indeed too big or the obstacles real or imagined?

Face it. You’re guilty. You’re guilty of thinking big and starting big. We all do it.

The mustard tree is proof positive “something big” can arise from “something small”. Mustard trees reach an average mature height of between 6 and 20 feet with up to a 20-foot spread. Given the right conditions, a plant can grow up to 30 feet tall.

How amazing is that? And all from the teeniest of a start.

Someone once asked me, “How do you eat an elephant?”

“Wow, eating an elephant is quite the herculean task,” I replied. “I have no idea. Just how do you eat an elephant?”

“One bite at a time, Dan, one bite at a time.”

You can…

“Think big”

“Dream big”

Or even…

“Go big or go home”

But how and if you start determines your success.

Why not simply…

…start small?

Pro-Life, Pro-Choice, BLM, LBGTQ, Human Trafficking and other causes/movements have all had their time in the limelight. Why is it that some causes continue to be covered by “traditional mainstream media” and/or “social media” while others are dropped or covered only sparingly? Is this an indication of how we function as a society, our attention spans, or more about who controls and runs our media outlets? What role do complacency and apathy (simply not giving a damn) play? And why do we only seem to care about these causes/movements when election time rolls around or when they appear in the “media”?

More importantly…

Can we change this?

Change requires consistent, repeatable action. Think about it -> to lose weight you must exercise daily, eat healthy and monitor your improvement. Remove one and your chance of success decreases.

But, what happens when you begin seeing success? You start building momentum. Momentum that carries you forward and gets you through the challenges that lie ahead.

Change is all about momentum.

momentum – strength or force gained by motion or by a series of events

Momentum helps you steamroll complacency & apathy because you want things to be even better and want even more success. YOU WANT MORE! Momentum helps you achieve more.

Success builds upon success.

I’ll say that again…

Success builds upon success.

Let that sink in…

Success builds upon success.

“Consistently doing a bunch of small things adds up to accomplishing a big thing.”

Change you. Change the world.

How? Take consistent action. Set a goal. Monitor your progress. Build upon your successes…

…and…

…let momentum reign!

For most of us what occurs “everyday” is generally the same – wake up, eat breakfast, go to work, eat lunch, work some more, come home, eat dinner, spend time with the family watching tv or playing board games or assisting with homework then go to bed. There’s an “odd” kind of security derived from such a daily framework; knowing what activity is going to occur and when it’s going to occur helps keep stress & anxiety levels at a minimum. When “everyday” runs smoothly, life is good.

Now imagine the total opposite. A day filled with chaos. The chaos of not knowing when you’ll eat next. The chaos of not knowing where you’ll sleep. The chaos of having to not only find food and shelter for today, but also tomorrow and the day after. You’re functioning without a framework; without any level of security. When “everyday” is chaotic, life is full of stress & anxiety.

Which of the two do you prefer?

A large percentage of my “everydays” run smoothly.

Am I fortunate? Maybe.

Do I take it for granted? Some days.

Am I grateful? Yes.

Am I thankful? Always.

It’s not about how we live the “good” days. We are defined by how we manage the “bad” days; the days that don’t fit into our “everyday” framework. You know, the days life falls off the rails. The days when the unexpected occur. The days you just want to pull the covers up over your head thinking “Go away, it’s too much. I’ll try again tomorrow”.

We all have ’em.

We need to learn to embrace the “bad” days. Bad days force us out of our complacency. “Bad” days deliver a “wake-up” call by reminding us that “auto-pilot” for life doesn’t exist. “Bad” days force us to change & grow (so they’re really “good” days, right?).

“That which does not kill us makes us stronger.“

“Everyday” isn’t always going to be good. “Everyday” isn’t always going to be bad. “Everyday” is what we choose to make it.

What do you want your “everyday” to be?

“When you’re free, I need a moment of your time.”

“It’ll only take a moment.”

moment – “an indefinitely short period of time; instant”

Life occurs in moments. “Good moments” don’t seem to last long enough. “Bad moments” seem to last forever. Whether good or bad, all “moments” are fleeting.

And that’s the thing we seem to forget – moments don’t/won’t/can’t last forever.

We need to fully comprehend that we exist only for a moment. Consider the following:

Every moment of your life matters.

Every second counts.

Make the most of your moment!