I Need Your Help

Down in the footer on this blog, I list some sites in a blog roll of sorts that I visit daily. They are great blogs that cover all the topics they focus on in a way that I hope to be able to do when I grow up. One of them is Jonathan Meade, author of Illuminated Mind.

Jonathan's latest article, 10 Counterintuitive Ways to Improve Your Life, outlines 10 things that most self-help blogs and books leave out; and they are such important and powerful points that, without them, makes it impossible for any actual improvement in your life. This is a must read!

Being a constant reader of Illuminated Mind, Jonathan sent me a personal email yesterday to let me know that he felt that his 10 Points article important in helping people realize their goals in life, and he asked me for help getting the word out if I felt the same after reading it. I agree wholeheartedly! I gave the article a Digg and I would like to ask you to do the same if you feel as strongly about it as I do. Help Jonathan help as many people as possible!

A Lesson in Fear

I still laugh out loud when I think about some of the antics we used to pull as kids. If our parents knew that we wandered so far away, they'd shoot us today. My cousin John lived right next door, and he and I …how shall I say it… got into more trouble than anyone knows about.

We lived out in the country, in "the boondocks," so there wasn't much to do. We'd wander the woods, scare the cows in the pasture across the road, and wander. Once we got 10-speeds, our radius widened substantially. Still, we were always looking for shortcuts. There's one shortcut in particular I'll never forget...

John and I had ridden our bikes across the river and quite a ways up Court St. to see if we could find anyone to hang out with on the east side of town. To get across the river and the train tracks was a long haul of a road built with huge horseshoe bends on each end and two bridges in the middle. It added miles to our trip. Or, that's the way it felt. Desolate, long stretch of road.

Running late on our return (my parents insisted I be back at 4:30 for supper every day), we decided to follow the train tracks, cross the trestle, and cut some miles off our adventurous trip. For most of the time, there was a decent path to ride our bikes beside the tracks, until we came to the trestle. Amazingly, on the trestle the cross ties ran parallel to the tracks, and it was possible, if we were careful, to ride our bikes across - as long as we kept our wheels out of the 3" gap between the boards.

John went first and off we went. I was about half way across the trestle when I heard a train whistle behind me. John heard it too, turned his head about to look and pedaled like crazy. I heard his manic laugh and knew that I'd have to do the same, and I did. Only I wasn't that good about pedaling fast and keeping my tires on that board. My front tire went between the two boards down to the axle, and I fell forward. Both of my thighs were hung up in the U of the handlebars, and the rest of the bike was up in the air against my back. I started screaming and John was laughing so hard he could barely stand. The more he laughed, the more I screamed and the more he laughed. And then I got mad.

Somehow, I wiggled my way out of the tangle with my bike, yanked the front tire up and ran with it to the other side of the trestle where we both fell into the grass to catch our breath. It took awhile, but I was soon laughing with John; though I managed to get in a few solid punches first. I don’t' think the train ever did pass us, and of course that made John laugh even more.

I know I was so terrified I about peed my pants. But, I didn't. That would've made John laugh even more, if that was possible. The only thing that broke my paralysis was anger, and boy was I ever angry at John. He didn't come help me! Even then, I knew he was too afraid to try to help me, and I don't blame him. Not one bit. I have no way of knowing if I'd have reacted differently in that situation myself.

When I think back on this little adventure, I realize that, through the years, it has always been anger that breaks me out of paralyzing fear. Only anger. And, fear can take so many forms. It can be generalized and constant so that it shows as depression, or it can get a little more intense and become a sort of panic. But then anger kicks in and I then become active instead of reactive.

"There's nothing to fear but fear itself," as the saying goes. And fear is so debilitating. The lesson I learned out of this adventure was that everyone deals with fear (actually, all extreme emotions) differently.

Sharpen Your Thinking

"Thought is energy. Thought can be more powerful than electricity and faster than the speed of light. Thus pure thought attracts possibilities, repels unwanted negative energies, creates beauty and heals. Thought plays the biggest role in our daily life, ... and is not just an abstract of existence." ~Burt Wilson

Last night, while sitting here at my computer, pondering the concepts of thinking and thought, I looked over at three of my dogs and two kittens laying in various positions of deep sleep, and I smiled. The kittens were curled up against one of the pup's belly, the other pup had his leg across his neck, and the third dog seemed to encircle all of them. Looking at the first pup, the one in the center of the pile, I said, "Looks like everyone loves you, don't you think?" He cracked his eye open to look at me, thumped his tail once, then went back to sleep. Out of that whole pile of animals, only he stirred. Rudimentary, yes; but a clear example of the power of thought.

Thoughts About Thinking

Science has no real idea of how or why we think, though they have found that anxious and shy people have a more active amygdala. They speculate about neurons firing to receptors, the energy conducted by chemicals in the brain, but have only begun to scratch the surface of understanding thought.

Psychology tends to focus on the emotions, whether as a direct reaction to thinking or just feeling alone. There have been attempts to fill the gaps in the definition of thinking with concepts of intuition, feeling, perceiving, sensing, reasoning, etc.; but they only describe patterns, not actual thoughts. Philosophers such as Descartes exclaim "I think; therefore I am." And that's as close as we've gotten to knowing how our brain works.

Some people may be better thinkers than others, and some may be worse. But, it appears that everyone thinks. Thinking is not taught, but we can learn to improve our thinking.

How to Improve Thinking

To realize the power of thought, you need to improve your ability to think. It can be done! Concentrated thought is behind creativity, productivity, manifestation and action. It's worth the effort to give your thinking a solid workout. Here are some suggestions.

Stop limited thinking. You'll know right away if you are limiting your thinking if you say, "I don't believe that," or "I doubt that." What you are doing is slamming the door in the face of learning something new. Take the time to soak it all in and assess the validity of it later.

Observe. There are so many things we take for granted. We walk by the majority of our environment without a second glance. Look around and really look at what is there.

Attention. If you drive the same way to work every day and observe, the next day, if you pay attention, you'll notice the subtle changes. The deli's parking lot has more cars on Wednesdays than it does on Mondays. There's a two-wheel bicycle in the yard of a house that had a Big Wheel the day before. The flowers around the fountain have bloomed.

Retention. Make a point to remember what you see. It helps to think it through a little and relate it to what you already know. For instance, the child is growing up fast to graduate to a bike already and think back on what it was like for you to learn to ride a bike. If you're short on time, you know to stop at the deli on Mondays.

Concentration. Control your thoughts instead of your thoughts controlling you. Focus on the task at hand. If your mind goes off on a tangent, steer it back on track. Repeat as necessary. Having control over your thoughts with the ability to focus, you'll find that you'll also be able to switch to another task easily.

There is More

Pure thought is behind pure actions - "As a man thinketh; so is he." Impure thoughts lead to destructive, harmful actions. It is up to you to decide which way your thoughts lead you. Pure thinking is trying to think of others first, to be considerate. If you are thinking of the person you are disagreeing with first, you won't be thinking negative, destructive thoughts, and the disagreement won't turn into an argument.

Yes, there is more. A lot more. You'll begin to realize the true power behind thinking, and there will be no limit to what you can do. As Mr. Wilson says, "thought plays the biggest role in our daily lives."

I've Been Meme-ed! 7 Things

It's my first! Oh, my... What do I do? Well, it can't be that bad, right? We can thank my little anxiety attack on Grandy over at Functional Shmunctional. If you see her, tell her to come on over here and pick up the pieces, ok? Just kidding...

Here's the rules:

1. List these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

You'll have to read on for my 7 facts and see who I tagged. (No, I wasn't going to make it easy!)

1. I was born 50 years ago, and no, that isn't a current photo of me on my profile and this blog. But, it is the last good photo of me taken.
2. I spent 25 years as a 'weekend warrior' as a country singer/rhythm guitarist. I sound like Wynonna doing Bonnie Raitt.
3. I've gained the weight that Grandy lost!
4. I haven't watched TV since finding Entrecard, but my favorite slows are Lost, Battlestar Gallactica and Stargate SG1 (the ones with Richard Dean Anderson in them).
5. I read about three books a week. I reread most of the books I have because I read three books a week. My favorites? Harry Potter and Stephen King. I read to get away from reality!
6. This may be a bit obvious, but I absolutely love my animals. My horse especially. I don't know what I'd do without him and the rest of my zoo.
7. My best friend likes me because I'm not as insane as all the other people she knows. I know, it makes me wonder too.

Here's my tags. (Sounds like "TAG, you're it!" to me. Is that the point?)

Kim at Eco-friendly Life and Toys
Mrs. Mecomber at New York Traveler
Cynthia at Luna Tail
Samsara at Living Within Samsara
Patsy at Patsy's Words of Wisdom
Happy Alone, (because I am, too)
Margie and Edna at Margie and Edna's Basement

OK, I can't wait to learn more about everybody, so leave your comments here! This should be fun!

Celebrating July With a Recap of June

"It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more." John Adams, 1776

The sudden, almost deafening explosions, the children's screams, the flashes of brilliant light and color, the children's delighted laughter as they look to the sky in wonder... It's the 4th of July Celebration experienced by everyone.

It was a good chance to experiment with my camera. My son and I had just finished dinner in town, and when we came out of the restaurant, the fireworks had already started. I had a small window between two street lights and above a very well lit gas station to focus on, and the results were less than optimal, to say the least. These two photos were interesting though.

June Recap

The spring always gets me wound up and ready to be outside - cabin fever delux, in other words. I blame it on the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont horse races - the Triple Crown - and this year was working up to be an historical one with Big Brown winning the first two prongs of the crown. This brought up several conversations filled with speculation and worry about the current state of the horse industry.

• Ban More Cruel Than Horse Slaughter
• Starving Horses: Point of View
• No Triple Crown
• Big Brown: Lies Not as Credible as Rumors
• Update: Life for Horses Now

The stress of day-to-day life is a real one, and there are times when it just sneaks up on you and blindsides you a good one. Take the time to be aware and notice the beauty around you. It's always good to reach out and touch someone too, and remember those who have touched you.

• Warning: You Are at Risk
• Life is the Canvas, Thought is the Paintbrush
• Beauty Everywhere
• Everyone Has a Story
• I Can't Find My (Rose Colored) Glasses

I reached out, and I was touched by many. From everyone that took the time to read and comment and come back for more, I thank you.

• Happy Birthday Karen!
• Thanks to All Entrecard Droppers
• The Arte y Pico Award

June was also the month to launch into a new blog project and try my hand at a tutorial that I think you will find helpful.

• New: eyebald
• How to Save Your Images for Quality and Size

Did I mention that my neighbors decided to fire off all their fireworks - until 2 a.m.? No? Oh, yes, they did. I was feeling pretty patriotic and festive up until around 11 p.m. and wanted to sleep. Well, it wasn't in the cards. Right after the neighbors ran out of oomph (and fireworks, I hope) then came a good hour's worth of thunder, lightening and pouring rain! Another storm woke me bright and early at 7 a.m. too. No problem, I'll go get some sleep now!

Thanks for reading!

A Colt's First Ride

This is Cody, 14, riding a two year old colt for the first time.  The trick is staying 100% relaxed while ready for anything the horse might do.  Click to view a larger size, and look at the intense look on Cody's face.