Transform

Good Morning,

I have seen so much anger in my lifetime, from people angered by
standing in lines to anger brought on by simple misunderstandings. It
has been said that anger is the easiest of all emotions to manifest
because it has no reason or control, it is basically a reaction with
no real purpose or intent. Like all things though it can become
useful with the right understanding.
Mahatma Gandhi provides a perfect example of how anger can be
harnessed. As a young, unknown, brown-skinned lawyer traveling in
South Africa on business, he was roughly thrown from the train
because he refused to surrender his first-class ticket and move to
the third-class compartment. He spent a cold, sleepless night on the
railway platform.

Later, he said this was the turning point of his life: for on that
night, full of anger because of this personal injustice, as well as
the countless injustices suffered by so many others every day in
South Africa, he resolved not to rest until he had set those
injustices right. On that night he conquered his anger and vowed to
resist injustice, not by violence or retaliation, but through the
loving power of nonviolent resistance, which elevates the
consciousness of both oppressed and oppressor.

We may never be called on to liberate a people or lead a vast nation,
but Gandhi's example can apply in a small way in our own lives, when
we decide to return goodwill for ill will, love for hatred, in the
innumerable little acts of daily life.

"I have learned through bitter experience the one supreme lesson to
conserve my anger, and as heat conserved is transmuted into energy,
even so our anger controlled can be transmuted into a power that can
move the world."
Mahatma Gandhi

Peace and Love, Jim

Unique

Good Morning,

This week my posts may be late or sporadic due to my traveling during
the holiday wind down. This morning gave me an opportunity to awake
to sun rising on the ocean and the sounds of seagulls crooning
overhead. During this quiet moment I reflected on how things are
often perfect just as they are. It seems many times we feel we can
improve on things by adding our own touches are by making something
more comfortable. The reality is we often just add layers of
complication, maintenance and exclusion.

Our world and even ourselves are complete and beautiful in every way.
Yes we have what I guess some would call flaws or imperfections, but
so does everything else, it's what makes human, temporary and
beautiful. . . . it's what makes us - period.

So take a moment today, note your beauty and the beauty that
surrounds you on even the smallest levels. Take inventory of all your
wrinkles, handicaps, gray hairs and other signs of reality, they are
yours and yours alone. . .wear them with pride for you were given or
earned every one of them and no one carries the world like you.

Know that although in the eternal scheme of things you are small, you
are also unique and irreplaceable, as are all your fellow humans
everywhere in the world.

Peace and Love, Jim
thedailybuddha.com

Moments

Good Morning,

There are moments when we feel very grateful for all the other people
in our life. . . take a minute for yourself and reflect on this
moment of gratitude. This is a moment of presence, of mindfulness, of
intelligence. It is a manifestation from the depths of your
heart. . . remember this moment often, create this moment daily.

We hear and we forget. We see and we remember. We do and we understand.

Peace and Love, Jim

Believe

Good Morning,

No matter what happens to any of us in life, if we know someone
believes in us, if we know someone loves us, it can make all the
difference in our world. In turn we can make such a difference in
other people's lives if we only believe in them. And ultimately no
matter what happens, we always have each other, for we have all been
down the same paths and share the same heart.

I believe that everything we will ever need or hope to find is
already within us. I believe that life is the path and we should
simply be happy to walk it regardless of the destination. I learn
everyday the value of not only believing in myself but by believing
in you.

May the seasons festivities enlighten us all in some small way!

Peace and Love, Jim

Relationship

Good Morning,

What type of relationship do you have with yourself? Do you have one?
When thinking about relationships many people never consider the one
they have with themselves. This can be quite a conundrum because in
your lifetime you will spend more time with yourself than anyone else
you know. You wake up with you and you go to bed with you, everyday.
You have lunch dinner and every meal in-between with you. You cannot
take a break from or get away from. . . . you guessed it, you!

Now think about spending every moment of your life with someone you
dislike or know nothing about. Think about spending a lifetime with
someone you only casually know. Now you begin to understand the
importance of the quality your relationship with yourself. All
relationships come with getting to know someone, so how well do you
know yourself? Many of us think we know ourselves very well and to
some extent we do, but there are many actions and thoughts that we go
through that are almost invisible to us. They are almost like the
involuntary functions of our bodies (heartbeat, breathing etc). Ever
asked yourself why you desire something or do you simply want what
you want? Try asking yourself why sometime and really sit with
yourself to investigate the source of your wants. This is getting to
know yourself. Asking yourself why you like or dislike, do or don't
do can only lead to a better understanding of who you are and
ultimately a better relationship with yourself.

Knowing ones self allows us to take an inventory of what we have,
what we are deficient in and what we are capable of. Think about it,
if you have doubt, animosity or a loathing for yourself it only
becomes easier to have those same qualities for others. Also consider
this, you can not make anyone else happy or give them anything you do
not possess your self. I can not give you a drink of water if I
personally have no water!

So what type of relationship do you have with yourself? What type do
you want to have? Hopefully as we move towards a new year we all will
take a little time to sit with ourselves and get to know and love
what we find there so that we may better share it with the world.

Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom.
Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.

Peace and Love, Jim

Wish List

Good Morning,

This time of year when everyone is making their list of things they
want such as iPods, Wii's PS3's, Victoria Secrets and more I decided
to compile my own simple list of items I wish for. Although I do
enjoy my iPod and my wife is always stunning in ANYTHING Victoria
Secret, I have reached a point in life where the few simple wishes
below would mean so much more!
I make the wish for all people to see their inner light and
illuminate the darkest corners of their minds.

I make the wish that all people are free of harm from others and
themselves

I make the wish that all people of all ages reach the perfect
knowledge or understanding, however unlimited it is.

I make the wish for all people to reach their furtherest potential
however far they may take it.

I make the wish that all people find and understand the value of
forgiveness.

I make the wish that all people possess the ability to freely give.

I make the wish that all people realize we are more alike than we are
different.

And finally I wish for all people to understand the power, beauty and
possibilities we each possess.

If I could wrap these up and give them out, every being on this
planet would receive a gift! Fortunately theses gifts are available
to everyone, you only need give them to yourself.

To use a popular commercial: Trying to make everyone happy with gifts
- $3.762.44 Finding out happiness can't be bought and is much easier
to give. . . . priceless!

Peace and Love, Jim

Compass

Good Morning,

What are feelings for? We all emotions and feelings, but just what
are they and why do we have them? It has been said that humans unlike
animals have no instincts, that we learn everything and come into
this world with little more intuition than to cry and eat. What we do
have are feelings, a primitive type of instinct. Feelings are our
brains way of telling us when we are doing things that are OR are not
in our best interest. It's no coincidence that fat, sugar, salt and
sex tend to make people happy. Theses things are, by and large good
for mammals (keeps us alive, reproducing and with shiny coats!). It
is also no surprise that a whack upside the head or a scary face
frighten us. Our emotions are a very coarse, but not bad guide to
what's good or bad for you in the world, a compass of sorts.

Now what good is a compass that is always stuck on north? A good
compass has to be free to fluctuate and similarly, an emotional
system has to be free to go from happy to unhappy. It can't get stuck
on endlessly blissful, or else it approaches or avoids everything
equally. We ARE meant to be happy, and we ARE meant to be unhappy.
We are supposed to suffer when we encounter circumstances that are
not good for us.

If we use our emotions with some sense of purpose and some
understanding then we go a long way towards better understanding
ourselves, others, happiness and life in general. It is when we
expect to always be happy, to always impress the boss, to always make
our children happy that we set ourselves up for the greatest
suffering, because at that point we have abandoned all reason and all
the facilities we were given to find our way. . . . we truly are
traveling without a compass.

Have a beautiful day and look at it this way; Just as your car runs
more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when
the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your
thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance.

Peace and Love, Jim

Wishing Tree

Good Morning,
There is a parable about a poor man walking through the woods
reflecting upon his many troubles. He stopped to rest against a tree,
a magical tree that would instantly grant the wishes of anyone who
came in contact with it. He realized he was thirsty and wished for a
drink. Instantly a cup of cool water was in his hand. Shocked, he
looked at the water, he decided it was safe and drank it. He then
realized he was hungry and wished he had something to eat. A meal
appeared before him.

"My wishes are being granted," he thought in disbelief. "Well, then I
wish for a beautiful home of my own," he said out loud. The home
appeared in the meadow before him. A huge smile crossed his face as
he wished for servants to take care of the house. When they appeared
he realized he had somehow been blessed with an incredible power and
he wished for a beautiful, loving, intelligent woman to share his
good fortune.

"Wait a minute, this is ridiculous," said the man to the woman. "I'm
not this lucky. This can't happen to me." As he spoke...everything
disappeared. He shook his head and said,"I knew it," then walked away
thinking about his many troubles.

LIfe hands us so many wonderful things, but many times we are simply
not allowing ourselves to be available to them or worse we think we
do not deserve them. If we learn to accept ourselves, our lives and
our situations for what they are, we have granted ourselves one of
the greatest wishes we could hope for. . . . possibility.

Have a beautiful day and accept yourself for the beautiful and
inspiring person you are.

Peace and Love, Jim

Fruitcake Recipe

Good Morning,

In this, the season of enlightenment we should cherish a good sense
of humor, besides everyone can use a good laugh. Enjoy and have a
little fun this weekend
Peace and Love, Jim

Fruitcake Recipe
1 C Water
1 C Sugar
4 Large eggs
3 C dried fruit
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 C Brown sugar
Lemon juice, nuts
1 FULL bottle of your favorite whiskey

1. Sample the whiskey to check for quality.
2. Take out a large bowl.
3. Check the whiskey again to be sure that it is of the highest
quality. Pour 1 level cup and drink. Repeat.
4. Turn on the electric mixer; beat 1 C of butter in a large fluffy
bowl.
5. Add 1 tsp. sugar and beat again.
6. Make sure the whiskey is still OK.
7. Cry another cup. Turn off the mixer.
8. Break two geggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried
fruit.
9. Mix on the burner.
10. If the fried fruit gets stuck in the beaters, pry it loose with a
screwdriver.
11. Sample the whiskey to check for toxisisticity.
12. Next, sift 2 cups of salt. Or something. Who cares?
13. Check the whiskey.
14. Now sift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.
15. Add one tablespoon of sugar or something...whatever you can find.
16. Grease the oven. Turn on the cake tin to 350 degrees.
17. Don't forget to beat off the turner. Throw the bowl out of the
window.
18. Check the whiskey again. Go to bed.

Who the hell likes fruit cake anyway???

PC Christmas

Good Morning,

Working in a design firm brings plenty of challenges. One of the
simplest but most challenging things to design every year or the
corporate Christmas cards we sometimes produce for our clients. The
challenge is always in what to say and how to say it without
offending anyone or actually saying "Merry Christmas" and "Happy New
Year." After years of frustration I believe I have finally written
the politically correct greeting:
Best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible,
low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral, winter solstice holiday,
practiced within the most joyous traditions of the religious
persuasion of your choice, but with respect for the religious
persuasion of others who choose to practice their own religion as
well as those who choose not to practice a religion at all;

Additionally,
a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically
uncomplicated recognition of the generally accepted calendar year
2007, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of
other cultures whose contributions have helped make our society
great, without regard to the race, creed, color, religious, or sexual
preferences of the wishes.

(Disclaimer: This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal.
It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the
wishes for her/himself or others and no responsibility for any
unintended emotional stress these greetings may bring to those not
caught up in the holiday spirit.)

Have a beautiful day and share a laugh with someone, it's the holidays!

Peace and Love, Jim

Home

Good Morning,

Many of you may remember or have read my posts here concerning our
little MinPin puppy Chai. As you may recall she was an abused animal
and had many problems, so she ended up with a center specializing in
assisting and placing abused animals. Well it looks like she will
have a home not only for Christmas but for the remainder of her life
as well. She now resides with JaLo another female MinPin whom she
absolutely loves. JaLo is a four-year-old that is spoiled rotten and
has a winter coat that nearly matches Chai's pinkish brown fur.

The couple who adopted Chai have no children and both are
architects. They live in a very nice home in a nice suburb and have
experience with "difficult" dogs. JaLo was a special-needs girl
also. I heard from the family a week after the adoption and things
are going very well. I feel certain this will be a wonderful home
for Chai and she will be a healthy and loving addition for this family.

I know this is not my typical post, but Kelly and I cried a few tears
of joy this morning and were personally inspired through knowing that
there is a place for everyone and everything. The world is never so
big as to not have room for us all. Deep down even the simplest of
creatures is seeking the same thing that motivates the innocent baby:
Love and acceptance

Have a beautiful day.

Peace and Love, Jim

Tea

Good Morning,

Being a very big tea drinker, I began to think one morning over a cup of my favorite flavor how life can be like tea. Our daily routines, traditions and cultural backgrounds are like the cup. Our challenge is not to get carried away with the cup. In our world we have so many brands and styles of cups and we continually produce more, but however attractive or well made the cup may be, it is only a cup if we forget the tea inside.

The tea represents our true nature, who we really are at the core. Even though the the cup may contain these "truths" about ourselves we tend to focus on the container and not the contents, so we walk around with empty cups. As humans we can become enchanted or distracted by the colors and shapes we can make our cups while we simply ignore accept the tea as is or worse ignore it all together.

Much of what we are seeing and experiencing in society today (especially with our youth) is a constant changing of the cup. What we have failed to understand is that we need to give attention to the tea.  Is our tea bitter, burnt, or bland? Does it taste sweet, fruitful or spicy? No matter what color or shape cup we invent to show others, it is the tea that gives us real flavor, a real sense of life.

I feel a time has come for all of us to give some thought to the tea we brew. To possess the ability to admire the cups, but always look deeper and want to really taste the tea. Yes I believe life is like tea and like a well brewed tea, it warms me all when I drink it in.

Have a great day and think about this; Life's cup only sparkles when there is something contained within it.

Peace and Love, Jim

Cells

Good Morning,

Last week I proposed the age old question of what is love? I received
many wonderful and fascinating replies, thank you. One of the more
interesting answers I received was based on shifting our views and
looking at the marvels and patterns that seem to repeat themselves
throughout all forms of life.

If we look into our human cellular structure we find that all cells
originate from the same origins (stem cells). Each cell works in
harmony taking only the amounts of glucose needed to exist for 3
seconds at a time. The fascinating point here is that no cell is more
important than another. The only time any one cell feels it is more
important than another and generates itself at a rate so fast that it
compromises other cells in when we develop cancer. It is this
wonderful pattern of support and engagement that repeats itself on
grander scales in both nature and all forms of life. Some may even
say it's evidence of a grander plan, one we may be losing sight of.

The point is we need to understand our roles and our needs for each
other. Much like cells no one of us is any more or less important
than the other, especially since we too must certainly share the same
origins. Like cells we too should understand the values of working
together for the benefit of all, then we may have a greater
understanding of love, which by it's very nature is selfless as well.

Love is the most practical thing in the world. To love, to be kind,
not to be greedy, not to be overly ambitious, but to think and live
for all - -these are very practical things, and they will bring about
a practical, happy society.

Peace and Love, Jim

Love and Friends

Good Morning,

The other day around the studio we got involved in a discussion about
friends and what we each thought it meant to be a friend. I thought I
would end the week with a fun summation about friends and love since
they seem to be the topic of the week!

Love starts with a smile, grows with a kiss, and ends with a tear.

Good friends are hard to find, harder to leave, and impossible to
forget.

You can only go as far as someone pushes you. . . appreciate those
that do (push).

Actions speak louder than words.

The hardest thing to do is watch the one you love, love nothing at all.

Life's short. Prolong it by sharing with someone else.

A best friend is like a four leaf clover: hard to find and lucky to
have.

If you think that the world means nothing, think again. You might
mean the world to someone else.

When it hurts to look back, and you're scared to look ahead, you can
look beside you and your best friend will be there

True friendship only grows.

Good friends are like stars....You don't always see them, but you
know they are always there.

Don't frown. You never know who is depending on your smile.

NOBODY IS PERFECT UNTIL YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH THEM. (so fall in love
with everyone)

Everything is okay in the end. If it's not okay, then it's not the end.

Most people walk in and out of you life. But only True friends leave
footprints in your heart.

Have a beautiful weekend and think about this: The best memories of
our lives always involve friendships.

Peace and Love, Jim

Love

Good Morning,

Love is a tough subject. Everyone loves and yet everyone seems to
have a different definition of love. We have genuine love, true love
and tough love, but are all of these the same? Is love that
subjective or does it have a standard? When we say we love someone
just what are we really saying?

When I say, I love someone, it's not because I want them or because I
can't have them. It really has nothing to do with me. I love what
someone is, what they can become, or how far they have gotten. I've
seen their kindness and their strength, their best and their worst. I
understand with perfect clarity exactly what someone is, and I love
them regardless. I can love my enemies (if I have any) for the
lessons they bring me, I can love my friends for the joys we share,
and I can love my partners for their continued growth and eternal
optimism.

I guess my question to each of you is what is love? Can it be defined
or is it something we just do and believe in? Is love truly
unconditional and can we as humans embrace this unconditionality?
Most people I know have a hard time loving their enemies and an even
harder time loving people they do not know.

Many of you who read this blog are highly skilled thinkers, parents
and people with plenty of experience to share. I would LOVE to hear
your thoughts are experiences with love and it's beautiful
complexities. Please feel free to comment through the blogs are send
me a personal email at: jim@thedailybuddha.com. Love is such a
beautiful thing in so many ways and I look forward to hearing how it
plays out in lives of others. I am looking forward to hearing from
you all!

Have a peaceful day and remember - Love is like a psychic experience.
Everyone tells ghost stories, but few have ever seen a ghost.

Peace and Love, Jim

Presence

You may have noticed a trend in my recent writings here at The Daily Buddha, one of immediacy or the fact that the present (the here and now) is the most important time of our lives. This is due to the fact that I can not stress the importance of understanding that the present is all we really have. Think about how much of your life and your thoughts are spent entertaining what “will be” one day. How many of us really live as though today were it? How many of us can really grasp the importance of living such a life? We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, become grandparents an so on. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren’t old enough and we’ll be more content when they are. After that we’re frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation, when we retire. How much of your life has already been SPENT thinking this way? The truth is, there’s no other time to be happy than right now. Your life will always be filled with challenges. It’s best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. One of my favorite quotes comes from Alfred D Souza. He said, “For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.” This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. Stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school, until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you have kids, until your kids leave the house, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until fall, until winter, until you are off welfare, until the first or fifteenth, until your song comes on, until you’ve had a drink, until you’ve sobered up, until you die, or until you are born again to decide that spent waiting is a life spent and not a life lived. There is only one time to be happy, to be fulfilled, to simply be and that is this very moment. Have a beautiful day and remember; The most precious gift we can give or receive is our presence. When mindfulness embraces life, we bloom like flowers. Peace and Love, Jim

Presence

Good Morning,

You may have noticed a trend in my recent writings here at The Daily
Buddha, one of immediacy or the fact that the present (the here and
now) is the most important time of our lives. This is due to the fact
that I can not stress the importance of understanding that the
present is all we really have. Think about how much of your life and
your thoughts are spent entertaining what "will be" one day. How many
of us really live as though today were it? How many of us can really
grasp the importance of living such a life?

We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married,
have a baby, become grandparents an so on. Then we are frustrated
that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they
are. After that we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with.
We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. We tell
ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or
her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice
vacation, when we retire. How much of your life has already been
SPENT thinking this way?

The truth is, there's no other time to be happy than right now.

Your life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to admit
this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. One of my favorite
quotes comes from Alfred D Souza. He said, "For a long time it had
seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was
always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through
first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to
be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these
obstacles were my life."

This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to
happiness. Happiness is the way.

Stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school,
until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you have
kids, until your kids leave the house, until you start work, until
you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until
Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home,
until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until
fall, until winter, until you are off welfare, until the first or
fifteenth, until your song comes on, until you've had a drink, until
you've sobered up, until you die, or until you are born again to
decide that spent waiting is a life spent and not a life lived.

There is only one time to be happy, to be fulfilled, to simply be and
that is this very moment.

Have a beautiful day and remember; The most precious gift we can give
or receive is our presence. When mindfulness embraces life, we bloom
like flowers.

Peace and Love, Jim

Don't Hold Back

Good Morning,

Recently I've been having some conversations with friends about
letting some of the things that once seemed so important take a back
seat to other activities. Now we're not talking about priorities like
feeding and taking of yourself, but more menial things like letting a
few dishes pile up in the sink, not religiously picking up the house
or washing the car. I know in my own life I can honestly say I'm
reading more and dusting less. I'm sitting in the yard and admiring
the view without fussing about the weeds in the garden. I'm trying to
spend more time with my family and friends. I'm starting to see that
whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experiences to savor,
not to endure. I'm trying to recognize these moments now and cherish
them.

These days I'm not "saving" anything; My wife and I use our good
china and dishes to celebrate any event we can think of. I over dress
for most occasions and do not mind a tie so much these days. I'm not
saving my good cologne for special parties, but wearing it for
everyday work in the studio and clients in the meetings. "Someday"
and "one of these days" have lost their meaning in my life. If it's
worth seeing or hearing or doing, I will experience it to its fullest.

What would you do knowing you may not be here for the tomorrow that
we all take for granted? Would you call family members and a few
close friends? Would you call a few former friends to apologize and
mend fences for past squabbles. I like to think I would go out for a
Chinese dinner or for drinks with friends. I'm guessing; I'll never
know.

It's those little things left undone that would make me angry if I
knew my hours were limited. Upset because I hadn't written certain
letters that I intended to write one of these days. Upset that I
didn't tell my wife, my friends and my parents often enough how much
I truly love them.

I'm trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that
would add laughter and luster to our lives, and every morning when I
open my eyes, I tell myself that it is special. Every day, every
minute, every breath truly is a gift.

Enjoy the day it is the beginning and the end, fleeting and yet
priceless. Spend it on something or someone you love.

Peace and Love, Jim

Together

Good Morning,

Yesterday several of us attended a local gathering of Zaadzters
hosted by Lily Lu (Thanks Lily!). There was a great turnout, food and
fascinating conversation. Having spent most of my life with the "me"
generation I found it very refreshing to meet people who share a
desire to improve not only themselves but the world they leave behind
for others. I feel it's this "group consciousness" for a better way
that gives me the most hope for the future and those that will
inhabit it.

The collective energy generated from the feelings, thoughts, and
attitudes of the almost six billion people on this planet creates an
atmosphere, or "consciousness climate". When events such as a
terrorism or natural disasters occur people all over the world are
affected. We all feel the tension wave of those unstable situations
even though we're not directly impacted.

As people we tend to pick up this incoherent energy. Even after the
wave passes through, the emotional after effects keep reverberating.
If you've ever lived through an earthquake and its aftershocks, you
may have felt it's results in your body for days. Strong waves of
emotions can affect the whole world in a similar way. When events
take place in our world that cause massive emotions, we all
experience it at some level and it is at this level of consciousness
that we realize we are all in this together.

Together we feel, together we walk, together we become change.

Have a beautiful day and carry this thought; The world we are
experiencing today is the result of our collective consciousness and
decisions. If we want a new world, we each must start taking
responsibility for creating it.

Peace and Love, Jim

Matter

Good Morning,

Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.

There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days. All the
things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten will pass to
someone else. Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to
irrelevance. It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally
disappear. So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to do lists will
expire. The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade
away. It won't matter where you came from or what side of the tracks
you lived on at the end. It won't matter whether you were beautiful
or brilliant. Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought but what you built, not what
you got but what you gave. What will matter is not your success but
your significance. What will matter is not what you learned but what
you taught. What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion,
courage, or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others
to emulate your example. What will matter is not your competence but
your character. What will matter is not how many people you knew, but
how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone. What will matter
is not your memories but the memories that live in those who loved
you. What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and
for what.

Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident. It's not a
matter of circumstance but of choice, so today choose to live a life
that matters.

Have a great one and remember how much you can mean to someone today.

Peace and Love, Jim