The Only Guide to Happiness You’ll Ever Need

While the title may seem a bit superlative, this article from Zen Habits, has some really great advice on how to be happy.

Joy: Seeking and Using God’s Gift

“Capturing joy is a little like approaching squirrels. When one of our grandkids spots a squirrel, they lunge toward it. Inevitably the squirrel runs away. If we can get them to sit peacefully and watch quietly, the squirrels will settle in nearby. They will gather and eat seeds closer and closer. But they [...]

Who’s Driving?

 
A while back Gus, a good friend of mine, told me a joke on himself. He grew up on a farm in North Dakota, his wife, Kathy, grew up in Los Angeles, California. She doesn’t think much of his city driving. On a trip to the city, Gus pulled the car over a short distance [...]

Let Go of the Outcome

 
The most significant cause of misery, unhappiness, disappointment and frustration in my life has been my propensity to predetermine how things should turn out.  I never really thought of myself as a control freak, but looking back that’s pretty much how it all turned out.  I would always script my life with notions like; if [...]

What About The Body!

 
The final installment in the Your Heart, Your Head and Your Backside series.
Obviously, your body is always in the present.  It is easily your anchor to your here and now.  We’ve talked at length about bringing your mind and heart to the place where your body abides.  That is where we find JOY! 
While it is true that [...]

Man Was Made For Joy!

 
“C.S. Lewis believed that we were made for “joy.” God is the great “hedonist.” He provides things for humans to do all day long, like “sleeping, eating, drinking, making love, playing, praying, working.” But, he also believed that to focus on these “second things” and neglect “first things” such as worshiping and loving God was [...]

Nanook of the North

My brother has long begged me to watch this movie.  It was filmed in 1921.  The movie follows Nanook and his family as they live their lives in one of the harshest places on earth.  To me, the most remarkable thing is their obvious heartfelt joy!

This is just a bit of [...]

Keeping Your Heart in the Present

 
Some think that keeping your heart in the here and now is just too abstract a notion to consider.  By heart, I mean your spirit, conscience, center.  This part of each of us is manifest in our emotions.  While there are large range of emotions to consider, and while it is often very useful to name and [...]

Keeping Your Mind in the Present

Some of us are very adept at staying mentally present in the here and now.  Others like me, have to work at it.  I am a day dreamer.  For much of my life, my mind just wandered aimlessly here and there.  I had a difficult time staying focused on the task at hand.  I wouldn’t [...]

Your Heart, Your Head and Your Backside.

I recently retired from a long and enjoyable career.  My eligibility for retirement came by surprise, one year prior to the date I expected.  I was excited to make some changes and have some new experiences, so I jumped at the chance.  The process took a couple of months.  I filled out the paper work [...]