"Just For Today"


In case anyone is interested, I thought you might like to know how I decide what I'm going to write at any given moment. Contrary to what you may have thought, whether you're reading this as a blog or an article, I do not sit and ponder for days before I put fingers to keys........not even hours before, but rather open myself up to whatever I feel is resonating inside of me. I don't take it lightly, and always make sure that it's not about me, but how I can be used by God in whatever way he sees fit. When I come from that stance, it flows effortlessly across the screen, with no struggle, no searching for words, no trying to paint it a pretty color so someone will like it........it just reveals itself and I go with it, whatever the topic might be.

This morning......quite early one at that, I felt led to talk about what comes out of our mouths at any given moment. Now we are fortunate enough, and of course free enough in this day and time, to say whatever we have a mind to say, to anyone, about anything. And I truly believe that we all have good intentions, meaning we all want to be of good use while we're here, practicing things like love, forgiveness, grace, compassion, truth, etc. However, with that being said, we also have the freedom to think or say things that are not so nice, especially about other people, whether it's true or not.

Now we can absolutely say there are plenty of mean spirited people in the world, who have one goal in life, and that is to hurt someone else, whether physically or emotionally, with no good intent at all.....but I'm going to set those aside in this particular situation and allow God to deal with them. So......what's left over are simple everyday people who get up in the morning and go about their day doing whatever it is they do, but have one little thing about them that most of us think is just normal everyday chit chat that happens in our homes, workplaces, on the street, or having lunch. And I'm hoping by the time you reach the end of this, you'll discover something interesting about yourself, that if you changed, it would make a huge impact on not only yourself, but more importantly those around you.

Now keep in mind, we all do this to a degree......it's very common and most of us pay no attention to how it makes us look to the outside world. As I said....just harmless and pointless banter.  But, when does it become more than that, and what does it say about your character even more so than the person you've chosen to chit chat about? Yes....I could call is gossip, or people bashing, or the scoop about someone, but for now, I'll let you try and figure out what you call it. Believe me, when asking any one person what they call it, they can come up with something they deem perfectly harmless, and wonder why I even ask. And yes. of course I am guilty as the next person, but once I started to really pay attention to what was coming out of my mouth, not realizing what I was doing, it became clear to me that changes needed to be made.

Are there varying degrees of this harmless banter? Yes, of course......but bottom line, if the person you were talking about were standing behind you in the midst of your seemingly harmless banter, I would venture to say you'd be mortified. And I'm talking anything from someone's new hairdo, to the clothes they wear, to their personal life....you name it.....whatever you have no business in talking about. I guess you have to stop for a moment and see what it would feel like to have someone talk about you or your personal life or character in a not so flattering way. To actually bear witness to a table of people you thought were your friends toss you around like a ball of yarn that which each toss becomes unraveled and frayed.

But of course before you undergo that exercise, you have to stop for a second and go look in the mirror. Ah yes....there it is. If you're wondering about the phrase, "don't even think about plucking the splinter out of someone elses eye until you've tackled your own"...........the mirror will get the job done real quick. Isn't it interesting how we spend so much time making sure how good we look in the mirror each day, but never stop long enough to really SEE who we are, or how we put ourselves out there in the world.

So.......hence my title.....Just For Today...........I would like to challenge you just for today, while having your morning break, see if you can go through the day without speaking about someone you know, or even someone you don't know, in an unkind, judgemental, or unforgiving way. And to think about what it would feel like if you were the topic of someone else's banter. And we can just call it what it is ok.......bashing, tearing down, redicule, or flat out gossip.

Does this mean we are bad people, or that we must seek perfection? Well no...not exactly......but I think  if we all stop for a moment, we all know what is right and what is wrong.......and there is nothing right about talking about someone in an unkind way, especially if it's a friend or family member. We are all coming from a different place in life, with different upbringing, families, friends, environment....whatever the case may be, but as well....we are all just people trying to survive in the world, to find peace and happiness in a very hard place to live these days. Wouldn't it be nice if we all just tried to make it easier on each other with thoughts and words that build up, instead of tear down......even if Just For Today?

"Timing"

There is, I believe, a clock that not only keeps the time of day, but one that creates a source of synchronicity in our lives, which if you truly tap into, can and will make all the difference in the level of peace you experience in the midst of navigating this world. So let's see what webster has to say about not just timing.....but synchronicity as well. Timing: the regulation of the speed of something so as to produce the most effective results. Synchronicity: happening at the same time...occurring together...simultaneous.

This could be the makings of an intricate puzzle, and as well, asking yourself where this is going, but if you stick with me, it may be something that could change your whole way of thinking about yourself, as well as those around you, and how we all "fit" you might say, in this crazy world we live in.

First of all, at least for me, you have to have a specific desire, need, or goal in life before you will begin to see how either of these words actually work. If you aren't at least somewhat clear, then I think it's almost impossible to even be aware that they exist........and just to clarify....they can be available for any of us, but it does take thinking out of the box, or maybe a better term, changing your direction in life just a degree or two.

Now time is something that just is.....meaning it gets us from one moment to the next each day, but when you label any particular moment, whether it's a task, motion, thought, directions, activity....whatever it might be, it becomes a definable way in which to see how it relates to time. Ok....if I just lost you there, try this. I am sitting at my computer typing away, and I may know what time it is, but it really doesn't have anything to do with the timing of this particular piece of writing... meaning what I want to say, who I want to reach, when a particular person decides to read it and if it actually provokes them in any way. They could have an ah-hah moment, or it might trigger a memory, or they can even be surprised that it was something they had actually felt or experienced or had been pondering days before they read it.

So you can see how this already moves into the area of synchronicity. If you were thinking about this subject matter the day before, then two things have coincided...i.e. when you decided to read this article and your thoughts about it came together at the same time.

Now you can see how it's not time specifically I'm talking about.....but things coming together in life that just seem to click, fit, or connect in a way that sometimes can be very surprising. I'm sure you've put a puzzle together at some point, and would be in search for one particular piece to the puzzle, and once you found it, it gave you a great sense of satisfaction.........even just a little puzzle piece....what a simple thing. So I'm sure you can imagine, and most likely have already experienced these moments, to realize how very cool it is when you think something like that gets your attention. Sort of an out of body experience that you carry with you for the day, and you're not quite sure how it happened, but you would like to see it happen again. Maybe similar to dejavu?  Maybe not exactly. Dejavu is feeling or experiencing something that you think you've felt before...whereas timing and synchronicity are two things coming together that you didn't expect to happen.

So now that we are clear about what timing is, the trick here is, how do we experience those moments more often, or even for the first time if we've never felt it before. Well....hopefully by me writing this, it will encourage you to be more aware of "those times" either that have already happened, or those that are likely to or could happen if you opened yourself up to seeing them. Why is this even necessary? Because it's a way of seeing how magical the world can be and how if you pay close attention....those dreams, desires, prayers...etc, that we all think about each day, can and do sometimes fall in our laps at the most interesting moments. And of course the most important part of this, is finding the real meaning behind these moments. For me.....I can take one and find ten different ways to think about it, and usually settle in a place of gratefulness, which is such a wonderful feeling this day and time.

I call it a "God" moment. I can label it "Timing", magical moments, synchronicity....whatever strikes my fancy....but in the end, I know in my heart what it is.....and therefore, in search of them every single day. Our days on this earth can be very hard sometimes, and we are in bad need of more hope, love, and understanding of one another. So if you open yourself up a little, adopt a bit more awareness, I promise timing will become a most delightful thing that will bring more meaning to your life and the lives of those around you. Watch in amazement how two things can come together and bring with it a powerhouse of God and his workings.

Happy Easter to you all.