The Journey Is As Important As the Destination

Traveling through the Twin Cities today has been anything but easy.
– Lengthy delays
– Slippery streets
– Stressed drivers
– Exhausted snowplow drivers
– Anxious bus drivers
– Fed up commuters
– Snow-day praying students who got a “no” answer

Our Destination

Our destination is just a tiny slice of our journey.
– We worry about approval
– We strain toward goals
– We stretch for benchmarks
– We dream about the future
– And too often we miss the present

When we’re fixated on the next, we miss the now.

After the response to yesterday’s post, I thought it would be a great time to remind you of a post from last year, 5 Stop Signs that will help your life GO better.

5 Stop Signs

1. Stop believing the lie: Life isn’t always fair. Accept what you must, and change what you can.

2. Stop before you regret it: Think before you act. A moment today may cause pain for years.

3. Stop & notice: See the beauty in people, in nature, and in yourself.

4. Stop to appreciate what you have: Family & friends, talents, opportunities & useful stuff.

What do you do when you have one agenda, and someone else has another, but you’re supposed to be “on the same page”?

Your parent may be right.
Your parent may be wrong.
Your teen may be realistic.
Your teen may be deluded.

One principle helps me make sense of other people — even very smart people — who make stupid choices.

The principle: Most people do what they believe makes sense.

This weekend teens  will:
– Lie to their parents about where they are going
– Lie to their parents about what they will be doing
– Lie to their parents about where they will spend the night
– Lie to their parents about who they will be with

Recently my friends and I played volleyball. It was a fun and competitive series of games.

Later that month I gathered many of the same late-night friends for another series of games. Even though it was after midnight I had the same expectations as the previous evening: I was looking forward to the same fun, competitive games.

We lost the first closely contested game. We dominated the second game as their team laughed and clowned around as they played sometimes sloppily. I prefer to win, but I actually felt sorry for one of their teammates who was evidently annoyed.

For months my son Josh would invite me to join him at the gym he works out at.  Sometimes I went, sometimes I didn’t.

More often than not I had an excuse not to; I was too tired or busy (or lazy).

When I was young and fit, fitness seemed to take so much less work.

Energy-Shaped Life

When I was “little” I was full of energy.  I’d play all day only stopping when I had to go back home.

I’d annoy my parents by getting up too early.

As I was approaching fifty years old I sought the wisdom of my elders. I sought out men and women older than I was to learn lessons on life that they had been learning.

Last Monday I began a series entitled A Treasure Chest Of Wisdom, including:

1. Don’t Hold Grudges
2. Take Care Of Your Health.
3. Compassion Makes Sense and Giving Is Better Than Taking
4. Greed Gains Momentum
5. Gratitude Leads To Contentment
6. Contentment Leads To Generosity

Everyone Splashes.  Splash Blessings.

As I was approaching fifty years old I sought the wisdom of my elders. I sought out men and women older than I was to learn lessons on life that they had been learning.

Monday I began a series entitled A Treasure Chest Of Wisdom, including:

1. Don’t Hold Grudges
2. Take Care Of Your Health.
3. Compassion Makes Sense and Giving Is Better Than Taking
4. Greed Gains Momentum
5. Gratitude Leads To Contentment

Contentment Leads To Generosity

Note: This post in NOT intended to brag or boast.

As I was approaching fifty years old I sought the wisdom of my elders. I sought out men and women older than I was to learn lessons on life that they had been learning.

Monday I began a series entitled A Treasure Chest Of Wisdom, including:

1. Don’t Hold Grudges
2. Take Care Of Your Health.
3. Compassion Makes Sense and Giving Is Better Than Taking
4. Greed Gains Momentum

Instead of focusing on what we don’t have, it’s important to be grateful for the amazing gifts we already have.

Loving family
Faithful friends
Good health

As I was approaching fifty years old I sought the wisdom of my elders. I sought out men and women older than I was to learn lessons on life that they had been learning.

Monday I began a series entitled A Treasure Chest Of Wisdom, including:

1.  Don’t Hold Grudges 
2.  Take Care Of Your Health.
3.  Compassion Makes Sense and Giving Is Better Than Taking

Today is the day after Thanksgiving known as Black Friday.  A nationwide marketing “holiday” to trigger sales in anticipation of holiday gift-giving and gatherings.

This week I was asked several times about turning fifty.

I was asked by twenty-somethings who now realized that I was twice as old as them. The gap that seemed more about experience than age now felt a little different.

I was asked by thirty-somethings who wondered aloud how old fifty seemed, but asked silently, “What will I be like when I’m fifty?” 

Turning 20

Twenty was the year I was going to school full-time, and working full-time, but I was spinning my wheels. When I turned twenty I had yet to make some healthy changes in my life, and the future didn’t look bright.