Thinking Out Loud

What if there were a minimum daily requirement for laughter? Martha Beck believes laughter is an essential ingredient for a joyful life. In her book The Joy Diet  ( a must read), she discusses the benefits of laughing every day. I remember reading about Norman Cousins. He was diagnosed with a terminal illness and used laughter to cure it. He watched reruns of the 3 Stooges every day and found that his pain tolerance increased in direct proportion to the time he spent laughing. In fact, if he laughed for 3 hours each morning, his day was pain free. He chronicles his healing experience in his landmark book: Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient: Reflections on Healing and Regeneration I haven't yet read it, but I intend to.  Anyhow, I believe in laughter. It always lifts my mood. In fact, when I think of some of my favorite people to be around, they are people who either stimulate my mind or make me laugh.  I can't feel mad or sad when I'm laugh...

Here's a true principle that will revolutionize your life: No one owes you anything It is super empowering and liberating to go through your day not making demands or expecting anything from anybody. Treat everyone as the divine being that they are and give up on trying to control them, life, or anything that really isn't mean to be controlled. Life is meant to be lived, experienced, and enjoyed. Children of God were created to be free and able to exercise their agency. You only make yourself--and others--miserable when you seek to control, make demands, or set expectations.  Think about the last thing that upset you. If it was a person, what was it that they did? How would your feelings or response have been different had you espoused the belief that "no one owes you anything?" That's right, no one owes you gratitude, appreciation, help, money, kindness, or even respect. You are owed nothing by life or by any persons. If it was a circumstance that let you ...

Today was fun. We had a surprise birthday luncheon for Kbear. She turns 40 tomorrow. We all met at 99 Thai Fusion. I was especially happy to see Chalyce there. We were able to chat for a moment and she asked me why I was so sad. I said I didn't feel sad. She said it had to do with my business partner and when she said that I felt the sadness shoot through my body and down my left leg (which she pointed out). We talked about Tyler and what we'd been through the past 6 months. I told her I thought I was done being sad and that I had moved on. She said this was heavy and would always be with me. I am tearing up now as I recall the conversation. I have been thinking a lot about our conversation and sadness since then. I used to think sadness was bad or a sign of weakness. I'm reminded of the Disney show Inside Out where the emotion Joy is always trying to contain the emotion Sadness. But as we learn in the movie, Sadness is essential for it helps us sympathize with others. ...