It’s January 7th and many resolutions have been crushed under the gravity of undisciplined us. If pressed to resolve, a vague “live more” would be my response, but what does that mean?
- Love – Do I have to explain this one? A dreamer once wrote it’s “all you need.”
- Give – Whether family, friend, foe or total stranger, if you’re not contributing to their well being, then the reason we exist eludes you.
- Laugh – Just looking in the mirror should be good for a few. While you’re at it, make others laugh. A lot.
- Cry – It’s soul cleansing, moisturizes dry eyes, and provides good contrast to make laughter all the richer.
- Try… new things – I’m counting the eel I had last night, and cross-country skiing is on the list.
- Create – Experiment with food, words, crayons, watercolors, wood, fabric, light or any other artistic medium.
- Read – Feed your head with words and the images you create from them. Right now I’m nibbling “Dr. Quantum’s Little Book of Big Ideas – Where Science Meets Spirit.” I hope to have a fusion reactor built by the time I’m finished. The stimulation of reading and learning will help you ideate (I know… not really a word, but I’m in Marketing.) or solve problems completely unrelated… I promise. It will.
- Machine shop – Don’t hate me because I lost weight over the holidays… I’m down nearly 25 since last Memorial Day thanks to like-minded co-workers and a desire for healthy longevity. Now I want to finish downsizing and buy some clothes.
- Live Local – Support local businesses. Move your money to a local bank or credit union.
- Travel – Just go… anywhere you have not been. Boston is one hour from me and I’ve never walked the freedom trail. Paris in the springtime is a dream that needs realization.
- Open – Another holiday self-gift is “The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism.” I have a reason to believe, but I offer no guarantees except my eyes are now open.
- Nothing – Getting back to a vacuum means you can fill it anew.
That’s all I’ve got, but I’m um, open to suggestions. What are you doing to live more?
My recent life experience has taught me anything is possible, so I'm now open to possibilities I once deemed fantasy.
I am so happy for you Leo…I hope your journey to faith is as rewarding and fulfilling as the journey of re-discovery that you are on. I am so impressed that you are beginning to see the possibility that the past year of your life might have had the hand of God in it…
oh, and try read Lee Strobel's The case for Christ…pretty good read too.
All – I appreciate the prayers and well wishes, but don't expect any uh, miracles. A mild shift from atheist to agnostic seems a reasonable step. I do not have the answers; I'm just asking questions.
One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love.
Sophocles
God, love… No comments on the eel?
This is interesting. For me, "religion" isn't about going to church, believing in GOD or killing people because they don't agree to with what I believe happens before or after life. I don't know what I am, but I certainly don't feel lost without Jesus in my life.
"Religion," to me, is simply being devoted to SOMETHING that makes you happy, stable and secure. The Grateful Dead are as much a religion to me as Christianity, Buddhism or Islam (I'm not a fan of the Dead, BTW). So if person A says Jesus is their religion, then I support that. If Marilyn Manson is person B's religion and they get the same feeling of inner light that person A gets with Jesus, then what's the difference, really?
I don't know the answers. But I do believe that whatever makes you happy is the ultimate religion.
And then there's the Church of Baseball…