Wednesday 31 December 2014

Sunday 28 December 2014

Love comes to everyone....

....Sooner or later, it makes its way into every life, no matter how bleak or how loveless. When love comes knocking on our door though, we are not obliged to let it in. We can close the curtains and pretend we are not at home. Or we can act so unlovable, for so long, as to drive away all who might otherwise stop to offer affection. Love, too, takes many forms of which romance is but one.
 
 
 
We should never dismiss an emotional connection just because it operates at one level and not another.








Everyone wants happiness. No one wants pain. But you can't have a rainbow, without a little rain.

Wednesday 24 December 2014

'Concentrate. Focus. Think hard....

....Chocolate. Pay attention. Work. Detail. Diligence. Haircuts. Responsibility. Commitment. Dedication. Dance music...'   It is not always easy to keep our minds fixed on a single matter. We are bound to be distracted and it is inevitable that events will oblige us to divide our time - especially at this time of year.
 

 
 
Do not be too hard on yourself if you cannot achieve all you want to.  Just do your best.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Someone is praying for the things you take for granted.

Monday 22 December 2014

Who is the current....

....Chancellor of the Exchequer? What year is it? How would you get home from here?   With questions like these, "experts" sometimes have to make a rough and ready assessment of somebody's state of mental clarity. As long as they can give clear answers, it hardly matters how off-the-wall they may be in other respects. Yet the true gauge of sanity is a little more complex and subtle.
 
 
Even if you can't fully articulate your reasons for making a particular choice, it doesn't automatically follow that you are wrong.
 
 
The misfortune of the wise is better than the prosperity of the fool.     (Epicurus)

Wednesday 17 December 2014

Contrary to a widely held belief....

......(And far be it for me to be contrary.  Perish the thought.)  Leopards can change their spots. They just need to crossbreed. This is the 21st century. We are decoding the secret of DNA, cloning creatures, defying the laws of gravity and generally breaking all the traditional physical boundaries and barriers. Are we, in the process of doing all this, becoming any more psychologically sophisticated?
 
 
Of course not. Leopards, we can change; but people remain as mysterious to us as ever.
 
 
 
Don't let the burdens of your past be obstacles of your future; even though there may people who work in the attempt to make you do so.

Monday 15 December 2014

This coming Christmas marks.....

....the 100th anniversary of a amazing events that took place amid the carnage of WW1.  So it seems only right to repeat this in the run up to that anniversary -
 
At Christmas, during the First World War, British and German troops stopped shooting. They went over to each other's trenches and exchanged seasonal gifts. Some even sang carols and played football. The next day, they got back into their positions and continued with the carnage. Stories like this often leave us wondering whether to laugh or cry.
 
 

Through our choices and our actions, we can take what is bad and make it good.
 
 
 
Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: it must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all.      (William Faulkner)
 
 
 

Wednesday 3 December 2014

What way would you...

....like to go? Forward? Backward? Off to the side? There's no right or wrong. Reversals often carry a certain stigma but they really should not, there's nothing wrong with revisiting a part of your past. It's fine to recognise, with hindsight, the true value of something you once took for granted. Nor, though, is there any shame in abandoning one objective and embracing a new one entirely.
 
 
 
Do whatever you truly want to do. Don't do what others think you should.

Friday 21 November 2014

'They' seem to be vocal today....

.....because they also say that stress is a modern disease. Yeah, right. Our cave-dwelling ancestors didn't find life stressful, coping with all those fierce animals and battling enemy tribes? Do we really think life was any less tense in the Middle Ages? Or even the 19th Century? The only thing that is new, is the understanding that it is a condition in itself and doesn't always have to be related to physical or psychological circumstances.
 
 
That is a key point. The only change that you need, if you are to rise above stress, is a change of outlook.

Thursday 20 November 2014

Some believe that....

....it's always tempting to mull over mistakes. (It is, but to do so ad infinitum is like dragging the past around with you in the present.)  We do this sometimes because we feel we may be able to learn something - and sometimes, through some perverse desire to punish ourselves. Often though, our biggest mistakes are the ones we know nothing about. They may involve opportunities we do not realise we have missed or decisions that have led to a worse outcome than we yet realise.
 
 
And then, there are the moves we made which we thought were wrong, yet turned out not to be mistakes at all.
 
 
The 3 great mysteries: air to a bird, water to a fish, mankind to himself. (Hindu Proverb)
 
 
 

Wednesday 19 November 2014

If someone offers you....

.... a glass of wine, at the right time in the right place, you may decide to accept. If someone hands you a bottle and orders you to drink it all, right away, you have to refuse, regardless of who they are. Those are the extremes, somewhere in the middle is the grey area. It can often be hard to know whether we are being cajoled or coerced. Sometimes, people play on our sense of obligation. Sometimes, we just trick ourselves into feeling that something must happen because we don't want a fight.
 
 
You can't do only what you want to do, but you definitely mustn't do what you feel it's wrong to do.
 
 
 
Do something today that your future self will thank you for.

Friday 14 November 2014

The world is changing fast...

....Even though most people I meet resist change with a passion unsurpassed.  Nevertheless, today's state-of-the-art device is tomorrow's car-boot-sale bargain. As with technology, so with fashion - and sadly, even with philosophy. What once was cutting edge is now blunt and dull. It seems, sometimes, that to survive on this fluid, fickle planet, we must be ready, at all times, to abandon every idea we once held dear. Yet some things don't change.
 
 
There are times when pressure is applied to the likes of you and me to drop a deep belief. Whenever that happens, don't. Not if your heart still sees the sense of it. That's one change too many!

Monday 20 October 2014

Let's start the week with....

....a 'they say' moment.  (Aye, that's me bucking the usual trend, again.) 
They say 'Attack is the best form of defence.' But just because they say this, it isn't always true. Nothing new there, then!  The very best form of defence is actually a blank refusal to be on the defensive. Those who are open, generous and fair, those who act with integrity and honour, the people who are sensitive and understanding, why should they ever want to attack?  
 
 
If someone would be misguided enough to attack them, their best form of defence would be to say something like, 'Hey, what's your problem? Shall we talk?'
Your kindness is your greatest asset.
 
 
 
 
Running away from your problems is a race you'll never win.

Tuesday 14 October 2014

Don't people just love....

.....speeches and soliloquies, announcements and orations. They elect, for example, politicians on the strength of their ability to make eloquent points. All of us with an IQ higher than the room temperature know that none of them will ever act on their promises, so we figure we may as well just vote for the ones who sound good.
 
 
Yet some words really do have meaning. And that's why they should be used sparingly.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Everyday you wait is another day you won’t get back.

Monday 13 October 2014

I have it on good authority that....

....Facebook doesn't have a 'dislike' button. And, apparently, you can't select various people from your sphere of acquaintanceship and invite them to become your enemies. It is simply not set up as a platform for argument.  Most postings involve people offering each other support of some kind. 
 
 
Even in what we used to call the 'real world', conflict is often avoided.  There are times when you may have to express a view very strongly, but before doing so try being bland and polite. It may just do the trick.


Don't waste your valuable time with people that are not adding to your growth. Your destiny is too important.

Monday 15 September 2014

Our heroes and heroines....

..... can rarely do wrong in our eyes. Once we have elevated them in our estimation, we become deeply reluctant to demote a demi-god. Sometimes, we can be similarly romantic about other things in our lives; friends, companions, family members. If we respect them ever, we respect them forever.
 
 
 
 
Yet we are all human. None of us is impeccable or infallible.

Thursday 11 September 2014

I have it on good....

.....authority - well, good(ish) - that there are internationally acclaimed psychics who can reliably tell you whether you are thinking of a square, a circle, a cross or a triangle. Even if their success rate is not a hundred per cent, they defy the laws of chance if they are accurate sixty per cent of the time.
 
 
Still though, such an ability does not guarantee an infallible understanding of everything that someone else happens to be thinking. You can't expect anyone to be a mind reader.

Tuesday 26 August 2014

We praise candour and....

....admire honesty, but just imagine what life would be like if everyone said what they thought. We often fall out with one another quickly and easily enough, even when we know only a tiny fraction of what's going on in someone else's mind. If we could hear the whole unexpurgated version of their opinion and they could hear ours, how could we ever exist again?
 
 
If some truths may very well need to be told; not all truths have to be aired. A little discretion may well take you a long way.

Wednesday 2 July 2014

Some dead odd people....

...have an ability to win popularity contests. You want proof? Just take a look at the celebrities in the magazines. Whatever charm most of these folk possess, it is clearly, largely superficial. If they were to be, somehow, shorn of their special status, they might not do so fine and dandy in ordinary society. Meanwhile, wonderful folk with generous hearts, true talents and wise minds, are undiscovered and unacknowledged. What matters is not how good something looks, but how good something truly is.
 
 
Don't let appearances deceive you. What matters is not how attractive an idea or arrangement is... but how good it is!
 
 
 
 
We are not the playwright, we are not the producer, we are not even the audience. We are on the stage.

Wednesday 11 June 2014

Politicians pursue policies....

....or so I'm led to believe.  I thought they pursued their own agendas.  Anyway, I digress.  While the politicians do what politicians do, scientists follow formulae.  We all have views that seemingly help us to make sense of a crazy world. We develop techniques for coping with the silliness of it all and sometimes, these become ridiculously complicated. We end up baffling ourselves with long explanations and growing almost superstitious about the best way to keep chaos at bay. And then we wrestle with a pile of ifs and buts and maybes.

 
 

Sometimes we benefit more by not thinking about them and keeping things simple.

Monday 9 June 2014

A little over 80 years ago....

....the German parliament was set on fire. History shows that this was when Hitler had just become Chancellor and he used this as a justification for claiming many authoritarian powers. Some historians have subsequently suggested that the Nazis themselves started the fire to achieve this result. It is yet another example of a story of which we may never know the truth.
 
 
 
No matter what has happens in life, and no matter who seems to gain whatever, you should be suspicious of any suspicion that you cannot substantiate.
 
 
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.    (Lao Tzu)

Monday 14 April 2014

Fight or flight?....

....It's not much of a choice, is it? Why stand your ground when you can rise above it? Why battle to protect a position when you can take up a new one, anywhere you want to? If you really feel an argument is worth pursuing, give it all you've got. But ask yourself how bad it would be if your side were to lose?
 
There comes a point where you have to stand back at least far enough to know how far in you truly need to wade.

Friday 4 April 2014

Why bang your head....

....against a brick wall? Why cast pearls before swine? Why sow seeds on stony ground? (Don't worry, I'm not expecting a flurry of answers from around the world.)  Whenever we find ourselves doing such things, we never have a satisfactory reason why. Sometimes, though, we find ourselves doing them nonetheless.
 
 
Then, suddenly, we realise that the exercise is pointless. We resolve to stop - and instantly, our lives improve.

Tuesday 1 April 2014

There is always someone....

....who is worse off than us - and always someone who is better off. Even when we hit rock bottom, if we stop and listen carefully, we will hear the cries of someone who has fallen even further down a deeper well. Even when all our ships seem to have come in at once, a quick glimpse towards a nearby port will reveal the sight of an admiral who appears to be greeting an entire armada.
 
 
There's nothing wrong with making valid comparisons.  There's a lot wrong with making unhelpful ones.

Friday 28 March 2014

What's going to be....

....the next big thing? Whatever it is, the chances are it won't stay big for very long. Trends and fashions rarely do. They come along in a grand parade accompanied by trumpets and drummers. We all make a fuss about them - and then they go again. So they are not really such big things after all. (Let me introduce you to the wonderful world of the Tamagotchi.......ummm, point made me thinks!!)
 
 
If a big deal is being made by something or someone in your world, temporarily that may be appropriate. But in the bigger scheme of things, it's most likely not so crucial.

What happens when you turn....

....on a light in a dark room? Nothing actually changes; it's just that suddenly you see what before you could only imagine. Gloomy shadows disappear. Clear, clean lines emerge. It's amazing how a little extra information can alter a perception. Admittedly, it can also show up faults and failings that were previously indiscernible.
 
 
Ultimately, though, we are better off with information, than we are with ignorance.

Wednesday 26 March 2014

Is the ocean calm or crazy?....

Waves, when they are being stirred up by the wind and the weather, can be extremely intense. Yet if you happen to be in a submarine, many fathoms below them, you will see a world in which all is tranquil and still. Same sea - different depth. If you wish to, you can relate to the superficial side of any situation. You can watch the thunderous foam as it breaks over the bows of boats. Or, you can dive down deep within your inner well of wisdom; and relate only to that which is safe, strong and capable of protecting you from any pressure.



Maybe all of us need to go diving.

Saturday 22 March 2014

In the quest for high ratings....

.......TV companies are forever exploring new ideas - or squeezing the pips out of old ones. I'm sure that one day we'll be watching people attempt to sing  and/or dance inside a space ship.  Animals throughout the galaxy will be covering  their ears while some of us will think we have a vote that matters.  But provided it generates money......
 
 
The thing is, these companies don't know about you.  You could be worth a fortune! To earn it, you'd simply have to do what you normally do, except before a camera! You may not get such an offer, but this is a reminder that your life is priceless.

Wednesday 12 March 2014

I feel in need of.....

....a 'they say' moment. (I've no idea why.)  So, let's go for it - They say modern society is obsessed with instant gratification. 'We want it all and we want it now.' Ah, but do we? What about our fascination with soap-operas? (I kid you not - there are some who can't miss them.)  Serials and sagas that rumble on from week to week? We know that we can't have everything at once, and that if we were ever granted this we would soon become overloaded. There's something intrinsically satisfying about the slow evolution of a situation.
 
 
What you have today is what you need. The same will be true tomorrow.

Wednesday 5 March 2014

How badly do you want....

....what want? Actually, allow me to phrase that a different way, for the word 'badly' has a negative implication. How deeply? How truly? How sincerely? You don't have to burn. You don't even have to yearn. You do, though, have to aspire to your desire. You have to maintain a consistent commitment and you have to apply a little self-discipline.
 
 
This is traditionally referred to as, the tricky part - but how tricky is it really?

Friday 28 February 2014

I would venture to suggest that....

you didn't know alcohol poisons the liver and the kidneys. (OK, I admit it, I'm being flippant on Friday.)  But at least the drinks briefly give rise to some pleasure. Resentment is a psychological poison but it is infinitely more dangerous. Even a small amount can do irreparable harm to our peace of mind and, perhaps more crucially, to our judgement. Often, people who experience resentment become drunk on it without even realising that this has happened.
 
 
If you are starting to resent something, and you can't change it, you have to apply the only known antidote - and find a way to love it.

Thursday 13 February 2014

One of those updates for you....

......The last time I had any abdominal discomfort related to Crohn's was last October. The last time I had real debilitating pain was at the beginning of last September. Staggeringly amazing.
 
 
Even my secular friends who have known me for a very long time are now using the word 'miraculous', whilst admitting hesitation in doing so.        

If you have the desire to....

..........cross every line of longitude on earth, and you choose to travel by foot, car, boat or plane, your journey will describe a circle of roughly 25,000 miles - if you start at the equator.  But if you were to go to the north (or south) pole, you could simply lift up one leg and hop in a circle! If you were a ballet dancer, you could even do a pirouette. (Ha, that's plain crazy!  You wouldn't get me wearing a tutu at one of the Polar regions.  Come to that, you wouldn't get me.....)

People who go to extremes can sometimes cover a whole lot less ground!

Friday 7 February 2014

In an attempt to.....

....avoid stress, some people accidentally create a lot of tension. They adopt, for example, policies which they believe will help them lead an easier life. Then they put themselves under a great deal of pressure to adhere to these, somewhat defeating the object of the exercise. Trouble has a way of getting to us all, no matter how we try to keep it at bay.
 
 
You may need to find a way to stop seeing it as something you can outwit, escape or deflect. See it as your friend and then disarm it with a smile.

Saturday 25 January 2014

Here's one of those.....

.....medical update thingys -
 
Yesterdays verdict, based on blood tests taken a week ago - The tests show that my liver is fine, so too my kidneys. There is no evidence of active Crohn's at this time. My vitamin levels are fine. I'm gaining weight. My platelets reading is very impressive for a Crohn's sufferer. The icing on that cake - I would not expect anyone who has had to endure what you have, both medically and physically, since 2009 to be as well as you. (Those are not my words.)
 
 
For the first time in over 30 years, I left a clinic without having to make a follow-up appointment. I just walked away, knowing there is one more test in the pipeline, looked up and said - Thank You.