Who are you?

Assignment: Ask yourself what you like about yourself. The challenge: Answers that are physical or materials do not count. See how many things you can really write down in five minutes...it's not that easy...see if you can make it up to 20 things!














Today, I like my:
1. Cheerfulness
2. Witty Sense of Humor
3. Organization Techniques
4. Modesty
5. Empathy
6. Reflective Mindset
7. Dedication
8. Creativity
9. Curiosity
10. Yearning for Wisdom
11. Work Ethic
12. Leadership
13. Team Playing
14. Persuasion
15. Kindness
16. Thoughtfulness
17. Compassion
18. Strength
19. Focus
20. Future

Life Changing Grape

Man can make nothing so perfect

It's the truth. A grape changed my life. I must ask if most other people have such an experience I am about to describe. Have you ever had anything change your perspective on the world around you and the universe from just one moment of clarity, one moment of stillness, one moment with the idea that there is really something much bigger? Something bigger than any of our imaginations put together can take us? Yet, something or someone, otherwise would have been considered insignificant, was the one thing that shot you into the universe beyond and back again?

Universe, schmuniverse. Believe what you want. Believe you were born an alien and expect to get picked up. Believe your Lord was born from a virgin and walks on water. Believe there is nothing, absolutely nothing once you die. Believe whatever it is that help you make sense of something your mind may not be able to ever calculate or conceive in all the years of thought. But let me ask you this, who or what the heck designed the grape?

That is the question that took me on a journey I had not intended to take.

As I do with most of my daily activities, I mindlessly move from one thing to the next, knowing I have to eat, sleep, go to the bathroom and fill the time in between with activities that will one day bring me to a point of self-sufficiency and indulgence. One day I woke up, mindlessly operated as usual, ran around to do some errands, and found myself eating a bunch of grapes, scanning the channels, as if something good was going to come on the TV.

The grapes were tasty. I said, yum. I kept popping in the moist, lime green balls like candy and continued flicking from one channel to the next. Then, I paused, reflected on the yum, and began to observe this green object, and it was over.

My mindless interest in changing the channels was over. The sound, the temperature, the lightness, the couch I was sitting on all disappeared. I instantly entered a tunnel of thought that mimicked a trip through a black hole and back again.

I stared at this grape as if my life depended on it. I felt as if I were a scientist. I noticed every glisten on the watery glaze on it's skin. The lime green was the granny apple green, that green you see in an apple jolly rancher. I've seen grapes that are oblong in shape. This grape on the edge of my finger tips was a perfectly round. You couldn't draw a more perfect circle in geometry class. How perfect, I thought. How perfect of a grape. I said, there is Nothing, Absolutely Nothing, that man can make that is as perfect as this grape. What can be made that is as perfect as this grape? Nothing.

Well, who made this grape? How would he/she/it know how to put the necessary elements together to come up with something so perfect. The size, the shape, the water density, the vitamins, the colors, the skin and the sweet perfect taste of what we call grape. Man can only wish to ever think of creating something so perfect, but will never come close to even imagining. There was absolutely nothing wrong with this grape, no blemish, no sour taste, no soft spot. Perfection that only something much greater than us could ever put together.

On that note...not to get into an alien discussion, but the grape let me into our own lovely Mama Earth. The earth is like the grape. It's perfect and likely impossible to ever reproduce. Although, mathematically/statistically is actually likely, depending on how far beyond we can see. We have no neighbors. We could have been a little closer or further from the sun and there would be no us. We wouldn't have tides and wind without the placement of the moon. We would likely be bombarded by meteorites if Jupiter was so big and so near by to take the brunt for us. How perfect.

The grape help me appreciate the unappreciated. A new day is never granted, take a moment and observe. You never know where it can take you.


"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity." -Albert Einstein


-GrapeUniverse

Listen to Silence

How often do you REALLY get time to yourself?

Many of us do not realize how little time we set aside for "alone" time. I know many people who have almost become fearful of it. I at one point in my life, was one of them. Since I let go of the social pressures and my own quirky needs for interaction and attention, I found the time. I wouldn't say it was something I decided to do one day, but rather brought upon me, and I had no choice but to face the silence, in that face myself.

My car was my freedom. It took me everywhere and gave me the ability to reject being alone, bringing me to people as I would listen to people on the radio. There was always some stimulus, some noise, some person that I interacted with to make myself feel like I wasn't missing anything and that I was keeping up with the Jones'.

I worked hard to create this perception I wanted people around me to have and when I was alone, I worked to keep up with the latest and greatest and had to stay on top. Only thing was, I didn't ever ask my behavior why and never realized how drained and distracted I had become. Little did I know, I was looking for ways to avoid have people really get to know me. Only, little less did I know that I was the one doing the avoiding of getting to know me. Then it happen...

It was the moment was when my car radio stopped working. I unfortunately asked a friend who knew nothing about installing radios to put a new radio into my 8 year old Buick. There were sparks, a scent of burning rubber and a radio, hanging halfway out of my dashboard. My connection to the world, when I was most by myself, was now gone. I was a student and broke and knew there was going to be silence that I had never experienced before. My friend's mistake at that moment in my life turned into a most wonderful gift. The gift of getting to hear my thoughts.

At first, the silence swarmed under my skin, so irritated I could only think of how I could get a radio to break the damn silence. As time went on, the agitation faded and I accepted that my empty bank account wasn't going to save the day any time soon, and I listened. For the first time, I gave up my control and I listened to silence.

I listened to the air breezing by my car at 70mph. I listened to the hum of the engine. I listened to every little bump my tires rolled over. I listened to my spirit and let my mind relax and let my thoughts, imagination, ambitions, fears, accomplishments, insecurities run free. For the first time, I really sang out loud. Once very, very insecure about sharing my singing voice, I faced that fear and sang my heart out. Hours and miles in the car, I developed a library of songs that I would sing in between hearing my thoughts.

Everything was free to be exposed and I had no choice but to face them and offer them the time they needed so desperately. I began to disconnect with that superficial world I once worked so hard to maintain. And that was a good thing. It allowed me to reflect and I began to realize how many people around me never considered the notion of reflection. And wished for others to not be so distracted by the superficial.

Today, there's still the noise, there's still the distractions, there's still the superficial needs and wants. But there's a controlled balance. Instead of the exterior ruling my everything, my interior is my everything and the exterior needs a special pass to get in. Once my interior is satisfied I can let in the exterior and how wonderful it is. How wonderful to give up the worry of what people think of you. How wonderful know your a good person, act like a good person and free from trying to fit into a mold someone else cut out for you.

Find your silence today and maybe you can find yourself every moment, every day.

There are times when silence has the loudest voice. -Leroy Brownlow

-GrapeUniverse

Not Allowing the Negative

Create your own bubble of positivity.

Have you noticed that you feel more stress, angst, threat, paranoia, uncertainty, spite, negative, worry, anger, or insecurity? Good, recognition is the first step in reflection. But what do you do when you recognize experiencing any of these feelings? Combat it with positivity.

It's too easy to get boggled down in the every day wear and tear on our spirit and motivations. It's easier to start taking the negatives down piece by piece and replacing it with something positive. Once you create a positive bubble, you have to maintain the atmosphere. It's a difficult task to maintain that layer of ozone from the barrage of things that bring you down. If you really do not like any given thing you do through any given day, then change it!

First step is recognize the negativity within yourself and in others. This part is tough since most people go along in their distracted lives without ever reflecting. Reflect on who you are, how others see you, how others behave with you, your motivations, your faults. Once you realize that there is still so much to learn in this life and accept that you are a work in progress, this step should be easy. Give yourself little goals to motivate you to work in how you want to live your life. With your motivation and bubble of positivity there is nothing that can stop you from whatever realistic goal you set out for yourself.

Key word: realistic.

Once you have those things in place, you now just need to maintain what negative triggers you allow into your bubble. There are people who are bursting with negativity, waiting to infect you. Only thing is, you will be armed with the polar opposite energy. If fact, when you have a strong bubble of positivity, you may actually be able to infect those lost in their own negative abyss. Bring others to the light, that's what this blog is trying to do.

Then the only thing you really need to do is decide to create this bubble of positivity. Everything else will fall into place there after. If you place a goal to have an overall positive affect on every single living thing you come across, those feelings of stress, angst, threat, paranoia, uncertainty, spite, negative, worry, anger, or insecurity won't be anything you can't simply address and act upon to get the most positive outcome.

You don't have to believe in this old saying: Do not do unto others what you would not want them do unto you. Experiment, see how others react if you only engage with positivity.

Apparently, it's a proven fact that when you smile you put yourself into a better mood.

-GrapeUniverse