How Will You Use Your Bonus Day?

It's a leap year.  The calendar year and solar year need a synchronization every four years to be in alignment.  That means we all get a bonus day.  I'm using my bonus day to add to "The Adventures of Wilson."  How will you use your bonus day?  Have a great day.

Day 3 in the Desert

I'm in the perfect writing climate to get this book project polished up.  I stripped away all the modern distractions in order to create this desolate place where there is nothing but my laptop and a whiteboard for notes.  The TV is off except for times when I want to play videos of beaches and ocean waves to get me in the right writing mind.  This is day 3.  I got 90 minutes of morning meditation in at 4:30 AM before blogging and writing.  Our son's 6-pound chihuahua is beside me during my writing episodes and she doesn't mind the stillness that surrounds us.

I'm keeping my blog time to a minimum in order to maximize my time writing "The Adventures of Wilson."  Have a great day.

The Oasis in the Desert

Maybe I'm cheating a little with my "40 Days in the Desert" writing experience but I do need all the help all I can get.  My wife and I decided we're not watching TV during our season of Lent.  We cut the cable long ago but sometimes we like to splurge on Netflix.  We're now limiting our TV time to self-help videos and something new I'm testing – watching videos of exotic beach settings while I work on my book projects.  For me, it's like having an oasis in my basement.  These videos are so real that I can almost smell the fresh beach air and feel the warmth of the sun on my skin.  The sound of the waves breaking on the shore is so gentle and soothing.  If I can keep a steady pace every day for 40 days, I have a feeling my project will be nearly complete.  Have a great day.

The Michelangelo Method

I've been in the depths of this distant rock quarry for what seems like an eternity.  I found myself stuck between two slabs of rock and couldn't decide which one to carve out first so I attempted to drag both of them away at the same time.  Imagine the ancient Egyptians hauling their raw materials but those rocks are so oversized that they slow everybody in the line to a snail's pace.  That's where I've been.  The distance between the chisel and my slab of granite was unfathomable.  Everyone I know wants to know how the pyramid construction is going.  Here's some good news.  I'm certain of one thing – there is a masterpiece inside my rock and I'm using the Michelangelo method for creating "The Adventures of Wilson."  I now know why the construction process was so painfully slow.  It has nothing to do with me and everything to do with God.  The triathlon watch I wear was not properly synced until now.  I'm giving myself about 40 days to chip away.  I have a secret weapon.  This imaginary place where I'm doing the work is a really interesting setting.  It's some kind of baron desert.  Jesus is with me.  I'm turning to him for help with my chiseling.  After all, once the book is complete I believe the world will observe it and see that it's origin is not from around here.  Yes, my slab of rock is Heaven sent.  All credit goes to the Creator.  I am just a chiseler who sees something special in this rock I've been hauling around for a long time.  Have a great day.

It's Time

It's been simmering in my head for a couple of days and now it's time.  I found the opening line, paragraph, and chapter for my next adventure.  I'm going for it.  Other than a hair cut, my day is wide open to delving into my writing.  My foot is on the accelerator for the next six weeks or so to get this project in the books.  Have a great day.

It's Almost Time for 40 Days in the Desert

I'm turning off the niceties for 40 days beginning in less than 48 hours.  For my wife and me, this will be our deepest spiritual journey ever.  We're not going anywhere.  This is the type of thing Jesus did to prepare himself for the work ahead.  Baseball players have their spring training.  Football players attend camps.  My wife and I will be working together to go inward.  Our goal is to get closer to Jesus.  The niceties will be back every Sunday until our 40 days are up.  It's like entering a tunnel without really knowing what's on the other side.  Stay tuned for the report on what happens.  Have a great day.

Resolving the Mind-Body Conflict

If you tell me you don't have any challenges between your brain and your body, I already know who won and you're not gonna like my answer.  It's the result you get when the spoiled kid gets everything he wants.  Some day he will move out and become society's problem unless his parents do their jobs before it's too late.  There are tell-tale signs you're in conflict and most people don't even see them.

How many times do you hit that snooze button before you finally get out of bed?  How many hours do you spend in front of the TV?  How many things on your to-do list never get done?  How often are you late for appointments?  These questions are to help you understand your body is in charge and this means your life will probably never get any better than the status quo.

Wild horses can be tamed.  The untrained pet who appears out of control can be properly instructed.  Your mind can be domesticated as long as you're willing to do the work.  You won't ever change unless you recognize there's a better way to live.  How do you resolve the mind-body conflict?  You allow your mind to be in charge of your body.  As St. Paul said in Romans 12:21, "take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ."  This means you must find a way to take your mind to obedience school the same way you take your pet to obedience training.  Let Jesus be your trainer.  When that alarm goes off in the morning, get up before you hit the snooze button.  Show your body you mean business and don't let up.  Have a great day.

How I Stumbled into My New Life

Some of you have been with me on my blog journey for the entire ten year period.  One of my uncles told me how my mom's sister gets her morning coffee and sits down to read my stories as if it's some kind of long-distance sharing with her nephew.  A couple more of you shared that you've never missed a single message.  There are those mornings when I stare at a blank screen unsure of what I should share.  There's a part of me that wishes I could jump across the boundaries that exist because of privacy concerns from my family and my workplace.  Today I'm going to go a little further than my normal comfort zone allows because I want to share a moment with my mother that altered the course of my life.  My hope is that when she reads this story she will understand I'm sharing because I want my readers to experience how she inspired me to improve my life.

Last year I got an opportunity to spend some quiet time with my mother in the home where we grew up.  In the early sixties, we found ourselves surrounded by amazing neighbors and abundant playmates.  My mother is the last remaining resident of that time period.  We sat together in the front part of the house that was once a carport.  It has been converted into a comfy family room with a cozy place for mom to sit in front of her computer.  I asked my mother what she would like to do and she invited me to sit beside her and watch some of her favorite YouTube videos on her computer.  She especially likes watching Dr. Joe Dispenza.  The video we watched together was about getting over yourself and something about his ideas clicked inside of me so I jotted down his name and told my mother I was going to order one of his books, "Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself."  Well, I couldn't put the book down and ended up ordering a couple more.  Mom checked in with me and seemed thrilled about my willingness to try some of the ideas shared in the books.  These ideas are not mainstream and they may seem farfetched for a world that clings to what amounts to a reliving of the same daily routines.  Maybe I was ready to try something new.  After all, the caveman food experiment worked out really well and that experiment opened my mind for change.

If my tennis opponents read this, they may find my secret to my winning ways.  I happen to play on three tennis teams, the 18+, the 40+ and the 55+ and we have won state championships in multiple age group categories.  I am the second oldest at 59.5 and so far I'm not slowing down.  I'm using the meditation techniques in Dr. Dispenza's books to help me modify my thinking.  A second scientist who appeals to me is Dr. Caroline Leaf.  She uses scripture and science to show others how God works to enhance our lives.  She's been doing brain research for over thirty years and her ideas are changing our opinions about how our brains work.  She's a big believer in the 63-day rule, meaning if you want to change your brain and make something permanent, you need to stay with it for three full cycles of 21 days each.

I would like to thank my mother for inviting me to sit with her late last year and explore some new ideas.  Now that I'm well past Dr. Leaf's 63-day rule for making habits permanent, I can say with confidence that my morning meditations are a permanent lifestyle.  I'm now meditating for up to two hours a day with ease and plan to go even deeper in the near future.  Thank you, mom.  You're the best.  And special thanks to those who visit daily.  I can't wait to share my book projects with you.  Have a great day.

Par for the Course February Update

The month may not be officially over but I already know there's a bogey on the scorecard.  I'm playing this debt reduction game I created to help me have fun while chipping away at my mortgage, one swing at a time.  The idea is to have my mortgage fully paid off at the end of 36 months.  This is the 14th month.  The first year got off to a horrible start with a series of bogeys in the first half of the year.  I altered my approach to the game, cut out some unnecessary bad habits and got back on track with improved scores.  This is my first bogey in the second year of playing meaning I fell short of my target for the month.  I will need some eagles down the road to make up for the shortfall.  I'm doing my best to visualize what it looks like to finish this game and be financially independent and that picture in my mind keeps me motivated.

One of the lessons I'm learning about playing my own game of debt reduction is that you can have fun while getting out of debt.  Monthly tracking helps me understand what's working and what needs improvement.  I know one thing for sure, I'm going to stay on this course until my mortgage is paid off.  Have a great day.

You Found My Blue Zone

Congratulations!  You found my blue zone.  It's the nickname I give the special territory on the planet where I happen to reside.  According to Dan Buettner, blue zones are places where people live longer than average.  If you want to read more about his research from his time scouring the world as a National Geographic photographer, click here to order Blue Zones.

My life hasn't always been a blue zone example for others.  There was a period of time when my life was more like a red zone, a place where bad food choices, fast foods, and Mountain Dew ruled my day.  No wonder I suffered from all sorts of sad health conditions including high cholesterol, high blood pressure, high triglycerides and excessive weight around my belly.  Yes, I was headed for an early grave, the opposite of what a blue zone life is all about.  If you're new to my blog, maybe you're wondering what changed.  I realized my life needed a makeover and I found it in a food experiment my cousin, a doctor, offered me when I was at rock bottom.  His experiment saved my life.

If I could make one suggestion about living in the blue zone, I would recommend that you first decide you can improve your life no matter how far off the deep end you may be.  Start small and make daily choices that get you out of the danger zone and into a life of joyful opportunity.  Surround yourself with people who desire a blue zone lifestyle.  Bookmark this blog and join me in my quest to live life to its fullest.  I'm happy you found my blue zone.  Thanks for visiting.  Have a great day.

Can You Edit Your Emotions?

Ask yourself if you feel you're living in the past?  Perhaps you suffered trauma.  Maybe your childhood didn't go the way you wanted it to go.  The sad part about your past is that it cannot be changed.  History cannot be rewritten.  There is good news, though.  You can edit your emotions the same way you edit your grocery list.  The best form of whiteout that I use is something called forgiveness.  It won't erase your past but it will help you look at it from a different point of view.

Negative emotions are like prison cells.  They somehow hold you captive.  Sadly, those bullies from your past that you fail to forgive are your cellmates.  You have the power to rewrite your feelings about your past.  You have the key that can unlock the jailhouse door and set everybody free.  Reframe your life's story and ponder all the valuable lessons you learned.  Perhaps the person you are today is because you survived tumultuous times.

I've been doing some challenging editing lately.  My characters needed some upgrades.  What I overlooked is that I need some serious editing in my own life.  The more I can edit my emotions about my past the better I feel inside my soul.  Give forgiveness a try.  See if this helps with your editing efforts.  Have a great day.

What is life worth living?

What is life worth living?  Let's play a game.  Let's make a deal.  You can choose your life as it exists now behind door number one.  Behind door number two is the life you're created to live.  Consider it a dream life.  Behind door number three is the life others want you to live including your parents, your friends, and your boss.  Which door will you choose?  Are you feeling some pressure?  Please allow me to add to the tension to the game.  Take a look around at who is in the audience.  Do you see your family members?  Your boss?  What about that old man in the back row?  I invited him to help you with your choice.  His name is Socrates.  He loves to play games and he also enjoys observing how others make their choices.

Many people are already playing this game and every day they subconsciously choose door number one.  It's sort of a default choice.  Nothing really changes because it's what they know.  Others choose door number three because they succumb to peer pressure or pressure from a higher authority.  Are you tempted to ask that old man in the back row for his input?  I'm warning you, he won't give you a direct answer.  He will ask you so many questions that your head will spin.  If you do choose to consult him, you may get him to say that an unexamined life is not worth living.  In my opinion, that's what doors one and three are for, people who don't take the time to seriously consider how much impact they could make on the world around them by simply examining their own lives and perhaps discovering their own purpose.

It's time to pick a door.  The world is watching.  God is also watching.  Maybe today is a good day to choose a different door.  Have a great day.

How to Defeat the Debt Monster

Some people think that it's impossible to live without the debt monster.  They think he's a permanent roommate.  The longer he's been around the more challenging it is to evict him.  I'm pushing 60 and my debt monster has been around ever since I was old enough to sign up for credit cards.  Credit cards aren't evil but they do have the ability to ensnare those who don't see the trap – a lifetime of payments to others for the use of their money.

I have a suggestion for those seeking a way to defeat the debt monster and remove him permanently.  Simply pretend your debt monster isn't really a monster.  Your debit card isn't a monster, right?  What's the difference between your debit card and your credit card?  In our household, we pretend our credit card is really a debit card.  No monsters exist because there aren't any interest fees when the credit card is paid in full before the due date.  That's right.  Our credit card usage is limited to those times when the money is in the bank first, just like our debit card usage.  No money, no charge.  No charge, no interest.  No interest, no debt monster.

Once the credit card debt monster has been domesticated and turned into a harmless family pet that rewards you with points or money when used properly, you can turn your attention to car loans and mortgages.  Car loans are easy if you can curb your appetite and stop buying the latest models with high price tags and drive your vehicles long after the loans are paid off.  In fact, why not just keep making those car payments to yourself once you retire your car loan and then make your next purchase using cash?

The last sign of the debt monster in our home is the mortgage.  We decided to accelerate our monthly loan payments in order to free ourselves forever.  The extra principal payments are on autopilot so we avoid the temptation to spend on other things we really don't need.  Slaying our debt monster is our top priority and we refuse to get distracted.  It's a daily effort.  Remember, you can feed your debt monster and he will be with you forever or you can set up a plan to evict him.  It's your choice.  Have a great day.

Heat Wave Today

30º may not seem like much to my friends and family living in the warmer climates but for us, it's about a 30º increase over what we've been experiencing lately.  This feels like a heatwave.  My wife and I will bask in the sun on our way to and from our house of worship this morning and then I'm headed to my day job for the final day of our first contest of the year.  We do these friendly challenges between stores to keep our jobs exciting.  Have a great day.

From Incoherence to Coherence

The first time I entered the room filled with rows and rows of file cabinets I noticed what a mess this place is.  Everything is out of order.  Getting rid of all the chaos in this room will take a lifetime.  That's okay.  I have a lifetime to make sense of all the files.  It requires daily effort.  I'm slowly developing a plan to clean everything up.  I'm sorry.  I don't have time to figure out what your own private room means to you other than to say if I share what I'm doing to usher in the coherence and somehow allow the incoherence to dissolve maybe it will inspire to enter your own subconscious mind and tend to your own brain garden.  Just realize that what you are capable of creating in your own mind can influence the world around you.

The first hurdle I needed to overcome in my journey to a coherent brain is this idea of time.  It's a commodity and we each have the same amount.  The world will do its best to persuade you that spending time in the quiet space of your own mind is a waste of time.  If you want everything to be a repeat of the day before, listen to the world and stay out of your inner mind.  All I can say is that my daily meditations are helping me to gain coherence and I'm willing to spend my mornings in my room before I do anything else because I believe it's the highest and best of use of my time.

The second hurdle you need to battle is your own incoherent brain.  I say incoherent because as long as your body is fighting your plan to change your life you are living inside an incoherent brain.  That's why my room is a mess.  There's no order.  Not yet.  The only thing I'm really aware of right now is how massive this remodeling project is.  I need a complete renovation.  I need an improved system for keeping track of how I'm to live my life.

You may want to consider some type of reward system for allocating time to your private room.  I play YouTube videos of beaches on my big screen TV in my basement and add some classical music while I do my morning meditations. I wear a headset to help me filter out any outside noise.  I'm making my visits so pleasant that I want to visit before I do anything else.  The great feeling I have when I'm done visiting is creating a desire to keep coming back.  My hope is that as I improve with creating coherence the world may benefit from what I have to offer.  Only time will tell.  Have a great day.

Your Best Valentine's Day Gift

Are you searching for the perfect Valentine's Day gift to give to your spouse/significant other/parents/children?  I have an idea.  It's very different from traditional gifts, like flowers, chocolate, etc.  This gift is something you can give not only to your loved ones but the world.  This gift is your personal commitment to be the best version of yourself you can be.  I know.  I know.  You're already resisting because the traditional gifts are tangible and who in their right mind would tell their love, "honey, my gift to you today is my commitment to be the best version of myself"?

Perhaps I'm not in my right mind.   Maybe the influence of the generations who came before me are causing certain predispositions and proclivities.  You may have heard about the sins of the fathers and all that negative stuff that you think gives you permission to act and behave a certain way.  I'm here on this Valentine's Day to say it doesn't have to be this way.  You don't have to pass on any negativity that was learned from your ancestors.  We're living in a broken world and we are broken.  That's why the world needs you to step up right now and commit.  If you've read this far, maybe something deep within your soul is saying, "Hey, maybe this lunatic is on to something.  What do I have to lose by making this promise to be the best version of myself?"  I'm warning you, this gift is going to cost you.  This is not some cheap gift you throw away when Valentine's Day is over.  This is a commitment to change.  I promise you that if you come back every day and visit I will share how I'm living my promise to my wife to be the best version of myself.  In my opinion, this is the perfect gift. Why?  Because this gift is your choice to align with your Creator and live his plan for your life.  Go ahead.  Join me.  Pledge to walk this path.  Let's do this together.  Have a great day.

What Your Mask Reveals About Yourself

People wear masks to protect themselves.  Have you noticed lately how the numbers of mask wearers are on the rise?  The same is true in the places that tend to be the safest for mask wearers – houses of worship.  My wife showed me a note in the bulletin about the suspension of handshaking during the sign of peace.  The note read a simple wave will suffice during flu season.  I'm one of those people who likes to shake hands and I'm not afraid of the consequences.  In my opinion, all these things we do to protect ourselves lead to further isolation.  That's where the real trouble is – where fear prevents us from abundant life.

It's -2º this morning as I prepare for my morning commute to my day job.  Once again, the roads will be peligroso, meaning dangerous.  Many will stay in their homes where they're safe.  Not me.  Fear will never have any negative influence on my life.  I won't hide behind any masks.  I'll shake hands as long as the people around me aren't afraid of the consequences.  The next time you're tempted to put on a mask, remember what it tells the people around you.  Maybe today is a good day to decide your mask is no longer necessary because you're done with hiding.  Have a great day.

Strength Training

Any solid strength training program requires some kind of sacrifice.  It may involve pain.  Building a solid character works the same way.  My latest travel adventure was extended beyond my comfort zone resulting in an unexpected overnight in an airport waiting room.  This will give me an opportunity to work on my willpower.   I'm wide awake and ready for the final leg of my return home.  I'm headed straight to my day job this morning.  It will be an interesting day of strength training.  Have a great day.

Find Peace in All Surroundings

I confess there have been many times in my life when finding peace was a bit challenging.  Large families have a natural way of sparking rivalries than sometimes spill over into adulthood.  Poor choices by one can affect all others. 

I've seen two wildfires that displaced us from our neighborhood.  I've been stuck in an airplane because the outside temperature reached the danger zone of 124 degrees.  Last year it was the polar vortex that invited itself to our state with wind chills of -40 degrees causing our drainage pipes to freeze up.  During all these times I somehow managed to keep my peace.

I sat next to a retired couple at breakfast this morning.  We chatted about places we lived and they told me about their Arizona adventures.  "What time of year did you visit?" I asked.

"February," the wife answered.  "We golfed.  It was 82 degrees.  Too hot."

I wondered what they might think about other times of the year remembering that February for me in Arizona is a close to paradise as it gets.  Then I finished my breakfast and went to the pool.  The temperature was 82 degrees.  It's an easy day to find peace today.  It balances those other days when outside influences are more challenging.  Wherever you find yourself, I pray you maintain your peace in all surroundings.

Is Mind Travel in Your Future?

If you're interested in mind travel, think of it as a skill you develop rather than something you try for five minutes and give up because you're easily distracted.  It's like learning to play a musical instrument.  One piano lesson will result in chopsticks.  The frequent flyer who stays with it will compose like no other.

I'm on a mind travel adventure right now.  This time I decided to bring my body along for the ride.  The mind and body are blogging while on a layover.  We're headed to a place I've been visiting regularly in my mind.

My hope for you is that mind travel becomes a fun part of your life and that this virtual experience you have becomes so exciting that you magically earn frequent flier miles to be cashed in for exotic adventures in your future. Have a great day.

How to Improve Your Stillness Skills

"Be still and know that I am God."  It's biblical.  Yep.  Psalm 46:10.  It was written in a time of war.  If you look around, you may notice we're living in troubled times.  The world is polarized.  There's not too much stillness going around.  If you want to take time to get closer to God, simply follow the instructions in Psalm 46:10.  Be still.  I found a really good way to do this but it takes daily practice.  And there's an obstacle you must confront.  It's that comment everybody makes about not having enough time to be still because there's too much to do.

If you look at two people who are working on the same task at their day jobs and one of them works nonstop without stopping for breaks during his eight-hour shift while the other takes a 15-minute break every two hours and a half-hour lunch, who do you think gets the most work done?  It's the guy who learns to be still at those two-hour intervals.  The same is true when you give yourself time to be still, preferably in the morning before you look at your to-do list.  Thirty minutes of stillness while focusing on knowing who God is should prep you to move mountains.  Keep that stillness up every two hours to maximize your day.

The way you improve your stillness skills is by doing the daily effort.  That's it.  Set aside the time and close your eyes.  Do nothing.  Think of it as prayer time.  You have an invisible labor force inside your mind waiting to assist you with your daily tasks.  You can't access this Divine help unless you heed the advice in Psalm 46:10.  Have a great day.

The People Puzzle

Imagine the world as one giant people puzzle.  There are 7.63 billion pieces.  Like it or not, we are all connected.  Some want to destroy the "people" puzzle because they don't like the contrasts.  The differences aren't tolerated, sometimes even despised.  That's one of the reasons I place so many boundaries on my particular piece of real estate within this puzzle.  I prefer to "hide" my own preferences in order to promote peace and harmony.

I felt a great sadness yesterday when a person I respect and admire aired his intolerance for anyone he is connected to that doesn't share his particular political view.  There's a reason I don't talk politics – it's highly divisive.   He wrote, post a comment if you don't agree with me and I will unfriend you no matter who you are, even if you are family.  Rather than post a comment which meant sharing publicly, I quietly removed myself from his list of friends.  I'm feeling a void from the lost connection.  Sadly, the rifts are only going to increase as tensions rise.

There is only one point of view that truly matters to me – God's.  He envisioned every piece of this magnificent puzzle before we were created.  We are created in love.  It's our choice to love or hate all the other pieces in the people puzzle.  I choose to love them all, even the ones who wish to disconnect or who want to kill off the other pieces because they are different.  Have a great day.

Dilithium Crystals Not Necessary

My early morning discovery yesterday is like finding buried treasure.  Those files inside the vast rows of cabinets contain more than past memories.  Some of them have records of my future.   There are manuscripts for books not yet written.  The whole experience of my 90-minute meditation is one huge mystery that I cannot properly explain except to say there's something supernatural going on.  I headed off to my day job feeling like I was walking on air and that feeling stayed with me all day.

Mind travel is weird, really weird.  Beam me up, Scotty.  I'm ready for some more inner space exploration.  Dilithium crystals are not necessary to engage.  I promise to share details about my meditation adventures in future stories.  Although I'm relatively new at this, I do recommend setting aside time daily to close your eyes and explore.  It's like performing a Vulcan mind-meld on your own brain and the experience will help you become a better version of yourself.  Have a great day.

Exploring New Worlds

I only have a few minutes to report to you today.  That's because I just came out of very deep meditation.  It was so deep that I completely lost track of time.  I was relying on my wife to kiss me goodbye on her way to work but she decided to leave me to my meditation undisturbed and I didn't have any kind of time clock to wake myself back up and return to the reality of this world.  Oh my, what an experience.  It lasted more than 90 minutes.  I imagined I was in this large building with no windows.  There were rows and rows of file cabinets representing my life.  Each cabinet contained sets of files and each file was a record of my past.  My job in the meditation was to somehow organize these files and make sense of my purpose.  Apparently, the best way to look at these records is when I'm in this sort of trance I was in this morning where time stopped.  Fortunately, I woke up in time to go to my day job.

This experience began when I went downstairs into our dark basement before sunrise, turned on Vivaldi, set up a kaleidoscope on my big screen TV and closed my eyes.  My inner world came alive and I was in this record room for what seemed like five or ten minutes.  All I can say is that when I came out of my trance I was completely relaxed.  The combination of a fatigued body from the prior night of tennis and a busy work schedule set me up to go the deepest ever in my morning meditation. Wow!  There are so many files to clean up.  I will have to keep coming back until I can make sense of everything.  It's time to head to my day job.  Only time will tell what these meditations will do.  I do recommend that you give yourself time to be separate from the world.  Have a great day.

The Day I Crossed the Double Yellow Line

On this day, two years ago, I lost control of my beloved Honda and slid over the double yellow line into oncoming traffic.  I will never forget the look of terror on the man's face as he approached me at 50mph.  There was nothing he could do.  The highway was icy and there was no way for either of us to stop before the collision.  I thought perhaps my life was over.  As I reflect on that day, I'm thankful for my life and my daughter's life.  She was sitting beside me when our lives spun out of control.  The paramedics were so focused on getting me out of the vehicle that they left my daughter behind.  The road conditions were too dangerous for my family to come to the hospital where I was treated in the trauma center so they stayed home and prayed.

Today's story is about the power of prayer.  When my wife and daughter arrived the next morning, the doctors were already talking about discharging me.  "How can this be?"  my wife asked.  "His spleen is already healing," the doctor responded.  "There's nothing we can do for the seven broken ribs except send your husband home and wish him a speedy recovery."  I really didn't do much during the day except pray nonstop since I couldn't move my body and the pain was somewhat overwhelming.

By the way, if you want to avoid wearing a neck brace after a major accident, make sure the first question you ask when you meet your ER doctors isn't, "how soon can I play competitive tennis again?"  It would have been a much better night if I could have turned my head to see my surroundings.  Oh well, that's in the past now and my bozo question is behind me.  I do happen to be on the tennis courts tonight to celebrate my victory over all the anxiety I suffered due to the accident. One of my biggest challenges during my recovery was staying off the tennis courts until my bones healed.  The accident taught me to savor every day.  Have a great day.

How to Improve Your Brain

Has anyone ever told you it's impossible to grow new brain cells?  If you believe that, maybe you think you're in some kind of downward spiral and your life is slowly deteriorating.  Your perception of the world inside and outside your brain does have a major influence on your brain cells.  I learned a new word today, neurogenesis.  It means growing new brain cells.  If you know how it works, you can influence the growth rate and make more than enough new brain cells to enhance the quality of your life.

Think of your brain as a balance sheet.  Your 100 billion brain cells are your assets.  Some activities you perform work against your assets.  These liabilities include cheating on your sleep, drinking excessively, and getting involved in stressful situations that take away your peace of mind.  Poor eating habits also negatively influence your brain cells and kill them off.

If you want to improve your brain and maximize its net worth, read books and learn new activities.  This will spur new brain cells.  It's also a good idea to visit new places and make new friends.  Spend time with nature.  Meditate.  Do these things regularly and other people may think you discovered the fountain of youth.  Have a great day.

Do You Have Tech Neck?

It may not be a real medical term, but many people suffer from looking down at their cell phones too often, causing aches and pains.  There's an easy way to improve your condition if you're experiencing trouble from tech neck.  Look up.  Look to the right.  Look to the left.  Take breaks from your cell phone.  Avoid looking down as much as possible.  I've been doing a series of neck stretches and it's helping me to get myself in better alignment.  Pay attention to your cell phone use and see if you can make some simple adjustments.  Have a great day.

A Different Kind of Super Bowl Sunday

It's Super Bowl Sunday.  If you're here because you're curious about who I'm cheering for or you want to know about my perspective, you won't find anything similar to just about every other typical American who happens to be going through their traditional rituals today.  I'm not knocking them, they're just not for me.  I'm on a much different path.

TV no longer plays a major role in my life.  I cut the cable bill as part of a plan to live a debt-free lifestyle.  There were other reasons too, like cutting the influence others have in the political arena, especially during election cycles.  There are those who use their advertising dollars to try to convince me my body will need certain pills when I reach a particular age and I'd rather not allow their influence to invade my subconscious mind.  Since my favorite football team rarely makes it to the Super Bowl, my biggest interest was watching the commercials but now they no longer have any luster for my tastes so I'm not watching today's game.

What kind of Super Bowl Sunday am I having today?  It started with a walking meditation at sunrise. I listened to the sounds of ocean waves while I walked around in my basement sometimes pausing to stretch my body.  I closed my eyes and continued my meditation with something called the "blessing of the energy centers."  The ocean waves played in the background and my mind drifted to a secluded beach until the meditation was over.  While others prepare to attend super bowl parties, I will walk to my house of worship with my wife and we will thank God for all the blessings in our lives.  Then it will be off to my day job.  It's a different kind of Super Bowl Sunday but one that fits my off-the-beaten-path lifestyle.  Have a great day.

Mind Garden Tools

You may not be able to see what your mind looks like with your eyes but you can get an amazing view of it with the proper imagination.  I visit my inner mind every morning and I find it to be an incredible experience, similar to playing Par for the Course, an imaginary game of debt reduction that is producing lifechanging results in my personal life.  When you pretend your mind is a garden and you spend enough time looking around, you may notice there are some things that need attention.  It may be the overgrown weeds.  The grass may need some mowing.  With the right tools, you can clean up your mind so that it appears as a championship golf course or any other place you enjoy visiting.

I have specific tools in my bag.  They look like golf clubs and each tool is for a specific purpose.  On days when I find myself in the sand trap, I grab my wedge and dig myself out.  There happens to be a set of fins and a snorkel for those days when I'm underwater due to unforeseen circumstances.  Your mind garden tools can be anything you desire to help you clean up your mind.  Once you master your mind gardening, you can master anything in the world around you.  Whatever you do, don't let your body get in the way of your daily visits and don't try to visit your mind without bringing all the necessary tools.  Happy gardening.  Have a great day.