The scents, the lights, the music, the hugs, the kisses, and the hunger in the eyes of a child.
Taking off from LaGuardia one cold winter night, feeling lucky to get on the plane and for the plane to take off after an afternoon and evening of delay after delay (a very glamorous Life), I had Led Zeppelin in my ear upon lift-off.
As we flew over Manhattan, the speed of the jet, the lights of the city, the joy of the song made me take a moment to pinch myself. Thinking of what I thought would have happened in my life, and what didn’t or did.
No, I am not a rock star, nor am I rich with money. I can sing, and I am both fortunate and grateful. I have to work on being mindful of being thankful.
Recently, I heard one of my favoritie songs – The Parting Glass – sung by the University of Wisconsin Eau-Claire Women’s Concert Chorale. I look at the faces of those listening to the sweet voices and see the impact their voices have on those listening the words and the importance of the Parting Glass.
I think of being grateful
I am grateful I can still smell dinner cooking, a wonderful fragrance of flowers, something new, and even something old. There are days I can smell Grandma’s house, almost 1,000 miles away and years ago.
Now we are stuck, or so it seems. Now we can see that less is more.
Now we cherish the time we have with those we love. I love the Chinese cookie fortune I saved for years, added to this blog as the image. It seems so perfect for December.
What we miss in life are the things we see, but we don’t. What we hear, but we don’t. What we smell, but we don’t—waiting for perfect. Tomorrow will always be better or more enjoyable than today. As one of my Aunts said to me, “You’re wishing your life away,” and she was right.
Please remember the hungry children.
The Back Story
How to grow? There is so much truth in the following statement –
Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime. I like the following link to this quote, and you can see all of the quotes and meanings from around the world.
Read more about the quote above –
When I tell you, I got an incredible joy out of listening to Led Zeppelin flying over Manhattan on a freezing winter night, the lights of the city glistening and thinking back on where I wanted to be at 34 years old, being 50 something and feeling fantastic. It didn’t happen overnight.
There is No shortcut, Enjoy the Journey. I wish I had.
Strive to be a leader of people, not a controller. Even when you are Not in a Leadership position, there will always be someone younger searching for wisdom, knowledge, how to get from here to there. And they are Watching you.
Strive to be a Fisher of “Men” https://www.gotquestions.org/fishers-of-men.html
In life, there will always be people who want you to “follow” them so they can give you little pieces of joy, just enough to keep you from starving, but never enough to help you get to where they are in life.
“They are going to give you just enough to keep you from having the energy to revolt,” thinking, feed them their basic needs, not wants.
Thinking to themselves – If they knew what they wanted, there would be no followers, and we can’t have that.
Synonymous with a controlling relationship, which has happened repeatedly since the beginning of time.
What are they willing to “Teach” you so you can feed and free yourself? Ask them that question.
That is a loaded question because that means the controller will need a real plan, actually work, plan, prepare, and launch. Not drink expensive scotch on your dime.
After all, you are either paying them to represent you, or you are a part of their success, and they have forgotten, and you are too busy trying to survive.
In My Life, I have asked this question over and over again. What is the Plan? I typically hear crickets because there is no plan, if there were a plan, they would share it, and if there isn’t a plan, you have to ask yourself why?
Maybe they know you wouldn’t follow them if you saw the plan or worse.
Its more important to me that you have a strong desire for knowledge, to learn more, to inquire, to search for the truth – Ann Emanuele
What to Write About? – Writing Prompts
What has brought you Joy?
What memories bring you Joy?
The face of a person you have never forgotten
Stories to encourage you to write for Personal Growth, Ignoring the Noise to Move Forward. Life Writing and Storytelling for Growth Motivation.
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