(Another email forward)

Maybe…

We are supposed to meet the wrong people before meeting the right one so when we finally meet the right person, we will know how to be grateful for that gift.

Maybe…

When the door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we don’t see the new one which opened for us.

Maybe…

It is true that we don’t know what we have until we lose it, but it is also true that we don’t know what we have been missing until it arrives.

Maybe…

The happiest people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything they have.

Maybe…

You should dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go; be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you dream of and want to do.

Maybe…

There are moments in life when you miss someone – a parent, a spouse, a friend, a child – so much that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them for real.

Maybe…

The best kind of friend is one you can sit on a porch and swing with, never say a word…but when they walk away you feel as if it was the best conversation you’ve ever had.

Maybe…

You should always try to put yourself in others’ shoes. If you feel that something could hurt you, it probably will hurt the other person, too.

Maybe…

You should do something nice for someone every single day, even if it is simply to leave them alone.

Maybe…

Giving someone all your love is never an assurance that they will love you back. Don’t expect love in return; just wait for it to grow in their heart; but, if it doesn’t, be content that it grew in yours.

Maybe..

You shouldn’t go for looks; they can deceive; Don’t go for wealth; even that fades. Go for someone who makes you smile, because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright. Find the one that makes your heart smile

I loved you once
You broke my heart
But it turned out
You were playing a part
Unknown to you
or me at the time
Following the path of
your subconscious mind
For years I hoped
You’d share your life
I left that door open
And kept you in sight
The silence instead
Cut to my soul
Till I accepted
My heart with a hole
But now you are here
Knocking on that door
I have to wonder
just what’s in store
I look at this face
Across from me
The man I once loved
is the person I see
A friend that I lost
To himself long ago
Is now reaching out
To say “Let’s go slow”
I’m trying to start over
To just find a way
But I don’t know how
or what to say
So bear with me now
As I think all this through
And separate memories
from the idea of you

I need to structure my life so that I never have to drive on the roads between the hours of:

• 7:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.
• 12 noon and 3 p.m.
• 5:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Ok, I have sat through 3 nights of scuba classroom sessions, learning the theory and principles behind what I have dreamt of doing for a long time. Some nearly 12 hours of information and plenty of reading have led me to this assessment - I need to do this.

Yes, there are dangers and risks involved but just about all of them are within the control of the diver so long as they follow the correct procedure and don’t take silly unnecessary risks. It is not easy and requires a lot of thought and planning to ensure that dive is safe. The equipment that you depend on is heavy and needs detail attention. But all in all, I think this is going to be amazing.

Next week we will finish up the theory and then it’s on to the pool to start practising actual techniques. Then by the end of August we will head for open water for the real thing.

My number one lesson for this week?

JUST KEEP BREATHING

What is the purpose of life? That’s one of those big questions. People answer it in different ways and some people never figure it out. Steve Pavlina declares that the purpose of life is to:

1. Discover and accept ever deeper truths.
2. Learn to love more deeply and unconditionally.
3. Develop and express your creativity.

He points out that these three activities lead to wisdom, joy and strength which are in fact the end goals of life - to be wise, joyful and strong.

He does in fact say quite a bit more than this but if you make these three items part of your life goals you are definitely going to be headed in a good direction.

Ok, so I have made a habit of incorporating self-reflection into my life, not just at major milestones but along the way. I have not yet developed the habit of a regular review. This article at Marc and Angel provides 20 questions to ask yourself every Sunday. It seems pretty long and involved but I guess if done regularly the answers might well come easier. I can see where thinking through things in this way would help move you forward.

1. What did I learn last week?
2. What was my greatest accomplishment over the past week?
3. Which moment from this past week was the most memorable and why?
4. What’s the #1 thing I need to accomplish this week?
5. What can I do right now to make the week less stressful?
6. What have I struggled with in the past that might also affect the upcoming week?
7. What was last week’s biggest time sink?
8. Am I carrying any excess baggage into the week that can be dropped?
9. What have I been avoiding that needs to get done?
10. What opportunities are still on the table?
11. Is there anyone I’ve been meaning to talk to?
12. Is there anyone that deserves a big ‘Thank You’?
13. How can I help someone else this coming week?
14. What are my top 3 goals for the next 3 years?
15. Have any of my recent actions moved me closer to my goals?
16. What’s the next step for each goal?
17. What am I looking forward to during the upcoming week?
18. What are my fears?
19. What am I most grateful for?
20. If I knew I only had one week to live, who would I spend my time with?

Though I do think my brain is great (heh heh), it can always be developed even further. This article I found on My Super-Charged Life has some tips on things to do to exercise your brain. Some of my favourites:

1. Read a good book - Reading a book stimulates the imagination as your brain draws mental pictures.
2. Be a continual learner - Seek out new experiences, skills, and knowledge and challenge your brain to improve its abilities.
3. Recall old memories - Old picture albums can tap into your brains memory banks.
4. Make beautiful music - Music is a great workout for the mind. Nuff said.

We all have things that we dream of doing - something we have just always wanted to be able to do. For some people when they get the chance to actually do it, the dream turns out to be better than the reality. For others however, the drea only ever scraped the surface - the actual experience is even more powerful, thrilling etc. than expected.

I am standing on the edge of a dream I have had for years. Last night I started the process, and even though it’s only the beginning and I haven’t gotten to the good stuff yet, I am loving it. I am dying to get int the meat of the matter, to get my feet wet The more I hear and talk and learn about it, the more excited I get.

Next weekend I should get the chance to really jump into it and by then I will report on my dream experience.

I came across this great list of money-free ideas, ie. ways to spend time without spending any money. The author of the article has a money-free weekend every couple of weeks with his wife and they are not allowed to spend any money (besides money already spent on utilities). So no renting videos or going out to eat. The list has some fun ideas, some of which I do or have done including starting a 101 in 1001 list (which in itself is a good starting point), baking homemade bread or just learning stuff.

P.S. Speaking of my 101 list, I am slowly making progress. I have only completed about a quearter of my list with several more in progress. I am running out of time in my original 1001 days but no worries, maybe I will start another when that’s up.

That was the headline of a review in today’s paper about the recently concluded Panfest 2008 in HD. Ended not with a bang but a helluva blast!! Fantastic! Wish we could have got this during the first weekend but no worries. Rave reviews are always good.