Simplicity

Certainly there is beauty in intricacy. Complexity is full of tantalizing paths and circuitous routes to get lost down. Philosophical discussions, religious apologetics, delicious debates on controversial subjects. They can be enjoyable for a time.

But in the quiet moments, when I seek clearness of mind, I focus on simplicity.

Simplicity is very important. It keeps the world manageable and intuitive. It gives me the ability to quickly assess situations. To bring together events, people, places, and things and consider them in a rational, meaningful way.

I know the world is a complex place. I know my knowledge is limited, but if I can hold such a delicate butterfly as this moment long enough to actually see her wings tremble with the joy of being alive then I'll be satisfied.

Because everything meaningful happens in this immediate, perfect, simple moment and more than anything else in the world I want to be awake to that.

Pushed or Pulled

You can either be pushed by things or pulled by things.

When pushed you are not quite ready, not quite committed, uneasy and unsure. When pulled you are engaged, your interest has been peaked, your curious and intrigued.

Both of these are doors of the same house. One is the front door, the other the back. It's the same house, but from different perspectives. But here's something you might not know - each of us is that house.

The only difference between the two doorways is fear and faith. I'm afraid I won't be able to pull it off. I'm afraid I'm inadequate. I'm afraid I'm not smart enough, or brave enough, or capable. I don't trust the Universe to guide and protect me.

But let me say this clearly, I want to be fearless not afraid. I want to experience the joy and wonder of going to a place I thought I couldn't go. I want to be pulled into new ideas, new perspectives, and new ways of seeing things from my heart and not kicking and screaming by my heels.

And what do we really have to lose? Looking foolish? Unprepared? Not as polished as we'd like to be? God forbid!

Well, let's get over that as soon as possible, because there's some pretty incredible adventures out there and I, for one, don't want to miss a single opportunity because of what I thought I couldn't do.

Compassion

There is nothing stronger than love expressed as compassion. It's what makes us fully human. When we genuinely love and care for another soul we not only elevate the life of that person, but ourselves as well. That's the remarkable thing about it.

There are natural laws of science, there are man-made laws created to keep peace and protect property, and then there are spiritual laws. Laws that when fully embraced produce changes not only in our behavior, but in our very countenance. They guide us and encourage us to treat all life as sacred. To honor that of God in every living thing.

The spiritual law of compassion is no less important. If anything it might even be the most important law you will ever obey. You see, when we obey the law of compassion by carrying for another person our hearts automatically change. We become more whole because we become a part of that person's life. It's an amazing alchemy. The more we repeat compassionate behavior the more whole we become.

I've seen the hardest soul softened by compassion. I've seen my own outlook and experience changed by reaching out and caring. We can get so focused on the events of our lives and our responsibilities that we fly past these opportunities and in doing so we miss so much of what life has to offer.

Take a moment today and reach out to someone else and let them know you care about them as a fellow human being. I guarantee you won't regret it. It might even change your life.

Hardware Software Flesh and Bones

My job involves assisting people who use computers to get work done. But in reality I help people and I fix things. Sometimes, when the stars align, I manage to get them both to work at the same time (glory be!).

Believe it or not computers have as much personality as a person. Every machine has its own quirks and each program has its own idiosyncrasies. An error message may not even be related to the issue at hand. Likewise, people can sometimes be regimented, inflexible, and intolerant. And the responses you get may be anything but what’s happening at the moment.

So it's a very interesting dance that I do - this constant ballet between zeros and ones, offs and ons, hardware and software, flesh and bone, spirit and will – sometimes it’s hard to say which can be the more difficult.

But one thing I do know . . . a physical key can only open the lock it was made for, but love from the human heart? That, my friend, opens all doors.