It's Not Magic, It's The Way It Should Be

From time to time I pass along those moments that enrich daily life. Such as the other morning in Houston. Spouse and I were in Houston to take in MAGIC! at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. We favor a particular hotel convenient to the museum district and prime shopping areas. I decided to go to the lobby for an early morning coffee before packing to return home. I punched the elevator button and in a moment the door opened. As I was entering, I noticed a man down the leaving his room with much luggage. He walked directly to the elevator. “Perfect timing,” I said.

“It always is,” said he. “That’s the way it should be.”

“Absolutely,” confirmed I.

The door opened in the lobby and off he went to check out and I for coffee. Perfect timing. I’m certain that is the case for him. It’s the case for us as well. I noted the parking places in the packed lots that suddenly opened as we approached the night before. How smooth was the flow of traffic through the city both on arrival and upon leaving. That’s the way it should be.

Come to think of it, we get cranky when it isn’t. Which means that we know that it should.  We know that things should go right.  It's not magic when they do, it's the way it is.

Make up your mind to be happy?

Abraham Lincoln remarked that “most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” Old Abe was on target with that observation of the human experience. In a simple sentence he notes the link between emotions and thinking. That’s a connection many folks have difficulty making even today. The attention (thinking) precedes the feeling (emotion.) It is the process of relating to people, conditions, and circumstances.

If what you observe is pleasing, you feel good. If it is not pleasing you feel bad. The emotion indicates the manner you interpret the world around you. The operative word is interpret. Greek Stoic Philosopher Epictetus noted over two thousand years ago that “men are not disturbed by things, but by the view which they take of them.” Even more insightful was his observation that “Suffering arises from trying to control what is uncontrollable.” How often have we heard this through the ages? The bottom line appears to be that it is your thinking that establishes how you interpret observations and how you feel about them.

The question is what degree of happiness (comfort, good feeling) have you made up your mind to experience? A wonderful exercise is to decide to appreciate something in every moment. It doesn’t matter where you are or what you are doing, there is something you can appreciate and thus shift your thinking and interpretation towards better feelings. Some appreciation can be basic: “I love having hot water available to me when I want it.” “I like having a crew haul away my trash and garbage each week.” I appreciate the choice in foods that I eat.” The more you find to appreciate, the easier it becomes – and the more you enjoy the process – which results in a more enjoyable day and (Lagniappe Alert!) a better night’s sleep.

Others may grouse and complain – that’s their choice of thought. You can’t control what they think and do anymore than they control your thoughts and decisions. However, they might get curious about your confounding cheerfulness... Abe got it right.

One Potato, Two Potato, A Bunch Potatoes More!

You'll just have to put up with another tale from the spring garden.  A couple of months ago we pulled a "growing" potato from the potato bin in the pantry.  Obviously it wasn't going to be part of the potato salad.  Well, why not?  I thought.  So, I chopped it up and planted it in an empy area of the circle garden.

Lo and Behold, the potato liked it!  And recently we plucked this bounty (above, basket) from that effort.  Another couple of weeks and we'll dig up a different type of potato (same scenario, just weeks later.)

Philosophy resumes next post.