Try this:
1. Make a list of the things that make you happy (especially the small simple things)
2. Make a list of the things you do every day
3. Compare the list
4. Adjust accordingly
5. Live your life in a way that makes you happier
Note: a person is about as happy as they make up their mind to be, so go ahead, make up your mind, choose to be happier…..or not, it’s really only up to you
E.A. Fussell
12.21.2020
Starting again
Trying to understand
Why
I keep making progress
Then sliding backwards
Losing
Gaining
Losing
So tired of this yo-yo-ing
Ready to be at goal
Feeling on the cusp
Of that place where I either
Sit on another endless plateau
Or worse
Start gaining
Determined
To move further
Downward
On the infernal scale
I will make goal next year
I will see more positive results
I will change up my plans of
Eating and exercise
And kick my own butt
Over this depressing hill
Thankfully
I will end 2020 with
Significantly less body mass
Than when the year started
Twenty pounds gone
Is a good thing
But I still have
Another thirty to go
So as the new year begins
A new goal is set
A new plan envisioned
And yes, I am holding onto hope
This battle will finally be won
Holding fast as I push forward
Starting again
E.A. Fussell
12.28.2020
It takes courage to admit we don’t know the answers to certain questions. It takes even more courage to admit we don’t even know the right questions. But if we ask the wrong question we are guaranteed to get the wrong answer.
Ponder this for a moment: Think of a current problem you are facing. How did you come to define this problem? Did it magically appear in front of you with no influence from outside forces? Or were you heavily influenced by the media, or your family, or friends, or your employer, or your teacher, or multiple sources?
Do you have time to analyze the problem, really analyze it? Or are you relying on what other people are saying without doing your own research? And if you have done your own research have you looked at all sides of the question? Or just the side that bothers you most?
Looking at all sides of a question allows a problem to be solved in various ways. Deeper questioning allows for the most effective answer. Most of us don’t have the time, inclination, or self-discipline to research and analyze questions the way they should be deciphered. We simply pick which story sounds most plausible to our belief system and agree with what others are saying, adapting their words as our stance.
I challenge you to take one problem in your life and look at it from all sides. For a moment, set aside your emotions, beliefs, and pre-conceived notions. Ask a question related to the problem, gather information from various sources, ask another question, gather more information if needed, continue asking and gathering until you get to an answer that you believe is the correct one. Going five “why’s” deep is an effective way to get to the root cause of a problem
Refuse to accept what other people say as your truth. Research, analyze, ask, repeat. Until you have an answer that is your own. If it aligns with your original position that’s okay, at least you know it to be true for you. But you may find that you come up with a completely new position or approach.
In order to get to the root of a big problem you will need courage to face your own truth. Asking and answering the right questions can be unsettling and frightening as you stare the root cause of a problem in the eye. Sometimes we find it’s our own eye we are staring into. Sometimes it’s the eye of a family member or close friend. Sometimes it’s the eye of the dregs of society.
But would you rather be fighting the real problem by answering the right questions or would you rather continue boxing with shadows?
E.A. Fussell
11.15.2020
Mind and mobility, we sure do take them for granted and aging sure does bring to light how much we take them for granted. The body doesn’t recover as quickly as it did in younger years which can be very frustrating. It needs slow consistent therapy and lots of rest. Slow and rest, two words I am involuntarily learning more about as I age.
Then there is the mind. It is a mystery. Yes, I know that memory issues are common as we age but I really didn’t expect to be experiencing them (so obviously) just shy of sixty. And then there is the jumbling of words that has gotten noticeably worse over the past few months. Thinking one thing but saying something else can be quite alarming. Examples: thinking rent saying mortgage; thinking bank saying post office; thinking garden hose saying rope. These episodes freak me out a little and when I foolishly Googled my symptoms I felt even more concerned. Dr. Google indicates that I have had a stroke, maybe a few! What?!
No, I haven’t had a stroke. There is definitely something neurological happening but it’s a mystery as to what. I started a series of Chinese and alternative medicine treatments about a month ago to improve cognition and memory and so far it seems to be working. Word jumble has decreased from once a day to once a week.
Another month or two of slow and consistent treatment, rest, and prayer should have me well again. One thing is for sure, these experiences have given me perspective of how I would like to live my final years. I have started studying about the brain to help myself and maybe someone else. And when I can move freely again exercise will not be taken for granted, I will consistently workout even if it’s slow.
E.A. Fussell
11.13.2020
“It’s okay to be different”
We all are in some way
When I was very young
I tried to conform
But when I became a teenager
I took a different path
And each decade
Since then
My thought path grows
And the distance between
Conforming
And
Being different
Grows
E.A.Fussell
11/09/2018
Spinning
Round and round
I started listening to your sound
When I first hit this ground
Called earth
And as I grew
My little toddler legs danced around
In my Granny’s living room
To your delightful tunes
She had music playing
Almost every day
She would sing along
To an old country song
As she went about her chores
She instilled in me a need
To hear your beats
And listen to your melodies
In the listening
I am reminded of her love
E.A. Fussell
10.06.2020
The sunset of life is approaching
Where will it take me
How long will it last
Will I row my boat alone
Or will a partner help
I don’t know
It really doesn’t matter
The sunset will come
Regardless of my relationship status
And life has taught me
That no matter how much I plan
Plans don’t always work out
So I will try to be still
And enjoy the beauty
Of every moment
Of whatever comes
Knowing that it’s my sunset
And regardless
Of who may be with me
Only I can see it
E.A. Fussell
10.04.2020
Who is living your life
The image your parents created
The image your partner created
The image your children created
The image your co-workers created
The image your ego mind created
Who is living your life
When you were born
You came here as nobody
Then somebody put a name on you
Somebody started telling you
Who you are
And it continued throughout your life
Maybe the you
That you portray
Really is the inner you
But some
Have never expressed their true self
They keep it hidden
Under what the world
Tells them they should be
Knowing our true selves
Is the simplest thing we can do
But definitely not the easiest
To empty the ego mind
Of all its senseless chatter
In order to hold our core mind
In the heart center
Takes a strong desire
To get rid of
All the veils of identity
This doesn’t mean the veils
Can’t be put back on
All of them or selected ones
To allow the world to see us
As it thinks we are
It simply means
That we are no longer
Triggered by thoughts or emotions
We are no longer bound
By what others think
They can think whatever they want
They can see whatever they want
As we rest in the center of our being
Knowing who we are
Regardless of which hat
We chose to wear
E.A. Fussell
10.04.2020
Life is short
And sometimes needs to be lived
As if
We are in our eighties
Trying to eat an ice cream cone
While cruising in a convertible
Just enjoy it
Even if it’s messy
E.A. Fussell
10.03.2020
Once upon a time
Two stubborn beings
Crossed path
The thinker decided
They could get farther
If they rode together
One upon the other
The stronger one agreed
To this partnership
And offered up its back
The thinker climbed aboard
Then desire to lead took over
The thinker squirmed and kicked
The stronger one stood still
Amused at the thinker’s
Lack of riding skill
The thinker became annoyed
Demanded the stronger one move
Heels kicked up
The thinker flew through the air
Meeting the ground with a thud
The stronger stood still
Waiting for the response
The thinker slowly arose
Brushed off itself from head to toe
Stomped over to the stronger
Stood for a moment
Thought about going on alone
Looked up the path that now
Seemed somehow longer
Then turned to the stronger
Okay, you can lead
The stronger gave
A delighted bray
The thinker climbed aboard
Letting the reins fall loosely
And easily they departed
E.A. Fussell
10.03.2020
Ponder this:
the thinker is like our ego mind
the stronger is like our inner being
