The sun beating in my windows woke me with intense golden light. It is such a pleasure to wake up that way. Full of gratitude is my state every morning because I love being here in this house.
My room faces east and overlooks a brick terrace that borders the whole length of the back of my house. A lovely view of fields, surrounded on the far edges with woods peacefully extends out from there. The trees are beginning to turn, and it is marvelous to watch. Far down a steep hill from where my house sits, there is a pond to the left. Proceeding up the hill beyond the water, there is the roof of a rusty-red-colored hay barn on my daughter in law’s property.

Life can be delicious. But these days, so many people are full of fear. Worst of all, it seems to be solidifying. Where can we go to avoid it? Nowhere is 100% safe. That is a given. It is best to stop putting worry on the agenda. Pick something nice to think about. Or listen to an uplifting podcast, stirring music, or read a pleasing book. What you think about is what you bring to you. Thoughts are powerful. Thoughts are things. We create our reality with our own minds. Keep your thoughts sweet. What you think about will happen and what you feel is vital to constructing the life you want.

Thinking is your greatest weapon, and yet many miss out on their own power. It is a skill, of course. Practice makes it easier and better all the time. Meditation can be the source of your successful thinking. Affirmations are beyond powerful. They work. Don’t be fooled into negating this simple method of creating what you want. There are many situations where you cannot control the outcomes by simply thinking better thoughts. You have to deal with others and their differing attitudes and mindsets.

But I guess you know by now that life is a series of breakups, broken hearts, triumphs and joys, boredom and lack of motivation, sickness, wellness, introspection, extroversion, and ecstasy, rinse and repeat. This list may seem rather long. Both triumphs and disasters, but it is designed to save you from making your own mistakes. Over a lifetime, one acquires wisdom, which is sharable and useful. It took me the longest time to realize that almost as soon as we get through one crisis, another one arrives. Sometimes one comes on top of another that has not been “got through” yet. It helps to understand this because sometimes, when we are young, we think, “When this is over, everything will be OK.” But that is not the way of the world. Like waves in an ocean, coming towards us steadily, some shallow and harmless others deadly and putting us “in over our heads,” new events never stop appearing. We can’t stop the world. It is part of the ebb and flow of life, like breathing for all life forms with lungs. There is no way to anticipate when the next bad one will come or how long it will last. “Not knowing” is a problematic state for our minds. It is best not to focus on possible problems or wait for a disaster to come when that may be the last thing about which to worry.

Instead, try something new. Push the envelope and see where it leads. It is better for our “peace of mind” to have things to look forward to. We need social activities and family and friends interacting with us. This is more important than ever these days where so many are afraid of a phantom virus about which little is known. Fight the urge to be afraid. It is destructive and it will make things worse. Fearful people are easy to control. Fearful people give up their freedoms in order to be safe. But no one is safe, ever. Part of being grown up is the realization that life is often dangerous, and good things happen randomly, just as bad things do. The ebb and flow makes life rich and full. Be brave. I love to sign my emails, “Go do something risky!”

Copyright©. 2020 Bonnie B. Matheson