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Stop and Go

Stop and Go –

Ever feel like traffic lights are purposefully hindering your travel? Yesterday I attended an event in a city about an hour and a half from our house. I left early enough to still arrive on time if there was any trouble on the way. Fortunately, there were no accidents or incidents but it seemed as if every traffic light was red or turning red when I approached. It was frustrating! It all evened out on the way back because it was mostly green lights but then I didn’t have to be somewhere at a certain time.

The stop and go of driving is draining for me. You build up some momentum only to have it taken away by watching a green light turn yellow and then red. There’s the thought of speeding up when the light is yellow or ignoring a just changed red light but that’s how accidents happen. As my truck sits there at the light, my eyes focused, waiting for it to turn green I hear the voice of wisdom in my head; “The lights aren’t doing this on purpose. You have plenty of time. There’s no need to feel rushed. Don’t give into the frustration. Breathe Brian. Breathe.” Usually, I can catch myself before I lose it and was able to yesterday although it was close! I arrived at the event with plenty of time to spare. The day was not ruined by traffic lights. All was well.

Life is similar at times. We build up momentum to change a problem, overcome a difficulty, make progress on our journey of life, only to run into roadblocks, obstacles, and setbacks. It can be easy to give up and become negative and a malcontent. We must remember to breathe, that most hard times are followed by easier, less testing times. Life is a long road. As sojourners we hope for the best, plan for the worst and find our way somewhere in between.

For more posts, reflections and other writings, please visit: http://www.thewannabesaint.com

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)

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Reboot

May 27

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

Reboot –

This afternoon I read an article about a new, vicious malware bug that’s infecting many computers. (Read Article Here: FBI to America: Reboot Your Routers, Right Now – https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/security/a20918611/vpnfilter-malware-reboot-router/) The Federal Bureau of Investigation released a memo telling home owners, companies and anyone else to do one simple thing, turn your router off and then back on again. A sophisticated designed piece of software but an easy way to shut it down.

I reflected on this effective, yet simple, way to fix this problem and wondered what would happen if we practiced this discipline in other aspects of our lives. People arguing? Shut it down and come back when cooler heads prevail. Stuck and can get no further on a project? Leave it and then come back when your brain’s had a breather. Helping someone who refuses to let you do so? Stop and give it time. Perhaps when you come back new ears and new understanding will greet you. A big decision got you stumped? Walk away and seek the advice of others.

Wisdom is easier if we cease trying to force it simply allow it to be absorbed.

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

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Tags: #absorbed, #allow, #america, #arguing, #aspects, #bigdecision, #blessings, #cease, #comeback, #coolerheads, #designed, #discipline, #effective, #FBI, #FederalBureauofInvestigation, #fixtheproblem, #force, #further, #giveittime, #happen, #helping, #infecting, #Leaveit, #lives, #malware, #newears, #newunderstanding, #onesimplething, #practiced, #prevail, #project, #Reboot, #reflected, #refuses, #Released, #Routers, #seekadvice, #shutitdown, #simple, #simply, #sophisticated, #stop, #stuck, #thewannabesaint.com, #trying, #vicious, #Walkaway, #way, #wisdom, #wondered, @BrianLoging, Article

Lost in the Moment

May 6

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

Image result for squishy ball

Lost in the Moment –

This morning, before worship service began at church, a girl a few pews ahead of us was playing with a squishy ball. Even after the singing started she sat in her seat throwing the ball up in the air and then catching it. Wasn’t long before the inevitable was going to happen, it went flying to the pew and the people behind her. She retrieved her toy and began again. Eventually, her mother noticed and stopped her but for a moment it was just her and the ball. She was focused on that ball and what was next, what might happen, didn’t exist.

Later in the service, another girl was getting fidgety. The preacher was speaking too long and she was ready to go. So she began to mess with the window blinds, play with and drop things on the floor. Making her way around grandma’s legs she was in the aisle and had found a place on the floor that squeaked and clanked when she stomped on it. A boy sitting beside his mother took notice of the girl and slipped from his mom’s grasp to begin stomping on the floor as well. Two more, lost in the moment.

Consequences and outcomes are important. Not thinking ahead can cause great difficulty and trouble. However, there are other times when being lost in the moment, for a moment, can be a wonderful thing.

blessings
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

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Tags: #after, #around, #ball, #before, #beganagain, #beside, #blessings, #Catching, #cause, #clanked, #consequences, #difficulty, #drop, #eventually, #exist, #fidgety, #Flying, #focused, #grasp, #great, #happen, #important, #inevitable, #lost, #LostintheMoment, #mighthappen, #next, #notice, #noticed, #outcomes, #play, #playing, #readytogo, #retrieved, #Sitting, #slipped, #squeaked, #squishy, #started, #stomped, #stomping, #stopped, #thewannabesaint.com, #thinking, #throwing, #times, #trouble, #wonderful, @BrianLoging, moment

Worry is like Prayer

Mar 26

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

Image result for worry

Worry is like Prayer –

I was speaking with someone today and they quoted a wisdom proverb I had never heard;

“Worrying is like praying for something you don’t want to happen.”

It instantly became a favorite wisdom quote of mine. As someone with a Severe Anxiety Disorder, I can relate to worrying and doing it obsessively. One of the symptoms of an Anxiety Disorder is rumination. Rumination is the inability to turn off negative thoughts. Similar to a broken record player (do people know what they are anymore?) or a scratched Compact Disc (same question) getting caught in a loop and reciting the same lyrics in your head over and over.

I come from a long line of worriers and a long line of pray-ers but I never put the two together before. I am sure if the quote is analyzed enough there are theological (the study of the divine) and ontological (the study of being) questions and fallacies but for now it gives me a new way to look at worry, stress, anxiety, rumination and where to focus my thoughts and spirit.

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

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Tags: ##analyzed, #anxiety, #being, #blessings, #broken, #CD, #disorder, #divine, #fallacies, #favorite, #focus, #gives, #happen, #head, #inability, #instantly, #line, #long, #longline, #look, #loop, #lyrics, #newway, #now, #obsessively, #ontological, #pray-ers, #praying, #questions, #quoted, #reciting, #recordplayer, #relate, #Rumination, #scratched, #severe, #similar, #speaking, #spirit, #stress, #Study, #symptoms, #theological, #thewannabesaint.com, #together, #turnoff, #wisdom, #wisdomproverb, #worriers, #worry, #Worrying, @BrianLoging, Negative, Prayer, Thoughts

Wasted Minds

Feb 24

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

Wasted Minds –

This has been a tumultuous week following the shooting at Parkland High School in Florida. People have chosen sides on the gun debate and have used this tragedy as an example as to why they are on the side of the angels. I’ve seen countless posts about gun rights and gun restrictions. I have posted my opinion on the gun debate on my blog in the last couple of weeks if you care to know where I stand on this cultural, moral and spiritual issue. Everyone has their argument at the ready. They grab screenshots, tweet, put a photo on Instagram, use memes, videos and Facebook are so full of posts on the issue it’s hard to find anything else.

I think it’s an issue which needs many conversations. There’s not an easy solution and anyone who thinks there is hasn’t thought about it enough. What doesn’t need to happen is more arguing over the subject. We are a divided people in our country and it seems every “Breaking News” headline on whatever channel we watch, or website we read, erodes our relationships with those with differing views more.

Whatever side we’re on, opinion we possess, idea we espouse, we should also respect and love our neighbor. If we can’t then our voice is wasted, nothing changes and the world continues to go to hell.

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

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Tags: #arguing, #argument, #blessings, #BreakingNews, #changes, #chosen, #continues, #conversations, #countless, #country, #cultural, #debate, #differing, #divided, #dividedpeople, #easysolution, #erodes, #espouse, #example, #Facebook, #florida, #gun, #gundebate, #gunrestrictions, #gunrights, #happen, #headline, #idea, #issue, #killings, #memes, #minds, #moral, #neighbor, #nothing, #Parkland, #possess, #posted, #posts, #read, #respect, #screenshots, #shooting, #side, #sideoftheangels, #sides, #solution, #subject, #thinks, #Tragedy, #tumultuous, #tweet, #views, #voice, #wasted, #wastedminds, #watch, #website, Blog, hell, Instagram, love, Opinion, Photo, Relationships, Spiritual, Thought, Videos, World

On Demand

Jan 5

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

On Demand –

This afternoon I had a follow-up appointment at the doctor’s office. They needed to do a routine check-up and wanted a deposit. I had figured as much so I made sure not to leave my deposit at home before I left. I went to the restroom, readied the bottle and…nothing. No matter how much I concentrated there just wasn’t anything that was going to happen. After several minutes I meekly came out of the lavatory and explained the situation to the nurse. She then sent me to the staff vampire who had no such trouble sticking me with a big needle and taking my second deposit by force. I now have a cotton ball and medical tape covering a hole in my arm.

We live in an; “On Demand” world. We get and expect things instantaneously. The problem is sometimes life doesn’t work that way. We may demand expediency but delay and obstruction is what we’re given. If we decide to take what we need to wait on by force pain is often the what we receive instead of what we desire.

It does us good to wait, to not get what we want, to be told; “No!” It reminds us we aren’t all-powerful, possess full control, aren’t as able as we’d like to believe. Wisdom, and the lessons it uses in everyday life remind us who we are, who we aren’t and how to be at peace with both.

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

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Tags: #able, #allpowerful, #appointment, #believe, #blessings, #bottle, #check-up, #concentrated, #control, #decide, #delay, #demand, #deposit, #desire, #expect, #expediency, #explained, #follow-up, #force, #fullcontrol, #going, #good, #happen, #instantaneously, #instead, #lessons, #life, #meekly, #minutes, #needed, #nothing, #obstruction, #OnDemand, #pain, #possess, #powerful, #problem, #readied, #receive, #remind, #restroom, #routine, #second, #several, #situation, #staff, #sticking, #taking, #trouble, #vampire, #wait, #whatwewant, #wisdom, Peace, to be told; "No!" It #reminds, World

Anticipation

Dec 24

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

Image result for no christmas

Anticipation –

There is a noticeable lack of Christmas spirit in my family this year. It’s been a long year as my dad battled cancer and passed away on the first of December. The anticipation of Christmas coming has been replaced with a feeling of; “Is it over yet?” I don’t think it’s Christmas per se’ but we’re anticipating the end of 2017 and 2018 to begin.

Anticipation can be a dangerous state of mind, emotion, and spirit. For all we know, 2018 will be as rough, perhaps more so, than 2017. It’s not a pleasant thought but it is a possibility. This is why wisdom teachers discourage anticipation. Life rarely lives up to what we think, or wish would happen. It’s almost always different and this can be good or bad, negative or positive. When life fails to fill our desires suffering, pain, confusion can occur.

So, my family and many others wait in this no man’s land hoping Christmas will not be too difficult and 2018 will be a better, certainly different, year.

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

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Tags: #2017, #2018, #anticipation, #bad, #battled, #begin, #better, #blessings, #cancer, #certainly, #christmas, #confusion, #dangerous, #december, #desires, #different, #discourage, #end, #fails, #feeling, #fulfill, #good, #happen, #hoping, #Isitover, #lack, #life, #livesup, #newyear, #noman'sland, #noticeable, #occurs, #pain, #passed, #pleasant, #positive, #possibility, #rarely, #replaced, #rough, #spirit, #suffering, #teachers, #think, #wait, #wisdom, #wish, #year, Family, Emotion, Mind, Negative, Thought

Essentialist

Essentialist, contemplative, author, advocate, old soul

Blog Archives

Stop and Go

Reboot

Lost in the Moment

Worry is like Prayer

Wasted Minds

On Demand

Anticipation

Essentialist

Essentialist, contemplative, author, advocate, old soul

Blog Archives

Stop and Go

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Reboot

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Lost in the Moment

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Worry is like Prayer

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Wasted Minds

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On Demand

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Anticipation

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