Blog Archives
Reboot
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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Stolen
Stolen –
Earlier this week someone took something that didn’t belong to them. I knew who it was but had to figure out how to ask for the item back without humiliating or embarrassing the person in front of his peers. At first, I asked the group if anyone had forgotten to return all items they had used. Nothing. So then, standing next to the man who had the item, I said; “Okay, who has (insert item name)?” The man started to laugh and gave it to me while the other people in the group laughed with him. “I almost got away with it,” he said with a chuckle in his voice. I breathed a sigh of relief because I knew I couldn’t let him walk away and a confrontation could have a detrimental impact on the progress we’ve made. Obviously, he’s still a work in progress but aren’t we all?
Good choices. It’s the cornerstone of all the services our organization does with males. Without good choices, life is harder than it needs to be and can exact a tremendous and painful toll. Old habits, ways of thinking, choosing the best isn’t easy but not impossible. Grace, kindness and an opportunity for forgiveness are things we all need.
blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com
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Toxic
Toxic –
There’s a funny, not so funny, saying that goes; “The world would be great if it wasn’t for all the people!”
I spoke with someone today who’s going through a difficult time. His relationship with someone important is slipping away and he can’t do anything to stop it. I know this because he told me all the ways he’s tried to stop it and nothing has worked. As we talked I reminded him of the troubling, but truthful news, that if someone decides not to be a part of your life anymore there’s not much to do but accept it.
Sometimes people stay in toxic relationships because what you know is better than what you don’t. However, sometimes one-half of the poisoned couple chooses to end it. Most of the time, even when it’s for our own good, it’s difficult to let go of someone we’ve shared a significant portion of our life.
Wisdom teaches us to keep an open hand on all things and with some things to turn your hand over and empty it. Relationships, be it marriages, partners, friends or co-workers should be built upon trust, love, kindness and mutual growth. When they go bad and there’s no hope of restoration it’s best to let go and move on.
blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com
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Not Open
Not Open –
This morning, I put on a shirt I had never worn before. Buttoning up the front I then went to button the cuffs. The first one was no problem but the second one was hard to get the button through. After several attempts, I finally looked to see what the problem was and to my surprise, the hole for the button on the cuff was sewn shut. It had never been cut open so the button couldn’t go through it. I didn’t have time to look for scissors so I simply rolled up my sleeves.
Yesterday, in a “how to communicate” lecture, one of the men in our Incarcerated Father group raised his hand and was busting at the seams to say something. I looked at him, smiled and said; “Yes sir?” “You don’t know the women we hang around! These communication skills won’t work with them, they’re crazy!” he blurted out. The class laughed and most agreed. When they settled down we spent a few moments going through a few alternatives forms of communicating that might be better-suited for the men and women who make up their family and friends.
“However, in the end,’ I said, ‘sometimes you need to know when to walk away. If they aren’t receptive to your desire not to argue, fuss and fight, then ending the conversation before the mayhem begins is your best option.'”
Sometimes, the way through the drama, aggression, judgement isn’t open at this point and time. If you can’t get through it, it’s best to leave it be and try again another day.
blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com
