Learn As You Go ....

I am beginning to realize that life is quite frankly a constant OJT (On-the Job- Training) session. I have been given just enough intelligence (and not an ounce more) to know what to truly worry about. I over process and I over analyze. Truth is that I wouldn't have it any other way ... don't get me wrong stress and worry are not my idea of a good time. Think for a second of the alternative, honestly if we don't have the vision to see the things that we find to be unpleasant, how can we expect to know true beauty and feel real warmth. What are roses without thorns???? I guess a more fitting question is would the rose even "exist" without the thorn .... I personally do not believe so.

I am certain of very few things in life. One of those certainties is that life has some indescribably precious and spiritual moments to offer if you have the patience and vision to see them. Another certainty is that life can knock the stuffing out of you without a seconds notice. Life owes us NOTHING, it is our responsibility to sift through what is out there. I believe in fate my friends, I believe that there is a plan for us all, weather we choose to acknowledge it or not. I also believe that 75% of our "problems" in life are self created ... and the other 25% are there for a reason to help us grow and learn to be better, stronger people. It is how we CHOOSE to respond to adversity that defines us.

One of my favorite stories pops to mind ... it is about the young woman that has been beaten down by life ... she has nothing left in the tank ... she is at the end of her rope .... her mother comes to visit ... and after listening to the girl tell of her struggles, her mother leads her to the kitchen ... the mother puts 3 pots of water on the stove to boil ... she begins to explain to her daughter that there are 3 basic types of people in the world ... ... in the first pot she places some carrots as the water begins to boil ... in the second she places a few eggs ... and in the third pot she dumps a scoop of coffee grounds ... ... then she turns to her daughter and asks her to check the first pot ... "what do you see" she asks, the daughter replies "carrots" ... her mother says look closer, they are carrots but look what the boiling water has done to them they are soft and flimsy "weak" because of what they have been subjected to ..... now look at the second pot, the eggs have "hardened" .... but lets look at the third pot she says with a smile, the coffee has blended with the boiling water and actually has a wonderful aroma and flavor ... it has actually "improved" when subjected to the same environment that the carrots and eggs were placed in .... moral of the story is, that when life turns up the heat on you, when the water around you is boiling and you feel pressure, how will you respond ... will you "weaken", will you "harden", or will you "improve" because you have accepted that your environment does not define you? It is much more important to be mindful of how you reacted, than what you have been through.

I hope you all are coffee my friends ...... life really is a beautiful thing, when we take the time to look........