Because today was the day for singing not typing

 Some days I just sit and think with my guitar



 Since today was one of those that’s what you get for the peace and joy blog  A song about the blog enjoy it and thank you all for going on the journey of the blog so far
 Since it loads easiest as a video that’s what I loaded up the images are random much like the thoughts in the blog you know have a great day

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Keeping Water in the Jar...Feeding and Using Your Peace and Joy Network

Keeping Something In the Jar
Feeding and Using Your Peace and Joy Network


Since assumptions nearly always get me  in trouble....

Let's  review  the other two parts  of this three part  idea about  a "Peace and Joy Network.

In the beginning there was (if and but)  It is hard to build a network  when a person seeks to make  connections with a lot of "if" thoughts.  For a long time in my life i started out

thinking about people and circumstances in terms of "if/then' and that instantly  put an obligation  or condition on a relationship before it could ever be explored.  I'm certain I missed  a  chance of growing some great  friendships  that way and  lost opportunities to learn about my gifts by  not  opening the door to see how I might  serve  someone else.  Now let's look at  the other little word "but."  It slams doors and discounts the ideas of others and what's really tricky about it in the real world many people use it  thinking  they are keeping  you  from making a mistake.   In reality  the next time   you want to use the word... start your sentence with  "because I  know I'm smarter than you --(insert the idea someone just  offered )  won't  work.  Then see if that helps you grow a supportive  peace and joy network.
Next  the topic of being  still was highlighted.  You can learn a lot  by just watching.  You can see how the pieces of your  growing puzzle  might fit together and  how to make sure  you are looking for a network or a tribe not looking to be the guru or  a leader of disciples.  
Which brings us to  this  f"final" section.  You  can build a strong network and feel great  about it.  There is nothing wrong  with that.  However your network is much like a  jar full of water (or substitute whatever ) you cannot take from it infinitely without adding  to it by  doing what I think are two  critical things.  Communicating with and about the other  members in a positive way.  That  means  not comparing the members in your group with each other  and not worrying about who  you  are going to give more or less to in terms of support.  That kind of stuff will work itself out depending on who  has gifts to offer when and who  has needs when.  Let the universe worry about those things.  Remember that no one can do everything in your  network and that everyone is likely to be able to add something.  The ability to add something may be just what one of the members of the network needs most right now.  Second--fail.  What? Every now and then take a risk with your  network or  at least  one or two of the  members and  fail with them... We all learn through  taking a wrong road or two and it sure is nice when  others are there to  help you all stand up again.  

It is time for  me to wrap this up for now.  In many ways every post in this blog is about  my peace and joy  network.   Many of you have helped fill my jar a bit over the past few  months....many  have been doing it for years...sometimes a very patient  drop  at a time.  I am grateful to know all of you and  now whatever is in your  cup... raise it in a toast for  all the great things we have  shared and  for all the  great adventures  yet to happen... and of  course  Find some Peace  & Joy Come What  May

Building a Peace & Joy Network "Standing" "Still"A Park Bench is Often a Good Place to Be Still

A Place to be sti

A Place to Be Still

Well  a couple days ago I started the  little bit of advice on how to build a peace  and joy  network.  

Words  or thoughts are often the largest  barriers  to building the network.  They are very small words but (remember what I said about but?)  Okay they are short words and they are  "if" and "but.

If is dangerous becauseit opens a door  and it also  buts on a lot of conditions to connecting with others.  But  on the other hand is the "dis the "Walmart"  of all words.  What do i  mean?  Anything  that happens to come before  "but" is likely to be discounted and ignored just like your downtown shoe store and it will soon become apparent the user of the word didn't really care which ideas it put out of business.  So in terms of building  anything  "if" and "But"  are just sort of trap words that might  not fit into the thinking or talking that goes into building a peace and joy  support  network.

Now that  the obligatory framing is done for this  continuation (or  for some  a little more  blah, blah, blah) here's  part Two

Sometimes building a network requires  being still.  

Let's  say  you  have brought a few people together  and you consider them  valuable parts of your network--you owe them the chance to  see if they are parts of each other's  network as well.  If so that's  a bonus.  You  will be able to get support from both of those folks without becoming a translator  or facilitator.  You won't always have to be  holding up your whole network and sometimes that  is extremely helpful.  Fortunately  often times it only takes  sitting still in a group  to see  whether you will have to facilitate or  just surf the waves of support as they come along.  

In addition to being able to observe others-being still allows you time to pray or meditateor do whatever you do to calm your mind and bring it back to attention.  

Being still for just a moment  sometimes lets' you  see  more options than  you might have  if you just went forward  actively building a network.  

Now that is not to say sit still forever.... A few  kind souls  will happen upon your way just by "accident."  However... after sitting still a bit it will come down to "feeding and exercising your network.   That is the final  part of  this trilogy and unless  one of my other favorite authors  inspires me otherwise look for it tomorrow.  

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One last thing ... one of my peace & Joy members has a birthday today and I can hardly go without  acknowledging it so  here's little video

This one's for You Doc

But for turning points when you  went straight Most of life has turned out greatOr at least thing went okayAnd you lived to fight another day

(The Cat's Hat  Happy Birthday (a day late) 

This One's For You Doc

I want you all to raise your voices

To cheer out  loud for life's choices

Sure some of them have gone to hell

But many more have turned out well.

For every day the sun can't shine

Nor all the time will you be fine

You'll meet some champs  you'll meet some chumps

On  every path  there  will be bumps

And always skeptics can be found.

But like  Petty says you'll hold your ground 

No other  soul is uniquely  you

You've got  choices about  what you might  do

.

And  not just for you but but for many others

for your sister's brothers" and their cousin's mothers

You can share your smile and your gifts deploy

And for  all you'll bring  some Peace and Joy

A few  more words before I go

There is some more that you must know

Through our stumbling times and times more clever

Give up our friendship? Not now not ever

So pick up your grin set down your frown

When tomorrow's circus comes to town

Accept  the fact that come what may

You can have some peace and joy  today

P&J Network Building Part 1 Walking Backwards

WALKING BACKWARDS

If

The message in the next three  blogs has been brewing in my head (a crowded carnival these days) for about three weeks—which  means it has been  banging around up there for way, way, longer, however, I only heard it start whispering to  me about then and have decided to  attempt to apply  some  voice to it.  

Oh, what  about the if?  I started with an if and let it hang there.  Well that’s because “if” is where this begins.  

If is a magical word, a bit  marvelous and a bit  dangerous all at once.  

You see “If” is a “bridge” word.  Or an indicator word that a door is open far enough  to  see a little  on both sides.  

If says  you can have hope, that  something once not possible may be  possible now, and so it can be  hopeful and yet it invites so ay questionss  

The most confounding of the questions it prompts is  If…. then……?  

So starting  with if you are willing to read the rest of this … you will  see some questions that might  help  you build  a “peace and joy”  network.   

So let’s take a look at this for a minute… If you accept my condition  reading this)  I will offer you questions.    

And thus here is the first question—how many times  do you start  building a friendship or a support network with a pocketful or truckload  of “Ifs?”  Here’s just a few I have trapped myself with from time to time.

“If this person  knows (enter the name  already in your network)  then I will invest time in seeing what they can add to my network and maybe, just maybe,  try  to figure out what I might add to their journey.  Well  I’m guilty of this way  too often.  

and then there is “If this potential  network member DOESN’T  like  what I don’t like then  they  are okay.  So now  you’ve gone and defined someone in the “like me/not like me” systemthat isolates all the other  possible connections that might be made if (did yu notice the if?) thone single  assumption  can be made about a  person who is ultimately far more complex than you might ever imagine.  

So, I could  go on and on with  how “if” is not a good network  starter but

Oh were you looking  for me to finish that sentence?  Well I did.  What? “but is not  the ending of a sentence.  I argue otherwise it is not only the end of a sentence it’s the beginning of  the statement “I’m through listening to you right  now because I think I have a better  idea or a better plan etc…. The  operative  word is  “better because you are  now setting up a comparison not an exploration.  

Imagine  the words you have heard them… I know it… I know you think this will work but….. or  That could be true but… or that’s okay but…”    In short you are hearing “Yes But”  What happens  in your mind/emotins/spirit when you hear  the “but”?  Well  in my mind I see gates closing, doors slamming, lights being turned off, paths being  walled off and feel the end of bridges being built….   So in building your network do you listen for the “but word coming from your  mouth or the mouth of the possible connection?

Well that’s all for today…  Just two words  “if” and “but”— 

Why did I  use the title (walking  backwards?”   When you walk backwards what do you see?  Where  you’ve  been and that is what I’ve tried to say here…. I have  used these words all too often and thus missed a great deal of potential  support and energy from others.  I had to begin this  with a notion that some of the best questions come from walking  backward and asking  what lessons  can I offer based on the path  wwhere I see my footprints.  

Tomorrow or  maybe in a couple days this will be continued with “Standing Still.”  

Have a Fabulous FridayI ok iii

Finding Hay in a Needle Stack

`

When Are Ideas Ready?

Okay  as you may have guessed, this little conceptual ranting is going to be a little on the far side of the moon--where according  to one of our childhood  nursery rhymes the cow jumped over. I've stood outside on many a night and stared upat the moon and while I believe in achievement , that's a pretty tall order  even for some of your  best cows like the ones you see in southern Wisconsin.  Okay back to the  original point.

Finding Peace and Joy is  not always simple.  Circumstances  get "nearly  impossible"  at times.  You know  it's like finding  a needle  in a hay stack... What does  that mean?  Since when, if ever, was a haystack a common place to be  hanging out  with when  we had needles?  Was  it a favorite  hang out for  seamstresses  on the prairie?  Did  from time to time  little  Becky run in  the cabin and  say "Pa? I can't seem to find my needle.  Have  you seen it  around here?"  Then  did Pa reply, "You probably  should go  check the haystacks you know  the ladies  from town were out there quilting  last  night until the cows came home."   I don't  know but we still use the  phrase and some of my midwestern  friends will probably  make the point that I use it from time  to time and they'll throw me under the bus.... Oh and exactly what technique does  one need to  use to throw someone under a bus?  Is it sort of  a two-handed overhead  slam thing or is it more of a side armed underhanded toss?  It seems we should  be throwing people  in front of the bus  because  hitting a small space like that  is a pretty tricky  deal and a moving target  with a  body and all.  I don't know  the trajectory  would be a challenge.

So.. again back to the peace and joy?  I like to write these things early in the morning when  there is not a lot of noise and very little talking, especially  me talking, and yesterday  when I looked  at the page view  count I felt a bit  honored that  people have been reading along--I'm not always proud of my effort... but this isn't always as  #Seth Godin reminded me in his  post the other day "like shooting fish in a barrel."   For as he  inquired "how  do these fish get  into the barrel in the first place— isn't that the tricky part?"   I agree that would be  tricky, however, I also wonder about the whole  shooting part.  What type  of weapon  would  a person use?  If you were  pretty  tall and the barrel were sort of short a bow and arrow  might be the  way to go and then again an arrow might  not do so well in the water.  A aslingshot  might be good so that you  didn’t wind up with a hole in your fish.   Then again a nice hole right through the center might be great because you could put it on a stick and cook it  over a campfire .


 Anyway I’m going to try to wrap this up.  The cool thing is language sometimes gets in the way and yet we have overcome many barriers to teaching our children how to talk and they have taught us how to text . and somehow we get the message across so my message for today is my idea for tomorrow wasn’t quite ready so I gave you this     What you need to know about this is these phrases are a conversation that my brother Don and I talk about occasionally and so if you’ve smiled at all you Owe that smile to him today      By the way what is this elusive topic for tomorrow —building the peace and joy network and it will be a two or three day sort of series that I hope most of you  well enjoy then again I hope you enjoyed today

 Survive the Wednesday weirdness and find some peace and joy come what may Yes we can get

"OR" I've Never Lived This Life Before

I'VE NEVER LIVED THIS LIFE  BEFORE


A request came in  from  three or four
Another  rhyme? At least  One more?
My first instinct was "just ignore"
At being Dr. Seuss I'm poor

Attempting this  would be a chore
Like rowing  'round with just  one oar
Or  sweeping dust from a dirt floor
It may please some  but most will snore

But then I thought "at least explore"

Tho it's not a form  I may adore
Unless you let the ship leave shore
The trips you take  will be a bore


Anyway


What lessons sprouted from this lore?
To peek inside most every door
For no  one knows what's quite in store
We've never lived this life  before


Play  your songs well write your own score


Seek out  your gifts "Make Love not War""
 Another's Hopes try to restore
And  your Peace and Joy  shall simply Soar

Have a Tremendous Tuesday...or whatever  day it is for you .  I want to say thanks to every person  who has been reading along for the last couple months... but I don't know  who you are because  my drones don't have  the ultimate facial recognition  software yet... however in all seriousness... thank you all and please  share this  with anyone who you think might smile  at  it  if only for a second.

Peace (and Joy of course)

Some Days Require Poetry?

The Need of Knowing
Peace & Joy


 The wind it started  blowing
The fangs of winter showing
When the snow  began its snowing
The tension  started  growing and
The stores with their low pricing Weren't  really that enticing
When the wind it came a'slicing
And the roads were slowly icing

Soon the shovel you'll be taking
And a small path you'll be making
As the snow keeps right on flaking
And your back begins its aching
Your spirit starts  its bumming
As  your  fingers start their numbing
So you  need to start  your humming
About how spring will soon be coming

And the sun it will start beaming
You'll hear kids laughs and screaming
Days to come  will feel redeeming
And Peace and Joy will fill  your  Dreaming



Positive  Thoughts to You All who  are experiencing  the storm... outside and in.

ONE SIZE FITS ALL -WELL EXCEPT WHEN IT DOESN'T

ONE SIZE FITS ALL--WELL EXCEPT...

A couple days ago a good friend of mine spent the better part of a day searching for  some "common" items.  I meaning today's world batteries and light ulbs are pretty  common--right?  Yet.. by the time  he returned home his shopping  safari could  hardly be classified  as a success.

Well this little rant  of mine  in support of my friend.   Wise  folks like George Carlin  have already  pointed out that  usually hot doggs come in a package of ten and the buns come in a package of8 or 12.  Why?  no one seems to know.  So why should  we be shocked  that most things that require AAA  batteries require3 of them.  Are  they sold in multiples of 3?  No they are sold in multiples of  two so I guess you  could buy  12  to have 4 replacement sets however, they are rarely on sale in multiples of three packages  either you can often buy eight at a discount.  So you get home replace  the bad set with the three you need and then you have one left or five left and  well if it's one the one goes in your  junk drawer unless you keep a little  box somewhere with the misfit  batteries.  Again, you  have a functioning deviceso it doesn't bother you so much until the next time you go to see how many AAA batteries something takes and discover it takes three.  You dig into the drawer and  you are thrilled to find one and then assume there must be more.  Of course there are  no more  So eventually you go to the store and find that buying for is your  only option  so you do that and  put three in your device leaving two misfits.  Now by the time  three sets of  these things wear out you have no idea how long the  two  in the drawer have been there and so you go buy four and put the third left over in the drawer.  About a year later you go to replace the three AAA batteries again and  confident you have the required  number  you race to the drawer and around through the duct  tape, old keys a few adapter chords and find at last the third  batter.   You flip the switch and  well nothing happens because that first battery  you put in the drawer is now three years old and  if you are a brand loyalist  like many of us.--you have no idea which is the culprit.  So off to the store you go again to start the spiral again.

Now my friend  also spoke of  searching for light bulbs.  At last count  around my apartment we have8 different types  (wattage and  etc). Edison and Tesla would have gone completely mad trying to invent this variety of  bulbs and  well some would argue that wouldn't have been a very long trip for either.  Oh this is not to mention holiday lighting options which maybe we should adopt as a standard.  I realize  that  there are different  lighting needs for different situations however we have mercury lights, halcyon  lights  fluorescent  lights conventional  lights which I think are  consent  bulbs, solar driven, motion-censored,  and that's  not to mention the flashlights that require all different sizes of batteries....but we already went down the battery road.

I'm going to get to the peace and joy part  pretty soon.  I promise.

No two  brands of shoes, jeans, shirts,  or nearly  any other clothing item marked the same size of the tag  fit the same and  here's the one that really  kills me.

"Fun size"candy bars.  Now these are little versions of  my favorites.  I want to meet the  guy who decided to call this size of candy fun size.  I would give him a fun size car to drive and a fun size paycheck send him  to his fun size house etc.  When  he comes into my restaurant I would love  to give him a fun sized 2.3 ounce steak and a oyster sized baked potato... now that would be fun.

Alright  to the peace and joy.  By  now you have had to discover  that  one size never fits all and while society  sort of expects  things to conform00they  simply do not.  Which means you don't have have to either.  I'm not saying that  you don't have to fulfill  a function but I am saying relax  figure  out what size works for you and what function you really want to  be exceptional  atat then be at peace with yourself and be joyful that  day after day the outside world  is trying to show the rest of  us that one size doesn't fit all and packaging is not uniform or convenient.  You have probably  achieved your teenaged dream of wanting to be different  just like everyone else.





So go out  this week and the best you  you can be and be confident  yu have a huge  advantage in being that since you aare the only one.  Seek your  best self but don't  be concerned  about what others think... if you don't fit our life we will  just put  you in the junk drawer for a while  always hoping you will b the perfect  solution someday... and maybe someday  you will!

Have a great week.

COUNTING SHEEP

THE TROUBLE WITH COUNTING SHEEP

So it’s way too late for me to be up tonight or way too early for me  to be up today.  It happens and while I can’t say I am all that happy about it.  There is almost always an idea waiting  over here in the shadows that is going to have my full attention sometime during the day.  The key is to get it in writing before it haunts me and after it is formed well enough to create a space for the reader to think.  Sometimes that is a pretty small space to  fit into.  Oh well.  

People offer me solutions for my sleep “problems” and I often think…”sleep problems?”  I’m awake  thinking of my awake problems…but whatever.  I know people  only suggest what they  do because they care and that is a peaceful feeling—maybe not quite enough peaceful to create sleep, but peaceful nonetheless and I thank  all that are concerned.

That is all except for those who make the all too often "try COUNTING SHEEP"SUGGESTION  Are you bloody kidding me?   If there is one  thing that keeps me awake  at night it is the number of sheep I see  day after  day.  EverywhereI look there are group-s  of people who are wandering around in a herd looking at each other.  Some are  trying to decide who to follow, some are looking around to see who is in front of them and how many  people are  behind them in the flock and hardly any of them are  looking to each other to find leaders.  They  hope for a good shepherd but  may or may not  know what obelisk like.  The sheep follow the rules of the flock and  more importantly keep pretty  close watch on the other sheep to make sure they are following the rules too.

So, in a world that requires  change and innovation at an ever quicker  pace than before the sheep mentality is very disturbing and maybe more so because the whole  flock is often crossing  the path of life  right in the intersection  of Mediocre Lane and Unhappiness boulevard.

How does this happen to people?  I am not quite sure, however here's my theory.  Most  people/sheepwant to part of something so they  feel the importance  of being part of a flock. Most also, however,  do not want to  be the leader out there  taking the lead becauseunline when you  are one of the herd there are no footsteps to  follow.   To stay in the flock the sheep has to keep constant vigil  on the other sheep to make sure  they are  in the middle of things or  moving toward the front as to not be left behind.  It is a constant  unending gameofcomparingonerself to others.

Now some of the sheep (usually the black ones) just can't ever feel at home in the flock.   Why?  Well like  most the other sheep they  have a question that won't go away.  "what makes me unique?"  Aren't I supposed  to be out there exploring what my  particular  and unique set of skills makes me  thefts sheepI can be nomatterwhat these other sheep  think? As in the  sort of famous far side cartoon the black sheep  sometimes wants to  standoff hind legs and shout "wait a minute don't have be sheep."

So wrapping this  back to the  whole idea of peace and joy..I truly believe  no sheep can ever really be at peace until they ask themselves what is unique  about them and is herd  the place to off these special  gifts?  I don't believe each sheep cannot find joy in comparing themselves to others in the herd day after day.

So please don't  suggest I count sheep... there are way too many  and every time I think of counting them I cannot  help but wonder "what do sheep count when they  can't fall asleep?"

Well I think I got all these thoughts down and feel a crtasin peace about it so I'm going  back to sleep for a while SWEET DREAMS. 

Peace and Joy & Being a Super Hero

SAME BAT TIME.....

 Okay I am pretty sure I have used the Bat Mobile in this blog before... and if that really  annoys  you I am sorry.  However what I want  to talk  about today is how you can bbe a superhero.   Plus some added points I wanted to make.

So the  lines came out from the speaker on the old Zenith... "same bat time..same bat channel and as a kid you knew something that was priceless.  No matter  how rotten  your day had been or would be tomorrow.... the dynamic duo would be back to work making things safer for the city and the world.  That's  security.  You also knew that there were kids all over town and maybe the universe  that were in this with you.  They would be tuning in at the same....

Well this is pretty important to  kid.  You also  had the chance  to see all kinds of circumstances happen and yet in the end an opportunity revealed itself and circumstances reversed enough for the  dynamic duo to survive and eventually win out.  That's a pretty good  moral of the story...that things change and yet their will be an option that is probably  going to work out.

I also learned that  I could dawn my cape and reach out to a friend on a regular  basis... It may  not be the exact same time or exactly  channel...it  might  just be a smiley  icon on messenger...but at least  someone knew  they were being  thought about right about then.  So you can be a superhero too.  You can give someone a sense of security and safety just by saying hello at the same bat time and on the same bat social media platform.

Okay I have taken this  far  enough, however, anytime  you can sneak in a picture of a car that had all those cool gadgets and shot flames out of the back into  a life lesson it's going be  a good day.

Maybe  next time we will  delve  into the depth of  examining  inner feelings and personality...after all aren't you dying to sk  Scooby Dooby Doo  where are you?

Have a great day and I'll see you again...when...well tune in tomorrow at the same bat time and to the same  bat channel.