Sorry….Charlie!

Sorry….Charlie!

©Allen Merritt (2016)

From time to time I will find a nickel, dime, penny or quarter on the street. I always associate these finds with good luck, which is always fun. I mean, who wouldn’t wish for some good luck, right? I also notice playing cards lying on the ground such as an Ace, Jack or Queen. And I wonder how they end up on the street or if there’s any significant meaning they might provide.

Interestingly, the other day I found a card from a board game called “Sorry” lying on the sidewalk.

It read as follows, “Take a pawn from START and switch places with an opponent. Then bump the opponent back to START or move forward 4.” My mind began racing. What insight can one obtain from this one little statement?

• By switching places with another you could learn what it means to walk in another man’s shoes.
• By bumping someone else backward to the starting line and moving yourself forward one might be stepping on others to move up the ladder, so to speak.
• By taking a ‘pawn’ and switching them with your ‘opponent’ you could be putting someone else in harm’s way.

Wow, many directions one might go.

Now, the last part of the second line also gives you a chance to do something different. It says “…or move forward 4.” I see this as an interesting dichotomy, because you can either send your opponent back to start or let them stay right where they are and take advantage of a personal benefit of moving forward. In other words, you have a choice. It’s a window of opportunity. You either play dirty and push someone back (or down) or you simply take advantage of an opportunity to move forward without pushing around someone else. Play fair or NOT! Either way you look at it, you gain some awareness by playing the game.

Isn’t it interesting to consider those possibilities? Board games tend to reflect human nature and teach us how to strategize and/or conquer with the singular idea of making it to the finish line first and/or focusing exclusively on winning the game at any cost. I mean, think about it. There is the game of LIFE, OPERATION, GO FISH, MOUSETRAP, MONOPOLY and many more. These are just games, right? Can’t take them too seriously, right?

We can always shrug off games once we finish. After all, we are only passing time and having a little fun. But for anyone who takes it to the next level and gets overly caught up in them it could have serious outcomes and consequences.

Personally, I do not like playing games in life (not board games). I am referring to when people “play games” with you or expect you to play their game in order to move forward in life or meet a specific outcome. So what if these games weren’t games at all? What if they were true reflections of who we are in real life? Would we consider the outcomes differently? I wonder.

For example, competitive sports can hurt a player deeply enough to consider suicide. In fact, this was a major headline recently.

Professional gaming may bankrupt a person as does playing the odds in the stock market.

People who play mind games on others cause deep psychological trauma as often as not.

Games are either fun or place individuals in the middle of a life or death situation.

I suppose games in real life have a real cause and effect.

Which cause and effect would you choose?

For me, as I ponder the scope of games, I would rather everyone have a fair chance to win. The odds or not always good and usually we work with the idea that there is only one winner. But in my opinion, life allows all of us to be winners and losers. The best route to take is to aim for a win-win situation in most cases, which sounds really positive and healthy to me.

A game, after all, is only a game. It isn’t real life unless you make it real.  Something to think about!

Either way, don’t forget to have fun and not sweat it too much.

Have a good week and enjoy living life On a Positive Note!

Cheers! 

Walks & Talks like a Duck…Must be a Duck!

Walks & Talks like a Duck…Must be a Duck!

©Allen Merritt (2016)

Every once in a while a fun and/or uplifting incident occurs that is worth sharing, if for any reason because it is fun! Today I want to share a story about an experience I recently had which gives thought about how we interpret or view things in the world.

Ever heard the phrase, “If it was a snake it would have bit you?” OR “It was right under your nose the entire time!” These statements give way to my thoughts regarding this story. 

Here goes:

I stopped at a favorite grocery store to pick up a couple of items before heading home for the evening. Nothing unusual was taking place. I simply wandered into the store, made a few selections and made my way to the cashier.

After placing two items on the conveyor belt and noticing someone behind me, I placed one of those “divider sticks” that separate one customers items from another’s to make it easy for the cashier to know when one order stops and another begins.

I looked up at the person behind me and felt as if I knew the person. They looked familiar to me.

I stood there thinking about it and realized how much that person reminded me of Donny Osmond. That’s right, Donny Osmond. I grew up listening to the Osmond music and have periodically kept up with his career along the way even to the point of seeing his residency show in Las Vegas. Anyway, after I told myself this I discarded the thought as being nothing more than a fallacy. You know how sometimes you see a person who looks like someone you know or who resembles another individual; then after a closer look you discover they were not that person at all? This is exactly what I was thinking.

A second later the cashier rung me up and I told the bagger I did not need a bag. After which, the bag lady spoke up and said, “Your beard is really cool.” I immediately thanked her. The next thing I remember is that person behind me saying, “I wish I could grow one like that.” I was thankful and smiled then moved out of the way and headed out of the store. The man behind me followed me out and ended up getting in a vehicle parked near to me. I drove off and the man was behind me for a bit and then pulled up passing me on my left-hand side. I was curious as to what his license plate said. Sure enough, it was a Utah plate. It was Donny Osmond. It must have been. Why hadn’t I believed it before? After a bit of thought, I decided it was because his hair was lighter than I remembered.

Now, here’s the clincher. The next day I was getting a coffee and noticed a copy of the newspaper from the previous day and guess whose picture was on the front page of a certain section? It was Donny and Marie Osmond. I looked closer and clearly saw it was the same man behind me in the grocery store.

What is prevalent to me about this story is that sometimes we tell ourselves things are not what they appear to be when in fact they really are. If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, then it must be a duck, right? It brings to question are we facing reality at all times? If it is staring us in the face, why can’t we see it and accept it for what it is (whatever “it” may be)?

Moreover, I have observed people who despite any facts and/or evidence presented before them which proves them wrong still insist they are right. In other words, they continue to make every effort to make everyone else seem crazy despite the fact they were caught red handed. Are they slightly delusional? Do they really think it will help them save face? I’m sure there are many reasons why human beings cannot accept or embrace truths. However, the positive lesson I gain from this experience gives pause to the idea of taking a closer look at the world around us. Some truths are evident and unobstructed from view. Other truths are clouded by manipulations. The key here is discovering which is which and discern or accept accordingly. It definitely gives something more to think about.

For what it’s worth, I ‘kinda sorta’ met Donny Osmond at the grocery store the other day and it quickly became a story to tell. After all, it isn’t every day you have that kind of experience. I hope you enjoyed it and take something meaningful from the comparisons made.

Here's a link you can copy and paste into URL. It's from 1972:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI2hgm65WhE

Have a good week and enjoy living life On a Positive Note!

Cheers!

Emoji’s and Emoticons!

Emoji’s and Emoticons!

©Allen Merritt (2016)

I used to have a rubbery refrigerator magnet with a lot of various facial expressions printed on it. This was a long time ago. It must have had up to 24 different faces on it. Each face was printed in red on a white background in cartoon fashion. They represented various states of feeling or emotion.

Were you excited, angry, sad, sick, happy, anxious, surprised or bored?

There was also a separate magnetic piece that appeared like a red border for which you could maneuver, much like a game piece on a board game. Anyway, you could move it around and place it over whichever face you wanted to and designate your emotion or feeling for the day. I thought this was a healthy and fun way to recognize where I was in any given moment as opposed to sweeping everything under a rug and keeping things bottled up inside. This refrigerator magnet was a quick mental fix and psychotherapy session to get to the heart of things and be able to move on with the day.

This came to mind as I was thinking about emoji’s. They’ve become quite popular over the years especially with social media becoming increasingly main stream. Interestingly, before emoji’s were emoji’s they were simply a cartoon smiley face. They were printed on paper, made into buttons and many other products.

 As technology advanced and became electronic in nature other versions replaced the singular smiley face to represent all aspects of expression and became emoticons. 

You could type a facial expression by using the keys on your computer...80)   ;)   :) 

Of course, you'd have to turn your head sideways to make out the face.

They now have advanced to digital graphics and include hand gestures; ultimately culminating into emoji’s galore. There must be a thousand of them now. It’s like a revolution. Emoji’s are a movement!

Moreover, emoji’s are also a form of communication. You can send someone a “wink” to show you like them. You can tell the world you’re “drunk” or “enraged”. How about the one with cool sunglasses? Got to love that one! Maybe you would like to send a smiley face with your tongue hanging out the side of your mouth. There are so many options to consider…and get your point across. For what it’s worth, I think it all started with a simple smiley face; at least that’s my take on it.

I believe these emoticon advancements give heightened meaning to the idea of ‘smile at someone and you’ll get a smile back’; or, ‘laugh and the whole world laughs with you’.

Imagine all of this most likely began with a smiley face drawn on a piece of paper. Maybe it went further back with hieroglyphics. Could it be that the monkey’s that see no evil, speak no evil and hear no evil were connected to this idea in some way? Who knows!

In my opinion, these little emoticons are fun, healthy and positive additions to our communications and how we put a spark into our day, as long as they do not replace real communication. Don’t forget to pick up the phone and call someone. Write a note or letter. Keep a journal. Real communication can never be replaced by short cuts.

In any case, emoji’s are here to stay, don’t you think? They are worth enjoying and can help liven up our day.

Speaking of livening up the day, here are a couple of song links to celebrate life and living!

Put on a Happy Face:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_CE7GqqrvY

Get Happy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2U-rBZREQMw&list=PLzB0cFXAfg-_9cJh35gxDO8T8lfyIo48l&index=1

Enjoy living life On a Positive Note!

Cheers!

I Gotta Be Me!

I Gotta Be Me!

©Allen Merritt (2016)

It was a single frame FAR SIDE cartoon drawing. I recall it being a bunch of black and white penguins gathered together in one location. Each and every one of them looked exactly like the other. Except in the center was one penguin jumping up with flippers spread wide singing, “I gotta be me!” For some oddball reason I remember that penguin wearing a colorful scarf and woolen cap, but wasn’t able to find that version while writing this.

Anyway, for some reason that cartoon has stuck with me throughout the years. It was not only funny, but fun! It echoes a rather large message of being true to yourself and gaining a thorough and complete understanding of who you are. More importantly, it represents the idea of being comfortable in one’s own skin even in a world promoting complicity and conformity. It tells me not to get lost in the norm or whatever everyone else is doing, because if I do, I could get caught up, lost and unable to recognize myself. Be a leader, not a follower.

This idea works well for those who are innovative, type A personalities and real go getters. Those who are happy with structure and routine may not feel the need to step up to the plate or out of their box, but they can still learn to be themselves in a room filled with similar people.

I believe this cartoon spoke to me because I always thought of myself as the odd duck out. I was the small quiet one, shy, a bit different, uncertain and somewhat a loner. Despite these character traits, I was able to turn things around thanks to being right-brained and creative. I could see things in a different light. I understood that not all is as it appears to be.

I was typically labeled and was a target for bullying to a certain degree. Needless-to-say, I felt misunderstood. I learned that if I didn’t follow the crowd, live up to their expectations, do what they did (peer pressure) or what they told me to do (authority), then I was tossed aside. When you’re a kid you don’t always understand clearly why out of the ordinary things happen the way they do.

We cannot all be exactly the same. It makes sense, especially if you think of playing a game of pool. If every ball on the pool table was the same color, shape and size, how would anyone be able to effectively play the game? In this analogy, each ball has be a variation on a theme to be effective. We have to have the cue ball. We have to have an eight ball. We need solids and stripes. This makes the game meaningful and impactful. Otherwise, we have nothing to work with.

I bring up these stories to make sense out of feeling comfortable in one’s own skin. “I gotta be me!” applies to all people, but we forget that sometimes. If everyone was exactly the same there would be limited opportunities to grow and become. Life may be boring as a result. The FAR SIDE cartoon illustrates the essence of following your own perfect path. Embrace your true self at every given moment. Yes, we all change, grow and have experiences. Sometimes we need to go with the flow and conform here in there. That is just recognizing when to compromise to achieve the best results.

So if you’re feeling like the odd duck out, the lone wolf or a misfit, embrace that feeling. Accepting ourselves as we are is a positive step forward. And, isn’t that what we are looking for in others, as well? We want people to accept us completely, wholeheartedly and unabashedly without judgment.

Accept yourself.

I gotta be me and you gotta be you.

Take that thought with you this week and enjoy living life On a Positive Note!

Cheers!

Break it Down!

Break it Down!

©Allen Merritt (2016)

This week I want to think about breaking down the words PEACE and POSITIVITY in an easy way to consider and help make them feel more applicable to the every day.

Let’s start with the idea of PEACE.

It seems the world outside our selves continues to become more chaotic with time. This makes it a challenge to live in a state of peace. To forget about it, ignore it or not pay attention to it is easier said than done. World events impact everyone on some level or other. Recognizing and acknowledging these events is important to the process of moving past each moment. I know people who live each day as nothing else is going on around them. It appears to work well for them. They seem to find a pathway that is open to other possibilities and stick to those paths. It culminates into the idea of living peacefully beyond all understanding. I admire them wholeheartedly. 

With that in mind, I’d like to think that another approach is to break it down into something that makes sense to the idea of actually living in a state of peace and bringing a bit of meaning to it. Since the opposite of peace is conflict, than peace breaks down into the elimination of conflict. At least it is the goal. Therefore, PEACE as an acronym helps us bear in mind to live in peace as much as possible, despite it all. It breaks down into the following words: Prayerfully Eliminating All Conflict Everywhere. In other words, eliminating conflict is a conscious effort and goal toward living peaceably one with another. 

Next is the word POSITIVITY. There are many ways to shed light on this one. It's an important word. I have known way too many people who love to live in misery and share it with others. It can be easy to fall in sync with their rhythms if you’re not careful. I believe this negativity is similar to  getting wasted on alcohol and/or drugs and then waking up ill, vomiting from it all. Personally, I never quite understood what fun there is in making yourself sick from such over indulgence. But it is a way of life for some. Consequently, I believe in uplifting rather than downshifting. If we really want to feel our best, we need to focus on the positive (i.e. positivity).

I choose the following breakdown of the word POSITIVITY.

P brings me back to Peace

O reminds me of Openness or open-mindedness

S equals Serenity and/or calmness

I is for Interconnectedness (to all things)

T is about Trust and trusting

I is another opportunity to pay attention to Intuitiveness

V serves up Vision (to see beyond and into)

I that feeling of being Integrated or a part of it all

T focuses on Truth (and understanding)

Y is accepting the Yes of all that is good

If this uplifts you or reminds you of qualities you want to work toward, then by all means use it!

I believe all people should embrace the best in who they are and work toward doing the same with and for others. It can be difficult and challenging at times, but there is so much wonder in making the effort to approach things from the positive side of the street.

Now, these are only suggestions and ideas on how to interpret peace and positivity. There are innumerous ways to think on each topic. The point I would like to propose is on making these ideas more than just ideas. Let’s find ways to shine a light on how to apply peace and positivity to each and every day while helping everyone smile and create meaningful moments less congested with the obvious chaos running rampid in the world.

Break it down anyway you like, but feel free to constantly live in peace and positivity.

It is something to think about!

Have a great week and enjoy living life On a Positive Note!

Cheers!