Show Some Love!

Show Some Love!

By Allen Merritt © 2018

I started pondering the day as I went out for coffee and watched the people coming and going with caffeine in hand.

I noticed a woman walk into the store. Her hair was purple. Her dress was red. She carried a guitar and rolled around and amplifier on a two wheeled dolly.

Then a man came in behind her a short while later with an arm full of palm leaves gone yellow. He was attending to his fingers twisting, molding and shaping the palms into a manmade rose.

I couldn’t help myself. I had to start writing.

Today is a special day for some and only the same old, same old for others. It’s Wednesday. It’s Hump Day. Its two events wrapped up into one, both Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday.

I immediately have a flashback: While at a meeting last night I overheard someone telling a story about how it was Galentine’s Day. Her reference had something to do with this celebration of love and affection for another specifically directed toward the “gal” in a relationship. In other words, it is only for the women or gals in your life. I thought the word play was humorous and just up my alley. However, for me, I think the day is for everyone to celebrate should they find themselves in a position to do so (i.e. have someone they want to celebrate it with).

Anyway, flash forward to the present scene, I watch the two individuals mentioned previously and recognize them as artists, but also see how in this moment they are human beings who try to make their artistry for the pleasure and entertainment of others. Here they were starting off their V-Day getting a regular cup of joe.

I do the same. Maybe we’re all starving artists striving to express, interpret and simply ‘be’.  While it may be Valentine’s Day it’s just a regular day for me. In fact, I remember this being one of my busiest work days when I was delivering singing telegrams. An artist loves the work and feels more fulfilled making their living by doing what they love to do. I speculate on how these two people are in the same boat, taking advantage of the “love” celebration to use their skills and generate some extra income. I respect that.

Everyone needs encouragement and recognition. There is something positive in this. It helps encourage goodness and inspires those out there trying.

With that in mind, I wish everyone a happy love day. 

On a side note, I saw a fun cartoon recently with a person holding a sign reading “HUG   E” and someone asks why the sign says “Huge”. When the person looked back at their handmade sign a letter had fallen away. The sign was supposed to say ‘HUG ME.”

It reminded me how fun getting a hug can be. Some folks are out there advertising free hugs to anyone who wants one while others are asking for that hug.

Find someone you care for and give them a hug or a nice compliment. "Like" a few extra things on your social media. Show some love to others. And as the little heart candies say, “Be Kind” to one another and encourage those doing their best.

Pass on the positivity and all that other mushy stuff, too!

Cheers!

Run For the Money!

Run For the Money!

By Allen Merritt (©2017)

I saw a billboard asking people to Run for the Money!

One for the money

Two for the Show

Three to get ready now go cat, go!

Here it was in large scale lettering high above the roadway. In essence, it was asking us to play the game. Take a gamble. Risk everything to gain it all…or not. More than likely lose it all. People do like to play the game, don’t they? Some even treat it as an investment opportunity and some are good at winning...big time. But not many. 

I suppose everyone is trying to sell you something so that they can win. 

If money can’t buy you love and money is the root of all evil, then why is it so important to us?  I guess for many it’s an answer for solving problems not just paying the bills.

This got me to thinking metaphorically about where people put their trust. I recall lines from a song suggesting that wherever your treasure might be there will your heart also be, which stems from a biblical passage discussing the desires of the heart, which causes me to consider personal outlook and perspective and how it relates to outcome positive or negative.

Here’s the thing. If you have disposable income and don’t mind throwing it away or taking the chance you will never see it again, then I guess frivolously plopping it down at a table or on a horse bet is no big deal. If you want to win the lotto, you have to buy a ticket, right? Stock market options are similar in makeup.

However, if it’s all about running for the money and you lose it, what’s left?

You think there is a light at the end of that tunnel, but more often than not it leads us into darkness. For example, when we lose all our money, have identities stolen and bank accounts hacked, then darkness looms in our mind, souls and spirits. Depression lurks. It is all about the money.

I think part of the passage suggesting when our eye is healthy (the way we look at things – perspective) then our entire body is filled with light (peace, joy and harmony). It truly depends on what we are attending to and how we are attending to it. If it’s all about getting the money, then money most likely is the goal and the problem which brings us into darkness (i.e. an unhealthy outlook or unhealthy eye). If we are constantly focused on running to the money, then doesn’t that suggest we are afraid and worried? Of course, there are plenty of healthy aspects to money. My point revolves around how much are we tuned into the idea of, as Jerry McGuire said, “Show me the money!”?  

Wherever your treasure might be, there will your heart also be!

It seems to me peace of mind, is far more valuable to overall well being and positive outlook then worrying, counting chickens before they’re hatched, consumerism, commercialism, materialism, hoarding or the like.

So what do we put our trust in?

What is the gamble worth taking?

What can we safely take a risk on?

Personally, I seldom gamble. If anything, I play a penny slot for a buck or two and that’s because I want to entertain myself with the music I am hearing or the animations. I figure I am going to lose the money, so I am not interested in throwing that much away.

If we want to keep our wits about us, I think the phrase Run for the Money should be a metaphor for running toward that which is soothing, healing or comforting to our heart, mind, soul, spirit and every fiber of our being (senses).  Therein lies those variables we trust, have faith in and truly enjoy, but more importantly find sustenance and sustainability in the day to day.

I hope this is insightful toward garnering more positivity in your day to day.

Enjoy your week living on a positive note.

Cheers!

Beyond the First Impression!

Beyond the First Impression!

By Allen Merritt ©2018

I heard a great message today reflecting on something I mentioned recently about the importance of first impressions and not judging a book by its cover. To reiterate, I referred to the idea of how first impressions are important. I understand that, but I also understand the phrase is not necessarily indicative of the truth as it pertains to what’s on the inside. I think it pertinent to understand the duality between both statements.

In today’s message, the conversation continued for me. Specifically, how we come to terms, accept and embrace one another in a positive light. Ergo, should we strictly look at someone and say, "that is all there is, we are not doing them or ourselves any favors."

While I will concede some judgment calls are predictable and true, not all are. So to keep things going in a positive direction it is only fair to take the time and look beyond what we initially see in someone. If I think about it, I cannot fully understand what is going on in someone else’s life unless I consider what is beyond the surface. If I sit and reflect or wait a while, often time’s new glimmers of truth come to light and provide understanding and truth. Not only that, many conditions will tend to weed themselves out quite naturally if we let them.

I have had a great deal of opportunity this week to reflect on situations in my life where I saw things in a specific way and had to respond and make decisions accordingly even it those choices didn’t make sense to anyone else.

As I reflect on the circumstances of various situations I discovered a pattern. That pattern spoke to me about how as things heated up, got stressful and threatened to get the best of me, I had to step back, help myself and take a closer look at how I felt about it all. This was definitely a positive approach. The other pattern I took note of related to how other people wanted to judge based on the books cover, so to speak; and  how their reactions took a negative turn, which ultimately impacted how I personally viewed the event.

Why is this relevant to this conversation? Perhaps it is because I realize everyone needs encouragement and understanding. If something isn’t going right, we must guard our hearts and at the same time not destroy opportunity or potentiality nor be a martyr in the process.

A few years back I was having a very stressful time in several areas of my life and I truly was doing everything I could to stay on the right track, be positive, keep relationships alive and make other people happy to the detriment of my own happiness. That was, until I made decisions to stop the madness.

Without getting into gory details or dragging on a conversation, I decided to step inside myself and step outside of those situations. I guess it was similar to the straw that broke the camel’s back thinking. I felt compelled to draw a line. Once I did that and enacted a new perspective, an attitude of calmness began to overtake me. At the same time, I decided to maintain moving forward in those very same situations, but under my own terms. I share this because this was several years ago and it helped see me through some tough times. It was a healthy way not to put myself or anyone else in a predicament but to allow myself a chance to self-preserve. 

Fast forward to the present, I notice how whatever decisions we based our actions on in years gone by actually may bring us to a new place and change our minds at some point. I see how people jump to conclusions and make unhealthy decisions. I see one stressful situation producing another stressful situation. 

However, healing and time coupled with not being overly judgmental or assuming things at face value may educate us further on how other people may have misunderstood or were going through their own personal crisis.

There is a positive light at the end of the tunnel. I guess that is the real message here.

Overall, I want to promote awareness toward not living in the past, letting old news be just that…old news and water under the bridge. Build new bridges. Take a second look at persons, places and things and utilize the first impression rule as a goal for yourself and not in judging others. Simultaneously, look more into every situation rather than glimpsing the surface area only. And I repeat myself when I say how everything is not exactly as it appears to be. One answer may not apply for eternity. We’re all human and can change our minds, our choices, our behaviors and as a result, may lead to altering how we respond to one another whether that is corporate or interpersonal.

This alternative way of looking at things may lead us to reconsider ways to reconstruct and live more positively while facing obstacles and hurdles along the way. Maybe it’s time to reassess and move forward as necessary. No need to needlessly slap people around, point fingers, place blame or cause undue stress or pain.

It’s a two way street. We all have something to learn from one another. Things happen both intentionally and unintentionally. First impressions don’t reveal the scope and truth of anything other than an introduction and looking deeper may turn things around and not cause anyone to feel put out or put upon.

Well, that’s enough wind for today!

Remember to take a second look.

Enjoy your week.

Cheers!

Keep Calm and…What?!

Keep Calm and…What?!

By Allen Merritt ©2017

Have you seen those signs conveying the message to keep calm?

Keep calm and…what...exactly?

I know some people who if they’re behaving a little on the onry side of life, they do not want to hear someone tell them to keep calm. 

Can you picture it? 

“Keep calm? Don’t tell ME to KEEP CALM!” And then they go off on you, right?

It would be the equivalent of suggesting someone be patient. “Be patient? Don’t talk to ME about patience’s. I ain’t no doctor. ”

I guess, it all depends on the person and their perspective. However, remaining calm is a key component in engineering positivity. I mean, how can anyone be positive or encourage the positive when they are dwelling, sitting in or stirring up anger and negativity? 

Unfortunately, in our current culture, there are many who make this their way of life, their modus operandi. They thrive on it almost the same as when misery seeks its own company.

Therefore, the message I truly want to focus on this week allows us to find better ways to resolve and/or handle individual situations.

Keep calm.

I can see how this phrase is becoming important to society. I have encountered it and responded to its history in previous blogs, but it serves to bring it up again in light of current events.

When I think of calm, I envision contentment, peace, joyfulness, simplicity, kindness, appreciation, gratitude and feel good attitudes.

Of course, sometimes you don’t know how you will behave in the middle of a stressful situation, but if you are conscientious and considerate with some level of self-control to think before speaking, look before leaping etcetera, then keeping calm and…will lead to effective positioning and outcomes towards positive initiatives.

Despite the present run on the idea that political correctness is antiquated and shouldn’t be honored, I believe some sense of manners must exist. The Golden Rule is still alive. Operating without a filter only serves to heat things up and stir up trouble. It never fails! At the end of the day, no wins while being politically incorrect.

In consideration of this, I would like to suggest and promote a positive exercise of writing Keep Calm and… several times on a piece of paper.  Afterwards, fill in the blank(s). That’s right. Fill in that blank each time you come across a challenging or negative situation or incident with a positive and inspiring word or two which will motivate you into finding a peaceful resolution in that moment.

Some of the signs, hats and t-shirts I have seen give us all kinds of suggestions, so there is no right or wrong answer to how one fills in the blank given the circumstances, as long as it conveys a message of hope and positivity. It should focus on a win-win thought process.

Here are some standard suggestions to get you thinking more on it.

Keep calm and breathe.

Keep calm and smile.

Keep calm and laugh.

Keep calm and move on.

Keep calm and listen to music.

Keep calm and believe in dreams.

Keep calm and enjoy life!

As for me, I am disappointment more and more each day with the choices people are making toward causing a ruckus in a ploy to show their backsides and to garner as much attention to themselves as possible, even if it’s unfavorable attention.

There is a reason why there was and is a campaign for keeping calm.

It is my hope to encourage myself and others to look beyond such nonsense and reach out for betterment.

If we do, we just might continue down a path of living life more positively and that is something we all can benefit from.

Give it a try. That’s what I keep doing.

Enjoy your week.

Cheers!

Some Soup and a Bowl!

Some Soup and a Bowl!

By Allen Merritt ©2018

This is the time of year where many Americans get excited and gather about to hype up a Sunday event that drowns out everything else going on, Super Bowl Sunday.

What teams will play off for the grand title? Which team will win? Who is performing half time? Which advertisements will be most impactful in capturing our attention? Bets are posted. Parties are planned and big screen television sales are probably on the rise.

Personally, I am not a sports fanatic to the extent I would root for specific teams and follow favorite players or memorize scores and statistics. I don’t mind watching sports, but I don’t get crazy about it. I prefer to see an occasional game live just for the sake of enjoying it for its spectacle, showmanship and entertainment value. The spirit, hype and camaraderie of it all are illuminating.

Truth is, when I think of Super Bowl Sunday, I do not just think about football. I think of what good comes out of it. Yes, the positive possibilities of helping others. Many groups collect cans of soup to help charitable causes and aide those in need. Some call it “Soup-er Bowl” Sunday, as in collecting bowls of soup.

It makes perfect sense and is a great campaign toward promoting positive reinforcement to others, at least on a certain level. From a marketing stand point, it’s a clever connection. I mean, after all Super Bowl does have the idea of “Sup” built into it, as into to sup one with another or having supper. The bowl is significant in that it represents a meal. Some groups call their programs the “Empty Bowl”, which is to be filled. I suppose on some level it addresses the bowl half empty or half full analogy. More importantly, it is about making strides to helping others and feeding hungry souls. Therefore, game Sunday is more than about football teams and jumping up and down in excitement.

Souper Bowl Sunday is about caring and offering up care. It is a fundraising event which continues the helping hand tradition generally targeting the holiday season. People give of themselves by either lending a hand, giving of their time to volunteer and also to raise and/or give monetarily. I even know of one organization which asks you to come in and create your own bowl out of clay. You mold it, shape it, paint and glaze it and thrown it in a kiln. Then you take it home as a reminder and add to your dish collection.

There are many ways to celebrate Super Bowl Sunday outside of watching the football game.

Hopefully, many will give a little something extra to support the other side of the event by donating and giving back toward supporting the SOUP-ER BOWL.

May we all be winners this Super Bowl season and light up the lives of those who need a little extra positive reinforcement!

Have a good one! Stay positive!

Cheers!

It Ain’t Funny, ‘Til It’s Funny!

It Ain’t Funny, ‘Til It’s Funny!

By Allen Merritt (©2017)

Have you ever heard someone attempt to tell a joke or try to be funny only to discover no one is laughing? Their efforts fall flat or simply aren’t funny? People groan, roll their eyes, stand there stoically with sour looks on their faces or simply walk away?

The phrase “if it was funny then we’d both be laughing” leads me to something I read recently about “it ain’t funny until it’s funny.”

While most folks aren’t stand up comedians, we all have funny life stories we experience and share. Some are funny, some are not. Many of these experiences are not funny you begin with, but years down the road, after the fact they may become funny as we continue to remember and share…with slight embellishments, of course.

To keep things rolling along with humor and infuse positivity into the week I want to share a few “it ain’t funny until its funny” stories as a reminder that what we go through right here and right now may not be funny, but we can look forward to turning it all around later down the road and having something fun to look back on. Hindsight is after all 20/20. Isn’t that what they say?

If it were my mother, she would say something to the effect that it’s so ugly it’s cute. The following memories may fit in this category. I hope it sparks a sense of finding humor in your experiences.

Anyway, here goes!

1) I remember coming home from school one day to the old trailer we called home. It was just off the highway on the outskirts of a very small town in the middle of nowhere. I got off the school bus, trotted into the trailer and found myself alone as I usually did after school. Mother was across the highway working at the tavern she managed. The first thing I recall noticing was a shotgun standing in the corner up against our wood paneled walls.

Let me preface this by saying there were events called turkey shoots which my mother sponsored at the tavern. People would show up with shotguns, shoot at targets set up along the railroad tracks. The one hitting closest to the bulls eye won a turkey.

However, the shotgun standing in the corner was for more than turkey shoots, but I was a kid and didn’t much think about that. However, the rules stated I was never ever to touch the gun unless I wanted to be torn limb by limb and have my hide ripped off. Handling the gun was done only in the presence of an adult and with their permission.

But do you think this stopped me on this particular day standing there all alone in the trailer house facing the invitation of that cold and sweaty looking shotgun in the corner? Noooooo! It didn’t mean a thing.

I picked up that shot gun and quickly discovered what a hair trigger was all about.

“KAPLOOOEWWWWY!” 

Bam! The gun spoke. It blew its top. It threw me backwards across the living room into an opposing wall before falling to the ground. I can picture myself now shaking my head with cartoon sound effects. Needless-to-say, I was scared out of my pants (not literally). When I stood up and surveyed the damage the entire kitchen linoleum floor was blown to smithereens. Long story short, I eventually had to confess to mom about the smoking gun disaster. All I can remember thinking was, “I shot the kitchen floor, but I did not shoot he kitchen sink.”

2) I got a puppy at some point while living in New York City. After going through the turmoil that puppies put you through I remember taken the larger version of the same dog to Central Park for an afternoon walk and romp. Everything was cool until I let him off the leash for a bit and he made a beeline to something a few feet away. He started wallowing in the grass, or so it appeared. Turns out he found a large pile of defecation he was attracted to and started to lather himself up with it. I ran over to him and by the time I realized what was going on my dog was completely covered in doo-doo and stunk to high heaven. I couldn’t believe it. It was disgusting. I somehow walked him back to the street where we lived and found someone hosing down the sidewalk. I knew I couldn’t take the dog inside without cleaning off the crap. I hosed down my little doggie. He hated me for it and never wanted to take a bath again. It was kind of like being sprayed by a skunk and it took several baths to wash out the smell. It was awful in the moment, but it’s a funny memory now!

3) Last but not least. One morning (during college) I woke up late and found myself pressed for time. I grabbed a tee shirt and shorts and threw them on without making time to put on underwear. I ran out the door so I could get to class on time. Luckily the college was only a mile or so away. I ran to my first class and sat there feeling a little chilly. I thought the air conditioning was on full blast. But I survived. I bounced to my next class and as I entered the classroom I felt a draft on my backside. I felt back there and realized the entire backend of my shorts were ripped out and my bare buttkus was hanging out. I was literally embarr-assed. Luckily I had my book bag, so I used it to hide behind until class was over. Whew!

I hope you had a few laughs over my situations. We all have them. I challenge you to find something funny and positive in your life this week. Look back at moments that were not funny when they happened and see if you can find something humorous about them now.

Until next time, keep on trucking and living life on a positive note.

Cheers!

I See You!

I See You!

By Allen Merritt ©2018

One of the radio shows I listen to while in the car tooling around has a segment where the show personalities look for individuals in the news who've went the extra mile, demonstrated compassion and desire to help and who offered any kind of positive contribution toward assisting others in need. These are simple observations about every day people helping whenever they can and are able. Their willingness to engage and participate is amazing and the radio wants to recognize some of them by letting the world know they see them, appreciate them and acknowledge them.

The hosts share the stories and at the end of each one they shout out, “I see you!”

It’s a great way to concede how there are good people out there and how great things are happening. Nothing is ordinary, only extraordinary.

It takes a certain level of consciousness as well as conscientiousness to notice and speak up about such activities.  Since I am all over the place doing all kinds of things my sense of awareness is pretty keen, but also discombobulated and distracted. I guess I would say I notice a lot of things going on around me, but I wouldn’t be surprised to find out I miss a lot of things, too. There is only so much we can take in. This makes sense with the overwhelming amount of stimuli we have to contend with just to make it through a single day.

Overall, I feel pretty good about my observatory skills.

This week I ran around like the proverbial chicken with the head cut off attending to conference needs and helping speakers get it together prior to their presentation. My observatory skills discovered many things out of place and I would catch them in a timely manner to correct them and aide in what appeared to be a smooth operation. In fact, it was more like a recovery!

Getting in there and helping the day go as smoothly as possible is the name of the game. No time for whining and complaining. Just get in there and do whatever you can to the best of your ability to work it all out.  This is exactly what I did.

One speaker forgot her PowerPoint and I found a way to have it emailed to me, ran to a computer where I could access internet, download the file onto a thumb drive and then literally ran back to the conference room just in time for her to go on and uploaded to the laptop, pulled it up and off she went giving her talk.  

In another moment, the laptop died at the podium in the middle of a speakers talk. Turns out it was unplugged and the battery died. I plugged it in and got it to start up again so the next speaker could take the ball and run with it. These were a couple of examples of my week which culminated in several of similar events.

The reason I share these events is because later in the conference week two individuals approached me in the hallways and publicly acknowledged me for the aide I provided. They wanted to offer their gratitude. They were in essence saying, “I see you!”

I smiled and graciously accepted their thanks and took a moment to appreciate it and take it in as a positive for the day.

My next question beyond seeing and observing has to do with are we accepting and embracing such kindness given to us by others? Are we returning the same in kind?  Moreover, are we noticing these things in ourselves? Are we comfortable sharing with others what good we see in them? Can we find moments to say, “I see you!” to someone today and every day?

I think it is important to give ourselves and others a boost in spirit. It's uplifting!

It may take practice, but practice helps lead us to perfect practice.

“I see you” says I see what you are doing. I see who you are. I see your love and compassion. I see your hard work. Our observation is a small reward. It is a gift we offer.

“I see myself” is as important as what we see in others.

Let’s be a mirror of ourselves to the world and make notice whenever we see good taking place. Give a shout out.

“I See You!”

“I See ME!”

“Thanks for all you do!”

Let’s not be afraid to verbalize such moments as we journey along living life positively.

Have a great week noticing the wonders of the world.

Cheers!