Pray about everything. Worry about nothing.
I am constantly changing, but this is different. I can really really feel a different purpose in life.
To be completely honest. I am happy with my life. I can confidently say that I'm the most happiest ever been in my 24 years of living. And it all started with graduating from the hellhole Georgia Tech. Don't get be twisted I love my Alma Mater, it was just difficult to say the least. For most of my life from when I can remember I always had goals. And not just goals but more end-goals. First do well in high school. Why? To get into a good college, why? To learn and get a good job. And 6 months ago I made it. I have a job, make money, socialize, have a good family. What is my end goal now. I always envisioned this path I'm walking on throughout my years in school but now the clear path I'm walking on vanished. Rather this path I've been looking down and following for so long was almost a way of my life. But now I am able to stretch my neck a little bit and look up to a large and bright open field. I look up even more to a clear blue tinted sky. Endless, limitless. I thought this was it. That this path I was on was life and and I thought I knew happiness. But I have yet to scratch the surface, which even that seems like an overstatement.
This feeling of immeasurable greatness. That question of what's next? Is there something more to life? Is there something else? All that doesn't matter anymore. Cause with life I am constantly changing and moving. To be open minded and try to understand more. more love, more peace, more knowledge, more patience.
I am 100% happy. But I am not 100% happy with where I am in life right now. I can't be. Knowing there is so much more out there I have yet to experience. How can I be 100% content with where I am. And to speak to that, I wont be 100% happy until I pass my time on this worldly earth. And from then on I can't even start to grasp the immeasurable experiences I will find. The youth group winter retreat was my first as a catechist. And although after so many months and hours planning, didn't go exactly as planned. That is sometimes the beauty of it all. beauty of life, how we need to change and think. And I keep thinking that I am so grateful I can even think like this. That in this point in my life, I can feel and be at such peace. Truly blessed by something much greater than me or anything on this planet. Bless by GOD. My faith is still such a baby. And I keep telling myself I don't want to change into those hardcore Jesus freaks. But I write my own chapters, and change is already happening whatever I want to say right now has really no effect.
After everything was said and done, I got into my car on sunday after the weekend was over. I was driving to counselor dinner, decided to listen to NPR rather than my normal praise and worship jam. And I ran into something that was short of a miracle. A TED TALKS about happiness and gratefulness....
What is the connection to happiness and gratefulness? My initial thought would be 'happy people are grateful for what they have'. But there are plenty of people that have everything they need to have to be happy but aren't. We all know there are people who have great misfortune but they are so happy. They radiate happiness. Why? Because they are grateful. I feel like gratefulness is something that is of huge value, and something that is given. Something you can't buy. But how do you experience gratefulness. You have to think that every moment is given to you, like a gift. There is no way of knowing there be another of the same moment. And yet that's the most valuable thing that can be given to us.
They said opportunity only comes knocking once. But think again. Life is filled with moments of such, and if you miss one there is another one that will come by, And if you make yourself available to these moments, that is the key to happiness. Does that mean we can be grateful for everything in life? Certainly not. I cannot be grateful for violence, anger, oppression, exploitation. But we can be grateful for every given moment; for the opportunity and if we are confronted with something that is terribly difficult, we can rise to the occasion and respond to this opportunity that is given to us. Rise to it by learning something which is sometimes painful. Learning patience for instance, to learn and suffer. It's the people that change through this adversity that we admire. And if you fail, there will be more and more opportunities. That is the wonderful richness about life.
So how can we find a method to harness this. How do we live gratefully? Brother David Stiendl-Rast from a Boston Monastery says from a very young age we were taught this when we cross the street. Stop. Look. Go. That's all. But how often do we stop. In this fast paced world with instant gratification we often miss many many opportunities. We have to build stop signs into our lives. After we stop and realize the next step is to GO and really do something. And what we can do is whatever life offers to you in that present moment. Mostly its the opportunity to enjoy. A thought like this can revolutionize the world. Because we open up our minds and are in a change in consciousness; you stop and become more aware of how important and valuable this is. This thought can change our world because when you are grateful you are not fearful. And if you are not fearful you are not violent. When you are grateful you act out on a sense of enough and not out of a sense of scarcity. So we share more. When you are grateful you enjoy the differences between people and you respect everyone. And that changes the power pyramid under which the society lives. But this doesn't make for equality but it makes for equal respect. A grateful world is a world filled with joyful people. Happy people.
I'm really bad at typing and explaining myself.
I need to read more books...
you should come back and read this post again in a week.. then a month.. then every once in a while because what naturally happens to us is that we tend to forget easily. looks like you got alot out of your retreat this weekend and im glad to see you grow and reflect. theres so much to talk about regarding happiness especially at this phase in our lives. so many people seeking happiness in things that only satisfy temporarily. we have alot of growing up to do.................