Eggs are Better Sunny than Runny

Life is happy for a while. Then life is sad for a while. Then it gets happy again. It’s a simple cycle we always try to make more complex.  We, humans, were not built to be comfortable. We were not built to be automatically happy. From the moment we are born, we ride the struggle bus. But just because we are not copyrighted for happiness, doesn’t mean that we can’t ingrain ourselves to keep on the sunny side. You’ve heard it from every preacher and speaker living in a van down by the river, that being happy is a choice. People who choose to be happy, make themselves that way. But generally making your life happy as a whole is a big apple to swallow, so let's start with a bite.

I’m not saying it’s a simple thing. Like I said, we are not programmed to be happy. But just like a lot of notions, when done enough, you form a habit.  That choice to be happy I speak of isn’t just a general choice. It’s something you can make every time you get the opportunity to wake up from that 8-hour nocturnal nap. And if you don’t take those naps, ease up on the uppers.

Really, our days are a crapshoot. As scheduled as some of us may be, we can’t predict the smoothness of the day nor if we are going to see the end of it. Every day is a roulette of circumstances, but how you endure those circumstances is what sets each of us apart as individuals.

What I’m talking about is being happily resilient to the happenings of life. Tire flat when you get to your car? Eat that problem for breakfast. News pumping out all the depressing dramatics? Ignore it and spread the love.  Gossip in the workplace? Talk about the weather instead.

The resiliency I speak of isn’t neutrality. Life will be boring if you don’t take a stand on issues or react to current events.  The call to action here though is to positively respond to the shade life throws at you. And history shows that it will throw shade.

Being our species isn’t easy. We wade through a barrage of problem-solving to make a little coin, own some things and God willing, extend our lineage.  Then we die. Don’t interpret that as sad, it’s factual.  Everyone does it. So why not make your story one full of happiness and laughs?

Your life’s resume starts with a daily choice whether you are going to be happy or not despite whatever circumstances you’re faced with. Yep.

New in my life: Ephesians 2 is a goodin'.  I'm crafting wagon wheels and gearing up the oxen.  Taking applications for a canoe partner. 

Keep smilin' 

#goAtLIFE 

You'd Better have a Good Sense of Humor or a Bad Memory

Chicken Little: Listen to me, everybody! I’m your new leader! I’m gonna save your lives! I’m gonna tell you what to do!

Cocky Locky: Don’t listen to that pipsqueak. The sky isn’t falling.

Chicken Little: I tell ya it is too falling!

Cocky Locky: And I tell you it isn’t.

Chicken Little: Is too!

Cocky Locky: All right, if the sky is falling why doesn’t it hit me in the head?

(Foxy Loxy hits Cocky Locky with a piece of wood)

Hen: Chicken Little is right! What do we do? Oh, Chicken Little, you’ve got to help us!

We live in a time of chaos. You know who else did though? The Romans. The founding fathers did as well. And so did the people that lived in the 1970's. As did the humans that endured WWII. Okay, you get my point. Every generation has their own version of the world ending. As special and 'doom and gloom' the media would like us to think our current events are, life's not too shabby. 

I'm transitioning into a living situation without a tv and I couldn't be more excited about it. I try and stay off social media as well these days. When I do a cost-benefit analysis of living under a rock, my life financial sheets are still in the black. Sure there will be conversations where I don't know what actors people are talking about and there are some grandiose news stories that I'll have to catch up on when I'm talking to the outside world, but I'm quite okay with that. 

There's so much pressure these days to be social and to appear happy. We're driven by 'likes' and knowing what everyone is doing 24/7. It's quite addicting. I've fallen prey at times of being consumed by it.

I love having a piece of chocolate with my coffee. It's something I'm planning on carrying into my old age. I'm pumped to be a grandpa.  I also love a good piece of cheesecake or pie. These tasty luxuries fit well into celebratory moments, but especially as my gallbladder ages, I know these are empty calories and I can't survive on sugar alone. I need some meat and potatoes to keep me fueled. 

In all this rambling my point is that social media, sensational news and seeking affirmation from an app, are empty calories. They're fun and can be fun to talk about, but once you burn through them you're going to needs some values, morals and hobbies that make up the meat and potatoes of your personality. Yep. 

I know this can sound like a "get off my lawn" speech, but as I'm sitting listening to vinyl records and drinking an Old Fashion with my phone outside of my reach, I hope it's a small reminder for you to not get caught up in surface level happenings just because they're popular. Row your own boat. 

New in my life: You can run, but you can't Hyde, godchild 2.0 is here to take over the world. You name the babies, I'll name the dogs. My social sphere has been dieting. 

Keep smilin'

#goAtLIFE

JM 

Stay Sassy San Diego

The horn on my truck sounds like a faint wounded squirrel. It's an insecurity of mine. But the most common time I need my horn is when I get irritated that I have to wait 10 seconds instead of 5 seconds at a stop light.  There is a deeper issue here than Susan in the Ford Focus in front of me checking her text messages.

Gym, work, sleep. Repeat. Weekends are for chores and socializing, right? Whether you're a 24-year-old socialite or whether you're a parent of two, we too often overbook ourselves. In between beers with the boys, to-do lists, parental responsibilities, church, seeing family, watching football, we often forget to take a day off within the 7 we have allotted.

Our umbilical cord to be connected to people at all hours of the day is partially to blame here. I recently started living alone and as much as I enjoy being around other humans, it's been great to actually experience quiet again. Giving myself a chance to slow down, turn off the music/tv and let myself think. On the other hand, to the lonely and overthinkers, silence can be terrifying. I've written about this before, but it's how you use silence that makes a difference whether it's a beneficial or detrimental part of your life. But it's also necessary to avoid social exhaustion.

Do I catch myself wondering "Do dogs actually speak Spanish and not English?" from time to time? The answer would be yes, but more often than not, the quiet gives me a time to seriously reflect on my life direction and what I actually want.

I suppose you could boil it down to simply controlling your thoughts, but on a simpler level, just make time for silence at some point of your day. Be it 5 minutes of coffee enjoyment before you go to work, starting Saturday reading on the porch for an hour or after putting the kids to bed sitting on the couch without the tv on, give your brain a second to actually process the day. Find your spot.

So as much as I want to save myself the seconds and blare my clarinet-level horn at people wasting time intersections, I'm learning to just enjoy a brief moment of solitude and have an extra moment of healthy thoughts instead. Yep.

New in my life: Can't beat cedar. The time is right when the frost is on the pumpkin. Yeti season keeps me hydrated. New suit goofin'.

#goAtLIFE @goatlifeco

Huggies Not Druggies

I spent a whole weekend in a household with a baby. Said baby was just over a year old. Walking but definitely not durable yet.

You learn a lot in that environment. Mainly how to walk on your tip toes before 7am and that Aldi sells a baby food line. The other thing required of you is to be on baby watch at all times. Even if it's not your "turn" or "responsibility," the subliminal question of "Where's the baby?" is always present.

Nowadays we've gotten pretty advanced with our kiddo safety. Baby gates, wall outlet protectors, leashes etc. Personally, I think riding in the front seat unconstrained as a little chico established my free spirit side.

On baby watch duty, one of the key locations to beware of are the stairs. And rightfully so. As a youngster is learning how to navigate up and down the stairs, they need a chaperone to redirect them should any hiccups or imbalances arise. That got me thinking, in comparison to the infant's height, that's a pretty large obstacle to climb. To put it in an adult's scope, that may be equivalent to us hopping over a chain-link fence or getting onto a rooftop. Achievable with mild assistance.

In life, we're faced with the same scenario. We all come across things that socially, physically or morally gets in between us and our goals. For many of us, especially us guys, we think the best plan of action is to figure it out ourselves. Problem solve and then carry on. While I do embrace the problem-solving ability, I think we need to humble ourselves and realize that a helping hand is okay.

Maybe it's a shrink, maybe it's God or some version of religion. Or perhaps it's simply a community aka your friend group. Whatever your source of relief, don't let your pride keep you from seeking that healthy and needed help with whatever hardship you're facing.

Just like the little tyke climbing to his destination with a spotter to keep him upright, we often times need someone in life to help keep us morally balanced and onward to where we want/need to go. Yep.

New in my life: A cool byproduct of Juan's tomatoes being taxed at the border may be a garden eh? Prevent zone defense wins championships I think?  This chapter looks Brite.

Keep smilin'

Full Moons are a Bit Cheeky

Why wouldn't rice cakes be next to the rice? I realize in the scheme of things, I could have worse worries, but every two weeks when I need my fix, Wanda at the grocery has to tell me they're in aisle 6 with the crackers. Just a cracker wandering down the cracker aisle. Straight up.

Upon my decent of the rice cakes, I find my options: certified organic, cheddar, caramel, lightly salted and original. In that moment I flash back to the documentary I watched the night before of a man chasing an antelope in the African safari in hopes of feeding his village.  I go with original flavor.

Why do I have 5 choices of rice cakes? Because I've earned the right? Because I filed my taxes on time? Because I support my local Girl Scout troop? Good karma? Nah. I just happened to be born in a specific geographical region of the world. Lucky me.

I was watching a captivating Patsy Kline documentary the other night and they took a short break in programming where I had the option to call in and donate dollars to a lady wearing a headset in the background. I flipped to the next channel and the preacher man was telling me to tithe my money to avoid the misery of purgatory. Most stoplights I feel the guilt of not carrying cash to give to the homeless selling newspapers.  We have social influences literally and figuratively on every corner.

Amongst our social medias, political rhetoric and general news of our day, it's difficult to really know what to deem as important. Cat videos are a good start, but to say we have options is an understatement.

So where do you focus your attention and money? With all the noise, there is a certain level of stress when attempting to make the correct conclusions all day long. What if you screw up? What if you text the wrong response to bae? Life goes on.

I propose that there is only one initial decision you need to make when you climb out of bed. The decision that you are going to happy today no matter what happens to you. Whether you get dumped, fired from work, in a car wreck or a bird poops on you. Shake it off and keep on keepin' on.  Program your brain to default to cloud nine despite any shade (negativity) thrown your way.  Because if you live in the same culture I do, you're going to have a run-in with something/someone trying to bring you down.

Amidst all of the social exhaustion with in our daily routines, this choice to stay on the sunny side is almost always going to be the correct plan of action.  Ensure your mindset knowing you're going to be smiling when your head hits the pillow later that night.

So as you are sitting in that unnecessary traffic while the sun comes up tomorrow, decide that regardless of how your day unfolds, that you are going to be a positive human come days end. It's easier than choosing the best flavor of rice cake.

New in my life: David Bowie sings a song about changes. It takes about 3 weeks off of social media for people to send out the search party. My inner hipsta is kaleing it.

Keep smilin'

JM