Daily Inspiration 4-30-17

"As life has a way 

of unfolding as it is meant to,

I have learned to trust life."

-- Linda Thompson

Sign on my wall to remind me to trust and in Whom

In the Bible, in Matthew 7 and 8, and again, in Luke 9 and 10, there are two of the most well-known sentences: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."

I really wasn't a church-goer until I was 45, and then for only about 10 years, yet how can one live and not have heard these sentences? But, hearing them or reading them is insignificant to learning to trust them as real; as truth.

Today, April 30th, 2017 is the 30th anniversary of my realization of what happens when I trusted in those words. It is the 30th anniversary of my meeting my late wife, Nancy, in Hawaii for the first time. She was an answer to my prayer; to my asking with trust and abandon in the power of prayer, and in God. I like to use the word phrase, All-That-Is or The Universe because the word God has such baggage.

I had been separated since mid-1984, and then finally divorced in 1986 from a 16-year marriage. That was a time of change, and all of that was perfect in so many ways. I was doing the dating thing and it was not what I wanted. I wanted more. So finally in 1986, I got on my knees at the foot of my bed and prayed this prayer: "Lord, I know that you know everyone on this planet, and I am asking that when you feel the time is right, that you will put the right person for me in my path, and please make sure I am awake to recognize it."

I did that for 6-months. Seriously. I didn't know that I only needed to ask once, and even that is optional since, after all, All-That-Is knows All-That-Is. I won a Chevrolet sponsored trip to Hawaii from the dealership I worked at to Turtle Bay on Oahu, Hawaii. Nancy won the same trip from the dealership she worked at 500 miles away from mine. We met at the first event on the first night on April 30th, 1987. My friend Dallan was along with me to make sure I was awake. Everything happens for a reason. A funny aside is that Dallan now lives on that island and has for many years. Go figure.

Well, we became an item immediately and fell in love magically just like in the movies, and a month and a half later, we were together in Fairfield CA and for 26 years until her passing in 2013. I might say that I've never loved anyone as unconditionally as she, and though that may be true to an extent, what is more important is that she taught me to love more fully all people without any conditions.

About 1987-8 at Bodega Bay CA

It is amazing when you ask, trusting that it will be given. The tendency we often have is to be impatient. Are we there yet? Hey, it's not happening yet! I like this shared thought by Sharon Salzberg: "Patience doesn't mean making a pact with the devil of denial, ignoring our emotions and aspirations. It means being wholeheartedly engaged in the process that's unfolding, rather than ripping open a budding flower or demanding a caterpillar hurry up and get that chrysalis stage over with."

I have a wonderful guided meditation that I listen to quite often that is a free download from Mira Kelley on her website. It's called Trust. It is so powerful. With all that goes on around us, it is harder sometimes to trust in that which we cannot see with our earthly eyes, and to let go and surrender to that unseen power, and yet it is there. I have been convinced enough times beginning with this story to know for sure. This meditation reminds me to trust and to surrender to that power with every listen.

One last thing I want to leave you with if you've come this far, and that is that you don't need to know exactly what you want. The Universe knows. Allow yourself the flexibility to be surprised and amazed and delighted. Trust that what you need and what you don't even know fully that you want will come to pass in synchronicity that will astound you. Just like the story I just told.

It would have been impossible for me to plan what happened. I simply had to trust and surrender that God was in control and that what I was asking was given. It was given at the moment of my asking, and my surrender was the patience to watch it unfold before my awe-struck eyes.


Surrender Doesn't Mean Giving Up And Trust Doesn't Mean Giving In. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by injoying all that life has brought to you so far and with a renewed anticipation of the power of more unfolding in your trust that you get what you ask for.

Daily Inspiration 4-29-17

"Your emotions 

are absolute indicators 

of your vibrational content." 

-- Abraham, Esther Hicks 

Yes, and here's the power in that statement from Abraham: "Once you understand the clarity that your emotions provide, you will never again not know what you are doing with your current thought. You will always be aware of whether you are, in this moment, moving toward or away from your intended goal or desire." 

When I truly began to understand the power of the guidance that is within me, it changed my life. I stopped blaming things, people or circumstances. I started understanding that as I felt negative emotion it only meant that I was out of alignment with the Source within me. It became like an audible warning going off when I was moving away from what I wanted much like those grooves on the side of roads that make the tires vibrate and make noise.

If I were blaming something for causing this, I would be the victim and I've had plenty of that in my earlier life. The powerlessness of victim-hood is such an ugly feeling. But, when I realize that I am only being guided by my Inner Spirit to become aware of what I am now choosing, I can be awakened to a better feeling choice.

I love the simplicity of this guidance. It is easy to see how it works.

Vibration is spoken as part of this and to many, it may seem that the idea of vibration and how we are vibrating is harder to understand. Yet, everything is vibration at a wide range of different frequencies. This is where the idea of resonance helped me. As I am choosing thoughts that cause me to feel negative emotion, I am vibrating in discordance with my Inner Being. As I am feeling positive emotions, I am in resonance. We can easily feel that difference, which helped me to understand so much better the way all of this knowledge is allowing me to know how I get what I get. And, if I am not liking what I am getting, I know what to do about it.


Personal Power Is Within Us All. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by following your own internal guidance toward that delightful end.

Daily Inspiration 4-28-17

"What is the happiest thought 

you can think at this moment?" 

-- Christian Almayrac 

Enjoy that thought! How about another? And another? And another? Until you are walking on air on this beautiful Friday!


Look At All The Power You Have Over Reality! Who Knew? 

Spread Some Joy Today--by carrying on with yo happy thoughtful self.

Daily Inspiration 4-27-17

"That which sticks in our craw 

is what creates our dis-ease." 

-- Albert K. Strong 

Nelson Mandela said, "As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison." That is stating what he is bringing with him or leaving behind. Sometimes it may be a challenge to leave behind something that has ruled our lives for a time, however long it may have been.

But, my favorite quote by Nelson Mandela is how that bitterness or hatred, however, we think it may be directed, or however we think it may be justified is not doing anything but damaging ourselves. He said, "Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies." That which sticks in our craw creates our dis-ease.

Yet, I have to add one more from Nelson: "No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite."

No one is born hating, pushing against, being in resistance. It is all learned. From our parents, teachers, peers, friends, the media in all its forms. With all of this, it is easy to have things stick in our craws. And look at all the diseases we have created even in the last 50 years compared to all of human-time.

It is easy to think that the negative baggage of beliefs that we have are there because they are real and true, but they are no more real and true than anything that we have learned and accepted. We often may even feel as if that baggage has power over us, and that is only true as we accept that premise. The real truth is that we are infinitely more powerful than any belief we choose to hold. Accepting being a victim or accepting being in full control is purely a choice, along with all the levels in between. We choose it all and create our own world as a result of those choices.

Michael A. Singer, in his ground-breaking book, The Untethered Soul, is teaching how to clear the craw by allowing everything to flow through us, accepting it as it is, yet not giving it any other power or meaning, and certainly not holding on to any of it. As it flows through, we are continually cleared and free. The only harm that ever comes is from allowing things to stick causing a blockage and creating stagnation.

Some people say that we have to accept the world as it is, things as they are, and fight, fight, fight for what we want. I like how Alan Cohen puts that into perspective. He says, "If you must accept what is, then accept the presence of love, beauty, abundance, and perfection." 

Finally, how do we know where we are? By how we feel. I know what love, beauty, abundance, peace, and joy feel like. I also have experienced and so know what hatred, anger, resentment, powerlessness feel like. You could say that if it feels good, it is, and if it doesn't feel good, it is. If it feels good, it flows, and if it doesn't feel good, it sticks. That's how we can know and then choose as we will.


Letting Go Permits The Flow And Creates The Glow. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by rising above and seeing yourself anew.

Daily Inspiration 4-26-17

"We can complain because

rose bushes have thorns,

or rejoice because

thorn bushes have roses."

-- Abraham Lincoln

The phrase in the image above about positive thinking is quite interesting to me. I've heard it said to my face, and when it was, it was all about frustration with a whole lot of resistance going on.

Whether thinking that resistance is like holding onto a rope as in the tug-o-war game resisting the pull of some opponent, or pushing against something that we don't like or don't want, in either case, and in all cases of resistance, we're not yet ready to hear how that struggle need not be. Or, maybe it does need to be. We grow in all situations and sometimes we create without awareness to bring challenges that we have to figure out.

So is positive thinking bullshit? It is if you are in resistance to it, and it isn't if you are not. Simple truth.

I laughed when I first saw this image and saved it for a later time (now!). Then this morning, I Googled it (isn't it interesting how we now say that phrase so easily) only to find a whole lot of videos on the subject, and plenty of articles, many by experts.

I read one just for fun and it made me laugh all the more. It made it sound like because positive thinking is bullshit that negative thinking rules. Well, there is some truth to that if you look around; however, there is no truth in that if you look around. Just as Abraham Lincoln stated, we can focus on the so-called negative of the rose bush or the so-called positive of the thorn bush. And, yesterday's lead quote by Helen Keller is worth repeating here: "Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it."

There seems to be a natural draw or attraction to negative thinking. I know why that is now. It is the ego. The ego is perfect for what it is good at, but it likes to pretend that it is good at everything. But, it is not. It has a very limited scope of usefulness, and yet it is the white noise of the voice in our heads. It pretends to be us, but it is not us. We are much higher up than where the ego lives. It's good to remember this.

As we take charge as if we are even above our body, which in reality we are, we can see how all this is working within us and surrounding us. This gives us perspective. We then can choose what to focus on. From this perspective would I choose negative thinking? Why? I like roses. And, I can appreciate thorns. That's not bullshit to me. It's living a life of joy instead of pain.

I spent more time on Facebook the last couple of days than usual. There are so many positive things there. And, of course, there are negative ones too. One was looking for sympathy in a broken relationship and after reading the story and knowing the person, I put something positive there. Then another post from the same person complaining more, so I posted again something uplifting, or meant to be uplifting. But, I'm certain that this person was thinking, positive thinking is bullshit.

I rarely 'swim upstream' with people anymore, but once in a while I indulge myself in attempting to point out the rose within the thorns. We can't really change people. Only they can change themselves. Sometimes a positive uplifting word or thought might be of benefit, but generally when people are in resistance, there they are until they decide for whatever reason in their own sweet time that they are tired of that and want something better.

Until then, I fully understand that positive thinking is all bullshit.


"Minds Are Like Flowers, They Only Open When The Time Is Right." -- Stephen Richards

Spread Some Joy Today--by accepting yourself as yourself and by learning more about who you are, what you are, and how you serve.

Daily Inspiration 4-25-17

"Although the world

is full of suffering,

it is full also of

the overcoming of it."

-- Helen Keller

There is a popular phrase that says, what you see is what you get. So, we might think that as we see something that everyone will see what we see. There it is for all to see, right? Simple.

But, it is not so simple. It is less what we see and more what we bring to what we see that dictates what we see. One person might see suffering, and another someone on the journey of wholeness, expansion, growth, gaining in strength, adding more wisdom. Those two people each bring something different to the scene that they view.

I like how Abraham, Esther Hicks explains this: "There are as many different worlds as there are perceivers or Beings or individuals. You are not here to create one world where everyone is the same, wanting and getting the same. You are here to be that which you want to be, while you allow all others to be that which they want to be."

That last line could be stated this way: "You are here to see that which you want to see, while you allow all others to see that which they want to see."


Seeing Is Believing? I Think It Is More Likely This: Believing Is Seeing.

Spread Some Joy Today--as you enjoy your own unique perspective of what you see today. I hope it is a delightful view.

Daily Inspiration 4-24-17

"I've come to a place in my life

where I want what I already have."

-- Terry Minion

  

Wanting. We can't stop it. We are always wanting, and more often than not, it is something we don't have at the moment. It could be tickets to a concert, or a complete change in geography and venue, or virtually billions of things. We do it all day long too. When we see or experience what we realize we don't want or don't care for, this automatically causes us to want something better or different. It's a perfect system of moving through the living of life experience on the big spinning ball called Earth.

I don't travel much anymore. I used to travel so much that I got really sick of it, wanting not that for a while. It's now been a while, and so I thought I should take the weekend and just go and do something out of town and get a new perspective. I did. It was a gorgeous drive to and from and while there, and yet there were things on this trip not to my liking as well. Finally, the not liking list overloaded the liking list and I cut short a day early and went home.

Home sweet home. There is nothing quite like coming home for me. And, nowadays, there is nothing like staying home for me. But, that is not new. I've always loved staying home, and in days past I used to find all manner of ways to make that happen. Still, it is even better to be home now than it ever has been. It is Shangri-la to me now and there is so much here that interests me that it is a challenge to become bored.

This morning as I was sitting at the table and chairs in my carport gazing into my courtyard watching the birds bathing and eating, and since it is Spring, chasing one another around with passionate motives, I realized that what I want I already have. In fact, I've come to a place in my life where I want what I already have.

Before I left on my little trip, a big lake that was 77 miles away, I was intently staring at a Northern California map wondering where I might like to go. I struggled (as much as I struggle anymore, which is not so much) as to a desirable destination. Before finally choosing Clearlake CA, I opened up to a map of the entire United States including Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. I asked myself: If money was not an object, where would I like to go. Strange as it may seem, there wasn't anyplace in the United States that I had a desire to go to right now. Not even flying First Class, via a limousine, helicopter, or any other way. My desire-o-meter was very low. But, when I thought about staying home, my desire-o-meter was very high.

No matter that, I felt that since I don't go much that I should go somewhere. So I chose and went. It's funny how we can cajole ourselves into a decision that we don't really want to make intending to have us feel better. And yet in the end, by realizing that what I want I already have, I not only save time and money but find peace and joy too. Not a bad exchange. And, lastly, the trip was delightful while I was driving through such beautiful areas of nature, and I got a story worth telling as a bonus.

Being Injoy Is Being Where Ever You Really Want To Be Including, And Maybe Especially, Where You Are.

Spread Some Joy Today--by loving where you are, who you are, and what you are doing. 

Daily Inspiration 4-23-17

"You're a perfect example."

-- Albert K Strong

[Classic post from 4-22-13]

I saw another quote by Catherine Aird that talks about being an example. She said, "If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning." That's a bit harsh perhaps, but the truth is that we are all examples. In fact, we are each a perfect example.

The question begs to be asked though, what are we a perfect example of? Whatever we do, whomever we are, how we behave, how we respond or react, when and how we demonstrate love, forgiveness, joy, anger, all of these add up to make our own unique perfect example.


What Are You A Perfect Example Of?

Spread Some Joy Today--"People see God every day, they just don't recognize him." -- Pearl Bailey

Daily Inspiration 4-22-17

"A man may fail many times,

but he isn't a failure until 
he begins to blame somebody else."

-- John Burroughs

[Classic post from 12-14-09]

Blame is justification, isn't it? Whether we blame a person or a situation or an event is all the same. I've been a failure several times in my past, but I have rewritten history now and I am not a failure, though I have failed many times. The difference is who I pin it on.

I used to pin it on the economy, the lack of capital, the conservative lenders, the list goes on and on. Now that history is rewritten, I don't blame anyone or anything in particular. It is just what happened. The key to that is to learn from what happened to see if there is anything worth learning and benefiting from. The key to that is that there is always something to learn and there is always a benefit.

Once we get to this point in our enlightenment, there are no failures at all. Each event is purely a learning experience. Doesn't that make sense?

Based on that, there is nothing but success!

How cool is that?


I Am A Success! I Learn Continually.

Spread Some Joy Today--It might be time to rewrite some of your history. You didn't know you could do it before, but now you know. Write it so it suits you!

Daily Inspiration 4-21-17

"Let me say it again:

The present moment

is all you ever have."

-- Eckhart Tolle

I don't normally go to funerals, but a couple of days ago, I went to one. It was an overflow crowd and I arrived shortly after the service began and watched it on a big TV monitor.

There were so many stories of love, appreciation, and humorous insights. It was an open casket, and I barely glanced at him as I went to pay my respects to his wife for many years. There he was in his empty human suit looking somehow inappropriate, but that's just me.

Finally, it was over. There were so many people I did not know at all. The volume there was only the surface of those that this deceased touched, and there were hundreds of more stories of love, appreciation, and humorous insights that went unheard. But, the attention span is short.

And, as I watched others around me, it became really clear, as it has been for me for a long time that if we want to honor a person, speak appreciation, love, and share humorous insights, this place and time was not it.

The time is now. There is only now. We are all on a journey home--to our real home. We may be back in a different human suit, or not, but what matters, and the only thing that matters is now.

I suggest making it a part of your moments to express how you feel about other people that you are on this journey with. Tell them how much you love them. Tell them why. Tell them touching moments that stand out for you. Share your love. Lavish your appreciation on them. Be obsequious. Be bold. Be willing to shout aloud your praises in the moments that we share this living journey. Don't just think it from time to time. Say it. Express it in all manner of ways. Be that love. Be that appreciation.


And, Don't Forget YOU! Yes. YOU!

Spread Some Joy Today--by asking someone, 'have I told you that I love you lately?' Well, now is the time. I love you!

Daily Inspiration 4-20-17

"Awareness is a choice, and sometimes it takes effort.
But it's never disappointing if we truly put some effort into it.
The rewards for our effort already surround us all the time,
but they're awards that we miss constantly
until we make the decision to open our eyes and our hearts
to the beauty that's always everywhere."

-- Tom Walsh

[Classic post from 8-31-12]

It's interesting and funny too about becoming more aware. I see things I never would have seen before, though they may have always been there. My hearing has intensified, along with a sense of calm, yet with joy. I would have never put those two words together before, but it is true.

I was thinking about appreciation today, and appreciation comes from more awareness. It transcends gratitude. It is love. It is attention, or rather, focused-attention, or a better way to say it might be loving attention.

Now, I am aware of me appreciating things all throughout the day. On the two mile trip back home from the bank today, I was appreciating and being sort of astounded by the thousands of shades of green from the grass to trees to bushes. I used to be focused on where I was going and probably how the traffic was hampering me and so on, but now I have those strange words together: calmness and joy, and it comes as a side benefit of my act of appreciation of what I am experiencing.

How do I translate that to my daily life or work, errands, family, etc.? By the act of appreciation in my little trips where ever I may go, I am of a different mind, or attitude and that becomes me, so that the next encounter I have in business or a loved one is improved as a result. It makes me better, more attentive, more loving, more calm, and with an inner joy that has a long-term smile on my face. In this way, it affects every one around me.

Today I was in the grocery store for a few items and I was carrying around that joy of my day, and I noticed there were several others who seemed to be affected positively by it. I thought that was very interesting, but you know it is true because we feel these things from others, just as we do when they are pissed off, angry, or unhappy.

If you're not of the habit, try just noticing the beauty that is all around you as you travel through your day. Whether you're on your way to or from work, on an errand, traveling to see a client, looking out the office window--no matter where you are, I am certain there is plenty around you to be appreciative of, and by spending a few present moments in giving those things attention along with your other doings, you too will be of a different mind. Then, just practice that every day.

Honor The Moment, The Beauty, And What You Are Doing Together. There Is No Need To Separate Them.

Spread Some Joy Today--Oh, how fast joy spreads through appreciation! Be an active conduit.

Daily Inspiration 4-19-17

"Everybody is unique.

Do not compare yourself

with anybody else

lest you spoil God's curriculum."

-- Baal Shem Tov

When I first saw this quote this morning, I loved it, and I was struck with the idea of how beautiful that whole idea of uniqueness is, especially when considering the sheer volume of over 8 billion of us on the planet today. Think about it: 8 billion unique and individual human beings with constant and never-ending changes to each of our preferences, prejudices, and interactions whether in physical proximity or in thought.

Then I thought that we all want. We may not always be clear of those wants, but we want. We're moving. We may not be clear where we are going consciously, but we are going.

The one thing that stood out for me was that there are no two alike no matter how similar they may seem. No duplicates.

And the strange thing is that for most of my life, there seems to have been an internal demand that there should be duplicates, think-alike's, clones. The in-crowd, and the outcasts. History demonstrates this and there have been all manner of conflicts toward that end by way of the righteous and the unrighteous, the good and the evil, the light, and the dark, the rich and the poor, and all wanting parity and separation at the same time.

That history has been in force since the dawn of time and it hasn't worked out yet in the way so many think it should.

I think the reason for that is in not only not accepting each of our uniqueness's but not fully celebrating it, understanding it, delighting in it.

So I was thinking about relationships and how so often we expect the other to read our minds about what we want, or how we may attempt to manipulate the other in word or deed toward more similarity and sameness. You should want what I want and stuff like that. You're either with me or against me is not far away.

But as we can seek out the uniqueness of each other and see what we can do to give the other what they might like or want as a gift--to honor that unique desire rather than push against it, we open up a whole new world of interaction.

This would be more like love than the thing we call love a good deal of the time. I don't mean selflessly giving up what I want for what the other wants, but to recognize and celebrate the uniqueness that is their desires and see the joy of celebration expand as we open to how we might help them celebrate their own uniqueness. This means more a willingness to let go and let the other go their way in their desires as we honor their choices and the uniqueness of where those choices come from. At the same time, we want to recognize and celebrate our own with the full confidence of the gift of God that it is.


You Really Like To Eat Snails? How Fascinating! Tell Me More!

Spread Some Joy Today--by seeing that joy that is in every single person regardless of what they seem to show.

Daily Inspiration 4-18-17

"Don't just count the cost,

but also count the loss."

-- Albert K Strong

[Classic post from 8-24-13]

I've heard, 'count the cost!' as an admonition to consider or reconsider making a decision. This is especially true in making a bold and/or new decision. We are supposed to picture the consequences in all its glory; albeit, glory is not the best word here. It's all about what could go wrong and the ramification of that. And, well-meaning people have all sorts of reasons for reminding us to count the cost, most probably are about them and not really about us at all.

Counting the cost is a good thing to do, yet counting the loss--that which will be missed by delay, or a protective stance--is, in my mind and experience, far more important. It is so easy to find what could go wrong, but that is just as much a fantasy or true unknown as what the positive benefits and pleasures can be. Naysayers is a good word to use for the 'count-the-costers.'

It is best to put things into perspective and this helps to count the cost and the loss. The perspective, however, will be tainted by personal experience, attitude and outlook. At the very least, counting the loss will give a more enlightened perspective of the cost.


If All We Did Was Count The Cost, Nothing Would Ever Be Accomplished.

Spread Some Joy Today--Follow your bliss today. . . and tomorrow. . . and the next day. . . and the next day. . .

Daily Inspiration 4-17-17

"You cannot remedy anything 
by condemning it."

- Dr. Wayne W Dyer

[Classic post from 11-15-09]

When I first read this line, it jumped out at me. I think it is a very powerful short sentence on how to be happy or have more happiness.

I've heard my share of angry people. Angry at the economy, the neighbors, the stupid people at work, the traffic, local politics, and the list goes on and on. I even used to get angry at some angry people as if that somehow canceled it out. You know, you just get sick and tired of listening to it, or they start pointing their anger toward you and you feel a need to give some back or defend yourself in some silly way.

Wayne Dyer goes on to say, "If you're angry at those around you for being angry people, you're attempting to remedy the situation through condemnation." Of course! I hadn't thought of it that way before, but it rings so true that it is impossible for me to deny it anymore. That's why war isn't a solution, it's a condition.

Wayne goes on to say, "You cannot attract __________ into your life by hating anything about what you've allowed yourself to become." The blank line is mine because you can fill it in with a myriad of things. How about being overweight? So, you can't hate your body or your fat or how you look and at the same time attract how you want it to be. I love his quote here because it also ends with a message to accept some personal responsibility of the condition. If I'm overweight, that is something I created and being angry at it cannot serve me.

You could fill in that blank with money. Hating the fact that you lack money will not attract money. How about the neighborhood. You cannot attract a better, more peaceful, well cared for neighborhood into your life by hating where you are now.

I've heard it said that the main value of anger is to lead you to make a change via a decision to change. I could go for that sometimes, but once the decision is made, anger must be left behind and focus only on the positive of what you want instead of fighting against what you don't want.

Somehow we seem to think that if we were to fight and get rid of something we don't like, then what we like would be all there would be. That cannot be true. It cannot be destroyed. Turn away from it, focus on what you want and let what is back there be there. Getting rid of cancer doesn't create health. Getting rid of anger doesn't create happiness. Fighting is not the way.

The best way is to just let go of condemnation, anger, disapproval. Just let it go. Having these things is like always paddling upstream against the current. Letting it go is like putting the oars in the boat and letting the current take you where you need to go, trusting that it will come to pass. Everything you want is downstream.

Ahhhhhhh! That is so much better!


I Love Floating Downstream. Life Is Good!

Spread Some Joy Today--If You Hear Anger Today, Send Them Some Loving Thoughts. You Know They Need Them, And, You Need To Send Them.

Daily Inspiration 4-16-17

"Nothing is predestined.

The obstacles of your past

can become the gateways

that lead to new beginnings."

-- Ralph Blum

[Classic post from 3-31-13]

Today is a day of wonderful new beginnings. Or not.

Today is a day of new clarity of vision. Or not.

Today is a new day and you and I get to choose again. And in each moment, choose again.

We also get to choose to cut our ties with the past--the hurts, mistakes, missed opportunities, shoulda's, coulda's, regrets, blame. Or not.

We get to crucify ourselves or experience the freedom of rebirth, hearing with new ears, seeing with new eyes, paying attention to that which is worthy of your attention.

I've always loved how Paul says in Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things."

Choose that!

Happy Easter!


Our Thoughts, Words, And Deeds Reflect Accurately Our Attention.

Spread Some Joy Today--Choose joy. It is purely a choice.

Daily Inspiration 4-15-17

"Gratitude is the antidote to depression." 

-- Dr. Kelly Brogan 

Here is the whole quote that I gleaned from an interview with Marie Forleo in a recent video on her website: "Gratitude is the antidote to depression because when you can feel that expansive sensation and you can experience the wonder of it all, you're never going to be able to move into that space of victimization or rage or frustration or hopelessness". 

I'll add a quote from the Paul Selig book, I Am the Word, that adds, even more, clarity: "Once you could understand that engaging in wonder will lift your frequency and align you to breaking out of a belief system that has held itself prominent, you can use it to your benefit to change yourself permanently. Period." 

As we are vibrating at a lower frequency, we experience and attract those things that are of a lower frequency such as frustration, anger, feeling victimized, feeling helpless to change, and more. And as we want to feel better, have others and situations around us that feel better, we can use simple gratitude to move our frequency higher. This causes more of the higher frequency experiences to come into our senses, resulting in expansion of our gratitude, and ever higher vibratory senses like wonder, amazement, awareness, expansiveness, unconditional love, and more.

This is why we can feel it. We live in a vibratory world. We've all experienced those lower vibrations, and they don't just go away on their own because as they vibrate there, they are attracting more vibrations that match it. We all know that something has to change, and the change is usually simple enough, and as we move into that change, the vibration naturally rises, attracting more like it, and as it rises higher, more like it and so on. We can feel that. We've all experienced it.

I love the simplicity of knowing this in this way and knowing what I can do to make the change I want when I want to while knowing that as I am okay with where I am vibrating, I can stay as long as I want there too.


I Am In My Choosing At All Times. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by making that choice as you see fit. Feel it. Share it. Feel that higher vibration.

Daily Inspiration 4-14-17

"If we could read 

the secret history of our enemies 

we would find in each man's sorrow and suffering 

enough to disarm all hostility." 

-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 

We can. They are in us. We are they. They are us. We are all of one race: the human race.

When we close our eyes to the human being that others are, we can find all the faults we desire to find; however, all of those faults are in us in one way or another. Human suffering is universal, and human joy is the reality we can choose when we allow our minds to open to the other, whether in front of us, in another city, or in another land.

This is compassion. It is an understanding. An understanding that we are no better and no worse than anyone else on the planet. We are all children of one God regardless of the hundreds of names we give that. We are all worthy of life because we are living it. And, compassion allows the view of the secret history of all. Enemies no more.


Compassion Is The Open Door To Appreciation. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by expanding your love to love not just a few, but all. If you really knew them, they would be friends.

Daily Inspiration 4-13-17

"Knock, 

 and He'll open the door. 

Vanish, 

and He'll make you shine like the sun. 

Fall, 

and He'll raise you to the heavens. 

Become nothing, 

And He'll turn you into everything." 

-- Rumi 

This morning, my dear friend, Greg Martin passed from this physical domain. As his wife, Roz, told me on the phone, "I've never met anyone who has as many friends as Greg. He made friends everywhere he went." True. I agree totally. His customers loved him, and he loved them.

This shot speaks many things to me. Confidence. Do I have to? (he was nervous about doing a video on this truck). Another colored commercial truck (he sold hundreds!). Can I wear my shades? (The answer is always no!). OK-OK. Let's do this! 

People come into our lives, and it is no accident. I first met Greg in late November 1989 and hired him as a salesman on his birthday on December 1st, 1989. I had just taken over a defunct department at Biddulph Chevrolet in Santa Rosa CA that they called the Commercial Accounts Department in April of 1989. I needed a good salesman because I was creating a new kind of department to sell upfitted commercial trucks rather than what they were doing there in their short past.

How many times have I seen this look sitting in his office with him talking to a customer or someone who needed some help with something. Hundreds of times. Hundreds. 

When I first met Greg, I knew he had to come work with me. It wasn't a hard close, and he agreed. Best decision I ever made. He always said it was the best decision he ever made, although I really think Roz was the best decision he ever made. He proposed to her on the reader board on the dealership sign.

The somewhat younger Greg without the gray. Love this image of him. Fun. Confidence. Feeling good. Knowing his stuff. 

Nonetheless, we built a little empire and then Greg and I have been associated in business in one way or another since then. I moved to a different dealership after four years and not too long afterward, I got to hire him again. The results were the same--spectacular. He was the best salesman hands down I have ever hired in the 22 years I was a sales manager.

One of my favorite shots of Greg. He didn't like this one so much. He looks like a guy in charge or something. We used a cropped image of this for a website we built for him. 

Wherever Greg has been hired, he excelled. But his skills as a commercial truck salesman is not what I admire the most about who Greg was. It was his commitment to his family. He could have made any number of changes that might have brought him more money, but he was fully committed to staying in Sonoma County and raising his family and being a part of their lives. That he was, even though his work schedule had strong demands.

The family! 

Greg was like a big Teddy Bear to me. He was a big guy, rode a Harley, associated with tough looking characters, and yet he was someone who just loved people and gave plenty of hugs.

To say that I truly admired Greg as a man is to say it mildly. Though we didn't socialize and lived 50 miles apart, we both shared a love and respect that was and is very deep. We were mentors to each other.

He was a reader of these Daily Inspirations since the beginning and used to sent me notes all the time. Many times I felt like what I was writing was just for him.

My favorite photo of Greg and Roz. Perfect. 

It's fascinating that I got the call about his passing this morning. Just a few days ago I felt as if he had passed then. I felt as if I were experiencing the depth of the love of God in my heart. It was almost overwhelming in its fullness, and I knew that I couldn't ever recall that exact feeling before. I was amazed and enjoying it fully in the moment, praising God for the pleasure, and then I felt that same love go through me to Greg. Or, maybe it was the other way around.

This barely scratches the surface in touting what I loved about Greg and how much he meant to my life, and I know that was completely mutual, but I had to share a bit about him because he was such a part of my Commercial Truck Success and my Inspiration.


The World Is A Better Place Having Had The Influence And Experience Of Greg Martin. And The Effect Will Linger For A Long Time.

Spread Some Joy Today--by celebrating the life of someone you love. Please don't forget your own!

Daily Inspiration 4-12-17

"Act as if what you do makes a difference. . . it does."

-- William James

[Classic post from 12-18-09]

It's easy for us to think what we do is just a job and that it isn't important. If you have ever felt that way, go out and rent the Australian movie, Kenny, starring Shane Jacobson. Kenny is a guy who delivers and cleans portable toilets for a living and he is quite good at it and really takes pride in his work. It is funny and heartwarming and educational. Great movie.

Whatever you do, it probably isn't nearly so challenging as what Kenny does. He really makes you feel that he gives 100% every day, regular or overtime, rain or shine, through challenging days and easier days. What a different world it would be if everyone gave the service with the great attitude that Kenny has.

What Kenny does for a living makes a difference. If you're at an event needing a toilet and wanting it to be clean and ready, it makes a huge difference. What you do makes a difference and how well you do it makes a huge difference.

Maybe you sell cars for a living. That is a worthy task and in my experience, that job has a lot of levels of expertise and knowledge. Let's say you went out to buy a car and you weren't exactly sure what vehicle you wanted and you go to the car lot. How would you like to be treated? What kind of salesperson would you love to get? How good of a car sales person you are will matter a great deal to the potential customer and if won over and taken good care of, that could lead to a very long and profitable relationship.

Maybe you work in an office doing something with papers and computers. All we have to do is picture all that being done extremely poorly and we can imagine that having talent at doing these things matters. Frankly, I dislike filing and consequently, my desk is a disaster. I need someone who excels in this area!

Whatever you do, there is obviously a need for it or you wouldn't be doing it. That means that you make a difference! And, if you happen to have a great attitude and do what you do well, you make a heck of a difference.

Thank you for what you do and how well you do it!


I Make A Difference!

Spread Some Joy Today--Give yourself a little private reward today for making such a difference in what you do. You're special, and it's time to appreciate that more. Have a private party! Thank you!

Daily Inspiration 4-11-17

"Love. . . . force it and it disappears. You cannot will love,

nor even control it. You can only guide its expression.

It comes or it goes according to those qualities in life

that invite it or deny its presence."

-- David Seabury

"There is no way to peace. Peace is the way."

-- A. J. Muste

[Classic post from 2-22-11]

I have recently learned one of the most valuable lessons of my life. Here it is in a sentence: I must make peace with where I am in pursuit of what I want. That is another way of saying that there is no way to peace, peace is the way. I have to find things that I love about where I am even and especially when I want to be somewhere else. Before I used to complain and go over and over what was not right, not fair, not cool. It was not loving and definitely not peace.

Oh, I was justified. Man, was I justified sometimes. I even had those around me and those that worked with me agreeing and justifying as well. Maybe we would go out back and have a smoke and chew on it aloud with vim and vigor and self-righteous indignation.

And guess what? As I looked at the grass is greener on the other side of the fence replacement, it was a short spell before what I didn't like showed up there too. Isn't that amazing! The trouble was that when I left where I was to go somewhere else I took myself with me.

The more I focused on what I didn't want, didn't like, or thought was wrong, the more of that I seemed to get. At some point, as I was pointing my finger at the culprit, I realized that three fingers were pointing back at me. Hello! Wisdom knocking.

It was after some study that I learned that the way through was to make peace with where I was, to make peace with me, to find the love I had been denying, in other words, to seek and count the blessings, look for the benefits, see the value (which I have learned is always there), feel the love that could be there if I just looked for it. Then, things changed dramatically.

This quote by David Seabury is one of the best I have ever read so I will repeat part of it again: "Love. . . It comes or it goes according to those qualities in life that invite it or deny its presence." Look for the best aspects you can find and peace will be the way.

If We're Feeling Negative Emotion, It's Time For Some Internal Medicine. Love Is The Prescription.

Spread Some Joy Today--It is much more a matter of letting go than reaching out.

Daily Inspiration 4-10-17

"Importance 

is an easy thing 

to exaggerate." 

 -- Albert K Strong 

[Classic post from 3-17-14]

My Life Lessons 

This is a series of revelations about my life that I am sharing with others for what it may be worth. These come from a lifetime of study and experience of others and myself, and I now translate them to words. These will be numbered; however, they are not in order of importance as all are equally important. It is just a way for me to keep track of them in this series. I hope you find value in them.

Life Lesson #8

I am not all that, and I AM. 

The two most powerful words ever put together to create a sentence are I am. The two most powerful words besides love in The Bible are I am. Every single one of us is independently powerful on our own. We can do anything we set our heart and mind to achieve.

This power is always within us although many people are unaware of the creative and expressive power within. It is always at our command though we may fail to command it. And, all of that doesn't matter. We all get to choose. What does matter is that it exists in each of us all the time ready.

At the same time, I am not all that. I am not that important or special. Neither is Einstein, Lincoln, or Mother Teresa. What I mean is that we are not better than the next person. I am not more special than the homeless man on the street, or the next door neighbor. Einstein is not more special than me, nor I him. We are equally special, and equally important.

When we start setting ourselves apart from one another as more or less valuable, it is easy to put them on a pedestal or in a pit. In one way we are less than, and another we are more than. This serves no one.

We all have different jobs to do at work and may have different status in societal terms, have more or less money, live luxuriously or very conservatively. We may have different titles, own companies, or work as a janitor. What really sets us apart is when we think we are all that, or that we are superior, better than, or on the other side, inferior, or less than each other.

We are all people, and all deserving, and all important. If we give each other this kind of respect regardless of their position in society, this serves all.


R-E-S-P-E-C-T Each Other As Yourself. 

Spread Some Joy Today--Thank you are two of the kindest words ever spoken or written.

Daily Inspiration 4-9-17

"We all have voices in our heads which talk to us

on an almost constant basis. Our voices give us messages

continually, and what they say to us affects us. . ."

-- Juliene Berk

"This inner speech, your thoughts, can cause you to be

rich or poor, loved or unloved, happy or unhappy,

attractive or unattractive, powerful or weak. . ."

-- Ralph Charell

"One comes to believe whatever one repeats to oneself

sufficiently often, whether the statement be true or false.

It comes to be the dominating thought in one's mind."

-- Robert Collier

[Classic post from 1-25-10]

It's those voices in our head! It's your own voice, as well as other people's voices as you play out scenario's of what was, what is or what might be. There seems to be a tendency with most people that I have talked to about it, that these voices and the situations played out are not usually uplifting and inspiring. Though we don't want things to happen that way, or interpret things that way, it is repeated over and over in our head anyway. Sometimes there even is a battle going on between opposing views of the same scenario. It reminds me of a cartoon I saw as a kid where the little devil was on one shoulder and the little angel on the other arguing at each other with the head in between.

Well, there you go. That's it. The real you is in the middle of this grand battle going on between the dark side and the light side, good and evil. It's hopeless. There is no way anyone can win in this battle. As much as we might want good to win, there will always be evil . . . what can a person do? Take Prozac? Get therapy? Accept the life you live?

Rubbish!

James Allen says, "the path to cheerfulness is to sit cheerfully and to act and speak as if cheerfulness were already there." He also said, "the greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives." When I first read this last statement, it was like a light turned on in my head. These are not new thoughts, but it was to me.

But, just understanding what these quotes say and making the change are two different things. I thought, since humans have this tendency to complicate everything, I have to find the SIMPLE solution to make the change. I found it and I only found it in the last few years, but here it is:

How I talk to myself and the theme of the scenario's in my head are who I really am. If I want to change, I must change what I am saying to myself and change the theme.

Here are some simple steps to get started:

1. Start praising yourself. Yes, you read it here. Start praising yourself. You are a valuable creation and don't let anything or any book tell you otherwise. You are God's gift. Yes. You are. You can be or do anything you choose to be or do. You are worthy and deserving. Your organic chemicals that make up your body may only be worth about $32 as they say, but the you that is inside that organic suit is worth millions of millions (that's trillions!). Fact is, as they say in the commercial, you are "priceless." You are the world's greatest! God made you and threw away the mold. You are, as they say in manufacturing, a one-off. The one and only one.

2. Gobbledegoogle. I learned this technique from Anthony Robbins, although I changed the name, so now it's mine. . . When you detect that you are thinking stinking things, immediately, and even in mid-sentence, STOP! Now play it backward with cartoon images and listen to the voice talking backward. It's such fun. Then, pretend there are some hands with a very sharp, large knife, chopping that mass of gobbledegooglie into a million little bits and the wind just blows them away and they are no more. Change it up each time, so it's all fun. Next time, take the sentence out of the air and throw it out on the freeway and let those big trucks just run over it. Or, pretend you take the whole paragraph and run it through a wood chipper into the back of a truck. What fun!

3. Change the picture. Instead of being the foe in your movie, become the hero. See yourself winning, making the right decisions, being recognized and rewarded for your wisdom and intelligence. See the world clamoring for your products. See the 50,000 friends on Facebook. You are going to play the movie no matter what. It cannot be helped. But, you are the director. That's right. YOU are the director. The director makes the movie! You and only you choose who plays in it and how they play. You are in total control. It is awesome! You are awesome!

Well, there you go. Simple. It doesn't need to be hard. You don't need drugs. You don't need anything external at all. It is an inside job. You don't need a resume. You are already the boss.


I Am The Director! I Am In Charge! I Love My Movie!

Spread Some Joy Today--Praise yourself every chance you get. No it's not conceit, it's love. Conceit is thinking you are better than everyone else. You are unique. There is no other exactly like you. Love yourself first, love everyone else for their uniqueness next. That's another way of saying, what comes around, goes around. . . or was it the other way around? It's a circle no matter. . . a circle of love.

Daily Inspiration 4-8-17

"He who obtains has little. 

 He who scatters has much." 

-- Lao-Tzu 

I found myself looking at a post from June 30th, 2010 that had the Lao-Tzu quote above. In addition, the main text is here:

"Receiving and giving are both important aspects of life. The thought that giving is better or more fulfilling than receiving is a common thought expressed in the Bible and thousands of other places. I especially like this quote of Lao-Tzu because it uses the word scatters rather than giving, and though they achieve the same result essentially, the method of scattering says giving more clearly to me. Pretty cool, don't you think?"

After I re-read what I had written years ago, I reflected on the quote again and then I saw deeper into the soul of the quote. Here is what I see in this now:

Leaving out the idea of desire, since desire can certainly be a part of obtaining, and of scattering, I see lack and abundance. Lack in terms of wanting and needing and acting on something that is not, in order to make it something that is. Abundance in terms of having already and wanting to share that which we have.

I can see selfish and selfless, although I don't much care for those two words because they are misconstrued all the time. It is not wrong to be selfish, nor right to be selfless, although it is often seen that way. The more I learn, the more I see that the concepts of right and wrong do not apply to truth.

I can see the seeking and the sharing. Seeking power, prestige, influence, and then the empowering of others in sharing influence and power, giving of ourselves, and more.

I see filling the things that are empty and emptying the things that are full. A long time ago at about 22 years of age, just entering the auto business as a fresh salesman, my boss and general manager Don Tanner gave me some record albums regarding sales and a few that back then were thought of as motivational (I call them inspirational now). I've never forgotten one concept on one of the albums. He said, "there are only three jobs in life. One, filling the things that are empty. Two, emptying the things that are full. And, three, scratching where it itches." It's amazing how true that is and the volumes of wisdom that it speaks on the same level of the master Lao-Tzu.

Filling the things that are empty, regardless of the volume currently in the thing is operating from a position of lack, need, worry, poor planning, and more. Emptying the things that are full is operating from a position of abundance, wealth (regardless of the volume in the thing or the number as it might compare with others who claim to have wealth), fulfillment, peace, and much more. They are two different points of view and they are two different modes of thinking and action.

Of course, we can make the world black or white all we want and that causes more and more separation, yet as they are combined with some obtaining and some scattering, and then throw in a bit of scratching of the itches wherever they may occur, we can get a wonderful result. Realizing where we are and what we are doing, along with remembering the simple and profound quote by Lau-Tzu, or the guy on the record, can help us make minor and yet incredibly effective course adjustments that can not only better satisfy us, but all those that surround us.

One last and most important thing. As we can turn our perspective more toward that in us which is already full, gratitude is a natural result. As we expand in gratitude, we see the perfection in all things empty, full and satisfied or in need of a scratch.


Go Forward And Scatter Some Joy! 

Spread Some Joy Today--by accepting the abundance of the joy within you and finding how many ways you can share that joy with others.

Daily Inspiration 4-7-17

"When one door of happiness closes, 

another opens; but often we look so long 

at the closed door that we do not see 

the one which has been opened for us." 

-- Helen Keller 

[Classic post from 5-6-15]

I've been thinking lately about how I have a tendency to continue to focus on what is not right or what is happening that I do not want or do not like when I have learned better. The only value of spending any amount of time on what I do not want or do not like is that it caused me to learn what I do want and do like. If I am paying attention to my feelings, I would be noticing negative emotion as I focus on that closed door, when I could be experiencing positive emotion by turning and focusing on the newly opened door, or in the direction of what I want. Sometimes I need a kick in the pants.

I have decided some time ago to be a deliberate creator rather than taking what is, but I am not always paying attention to how I feel and so not focusing where it benefits me. Abraham, Esther Hicks has some great points here: "By deliberately directing your thoughts--rather than merely observing what is happening around you--you will begin to change the vibrational patterns to which the Law of Attraction is responding. . . "

"You would not likely see a sculptor throwing his large wad of clay down onto his worktable exclaiming, "Oh, it didn't turn out right!" He knows that he must put his hands into his clay and work with it to mold it so that the vision in his mind matches the clay on his table. The variety of your life experience gives you the clay from which you will mold your life experience, and merely observing it as it is, without getting ahold of it and deliberately molding it to match your desires, is not satisfying. . . We want you to understand that your "clay," no matter how it may look right now, is moldable. No exceptions."

Rather than paying attention to what is as I look at this unwanted closed door, I forget that all I need do is turn and see the other opportunities to mold my clay anew. As I then focus on what I do want, I am creating with deliberate intent. The value of the closed door is that I have learned what I do not want and do not like. That is valuable information, or it is crippling. It just depends on whether I'm paying attention, and then turn and focus anew.

What's Wrong With This Silly Door? Is The Latch Broken? Oh. . . The Open Door Moved Over Here. . . I Get It! 

Spread Some Joy Today--by enjoying your day. It is an important day!

Daily Inspiration 4-6-17

"How far you go in life depends

on your being tender with the young,

compassionate with the aged,

sympathetic with the striving,

and tolerant of the weak and strong.

Because someday in life 

you will have been all these."

-- George Washington Carver

[Classic post from 11-20-09]

Words to live by!


What Goes Around Comes Around. . .

Spread Some Joy Today--Watch In Awe As Someone Smiles Back At You.

Daily Inspiration 4-5-17

"There is more to that story 

than meets the eye." 

-- Common phrase 

Common human behavior indicates that we are so quick to decide on accepting a point of view as representative of the whole, even though it is almost never true. It's funny how that is.

I was looking for something on YouTube yesterday, and on the right side where it suggests videos, there was one that screamed, "He was a loser." The title is actually this: Lucy, You Can Hear The Pain In Her Voice. Desi, "He Was A Loser."" This is a 4.5-minute excerpt from a Barbara Walters special featuring Lucy and husband Gary Morton. I watched the segment and the title is focusing on one small part, and in fact, Lucy was praising Desi in a big way, while also pointing out some of his failings. From her perspective, of course.

Having just finished the wonderful book, Lucy and Desi, by Warren G. Harris, which was obviously well researched and presented them in wide angle and narrow field lenses along with many outside and inside perspectives, I laughed at the title of the video. But, we seem to follow that kind of carrot and then go so far as to make decisions and judgments based on so tiny a window into their lives. And, we do that with news from the newspaper, the TV, and so many things on social media, rumors at work, and more.

It's interesting how many bits of subjects are out there and almost no one knows the 'more to the story' because, well, who has the time?

Nowadays, I just have to laugh at all this stuff. I get my early chuckles from the newspaper every day except Tuesday. Yes, the newspaper takes Tuesdays off to save money, so on Tuesday's, I must find a different source to tickle me.

So. . . . what if we stopped making decisions on judgment from all of these bits and held out for more information? What if we said to ourselves, and to others, "there has to be more to that story, and I would love to hear more from other perspectives." What if we simply refused to judge at all. I think I heard it somewhere that we might consider 'judging not, lest we be judged.'

Besides that aspect, learning more about the story may take us from scorn to praise! I know that I sort of grew up with I Love Lucy and several of her shows after, and yet I knew almost nothing about Lucy and Desi and all that they did, whom they affected and more. I learned so much from that book that gave me an opening to loving all of those that were in the book and coming to huge appreciation for all they did and all that they affected so positively over the many, many years.

So what about the other stuff. When I get more of the story and learn more about a subject or a person, I get a whole new perspective that the bits cannot serve. I see real people leading real lives and having all manner of challenges and adjustments just like you and me and the next door neighbor. We are all on this journey as connected souls having a human experience. It's a wonderful thing to view and be a part of and especially with a more in-depth perspective.


When You Know More Of The Story, There Is Appropriate Appreciation In Perspective. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by letting everyone be who they are and do what they do without any insistence that they satisfy you. If you really knew them. I mean, really knew them, you would love them. That door swings both ways too.