It's All Good

One of my sons often says, "It's all good". I was thinking recently how true that statement is for my life right now. Although I have some medical issues, my health is generally good. Things are good at work. I can see a light at the end of the tunnel concerning all the upgrades to my home, my wife and I have a peaceful and calm life together with no drama, my children are doing well and appear happy, my granddaughter still lights up my life, and I am at peace. My life is mostly simple and uncomplicated. Everything seems to be flowing as it should. Yes, I am tired of the routine of work even though I enjoy my job. Yes, I am physically and mentally tired much of the time but am not exhausted or burned out. I like going to bed at night but I am eager for the new day. Life feels balanced and I am content. My son is correct. It's all good.

Even though the weather has been extremely hot with near record temperatures, I am enjoying the space in my backyard. It used to be like a haunted forest with one nearly dead tree and another one that seemed to be consuming the yard by covering the ground with its branches and limbs every time the wind would blow. My original wooden fence was constructed nearly thirty years ago and was falling apart. The fence posts were rotting away at ground level. Now the trees and the old fence are gone. A new, six foot wooden fence has been constructed and the trees have been cut down. Now the backyard seems like a monastic enclosure. I am trying to create a peaceful environment. I have a very serene Buddha sitting in peaceful repose and some wonderful wind chimes that have deep, rich tones whenever the wind blows. Admittedly in the desert like heat we have been having most of the summer, the wind seems to rarely blow enough to move the chimes. My next purchase will be some bird feeders. A bright, red cardinal seems to have made my back yard his home so I hope to attract more birds to do the same. I also have a bird bath and I am working to renew and restore the lawn. The renewal of my backyard has created an inviting space and I am very happy with that.

I am reading a little bit but it is challenging on work nights because I am usually too tired to read. I think the lack of reading and the elimination of countless daily emails with "Thoughts of the Day" are the primary reasons I am writing much less than I used to do. For a long time I overwhelmed myself with thought provoking ideas, quotes, and subject matter for meditation. Of course, these things are what fed my own ideas, thoughts, and meditations, and those usually turned into writings. I am writing less because I am thinking less. The good news, however, is that less thinking, less writing, and less intellectual activity has turned into more time where I am simply "being". It seems appropriate for this time of my life. Admittedly, less doing and less writing sometimes makes me feel like I am contributing nothing to the world. Of course, there is also the belief that one way a person can contribute to peace in the world is to establish peace within himself. My current life of simply "being" is making me more peaceful. I am definitely less stressed and less anxious. I admit I sometimes miss the attention that my previous writing sometimes brought me, especially in the days when I sent daily thoughts via email to nearly 600 people. In those days I received lots of affirmation. With this blog I rarely get any response. That's fine, too. I know there are people who read these thoughts but I would still write even if no one did. I probably do them more for myself than others anyway. Finally, I am slowly letting go of my need for attention and praise and the stroking of my ego.