All Roads lead to Rome

And here I set my face towards home,

For all my pilgrimage is done,

Although, methinks, yon blood-red sun

Marshals the way to Holy Rome.

O Blessed Lady, who dost hold

Upon the seven hills thy reign!

O Mother without blot or stain,

Crowned with bright crowns of triple gold!

O Roma, Roma, at thy feet

I lay this barren gift of song!

From Oscar Wilde

Reflections Day 1

Spending most of the day flying and getting through customs was not what I would call exciting, but not as painful as could have been.   The Rome airport did not resemble anything to what we picture from map and internet searches, still finding Lauries was easy as she was right near where we discussed, once I found it.

Our driver was excellent, he gave us a mini tour as we drove to the hotel.  His English was Moderate but his Italian was impeccihleable, My Italian is horrible so its was more than a fair trade.  I am still sort of in awe as this is a promise I made to Laurie 30 years ago and it is finally happening.  Who would a figured eh!

Rome is mazing as there is such a mixture of modern and ancient, pagan and Christian, so busy, traffic sounds, police sirens, horns honking.

We arrived at the hotel, Antonio our host is magnificent, he is an Italian born and raised in London but he has lived in Rome the last 16 years, he makes us Cappichinos and we have a 45 minute conversation, he guides us as what to see, what to avoid and finds us maps and contact info for various activities.

The room is small but plush and gorgeous.  It is evening now, so after unpacking we take a small walk, the Colosseum is just a block away and it is our first stop.  There are a group of actors portraying centurions and Laurie is made Queen for an hour, it was very fun and entertaining.  We walk up towards the forum but most everything is shutting down for the day, it is getting cold, and I have been in the desert for the past months I have forgotten how cold feels. I am very quickly reminded.

We find a small café called the Gladitore, it is wonderful, the staff are very hospitable and we converse eat and drink tea.  Laurie is fading as she had the 20+ hours of flight.  Time to take her to rest and charge for day 2.

Roma

All ahead
Flight behind
Weary bones, Hungry eyes

A dream becomes Reality
As we discover Rome

The world once ruled
With a Roman hand
The home to which all roads lead

Majestic city of old
Stone cold and powerful
With a wealth that turned to dust

Yet rebirthed and rebuilt

You’ve become the city Eternal

I want to see the ancients
To hear about their lives
And see their work
What can I use today?

I will walk the streets
Smell the smells
build this journey
Into a masterpiece
That I can filter and relish
For many years to come

Mine

The rest is still unwritten

Life

So very often Life is difficult, life is unfair, life is challenging and sometimes painful. There are frustrations, tragedies, disappointments, setbacks, heartbreaks, and absurdities.

BUT when you really weight the balance it will show that the majority of the time life is so very good. Take a minute, turn off the tube, the phone and just listen to the silence, in that moment you can realize the simple joy of just being, which  outweighs them all.

 Life is good, because within its realm, anything is possible. Life is good, because no matter how far you fall, there is always a way to climb back up again. It’s uniquely good for you in your very own way. The possibilities for expressing your purpose are limited only by your imagination.

 You can complain, fret and worry about all the problems in your life, but you’ll be wasting your time. Or, you can choose to focus on why and how life is so good, and on what you can do to take that goodness and make it even better. Life is good, and in this moment that’s bursting with possibilities, life is yours

So I pose the question, the question “What makes life worth living?” 

I think there’s a resistance to answering a question like this honestly but it strikes me as a really important question. What does make life worth living?

family, friends, work, etc. ?  these answers aren’t necessarily trivial, they strike me as very unsatisfying answers to the question .  Why are so many  people – who have families, friends, and jobs – so unhappy? Why, indeed, do we live in a society where anti-depressants are among the most profitable medications?

Instead, I think we need to address the question with our own actions, the things we do that make life worth living. Verbs, not nouns. When I think of how I would answer the question, the following behaviors come to mind:

It’s not “family” that makes life worth living, I think, but the relationships we create with members of our family, and the way we maintain and build those relationships. Same goes for friends, lovers, business partners, students, and everyone else.

Creating: Writing, drawing, painting (though I’m not good at it), playing music (though I’m not especially good at that, either). 

Helping: Being able to lend a hand to people in need – however drastic or trivial that need may be – strikes me as an important part of life.

Playing: Maybe this is a kind of “relating”, but then, play can be a solo affair as well. Letting go of restraints, imagining new possibilities, testing yourself against others or against yourself, finding humor and joy.

Growing: Learning new things, improving my knowledge and ability in the things I’ve already learned.

Those seem like more satisfying answers to me – they strike deeper into what it is I want for myself, what makes it worthwhile to get up in the morning. What about you? What makes your life worth living?

Answer the question for yourself and you may find  God has a way of blessing us when we least expect it. What makes life worth living?

Attitude Is The Key To Life

The past few weeks have seen the demise of many of my fellow compatriots in this Abu Dhabi Adventure. It appears that the approaching three week break may see the failure of many more to return as they have found the dream has become a nightmare.  But is it a nightmare or is the perspective of the challenges the problem?  Perhaps the only person who has taken something from someone is themselves.  It may well be the attitude not the circumstances that has determined the current state of affairs for each and every one of us here.

Victor Frankl once wrote, "Everything can be taken from a person but one thing: the last of human freedoms - to choose one's attitudes in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." Frankl was right. Attitude is a choice. You could be faced with a thousand problems, many or most over which you have absolutely no control. However, there is always one thing you are in complete and absolute control of and that is your own attitude.

When you surrender control of your attitude to what appears to be a negative situation, you will react to that situation. More often than not, reacting is inappropriate. On the other hand, if you were to remain objective, you would respond to the situation appropriately, thereby creating a winning situation.

If attitude is such an important word, why do so few people understand it? To be honest, it wasn't until I was in my late 30s when I finally understood its full impact. All through my teens and into my early adult life, I can't tell you the number of times that I heard, "David, if you'd just change your attitude, you would do a lot better." In retrospect I can easily see the cause of my problem. I didn't know what attitude was, let alone know how to change it!

Attitude is the composite of your thoughts, feelings and actions. Your conscious mind controls feeling and ultimately dictates whether your feelings will be positive or negative by your choice of thoughts, then your body displays those choices through action and behavior.

Attitude is actually a creative cycle that begins with your choice of thoughts. You do choose your thoughts and that choice is where your attitude originates. As you internalize ideas or become emotionally involved with your thoughts, you create the second stage in forming an attitude; you move your entire being - mind and body - into a new "vibration." Your conscious awareness of this vibration is referred to as "feeling". Your feelings are then expressed in actions or behaviors that produce the various results in your life.

Positive results are always the effect of a positive attitude. Attitude and results are inseparable. They follow one another like night follows day. What I mean by that is: one is the cause, the other, the result. There is a term we use to distinguish this "cause and effect" relationship, it is called The Law of Cause and Effect. Simply stated, if you think in negative terms, you will get negative results; if you think in positive terms you will achieve positive results. Ralph Waldo Emerson reiterated that same point when he said, "A person is what they think about all day long." The results you achieve in life are nothing more than an expression of your thoughts, feelings, and actions. Take a close look at your life and evaluate the results you are achieving in various areas. See if you are able to relate your attitude to your results.

Winning and losing are opposite sides of the same coin - and that coin is attitude. There are many things wrong in this world; unfortunately that is all some people are able to see. Those who view the world in this light are often unhappy and somewhat cynical. Usually, their life is one of lack and limitation and it almost appears as if they move from one bad experience to another. I know people who are like this and I'm certain you do as well. It would appear as if they were born with a streak of bad luck and it has followed them around their whole life. These individuals are quick to blame circumstances or other people for their problems, rather than accepting responsibility for their life and their attitude.

Conversely, there are others who are forever winning and living the good life. They are the real movers and shakers who make things happen. They seem to go from one major accomplishment to another. They're in control of their life; they know where they are going and know they will get there. They are the real winners in life and their wins are a matter of choice.

You can experience that kind of life as well, you only need to decide. Making that simple decision is the first step to a new life. Dorothea Brand once said, "Act as if it were impossible to fail," and the challenge is to do so. By simply becoming aware that you can choose your thoughts each and every day, you change your entire outlook. You have the power to choose an abundant life no matter your circumstances. That active choice will allow other positive people and opportunities to be attracted into your life. Don't wait to experience all the wonderful things the universe has in store for you. Start today by working on your attitude and welcome the abundant life that you were meant to lead.