REDUCE STRESS, INCREASE JOY AND BECOME THE BEST VERSION OF YOU
Author: drrock00
A bartender and Postal worker by trade I was witness to the overwhelming negativity that is so common in todays society. A firm believer in the motto "Better to light a candle than curse the darkness" I created this site to bring some of the positivity back into the world and share with otheres.
People are looking for the secret to an amazing life. That is the purpose of this website. Part of an amazing life is keeping your mood up. Doing so with pharmaceutical products leads to side effects and other undesirable aspects.
Working out not only outperformed many of these products, but it also helps you physically. A two-for-one if you like. Certainly every form of therapy has its purpose, but if you can take one actin that will help you in many ways, why not do it?
This is a new path my mother and I discovered at one of our favorite places in the Wisconsin State Fair. It is called “Tom’s trail”. Although we have been through this section of the Fair countless times, we never saw this path.
The fun part about discovering a new path in a familiar place, is that it let’s you view it from an entirely different vantage point. Although this is a literal example, it can work metaphorical as well. Can you think of examples in your own life where a new path could help you look at things from a different point of view?
To me, this conversation seems like one I have had a million times. Although, we only have discussed it on here briefly. My mom and I reflect on certain things and say how it seems like a lifetime ago. Now, with almost 11 years together, Margie and I find ourselves doing the same thing.
Have you ever done this? Think about a restaurant you used to go to, or people you got together with and it seems like it was in another lifetime. The reason I bring that up is this time of year brings to town one of my favorite things, The Wisconsin State Fair. This year it seems many of the staples that have been there for years, or even decades, are gone.
We all understand that things change and hopefully evolve. Still, this begs the question how can we hang on to those moments? As we sat watching a dog diving show, this thought was bouncing through my head.
The answer is to stay grateful for them. To appreciate every moment as they happen. Look around you. The people and places around you may not be there tomorrow. It is a sobering thought to be sure, but hopefully one that will motivate us to appreciate each other and live in the moment.
How many of us kick ourselves over mistakes we have made years ago? If you are human, most likely you do. We all have things we wish we would have said or done differently. Sadly, no amount of self-torture will allow us to go back in time and correct our mistakes.
Here is what we can do to at least modify those actions and words that were less than our best. We can use that regret to fuel our improvement in the present. I am not a fan of hanging on to regret. A little bit of pain upon reflection can keep us from making those same mistakes.
Today, take any pain and regret you have about the past and use it to turn your mistakes into lessons! It is the only way you can help fix the past as well as set the future up for success!
This is a picture I took at the Wisconsin State Fair. As you can see, there are lots of people gathered together in the name of fun. It would make sense that statistically they would differ in race, politics and religion. Probably in a host of other categories as well.
Later in the night, Margie and I hosted our weekly DJ show as well. Same story, only on a slightly smaller scale. Many different people there, but all gathered to have fun.
My question is this – If it works for a DJ show and for the great Wisconsin State Fair, why can’t it work for life in general? Can you imagine if we all were focused on how to gather and have as much fun in life as we could? People sharing their secrets for having fun on the morning commute or going to the dentist? Life would be amazing. Just a thought of what is possible.
Above is a breakfast sandwich I enjoyed the other morning at my favorite place, The Wisconsin State Fair. It was delicious. Last year, my mother, Margie and I discovered it the first day we went. Shortlyafter that, I proposed to her. In reflection, we all recall the sandwich being quite delicious.
With that in mind, I was excited to bite into this one with the hollandaise sauce,ham, and cheese all in a delicious croissant. While it did satisfy my taste buds, it fell short of the year prior. No fault of the establishment. The ingredients were just as delicious.
What was missing? It was the company, the excitement of the day. Here I sat, all alone, trying to recreate that. Margie was baking and my mother was getting ready to help someone else.
What I learned was that it is the people andwhat you do with them is what makes memories and makes moments special. It not only adds flavor to a lonely breakfast sandwich, but it adds flavor to life as well. If you want to fill your life with happy memories, fill it with special people and loving times.
This is a rather simple phrase from one of the smarter, more accomplished men of our day. Leo did a lot in his day. Inventions, painting, and some science. He had a well-spent life. This seems like one of those phrases that are a little too big for most of us to figure out. How does one lead a well- spent life?
As usual, we make it a little more complicated than need be. What kind of life we are living is not something we stop and contemplate on a daily basis. What we can do is ask ourselves, at the end of each day,“Did I spend this day well?” Were we productive? Did we take actions towards our goals?
A well-spent day is about far more than productivity. We should ask ourselves, “Did I inspire and encourage anyone today?” How did we treat the people we came in contact with? Did we practice self-care? A productive day can look different to everyone.
If we put enough of these days together, it will have us feeling peaceful when the end of our life is drawing near. Ask yourself, did you spend your day well today?
I think this is one of the keys to an amazing life. How does one not grow old? Mr. Einstein gave us a clue in this quote. Stay curious. In this age of Google, learning things has never been easier. A question pops in your mind and in mere seconds you can be flooded with articles, videos and a multitude of other resources to explore.
This isn’t like giving yourself homework, it is learning about things that spark your curiosity. This website is a source of endless things for me to learn. Every time we get a new follower or viewer in a country I do not know enough about, I spend time reading and learning about the land and it’s culture.
Another thing is to explore and learn more about things you think you may already know all about. A few posts earlier, I mentioned our museum and how it is closing and moving to a new location. One of the things I’ve always enjoyed are these dioramas. They show different cultures. I learned they were made during the great depression by local artists. Sadly, many will not be featured in the new museum.
You want to stay young? Stay curious and keep learning!
This picture was taken today at the Milwaukee Public Museum. It has been at its current location since 1963. This would be longer than I’ve been alive. Everytime I have ‘went to the Museum’ it has been this one. That includes school field trips, times with family and friends. Even once while on lunch from serving on jury duty.
The Museum will be moving to a new location in 2027. Many exhibits,including this one, will not be making the trip. All things must change and update. I get that. Apparently, this building had fallen into disrepair. The cost to repair would have been greater than a new location and would not have provided the safety for the artifacts.
My mother and I decided to visit and take in the current layout one more time. I have been to this museum countless times. I love learning and history. In an effort to capture the memories, I endeavored to take pictures of as much as I could.To my shock, I discovered things I had missed in my now 50 years of coming here! This includes this old phone operator that can only by viewed by climbing some stairs.
Another favorite of mine is mini dioramas that display different cultures. Today I learned they were made during the depression by artists paid through the works progress administration. Again, after 50 years of viewing these, new knowledge.
A butterfly landed on me in the butterfly garden. This will be in the new location. It still was a cool memory. The lesson in all of this is that things change and we must savor the moments while they are here. Also, when we look at something we have seen countless times with new eyes, we can discover something new.
I will savor these memories and am grateful for all of the years and memories created here. I will alsolook forward to creating new memories at the new location.