Be a divine imitator and create

Woke up this morning with a start from a dream. It wasn't a bad dream, but I was engrossed in it.

I got my breakfast and coffee, shaved, took a shower, and got dressed for the day.

When I woke up, it was like an energy burst that just enlivened me. I hope you have had that experience. It is quite startling yet pleasurable. 

Too often, we start to get dragged down by the "weight of the world" sometimes. (Maybe not for some.) 

But for deep thinkers, it can be a call to lay your head down for a moment and reconnect with our all-merciful and loving God. Then BOOM, alive again. Refreshed and ready to move.

Sin is real. God's love is more real and more powerful.

Extended holiday... and a good apple

I actually worked through the Labor Day weekend and am taking my holiday today.

I did DoorDash, and it was surprisingly busy for a holiday weekend. I have a good friend in another city who works for Uber, and he said he was thinking of going out too. 

I like delivering food, being outside, and having a flexible schedule. I have a good group of friends here locally that I meet for lunch a couple of times a month. I don't have to worry about missing our meals out. They are mostly retired, and I, being considered an independent contractor, can make the time easily as well.

Today I am enjoying my peace and quiet.

Getting a couple of hopefully helpful posts out and enjoying the good weather. 

I'm going to catch up on some reading too. I am about 2/3s the way through Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov and have to enjoy that for a while.

I also have to clean up the apartment a bit. Just getting things back in order. A once-a-week or so job.

Right now I'm enjoying a fresh, locally grown Honeycrisp apple. I made a trip to a fruit farm this morning.

Small blessings can go a long way. 

Take care of your physical, mental, and spiritual health. 

Get help if you need to.

Life is worth living. (I didn't make that one up, but have found it to be quite true.)

Here's to a new day starting

I sincerely hope that you can look forward to a new day starting again.

I know quite well from very distant, now-past experience that this seems impossible, particularly if you are experiencing the deepest throes of mental illness, as I did as a young man, newly diagnosed after leaving the Catholic seminary.

Know that there is help out there. I sought God first for what I didn't understand at the time to be the effects of childhood depression and mood swings later in college.

This eventually led me to accept help from good mental health professionals (I never accepted help from the bad ones).

I am grateful to have an excellent family doctor as well as a very good psychiatric provider. I assure you, most of them have been very good over the years.

I have been blessed also with some good, long-time friendships. 

If you are reading this post, know that I am praying for you in writing it.

I can only express what has and hasn't "worked" for me in all of this, and I know that each of us is a unique person with unique experiences and situations.

God bless you, my friend.

Never give up!

You may be down. You may be out. 

God loves you!

Believe it.

Cast off everything that keeps you down.

The fight is worth it.

You are worth it.

You DESERVE to see the mountaintop.

You deserve the respect that is due to you.

Be peaceful. Be calm. Know that the Lord endured Hell itself for you.

When all is dark. When all is night. Know that morning shines bright.

Get help. When you're in need. Worthy you. Are just indeed.

Separate. From sins indeed. We are but unworthy servants, true.

Know that you're loved. By Him indeed. You will survive. You will surely thrive.

Embark with us. Unworthy brethren. On our search for earthly heaven.

Now is the time. To stand and reckon. Ourself and others. The Heavenly beckon.

Right here, right now. This minute so. We stand before Thee. Oh, us brought low.

We do not envy. We do not seek. To be relieved of ending bleak.

All come to an end. All come to joy. Give up not thee. For time will show.

That you are worthy. Of God's own gift. Of life abundant. In here and now.

I do not know. Why, when or how. Just that He's good. And we shall plow.

Good earth today. Tomorrow too. It is a life. For you and me. Please don't ask how.

Evermore, evermore, lasting breath of health. Let us enjoy Your everlasting wealth.

One friend. One comrade. That is all we ask. As we take up our perilous task.

We are not God. We are not sin. Help us enter into the inner room within.

You are a joy.

You are a Friend.

This is not desperation. This is not the end.

We seek Thee true. You are our bliss.

Thank You, my Lord. I'm not remiss.

Our Lady Love. You are above.

Lend Thee our prayers, to Him above.

It's so confusing. Yes, right now. You are the "Whom," "What," "When," and "How."

The power of good sleep

Note: this is not me giving you medical advice if you don't sleep well. If you don't, you need to talk to your doctor. I'm just giving you my experience.

I am very fortunate that I keep a pretty regular sleep schedule. About 7-9 hours per night.

That wasn't always the case, though. A very long time ago (maybe 25 years), I had a good doctor who was trying to help me regulate my sleep. 

He really emphasized something called "sleep hygiene" (I know, sounds so clinical), but after practicing it for a while, it really changed things for me for the better.

For me, now that means all screens off at least an hour before bedtime.

I even limit my reading time during that period so as not to overstimulate my mind before sleeping.

I do take that time to sit or lie there in the quiet and practice some mindfulness and say my prayers. I include a quick review of what I plan to do tomorrow.

Oh yeah, I have a strict rule of no caffeine (mainly coffee) after noon.

And nothing fizzy as well before bed.

I do like to eat a light snack and a glass of whole milk before bed.

That's about it for me. I know everybody is different, but fortunately I'm a pretty good sleeper.

Why did I write about sleep today? I spent the day again DoorDashing and came home and took a quick nap. Really helped.

Thought I'd write about it.

Are you able to enjoy peace and quiet for the gift that it is?

Now I like the company of good friends and even co-workers, but I have also come to greatly appreciate the gift of my alone time over the years.

Far from being a sterile, boring desert of isolation and loneliness, it can be a personal space for growth and reflection.

It can be a great opportunity for creativity. (You don't need to be a "master" at anything (except possibly yourself) to enjoy the creative arts.

Everything in moderation, though, and in due time.

I had a football coach in high school who saw me struggling to bench press some weights as a puny little, underdeveloped freshman, and he saw my frustration. He smiled at me, appreciating my effort, and assured me that "well, Rome wasn't built in a day".

Life is a gift. Take some time to appreciate it.

Latest reading... The Brothers Karamozov

Now I, like a lot of people, like writing, but I really like reading in my spare time, as I have said before. Especially the classics.

Believe me, I have no delusions as to my own meager creative abilities. I just like writing and sharing what I think might enrich some people's lives, simple as it may be. I certainly don't do it for the money.

At the moment, I am reading and am halfway through The Brothers Karamozov by Dostoevsky.

The author, in my opinion, is a real genius at expressing the broad range of the human condition and emotions through his characters and stories. (At least this one)

I won't bore you with any more literary criticism.

Just hope you have some healthy go-tos to relax and hopefully enrich your life.

It's all about living a balanced life. 

I like working, spending time with friends, watching a baseball game, etc,  playing a little golf...

If this seems out of reach for you at the moment, just know that a long time ago, when I was first dealing with a bipolar diagnosis at the age of 26, it seemed out of reach to me too.

Gradually, over time, things get better.

If you think you need professional help, get it. 

That's not your identity; it's just a wound or injury like any other that needs to be dealt with. 

Okay, no more preaching.

Have a great day.