Very Unlemming-like

By B. Stuart Noll All Rights Reserved


As the author of a blog entitled "A Positive Thought" you would think that all views here go along with conventional wisdom on positive thinking. Well, do not even positive thinkers have the right to dissent when what they see seems to be leading the masses over the next cliff? Or should I simply encourage the masses to keep running at break neck speed while I simply excuse myself for a moment and step out of the stampede? As a believer of "being the change" I want to see, I am taking the latter step with a very gentle nudge to the lemming next to me!

(Photo by Deborah Phillips-Noll)
My question is simple. How much death and destruction do I have to participate in before I realize I am part of the problem. When will I step outside of my comfort zone and become part of the answer? the answer for me is when I choose to become aware enough to change the only thing I can change - ME!

I can choose to be apathetic about education, our system of government, the environment, health care or any number of the gabillion causes that would help us improve the world in which we live. We can all act like lemmings thinking the one in front of us is going in the right direction or we can wake up, begin to think for ourselves (of course that would require a collectively conscious thought process which may be foreign to many) and say enough is enough.

I believe, that if we are to survive as a species, as a planet and as community of connected energy we must step out of the race precipitated by greed. We must begin to think about more than ourselves. Can we only survive if we pollute the earth we live on, send our offspring to die then bring them home to a life of neglect and near poverty? Will we continue to perpetuate the sale of pesticides that kill the bees that pollinate the food we eat and expect to make it to tomorrow? Can we expect to focus more on what we want and less on what we really need without some reprisal from natural law?

I cannot answer these questions and the many others that present themselves to us daily for anyone else but me. I may have had no choice how I got into the stampede toward the edge of the cliff; I only know that I choose to take a different path to my eternal existence and it isn't running up the butt of the guy in front of my when he sees the edge.

There is plenty in this world I cannot control. But I did choose to stop watching senseless TV. I did decide not to support greedy athletes and owners who took a sport played for fun and recreation and turned into another outlet for greedy ambition. I decided to stop agreeing with those corporate entities who didn't have the best interests of their customers and their employees when tough decisions needed to be made. I stopped thinking that it was all right lie to our sons and daughters for political gain. I began to choose peace over war and I decided that if I had to fight for what I believed I would know the consequence of my actions and be willing to pay the price for them should I be wrong.

So my friends, I say that today is a good day. It is a day when I decide for myself how I want to live my life and to recognize what life means to me and to the communities of people in which I live. I may be thinking out loud, but I am acting inside and I am living without regret for today!

May peace be with you always!

A Thought for Christmas

By B. Stuart Noll All Rights Reserved


Several hours from now the culmination of year long activity in the North Pole will erupt into frenetic outpourings of all kinds of goodies for kids of all ages. Some will be whisked away by realized dreams of what they wanted and some, sadly, will find only an 8 GB I-POD instead of the 64 GIG they were convinced they needed or deserved.

If all goes well though and tradition is upheld, the joy of giving will befall us all, no matter what Santa left under the tree! If not, there's always a next year filled with football, food and consumer fanaticism!

So, whether you were naughty or nice, I truly hope that our collective family of mankind will experience a deep and profound presence so powerful it overwhelms us with a peace that can only be explained in human terms, as LOVE!

A mysterious and magical combination of exhilaration, joy and contentment will overcome you and it will appear and remain without any association with materialism. Its presence will form in our minds and hearts, appearing without explanation. This "knowing" will manifest in the giving of our most treasured innate gifts, found only in the storeroom within. This my friends, is a gift from God and I pray, for you, that it lasts forever!

Merry Christmas to all and to all, a good night!

Pure Joy Pure Surprise

By B. Stuart Noll
All Rights Reserved
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Sometimes you just happen to be in the right place at the right time. Most of us know that this only happens once in a blue moon; except that it happen to me three times in the same day.

One day recently my wife, Debbie and I spent a delightful afternoon at Maymont Park here in Richmond, Virginia. We had a rare 4 day weekend to work with and because of the struggling economy we decided to play closer to home. Debbie loves the outdoors and gardens are one of here favorites. So going to Maymont for an afternoon was a natural but, little did I know it would wind on paper like this.

Rarely do we have an opportunity to invest quality time with each other under such fantastic conditions, weather and spiritual, that is. But it wasn't the unusual nature of this day that I write about here, although I will use some of the experiences as metaphors.

Did I mention Debbie likes to photograph nature? She catches some very unusual events too! Like the face to face meeting with Mr. Otter. (below right) I didn't expect the otter to come and have a conversation nor did I expect my wife to take advantage of the photo op! But isn't that the way most of life is? A series, sometimes, of unexpected events. Unusual in their occurrence and timing, sometimes memorialized for posterity? (Oh My Gosh)

I suppose any occurrence can be seen as a chance meeting, but for those of us who believe there are no accidents and that everything happens for a reason, you have to ask yourself how did I come face to face with an otter? Or better yet, what cause would the creator of the universe have for putting me in touch with the finest woman on the face of this earth? How did my creator, or the universe for that matter know that on June 17th Debbie would be born and eventually her path would merge with mine. Mysterious, I know, but I couldn't be more grateful!

Take a careful look at the photo of the Clematis; gorgeous isn't it? How does the creator dream that one up? And why? Such intricate design sitting in the middle of a park, obscure to all but those who desire to see it or are aware enough to even notice it.

Such is the celebration of my wife's birthday. It may come and go for her, nonchalantly letting it slip by without much ado. But, for me, I am in awe that after so much hardship in both our lives that God, infinitely wise, would bring us together. For what purpose? I do not yet know. But this I do know. I am blessed beyond description to share one single solitary moment with a women whose passion and curiosity for life outstrips anyone else I know or have known. She makes me wonder why I was chosen to be so fortunate, out of all the possibilities that God had to choose from; this is one of those unusual occurrences that I am so grateful for.

Thanks Debbie, for allowing me to be. Thank you for permitting me to walk beside you and learn from you and share your ups and downs and for sharing mine as well. But thank you most of all for being as curious as the otter and as beautiful and intricate as the Clematis. You, my lovely bride, simply inspire me!


Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

I love you very much,
Love,
Me

Hard Lessons

Dr. Cherie Carter-Scott once said, "Remember, there are no mistakes, only lessons..." I agree with her wholeheartedly. In fact, I have experienced this perspective and I can appreciate the value of seeing our life's circumstances in a different light.

Think about it; if you view a life event or occurrence as a one time event, never to be replayed, what purpose will that serve? While I would also agree that the consequences of many of our choices are irrevocable and thus appear to be mistakes, the thought processes and circumstances which precipitate those often irrevocable actions will return until our perception grows into an alternative more in line with the will and wonder of the mystery of God.

Viewing life circumstances in this manner permits us to move forward from a potential stumbling block and ties us to not to the past, but to the present, which is so alive with possibilities. There is a freedom that accompanies this outlook that comes with knowing that you can change the outcome by viewing the circumstance differently the next time you face the same or similar situation.

For me, this has been an eye opening experience in the area of my career or shall I say careers. Like many men, I just couldn't decide on what I really wanted to do with my life. Although I am not unaccomplished I would never say I have done what I was sent here to do, whatever that is. I wouldn't call it a mid-life crisis, more of an ongoing predicament. I would continue to try new careers, thinking there has to be more than the one I'm in. Leaving each new venture could have been viewed as a mistake but, I now have the perspective that permits me to see each one as a lesson for what I am doing today - fulfilling my dreams.

I could have saved a lot of heartache and wasted energy by viewing each abandoned position as a lesson leading to growth instead of beating myself up for not accomplishing what my ego thought I should. Hey, I'm just being honest here. For all of the men going through this right now in the economy of today, I say change your perspective and move on, right now! And to my young friends entering the work force from college or high school or vocational schools or whatever, I say adopt this philosophy early on and pay attention more to the discovery of who you are than what you do. This will be one less lesson you will have to learn.

There are no mistakes, only lessons but, some of the lessons are very, very hard. Do your best to minimize them by seeking a mentor; someone who cares about you and humanity. Find one that's been in a similar circumstance yet can put his past behind him and stay in the present with you while at the same time relating the alternatives learned from the lessons of the past.

It is my deepest desire that you will walk through the lessons of life and come away with the wisdom and hope necessary to navigate the journey that precedes you and provides the rewards that you seek for yourself, your family and the communities you live in.
Blessings to you my friends and remember - the choice is always yours!

IT'S A CHOICE!

There are two ways to live your life - one is as though nothing is a miracle, the other is as though everything is a miracle.

- Albert Einstein

Even the smartest of men has a choice and a perspective. The choice is what perspective you will choose, one that benefits only you or one that impacts all the other miracles?

-B. Stuart Noll

MORE THAN JUST WORDS

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

The choice to pursue what matters within us is a split second decision that you can make at any time. Be a wise steward of your time and you will reap the reward of what you sow, for that one decision will last a lifetime!
- B. Stuart Noll