I Used To Live. . .

"A Bank is a place where they lend you an umbrella in fair weather and ask for it back when it begins to rain." - Robert Frost

"A fool's paradise is a wise person's hell."

- Thomas Fuller

"If the world should blow itself up, the last audible voice would be that of an expert saying it can't be done." - Peter Ustinov

I used to live in the city, rushing everywhere, crowded, and busy. Rarely did I see an open space of nature. The sky was always framed by buildings, lights, and brick.

After work, I'd rest by my window. One afternoon I thought to myself: "The sunlight shining on my eyelids is the same sun that sparkles on the tropics. The thought stayed and took root. I imagined the sound of the ocean, listened to soft music and relaxed. Soon I began to look forward to my daily Hawaiian vacation. People asked me if I had been away; something was different about me. I had a post-vacation glow. Soon I had it all the time. Traffic would back up and I'd simply remind myself that I'd soon be lying on the beach. . . Eventually. . . a seemingly mundane chain of events - by now I was open to them - brought me to Hawaii.

What you believe, what you expect, what you invest with emotion, will be attracted to you. Bob Marley said that angry people were saying prayers to the devil.

What are you creating in your world? It begins in your mind. Perhaps it's time to examine your unexamined "facts."

"We get so used to disguising ourselves to others that we end up becoming disguised to ourselves." - La Rochefoucauld

A L O H A ! ;-)

Personal Power. . .

" I'm not old enough to play baseball or football. I'm not eight yet. My mom told me when you start baseball, you aren't going to be able to run that fast because you had an operation. I told Mom I wouldn't need to run that fast. When I play baseball, I'll just hit them out of the park. Then I'll be able to walk."
~Edward J. McGrath, Jr., "An Exceptional View of Life"



"It is by logic that we prove, but by intuition we discover."

-Leonardo DaVinci

"There is nothing new under the sun but there are lots of old things we don't know."

- Ambrose Bierce


What road are you on? If you don't change course, you'll get where you're heading.



"If 50 million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing."

-Anatole France



Where are your heading?

The subconscious is very literal. What we believe emotionally, it takes for truth and acts accordingly. Your subconscious regulates all the tiny and crucial functions of your cells and organs. If you always feel stressed and anxious, your subconscious and parasympathetic nervous system live in panic mode. Stress is designed to be a short-term solution to a problem NOW, like a charging lion. When you realize that relaxation is your optimum state, and make it a priority to care for yourself, insight arrives, health symptoms improve, you live more effectively. It's easy. Playing sports takes energy, concentration and involves stress, but the attitude of the players makes it fun. Listen to your heart. Have fun. Be patient with yourself and others. Play the game! A L O H A !!!!!!!!

Kolea Cool & Misty. . .

"Experience isn't interesting till it begins to repeat itself; in fact, till it does that, it hardly is experience"
-Eliz. Bowen, Irish Author

"Worldly wisdom teaches that it is better for your reputation if you fail conventionally, than if you succeed unconventionally."

-John Maynard Keynes,

"Great" economist, 1935

"Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore!." - Dorothy Gale

"There are no democratic or republican roads, or health care, or environment. There are only roads and health care, and we all breathe the same air." -Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger

Skinny Kolea (golden plover) have returned to our misty morning Waikiki lawns after their epic flight from Alaska. A fresh coolness is in the O`ahu air. Albatross who reportedly spends up to 10 years in flight is not impressed by Kolea's feat, but I am. The original "snow birds" will winter in the islands stuffing their beaks till it's time to return north. Cycles continue. . .
A Hawaiian Healing Kahuna tells the story of the woman brought to him suffering from extreme anxiety and depression. "What is bothering you?" He asked. She began talking about the world situation, terrorism, the economy..." He spent the day taking her to beautiful places on his island. At the beach he said: "Look, no bad news." At the pali (cliff) he showed her a peaceful windward side of the island. In the banana patch he showed her that no terrorists were crouching beneath the leaves. "Look at what is really right here," he told her. That night she slept soundly for the first time in years. One thought follows another. Psychologists call it "entrainment." But you don't need to ride that train. Just let it pull out of the station without you. . . The Seasons Are Changing Again!

Having A Past. . .

"Life is what happens while you're making other plans."

-John Lennon

"The future is murky. I Guess it's good to have a past."

-Paul Newman

Stopping to watch the sunset seems to settle and clarify the mind. Even the Hawaiian breeze, Ka Makani, knows that it is a good time to pause. Your day sweetens as the colors change. I'd like to think that maturity, the "sunset of life" will be like that.

Do you know the ledgend of the maiden who was directed to walk down the row of corn and to pick one, only one, ear? Right away she saw a good one, but she reasoned that a better one might be a few paces down the row. At the end of the row, she wished that she had chosen that first ear.

If you know where your next meal is coming from, if you have a home, if someone is glad to see you arrive, if you are NOT in #10 pain; then you are fortunate. Pause to notice all of life's gifts that we take for granted every day. Sunset is a good time to do that. Make your own beautiful memories. . . NOW. . . Aloha!

Thank You for everything; Racer, actor, dream boat, great citizen, father & friend: PAUL NEWMAN.

Just for Today. . .

JUST FOR TODAY. . . Don't worry. . . Just for today, Don't Anger. . . Just for Today. . .


Comfort Spiral is NOT positive thinking! It is more like the last day of school as you begin to suspect how wonderful your life really can be. Dare to believe it. Tons of illusion, mistaken beliefs and "shoulds" can finally be taken off of your shoulders. . . can finally be lain down. . . "If fear alters behaviour, you're already defeated." - Brenda Hammond

"The way to love anything is to realize that it might be lost." - Chesterton

"All truth passes through three stages: First it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." - Schopenhauer

Fearless Gentleness: Every day annoyances crop up naturally. They are often triggers for the less-than-perfect sides of our nature. But exploding never accomplishes anything positive. Holding a lid on rage causes physical/mental problems. But all this can be safely dissipated. De-escalate. Then the provocation becomes fuel! It can propel you into the heights of well being. Each time you refuse to "rise to the bait," you develop your perspective and detachment "muscles." Lots of complications are avoided this way! Every time you handle some "problem" with relaxed dignity, powerful inner detachment and increased freedom of spirit become yours. All the kinetic energy of the situation will flow non-destructively to your strength and merit, and also to collective world peace. Really. . . Try to greet each complication as a "work out opportunity" YOU WILL GROW HAPPIER! The Hawaiians say: "He Mea Iki'" it's just a small thing. Come, walk along the shoreline of your heart. . . ALOHA!

"As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

-Nelson Mandella

"The only normal people are folks you don't really know yet."

-Gerald McBoingBoing

"Until you've lost your reputation, you never realize what a burden it was or what freedom is all about."

-Margaret Mitchell

Anxiety comes from past regrets or future anticipation. Pausing to inhabit THIS moment, just being in your skin, saves so much energy that it becomes noticeable. Let go of responsibility for the words and attitudes of others. Just love them and let them be. Tolerance for others and for yourself are inextricably bound together. Notice how much of your inner dialogue is judgments. Are you being paid to be a judge? It's hard work! Try this: When you notice judgements arising: stop and smile and breathe. Notice your surroundings. Your only dogma: DE-ESCALATE. Think: "So what, who cares?" Even driving will get smoother and your gas mileage will improve! You'll build an energy surplus. Watch how you "take the bait" of daily life. And SURPRISE: you will make better choices from a place of wisdom, instead of being a reaction robot.

Aloha!