For those of us who have been following the rules and staying within our four walls, those walls are getting a bit familiar. Being a person who has worked from home for many years, the first few weeks weren’t all that different. However, the last couple of days a restless feeling started to come over me and just getting outside of my house for a bit wasn’t enough. I needed to feel normal again, get in the car and drive, and be out in the open space to see the face of people I love. But, how as I going to do that safely? A suggestion from my good friend Fern resulted in an unexpected outing.

We decide to meet in a vacant mall parking lot, bring our own food, park opposite each other and visit and have a meal. It was then that it dawned on me just how much we take our lives for granted. We live each day doing all the things that we normally do, expecting to do them the next day and the next. Why? Because it is the way those of our generation have always known it. Even with the events of September 11th, we were not confined to our homes and kept away from our loved ones. This time is different. As bad as that was, there wasn’t some potential deadly disease lurking around corners that could cause potential harm to us and those we care for. It was in this outing I realized, no matter the inconvenience, just how lucky we are.

You see, love knows no barriers. It doesn’t matter if it is 20 feet away in a parking lot, an ocean away on Zoom, a mile away on Facebook or a walk away to the next room. None of those barriers have the power to diminish the ability that we have to share love with each other. While the pandemic may make us scared, afraid, unsure and suspect, it can not take away that connection of human compassion and caring that we all possess. If anything it enhances it. The human spirit is a powerful and wonderful thing and unfortunately sometimes only comes out when things are at their worst. If only we could carry over those traits into our everyday world when this is all behind us…..and someday it will be.

On this unexpected outing I was reminded that no matter how hard it gets, we will always have those who love us, support us and be there for us in times of good and bad. Viruses, disasters and other unnatural events don’t pull us apart, they bring us together. They show us the best of humanity, kindness, caring and compassion. They remind us that when we truly love each other, nothing can interrupt that bond that we share.

We find ourselves in unfamiliar times that are often leaving us unsure of what we are supposed to do, say, or how we are supposed to act. Our world as we know it is not the same. Simple things like family outings, trips to the grocery store, work travel and personal interactions, have all suddenly become unfamiliar, taboo and in some cases even dangerous. There have been bad times before, but not none quite like these.

There are those alive that lived through the Great Depression. Many of us weathered the events of 2001. Some of us have experienced tornadoes, hurricanes and other natural disasters. However, this time, this event, feels different. Our lives have been completely upended from what we know as normal and we have every right to be afraid, unnerved and unsure of what today, tomorrow, or even next week is going to bring. The amazing thing is that there is always a tomorrow. While it may be a different one, it is often brighter and more manageable than what we are dealing with at the time.

In all of the bad, we have to focus on the good. The 24 hour news cycle would like to ensure that we stay scared, afraid and listening to our televisions 24 hours a day. It’s how they make money. While we need to be informed, we do not need to let it consume us. We must realize that within all the bad surrounding us, we have been given gifts that we easily overlook.

When is the last time we had so much opportunity to spend with those we love? How many of us have been prompted to stay closer in touch with our loved ones, more than we ever had as we went about our daily lives? When was the last time we had the opportunity to hug our loved ones throughout the day rather than five minutes in the morning, only to come home at night and find them asleep in their beds. Technology that consumed us and kept us from personally interacting, now provides us with the opportunity to be together for happy hours, dinners, religious events and face to face interactions that we seemed to never have time for.

There is no question that the world we navigate is scary. Staying in the confines of our own walls for weeks at a time is unfamiliar. However, we are a resilient people. Despite the inability of our infrastructures to support us, we find a way to survive. We have will, compassion, love and hope beyond measure. We always seem to find a way to endure the bad times and celebrate the good. It is in our DNA. It is who we are.

Now is the time for us to show the true nature of who we are. To muster the strength and resolve that we have as a global world. We need to harness the power that we have to make a difference when we figure out how to navigate this new world, and the world that will be waiting for us on the other side. The beautiful thing is that we can and we will. Our faith, compassion and ability to endure will see us through. It won’t be the same world. My hope is that it will be a kindler and gentler world in which we live. It will be a world not all about me, but about us and what we can do as a common people. That’s my kind of wold and the world I hope for all of us. Be safe and well.

Mornings with Ron is also available as a Podcast at anchor.fm/morningswithron or on iHeart Radio, Apple or Google Podcast, Spotify or most Podcast sites.

Okay, it has been a while, but there is a good reason. I have been working on my book and we are getting closer to release! It is in the proofing stage at the moment and then will go to layout. I am shooting for a May release…..hopefully before Mother’s Day, barring any unexpected issues. The book will initially be available on Amazon and Kindle, so look out for the pre-order announcement coming soon!

Ron

#morningswithron

Photo compliments of Pixabay

We find ourselves in a new decade at that time of year when we have the opportunity for a fresh start on everything. We make New Year’s resolutions. We say goodbye to the good and the bad that has happened in the previous year and decade. We pray for a brighter future, health and fortune to come our way and to just try and make life a little better than it was the last year. Why is is that often only do that on this particular day that falls on the calendar and at this particular time?

In some of my previous messages, I have written about making the most of our life minutes. The fact that every morning of our life presents us with a new opportunity to try new things, adjust past practices and do things to enhance this amazing life road that we are on. We don’t have to wait until January 1st to get a new start. We have the opportunity for that new start with every next minute that comes into our lives.

This year, as I watched the ball drop in New York City from my sofa, I marveled at how millions of people can come together in one place and for that one moment be happy, together and seemingly without a care in the world. Then as I perused the news, I saw the same thing over and over across the world as New Year’s Eve celebrations unfolded. I wondered to myself what it would be like if this were every day and people were making the most of their next life minute to make not only their lives better, but those around them as well.

There is something magical about a new year. Mentally we feel like we can wipe the slate clean and start all over again. However, when we make each day New Year’s Day, we have the opportunity to have the thrill and excitement of that moment every day of the year. We are going to make mistakes along the way. When we use those mistakes as stepping stones and learn from them, then the dawn of every new day is our opportunity to create the palette that we want our lives to be. Every day can be New Year’s Day.

Good to be back with you!

Mornings with Ron is available as a podcast at anchor.fm/morningswithron or on iHeartRadio, Apple or Google Podcast, Spotify and most podcast sites. #morningswithron

It’s that time of year when everything seems to be converging together. The holiday rush, year end work responsibilities, social gatherings, and holiday get togethers all seem to consume every minute of every day. The “me time” that I often write about takes a back seat and in the rush to get everything done, some things just have to give. The problem is in figuring out just which things are going to get delayed so that you can get what needs to be done finished.

The holidays are my favorite time of year. However, every year for the last four years I have found myself negotiating contracts at my day job, sometimes right up to New Year’s Eve. Add to that the fact that it is also the business time of year for the Bring Smiles to Seniors program as we try and get all the holiday cards out. That often takes the sparkle out of the season and I have to stop and remind myself of what’s really important. I have to steal that extra minute for a dinner with friends, shopping, and pre-agreed to social engagements.

The one area where this year is different, is that I have managed to carve out that “me time” that I talk about. Those ten to fifteen minutes in a day where I focus on my meditation, remind myself of all the things that I am thankful for and block out the outside world. It is amazing what those few minutes can do for you when you truly focus on yourself and let the rest of the world go by. When I am done, I have this renewed energy to tackle everything that is left for the day and then start all over again the next.

Everyone could use just a few more minutes in the day to get what needs to be accomplished done. However, I would say 95% of the time the world isn’t going to come to end if there are things on our list that just don’t get finished. They make their way to the top of the priority list the next day.

So, if you are feeling anxiety or a little stressed that you can’t seem to just fit it all in, take a moment and stop. Steal a few minutes to sit and have a cup of coffee or tea. Read a few pages in your favorite magazine. Meditate, pray or just be with yourself. Let those moments belong to only you. Realize that all that needs to be accomplished can only be done when we are taking care of ourselves first and supplying ourselves with the energy we need to see it all through.

Morning with Ron is available as a podcast at anchor.fm/morningswithron or on iHeartRadio, Apple or Google Podcast, Spotify or most podcast sites.

We find ourselves in the midst of another holiday season, where the world will go a little crazy (as if it isn’t crazy enough) and people will be be bustling about doing all the things we do over the next month or so. During this time I find it incredibly important to stop and focus on the blessings life has given me and all the reasons that I am thankful.

This year I get a double blessing, Thanksgiving and my birthday happen to fall on the same day. As I look back over the last 57 years, I marvel at the path my life has taken and how the good and the bad have brought me to this very point that I find myself today. I learned from my mistakes, made corrections on my life path when I needed to and continued to make mistakes that put me on new paths that opened new horizons. That is what life is all about.

This year I am thankful for my family, my health, my amazing friends and all those who surround me. I am especially thankful for my Bring Smiles to Seniors family which grows by the day. A network of caring people who believe that seniors still matter and that we have an obligation to ensure that they are reminded that they are remembered and loved. I am thankful that I continue to get to live in a free world that I fought for and that I have the opportunity to make life anything that I want it to be.

This year, I am especially thankful that those that I love (you know who you are) who have gone through trying times this year health wise, are in a much better place mentally and physically. I am thankful that you are all still here to do the amazing things that you continue to do to make this world even better than it already is.

As you spend time with family and friends today, focus on this day and not tomorrow. Revel in the moments that you have to spend with those that you love and then wake up tomorrow and continue this amazing journey that we call life. Be thankful for the little things, big things and the things that are yet to come. Do all the things that you can do to be the reason that you and all those around you smile.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Ron

Morinings with Ron is available as a podcast at anchor.fm/morningswithron or on iHeartRadio, Apple or Google Podcast, Spotify or most podcast sites.

Recently, I was thinking about the role that opinions play in our lives. People ask our opinions as they are trying to work through issues. We seek input when we are trying to make something the best that it can be. When we can’t quite figure out how to get to an ultimate goal, we often ask others opinions to help us make final decisions. When used in constructive ways, they are helpful in guiding us along life’s path, as we make course corrections that are often necessary. I see this alive and well every day in the Bring Smiles to Seniors program, at work, in social environments and even at home. Then there are times when we have to question ourselves whether or not our opinion is really necessary.

There are those that feel that their unsolicited opinion is required on everything they encounter. Whether asked for or not, something within them causes them to need to “give their two cents” when it wasn’t solicited or warranted. They have no idea the history behind something that was done or the reason things are being portrayed a certain way. Nor do they take time to ask questions to try and understand better. They simply tell one exactly what they think should be done, simply because they feel that way. Their opinion wasn’t asked for or required. However, to fulfill some need within themselves, they felt they had to provide that opinion to make themselves feel better. Unfortunately, those opinions can result in consequences that affect far more than just they.

In ways we have become a society where it is in fashion to tear someone down rather than build them up. Instead of taking the time to ask the right questions and learn from each other, we simply provide our opinion, whether valid or not. There is a simple solution, an easy way to make an opinion matter. Simply ask if it is even wanted in the first place or present it simply as “food for thought”. It makes the receiver far more receptive to the opinion rather than simply stating an opinion and advising the receiver that the opinion should be implemented, even when we have no background knowledge.

One of my close friends is very good at this. She may say, “I have a different perspective that I would like to share with you if you are interested” or “I want to run something by you to see what you think”. That often sets a more comfortable playing field for the conversation that will ensue. When provided in the right way, opinions can be an important part of our life. They are often what makes us better, as they cause us to think in ways we may not have even considered. However, they should never be provided with the ultimate expectation that only the giver is right and that the person on the receiving end is going to follow your suggestion simply because you said so.

Mornings with Ron is available as a podcast at anchor.fm/morningswithron or on iHeartRadio, Apple or Google podcast, Spotify or most podcast sites.

One of the great responsibilities of life is ensuring that we are taking care of ourselves, so that when the time comes that those in need require our assistance, we are in the position to help when we can. Sometimes, in fulfilling that responsibility, we have an effect on other people’s’ lives that we don’t even realize. In trying to be who we are, and in our attempt to be ourselves, something we do or say can have an impact that we may never become aware of. When we do, it helps provide validation for being the person that we are.

I was a quiet and shy child for the most part. I walked with my head down, kept to myself in my room and created a world around me that often didn’t involve many other people. I turned my room into a library, wrote, read and made my room my own little space. I wasn’t comfortable around new people and was definitely not comfortable moving outside my comfort zone. Change was difficult for me, so I tended to enjoy the mundane more than the adventure. When I went in the Air Fore that all changed.

In that move I suddenly found myself living in a different country at the age of 19. I didn’t live on base, I lived in a village above a shop and found myself immersed in the culture around me. It was that experience that moved me outside my comfort zone. I would go on to have jobs that required me to interact with new people all the time. I had no choice but to learn to raise my head and become a part of my surroundings. Slowly, change and adventure became part of the norm and as a part of that process, watching and understanding human behavior and the effect you can have on it became a part of my every day life.

We never truly know the impact our actions have on those around us. We can only hope that we are living a life that is true to who we are. In doing so, something we do or say along the way hopefully has an impact on those with whom we interact. When we learn that our attempts are successful, we have a validation that what we are doing is right with our soul.

Every day we have an opportunity to make a difference in someone else’s life. Something we say, or something that we do that we may not even realize we are doing, may have an impact on someone we don’t know, or even someone who is familiar. When that happens we have the satisfaction of knowing that while we are doing our best to make our life path everything that it can be for ourselves, we are also doing that for someone else as well.

Mornings with Ron is available as a podcast at anchor.fm/morningswithron or on iHeartRadio, Apple or Google podcast, Spotify or most podcast sites.

One of the beautiful things about the Bring Smiles to Seniors program is that I never have to walk alone. I am surrounded by volunteers, card angels, card decorators, schools, civic organizations, companies and passionate people that care about our seniors. We all have a common mission to ensure that seniors are reminded that they are not forgotten, loved and an important part of the fabric of our society. But that was not always the case.

As we go through life, we tend to move with the masses. If we aren’t leaders, then we simply follow and that often takes us in the same direction of everyone else. When we venture off the paths that we are most comfortable with, it is only then that we find ourselves in places that no one has ever been. It can be uncomfortable, frightening, lonely and at times down right stressful in the beginning. However, as it all starts to come together, and that definitely takes time, what eventually happens is you emerge from the norm and realize that you have truly created something special.

The beginning days of the Bring Smiles to Seniors program were lonely. We had no donors, no cards, no new senior communities to which we could deliver. We were attempting something that had probably been done in smaller ways in other places, but we were not settling for small, we wanted this to be something much bigger than that. Fortunately for me, I had Linda in the beginning, so I was not completely alone. However, we were alone in the sense that we had no guidance regarding what we were supposed to do and we had to just trust out instinct, faith and belief that what we were embarking on was bigger than the both of us.

Once we committed to the path and were all in, there was no stopping us. The cards, people, senior communities, civic groups, schools, program participants and just enough money to survive started to arrive from unexpected places. Word started to spread, the money we spent on advertising on social media paid off and here we find ourselves delivering to all 50 states and surpassing 125,000 cards in seniors hands since the program started.

All through life we are presented with choices. We can choose to either continue to move with the masses and live an ordinary yet sometimes fulfilled life. Or we can take a chance and go down that unknown path that often leads to something extraordinary. There is no question that I have far more enjoyed the latter and I wish the same for you.

Mornings with Ron is available as a podcast at anchor.fm/morningswithron or on iHeartRadio, Apple or Google Podcast, Spotify or most podcast sites.