I used to take a picture of certain celebrities to the chemical dependency units so they could see what they looked like Before & After. It was a real eye opener for many of them.

In some things we attempt, we feel fully confident we can succeed -only to fall flat on our faces. So it would only make sense that there would be things things for which we have little or no confidence (or perhaps filled with fear) in attempting -which we can quite easily succeed in (after one, or only a few attempts).

I have the comforts that I have because God has granted/gifted them to me. Now this may be a tad more difficult for some to understand -i have the discomforts that I have because God has granted/gifted them to me (now when I was younger, alot of the discomforts I had were not granted or gifted to me -but rather, permitted lol). Normally, a person rejoices in the good times👍-and mourns the bad ones👎. But there are 2 very important things each of us needs to keep in mind:

1. The combination of so called good and bad things when granted or permitted by God; serve one sole purpose -TO RETURN FROM WHENCE WE CAME (THE BOSOM OF GOD).

2. There are those things which God grants, gifts (and He alone knows precisely what, how, where, and when). Now then, often times those things He permits are the very things we bring upon ourselves. And while they can often represent a so-called fly-in-the-ointment, they to can be turned to good (though this is not the preferred method of choice -but an oft seemingly unavoidable reality) -as this little truism, a safety-valve of sorts, has been woven into the fabric of time and space (after the fall) -or perhaps beyond (since eternity). Anyways, God’s Will, our will, are both unavoidable halves of a puzzle which makes up “The Bigger Picture”. In the end, both good times and bad, bring us closer to God, and make us more God-like IF we are open to it! God gives us a precise balance of both in the hopes of accomplishing these things. ON A PERSONAL NOTE: in the midst of all of this, it’s a good thing to keep in mind that technically; there is a difference between having problems (God’s doing), and being the problem (our doing). Keeping the two clear in our minds, and in our 💕 will assist us in:

•Avoiding blaming God (and thus alienating Him) for things we have brought upon ourselves) upon ourselves;

•That we can trust that whatever God puts in our path, seemingly positive, or negative -is ultimately in our best interest, and the interests of those we love(but again, we have the choice to turn all our experiences, all things handed to us-to good, or to bad)*, and;

•Knowing that any struggles, brought on by God, or ourselves, can always be turned to good

•And finally; to forever remain grateful for what God has granted us** regardless of the outcome (OUTCOMES HERE ON EARTH ARE NOT THE FINAL WORD -how we respond to whatever occurs in our lives -is what God will judge us by (and any remorse on our part -or lack thereof***))

When I do something wrong -there are consequences.

When I do something right -there are consequences.

*You gotta figure that it’s a hell of a trick -to make decisions which are in the best interest of all peoples – 🤔 or maybe it’s just that simple!

**For there is not one thing God Himself has created in this universe whose singular purpose is to harm or to destroy us. Everything God loosed in the universe can be used for good or bad; can be turned to good or to bad. We decide how much of God exists in the universe and how much of satan exists in the universe.

***It’s better to ask God’s forgiveness and show remorse for our wrongs -even if we do not believe in God (we have nothing to lose and everything to gain).

Sidenote: For example, would you rather your child live a long life and end up in hell -or live a short life and end up in Heaven? We have to start thinking 🤔 long-term (the hereafter), not just short-term (life on earth)! Until we change our perspective from that of life on Earth to a life hereafter… none of what God asks of us will ever make any sense. Until we change our perspective from that of merely being human, to that of being spiritual -and the great benefit to our spiritual selves (at the expense of our physical selves) that suffering, loss, poverty brings… none of what God asks of us will ever make any sense.

IM TIRED- I MAY HAVE MISSED SOMETHING, I MAY HAVE JUMBLED A FEW THINGS, BUT IT’S A GOOD START 😏

It’s amazing how some people who are not particularly attractive -can look at themselves in the mirror and think they are (highly attractive). I’m all for a healthy sense of self as much as the next guy! What I’m say is this, there is something there, something at work I’ve never quite been able to figure out in these cases. I suppose there’s some not so nice people out there in the world -who think they’re pretty nice chaps as well. I guess the latter statement is more or less or less what I’m hinting at… of how we see, in many areas of our life, what we wanna see.

You lineup a 100 guys in prison and ask them what they think of themselves -and most (if not all ) of them are gonna say “I’m a pretty good guy” -Capishe’?

Personally, and this has been the case for years, when I look in the mirror some days I see diamonds and other days I see rocks.*

I have seen some pictures of people who look very different from one picture to the next -you wouldn’t recognize them if you compared one picture to the next. Is this a form of shape shifting?

*When I assert a sense of attractiveness regarding myself -it is largely based upon things told to me as a child, mostly my aunt’s “Oh he’s so good-looking; he looks so much like his father”… kind of stuff 🤷‍♂️

At least a couple of decades ago I figured -If a person is lucky, from the time they turn about 18 or so, they’ve got about 35 good years to remain youthful looking; and be able to perform most of the tasks they were able to do in their prime relatively well. At 57, this is the 1st year I’ve begun to feel a sense of age age -in several months I will turn 58 years old. So, we will say that I almost made it to forty in my case -ALMOST. 31 and 2/3 of those years clean and sober. Like someone once said, if you take care of your body it will take care of you. I’m not sure how well I’ve taken care of my body through these years -but I certainly appear to have alot less mileage on me than some others my age. Thank God -and good jeans 😉

Someone in an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting once remarked (years ago), “If I knew I was going to live this long -I would have taken better care of myself”. 😆

People are often afraid to leave because they don’t know where they’re going, That’s why it’s sometimes important to figure out where you’re going before you leave 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♀️

Counselors tell parents:

•You both have to be on the same page otherwise the child will exploit the situation;

•When one parent says yes, and the others says no… the child gets confused; the child goes with the parent who favors them in any given situation;

•The reason they say you can’t use corporal punishment on a child is… The law says you can’t hit your child -but what do they offer, really offer in support as an alternative that works; But, their are other options besides, before corporal punishment that parents can do to seize control, take the upper -hand and show the child whose the boss; and showing the child at the end of the day -YOU HAVE THEIR BEST INTEREST @ ❤.

Alot of people seem capable of getting a partner -but they just can’t seem to keep them (happy).

2 ways of easing a burden:

•Lighten the load

•Get stronger

I find the latter of particular interest -and especially challenging!

One of the things I regret most about the town I live in is that it has done little to further my social skills and my interactive skills with others -That is an attribute from my childhood that could have been very much improved upon -and I’ve seen, and received very little proper instruction in this area from those around me.

One thing I’ve learned from my relationship with Ana, is that in times of great difficulty or stress, even if you have to fudge the truth a little bit -you must always seek to minimize panic and fear, while fostering a feeling of Hope, safety.. For many years I didn’t do this so well. Sighs 😔

Men who are grossly overweight… I have found that even after many of these men have lost weight, they have a great natural strength to them.

Even if you cannot afford the best brands, always keep in mind that at that very moment 😔 there are people who cannot even afford that. 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♂️