Author: Regina Cates

Warning! Shocking NEWS coming…Barbara and I are fans of American Ninja Warriors. Yes, I know you’d think I’d be the type person to run as fast as possible from anything with Warrior in the title.  But I have to say when you get past the over the top hype from the announcers, Ninja Warriors is inspiring. It is positively uplifting to see men and women, of various ages, competing against themselves to get through an amazingly hard obstacle course.

I admire people who challenge themselves.  Not one of us improves to become better, happier, more fulfilled in life, without constantly challenging ourselves. Sure the show is a competition to see who finishes the course in the fastest time to be America’s Ninja Warrior. But beyond the one winner takes all concept, this competition is one where all of the contestants are pitted against a common challenge.  So each must be well trained, strong, and smart to survive the seemingly impossible feats they are asked to perform.Continue reading

I was walking behind a man who was smoking. He stopped, dropped the cigarette on the sidewalk and crushed it out with his shoe.

Almost everyone I see smoking flicks the still lit butt into the street or drops it on the sidewalk or some other public place expecting someone else to clean up after them. For too many years that is exactly what I did until I became conscious of the negative impact my cigarette butts had on the environment, animals, children and other people. So I was very pleased to see the man bend down, pick up his cigarette butt and put it into the trash can.

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Has anyone ever asked you a question like does my butt look big in these pants? I have been asked awkward questions countless times. It never felt good to be put on the spot.   It’s not kind to put people in an awkward position.

If we have to ask someone if our butt looks big in the jeans we’re wearing we already know the answer about our own butt. And, leaving people in an awkward position feels just as bad as being put in one.

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Have you ever wished you had a magic wand?  You could wave that magically stick and people would change and at last your life would be happier, flow easier, and everything would be okay.

I grew up on fairy tales. Deep down I always knew magical wands are not really real but I stubbornly clung to the idea if I just screamed loud enough, harped long enough, bitched strong enough people would change and my life would suddenly be magical.  Never happened! Not once did anyone change because of my wanting them to.

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Love is a way of walking through life.  Love is a way of BE-ING in the world.  Love is peaceful, kind, cooperative, understanding, forgiving, patient, and honest.  To give the positive behaviors of love to the people we have affection and caring for we must BE these in our everyday life.  So we cannot ego-box with strangers on the road and come home peaceful and kind to our family. We cannot be selective with loving.  We are either loving or we are not.  In every moment, in every circumstance, we have the choice to lead with love or to lead with the behaviors of fear – rudeness, self-centeredness, anger, rage, entitlement, frustration, disappointment, control, blame, and judgment.

You get angry at someone for the stupid mistake he or she made and you’re going to bring that anger home.  People do careless things.  Sometimes we don’t think.  Sometimes we don’t seem to care if our actions are going to inconvenience another person or not.

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