The Goods

Good morning~

Reflecting back on my childhood from different angles, I've learned a lot about myself.  It has been said that surviving tough times makes a person stronger.  I can agree with that - I believe every experience arms a person with new tools and weapons and how each are used.  For example, going through the experience of loosing a job leads a person to rethink their budget, lifestyle and for those wanting to jump back into the fray - to update their resume.  Budgets and resumes are tools.  People who know how to use them properly will come out of a tough situation better than someone who doesn't know.

Recently, in contemplating my then situation, I asked myself, "What good is going to come of this bad situation?"  Surprisingly, an answer manifested as, "The good you fight for!"  That is simple and yet profound.  People have been doing this since the beginning of time and I'm doing it also.  The good I'm fighting for is a better life for myself and my grandson first and foremost. 

The good of safety.  Currently, I do not feel safe where I live because of strange people surrounding us who have selfish and harmful intentions.  I wish for an environment in which to go outside and not fear harm from another person that may be on drugs, alcohol or are mentally ill.  I've dealt enough with that in the first half of my life.  In this second half, I know what a safe environment is and it is what I seek out.

The good of abundance.  Growing up, my family was poor, but I don't ever recall feeling poor.  My siblings may have, but being the youngest, I didn't.  We always had food, we always had a home to live in with running water and heat.  We always had enough clothes.  We always had animals to take care of - mostly they were pets, but we did have some tasty rabbits once.  We didn't have brand new clothes all the time, we didn't have a big, fancy house, we didn't have servants or ate gourmet foods.  We had enough.

The good of education.  From the time a person is conceived to the time beyond their last breath, there are lessons to learn.  One of the greatest lessons I learned is the idea that a project is good and complete when I remove myself from it and it works on it's own.  I'm still working to understand and perfect this one in certain arenas, such as business.  The lessons I learned from my working career add to this.  I feel I have all the elements, now it's figuring out the order and observing the cause and effect.  Time will tell the success of it all.

The good of self control.  This has been a TOUGH one for me to learn.  No one has ever taught me how to have self control - I was not ever taught to learn when to keep my mouth quiet and techniques to keep calm.  All my life when I encountered something I felt was an injustice (it happened often and continues), I spoke out about it!  Well, in this second half of my life, I am leaning toward the other side and keeping quiet, keeping my thoughts to myself and extending to not judge people, but to feel sorry for them for a myriad of reasons.  I'll let Karma take care of them and work on good Karma for me.  One trait I've always admired in a select few is the art of super communication.  The story teller.  A professional story teller uses strategic self control to get ideas and concepts across to the audience.  Like tendrils of white smoke waving across the room to reach their target.  To not forget the receiving end - having the self control or discipline to be still and listen.  This good is a life-long lesson for me. 

These are the goods I seek.  Having the self control to learn, one must feel safe and satisfied.  This is what I believe the goods are.