getting fired and other blessings.

No matter who you are or where you are this moment in your life, you CAN get THERE from HERE.

As long as you are still breathing, as long as you still have hope in your heart, and as long as you believe in the power of prayer, you can get there.

Wherever “there” is for you.

While you cannot control what other people do, say, or feel – you can control how you act, react, and choose to live.

Let’s take some specific examples.

Number A.
You drank yourself silly Saturday night and lost, yet another, glass slipper somewhere between JB’s in Kent where you danced inside the speakers to the steady beat and sassy swirl of 15-60-75 and your loft that overlooks the park where you often think of running with your dogs. Your elbow hurts and you don’t know if it’s from crankin’ it so much to swallow those shots or from stumblin’ up the steps to the exit. You are out of Pepsi, iced tea, and cup of soup and the only person you are going to spill your guts to all afternoon is R-A-L-P-H via the big white porcelain “phone”. You get the idea. At some point, you come to the realization you have had enough. So you go meet Bill W‘s friends, you get on your knees and you ask your Higher Power to take this pain away, and/or a divine intervention appears in your life and the love and support of the people who seem to know you best and undoubtedly love you the most hand you a compass and a key to freedom. See? You CAN get there from here.

Scenario #2.
You finally told your boss what you really think of him. It felt good while you were in the midst of it all, and even as you slammed the door behind you and drove away. But, today you are unemployed. First things first. You need to set things right with your boss. Not for him, but for you. While you have every right to think what you think about everyone and anyone on your life’s path, general common sense and social courtesy states you don’t have the right to abase, insult, or try to make others feel less than whole. Let’s face it, it only makes YOU look like the fool. Want to “win” an argument? Don’t yell or fight back. Don’t say stuff that should only remain in your head. It’s hard for people to erase those words once they’ve heard them from you. If you really can’t stand to work for your boss, transfer to another department, get over it, or quit. So, set things right. Apologize. You can do that either in writing or in person. They can choose to forgive you or not. It doesn’t matter. To stop the constant tossing and turning like a salad at night, apologize when you are wrong. Then forgive yourself. Get your resume, your references, your brag book, your clothes, and your answers to those interview questions in order (see all other posts here referring to each of those), and decide how you want to utilize your God-given gifts to earn your livelihood. See? With those tools in your hand, you CAN get there from here.

Act III.
For whatever seemingly-justifiable reason(s), you have completely ignored yourself – your hair, your waistline, your ability to be both physically and psychologically flexible, your out-of-breath moments, your teeth, your skin, your feet, and your soul. No need to look in the mirror to see where you stand today. The point to keep in mind – you didn’t get where you are today in a day. It was through lots of late night chicken wings, solo swims in helluva dip, rides on the elevator instead of the stairs, being barefoot and never moisturizing, and rarely standing still – like a tree – grounded, nurtured, and sustained by the earth’s energy. You can start today. This moment. Create a new file in your computer, stare at a blank page, and then begin to write one thing you are going to do for yourself today before you go to bed. Well, if you do at least two things, you’ll get to where you want to be, faster (if one of them is prayer). But the other can be, floss. Or “I’ll do 5 sit-ups.” (Ok, 2). Then, before you go to bed, type what you did for yourself today. Baby steps. One step at a time. You CAN get there from here.

Letter #4.
You have been quite the opposite of #3. You are self-absorbed and perhaps even have a wall of mirrors in your pad so you can watch yourself eat, exercise, chit-chat, and breathe. You’ve been meaning to call home (forget about going home you just don’t have time for that – though some day you wish you would have realized you did have the time); you’ve been meaning to send that card, those wildflowers, that basket of goodies. You really did think about spending the day with your niece, nephew, mom, dad, friend, dog, horse, but just got so busy surfing the net you (again) lost track of time while the sun set on yet another day. In case no one ever told you before now, no one really cares what you wear, what you drive, who you know, or how much you paid for your designer boots on e-bay when you started off shopping for someone else. At the end of a day, it doesn’t make anyone else’s day any better. What matters MOST is what you have done for someone else. How have you made the day, the moment, the life easier, more joyful, or better for SOMEONE ELSE? If it’s not in your bones to be like this, I know it’s hard to swallow. It’s hard to understand. BUT, when you get outside of yourself and your personal woes and wows, suddenly you become more beautiful, more important, and more valued than you can ever imagine. For Pete’s well-being, watch one of the many renditions of A Christmas Carol or pop in your tape of It’s a Wonderful Life. How to start? Where to begin after you watched those movies WITH YOUR PHONE TURNED OFF? Start with a handwritten note to someone you love. To someone who has done something wonderful – ever – for you. Send him/her a handwritten, snail-mailed thank you. Throw some confetti in it. Put the remote away and sit on the floor with your children and play a game. Look them in the eyes when they are talking to you; listen to what they are saying. Give things away – give others things that you currently own that you know they love or would appreciate. Share with others your most valuable and important asset, commodity, gift – your time. One focused conversation, one thank you note, one random act of kindness at a time. That’ll get you there from here.

Ok, you get the idea. Now get busy living. Laughing. And loving.

It's a Wonderful Life 8" x 10" Custom Framed Movie Moments Poster