Welcome Home
Soldier Madden
Texas has Been Waiting for This Day!
I just bet Cathy Madden has been up all night... pacing, cooking and just tickled that her boy hits home TODAY!
Back in her loving arms, back in the arms of his home state; the arms of his Dad, his relations; safe from Iraq and out of harms way!
Welcome home soldier and thank YOU for serving this great Nation of ours.
TEXAS... GET READY TO WELCOME A HERO HOME!
Oh happy day indeed for those in Texas...
A beautiful day here in Florida as I look around at so many wonderful blessings in life... so much to be grateful for.
So many to send a "shout out" to...
but that would take soooo long!
SO
"heeelllllo everyone"
~ It's Friday~
Thinkin about "habits" this morning... some great, some good and some just plain out not so good!
But our brain loves consistency and consistency comes from routine and routine makes for habits!
There goes that circle of thought again...
Our thoughts govern our actions, our actions become habits. Through habit we define our character, and our character determines our destiny.
Aristotle said, "Quality is not an act. It's a habit"
Ever notice how sometimes we just jump to lend a hand to those in the workplace, on the street or out of our small and intimate circle... but when the call comes from a mother/grandmother/aunt or near relation... we hesitate... we find we are too busy... to wrapped up to offer a hand?
Ever notice that in self or others that you love or admire? Amazing to watch at times!
But then you notice that your phone will ring off the hook when the same person is needin a cup of sugar, a piece of advice, a pair of hundred dollar sneaks...
but ohhhhh my ... heaven help us if we want our tires shined up on a week-end .... nope too busy...
Now I'm not a "tit-for-tat" kinda person mind you, but I can't help but wonder about the generosity of spirit at times... just sayin ~
I'm thinking folks get into certain ways of doing things... certain habits if you will.
Some are just "doers" by nature while others seem to develop the "takers" mentality...
seems to be a better need for increased balance in the habits...
Perhaps a little refined habits I'm thinkin!
It takes a village maybe... gawd i can't believe i just wrote that one...
OH ok, maybe it takes making your brain work differently, you know like tying your shoes and brushing your teeth or Velcro ... for others?
I've heard it said: habits are like a comfortable bed in that they are easy to get into and hard to get out of!
Should we not then pay attention to the small habits of everyday life?
Most people don’t even realize how many of their actions are habits.
Any behavior can become a habit if repeated often enough. Remember: our brain loves consistency...
Habits become such an unconscious behavior that we pay them little or no attention.
Like muscle memory, we don’t contemplate how to walk, we just get up and do it. We don't get amazed anymore that flipping a switch provides us with light! How can we get used to something so spectacular?
Neither do we think about our habits.
We just repeat them until they repeat themselves.
This is not all bad.
After all, putting you keys in the same place everyday saves having to look for them when you need them. Brushing your teeth is a good habit and the fact that it is automatic spares you the need to contemplate the necessity over and over. That is of course unless you are a kid and don't think that things like brushing your teeth are necessary and that you won't get busted or that no one will notice that you have dragon breath!
But…
are all habits good and necessary?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pA3la9y-kww (I'll wait for you)
Nope.
We all have habits that we may not even be aware of. Habits are really, really hard to break.
Being a "couch potato, being selfish, being a smoker, being a drinker/ a zealot/ heehe/being lazy, being a work-a-holic, you get the idea!
So we should examine our own habits and be sure we find merit in them.
Ever go crazy trying to figure out why someone does “a” before “b”. Ever sit and watch someone do A before B? It can drive you a little nutty after the comical part wears away!
Let me give you an example.
I went to pick up my friend, we were going out to lunch. She absolutely could not leave the house until she had: checked that the coffee pot was turned off, lowered the thermostat, put her near empty trash from the kitchen out, and turned on the porch light.
Now I ask you, aren’t these the things we do when we leave for vacation?
Or at least before we venture out for the entire evening?
Apparently not, we were going locally, literally 2 miles for maybe an hour or two.
After all, how much lunch can two people eat, yet she had all these habitual rituals that forbid her exit until each had been completed.
I, being fully aware of the fact that we would be returning before her trash could develop some life threatening bacteria, and saw that the coffee pot had been emptied and washed out, felt reasonably sure that it had also been turned off.
Knew that for an hour or two, no real savings could be had from lowering the thermostat.
I scratched my head at the need for a porch light to greet us on our noontime return.
Maybe she thought it would be a really, really long lunch….or that maybe we would eat lunch until midnight.
No I didn't play the "therapist card" but I was thinking about it!
The point being, I was aware of her actions while she seemed oblivious to the idea that maybe, just maybe, some of the tasks were unnecessary.
We all have habits of behavior, habits in our thinking, habits that govern our feelings.
These are even more deserving of attention.
These makeup how we live our lives.
So maybe we justify the habitual rituals of our comings and goings, but should we be that cavalier about what we think and feel?
Do we really want our thoughts to become habits?
Sometimes we do.
If the thoughts lead us to better more prudent action in our lives.
But, when we allow our thoughts to hold us back because we are in the habit of saying “I can’t”, “nothing good ever happens to me”, “I’m not that lucky”. With these messages we unconsciously freeze frame our lives.
These are life limiting thoughts that we have allowed to become habitual.
They govern how we act.
What we choose to do, what we believe we can do. If we feel depressed, weary, sad, or lonely long enough, these will become our habitual feelings and we will be comfortable with them.
Did we ever intend to reduce our lives to such bleak states? I really doubt it!
Yet, because we failed to pay attention to the thoughts and feelings that we repeated over and over in our heads, they are anchored there. They govern the quality of our life. Our brain loves consistency... and we have commanded that of our brains...
Did you ever conduct a mental inventory of how many chronic negative thoughts you harbor? Those are signals/commands just like a Marine you are giving to your brain... and it will respond just as a trained Marine... at your command!
If not, let’s begin today.
What thoughts and beliefs have you repeated so often that they are your truth?
Are they the truths you want to own, the truths that you choose to govern the outcome of your actions, words and deeds?
If not, you have the power to change the messages. Start today.
STOMP
Repeat the message you want to resonate in your head. Over time, with much repetition, they will replace old bad mental habits. STOMP
YOU ARE THE COMMANDER, TELL YOUR BRAIN...OWN YOUR LIFE, DEVELOP THE HABITS YOU WANT FOR YOUR LIFE... AND BE CONSISTENT WITH THE MESSAGES...
Like water that flows from a stream to a river, then from the river to the sea, so flow our thoughts.
Our thoughts govern our feelings and actions until they become who we are.
Who are you?
And as Gump would say:
"And that's all I have to say about that"
STOMP
The fire is burning brightly and its embers are hot, sending thoughts on the wind to all who gather here and there and everywhere...We are with you, we are Warriors here, ready to send our best thoughts, our best wishes...
We stand strong for and with those out there fighting the fight, battling their battles and living their lives with gratitude and amazing grace, during the great and not so great times... through good times and profound sadness of loss times. We along with some powerful angels are with you, you are never alone...
Sending hope in healing on the winds to all who gather here and for all in and around Tampa, the families of the fallen, those in blue who are grieving while they are serving and protecting us.
To those who are serving this great Nation, I thank you and your families, I want you home safely.
We are together in prayer, in thoughts of all that is needed to remind you out there, we are WARRIORS...
We are with you, along with some powerful angels... May you find comfort in knowing we are with you always: for that I give thanks, and so it is!
FOR:Tampa, our Mayor Iorio, Chief Jane Castor, Tampa PD, all who serve: Tink..and Mitch, Jerry, Trish, Barb, Anastasia, Mary, Rylee, The Kocab Family, baby Lilly Nicole Kocab, The Curtis Family, Tarpon PD, those serving here and there in Uniform...
Randy and Winnie in New Mexico, Irene M, Bernice, Eileen, Ali and family, Dorothy, Angela, Elijah, Ode, Linda M, "Southwest VA", Vicki and Matthew, Chris, Our new adopted family in BRAZIL, Our Black American Bears Lily and HOPE, their spunky spirit, and Jill, the folks at the NABC, Joseph, Cathy Madden and her family., Cindy in NC (here comes REMISSION), Cindy Cumbie, Laura, Mitch and family, Liz, Lee, Molly, Joanie, Jude, COFA,Judi, Matthew, Matt, Mark's family and many friends , Andrea, Jimmy, Marie and family up in New England, Pat, Irene, Kevin, Dr D, Deb, Randy, Dr B , Charlie and family, Jean, Julie, Rhonda, Victoria, Mildred, Andi and family, Faith, Denise, Jim, Tom, Joey, Shelby friends and family, Judi, Phylis, Joyce, Gina, Tonya, Beverly and Family, Janeth, Melissa, Pam, Virginia, Stacey, Elizabeth, Nita, Gary Siegal, Adrienna,Brian Mawbey, the Boyan Family, Jean R and friend Christy Rider, Victoria and hubbie, Stephen, Gayle, Steph, Chris, Erica, Eileen,
Should we not then pay attention to the small habits of everyday life?
Most people don’t even realize how many of their actions are habits.
Any behavior can become a habit if repeated often enough. Remember: our brain loves consistency...
Habits become such an unconscious behavior that we pay them little or no attention.
Like muscle memory, we don’t contemplate how to walk, we just get up and do it. We don't get amazed anymore that flipping a switch provides us with light! How can we get used to something so spectacular?
Neither do we think about our habits.
We just repeat them until they repeat themselves.
This is not all bad.
After all, putting you keys in the same place everyday saves having to look for them when you need them. Brushing your teeth is a good habit and the fact that it is automatic spares you the need to contemplate the necessity over and over. That is of course unless you are a kid and don't think that things like brushing your teeth are necessary and that you won't get busted or that no one will notice that you have dragon breath!
But…
are all habits good and necessary?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pA3la9y-kww (I'll wait for you)
Nope.
We all have habits that we may not even be aware of. Habits are really, really hard to break.
Being a "couch potato, being selfish, being a smoker, being a drinker/ a zealot/ heehe/being lazy, being a work-a-holic, you get the idea!
So we should examine our own habits and be sure we find merit in them.
Ever go crazy trying to figure out why someone does “a” before “b”. Ever sit and watch someone do A before B? It can drive you a little nutty after the comical part wears away!
Let me give you an example.
I went to pick up my friend, we were going out to lunch. She absolutely could not leave the house until she had: checked that the coffee pot was turned off, lowered the thermostat, put her near empty trash from the kitchen out, and turned on the porch light.
Now I ask you, aren’t these the things we do when we leave for vacation?
Or at least before we venture out for the entire evening?
Apparently not, we were going locally, literally 2 miles for maybe an hour or two.
After all, how much lunch can two people eat, yet she had all these habitual rituals that forbid her exit until each had been completed.
I, being fully aware of the fact that we would be returning before her trash could develop some life threatening bacteria, and saw that the coffee pot had been emptied and washed out, felt reasonably sure that it had also been turned off.
Knew that for an hour or two, no real savings could be had from lowering the thermostat.
I scratched my head at the need for a porch light to greet us on our noontime return.
Maybe she thought it would be a really, really long lunch….or that maybe we would eat lunch until midnight.
No I didn't play the "therapist card" but I was thinking about it!
The point being, I was aware of her actions while she seemed oblivious to the idea that maybe, just maybe, some of the tasks were unnecessary.
We all have habits of behavior, habits in our thinking, habits that govern our feelings.
These are even more deserving of attention.
These makeup how we live our lives.
So maybe we justify the habitual rituals of our comings and goings, but should we be that cavalier about what we think and feel?
Do we really want our thoughts to become habits?
Sometimes we do.
If the thoughts lead us to better more prudent action in our lives.
But, when we allow our thoughts to hold us back because we are in the habit of saying “I can’t”, “nothing good ever happens to me”, “I’m not that lucky”. With these messages we unconsciously freeze frame our lives.
These are life limiting thoughts that we have allowed to become habitual.
They govern how we act.
What we choose to do, what we believe we can do. If we feel depressed, weary, sad, or lonely long enough, these will become our habitual feelings and we will be comfortable with them.
Did we ever intend to reduce our lives to such bleak states? I really doubt it!
Yet, because we failed to pay attention to the thoughts and feelings that we repeated over and over in our heads, they are anchored there. They govern the quality of our life. Our brain loves consistency... and we have commanded that of our brains...
Did you ever conduct a mental inventory of how many chronic negative thoughts you harbor? Those are signals/commands just like a Marine you are giving to your brain... and it will respond just as a trained Marine... at your command!
If not, let’s begin today.
What thoughts and beliefs have you repeated so often that they are your truth?
Are they the truths you want to own, the truths that you choose to govern the outcome of your actions, words and deeds?
If not, you have the power to change the messages. Start today.
STOMP
Repeat the message you want to resonate in your head. Over time, with much repetition, they will replace old bad mental habits. STOMP
YOU ARE THE COMMANDER, TELL YOUR BRAIN...OWN YOUR LIFE, DEVELOP THE HABITS YOU WANT FOR YOUR LIFE... AND BE CONSISTENT WITH THE MESSAGES...
Like water that flows from a stream to a river, then from the river to the sea, so flow our thoughts.
Our thoughts govern our feelings and actions until they become who we are.
Who are you?
And as Gump would say:
"And that's all I have to say about that"
STOMP
The fire is burning brightly and its embers are hot, sending thoughts on the wind to all who gather here and there and everywhere...We are with you, we are Warriors here, ready to send our best thoughts, our best wishes...
We stand strong for and with those out there fighting the fight, battling their battles and living their lives with gratitude and amazing grace, during the great and not so great times... through good times and profound sadness of loss times. We along with some powerful angels are with you, you are never alone...
Sending hope in healing on the winds to all who gather here and for all in and around Tampa, the families of the fallen, those in blue who are grieving while they are serving and protecting us.
To those who are serving this great Nation, I thank you and your families, I want you home safely.
We are together in prayer, in thoughts of all that is needed to remind you out there, we are WARRIORS...
We are with you, along with some powerful angels... May you find comfort in knowing we are with you always: for that I give thanks, and so it is!
FOR:Tampa, our Mayor Iorio, Chief Jane Castor, Tampa PD, all who serve: Tink..and Mitch, Jerry, Trish, Barb, Anastasia, Mary, Rylee, The Kocab Family, baby Lilly Nicole Kocab, The Curtis Family, Tarpon PD, those serving here and there in Uniform...
Randy and Winnie in New Mexico, Irene M, Bernice, Eileen, Ali and family, Dorothy, Angela, Elijah, Ode, Linda M, "Southwest VA", Vicki and Matthew, Chris, Our new adopted family in BRAZIL, Our Black American Bears Lily and HOPE, their spunky spirit, and Jill, the folks at the NABC, Joseph, Cathy Madden and her family., Cindy in NC (here comes REMISSION), Cindy Cumbie, Laura, Mitch and family, Liz, Lee, Molly, Joanie, Jude, COFA,Judi, Matthew, Matt, Mark's family and many friends , Andrea, Jimmy, Marie and family up in New England, Pat, Irene, Kevin, Dr D, Deb, Randy, Dr B , Charlie and family, Jean, Julie, Rhonda, Victoria, Mildred, Andi and family, Faith, Denise, Jim, Tom, Joey, Shelby friends and family, Judi, Phylis, Joyce, Gina, Tonya, Beverly and Family, Janeth, Melissa, Pam, Virginia, Stacey, Elizabeth, Nita, Gary Siegal, Adrienna,Brian Mawbey, the Boyan Family, Jean R and friend Christy Rider, Victoria and hubbie, Stephen, Gayle, Steph, Chris, Erica, Eileen,
and
Please hold the friends and family of these people in your hearts and prayers ~
Please hold the friends and family of these people in your hearts and prayers ~
just because you have the power
and
choose to to join with us
there are some powerful warriors on this page
and in the next place
along with some awesome angels
STOMP
Walk In Beauty,
DRSES
author of
Healing Heartaches, Stories of Loss and Life
www.drsherryeshowalter.com
or you can buy it at amazon by clicking below:
7 comments:
Happy Friday, Welcome home Soldier Madden !
Today's topic is so meaningful, long, true and one to learn from, take the advice & STOMP thru our habit review. I especially got a kick out of the story regarding the " lunch"
leaving ritual. Bless you, Dr. SES, for bringing these subjects on our human nature to print for us to examine, look within and adjust
ourselves to become aware of & think about.
Run, Forrest, run !!!!!!!!!! FIRM ova here
Great blog this beautiful morning. Bocephus says it all(Hank Williams Jr.). In this hectic pace of life sometimes we forget who and what is important to us in life. We all need to view our habits and ritual. Irene is right on it this morning. Look within and without and all work for the good of others, helping and loving each other all of the time not just part time when needs are met. Welcome home Soldier, I am sure so many people in Texas and all over our great Country is so happy he and others are home and are safe at last. Lets all pray for the return of all the soldiers to their dear families. Thanks Dr. SES
Thanks Sherry for the welcome home message and to Irene and anonymous! He will be tickled to death. I will leave here in about 15 minutes to make my journey across town to pick him and his wife up. You all have a wonderful day and I will try to check in time to time this next week. Man, didn't you like what I had to say about the rear view mirror yesterday. I can be pretty deep at 4:30 in the morning. Great blog today about habits. All I can say about them is that they die hard!
Happy days to Soldier Madden and his family! Thank you for your service and sacrifices. Best wishes for the future. And I hope Mama Madden can breathe fully now -- I,too, have a son who serves, so I know how wonderful the safe return feels.
Old habits are very hard to break. A few years ago, our habits were just laughed about,now they call it OCD. Whatever--the problem is when you live with someone long enough, you pick up some of the habits along the way. NOW we have to retrain the brain!!
Well, I do at least---working on the retraining every day!!!
Have a great weekend everyone.
Some of my bad habits are my close friends. So sad, to part with them, but then, life limiting behaviors that we don't even think about. True.... This requires some thoght. Self inventory. Doc, you are keeping us on our toes. To our friends here. Good to hear from everyone. Cathy, I know you are so thrilled to share family itme. Please express to your son how much we really appreciate his service. We are indeed free because our soliders are brave.
Glad he is home safe. Enjoy your time together.
Meanwhile, I will check and correct at least one habit this upcomming week. Already identified one, am sure there are others. Will leave the good ones in tact. Best weekend to all.
hellooooo...
vey late or very early,
whateva pespective I look at,
WELCOME HOME SOLDIER!!!!
THANK YOU FOR SERVING!!!
wicked cool weekend to all,
gonna go sleep now... my
most favorite habit...
finally getting good at it !!!
No lawn mowing Doc...
sign me,
A
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