My Sunday Thought for 040917: Your Daily Outlook?

The look of contentment; it's the look that says you just filled your diaper with roses.  This is me, most all the time, content... and with my diaper full of roses.  If you don't see it, look closer, on the inside, it's there, just passed my focus engine, waiting to come back out and piss everyone off at how stupid happy I seem to constantly be.  But, it's not just the look.  A person's outward appearance is usually some plastic facade, disguised as a bullshit personality, without some feeling and emotion to support it.  You have to truly be at one with your contentment.

We all try to impress, and we all fail at it.  Hey, for the most part we're lousy communicators.  Who knew?  But in the emotional moment, if you're lucky enough to catch the momentary look of honesty, a person's face can speak volumes of who they really are, even if their pie hole makes little or no sense.  For some of us it's the curse of walking around looking like we just packed our diapers, for others it can be the morning scowl which follows them through their pitiful lives.  Personally, I prefer taking any crap in my life out with the morning garbage, and doing it grinning like a Cheshire cat.

This here look is one of shock and awe.  This is me when one of so very many thoughtless moron cuts me off on the highway as they rush headlong toward destiny only to discover they've gotten nowhere.  It also the look I get when an intellectual deficient opens their pie hole to spew forth some 'intelligent' political rhetoric which was better left under the rock he discovered it, along with the League of the Perpetually Offended.  This look is usually replaced in short order by a look of pleasant surprise as the offender is taken down a notch by someone with infinitely more political acumen, or someone in a State Patrol uniform that knows how to drive.

This would be the look I get when that same moronic driver which cut me off realizes the cargo rack atop the SUV that he just came up on like a bat outta hell, is actually the new 'low profile' emergency light bar for the State Patrol vehicle it's attached to.  Oh!  Pretty colors...

This is also the look I get when I'm the one the Stater pulls over, for not paying attention to my speedometer while I'm sightseeing.  Yeah, that would be the aforementioned focus engine of mine working overtime at leisure. Attention Deficit Disorder has never been a big issue for me, as my attention usually gets a radar lock on someone, or something, to the exclusion of all else around me.  It is embarrassing at times and useful at others. Embarrassing when cleavage is involved, but particularly useful during an ass chewing as you can just focused on a pencil or a stapler until all you hear is, "Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah." When they're done, never say you haven't heard a word they said, always smile broadly, thank them for their input, and brace yourself for the inevitable explosion which is a sign your continued gaiety has unsettled their lack of managerial prowess, at which point you'll have the opportunity to wear this look one more time before being thrown out of the office.  One note of caution, their anger can be deafeningly palpable.

This is the problem with having short fuses.  We all tend to take life too seriously. It is just life after all, and tomorrow you'll wake up to one more glorious day in paradise with yet another chance to excel at your chosen profession.  In my case, that would be retirement.

Right now, most of you are probably giving my last statement this "you have no idea how damned crappy my life is" look, when maybe what you really need to be considering is why your life is so damned crappy.  The reason, for most, is that you've never been to the very bottom of the barrel; that point when you've lost everything you've loved, cared about, or worked for your entire life.  You'll have arrived at the coward's precipice which divides life from death and realize you're leaning way too far over it.  If you aren't a sniveling coward and manage to survive looking into the depths of darkness, it might make you stronger or, at the very least, teach you an appreciation for what little you have left and how even this little bit might be considered the wealth of the universe by those who truly don't have a pot to piss in.  The grumpy look you see staring back from the mirror is more of a self-condemnation for not making better choices and enjoying the better consequences.  Get over it.  Tomorrow is another morning so... rejoice!

If you aren't happy with whatever path you're on, remember that we all tend to take life too seriously.  It is just life, after all, and tomorrow you'll wake up to one more glorious day in paradise with yet another chance to excel at your chosen profession.  This is the mantra I try to recite, and I tell everyone to recite, each and every morning in order to get our head screwed on straight before we go out amongst them English and put boot to ass for whatever cause célèbre or personal tasks we have on our daily docket.  When you wake up each morning, you should knock on wood as proof of life, and smile as you look to the heavens and say, "Thank you, God, for another glorious day in paradise and yet another chance to excel in life."  You may fall down in your day's endeavor, but get back up, learn from the mistake, and continue moving down your path.  Above all, remember that tomorrow is going to be another glorious day which God has gifted to you so you can excel in life.  If you aren't trying to do this simple task each and every day, you are wasting God's daily gift to you.

Maya Angelou once wrote, "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude."  Life is what it is, if you don't like it or can't find happiness in it, perhaps it's time to stop moaning about it and institute changes which will make you happier.  One thing you'll have to do, though, is understand happiness it isn't about material things.  Happiness is about waking up every morning.  It is about family, friendships and love, a purpose to work toward, and a fluffy kitten.  Happiness isn't about what we get but, rather, about what we give to others, even if it happens to be a packed diaper. 

Choices, and the consequences of those choices, make us who we are.  Emotions only grow by sharing.  We can only get more love and happiness for ourselves by giving them away to others, and the same goes for anger and sadness.  You must first light the candle of awareness before you can accept ownership of the choices you have made and the reality of the consequences you live with.  Once you have accepted ownership of why you are not where you wish to be, you can finally change your outlook and your path.  Wisdom comes from humility and humility comes from being honest with yourself, and doing so before God, friends, those you love and care for, and those who love and care for you.

Your daily outlook should always be bright with the anticipation of another chance to excel in life.  You should always approach life with the eyes of a child, eager to experience, to learn, to marvel at all of God's wonders, and to eat the sweet, juicy, banana of life.  What is life, after all, without a good banana, and another day to enjoy it?  I guess it would depend on how ripe it is, but then, that's why they came up with banana bread, and that look, the one which says you've had your daily fiber, and then some.

Thank you, God, for another glorious day in paradise!

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 23 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with an Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects in pharmaceutical research.  Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, to wage battle in the guise of the Congregation's official, online, blog, "The Path," of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead chaplain, and Chaplain Liaison, at a regional medical center.