March 2015 archive

Let’s be Realistic

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                “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”― Oscar Wilde. 

Let’s face it, “reality bites.” Why else would Winona Ryder star in a movie of the same title? Being realistic is great, but it can also  limit you. Imagination coupled with  ambition or chutzpah is far better. Granted  being realistic is good, I find a balance  between reality and imagination is far better. If I were realistic, I would’ve missed out on some of the best things in my life so far. Realists be damned, but taking a leap of faith in the direction of your dreams is far more rewarding then being  practical! Perhaps this makes more sense to the dreamers, but whatever you are too much “reality,” will limit you. Because, there’s nothing like reality to take the wind out of your sails. Over the years and even more so now I’ve culled an almost innate  ability to ignore the naysayers. The proof is in the pudding, because each time I took a risk that I was warned  about and it worked out this just  fueled me to take more. I suppose I’m very blessed that they worked out. However, aside from the supernatural I found that higher thinking also helped. You’d be surprised how much you can do when you put your mind to it and ignore your fears. Our brains are pliable nearly our entire lives(it’s called neuroplasticity) this means we can continually learn and shape ourselves. To take advantage of this try to think outside of  the box and don’t be afraid of the word “No,” or failure. Even if your on the bottom, you can only go up!  One of  the larger things I’ve noticed during my recovery, is how often I see perfectly capable people hold themselves back solely in their minds. A fact that has continually bothered me because I  have witnessed people with missing limbs not even be held back from running so to speak.Many people are blind to the fact that they have the world at their fingertips. If I could magically do one thing, I’d like to open their eyes to this reality of   having limitless possibility. Imagine how much farther you’d go if you heard or said “Yes,” more. Reality has a   way of trying to clip your wings if you let it, so don’t let it! Submerge yourself in the possible instead of impossible. Even making a  goal list, beginning with small things will help you gear up to  conquer the larger ones. It’s funny how beginning with “Do laundry today,” can lead into  get a motorcycle license. Because that goal  can be just as simple or mundane as doing laundry. A mountain is only as large as you see it being.

Cheers and have no fear!

      bleu

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Love lockets on a fence..

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     “Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.”

― Dalai Lama XIV

If  I have learned anything on this healing journey it’s that like a fence were all linked together. The   influence of a few can be felt by many. Imagine a world where helping one another was commonplace. Perhaps that’s my 1950’s pipe dream. However, I’ve  seen the difference it’s made in my life so I can only conclude that it would revolutionize the world. If We could just envision our connections more clearly, perhaps We would see how paying it forward only benefits us. Even the notion of holding the door  open for someone else, it all adds up. I remember loving every act of kindness I witnessed in otherwise pretty selfish environments. From a young gentleman giving up his seat on the subway,  to the girl helping a woman  haul Her baby carriage down the treacherous stairs.  Each of these  acts may seem insignificant, but imagine if they ran rampant. The way a society treats the least of it’s members(i.e. the elderly,children,animals,the handicapped) reflects it as a whole. I’ve even witnessed a pair of homeless men helping out another with no legs on the New york subway at 3 a.m!   Those who haven’t struggled themselves fail to see others who are currently in  a struggle. Personally I’ve been rich, I’ve been poor,and I never saw as much as when I was poor. For what seems much longer, but  for about two years I have been living as a handicapped individual. In this position it’s easy to be overlooked and feel frustratingly  helpless. I’ve  noticed much more the people that open the door, go out of their way to help, and even kind words. On the other hand it’s been even easier to see acts of selfishness. There are even forays into the science of being selfless.(see here! Those who possess more selfish qualities fare worse in terms of survival in the wild. What does that tell you? Could not the same be said about humans? After all no man is an Island.  Just as lovers that symbolically  padlock themselves together on a fence in Paris, throwing the key into the river, so are We connected. My guess is there’s no finding  that key anytime soon so We should at least make the best of it until the fence rusts away or the padlock   gets cut off!

Cheers  and kitten ears,

bleu

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Love is all You Need

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                                 “A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.”

― John Lennon.

Through what has been a harrowing  journey, I think  one of the many bigger  things I have  learned is that  if you have a choice, when you choose love you can’t lose.

As you probably already know, we are all  connected like  the synapses of our brains, paper chain dolls, and even the cosmos. Much like them we too, shine on.

I rarely like to ask for things, but plainly put,(Donate button on the right please) I need your help fellow humans.

This request stems from  my journey in learning how to walk again  from being  half paralyzed.Early on in rehab, I used to pretend I was walking across the Brooklyn Bridge(not an indoor track  rife with grandmas and grandpas)for motivation. However as I have gotten better, regained my balance, and amped up my determination I want to make this daydream a reality. Because  when things are bad you can push through them to the  other side. As a demonstration of this I want to walk all 1.1 miles of the bridge with friends and family to celebrate life, raise  stroke awareness,and inspire others to cross their own bridges in life My hope is to do it in the Fall, but if funds won’t allow it will have to  wait.Thus, if you will  each raise up your hands, I could crowd surf safely across them to  the stage.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3qvosHHcWc&w=560&h=315%5D

Love&Cheers,

bleu

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Color Me Happy

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                                                         “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”-Walt Disney.

My parents were warned I may not live,and I was in a coma. However, I did live and eventually woke up. Now what do I want to do? Well, Ladies and Gentleman a 5K(3.106 miles) because  it was believed  that I may  never be able to do such a thing. Even before I had the massive stroke I had wanted to do a color run. It  is a for profit organized run  inspired by the Indian festival of Holi(see here)iPerhaps I’m a sucker for gimmicks, but it looks fun and benefits charity From my point of view, Upon finding one near me I signed up and registered, and even  getting  my Dad  to sign up! That  is  a shining example of the kind of  strong support I have. Because my Dad is willing to get covered in colors and even glitter.!  I  almost didn’t live,had to learn how to walk again,and faced many naysayers. After hearing  Doctors  and sometimes even  therapists tell me what I could and couldn’t do it would have been easy to lose hope or believe them. Except  luckily it began to have the opposite  affect on me. I  was becoming quite the rebellious child. When you so often hear  what you can’t do,either  a resilience builds up in your soul or a fierce determination makes itself known. While I have always been rather determined, I  didn’t know exactly how strong I was until that was the only choice. These days that determination is ever stronger and  with a solid streak of rebellion. Because when I’m told I can’t do something, naturally I want to do it. By doing this run(or walk) I wanted to push through the “impossible.” All too often we are told what we can’t do, but what about what we can? I’ve been blessed  that for every naysayer I’ve had a friend or loved one that told me the opposite. With love  anything is possible.  We just don’t hear that enough. So what do you do when people  think you can’t walk?   The answer is to run a 5K!

Pssst enjoy this  glam video advertising this years Color Run too!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzFU-Nt1_po&w=560&h=315%5D

Shine on,

bleu