Is This It?

Yes, This Is It

Now is the time, for everything.

Things sound cliche until they don't.  I know a lot of times in my experience I used to think these sayings were just that.  But there is a reason they are still around this day.  They are true.

I am not quite sure where this blog is going to go today, so I am just going to ride the wave of consciousness streaming out of my head.

Recently I have been reading the poem "If--" by Rudyard Kipling and it has been striking some notes for me.  I wish I would have read a lot more in my 20s, but I am guessing I wouldn't have filtered it correctly anyway.  But the first stanza, if I am remembering my English class correctly....speaks of keeping your head while others are losing theirs.

If you can keep your head when all about you   
    Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,  

This has been interesting in my life as I have always been a relatively stoic person.  Things that bothered other people never really bothered me too much.  I spent a lot of time in commercial kitchens and things catch on fire from time to time.  The most important thing to remember to do is NOT PANIC.  But in the same sense, I never really got too excited for things, which has caused issues.

I see there is a big stoicism movement these days.  A lot of people reading books about it.  It is an interesting subject and I would sum it up as this.  Stoicism is to feel, feel it deeply, but do not let it effect you drastically.  You can practice this so your emotions do not cloud you reasoning.  I know a lot of people, myself at one time, will fly off the handle when their emotions get the best of them.  Soon, they are in a fight...sometimes physical...because they were unable to control their emotions.  Stoicism teaches us to control our emotions so we are able to take appropriate action and in this day and age, keep ourselves out of legal trouble.

Now, this doesn't say we should not feel things.  That we should not get excited, sad, happy, or any of the other emotions that make us human.  We definitely should take our five minutes.  But DO NOT...I want to say...personalize it.  Don't make it your identity.  I feel sad, I feel excited, I feel depressed...No I am sad, I am excited, I am depressed.  Don't associate yourself with what you feel.

I think by doing this, we can lead more balanced, happier lives.

As always, thank you for your time and attention.

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