Ravings of a LuNaTiC

 So since I'm treating this as an open book journal for all to read and comment on, I've side-barred several topics that I would love to get to or have been working on to talk about what is relevant in my life. This is a slightly different post thematically but hopefully relevant and enjoyable nonetheless. Lately, life has been good. It snuck up on me, much like spring can and will after the arduous cold hard months of winter. One day, you just go outside to check the mailbox and you realize that the sun is shining, the flowers are blooming and you could probably swap out the sweats and slippers for some shorts and flip flops. Similarly, my life is blooming right now. This was only brought to my attention by a friend who had asked me about what I was writing about. I hadn't been writing at all.  As I pondered the "why," I quickly realized that it was because nothing had inspired me recently.  Further exploration and introspection revealed that I almost exclusively...

 Lets talk. Seriously lets talk. Because the only way that you are going to succeed is by honing your communication skills. Too often the bridge between what we think and what we convey becomes disconnected and the result is deleterious to our relationships. In my experience, communicating is less about what you are trying to say and more about who you are talking to.  Too often we plow ahead with a clear path laid out in front of us, but the mental image of our direction is only clear in our minds eye. Communication requires groundwork; without preparation, your communication will fall flat.  And let's just get one thing out of the way that is a pet peeve of mine: there is no such thing as ineffective communication. Don't use that term. I admit I use it sometimes, and it needs to be deleted from my vocabulary. If your communication is ineffective then it isn't communication but rather, imposing yourself in an interaction with little concern for anyone other than yourself...

This post is inspired by my little sister. I have a lot of respect for her. She inspires happiness, and guess what buster brown, this post is about being happy. Don't worry about the title. It's an inside joke. Ill get to it later. You wanna be happy? Well I have the key to happiness. But before I give it to you, lets talk about some of the things that do not bring happiness. The stuff that is mass produced, publicly broadcasted, and practically force-fed to us on a daily basis.           Praise . Good god, I get it, we all like to be praised. I'll be the first person to admit (I usually am. I find it very cathartic to divulge personal admissions and shortcomings. Try it.) that I am a whore for praise. I fish for it shamelessly and admit that I'm doing so in the moment. My wife thinks its silly because it is. Why do we need to feel accepted and welcome? Why do we spend hours on social media reading comments and posting pictures? Being recognized feels so go...

 I know, I know, I hate blogs too. I have literally and metaphorically spit on bloggers before. But this isn't for you and I want you to know that right from the start. Its for me. Call it a public journal where I record things that I learn.  Its purpose? Well, mostly so that I can look back later in my life ( maybe years maybe weeks) with both contempt and appreciation for the process. Its all about the process. I love the process. Its life. Its living and learning and falling down and owning it. I don't pull punches. Honesty is the keystone to "Ravings." But there is also the matter of perspective. My truth from day to day shifts as does my perspective. And that is the way that it should be. We should all be constantly assessing the minutiae of our lives and reforming the stances, opinions, and beliefs that govern our life. So (again for myself, mostly) I would like to lay out a skeleton (subject to change, obviously) for my posts. A rough structure from which I hop...