WHEN THE NOISE IS SILENT

Posted on by serenitisparkles

Locked in the moment, in a space in time, the noise is silent. 

But why?

The noise created by digital things, emails, text messages, phone calls, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok, Reddit, LinkedIn.  News streaming across your view, unable to press the off button because you love all of it.  You love the busy.  You love the noise.  Distraction from the world around you.  Your job is underwhelming, your relationships aren’t solid, your life is merely spinning.  

Every new day hits you harder than the last. Disruptions in your “plan” by exterior parts of your life drain you. 

You strive for the perfection you see around you, but your days don’t fit the same profile.

Alone, without connection though connection surrounds you.  Waiting to feel alive, to feel…

Loved.  

All of a sudden, the noise, all that runs around you, comes to a halt.  In that moment, you feel love.  It’s captivating and warm.  It’s beautiful and everything that was distracting ceases to even exist for that moment.  

When you allow yourself to feel love, to be locked in to the most important moment that lives, you live.  And it reminds you that the noise doesn’t matter.

If I didn’t know you…

Posted on by serenitisparkles

By knowing one another intimately, empathy develops. Empathy is the ability to understand and share feelings of another. It is experienced as one human being moves through the world and connects with other humans and life forms. It is the only tool that can combat hate toward one another. It can not be taught and must be individually learned.

There are countless stories of people becoming friends after generational family racism and hate. All it took was for one person to sit at a table with the other. Every moment captured in the presence of someone who differs from them is a moment that can change the course of a that person’s life.

The reason so many generations before us relied on separation and hate was because in many instances, integration and true connective moments didn’t exist.

There are still places in this world where one type of person has never met another type of person. Whether the difference be race, religion, gender, or sexual preference, there are some communities that are simply ignorant to being in the presence of the other.

Ignorance is the greatest threat to empathy. It is necessary that we are able to find a common ground for all of humanity to realize that we are much more similar than we are different.

Our deepest wishes and hopes for ourselves and our family members almost mirror that of anyone else despite their differences.

Once a person walks with another through different life experiences, that person begins to see the world through the other persons eyes.

Our differences make us interesting, but our similarities will allow us to have the compassion that we need to not destroy each other.

In the end, we bleed the same, dream the same, and fight for what we love.

The Escape Drug…Social Media

Posted on by serenitisparkles

Intertwined with the digital space all around us, we sit, lifeless as our minds expand. The question is, do they expand for the betterment of all of us, or do they destroy our pieces and chip away at our bodies, one quick high at a time? Some might say, social media brings us together, that social media unifies humanity, allowing us to see the inside of each part of our world. Others might say, it is the greatest danger to all of mankind. Few will say, I don’t actually use it.

When most of us hear someone say, “I don’t really use it”, for a moment we delve into their mindset. But how? How do you stay connected to the outside world? What could you possibly do with your day then?

The actuality is that those people have filled their day with other kinds of moments within their life circle. Moments of life happening around them. Is what they do more fulfilling? Maybe not, but it is different. What we do within social media is escapism.

From the moment we log into the “network”, we are connected. Our mind races through the content and our bodies stay still. Hours can go by, and you are still locked in. You’ve lost yourself, in the physical world, and flew off into the digital realm. Using your imagination to keep the inquiry into others lives going. Like a fantasy, that can take you anywhere with the mere tap of a finger. You find answers to your thoughts. Reality is heavy, but Tik Tok so light, thus you dive into to the fluff.

The strings of our hearts being plucked with every post. We escape. Into a different world then what is in front of us.

But what IS in front of us? Like so many people struggling to put their family before addiction, we need to remember that to use this for connection is powerful, but to allow the “network” to connect you is a tragedy.

I feel for the parents…

Posted on by serenitisparkles

Sitting in her bedroom, watching her favorite slime video, is my eight year old little girl.  From the moment she came into my life, I have promised to be her guidance and protection.  The entire world is a new adventure for her.

This moment in our lives can’t be more difficult than for the parents of our world.  The parent’s whose children lay their head in comfort and look at like they can make magic happen.

Our children have since the beginning of time been the meaning of hope and second chances.

From the data, many of our children will survive this illness.  We however, do not have data to tell us if they will survive this disruption in their innocence.

Without trying, our days become consumed with this virus.  Conversations in front of our children about hard details become harder and harder to avoid.  They see the worry written on our faces.  They have been told there is no school, no play dates, and no restaurants.  Of course they feel this.

I feel for the parents because right now, more than ever we must put our badge on and wear it with a smile.  We were chosen to lead by our creator.  We were chosen to guide this being into the light.

There is so much to still be thankful for, there is so much to still strive for.  Look in your child’s eyes and lead them to embrace the light.  We are all still blessed to be alive and even more blessed to have created life.

Memories

Posted on by serenitisparkles

Moments in time, captured in a space inside our minds.  We all have them.  Can you imagine a life without them?  As we get older and age sets in, we slowly lose those spaces and they are filled with others.  But then there are those memories that define who you are and who you will become.

Your happiness, sadness, anger and despair sit inside these spaces.  Your greatest moment is close to your most tragic experience.  These are the memories that build us.

Do you ever take a moment to sit inside your mind?  I do.  When sadness sets on in my life, I use my memories of happiness and succeeding to build me.  When love is my moment, I use the memories of pain to remind myself that this moment has to remain an imprint in my mind.

Memories are powerful.  They hold the key of acceptance.  Acceptance of our existence, as it is and what it has the potential to become.  Use your memories as a powerful tool to enhancing your life.

Break Away From The Clouds, Find HUMILITY.

Posted on by serenitisparkles

Believe that you can be happy for this moment in time.  Believe that you were meant to live in the light.

I write these words, because there was once a time where the words were the only clue of what it felt like to live in the light.  These words that I give often are the same words that saved me from a grim future.  These words, my words, saved my life.

These are how the words would speak to me, even when I was blinded by gloom.

Believe that you can be happy for a moment in time, stop living with the burden that something tragic is about to present itself.

The burden becomes the chains that wear you.  They inhibit true bliss.  They live in the unexpected, because the chains are uncertain.  They live because of the tragic moments you’ve experienced and fear to relive.  You lie awake at night and your mind races.  The chains cover you.  Each day brings new sunlight and new opportunity, but you don’t seek it.  At times you can’t even see the light ahead.

Then one day you face the fear and remove the burden.  You recognize that without each tragedy, the happy moments and miracles that come to you wouldn’t have been possible.  That you have become even more authentic because of the pain.  You realize that you walked through abuse, death, illness, loneliness and found the light again.

The glimpse of light came from the voice within you.  You learned to wear those tragic experiences like a badge.  At one point you felt the world had failed you, that you had failed you, but instead of ending it all, you chose to keep searching for the light.

You realized that through your entire life, subconsciously, you had been filling a bottle of happy experiences and excited feelings.  When in you darkest moments, the bottle would show you the light.

Humility is that bottle.  Humility is what reminds us all that no matter how tragic or terrible our existence is, if we are granted another day, then we have everything we need to HEAL.

Time is Our Most Valuable Resource

Posted on by serenitisparkles

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If I lose a dollar, I can replace it with another, but, If I lose an hour of time, I will NEVER get that hour back.  My father once said to me, “I’ll sleep when I die.”  This was a man who woke up every morning at sunrise and didn’t go to sleep until 1 or 2 in the morning.  He couldn’t have been more right.  Today, that same man is asleep forever, may he rest in peace.

Watching so closely the full cycle of life, from my daughter being born to my father’s untimely death,  has taught me a crucial lesson.  Time is my most valuable resource.  Every moment of each day is an opportunity.  It can be an opportunity to share time with a loved one, an opportunity to write, an opportunity to take a chance, and the most beautiful fact is that every moment is an OPPORTUNITY.

Many of us live in the past, or look to the future.  How many of us actually live in the NOW?  Since my father’s passing I try to ALWAYS live in the present.  I am constantly asking myself, am I happy with my moment right now.  If I am not, then I quickly adjust myself to think positively and change course.  I do not know many things, but what I am definite of is that this is my moment.  My life span could last another 50 years, or 50 seconds, but what I choose to do with my moment is vital to my quality of life.

When we fail to look around us and bask in our present, we fail to see the beauty of living.  Life is a gift.  No matter how many times we fall short, we are alive.  We have something that is so precious.  We have something that for all of us, will run out.  So when you wake up in the morning, appreciate and utilize the time you are given because it will be gone before you know it.

Is our inner voice following the leader?

Posted on by serenitisparkles

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If someone asked you to tell them about yourself and what you represented, would your answer be found on someone else’s Facebook page? I’m sure you have seen the same inspirational quotes and stories, the horrific acts of violence, and the newest billboard hits flooding the Facebook and Twitter news feeds.

With people spending 50% of their time on social media, it is very hard to tell what was derived from your own intuition and what was a result of someone’s post.  The bandwagon effect is real and is one of the oldest forms of human interaction.  It is an observation of social behaviour in which people tend to go along with what others do or think without considering their own beliefs or values.

The more lonely or socially incapable a person is, the more likely they will follow the bandwagon.  Facebook is an excellent example of the bandwagon effect.  A story is most likely to go VIRAL if there are key names leading the way such as famous personalities, musicians, and big brands.  Social media makes it very hard for an individual to gain importance through their own beliefs because the key to social media, is that what becomes VIRAL is what is considered important.  In the real world, for the survival and quality of our lives, standing up for our “gut feeling” is necessary.

In order for a person to live without regret, or to live the life THEY see fit, they must follow their intuition.  However, when the internet has found a way to be a part of half of your day, and 55 million people share status updates each day, how do we even hear what the voice inside is saying to you.

The fact is that Facebook and other social media networks are about following the leaders of the world.  The ones with the most followers are the ones that we follow and that we admire.  If they say it is a good idea, then chances are we will share that good idea to our friends on social media. We are entering a world where people spend most of their time socializing online, where, it is not the one with the voice of reason that is heard, but the one with the most popularity.

We have to remember that social media was derived by pop culture, it is a key player in creating followers around the world.    If you are trying to lead an individual path for your life, don’t spend too much time following the masses.   The moral of the story is, Listen to your gut because if you don’t then you are living someone else’s life.

The Process of Progress

Posted on by serenitisparkles

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When was the last time you can remember writing down a goal, setting up a path to it’s success, and moving forward in CONSTANT pursuit?  How many people actually ignore social media and the lives of others in order to focus on their own life?  Unfortunately, in the age of information and social media, we are buried in a world of IRRELEVANT CONTENT.

The clouds grow thicker with the more posts shared online that it is easy to become distracted with someone else’s dream. You can be perceived to be progressing in your life via social media, but the question is, ARE YOU PROGRESSING OR REGRESSING?  If I am sitting still, how can I move forward? Progress is simply forward movement toward a goal. The only way to progress is to look inside YOUR mind for what it is you are trying to accomplish.  You can’t progress if you continuously make excuses for your delay.  Progress is a process that many people don’t have time for these days.

The fact is they do have time, they have plenty of time, they just choose to idolize someone else’s forward progression. I urge people to take a good hard look at what they want to stand for at the end of their journey.  Social media and the internet can either be a tool to aid us in our successes, or a diversion to our life’s plan.  Without the process of progress we will not accomplish anything. Instead, our minds will be used as a storage bank for the stories of others. Your progress can be simple, but if you are too distracted with the abstract world, the real world will pass you by.  THINK ABOUT IT!

I want to be famous when I grow up

Posted on by serenitisparkles

 

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There once was a time not too long ago where the majority of children would aspire to be doctors, policemen, teachers, astronauts, and even the President of the United States. This was of course before Keeping Up With The Kardashians and Justin Bieber.  Your teachers will tell you to educate yourself and you can be anything you want to be.

The truth is that famous doesn’t take much education. It might take a Youtube video going viral, a boyfriend/girlfriend in the “industry”, a stunt for huge media attention, or even a sex tape. The time of young people believing that becoming educated and skilled in a specific craft was gone when we opened the door to Reality TV and the internet. How can you honestly tell a young person it is more profitable to become a doctor, when being a Real Housewife puts you in a Mansion and you get to be a TV star.

We have people who are lawyers, doctors, and preachers trying to get a piece of the reality spotlight. And why wouldn’t they, when most reality stars are making anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 per episode?

I have worked in and around the music industry for 10 years and I can’t tell you how many “aspiring artists” I have met. Most of these artists did not create music for the love of music, but for the love of fame and money. The fact is that out of the hundreds of music artists I have worked around, only one has made a hit on the radio, and even he was a one hit wonder.  The statistics for the aspiring famers are slim to none.  Getting a shot at being famous as a music artist, or reality personality is like winning the lottery.

The media and television stations portray fame as something everyone can get a piece of.  The reality is that you will probably spend your entire life trying.  Most people who enter the world of fame do so with some type of friend or family connections.  Others have found a way to be the most viewed on the internet and thus are able to sit side by side the famous. Fame is something you can acquire without being skilled or educated, which we saw first hand with the rise of the Kardashians.   The example has been set for the future aspirations of our children.

What reality TV should be doing is showing the actual reality of what happens in the life of a “famous” person.  With more money and attention, the problems are enormous.  99% of the people around you are trying to grab a piece of your spotlight.  You can’t use a public bathroom without being followed by someone trying to destroy your image.   Remember that a celebrity’s spotlight may be extremely bright, but it only means that there is a very dark side that we don’t see.  When your child looks at you and says, I want to be famous when I grow up, what is your response going to be?