Spots

How is one content with what they have or are given?

Immediately an alternate question should be as a rebuttal. What do we truly need to be happy? Materialistic living is a commonality in the world today--yet if tomorrow came and everything we own disappeared we would see who was indeed happy out of purity not corruption. We have things to simplify life to help us, soothe us. Every object is a gift that we should appreciate, as is. People should be treated as such as well.

Need and Want are two completely different forces in life. We must learn to see the good and fortunate value in objects rather than a wanting for more or better. Asking ourselves what do I need and what do I need it for--easily can calm an eager wallet. And just because we can does not mean that we should.

Want breeds want. Truth in life can underline every thought--purity of existence. Who is in your life and where they stand, as well as what we have and what it does for us, help us to understand our wants and needs. Yet we can not let them consume us or distract us from our path. In the end what is meant to happen will happen. The world is a momentum of forces expelled from people and nature, nearly impossible to avoid. So when opportunity comes our way in object or human form, we may choose. But remember that living in wanting is almost as bad as living in that which does not exist yet, not the moment that is contently now.

Colorful

How does one trust another?

There are different types of trust. Many of us believe in the generalization of 'trusting' someone. This is not true. We trust different people with different things. Love. Friendship. Support. Advice. Guidance. Even hate. Yet as with everything in life, trust does not last forever. Many will get upset and angry when others lose trust or change their trust. We can not control this. Other's needs will change and so will the amounts of trust we instill into one another.

To trust someone you must see what offers are on the table. Then ask yourself what do you hope to gain from this person and can they give it to you. Do not place trust into someone or something that is unreliable in that trusting area. We will feel hurt and pain from others because of this little word, but the beautiful thing about trust is that it replenishes itself. We never run out of trust or the ability to forgive--if we are open to it. Yet different levels of trust may need to partner with hesitancy. Trust in life is not an easy giveaway. Nor is trust in everything. One thing you can trust is for people to be and do exactly as they please. And one person you can always trust is yourself. 

Red

How do I control my emotions?

Emotions speak volumes. There are parts of us that think and parts of us that act, but there is only one part of us that feels. This is the purest truth of being human. We feel. We can not fake feelings. They are there or they are not. They make us smile or they make us cry. They come and they go. But they are true. So listen to them. Listen to how you feel and why you are feeling that way. We may learn how we truly feel or what we should truly do, if we learned to listen to the part of us that feels. We don't listen enough and act on impulse and with our thoughts.

Breathing is life. Breathe. Deeply, meaningfully, and timelessly. You are you. You should not be afraid to feel. It is natural and true. Do not fear truth. Truth is an ally.

Perhaps if we spoke of our feelings matter of fact--we may convey our moment better. I feel sad. I feel upset. I feel happy. These simple yet strong words can deliver books of messages and words that otherwise may be lost in thought. Choose your words under emotional influence carefully. Then take a step back to clear your head if need be. Feelings are powerful things that overtake our being. It isn't about caging ourselves, but allowing us to freely Be, within reasonable limits.

Shade

How does one forgive?

Forgiveness must come from understanding. Strange thing is most questions can be answered with a simple thought--choice. Everyone is on a set path in life and when we choose a different stance or direction it is what is meant to be. We listen to ourselves and take action in hopes of feeling good about life. We can not blame others for following their own path. We are in charge of our own feelings and reactions. So when we feel hurt in repercussion of someone else's doings we must merely recognize our path and forgive the other. We are all fighting our own battles and thinking our own thoughts. When we spend time with someone we share only a small fraction of those thoughts with one another. The time and space in between visits and interactions is filled with more thoughts, untouched and unsupported. In the moments we are together, it is in our best interest to make the most of each second as to not fuel bad thoughts or end the good ones. So when a person chooses that other path and leaves you behind, you must realize that it wasn't all of a sudden, it was a long time coming. A build up of thoughts and feelings--unshared. Yet uncontrollable. A personal choice.

So how to manage these? How to be delicate with your words?

Thoughts will stack themselves and twist or distort our feelings. We must listen but know what is true in our hearts. We can not blame those who do not accept our feelings. If we feel a certain way towards someone, friends perhaps, and they see us as lovers. We can only act on what the truth is. If the other is not satisfied with what is being offered, in truth, they can choose a different path--hence why we must forgive. Words are powerful. Every syllable and silence between our verbalized thoughts is influential. Choose your words carefully. Practice this daily. Not every thought should be shared and people should be able to make their own inferences and conclusions. Yet we can help be truthful to others and upon request, only then, should we reveal what is hidden behind our eyes--the thoughts concealed. Exposing everything to everyone all the time is confusing. One minute our minds love and another they can hate or resent. We must decipher these on our own, within. Others should not be interpreting our words for themselves. They are not us. They will not understand. Remove the "I feel"s and "I think"s from everyday conversation. Share these in intimate, worthy situations with long term adversaries. We never know where people come from or how they have been trained to handle opinion, and therefore we must treat every word as a potential to create or decay. Then at the end of the road if those two paths do not cross anymore, and you both go on your way alone, you can look ahead knowing that what lies behind is exactly what it is. Truth.

Puffy

How can I not react to other's life decisions so irrationally?

When it comes to other people you care about you can't judge them if you don't expect to be judged in return for your own actions. It is not our place to judge others. They are on their own path and their own life, you have yours as well. When you feel upset or emotionally hurt, it is because you were hoping to overlap your path with theirs and what you wanted did not get fulfilled. It is more important to remember that each moment in life that passes is filled with countless choices. Choices. We chose how to react and what to do in our life. Sometimes it will be in response to what someone does, but in the end, it is all meant to be. The path you are on, does not waiver with bad decisions, for it is those decisions that will be the result of what happens next. Following our path is not an easy task, for it would not be worth it. Gaze into the dream that is the future, but root yourself into the ground as of present. You are here now, living. Share your concerns but in an observational standpoint. Take a moment and breathe. This is not your life. You are your life. Make your own choices.