YOUR LIFE A-Z:CANDLE

Diversity and  Light Highlight This Time of Year

CANDLE

A CANDLE is a gentle tool that has many uses.  Originally CANDLES were created to give light in the darkness, prior to electricity.  CANDLES were used in very practical ways.  Electricity to homes in rural America did not start until the 1930’s and CANDLES assisted with gentle light in the evening.  Today CANDLES are abundant during the holiday season.  In Jewish tradition the lighting of the Hanukah CANDLE (Menorah) brings the story of how God kept the oil burning during the re-dedication of the Temple.   There are nine CANDLES in the menorah and one CANDLE is lit for each of the eight nights of Hanukkah. The ninth CANDLE is the servant candle used to light the rest of the menorah CANDLES.   In Christianity there are five CANDLES in the advent wreath.  Three of the CANDLES are purple, one is pink and one is white.  The purple CANDLES represent hope, preparation, and love.  The pink CANDLE represents joy and the white CANDLE, which is lit on Christmas day, represents the Christ CANDLE.  The advent wreath was adapted from pre-Christian Germanic pagans who used CANDLES to invoke the sun god to return and the evergreen circle wreath as a reminder that life is full circle and spring will return.  Today CANDLES fill store shelves of multiple colors, scents, sizes, and shapes begging the consumer to add the decorating touch of a beautifully scented CANDLE as a necessary accent to one’s home.  I believe CANDLES can enhance the ambiance of any gathering and elevate one’s mood when depressed.  Be careful to make sure they are put out properly but enjoy the varieties and nuances of the presence of a CANDLE or two.

YOUR LIFE A-Z: CERTAINITY

BE PREPARED AND FLEXIBLE

CERTAINTY

CERTAINTY is an illusion.  CERTAINTY can be changed in a moment’s notice.  Many people do not believe in the Divine or God because there is no CERTAINTY in that.  Guess what, there is no CERTAINTY that you will wake up tomorrow morning either.  It is important to make educated and calculated decisions in your life but do not let yourself drop into a dark space if those decisions do not pay off just like you thought they would.  You are responsible to investigate, research and educate yourself about the decisions you are moving toward but you cannot know the future.  Do the best you can and always do your home -work.  CERTAINTY is illusive and not something that one can count on.  Can you name the things in your life that you think are CERTAIN?  Go ahead and list those CERTAINTIES.  Then think about those CERTAINTIES by asking yourself, what is plan B?  Plan B is a necessary insurance policy about the CERTAINTY that you think that exists.  CERTAINTY is easy to default to, especially if one does his/her homework. CERTAINTY cannot be counted on.  CERTAINTY is a helpful target and the target needs to be as stable and planned as possible.  CERTAINTY is also helpful when making important choices in your life. Choosing the right college, the right health plan, the right retirement plan, and making those choices viable in your life are very important.  CERTAINTY often needs to be reduced to the question, “If I choose this, what is the worse that can happen? 

YOUR LIFE A-Z: KOSHER

SIMPLE AND SAFE

KOSHER

Perhaps it is time to learn a little from our Jewish friends.  Even if God did not hand deliver the written KOSHER laws to the Jewish people, perhaps the Higgins-Boson, placed the food preparation ideas into the hearts and minds of people back in the day.  If you read the KOSHER rules on food preparation, they make perfectly good sense, especially prior to refrigeration.  I found the KOSHER law on the preparation of meat particularly educational.  It says that animals need to be slaughtered in a way that does not cause the animal pain.  Thus, again if we are all interconnected it would be appropriate not to cause pain when taking the life of an animal to provide for our dinner tables.  Also the mixing of certain foods is not allowed.  It seems to be that KOSHER preparation of food is mindful preparation of food and that great care goes into the KOSHER kitchen to mindfully prepare a meal fit for human consumption.  The word KOSHER also means proper and appropriate.  For instance, it is not KOSHER to cheat someone out of his or her well-deserved wage.  The proper and appropriate action is to pay people a just wage for the work he/she does.  Sometimes laws protect us and sometimes our laws protect bad people.  We do not always see eye to eye on certain issues, but it is important to keep KOSHER and be mindful about the lifestyle we live.  Being KOSHER will help us stay mindful

YOUR LIFE A-Z: FUTURE

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD? 

FUTURE

The FUTURE is a space in time that is not yet.  The decisions you make today affect your FUTURE.  The choices you make today help create your FUTURE.  However, it is useless to worry about the FUTURE and absolutely silly to think that you can control the FUTURE by the choices and decisions you make today.  The FUTURE is full of the unknown.   Being anxious about the FUTURE serves you no purpose other than to damage the presence of today.  The fact remains that the FUTURE is a double-edged sword that must be prepared for but not counted on.  If we live for the FUTURE, truly you miss the joy of today.  If you ignore the FUTURE completely then perhaps you are living recklessly in the present.   The Twenty-Minute Coach has posted quite a bit about finances, health, and the necessity to have a well-planned and structured life to obtain the most out of today.  If you ignore planning today then you will be like a careless squirrel that has no food for winter and becomes a victim to the fox who is lurking and waiting for the hungry squirrel to come down from his tree in search of food.  If you prepare for the FUTURE by being wise about money and health today then you will be prepared to weather the storms of weather, health and stock markets of the FUTURE.   Being grateful today makes the Future a brighter and happier place to be tomorrow.