The Second Spiritual Laws of Success, Acknowledgment of the Unacknowledged, Another Cancelled Flight

"When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares."
— Henri J.M. Nouwen 

Good morning from sweltering Florida; I'm sitting by a pool at Cousins home; it's beautiful here. We had an exciting day yesterday; we started packing up and heading to Cousins to do some laundry. My wife, he, and David sat in the pool. I did some laps walking around telling Siri what to play.

At 11:30, we headed to Louie Rizzou's to meet some friends for brunch. My friend Greg and our daughter's friends Whit and Kelly joined us. The meal was excellent; I had a friendly chat with David about entrepreneurship and how we both had developed our unique brands.

After that, we made the mile and a half walk back home and enjoyed the pool. As we sat getting some sun, our Air B and B manager texted me to say he had leased our home for $8.000.00 for two nights for the national championship. 

In the next few moments, I got a text from my men's group that one of our friend's families lost everything in the fire and had some unexpected expenses. So I thought it appropriate to tithe 10%, so my wife and I sent $800.00 to help folks we don't know; I encourage you to find someone impacted in the Boulder Wild Fires and give whatever you can.

Since our home was going to be packed, we decided to plan another trip; the weather in Florida is perfect, 80's it looks to stay that way, so we booked a trip back down starting on Saturday of this week. We are set to fly home this morning. We can work this week in Indiana and then head back and work here and enjoy the sun. Since we have friends here, it's an opportunity to hang out. About 4:30 p.m., we got word from Southwest that our flight was canceled. We now can't return home until Wednesday.

My wife just shared we might be able to get a flight from Spirit at 2:00; when I wrap this up, I'll see if I can book the flight. We are now contemplating not returning due to airline issues. Something is going on, and the once dependable Southwest is a crapshoot. Another idea we are considering is to take our pup and head to Nashville, TN, and stay in a pet-friendly Air B and B.  Life is indeed an adventure.

I'm reading The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, and the second one is and has been resonating with me. It's titled the Law of Giving. The universe operates through dynamic exchange; giving and receiving are different aspects of energy flow in the universe. In our willingness to give that which we seek, we keep the abundance of the universe circulating in our lives.

I've committed to dolling out $20.00 to folks in need every day of 2022. So far, I'm on pace; this morning, we packed up and headed back to our Air B and B to get our remaining items. We ended up staying at Cousins last night watching a movie. We arrived, cleaned up the space, and headed to 7 eleven to purchase some Liquid Death water. As I approached the door, a man outside appeared to be down on his luck. I already had my $20.00 in my hand. As I walked towards him, I said, "How are you this morning?" and he said, "thank you." I always look the person in the eye and say, "how are you?" I think it is essential to acknowledge folks and give them the respect they deserve. I don't know this man's story, but something has happened to put him in this spot.    I bought five cans of Liquid Death and gave him one saying, "it's good water." He asked me for a cigarette, and I said, I'm sorry, I don't smoke. He smiled and again said, "thank you." 

I ask that you consider acknowledging the next homeless person you see. Although most appreciate a smile and a greeting, they probably have some mental health issues if they don't. We could better manage those with mental health issues; I don't have a solution; maybe you can provide some ideas?

I have a new friend; his name is Doug; we call him Chip. He runs a software company that helps communities manage their homeless population. Unfortunately, there is a lot of mismanagement of funds, and Chip allows for the tracking of every dollar to eliminate the wasteful spending of our tax dollars. Chip is part of the solution.

Well, I don't know where I'll be tomorrow. But, hopefully, I'll be writing from my purple writing chair. I've had a great week with my wife, Cousin, and friends, but I am ready to head home and see our pup and family. I trust you are well in this new year of opportunity. I hope you use your hands and heart to help make our country a better place. Smile more, don't get angry, make one small change today to become your best version of YOU.

"When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares."
— Henri J.M. Nouwen