Really

At this point I would have thought the pandemic would have been almost over.  I will say that more people are out and about, but there are still some restrictions on the gatherings and social distancing around the US. 

The pandemic has been hard and to make matters worst we now have protest which I will not get into on this post.  We are the United States of America.  During any crisis we have come together and united without the political or any of the other views that have separated us in the past. We have always stood united.  I pray we will come out of this crisis a better country.   

Aging

The aging process is so gradual that I think most of us don't even realize as each year passes there is a very small part of our youth that goes away forever, that is the physical part. Even highly trained athletes will eventually lose the physical strength they once had in competition. 

The mental state, however I believe can stay youthful if we continue to use it to think through complex thought processes. We can also remember our youth. The good memories we had as kids. 

I believe that age is a state of mind, but not the physical part. Our physical part will age no matter how old we think we are and our minds can stay sharp and remember.   

Happiness

The reason for this post is due to the recent talk about the lottery.

What is happiness?

Some things that come to mind for most in winning the lottery - money, new car, paying off debt, new house, giving to charities, helping family members and the list goes on.

I can understand how some of these things could make you happy because in most cases it would relieve some stress. But on the other hand, it could cause stress, just for magnitude of managing a large sum of money. I would guess if some of the worlds millionaires were interviewed and asked the question - do you have any stress in your life? I would bet the answer to be yes.

Happiness comes from within yourself it is not a material thing like money. Their are people from all classes of society that are truly happy. We can find happiness in everyday life we just have to look for it. Think about your typical day is there anything in your day to day activities that makes you happy?

What makes you happy?

Age

Should our age define our activities?

As I become older it seems my activities have changed. I'm still as active (I think) as I was in my younger days.

I am more observant of people older than myself. This gives me a possible view of what my activities might be later on in my advanced years. Now, I don't consider myself to be old, but it doesn't hurt to map out my later years.

I have observed people who are much older than I and could probably work and play longer than I could imagine. While others have become stagnate and are ready for the nursing home.

My belief is age is just a number. If you believe that someone should act their age than do so, but this is not what defines you. It is your attitude and how you see life. The drive that gets us out of bed every morning and having goals in life is the force that fights the number we call age.

Citizenship

What is a citizen?

1) an inhabitant of a city or town; exp: one entitled to the rights and privileges of a freeman

2) a member of a state

3) a native or naturalized person who owes allegiance to a government and is entitled to protection from it

4) a civilian as distinguished from a specialized servant of the state

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary

Why should we practice good citizenship?

Good citizenship should be practiced in every community. The good order of society comes from its citizens. The order of society is not necessary the voice of the people depending of the established government of that country. 

Citizenship in practice demonstrates loyalty to your country or state.

How does it apply in everyday life?

In applying citizenship we should:

.... looking out for our neighbor

.... being good neighbor

.... doing what is right

.... good moral standards

.... obeying the laws

.... volunteer in the community

Achieve

I recently watched a program about the human reaction to fight or flight. The test subjects were a SWAT team from the LA Police Dept. 

In the study, They monitored each team members heart rate, and breathing. The scenario was a simulated hostage situation.  The Team Leader was injected with Adrenalin to increase his heart rate to add stress to the simulation.

Once the exercise started, each members heart rate and breathing immediately increased. The team went through a realistic situation with loud noises, smoke, dark rooms and two assailants.

In the end the good guys win, but in reviewing the monitors, heart rates increased, but breathing leveled off and remain stable.  The SWAT team is continually trained on regulating breathing. This helps the oxygen flow to the blood enabling them to think clear and make quick decisions.

The exercise demonstrates the human ability to go beyond physical and emotional limits in stressful situations. The SWAT team resisted the flight mode of the human response and took control of their senses to respone to the fight.

The human response is not necessarly an automatic response. There is no limit to the human capaticy to achieve.  An Olimpic Weightlifter in their mind has no limit, just as the SWAT team could overcome fear.

We should always strive to achieve our best.

Enthusiasm

In conversations I have had with people that are successful, the one thing they all have in common is enthusiasm. I believe people that have a great attitude will succeed at anything they do or pursue in life. If you look at history and the great leaders of world, they all had a zest for what they did. Anyone can do this; they just have to be passionate. This can apply to work, sports, hobbies etc... I know my self that it is hard to stay positive all the time, so I commend anyone who can go at life with enthusiasm every single day.