Is everything a miracle?

Posted by random olio

I recently came across this Albert Einstein quote in a blog I follow, that made me think about how we approach our everyday life.

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

It got me thinking. How do you look at life? Earlier in the week I wrote about whether we approach life with half-full or half-empty thinking. In many ways Einstein’s quote and half-full/half-empty thinking are one and the same. Looking at life as though everything is a miracle = half-full thinking, nothing is a miracle = half-empty thinking.

Miracles are an interesting thing. People look at them differently. Some think that everything that happens is a miracle. While that might be a bit of a stretch, why not think of everything in the lens of goodness? Wikipedia says:

“A miracle is an event not explicable by natural or scientific laws. Such an event may be attributed to a supernatural being (God or gods), a miracle worker, a saint or a religious leader.”

Regardless of the true definition, if I had to look at my life and future thinking that nothing is a miracle, it would be like believing that no good is possible, no one can change, nothing can get better. Call me a glass half-fuller, rose-colored glasses wearer, or whatever you like. I am fine with the view seen from my eyes.

Airlines shrinking carry-on size, what’s next?

Posted by random olio

Just when we thought flying on a plane could not get ANY worse. Yes, they are trying to put in more seats, so that you basically are required to sit upright the entire time, a bag of peanuts is going to cost $3, and drinks will BYOB (all my jokes). All joking aside there does not seem to be much more they can take from us while on a flight, and instead it tends to go the other direction that everything is costing passengers more money.

So, when I saw this Fast Company article, “Good for Luggage Manufacturers, Bad for Travelers: Carry-on Bag Size to Shrink by 21%” I about lost it. What else are they going to do? The interesting part is that it looks like the current carry-on size is 22 inches tall, 14 inches wide, and 9 inches deep. The new guidelines would mean 21.5 inches tall, 13.5 inches wide, and 7.5 inches deep. They are only shaving a half-inch off two sides and 1.5 inches off another, yet, every inch counts! I am not one to check my luggage. I have to be going far enough and long enough that I need to take enough to warrant a larger suitcase. Even then, I do all I can to see how I can make do with a smaller carry-on. Less hassle and the wonder of if I will see my bag again, and it means I travel light. Oh, and did I mention that it saves me money because I do not have to pay to check my luggage (knock on wood, as that too could change).

The article states that the International Air Transportation Association (IATA) has put forth these guidelines and it is voluntary if airlines want to comply. Something tells me that Samsonite, Tumi, Victorinox, and others are in on this deal? It means more business for luggage companies if the guidelines go into effect than those flying the friendly skies are going to have to pay up (in more ways than one) to travel comfortably. What is next, seat sharing to save money? How about seat belt sharing?

What is confusing is that if some airlines comply with guidelines and others do not, it makes for an interesting trip. These are guidelines that should be standard across all airplanes of similar types. So that when you get to China, your bag will fit just the same in Brazil. This is not customer service, it is just another way to steal from customers. Can we stop, and go back to the days when traveling was supposed to feel like a luxury?

Boyhood: Over 12 years

Posted by random olio

I was not feeling well over the weekend, which in my house means: snuggle up on the couch and catch up on movies. On Saturday we decided to start watching “Boyhood” at around 10:00 pm, not knowing that it is a 2 hour 45 minute movie! It took a bit for me to get into it (especially in the flu-bug fog that I was in), but once Chris told me a little more back story on the movie, I became intrigued.

The movie was shot over 12 years between 2002 and 2013, so over time you see the actual actors age and metamorphosis right in front of you. Directed by Richard Linklater, the movie has you wondering what is going to happen next and how quickly will you see them age, or how different will they be. From what I read, Linklater developed the script as they went through production, which is an interesting concept as you watch the actual actors grow. It makes the movie feel that much more real, almost as though the actors really are a family growing up together.

As you watch, you do not always know how old they are or how much time has passed as they grow. As their lives evolve through divorces, alcoholism, successes, moves, and other family adventures, you see how they make it through it all. In some ways this movie is the life of so many. The single mom, who tries to become more educated, marrying men who turn out all wrong and how it impacts her children who live with her, while also trying to maintain a relationship with their aimless father. I can relate from my own childhood (except the multiple marriages). The rest of the movie is very much my story too.

Linklater is clever. Filming over 12 years made this movie different and intriguing. If you have not seen it, definitely add it to your list!

A good idea has a life of its own.

Posted by random olio

Can you imagine making a recipe from every country in the world? Sasha Martin did it. Over the course of a few years, she made a meal from every country in the world. She did 52 countries in a year, took each week to research the food, recipe, ingredients, and customs and make the selected meal and then published a blog post about the experience. Her husband did not really start out as a fan. A picky eater from the start. I would say she changed his life. Eventually her blog turned into her memoir: “Life From Scratch: A Memoir of Food, Family, and Forgiveness” by Sasha Martin. She did not give up. Even at times when she was completely burnt out, she was relentless in her priorities and effort to complete the project.

It is a book about food, family, and how to balance life. I love the idea she shares on page 335 as it is often the way I approach things in life:

“’When I don’t know what you do about something,” she tells me, ‘I just leave the idea alone for a while. A good idea will feed itself and grow. A bad one will disappear—as it should.”

It happens all the time at work. A project surfaces and the solution that presents itself looks to make sense, and then sometimes it just does not happen or work right. Whenever that happens, I do not look at that as a failure, I see it as a product that is developed and it not ready. Maybe it just needs to go back on the shelf for a while. Sometimes it gets taken off the shelf months to a year later, and then it is ready, it makes sense, and is timed just right. Other times that product never leaves the shelf, its time was not meant to be.

It might be in your personal life. It happens for me sometimes when we plan a trip. There are times when we know immediately that we should buy tickets. The timing, cost, and event all make sense, and it all works out. Other times, when a decision is not easily made, and you let it alone, you might find that a new idea pops up, or maybe a fare sale happens, or you learn that plans have changed at your destination. Then you are grateful you gave it a bit of air and delayed your decision.

Martin’s quote is such a good reminder to let it go, leave it alone, and see if it finds it way off the shelf. A good idea has a life of its own.

What are you afraid of?

Posted by random olio

We all have fears. Some are ones we might never share with another individual. Others we have no issue with telling the world about because in some ways it bonds us with others. Somehow over time our list of fears seemingly add up, and for those few of you out there that are daredevils and are willing to do and try anything, I bet there is still something that you are afraid of.

What is your greatest fear? I cannot necessarily say that I have decided what my greatest fear is, but I can tell you that I am absolutely petrified of snakes. Whether I see a small garter snake in the grass, or I am watching a movie with a massive snake I quake just a bit in my skin (okay not a bit, a lot). It does not matter where I am, I do not want to ever interact with a snake. Which means that on a hike, or even out for a run I will literally freak out if I encounter a snake. Forget looking at them at the zoo behind the glass, they still give me the hibbie jibbies. Maybe my fear is because they are so unpredictable, or they have a way of being sly and then striking. I have always been scared of them.

Your fears might be of talking in front of others, or the dark, or traveling on a plane. Sometimes our fears are because of something that has happened in our life, or because of something that has happened to someone we know. Other times our fears are about anticipation. We dream up all these potential scenarios of what could happen, or what should happen, and in reality we make it all up in our head. I am not sure if I can ever get over my fear of snakes, but I do know I probably make a bunch of crap up that keeps me afraid (the self-fulfilling cycle of fear).

Michelle Poler decided to not let her amassing fears overtake her life. She decided to live for 100 Days Without Fear. Take a peek at her website, where she posts videos that show her doing what she is afraid of. It is inspiring, and well I am not doing so well because I had to quickly scan past the video of her holding a massive snake. She did look slightly in pain doing it! So, what are you afraid of that you could maybe overcome?