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Breaking the Cycle
Breaking the cycle is a term we have all heard. Especially if we come from a family (and these days who doesn't) that has a history of some type of violence and/or drug abuse whereas this phrase is told to us over and over. "Yes, you have had a bad hand in life. Life is not fair. But the best thing you can do is raise your head and break the cycle of violence in your life". It seems to me that "break the cycle" has to do with some type of horrific traumatizing event that may have been re-occurring for many years (abuse of a spouse or child) or a one time unexpected event (a mugging or rape that leaves a life long scar). What if there is another cycle that is not so "in your face" apparent, but rather a silent cycle that is not recognized anymore as it is a universal disease that no one really notices anymore. What if dying an uncelebrated life is a cycle all of its own? As I have been trying to break my own cycle of work, home, sleep, work, home, sleep after countless years, which can lead to nothing but contempt, bitterness and anger, I am trying to break the cycle of teaching this very learned behavior to my son. I have the thoughts lately (seems to be all the time now) that life is not forever. It could actually be gone tomorrow. Did I waste today? I may not have found the cure for Aids or cancer or war, but did I make someone smile today? Did I have some type of positive influence on someone's life, even if it was just my own? Did I enjoy the sunrise? My son came bounding down the stairs the other day looking for a battery. He recently received a metal detector for his birthday. Seeing as he is so in love with money at this stage of his life he could not wait to get that baby warmed up. He told tales of finding wild amounts of hidden treasures as only a young child could possibly imagine and what he would do with his massive new bounty. "I would give 500 hundred to Gramps; I would put 500 hundred in the bank; I would keep 200 hundred for myself; I would give 200 hundred to the house and I would give all the rest to the poor people." My heart filled with joy with the fact that "I would buy the best video game systems and all the video games I want for the rest of my life", (which is what we used to dream about) didn't come out of his mouth. Houston, we may be making progress here. I have vowed to raise my son with respect. Respect for people, respect for women and respect for himself. We step aside on the sidewalk for adults and most especially women. We open the door for others and most especially women. We treat other people and their property with respect as we would expect the same from them. When I mention an uncelebrated life, I don't mean a life that deserves the "medal of honor" but a life of love, happiness and laughter. When the heck did I turn 33? I turned 33 while working to pay the bills and while trying to "make something of myself". Now I know that I am something and I have always been something. I am something all my own and unique to me that no one else but me can be and what a shame it is that I don't share myself with the world (or in a smaller more likely circle, my friends and family). My special brand of something has been lost in the quest to make more money, get a better house, and get a better car, so I can actually be a worthy adult and satisfied with my station in life. What a load of bull! Now I am satisfied with my station (my house, my car, my job) and anything else that comes along is a bonus and how lucky am I? What I have to do now is find the full potential of my special something and how can I apply it to the people around me for the greater good? Now, I have lost a lot of years with the false notion that what you have is what you are, so I have to hurry my process up a bit if I want to get a good 20-30 years of making a difference, but my son is young. And young people have the most valuable commodity known to man. They have youth. Youth meaning, energy, imagination and invincibility. It is up to me now to not beat this most wonderful trait out of him by saying, "do good in school so you can go to college, so you can get a good job, so you can have a nice house, so you can marry the perfect wife, so you can have a huge mortgage and massive credit car debt so the by the time your 40 you hate your life". I think you get the picture. Deepak Chopra said in one of his books that he told his children not to worry about school and not to worry about money. That he would provide for them no matter what. They were to just concentrate on that one thing that makes them special. Of course, they went to the best colleges and have wonderful jobs and became successful. He has broken the cycle. Thank you, Deepak. I, too, wish to break this cycle. I wish for my son to go on and find the reason why he is here on this earth, or at the very least what can he contribute that no one else can so when he is nearing the end of his life he can look back and say "Damn I am going to miss this life. It was fun!" Barbara Davidson is the creator of the "We Can Change Today" websitehttp://www.wecanchangetoday.com encouraging and experimenting with change.
Latest News:Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for news Myanmar's Suu Kyi to get family letters, news mags (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Detained Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has managed to wring small concessions from the ruling generals in the form of letters from her family and some international news magazines, her lawyer said on Friday. SEC Looks Into UAL Stock Scare; Implications For Online News? (CBS News) A ton of digits have been devoted to this in other spots but the SEC's decision to investigate takes it to another level. The backstory: a six-year-old news story about UAL declaring bankruptcy made it into the Tribune-owned Sun-Sentinel 's current news flow, was picked up by a Google (NSDQ: GOOG) News bot and, via a reporter for a newsletter, made it onto Bloomberg News. After a lot of buck ... JCDecaux in talks for News Outdoor Group in Russia (AP via Yahoo! News) French outdoor advertising firm JCDecaux SA said Thursday it is negotiating to buy Russian rival News Outdoor Group from global media company News Corp. News Corp tightens grip on Premiere with new CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Rupert Murdoch tightened his grip on German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere by appointing News Corp executive Mark Williams as CEO in a move to get the company back on track. Phila. mayor to announce grim budget news (The Philadelphia Inquirer) The Nutter administration is expected to announce grim budget news today, which is all but certain to lead to significant spending cuts - perhaps as high as 10 percent - in some city departments, according to three sources familiar with the budget. Help News pick Stadium's greatest moment (New York Daily News) The News is marking the countdown to the final game at The House That Ruth Built by reflecting on Yankee Stadium's greatest moments - and we're asking you - the reader - to help us pick out the best of the best. JCDecaux and News Corp. in talks to combine outdoor ad groups (International Herald Tribune) The News Corp. chief executive, Rupert Murdoch, has recently expressed nervousness about investments in Russia, where News Outdoor generated the bulk of its revenue last year. SEC Looks Into UAL Stock Scare; Implications For Online News? (paidContent.org via Yahoo! Finance) A ton of digits have been devoted to this in other spots but the SEC's decision to investigate takes it to another level. The backstory: a six-year-old news story about UAL declaring bankruptcy made it into the Tribune-owned Sun-Sentinel's current news flow, was picked up by a Google News bot and, via a reporter for a newsletter, made it onto Bloomberg News. JCDecaux in talks to buy News Corp. billboard unit (AP via Yahoo! Finance) In a deal that would create the world's largest outdoor advertising company, French conglomerate JCDecaux SA said Thursday that it is in talks to buy Russian rival News Outdoor Group from global media company News Corp. News Corp says Mark Williams interim Premiere CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) News Corp. executive Mark Williams has taken over as chief executive of German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere in an interim capacity, News Corp. said after the move led to renewed takeover speculation. Site: news - Google News Palm Shares Soar As New Smartphone Wins Wall Street Praise - CNNMoney.com
MORE RESOURCES: Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for happiness 'Harvest Moon' sows little happiness at 10 (USA Today) Originally launched on the Super Nintendo, the "Harvest Moon" series of video games is celebrating its 10th anniversary with the release of "Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness" for the Nintendo DS. Unfortunately, unless you have extreme patience, you will not experience much happiness with this software title that suffers from difficult controls and tedious game play. Gretchen Rubin: Balanced Life: Happiness Project: Dig deep. (HuffingtonPost) I'm working on my Happiness Project, and you should have one, too! Everyone's project will look different, but it's the rare person who can't benefit.... Taller people have the edge when it comes to happiness (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Taller people are happier on average than shorter people, with each extra inch in height giving as much satisfaction as a four percent increase in income, according to a U.S. study. The price of happiness? £365 a year I'd say (Times Online) In Birmingham once, I was given a peek inside a majestic Victorian bank that had been closed for years. It's probably a dodgy nightclub now. In which case, its new punters may be a little startled by the stern admonishments emblazoned on its marble walls. ?Thrift radiates happiness? one declared. Pursuit of Happiness (The Moscow Times) The upcoming theater season is guaranteed to be full of the usual thrills, spills and creative performances. John Freedman reports. Ben Lewis proposes that jokes had a role in the end of the U.S.S.R. Famous Comedian's Cousin Says Happiness is Half Genetic (PRWeb) Rima Rudner, first cousin of top standup Rita Rudner, says the reason some people are happier and more fulfilled than others is at least 50% in their genes. "This does not necessarily mean that a woman who wears size 4 jeans is happier than one who wears size 16 jeans," says Rudner, author and happiness coach. "It means that happiness can be as hard to achieve for a genetically unhappy person ... Happiness and Wellbeing at Work Conference (Australian Policy Online) Follows the success of last year's conference including seminars and workshops facilitated by some of Australia's leading experts on psychology, leadership and workplace relations, The aim of this conference is for our expert speakers to provide strategies that will allow the mindful leader to create solutions for generating increased productivity through the dominant value of employee ... Happiness is a daily special at Island Soul Caribbean Cuisine (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) A visit to Island Soul will put a smile on your face thanks to its friendly servers and a menu that plays like a greatest hits of the Caribbean. When happiness means more than money (The Kansas City Star) Midcareer job changers may be the nation's best hope to fill an estimated 1.5 million teaching vacancies expected in the next 10 years.But $50,000 a year may be the magic number to entice most of them to the profession. The science of happiness (Los Angeles Times) Being happy has always seemed like a good idea. But now science, with research to back it up, can finally show us how to get there. True or false: Site: happiness - Google News Spirituality, not religion, makes kids happy - MSNBC
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