You lose touch after a while. The past is nothing more than the past and the old running buddies from the old stomping grounds are nothing more than part of your history. This took me a while to learn but I learned this, nonetheless. And for the record, I still remember. I’m sure you do too. I remember my old friends the same as I remember the stories that we shared together. I suppose what happens is we move on or in some cases, maybe we grow up. Either way, eventually, the past becomes old chapters that seem like stories, which happened in a different lifetime.
Continue readingMonthly Archives: July 2021
From the Boys: A Memory
There was nothing so special about that afternoon. There is no reason why this day sticks out in my mind, other than the fact that this was simply a day in my life. Nothing happened. There was no special excitement. There was nothing specific or notable about this day. I was coming home after a weekend out. It was summertime in New York City. I made the choice to walk from 23rd Street at 2nd Avenue over to the Westside on 8th to walk upward towards Pennsylvania Station and make my train ride home.
Continue readingNotes From the Heart: To “The Kid”
So you breathe . . .
You breathe because what other choices do you have? You’ve fallen (maybe?) or you’re tired or you’re hurt, but hey, life doesn’t seem to care, right? Hurt or not, we still have a race to run.
Abstract: A Little of the Ol’ Introspection
I had to take a step back. I had to break away for a moment just to detach. So before going forward, I want to be clear that I am doing this because I choose to and not because I have to. I want to be very clear that although I write honestly and openly, my aim is clear and therefore, I refuse the notions that one is in pain because they write about pain. I refuse the ideas that one has to be in love to write about love and I reject the opinions that assume a person is in crisis, simply because they write about crisis. This is not my case at all. Instead, I expose my weakness to gain strength. I expose my fears to become brave and I reveal my truths because, with a humble heart, this is me.
Maybe it’s the summer. Maybe it’s the heat and the build of tension like the humidity before the storm until — ah; the rain comes down to soak the dust of our crazy lives. Maybe it’s the social tensions around us or maybe this is really simple; it’s just difficult because we, ourselves, are complicated.
I’m not sure if you can see me where you are, up so high, but this is me, right here.
Idea Ten: Last But Certainly Not Least
Before closing this series of ideas, there is an experience that I would like to share. My reason for this little handbook is to show that life can be relatable, regardless of our differences. My aim is to focus on the goals and the tasks at hand, which at this point (and given the mood of the current climate) we find ourselves in new territory. Regardless of the viral outbreaks or the rise and fall of our economy, the world is still moving.
Continue readingIdea Nine: Safety and Equity
It was an early summer morning when a start-up engineer began his morning shift at a commercial office building. His job was to start all of the building equipment, the fans and the chilled water equipment to cool the office suites in the building. Upon arrival, the engineer put on all of the building fans and then went down to the basement to a place called the Chiller Room. This is where the machine is. This is where the cooling comes from. This is where the pumps are that circulate water through a chiller system to remove the heat from the water and return to the coils in the fan units to remove the heat and the humidity from the air that blows across the coils. To put it simply; this is how air conditioning works. The idea is to remove the heat and humidity from a room and place it somewhere that is unobjectionable.
Continue readingIdea Eight: The Benefits of Team Synergy
When the school year ends, a long list of college students prepare themselves to head down the valley of summer internships. Students find themselves in working environments to get a taste of what awaits. These students are about to embark on a new journey. They are about to learn more from a practical level. They are about to see the ins and outs of working life. They will learn from people who work for a living, who had to roll up their sleeves and from people who live an everyday routine.
Continue readingIdea Seven: Understanding Energy
For this idea, think back to an old conversation that went wrong. Think about an old argument that you wished you handled differently or think about the time when you said something and wished you hadn’t. Think about a phone call that you wished you never made or a call you wished you never missed. Meanwhile, although this is all in the past and although this can never be changed or altered, we somehow relive old conversations or old decisions and rehearse what we wished we said.
Sometimes we play this out. Sometimes we carry on a conversation in our mind and try to relitigate the past. But no. There is no changing the past. There is no changing the outcomes. There is nothing more than an internal conversation that replays over and over. And what’s the result? It’s emotion. It’s assumption. The result is thinking gone awry.
Continue readingIdea Six: The Dangers of Comparison
The ideas in this program are designed to help build a better sense of personal understanding and unity between us and our interpersonal relationships. The point of this is to allow for the variations of personalities, environments and situations. Not all things are the same. Not all people are the same either but rather than fight against the grain; the ideas in this program are to help create a path of least resistance.
However, and more importantly, the idea to “Be the Better and Embrace the Culture” is a social design to help fuel a better sense of both workplace and personal cohesion. The idea is to promote synergy by focusing on the aspects of wellness, mental fitness and psychological safety. To be clear, these ideas are made to be simple and easy to follow. The ideas are designed in a relatable sense to encourage new ways of thinking, offer an understanding of ourselves as well as each other and to help boost a better sense of self-efficacy.
Continue readingIdea Five: Understanding Our Personal Science
For the record, I would like to make a few things clear. I have been on one side or the other of the mental health table for a very long time. Initially as a patient and later in life, I became a Life Coach and Certified Peer Recovery Advocate and Peer Specialist. I am certified in the State of New York. My goal was to break through the misunderstood barriers of personal limitations as well as to learn, find help, find relief and find both the motivation and the inspiration to grow and evolve. As a result, I found my purpose.
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The Written Addiction 