Smiles are Free

Two days ago was the first time in my life I have watched the sun rise, and watched the sun set in the same day.  It was pretty neat.  I am a person that strongly believes in the power of positive influence to life longevity.

Weird things that made me smile in the last 2 weeks:

-On his first day of kindergarten, my son telling my wife she should really leave the classroom now.

 -Deep dark rain clouds mixed in with intense sunsets.  

-Flying.

-Johnny Horton on the radio while driving to the mountains.

-Untangling my kids fishing lines.

-Catching a salamander and moving it off the work site. (I haven’t seen a salamander since I was a kid!)

-Old barns in wheat fields

-Two ravens having a conversation on a roof top.

I find it is easy to focus on the things more tangible to maintain health and happiness.  Diet and exercise always take the forefront in my life.  More importantly though, health of mind.  Being involved in the martial arts we know how important the mind is in controlling the body.  Presence of mind determines completing 50 push-ups or completing 500 in a day.  It’s the difference between breaking a knuckle and snapping a board.  Presence of mind affects health in a big way. Staying positive, taking joy in things you pass by every day will mean a healthier lifestyle. 

If you are conscious of them, there are a million things that you pass by everyday that will affect your presence of mind in a positive light.  Positivity breeds positivity.  Surrounding oneself with other individuals of positive presence of mind is important to me, and important to maintaining a strong mindset.  It is partially why I joined the I Ho Chuan in the first place. In the presence of engaged individuals, I will be a stronger individual.  In the presence of positive engaged individuals, I will be stronger in body, but also in mind and spirit.

In the I Ho Chuan we are expected to show leadership, and make positive advancements in our lifestyle.  Positive advancements seldom come from negative leadership regardless of engagement.  Expecting results under continual criticism, anger, disappointment, won’t inspire the school and our community or cause the changes we wish to see.  I believe we should be inspiring for more than our accomplishments, but also for our strong positive presence of mind.