" The Static Age ... "

Can you hear the sound of the static noise,

blasting out in stereo?

Cater to the class and the paranoid,

music to my nervous system

Advertising love and religion,

murder on the airwaves

Slogans on the brink of corruption

Billboard on the rise in the dawn's landscape, 

working your insanity ...

Squeezing out your state of mind

Are what you own that you cannot buy

I can't see a thing in the video

I can't hear a sound on the radio

in stereo in the static age

~ Green Day ~ The Static Age ~

***

I love the saying “you’re only as old as you feel”.  It gives me an excuse not to act my age.  Because I really do think age is just a number and not a state of mind.

So what does it mean to “act your age”?  I mean, who is the guru or swami of age, telling all how to “act”?  I am sure we all know people of the same age and they act completely different ... usually one has more fun than the other ... one plays more than the other.  And yes there is something about aging gracefully but does that mean just “fitting in” with all the people who got there before you?

I believe we have to make the opportunity to play every day, even for a moment or two.  I mean, why go through life, taking no chances, avoiding danger, only to arrive safely at death?

Luckily I have a few people in my life that are older and have forgotten how old they are ... and it is the coolest thing ever.  I assume they wake up in the morning feeling every muscle and joint in their body.  Maybe they look in the mirror and see a reflection that isn’t quite what it used to be.  And possibly they have to take a handful of pills before breakfast.  But the beauty is that the don’t care.  You see they won’t listen to anyone that tells them they are too old to enjoy life ... they are the ones that have found what we all want ~ pure joy.

Although Russell and I are not parents ourselves, we have been fortunate to be around children most of our lives.  I say fortunate because children continue to teach us how to laugh and play and sing and use our imagination and just see the magic in life that is waiting to be embraced.  Children have no sense of time or age ... they are truly present in the moment, the perfect place.

We all know that inevitably, our physical bodies will age.  Yet growing old is a matter of choice.  Rediscover the child within you and take time to play, yes PLAY!  Because play is one of those pleasurable activities that is underestimated.  Play recharges us, improves our outlook, and lets us just let go and BE.  So take the time and just BE fun and remember that ...

“we don’t stop laughing because we grow old, 

we grow old because we stop laughing ...”

" Joy And Pain ... "

Joy and pain

Like sunshine and rain

Joy and pain

Like sunshine and rain ...

So don't look and try to judge me

Because you think that I'm another MC, well

I'm the new kind, I just moved around

But that don't mean I can't rip up the town ...

Not from the old school or from the new

Applaud the boom, do what you want to

Talk to me then try to put me down

We used to be cool now we don't hang around

I'm the headliner of this show

And you're just a kid and you need to grow, because

~ Base Rob ~ Joy And Pain ~

***

As the lyrics go, we get the obvious difference between joy and pain but what about the difference between joy and happiness?  And are they not one in the same?  Recently during a good read this came up for me and I wanted to explore it further ...

Joy and Happiness are both positive and desirable emotions.  They provide feelings of satisfaction and come from certain reasons.  But there is a difference ...

Let's start with JOY .... 

The source of joy is something or someone that is greatly appreciated or valued.  Joy comes from the inner-self of a person.  The connection with the source of life within you.  And it is not only about yourself, but also about the contentment of those people whom you value.  Joy is caused by soul satisfying incidents.  Joy is long lasting and warms your heart.

So what then is HAPPINESS? ...

Happiness is an emotion experienced when in a state of well-being and usually linked to a stimulus or event.  Happiness is something outside of you and is gained by observing or doing.  Happiness can be momentary or short lived.  Happiness can be characterized as materialistic and rests more on worldly pleasures.

Simply put, joy is an extension to happiness ... 

a continuous state of happiness and a positive emotion.

In my experience when I lose joy to fear, I settle for sporadic happy highs, which is additive.  I would look to the future and put all my eggs in someone else's basket.  I would be dependent on people or events to align with my expectations so that the end result would be my happiness.  And it may have given me happiness but not true satisfaction ... the void was still present.

So I had to learn to teach myself to be joyful, truly joyful, because it had become a detriment to my health.  I carried fear, anger and sadness with me most of the time, as it lasted longer than happiness.  So shifting into joy and excitement was required to help me truly heal.

I realized that I have this choice and waiting for a circumstance to subside the lower energies was an illusion.  Joy matters and allowing it in my life has become an essential spiritual aspect of my journey.  Joy brings faith, grace, gratitude, love and hope, and I relay on it to bring deep satisfaction in my life when I need it most.  

Life is meant to be en”joy”ed and not just endured so jump of for joy when you can because joy does not happen to us, we have to choose it and keep choosing it every day ...