An open heart                                                                                                             

Let everything in without fear; an open heart will always lead to beauty.  Open you heart to the people around you, the sun, the stars, and the wonderful experience of life in general.  There is only one friend who can never betray you in life; your heart.  It will lead you to your smiles, treasures, and true love.  Take a moment each day and listen to the sound of its rhythmic beat; and ask it what the best plan is for today.        

 Limited or no expectations                                                                               

Don’t limit yourself with expectations of the grandiose.  The less you expect the more you get.  If you want to be pleasantly surprised time and time again, expect nothing, want nothing, and just be.  Make a point not to plan everyday out, or like me don’t plan anything at all, just step outside and follow your heart to the next pleasant surprise in your life.  It’s when we least expect it that our heart fills us with the white light that brightens the day.                                                                                                                          

Virgin Eyes    

All children are Zen Masters because everything is an eye opening experience.  They’re seeing, tasting, feeling, and most important; loving the world for the first time.  Try saying to a child with all the enthusiasm in your heart, “Wooowwwwwww Look at that Bridge”, their eyes will light up with wonder and inevitably have a complete Zen response like “AAAHH”, WOW, and so on.  There is nothing mundane or boring in life for a child, everything possesses beauty: a Cat sitting peacefully in a window, a Bird singing in a tree, even a little Ant crawling along just trying to make it home alive.  When or where we lose this wonder, I don’t know, but it seems to me when we travel a little sense of this child like wonder comes back to us.  We want to gaze at Churches, buildings and monuments with delight.  Yet, the same delight can always be found right in our own backyard on a cloudy day.  Choose virgin eyes and see the world again for the first time.          

The present moment                                

There is no tomorrow and yesterday is never coming back!  Ask yourself each morning, “What do I want to do today; what will make me happy now!”  That is the beauty of the journey.  When all the routines, expectations, and obligations fall to the wayside; all that is left is your desire; follow this desire in the present moment.  Start the day off with that which will make you happy and leave the rest open to new experiences.  There are infinite possibilities of happiness; no one can ever hope to obtain them all.  If you can gain even a few specks of what will make you happy; then you have done a good job.    

A journal                                                                                                                                                  

 A journal will bring you back to the thoughts and feeling in your mind.  It will show you how your soul has grown and that you have become a different person.  Rereading my journals is always fun because it shows me how my heart and mind has changed.  This reminder is comforting; change is the only constant in the world.  Embrace change and you will always continue to become a better person.