Growing up, one of the most profound things my step-father ever told me was;

 “Some times life can be as confusing as a back-lashed reel. When you can’t figure out how to un-ravel it, it is better to just cut the line (cut your losses) and re-string. It will save you time, heart-ache and you can get back to fishing (or living life) faster.”

Sometimes are lives become knots of emotions and feelings. We become confused, aggravated, and angry at a situation because we can’t figure it out. Sometimes the best thing to do is walk away from it and when you return to the situation it appears differently. Or while we are not thinking about the problem a light goes off, “Oh yeah, that’s what I should do.” The solution comes to us.Turn frustrating and troubling situations around and make a puzzle of them or if you’re able just walk away.

I have watched my mother put together jig-saw puzzles and when she can not find any more pieces to put into place, she walks away. The next day, she will sit down and begin again. Surprisingly, the puzzle appears differently and she finds more pieces to the puzzle. When she can no longer find any more pieces to put in place, she puts it aside and returns the next day until, the puzzle is complete.

My daughter will become frustrated with her homework. She’ll build up anger till she finally breaks down with frustration. I encourage her to re-group, breathe and relax. (cutest thing in the world to see her close her eyes and hold out her hands and go …ommmm, ommmm as if meditating) I tell her that there is an answer to the problem, it is like a puzzle and she has to figure it out. We as adults have a little bigger problems but they can still be nothing more than a puzzle that we must find an answer to.

Strengthen the body, sharpen the mind and enrich the spirit

the mind is a muscle that needs exercised

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

food for thought

When you come to a roadblock, take a detour.

One sees great things from the valley, only small things from the peak.

Intelligence is something we are born with. Thinking is a skill that must be learned.

That human mind is like a parachute – it functions better when it is open.

Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.

 

Intelligence is like a four-wheel drive. It allows you to get stuck in more remote places.
— Garrison Keillor

The one common experience of all humanity is the challenge of problems.
— R. Buckminster Fuller

The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant.
We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.
— Albert Einstein

Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is the probable reason why so few engage in it.
— Henry Ford