Tipping the scales

Again I find myself sipping a hot cup of burnt coffee and bemoaning the fact pumpkin muffins are not yet in season. My local coffee shop, Huck Finns at the corner of 105th and Cicero avenue in Oak Lawn, has been my spiritual mecca for 8 long years now yet tonight I find little peace. Today, like many others, I feel off kilter and cannot find stillness without clutching this coffee mug with a white knuckled grip. There has to be more to life than coffee for one, no creamer please.

Over the last few years I have become friends with many of the waitresses her. When I feel most alone I know there is a place I can turn to for warm smiles and hot coffee, a comfort when the rest of my world feels so cold and despondent. It is my time to slow my pace, quiet my mind and focus on what matters most of all. These wonderful people have become an integral piece to the puzzle of my existence and it is always comforting knowing that 24/7 I can turn to Hucks. Everyone needs a special place like this.

It becomes so easy, over time, to rush through life. When the world is so fast paced and pixelated we need to remember we need time to reflect on ourselves and our emotional and physical needs. The things that help to shape us are the things that matter most of all and they deserve attention. The little details of life all come together to create the whole.

Patience is tantamount to positive change. It never comes like a lightning strike but rather as the rain that forms puddles on the sidewalk. I often find myself lacking moderation in the give and take of time and emotional support. This, of all things, can be a wonderful aid in helping us to learn to balance our lives but when it goes helter skelter we may not end up where we are headed in life. What good does it do us to shoot for the moon when our feet are still stuck in the mud?

Though times are often a myriad of happiness and chaos we must find a way to create harmony within our minds and souls so as to reap the rewards of our efforts. Confidence in our abilities to overcome and succeed, despite not being the easiest thing to acknowledge when we suffer greatly, has the infinite power to shape lives.

Everyone and everything we encounter along the path of life helps to shape our character. We are the united efforts of all we have learned and all we are taught, whether through direct lessons in teachings or the influence of thought. Our individual integrity depends on our willingness to do what is right after weighing it against the ramifications of doing what is wrong. When we approach life with open arms and loving hearts anything we put our minds to can be achieved with good old fashioned honest effort.

Even when our goals seem to be millions of miles out of reach we must never surrender. Frustrations at the lack of immediate progress can deter us from the intended path of our desires for happiness but that does not mean all is lost. We must still endure against all odds for only then is success possible. When we seek inner peace of mind we find the clarity and wisdom in knowing we truly have no limit to what good we can impact.

As dishes clang and hot coffee is poured I cannot help but see that the world around me works in a beautifully chaotic way, full of smiles and grumbles alike. For right now I sip my coffee and feel the warmth and comfort in the peace I seek in this time of deep reflection. The balance may not be perfect in my world but I am not falling off the edge of reason. No matter how hard times may seem I know deep inside my heart I have much to be thankful for and that makes a great difference in the way I see hardships.

Balance in life really does depend on our perception. Just as the coffee comes as my cup runs dry so too does hope have free refills. You just have to know when to ask for more.