spirituality Archives » This Time I Mean It

One of These Days, When This All Passes…

April 8, 2020 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

One of these days, morning will dawn on a world where this will have all passed.

One of these days, we will return to lives, no longer sheltering-in-place nor wearing protective gear and masks to leave our houses. One of these days we will again put on make-up, style our hair, dress up, and go out for a night at the theater, soaking in all the glorious laughter and chatter of being in a room full of people, no longer fearful of what might be transmitted. One day again, we will celebrate a special occasion at an upscale restaurant, surrounded a bit too closely by other diners – but we won’t mind. One of these days we will host dinner parties and wrap our arms around and hold tight each and every person who enters our house.

One of these days, we will look back with a mixture of sorrow and relief and anger and fear at this entire horrific, upending, devastating period.

Alas, that day is not yet.

It won’t be as far from now as we fear, nor will it be as soon as we would prefer.

But it is coming; as surely as the sun will rise and the winds will blow and the stars will shine; it is approaching. Paraphrasing T.S. Elliot, that instant will land not with a bang, but with a whimper; subtlety, slowly, surreptitiously making known its presence. In the same manner one cannot actually watch a flower open but can recognize its beauty when it blooms, that time is blossoming even now.

And when it does, what will you do to commemorate its arrival?

I will re-experience joy in the small things. No more will I socially distance myself nor self-isolate, instead smiling broadly when someone — anyone — passes me on the sidewalk. No longer having to swab everything with sani-wipes, I will plop down my butt on any park bench I damn well want or hang from its jungle gym, free of trepidation of what I might catch. I will relish the background noise and chatter of a crowded mall. I’ll stand nearer than six feet when in line at the grocery store and won’t be afraid to handle cash when I pay. [Read more…]

Looking Through Pin Holes

June 28, 2017 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

Jimmy was lying on a knoll in the middle of a meadow on a warm spring day staring up at the puffy white clouds as they rolled by, leading him to consider the big questions we all face:

What is the meaning of life? Why do we exist? Is there intelligence beyond the stars? What is the nature of God?

“God? Are you really there?” Jimmy said out loud.

To his astonishment a voice came from the clouds. “Yes, Jimmy? What can I do for you?”

Startled by the response but unwilling to let such an opportunity pass, Jimmy asked, “God. You exist in all places and across time. What is a million years like to you?”

Knowing that Jimmy could not understand the concept of infinity, God responded in a manner to which Jimmy could relate. “A million years to me, Jimmy, is like a minute to you.”

“Oh,” said Jimmy, considering the thought for a moment. “Well, then, what’s a million dollars like to you?”

God replied again, “A million dollars to me, Jimmy, is like a penny.”

“Wow!” remarked Jimmy, getting an idea. “God, you’re so generous, can I have one of your pennies?”

God answered, “Sure thing, Jimmy! Just give me a minute.”

~ Author unknown

The concepts of infinite and forever are simply too immense for us to wrap our brains around — at any age.

As a child, first beginning to grasp the expansiveness of the Universe, the image that came to my young mind was somewhere “out there” would be a boarded-up wall, much like one would see on an abandoned building, which marked the end of Space. That lead to the next question, “What’s on the other side?” All I could imaging was another wall, and another, and another…

Decades have passed and the perception of infinite is still beyond my comprehension.

[Read more…]

Loads of Holidays in December

December 14, 2016 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

holidays

Because many people know me as the “weight loss guy,” they think I’m monitoring what they eat or how they act.

As I have stated on numerous occasions, should we bump into each other at a restaurant or grocery store, I’m not watching what you eat or put in your grocery cart – and I would appreciate you returning the favor. (After all, it’s just plain weird to monitor someone else’s food anyway.)

This time of year also brings out from people “true confessions.” I bump into someone who used to go to one of my meetings or that I coached and they feel the immediate need to justify their absence. The conversation will go something like this:

“Oh, hi Scott. Nice to see you, how have you been?”

“Doing great – but I’ll get better.” (A line I “stole” from a radio talk show host I like.) “How are you?”

“Well, I’ve been having some trouble with my diet. I’m definitely coming back to the meetings, but I just wanted to wait until the holidays are over.”

Firstly, there’s no need to justify to me whether or not you’re on a diet or going to meetings. We each lead our own lives. We each have our own priorities. I won’t try to run your life if you won’t run mine.

Having said that, I’ve always found it curious when one says he or she will “wait until the holidays are over” as they’ve been going on for a couple thousand years.

I don’t think they’re ending anytime soon. The reality of that raised my curiosity level and prompted me to take a look at the holidays this time of year. There are more holidays in December than chocolate Santas at the office holiday party. [Read more…]

Trusting the Universe

March 16, 2016 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

Stars of a planet and galaxy in a free space

First point: Albert Einstein – no shrinking Violet in the field of deep thought – said, “I think the most important question facing humanity is, ‘Is the universe a friendly place?’”

He put forth three alternatives:

Option One: the Universe is unfriendly. In that case, we use our technology, science and resources to be safe by creating bigger walls to keep out the unfriendliness and bigger weapons to destroy all that which is unfriendly. He went on to add, “We are getting to a place where technology is powerful enough that we may either completely isolate or destroy ourselves as well in this process.”

The second alternative is that the Universe is neither friendly nor unfriendly and that God is essentially “playing dice with the universe.” Should this be accurate, we are simply victims to the random toss of the dice and our lives have no real purpose or meaning.

That leaves one other choice: The Universe is a friendly place. In this instance, we will use our technology, science, and resources to create tools and models to understand it “because power and safety will come through understanding its workings and its motives.”

He made no final call except to say, “God does not play dice with the universe.”

Point two: Our current political dialog resembles more an elementary school playground fight than a contest for the most powerful office in land. There’s a gag-worthy political stench wafting through the discourse.

No one likes it (well, no one that’s rational at least). To change it, some respond by shouting, “We need to fight. It’s time to get angry.”

Don’t get me wrong; I am angry too. However, I’m inviting other to share in my campaign: “Compassion first. I’d rather be happy than right.”

It doesn’t mean I’m rolling over; this is not an “either-or” thing.

[Read more…]

Getting What You Desire: Three Simple Steps to Live the Life You Want

December 27, 2011 by Featured Author Leave a Comment

We all have goals and convictions in our lives that we feel passionate about and wish to bring to fruition.

Whether it’s expanding your creativity, becoming more active in your community, or finding inner-peace through spirituality, we all want to find ways to experience life to its fullest, and no one wants to live in vain; we all want a purpose.

The following are a few steps that I have found helpful in playing out my pure intentions:

Visualize.

Everyone has the power to visualize what they want, and by harnessing this technique you will be able to bring forth that which you truly desire. Thought is energy and affects our actions in daily life and the ways in which we confront obstacles. Visualizing what you want, imaging yourself in your ideal situation, will eventually cause those visions to be accepted by your subconscious, thus changing your habits and your entire mindset while attracting new people and circumstances that will help further your goals. Make a list of things that you will achieve on the short or long term. Item by item, imagine yourself in a circumstance in which you are accomplishing that idea (e.g., seeing yourself playing a concert and the crowd applauding; imagine you’re walking through your dream house, noticing the furniture and wall colors.)

Overcome Fear.

Fear can be a great obstacle in attaining your goals. Whether it’s a fear of public speaking, a fear of flying or a fear of loneliness, being afraid will always hinder that which we truly want. Often people spend there lives avoiding fear as opposed to seeking out pleasure. Most of the time it’s the risk that we are scared of, thinking things such as what if often cause us to stay away from situations in which we are uncomfortable. Personally, the words of the Greek poet Homer bring this into perspective. He wrote, “Even his griefs are a joy long after to one that remembers all that he wrought and endured.” In other words, the insight and experience you gain by being uncomfortable will always justify the means at the end of the day. [Read more…]