There are big changes...In Little Steps

[Rhonda]

There are big changes...In Little Steps"
By Bob Perks
I find inspiration in the ordinary.

Something so simple suddenly ignites
in my mind and I see it as exciting
and of course, as a story.

Such was the case when I stepped off
my deck a few days ago.

Our driveway was crumbling. It needed
to be coated or replaced. We tried
coating it a few years ago and it simply
made no difference at all.

So, even in these difficult financial
times home maintenance rates higher than
many other things.

We couldn't afford to replace it, so we
had it repaved.

It was when I stepped from the deck onto
the new paving that the inspiration came.
I nearly tripped. The distance from the
deck to the new paving was shorter.

Big deal!

It was. I realized that I had become
accustomed to the height. I have walked
that walk so many times that I expected it
to always be the same.

I was doing something without thinking
about it. Day after day it was always
the same. Then one and one half inch of
new pavement through me off.

Such a little change and such a big
reaction.

I watched Marianne do the same thing.

It made me think about how many things I
do automatically. I wondered about all
the stuff of my life that has gotten so
routine that I take little notice.

But this drives home the point that you
don't need to make major changes in your
life to make a big difference. If you
are putting off dieting because the big
changes never last with you, then make
little changes over a long period of time.

If you always get up at 6:00, try getting
up at 5:45. The extra fifteen minutes
could make your morning routine easier.

Here's a test I like to share. If you
wear a watch, switch it to the opposite hand
for a day. I tried it and it drove me
crazy. Such a little thing.

Try it and win out over it. If you can't
adjust to such a little thing, how could you
make any notable changes in your life?

In Little Steps!

"I wish you enough!"
J
Bob


I encourage you to share my stories

[Rhonda]

"Happiness has two doors"
by Bob Perks
It was by chance I discovered this.

Discovering things is what I do.

A friend once called me a "scavenger"
and in doing so, finally gave me the answer
I longed for when someone asked,
"What do you do for a living?"

"I am a scavenger!" I now declare
proudly.

Miners dig for gold and precious gems.
I rummage through lives and words in
search of the same thing.

Yesterday I discovered that "Happiness
has two doors."

I believe it would be safe to say that
everyone wants to be happy. Some want
it to last forever and more realistic
dreamers would appreciate even a moment
or two in each day. Perhaps even, if
they should be so bold as to dream so
big, would like much longer periods mixed
throughout the reality of life's ups and
downs. Moments turn into hours and days
into one greatly appreciated week.
It is with this realization I discovered
that there are two doors that lead to
happiness.

You always enter one and leave through the
other.

Some enter the door at the speed of light
skipping past others in pursuit. They do
anything they believe will make them happy
without taking the time to understand the
consequences. They gamble, they lie, they
dive right into an opportunity without
thinking, simply because they see it as
a "chance of a lifetime," when in fact,
God provides a lifetime of chances.

They step on and over others to get to
the head of the line. They profit little
but spend more than they have in order to
give the appearance of success and the
illusion of being happy.

This happiness is short lived and the
door they exit leads most times to pain,
depression and much longer periods of regret.

Sometimes it simply leads nowhere.

The door to true happiness opens easy for
those who believe that happiness is a choice.

Everything need not be perfect in their life
in order to be happy. They don't need to have
fancy clothes to feel properly dressed
for any occasion. They don't need an
expensive car to make a statement. They
need a car to get them to work. How they
live speaks volumes.

They may not come from a story book family
or have a perfect marriage, but they see
them as a mosaic portrait of God's plan
for their life.

They remember the joy of playing with an old
rag doll or stick of wood for hours because
their parents could not afford better.

They have witnessed love in the eyes
of the elderly because they stopped to
say hello and share their time.

They have fallen down but their faith has
never let them down.

Although at times, happiness may be short
lived, the door they exit always leads them
to another and another, for when God opens one
door...oh, you know the rest.

You find happiness there, too, right?
"I wish you enough!"
J
Bob


I encourage you to share my stories

[Rhonda]

"A Lasting Impression"
By Bob Perks
Maybe it's because it's that time again.

You've been on my mind.

I can't say I don't know why, I do.

It's because you loved me and I loved you.

Some may think that foolish and turn their
head in disbelief. For they never knew that
kind of love or did but would never admit it.

Since you've been gone your name remains
and never changed like some people do.

You'd be "was" or "had" and maybe even
"forgotten" since it's been so long.

Not me. All I need to do is look around and
I still see you there.

All I need to do is pull out the photo books
and your picture fills pages.

All I need to do is open the back door
and I can see you walking slowly through
the yard in your last days.

All I need to do is to stand by the pond
and at the very foot of it I see you.

I remember the day we made that stepping stone.
I thought it would be a great idea for Mom, and
a way to remember you, as if I needed anything
just to think of you.

We decorated it, I wrote your name and then
carefully placed your foot into the cement.

You never even struggled with me. I think you
knew our time together was coming to an end,
so you let me do it.

My chest hurts whenever I remember that last day
and I could cry all over again.

Now, I run my finger through your footprint in
the stone and wish that I could see you once again.

No, you will never be forgotten, Daisy.

I guess you could say you've left "A lasting impression."
"I love you, still!
Dad.
(Daisy is our Old English Sheep Dog. We now have Ricky, Lucy and Phil. It took three to take her place) "I wish you enough!"
BOB PERKS
J