BIG MOMENTS CHANGE LIFE DIRECTION

The first thought I have when I hear someone complain about their life going nowhere fast?

‘Then do something to change your life direction.’

Do I give advice on what to change? Oh, hell no.

My advice to boomerpdx readers follows the same line of thinking: Don’t offer advice to someone complaining about their life direction.

Why? Because you’re not the first to hear their complaint and you won’t be the first to offer advice, probably the same advice they didn’t follow the last time they found someone to listen to them complain.

Man, that’s a long sentence. But I digress.

If you need to reach out, if you feel the need, do it by example; do it by telling what you feel. You do have feelings, right? Of course you do.

Let’s role play:

You know a woman or man, know them well enough to exchange greetings, well enough to know about their family. At least well enough to know they have a family.

And they have the happiest, bestest, smartest family in the history of families. That’s their story and they stick to it.

You like them, like spending time with them, but their perfect family is hard to understand considering what you know about kids screwing up, like your kids screwing up.

One way to tell if you’ll ever be the sort of friends you hope to be? Tell them they’re full of crap. If you never hear from them again, that’s your answer. Their big life moments are just a little different than yours.

Be a good husband or wife, a good mother or father. That’s not asking too much for your kids or your partner.

Another role: You meet your future father in law for the first time and learn he’s been everywhere, done everything, driven every car since Henry Ford, and flown every plane since the Wright Brothers.

He fought with the Army in WWI, the Navy in WWII, the Marines in Korea, and the Air Force in Vietnam. He was captured in every war and escaped. The first time he made his way through No Man’s Land between the trenches and didn’t step on a mine.

In WWII his ship sunk and he rescued survivors by tying them all together and pulling them to an island using the breast stroke.

He got lost in a white out at the Frozen Chosin and found himself surrounded by Chinese and North Korean soldiers before he saw his opening.

In Vietnam he was shot down and sent to the Hanoi Hilton. And escaped by some miracle. It changes.

It’s not your place to correct him and explain to those listening that he’s a crackpot, a kook, and real nut case. Why?

Because they already know. All of his friends and acquaintances have made a life change to let it go. So should you.

Big moments change life directions, but unless you’re struck by lightning, it’s the little moments that matter most.

If you feel a big moment coming on, if you’re ready for a big life direction change, work up to it by paying attention to the little things, the little people.

For my readers in under-developed parts of the world, what would constitute a big life change? Here in America we have certain problems. How would you solve them if you lived here?