He's the man who decides if I live or I die, if I starve or I eat

I met a woman named Amanda a few years ago up in NH. We hit it off immediately; she was attractive all the way through. A group of us went to see a gypsy band play at the local pub. Amanda and I got to know each other a bit; laughs, back stories, shared interests.

Rachael had wanted us to meet; she thought we would pair up nicely. We did, but we didn't pursue much of a relationship beyond that night. We ended up being friends on FB. We don't interact, but I see her posts in my stream and I enjoy them. They are generally uplifting in content; nothing snarky, no rabble rousing.

There's a warmth and authenticity that emanates from Amanda. Even though we haven't been in touch, I appreciate and am often inspired by how she chooses to depict herself on FB. Through her page, I discovered her sister's blog, which is also positive in nature but focuses mainly on her athletic endeavors.

I feel slightly creepy about peaking into other people's lives, but these days it's common to know people without really knowing them. To wit, this blog. There are people  I've never met that read from it that know more about me than I know about my coworkers. It's kind of off-putting, I suppose, but I hardly think about it. It's the world we live in.

Anyway

Joe Rogan often says that the key to living a healthy, productive, and satisfying life is to surround yourself with positive people. It's a good model and holds up pretty well under scrutiny. I'm fortunate to be able to say that I've got a sizable group of people in my life who lean towards positivity that inspire me to better myself.

One of my friends has had a tough go of it recently and in the midst of being besieged by torment, fear, and pain, he's making an effort to climb out of the ditch. It's been a slow, messy, and arduous process (that's life, folks) but I find it admirable that he's taking action.. A lot of people moan about their plight while not lifting a finger to do remedy it.Whether my friend unburdens himself from his current predicament is secondary to the fact that he's taking a stand on behalf of himself.

I've found that the more I align myself with wellness, love, and compassion, the unsavory, negative people and situations that swim around my life flake away like dead skin. Like attracts like.

It's of great value to me having positive people in my life. The more I utilize the inspiration they provide me and apply it to my own life, the more I'll be able to inspire others. All these wonderful gifts life presents us and most of us are focused on the empty calories of status, wealth, and possessions. There's the suffering the Buddha warns us about.

So take the reigns as best you can, but take them. Your grip might be weak and shaky at times, but keep at it. It's the only way out. 
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My car is at the garage. Again. Probably struts, who knows. It's been an ongoing problem, the clunk and clatter I hear whenever I go over a bump or two. I'm just looking for a diagnosis; not sure I'll be able to afford the repairs this week.

I don't have it that bad with my car. It has yet to break down and leave me stranded on the side of the road somewhere. I've been fortunate enough to have been able to drive it to the garage whenever there's been a problem.

It's got some miles on it and consequently needs more attention than a new car, but it's served me well overall. I'm saying this as I think of all the money I've dumped into recently scrolls through my mind, but whatever. I can only control what I can control. I'm hoping this last round of repairs will be it for a while. Fingers crossed.

On that note, I'm going to practice some yoga, work on music, read, take a walk, whatever. I'll talk to you later.