And BAM!…it happened…the message I needed.

On occasions we are moved by the words we hear or the words we read.   And we have decided to share those thoughts with you. Katie is sharing our first #ThoughfulThursday post with you. 

Warning, this is not going to be one of those fun adventure posts that I typically write. Today’s blog is about a recent event in my life that caused me to reflect on how I want to spend my time on this amazing planet we live….making the most of the life I’ve been given by spending it with family and friends, exploring and “living life.”
This past week, a close family member passed unexpectedly, thus attending a funeral could not be avoided. In an effort to be “strong,” for other family members I tried not focusing on those mourning around me (because the sight of others crying turns me into a blubbering mess of tears), but the message that the preacher was giving. And BAM!…it happened…the message I needed.

Eclesiastes 3:1-8

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,

A time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and time to build,

A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

A time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,

A time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,

A time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace
As I listened to preacher reading this particular Bible  verse, I just sat and nodded my head. We are all going to experience all of these “times” in our life, but how one chooses to react during these times and which ones to place more focus, will dictate what kind of life you live while on this Earth.

Caroline and I created Lagom Adventures to share our many “adventures” with others to inspire them to get up and get out and live! So when I think of this verse in regards to Lagom Adventures, I know that I will have to face the hard times, but I made a decision the day I heard that verse, that I will focus on the more positive “times” that the verse mentioned.

So today’s sermon via Lagom Adventures:

• Celebrate the birth of a new life and be a positive inspiration for that new little person to guide them down a path of seeking knowledge and adventure. Celebrate the death of loved ones and use their life as a lesson to guide the rest of your own. Remember the adventures they took and follow in their footsteps, while avoiding the mistakes they made.
• Find your place and plant your seeds there, but don’t fear having to move in the event you are no longer happy. This could be in reference to work or where you choose to live. Change can be scary but sometimes necessary, so just follow your heart to your next destination.
• Be there for others to help them heal, as you would hope they would be there for you. Know who your trusted friends and family are and lean on them during times of need. Don’t think you are alone. And be that person who others know they can come to you to cry on your shoulder or get a much needed laugh.
• Don’t tear others down. Build them up! If you concentrate on focusing on the positives of other people and letting them know about it, they will be happier, and so will you! Surround yourself with people who are positive influences.
• Laugh!! Laugh A Lot!! Deep Belly Laughs!! Laugh at Yourself!! Laugh With Others!! If you find yourself in a situation that you haven’t laughed that day or DAYS…uproot and move! Change tactics. One thing that I feel I’ve gotten really good at in my life, is the ability to freely laugh (and smile). One of the greatest compliments I’ve gotten from one of my students was that I always seem happy because I’m always smiling and laughing. Even when times seem tough, I try to find a reason to smile and laugh. Even last week while dealing with the death of a loved one.
• Like the famous Grey’s Anatomy line, just “Dance it out!” Literally. Turn up some of your favorite music and just dance! Don’t be a wallflower! (This needs to be a Lagom Rules for Life).
• “Don’t give up…Don’t ever give up” said Jim Valvano. If you’ve never heard his Espy speech, look it up on you tube. It gives me goosebumps everytime. But, he’s right, don’t give up. No matter what your dreams or goals are, keep striving to fulfill them. I’ve been knocked down many times in my life, but I’ve always picked myself back up and kept going. (Right now I’m singing that song from “Trolls”) If you ever read Lagom Adventures first installation of Bucket List Adventures, you can see that we have lots of things we’d like to accomplish at some point during our time here. My plan is to get to these things one way or another. I’m not giving up!!
• And finally, focus on love and peace. There’s so much hate in the world that it is scary. I avoid watching the news because I don’t want the daily reports of violence, war, and racism wiping the smile off my face. So instead….I adventure. For me, hiking to the top of those mountains and through the woods fill me with so much peace and joy, that I use that to carry me through the week to my next adventure.

Even though the passing of my loved one was upsetting, I managed to find the positive of the situation through the words of the preacher at the funeral and special memories we got to share with family. My hope is that this post inspires you to live your life to the fullest and be a positive member of society and not dwell on the negatives that often creep into our lives. I believe part of living Lagom, living “just right,” means finding how you can impact the world to make it a better place.

RIP Keith Inman