Over the Hump Thoughts on "Getting Intimate" 5/3/12

We are three days into the month of May and I can already see that there will be a lot of memories here. There is quite a bit going on in my world which is a mirror of the rest of the world. I know that a lot of people will remember today based simply on some of the news stories that were reported throughout the day. You can't turn a TV on right now without hearing something about the passing of Junior Seau, suspension of the New Orleans Saints players for their bounty program, or justice for Robert Champion(FAMU Drum Major killed during a hazing incident). Some of these events may catch a quick thought from you and you may even have an opinion, but if you don't have an intimate relationship with any of incidents it probably doesn't impact you as much. My thoughts and prayers definitely go out to the families and friends of Junior Seau and Robert Champion with everything that they are dealing with right now. I didn't want to reference these things, but as I am a sports nut Sportscenter and various news channels were flooded with this information I began to have a few thoughts on the brain. The events are sad, but they lend me an opportunity to dive into something that will bring a little more clarity to my life. Define intimacy for yourself. How do things change when you choose to have a intimate relationship with people? Your career? Relationships? God? Anything? Surprisingly, I think when most people see the term intimate they immediately think of men and women being intimate with one another. The term is so much bigger than that as I believe that you can see a direct correlation to how things turn out for you based on your intimacy level with them. Why is it we tend to avoid intimacy with things? Is it that we are we scared? The thoughts that are on my brain right now are pretty heavy and I know that they are probably going t get deeper as things start to unfold. Take a quick moment and think about everything that you have chosen to have an intimate relationship with. What is it that made you desire to be more intimate? Is it a feeling right this moment? Or the promise of something amazing at the end? No matter what is, when you make the decision that you want to become more intimate, there's an immediate change for you in the way you look at things and your expectations from there on. Our intimacy levels with things can be the difference of success or failure in many different areas of our lives. Is there something that you may have wanted over the course of your life, but just could not attain it? Why do you think that is? Did you get intimate in developing your plan to achieve your desired result? As we continue to move forward in life, it is important to decide what we are willing to get intimate with in order to get to the next level. Getting intimate with the right things at the right time may change our lives as well as the lives of those around you. Your attitude is where it all starts and you have to remember that positive thoughts breed positive actions. Living the #PositiveMovementsForward lifestyle is the beginning of where change happens for you. What are you willing to get more intimate with now? “Passion is the quickest to develop, and the quickest to fade. Intimacy develops more slowly, and commitment more gradually still.” Robert Sternberg “Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing.” Rollo May “Most people have come to prefer certain of life’s experiences and deny and reject others, unaware of the value of the hidden things that may come wrapped in plain and even ugly paper. In avoiding all pain and seeking comfort at all costs, we may be left without intimacy or compassion; in rejecting change and risk we often cheat ourselves of the quest; in denying our suffering we may never know our strength or our greatness.” Rachel Naomi Remen “It's the most precious thing...to know absolutely where you belong. There's a whole emotional wrapping-around-of-you-here. You see the same rock, tree, road, clouds, sun – you develop a nice kind of intimacy with the world around you. To be intimate is to grow, to learn... [it] is absolutely fulfilling. Intimacy, that's my magic word for why I live here.” Tessie Naranjo “To mature is in part to realize that while complete intimacy and omniscience and power cannot be had, self-transcendence, growth, and closeness to others are nevertheless within one's reach.” Sissela Bok