ERROR

Error

Error:

1.  The deviation from accuracy or correctness; a mistake, as in action or speech

2.  Belief in something untrue; the holding of mistaken opinions

Alice: “This is impossible.”

The Mad Hatter: “Only if you believe it is.”

Errors:

I can’t

I couldn’t

I won’t

I don’t know how

Things do not come easily for me

I’m too old

I fail

I lost

It’s a trap

Doors are always closing for me

Not Errors:

I can

I could

I will

I know how

Everything comes easily for me

I’m young

I succeed

I win

It’s a golden opportunity

Doors open easily for me

In the past I have spent more time dwelling on the above-mentioned errors than I care to admit. Today however I am here to personally declare,

“That bullshit keeps you trapped. Negative thinking is the only thing keeping you in the “darkness”. Its time to turn on the f*cking light. So come on… follow me, I know you want to!”

Positive thinking is just a “light switch” and it really isn’t difficult to find.

Every morning you open your eyes?

That’s light switch number 1!

Your first thought?

Light switch number 2!

Every thought that follows is dependent on that second “switch”.

Can you remember your first morning thought?

Is it positive?

Probably not.

What if I told you that it really is this simple?

We try too hard; this is a fact. We analyze everything until it is rotten. Worse, we give it no thought at all; discard it as somebody else’s “problem.

We convince ourselves that either we are wrong, or somebody else is, thus the reason we just aren’t happy.

What if I told you that there is no “wrong” answer, no black or white… everything is “colorful and all we have to do to feel eternally “joyful” is to slightly adjust our way of “thinking”.

All we have to do is turn the “light on”.

Do I hear a sigh of relief?

Well go ahead and sigh because it really is that simple!

Please

Go ahead

Turn on the light

Concentrate on the check mark above

Let go of “errors”

Allow yourself to be a positive person

Start here…

Just for today:

When you catch yourself thinking or feeling or being negative, which I am almost certain you will do, “SHOUT OUT LOUD!”

“That’s OK!”

And it really fucking is!

Now, look around you, find one thing that is “right”, then another, and another, and I am certain that you will.

Look at that, you have just discovered 2 more light switches.

After this easier than “pie” (life is a bowl of cherries) practice, let it all “GO”. Where? I don’t know and neither should you, return to whatever it is you were doing.

I bet my life you are suddenly in “THE MOMENT”

The next time your mind decides it is going to trick you into “error mode” or “negative thinking”, and it will happen.

Just repeat the above.

It really is this simple!

After about 5 days, give or take a day, that’s all, you will be well on your way to re-conditioning negative brain waves into a mind frame that sees, feels, and experiences complete happiness.

It really is this easy!

You have a voice?

Use it to affect how you “think”.

You have a choice?

Use it to experience joy

Maybe you have a thought or two, or more?

Use it to turn the light “ON”.

This is your “OPEN” door out of darkness.

Are you walking through?

I bet my life you want to at least try?

It really is this easy!

So try and, maybe, try again.

Remember the “x” is a crossroads into the dark.

The “check mark” is a decision to be positive.

Choose wisely!

All you have to do is “think” like a Mad Hatter”:

“Only if you believe it is!”

And…

It really is this easy!

HUMBLE

"She"

is beauty well rehearsed

but never planned

Like Linen - simple

Like glass - delicate

Like steel - glistening strength

In her eyes is an untold story - 

Inner knowing

A story that will never grow old

One you will tell over and over again.

To be in the presence

of someone so captivating

humbles "me"

helps me remember that most days

I feel like the lining on a silver cloud-

Brilliant and free

I am hopeful that “She “ and I

Will meet one day

We will be humbled 

by each other

First from a distance

Then humbled once again

as our hands reach out

to touch the magic in the air

She is electric

Dynamic

Explosive

Polite

Everything I remind myself to be

"He"

 is a tiny perfect little man

living in his modest little house

In his LARGER than life forest

where chopping down trees is a felony

He is safe there

His over-sized, pointy little nose

Glistens like a rooftop after rain

You must know the roof I speak of?

The twisty, colorful one

where shingles are not permitted

but tiny forest animals

are more than welcome to linger in the sun

or find shelter in the eaves when it storms

In his home

Manners are a must

Laughter is encouraged

Judgmental folks will be escorted out

For they can not magically shrink

To his humble little size

“He” and I have met

sipped bittersweet tea from tiny cups

as we discovered how best

to teach others by example

We brought up the meaning of

“Humble”

quite a few times

that day

that night

He is adventurous

Respectful

Brave

Merry

Everything I remind myself to be

Humble beginnings

Are easily found

Humble endings-

Predictable

The true meaning of “Humble” however

Is in the “Middle”

It was “she” who taught us that.

FUN

FUN

Is created
Betrayed
Pushed aside
Forgotten
Left unattended
And
Then
It
Dies

Do you ever feel like “nothing is fun any more”?
That is a choice we make, made, ignore.

WHY?

Go ahead…
Make a list of 12 “FUN” things you want to do
Can do
Would do
Must do

And give each one a brief description

Here is my LIST:

1. Bungee jump (off a bridge holding my favorite poem in my hand and let it go)
2. Go Dancing (must be a girls night out, must stay on the dance floor the entire time)
3. Make a Vision board (use only photographs and stickers, must drink wine and wear fuzzy socks)
4. Go for a Walk at night (go with friends, no talking allowed, wear dollar store flashlights on every finger)
5. Play Pickle Ball (go bare foot and wear a floor length skirt)
6. Horseback Riding (trotting and galloping a must. Call ahead.
7. Attend a Concert alone. Memorize the lyrics to every song, dance all night and sing along.
8. Dance to one song every day at the same time for a week.
9. Go to a Karaoke night. Sing one song as if no one is watching.
10. Go to 12 Garage Sales. Buy one small item at each and plan to keep it for the rest of your life.
11. Buy Fresh Flowers, Fresh Fruit, Fresh Vegetables, and put fresh sheets on your bed. Once a week for a month.
12. Go out for breakfast, lunch, and Supper, all at the same restaurant.


Now do one
Fun thing
A month
For the
Next 12
Months

This time next year you will look back and say…
“That was the best year of my life

DARK?

The following short story was written by my daughter, Trinity Landygo (age 12)
It is up to me to draw something worthy of this piece.

The Fall

By: Trinity Landygo

*beep, beep, beep*

I woke up to the sound of my arm clock.

*beep, beep, beep*

Ugh! I slam my hand down on the top of it making it fall to the floor. Well, on the bright side at least the beeping stopped.

*beep, beep, beep*

I guess I spoke to soon. Well I guess I have to get up now. I stand up from my bed and make my way over to my closet. "What should I wear?" I ask myself out loud. "Hmmm maybe I should wear a dress today?" "Hahaha, that's funny!" I talk to myself as I pick out black jeans, a white shirt that says, "ok but first coffee" in gold and my black converse. I then go to my desk to put on my makeup and straighten my hair. Okay now time for breakfast! I make my way downstairs to make breakfast, only to see that my mom is already making pancakes. I thank her and then go and pour myself a cup of coffee with about seven-sugar cubes (my parents always say that sugar is bad for you but whatever) then go ad sit beside my dad at the kitchen table. I drink my coffee as he reads the paper and drinks his green tea. This is what happens every morning. The same old routine. Soon my brother, James, comes downstairs in his dinosaur onesie, even though he is 15 he doesn't care, I have tried telling him that it's not cool to wear a dinosaur onesie but he just won't listen to me. As soon as he comes downstairs my dad compliments him on his outfit, saying that the green really suits his skin tone, you might think that he is joking but he's not, and that's the worst part about it. He sincerely means it! "Ash" My mom calls, "your going to be late!" You may be thinking "is 'ash' short for Ashley?"  But no, 'ash' is not short for Ashley, it's short for Ashton! Ashton, out of all names why did my parents have to make my name a boys name? "I'm coming" I yell to my mom. Every Saturday I have my band practice. Yes, I am in a band and we are called After The Sunset, my friend Brinley thought of the name. I play guitar in the band, Brinley plays bass, my friend Cobain is the lead singer, Cobain's brother, Jack, plays the drums. We are really good and have gotten a bunch of small gigs around our town, but in two weeks we are playing at Brinley's mom's friend's cousins wedding. Confusing, I know, but this is our first big gig and we really need to practice so that other people can see how good we are and then we can get more gigs. We always practice at Cobain's house because her parents are well-known music producers so she has a huge soundproof music room and a recording booth. It's really cool! "Your practice starts at 9:00am, you better get going!" Mom shouts "I'm leaving now" I call back "bye have fun I love you sweetheart" "love you too mom"  I head out to Frank, which I call my blue 2002 Honda Civic. I know that it doesn't seem like a very nice car but, it's honestly my dream car, I love it so much. I hop in, start the gas and start pulling out of the driveway. Once I get on the highway I roll down the windows, and turn the music up loud. The song Fly Away by 5Seconds Of Summer playing. I start singing along like I usually do. Before I know it I am dancing while I drive, I hear my phone ring and I reach down to get it. When I look up I see the headlights of a semi coming straight at me and before I can swerve around it, it crashes right into the front of me. I feel myself tumbling, flipping over and over again soon, it stops but I can't move. I can feel the blood coming from my head, my phone is still ringing, but I can't move to get it. I can hear the faint sound of sirens in the distance, I am fighting to keep my eyes open, but I just can't anymore. I can feel my eyes closing as I slip further and further away into the darkness. You know how they say that when you die, you see all of your most favourite memories flash before your eyes, well I guess that's what's happening right now.

Monday July 13th, 2003

"Mommy! Mommy!" My brother shouted. He was only 10 at the time. I however was 15 and had just gotten back from my friends house where we were practicing for our band, although every single time I played a song I would always mess up, I couldn't even play a single chord! I was so upset when I got home. I guess my brother could tell that I was sad because he came up to me and asked "hey Ash, what's wrong? You seem sad" "nothing's wrong, I'm fine" I answered "Ash, I know you and I know that your not okay" "okay fine I just, I couldn't play anything right today, I just kept messing up and it was so embarrassing" "hey, it's going to be fine Ash, your an amazing guitar player and everyone knows that, I know that and you just had a bad day that's all."  "Thank you, you’re a really good brother" he hugged me and said, "Well, I'm hoping to go eat some pizza and play some video games, so bye"

Wednesday February 4th, 2006

We loaded up in my dads old station wagon, me, my mom, my dad, and my brother hugged and kissed everybody goodbye. Auntie Roe, Uncle Max, grandma, grandpa, cousins, and finally Gary, he was an old family friend. Driving away, I just had to look back, auntie Roe was smiling, grandma and grandpa stood there with tears in their eyes, uncle Max, and my cousins just stood there, burning in the sun. Dad and my brother argued the whole 5-hour drive back home, yelling at each other, it felt as if there almost wasn't enough air to breath. Everyone was quiet for the rest of the day, sullen, mom heated up TV dinners, dad went to the store, and James, my brother sat at the end of the couch, just staring blankly at the wall In front of him, something he always did when he was sad. When dad came home, he sat in his old leather recliner, eating pistachios and watching The Wild West. While mom sat in her purple and green chair, she would sew tablecloths while listening to her E-books, but me, I just sat there watching everybody do their thing but not really knowing what to do. It doesn't seem like much, but we would always do the same thing, sitting there together all doing different things, but somehow knowing that we were all connected in some way was comforting to me.

Friday September 11th, 2009

I have always loved the feeling of my bare feet on the cool sand, underneath a full moon. Me and him, Danny, walking together underneath the shining moon, holding hands. It was 1:00am. We had been walking for a long time. We were having another one of our deep conversations; these conversations were always my favourite. We would always talk about anything and everything. We would lay down on the sand, still holding hands and just talk while we looked out at the ocean.

Sunday December 19th, 2013

I bent over to look at the rows of cupcakes in front of me. All of them look so good, I can't pick one. "Here let me help you" I looked up and saw a boy with curly brown hair and green eyes. He was holding out a chocolate cupcake with beautiful frosting. "Okay. Thanks, it's beautiful. Did you make it?" I asked him. "Yes, I did and thanks" he replied. I paid for the cupcake and went to go and sit down by the window. As soon as I sat down I tried the cupcake. Let me tell you, it was amazing. "Is it any good?" I averted my attention from the cupcake to the boy from before who was now sitting in front of me. "It's amazing" I smiled. "Do you mind if I sit down?" He asked. "No, not at all" he seemed like a nice guy. We sat and talked for the next hour. He was sweet, a little immature, but it's not like I cared. I looked for that I a guy. He talked to me like he had known me for years. He wasn't afraid to be himself.

Tuesday March 2nd, 2014

I didn't know where I was going, sometimes I would just walk. I loved walking, I would walk anywhere at anytime. It gave me time to clear my head, to realize what's important and to forget about the things that aren't important. Sometimes I would have somewhere that I was going, but this time I didn't know where I was going, suddenly I found myself walking in the direction of her house. I don't know why, but something inside me just told me to go there. I stop walking. I shouldn't be going there, after everything that she did to me, I shouldn't forgive her. She was such a horrible person, so mean. 'No keep walking, you have to go there. Just trust me' the little voice said. So I keep walking. 3250 Impala Ave. There it is. I walk up the driveway and ring the doorbell. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 if nobody answers in 15 seconds I'm leaving. 8,9,10. The door opens and there she stands, the girl who hurt me so much, bullied me. "Oh my god! Ashton! I thought I would never see you again! I am so sorry, for everything that I ever did to hurt you, I was just so jealous, I was going through a bad time I never wanted to hurt you as much as I did. You are an amazing person. I hope that you can forgive-" I cut her off. "Its okay, I forgive you"

Thursday November 23rd, 2015

I furiously typed on my laptop, desperately trying to finish my English paper. I still have no clue why I decided to take AP English. My phone started ringing, Brinley, my best friend since kindergarten was calling me. "Hello" "oh my gosh, Ashton, you won't ever believe who is staying across the street from me" "who" I asked "Michael Clifford" she answered "what! Are you serious!" Michael Clifford is in my favourite band, and I have always wanted to meet him. "I'm coming over right now" I hung up, got my shoes and made my way over to her house, let's just say that day was one of the best days ever.

Memories are what we are made of, well technically we are all made of cells, but memories make up our soul. The things that we remember will influence us in life some are good, and some are bad. But they are still memories. Memories are things that we will never forget, things that we will talk about, things that will follow us for the rest of our lives, but what we need to learn how to do is to leave the bad memories behind us. To learn to leave the bad pieces behind. I want to kick and scream but I am trapped. Floating. It feels like I am floating. It's like there is no way I'm able to put my feet on anything solid. Darkness. All I can see is darkness. I don't know where I am, but it is always dark, and frankly, it's terrifying. I have no feeling. I cannot feel my body. I am having trouble figuring out where I am, I mean I don't think that I'm dead because it feels like I have been here for a few weeks, maybe months but also when you die aren't you supposed to see some bright light? I want to move, I want to run but I can't, suddenly I can hear a long beep and I finally feel like this is the end. They were wrong, there's no bright light when you die, no miracle, just darkness. Never ending darkness.