Posts by Carl Rivera43

Awesome! Let's aim for Saturday at 5:00 PM at Grand Central Terminal by the coffee shop. If anyone has a better idea, just shout it out and we can adjust!

Sure thing! We took a little breather, but we're back at it now. Let's say Saturday... honestly, whenever works best, maybe somewhere near Grand Central Terminal!

Honestly, I think that melancholy was triggered by some heavy stuff from back in the day. You know how it goes? When similar things start happening again in the present, it just feels incredibly awkward and out of sync.

Even when you're really putting in the work on yourself, those old bad habits can be such a pain to shake off. They just stick around longer than you'd like, don't they?

I totally get you. That’s such an awkward feeling to deal with.

When you try to force things, it’s always harder than when it just flows naturally, right? For me, sometimes even just heading into a Target feels forced because it feels so repetitive.

On the flip side, I absolutely love coming home after a long walk through the park, turning on some local radio stations, and having these incredibly smooth songs just hit perfectly. Those little, almost random moments can actually give me a huge boost of motivation and help me focus better.

What really works for me is taking different bits of advice I hear or find, analyzing them, and organizing them. Once I do that, my own ideas start gaining strength and sparking real creativity.

And honestly, once you figure out the best ways to make even a few of your goals happen and feel that sense of fulfillment? That’s a killer feeling. It's already a massive win if you can avoid or at least cut down on the stress {which usually comes from mixing fear with frustration}.

The stuff that is truly yours—your actual originality—that’s nothing to be afraid of. You definitely shouldn't run away from it.

Whoops... I went on a bit of a tangent there, didn't I? But hey, maybe there's a grain of wisdom in all that {time will tell}.

Oh, and one more thing. The stuff you know deep down, the things you rarely say out loud, can sometimes fade away or get buried under this massive ocean of information and skills. That’s the downside of how fast technology moves in America today; the sheer volume of data is overwhelming. It makes total sense that your brain gets congested, where your thought processes are running at 90 percent one minute and then dropping to maybe 10 percent the next.

But the present moment is what matters most. Once you realize that, and more importantly, once you actually apply it, things really do start looking up. Working on yourself is a super long, sometimes exhausting process, but seeing that effort pay off is what keeps you motivated!

Hey there!

So, I actually deal with a lot of the same stuff lately—you know, that brain fog and feeling like you’re aging way faster than you actually are.
I really think you can sharpen your focus just by building better habits through association. But man, sometimes there are just so many thoughts swirling around that everything gets tangled up. It doesn't help that we're heading into winter, too. Between the long nights and the holiday season craziness, everything just piles up... and honestly? Your brain just hits a wall.

That's usually when the procrastination and all that guessing games start, which I'm pretty sure is tied right back to anxiety. Think of it this way: just try to shift the gears in your life bit by bit. Give it a shot and see what happens. You know that saying, "It's about the journey, not the destination"? That's basically it.

Sometimes I go a little overboard with those motivational quotes and song lyrics. When I'm feeling good, they're awesome. But if I hit even ten minutes of a funk? They totally backfire and just make me feel all nostalgic and blue. Still, I truly believe that if you approach things with an open heart and put in the work, you'll find ways to pull through, even if it's just temporary fixes.

Just wanting things to change for the better is already a huge step forward. As for courage? That comes when you make room for it. I hope some of your favorite memories can act as fuel to help you chase those goals. And worrying about what people think? Please. Everyone has their own secrets and struggles. Sure, some people might get a little jealous, but deep down, most people know they aren't right. So, just stay brave. Be serious when you need to be, be funny when you can, but above all, just be real. Things will look better today.👍

I’ll admit, I can get a little melancholy from time to time. I usually tie that back to my own anxieties or tendency to procrastinate, but sometimes it’s just this deep, heavy wave of nostalgia hitting me out of nowhere.

When that spark of motivation or creativity just isn't there, things can feel pretty stagnant. It leads to these stretches of boredom, especially when the things I actually care about aren't quite coming together the way I hoped they would.

It’s kind of a bummer, isn't it? Is a person actually ready to take on all those risks just to maintain an image? And what happens when those cold winds start blowing and that whole impression begins to fade away?

So yeah, those associations just hang around somewhere. You’ve got those heavy, gloomy vibes that really drag you down, but then those beautiful memories hit too hard with all that nostalgia. When they mix together like that? That's usually when you feel your whole life rhythm just grinding to a halt.

And honestly, look at how a huge chunk of those paparazzi will dive headfirst into someone's private life just to get people talking. Information moves incredibly fast these days—I mean, I think things move even quicker than {even with all these tech advancements}.

It's interesting, though. Your brain subconsciously absorbs certain things, and it's almost impossible to dodge if you fall into those exact same old routines. So, yeah, I figure it's better to try and shake things up bit by bit at a steady pace. Bring some movement back in. Dream a little, tinker with stuff, and actually listen to what you want.

Jerry Wilson13 said:Staying busy is my survival strategy... hobbies, kids, daily chores...

Honestly, lately I’ve been feeling like social media is doing way more harm than good. It’s just weighing me down. I find myself wanting to shut out everything living, and when the TV is on, I can't move away from the kids' programming. 👍

Thankfully, during the day we try to make sure nothing violent or upsetting pops up on the screen, so we stick to Discovery, science shows, or cartoons... But then, in the evening, we "catch up" by sitting down in front of the news or scrolling the web... and poof.
Everything just goes south... you get hit with a wave of pure gloom.

Ebem, I have this one friend who is a bit of a radical alternative to all this. Her circle is always making jokes at her expense, and the latest "joke" was about how she doesn't even have a TV at home. At all. Let alone the internet & stuff. To everyone around her, it seems bizarre, weird... they're actually horrified.
But honestly, screw them, because that woman always has a smile on her face. Even on the grayest days, she’s constantly chirping about something positive... home cooking, the weather, her plants, music... I get the impression she has some sort of internal shield against all the horrors surrounding us.

I wish I had that kind of grit and persistence—to somehow isolate myself and opt out of everything I can't contribute to constructively...

And I will never, ever understand where people get the motivation to blast negativity all over social media and news sites... as if the world isn't already infinitely saturated and overwhelmed by the exact same thing. 😠😠

Why on earth do I have to deal with this while having my morning coffee on (let's say, Facebook), where I want to see what my family is up to in other states, only to be slapped in the face by a video (that starts playing immediately without even clicking it!!—so incredibly irritating!) showing a father in a war zone hugging his deceased children...

And kill me now, those few seconds of that video literally killed my day. Dead.

I'm off to delete Facebook. 🙂 🙂

Ugh, yeah, it's interesting to watch that play out. I guess some people live by the rule of "it could be worse elsewhere, so let's talk about that!"

Personally, I'd much rather like a motivational page than some depressing feed. At least then I get some decent quotes popping up—even if they follow a similar pattern—but hey, at least I'm reading something useful for once.

So, yeah, I really think you can avoid the negativity. I've found that if you focus on positive events—reading about them, talking about them, listening, writing—they stay in your mind much better than diving headfirst into the gloom.

It honestly weighs on me when I read or hear news delivered in such a gloomy, heavy-handed style. I try not to dwell on it too much; I usually just skim through the headlines and don't get bogged down in the details, unless it’s something massive happening globally that actually requires me to stay informed.

Well, I suppose those traces of everything you read and hear still linger somewhere inside. But hey, isn't it good news that I'm actually managing to train my brain to lean toward more positive vibes?

Music is an absolute lifesaver for me. Lately, I've been sticking to lighter tunes, and they really help me pull myself out of that gray funk I occasionally fall into when I dive too deep into certain topics.

At the end of the day, you have to remember that everything is fleeting. The real focus should be on the present—just trying to squeeze every bit of good out of right now. And if things aren't going well? Well, at least you leave behind some kind of mark showing that, once upon a time, you were making it happen.

Mambo Kings - Grey Path in different languages

We're definitely getting some skydivers on board.

So, yeah, once we round up at least three people who are actually down to show up, we'll start brainstorming dates and stuff. So, there we go, r

Aha, I bet we'll have something cooked up together pretty soon.

We could actually do tomorrow since it's the All Saints' Day weekend. How about meeting up at Times Square near the clock around 5:30?

Yeah, that’s a tough spot to be in. Honestly? It sounds like your relative is just being careless. The fact that he claims he can't find even a tiny window of time to catch up once every few weeks says everything you need to know {regardless of whatever "busy schedule" he's using as an excuse}.

You know how people say, "Where there's a will, there's a way"? Or, more accurately, "If they want to, they'll find a way; if they don't, they'll find an excuse." So, yeah, unfortunately, it's hard to see this changing. A lot of people don't even realize how little effort it takes to show someone you care, but some folks just go out of their way to avoid doing even the bare minimum. I don't think you did anything wrong here. It's perfectly natural to want to hang out, talk, and actually share ideas and experiences. Just because he's older might play a part, but really, it shouldn't change the basics.

It’s pretty awkward when certain relatives love to criticize or gossip {without ever making the effort to reach out directly}, acting all superior like they're looking down on you. Eventually, you just start to realize there are so many different factors at play in situations like this.

It’s the same thing with other family connections, or even close lifelong friends. That slow drifting apart starts to feel really strange after a while, but hey, that's just life, I guess. Maybe some people are just tired of one another {though if you ran into them by chance in downtown Chicago, you'd probably still end up having a conversation}

I mean, let's face it—finding deep connections with extended family is hard enough as it is. A lot of things stay fuzzy, and over time, you just kind of get used to the fact that you barely ever speak.

So, what are we thinking for Friday or maybe Saturday? Afternoon or heading into the evening?

Well, I think we could definitely pull something together this weekend. Send over your ideas for locations and times!

So, you want a firm opinion? Hmm. I’d say there are still plenty of topics where I haven't quite gathered enough intel to take a hard stance. I prefer to look at things from a few different angles first. That way, I can try to make a call based on my own internal logic.

Sometimes doing that makes me feel a bit happier in the moment. Though, I guess I might be too soft on things sometimes? It's something I want to work on, but honestly, a lot of stuff held me back from changing that in the recent past. Oh, and I should probably mention—when I really get into a groove while writing, I tend to drift away from my main point. It can get a little messy, I know! But I just try to bridge those thoughts together using associations and related ideas to get to what I actually want to say. It's just how my brain works better.

There’s just something about feeling that spark of kindness and joy... finding inspiration right in the middle of the night. It's been a while, but I finally sat down and scribbled out a haiku.
It gives me a little extra boost, you know?
And even Misha says:

We all need a little love in our lives
Like a bright slice of sky above
Stay kind and keep that spirit high
Wishing everyone the very best we can give

So, if you're up for it, go out and soak up the spring sunshine in a field of wildflowers. Add a little bit of clear blue sky to the mix and just look for happiness. Nothing much falls from the sky, after all... and while summer peaches might pass you by too fast, they're always the sweetest when you catch them!

Hmm, I think it’s actually better to call it a Fight for yourself rather than a fight against yourself. Why? Well, because doing something for your own sake feels right, even if it seems a bit blurry or messy at first {even if it feels like you're working against your own interests for a moment}.

I guess you could compare this to the world of art. I remember reading somewhere that Bryan Adams said something along these lines: "When I was younger, I had more inspiration for songwriting and singing. You could really feel that youth; I was much more aware of what didn't fit." His point was basically that, and honestly, it makes perfect sense.

As for upbringing, man, that's such a massive topic. It gets pretty awkward when parents just can't seem to tap into what their kids actually want to do.
It reminds me of those old-school comments like, "Don't play with him, he's no good," and stuff like that.

If people aren't given enough chances or support—if they get criticized too harshly—then it's no wonder we see higher levels of anxiety and depression. Finding your inner peace becomes a real uphill battle. And without that peace, it's tough to focus {and stay present} or feel any kind of genuine sense of community.

Knowledge is power, sure, but sometimes your thought process just hits a wall. When that happens, it's hard to figure out the purpose behind your choices or how to Fight for things that actually help build your character. Having the grit to stand by yourself in those moments is everything.