Feel This -or- Nature Itself Attests to The Existence of God, Including the Minutia of Your Day and the Times Early in the Morning When You Are Tired

“Seize life! Eat bread with gusto, drink wine with a robust heart. Oh yes-God takes pleasure in your pleasure! Dress festively every morning. Dont' skimp on colors and scarves. Relish life with the spouse you love each and every day of your precarious life. Each day is God's gift. It's all you get in exchange for the hard work of staying alive. Make the most of each one! Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily! This is your last and only chance at it, for there's neither work to do nor thoughts to think in the company of the dead, where you're most certainly headed.” -Ecclesiastes 9: 7-10

“I feel great
Even though we got mad things to deal with
Happiness is all in the mind
Let's unwind, and find a reason to smile
I'm just glad to be livin'
Feelin' fine
Leavin' my bad times behind
Feels great
And no, we can't escape from the realness
Happiness is all in the mind
Let's unwind, and find a reason to smile
I'm just glad to be alive
Feelin' fine
Livin' life one day at a time
Feelin' great”
-“Happiness” by Dead Prez

“I know it aches
How your heart it breaks
And you can only take so much
Walk on, walk on
Leave it behind
You've got to leave it behind
All that you fashion
All that you make
All that you build
All that you break
All that you measure
All that you steal
All this you can leave behind
All that you reason
All that you sense
All that you speak
All you dress up
All that you scheme...”
-“Walk On” by U2

Wake up with tired eyes that burn. Stay in bed longer than you should. Brace yourself, and make your body come out from under your covers. When everything inside you wants to stay asleep, when your body still feels cold and stiff and fights your every move, when the edges of your mind are still blurred by dreams and the steady hum of sleep; be glad and keep moving.

There is a day waiting for you. There is a life waiting outside.

Count each step you take and stretch each muscle. Don’t be ashamed to yawn. Find one thing that makes you happy that you can smile about.

Now go.

Take the day as it comes. Roll with the punches, even if that means you take a few on the chin.

Move lightly through the day if you can; try not to trudge or run through it. Take the deep breaths you need to take and don’t be ashamed to yawn again.

When your flesh inevitably comes into the presence of other flesh, when your eyes meet other eyes, and when your noise mixes with the noise of everyone else’s, try to make it all as honest and as full of love and grace as possible—even to the guy that won’t let you over into his lane.

Eat something good and then try and eat something good for you so you don’t feel as bad about the thing you ate that was REALLY good.

Dispense as many high-fives, hugs, handshakes, fist-bumps, friendly waves, and (if you’re lucky) kisses as possible. And if it is high-fives you choose, use the full variety of high-fives. The side five, the back five, the soft five, the hard five, and the no-look five. And know that if you want to five well, you must focus on the person’s elbow for accuracy. It works every time.

Wear your favorite shirt as many times as you think you can get away with it. Wear your favorite pants even more often.

If you happen to be around a mirror, look into it. But don’t worry about what you see. Don’t be distracted by what is in place and what is not. Look in the mirror in order to look into your own eyes. Try to see what is there and what it means. Don’t fear the questions that this raises.

Look for God wherever you can. Look close and look far. Look in the places you’d expect and look in the places you’ve forgotten God might be found. Try your best to believe, even though it is sometimes hard. Never stop looking.

Don’t stop living. Don’t stop loving. Don’t stop laughing.

When you close your eyes at night, when you slip into sleep, know that it was all good and that it will all be alright.