Carpe Diem

Seize the Day! Everyone says it, but it's much easier said than done. I think in order to seize the day, you have to live in the present, and on a surface level, everyone lives in the present but most people are concerned about preparing for whats to come; or reveling in what happened. There's a song called "I hope tomorrow is like today." In order to say that you are living in the moment, placing emphasis on enjoying the "Now" is essential.  I believe it is important to embrace the things we have and by appreciating them in this way, not taking them for granted. We by our nature must plan and remember, but these thoughts of tomorrow and yesterday are thoughts we are having in the now.

Everyone is concerned about what the future holds and what the past has presented, myself included. By living in the present and not stressing constantly about the future outcomes of events or things that have already occurred which I could not effect I have become a happier and more enlightened person. Just by thinking positively and being outwardly happy, people have been nicer to me and picked up on it on a subconscious level. Its weird what a smile and hug can do for a person's day.

Meeting new people is always a good thing, but what's more interesting is meeting a new person that you have once known. There are certain constants that hold steady and this is the part of the person that is in your memory, but growing up and out and upside down, sideways and rightways, and all the complexities people come to develop are fascinating and exciting. Imagine meeting someone you used to know as playing Jenga backwards but with all new pieces and the old version of them is the tower that falls over, but the new schema of knowledge, information, and personality is the new tower, but since people always continue to grow you're always adding new pieces. I'm not sure if that makes sense to everyone or anyone; I am getting sleepy.... I hope I get to play reverse Jenga soon then I'll be better able to say what its like instead of juxtaposing imagination with anticipation.

70 year old Zen master from Cleveland

(Holmes' have done a lot of work on the building on the right through three generations)

As I left off I was going to discuss the East-meets-West Zen Philosophy I've been exposed to while spending time with my Dad. He's been fighting cancer for about seven years now, and has had multiple surgeries including the removal of his lung and his left shoulder ball and socket. The latter was a painful limb salvage surgery which gives the appearance of a fully functional limb, without function. The problem is that there is severe nerve damage causing extreme pain. 
He uses meditation as a method of dealing with severe and acute pain attacks. Through his study of meditation he has stumbled upon Zen, and has done a suprisingly stunning job of passing his reading and philosophical reflection on to me during our time together.
My Dad has always been a religious person, but has recently become more spiritual. Not to say that he has turned off to being Catholic, its just that he looks at things from a more spiritual perspective. We have been learning about how to define Zen in a traditional western mindset. The simplest way to do this is to think of a Full moon, and its reflection in the ocean. The Moon does not wait for the water to cast its reflection just as the water does not actively prepare to cast it. They do it simultaneously, naturally, and without deliberate action. I've been trying to live my life more in this fashion, and because of that everything seems to be falling into place without having to be forced.

I have 3 scheduled meetings with very important people this week. One is with a professor whom I've never had the pleasure of having a class with but none the less has gone out of his way to provide his knowledge and time as a Mentor, Dr. Junkunc, a man I admire very much and hold in very high regard. The second meeting is with Dr. Ullmann, he has been my mentor in marrying my entrepreneurial skill set with the health sector. He has shown me paths that I previously did not know existed as far as education and experience was concerned, and I believe he will continue to do this. My most influential entrepreneurship mentor sent me a lead on a position in a large Health Informatics company. All of these men have been recognized very recently for their dedication to helping and mentoring students such as myself. The third meeting is with the Director of the Collier County Health Department. Although I only met her briefly, I can tell she is a sincere and kind individual and I look forward to what will come of it. After this week I should have a clearer picture of what the road of my career will look like in the near future.