Category: writing

Relax, Nothing is Under Control

The sun will rise
And set
Relax, nothing is under control

Days will go by
People will get sick
Loved ones will die

Jobs will be lost
People will cheat, lie, and push your buttons
Relax, nothing is under control

Our mission is to rise above and stay positive even in the darkest of times
Knowing that everything & everyone is impermanent

We can find joy by letting go of control of others and situations
All we can control is our reaction and attitude to the chaos around us
Resilience is built by not avoiding hard situations but by embracing them with love, compassion, and acceptance.

With aloha,

Johnny

Liberation

Let go of the need to be right
Let go of the need to control others
Let go of the need to control your surroundings
Allow others to be who they are
Allow situations to unfold without complaining or controlling anything
True liberation is found when we don’t allow outside situations to hinder our own happiness
True strength found in staying positive even in the most challenging situations

Your life is your message

With aloha,

Johnny

The Beauty of Impermanence.

Why do we only appreciate places, people, and pets when they are near their end?

Or worst off when they are already gone..

We know logically that all things must come to an end.

A sunrise will turn to sunset, leading to a new day.

Everything & everyone has a shelf life.

Could we feel Impermanence emotionally instead of purely logically?

Most run around ungrateful for life.

That life SHOULD be a certain way.

Instead of embracing the uncertainty.

And being grateful for what they have.

Many live as if they will never die.

Only to never truly live.

What if we could live each day knowing that our life and everything/everyone will end?

Would we cherish even the worst of pain?

Knowing that life itself is precious.

Gratitude is the antidote to anger & resentment.

Being mindful of the impermanence of life is key to enjoying what we have today.

Starting today we can build a better life for ourselves & the world around us.

With Aloha,

Johnny

Indentured Servitude

I’m an indentured servant in the 21st century

Not to a single person

But to my discover and capital one credit cards

Commercials taught me I needed these precious cards

They they would bring me joy

The opposite was true

For every time I gambled

The shackles on my wrists got tighter

Everytime I mindlessly consumed

The shackles got tighter

The thousands I spent at coffee shops was all to dig myself deeper into financial slavery


Until one day I awoke to my servitude

Realizing my freedom has been stripped from me slowly each day from my unwise decisions

Now aware

I will be more mindful

I will practice discipline

I will practice compassion

I will practice transparency

I will break from indentured servitude

One day at a time


With aloha,

Johnny

Practicing Peace.

I recently went to a Vegfest in my local community. The food was great and overall the message was a positive one. A message that we can help stop climate change, transform our health, and vote with our wallets to stop cruelty against animals through eating a plant based diet. A few of the vegans were so angry at meat eaters though. One of the presenters went on an angry tangent about decapitated pigs heads at the grocery store. She yelled at the crowd that she couldn’t understand meat eaters(even though she ate these products most of her life). It was a friendly reminder to me that true compassion encompasses all beings, not just those who live the same way as you. The way of peace doesn’t condone violence but seeks to understand others instead of judge. True compassion encompasses Hitler, Stalin, and Charles Manson.

If we want others to be more peaceful we must be peaceful, it’s as simple as that. Maybe we could just focus on ourself, making our own life our message to others? Our message of peace will be watered down if we communicate in a violent way. Practicing non-violence is something MLK, Gandhi, Jesus, Buddha, and mother Theresa all agreed on. It’s something they wanted us to practice on a daily basis. The next time we complain about the world affairs we could ask ourself “how can we expect the world to be at peace if we aren’t?”

Focus within. One lit candle can light a thousand candles.

With Aloha,

Johnny Hoffman

Paving My Own Path.

Culture wants me a certain way

Break under the pressure

Bend my values

Ignore my instinct of compassion

Indulge my ego

Feed my darker side

How do I pave my own path with such pressure?

Constant flashing lights

Tell me to eat foods against my values of health & compassion

The talking heads on the screen tell me to fear the world

They have enticed me my entire life to choose greed, hatred, fear & apathy

Dividing me into a million labels

For me to fear the other

Not today

I will choose another path

Paved with compassion, understanding, & love

This is the path of the peaceful warrior

A path that doesn’t fight greed, anger, & hatred

It just focuses on growing peace by showing compassion, love, & understanding to all

You are Divine.

Divinity is found within all

Even if they don’t realize it

Buried under years of conditioning

Fear, anger & greed cover the jewel that is your true nature

To be kind

To help

To love

Wisdom is the process of unlearning

Unlearning old habits & beliefs that hold back us from touching true joy

Allowing us to see our true nature

Living Our Values.

Compassion begins with me

Peace begins with me

Love begins with me

How I talk

How I listen

How I eat

How I breathe

How I write

I must live my values in order to make the world a better place

I must practice faith that what I do matters in an infinite universe