Magic

Heidi & I have always been big fans of Disney & as I've mentioned before we were married at Disney World in 2000. Disney does many things very well including their movies, parks & merchandising but the one thing they do above everything else is create an atmosphere of joy. In our recent visit to Disney World I saw this phrase in many places "Where magic happens everyday". What does this have to do with my blog? Well, I believe in Magic. I think magical things happen all around us everyday. Beyond my love for the magic in the world this statement creates an atmosphere that each of us should consider.

I've written in the past about how thoughts become things. Therefore, if we focus on thoughts that create the world we want, we will create that world. For me, I can't imagine a world without magic. I am continually awed at the wonder in the world. I find great joy in the smallest things like; watching the birds, seeing the clouds or talking with the animals that enter my life. I also believe that magical things happen all around us everyday. I choose to believe in magic & therefore I see magical things happen all around me....that's the way it works.

In your life you can choose what you want to see. The power of thought is an amazing power. The problem is that we can have an internal dialogue that creates our world even when that dialogue is never expressed, that's how powerful thoughts are. By choosing a mantra or certain thoughts that you want to create in your life & repeating that mantra many times throughout the day we can focus our thoughts on what we want to create. This focusing won't eliminate the internal dialogue but it will begin to minimize it's effect.

When what you want to create isn't being manifested in your life one of the first places I look is my internal dialogue. This internal dialogue is often your EGO talking. For me it works like this; "I don't have time to pay attention to the flowers right now I have too much that I need to do for me." this might be my internal voice & my immediate reaction to what I'm facing but through my personal work & experience I have learned to let go of that thought & take the time I need to enjoy the flowers. We all have this internal dialogue. We can choose to listen to it or try to ignore it but it won't go away easily. By repeating a mantra over & over again we can change our initial thought from the EGO to what we truly want to manifest in our life. Quieting our internal dialogue can be a long process because of the years & years we've allowed it to flourish. Don't get discourage you can change your thoughts & create the world you want to see.

Believe in magic!! Discover the wonder in the world today & find the joy in each & every moment!! I believe in you & I know there's magic in everything!

Till tomorrow,

Bill


PS I'm still looking for more people who would like to be a guest blogger on my blog (thanks to those who have responded thus far). If you're interested contact me at timberwolf12345@gmail.com.

Quote of the day: "Take time to see the magic in everything around you because magic happens here everyday!"

The beauty of the human spirit

I've always been an optimist, many of the things I discuss in this blog took me years to learn but I've always been a positive, optimistic person. I bring this up because I was truly renewed over our vacation by the beauty of the human spirit. I was able to meet, assist & talk to many people from all over the world. I smiled at everyone who walked into my world & without exception I was smiled back at. I offered assistance & said hello to the people who responded with more then a smile. I had some long discussion with people from many places in the world on the Disney World buses or people camping next to us in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

Why do I bring this up? Because I know that together we can do anything. I'm tired of hearing how no one cares & that the challenges we all need to face in the world today are insurmountable. The news we all watch is generally depressing & it robs our spirit. I'm not trying to make light of the challenges in front of us, some of them like the Gulf oil spill, are a difficult lesson that we all need to learn. But, I believe that we will rise to the challenges that we face. We always have & in times of great crisis some of the best ideas are generated.

We are coming together as never before in the world. The world is getting smaller because of the technology that we've invented & by being able to interact with people from all over the world we slowly remove the barriers of differences. The differences we have make us unique, they no longer need to divide us.

I love people, I love the human spirit & I believe that there is a new consciousness being born & the true spirit of cooperation will lead us to a new world order. Let go of the negativity around you. Discover the joy in every moment. Find the best in every person in your life. Help change the world & believe in beauty of the human spirit.

Till tomorrow,

Bill

PS I am looking for guest bloggers, if you'd like to write a blog here about discovering the joy in your life please email me at timberwolf12345@gmail.com I'd love to post your thoughts.

Quote of the day: "Believe in the beauty of the human spirit, together we can accomplish anything. Start today & discover the best in everyone in your life."

The power of water

Over the past couple of weeks I've experienced many amazing things. I allowed each moment to be the only moment, regardless of what was going on. I was able to deeply feel things in myself that I had lost my connection to. One of the things that impressed me the most is water. We can learn a great deal from water, water always finds a way. The path that water takes may not be the path we expect but water always takes the path of least resistance. Water has patience beyond anything we can imagine (just take a look at the Grand Canyon) & it has a deep power that should be respected.

Heidi & I hiked out to Abrams Falls (The above picture) overall it was an easy hike. The path was much more rocky then I remembered but it was still only 2.5 miles each way. We hiked up & down several mountains to get to this special place & if it wasn't for the 90+ degree heat & the 90%+ humidity it would have been a really easy hike (although the national park calls it strenuous). Once we made it to the falls we sat & admired this beautiful place. We had started early so it hadn't gotten crowed yet & we were able to sit & listen to the power of the water.

In the moments we had at this beautiful place I reflected on how important water is to my life & as I stated above, how much each of us can learn from water. I realized that many of my favorite pictures that I have taken over the years were pictures that included water. Water is needed to sustain life & fresh water may become as precious as gold in the future if we don't take care of it now. Water can wear away the strongest rock yet it flows right through our hands.

Water is a true mystery it can be present as a solid, liquid or a gas (water vapor) & in each of these states it can effect the environment around it. The same is true for each of us. We have the power to effect our own environment & our thoughts & actions can change things without us even realizing it. Take time to appreciate the things around you. Take time to learn from water.

Till tomorrow,

Bill

PS I would like to have a few guest bloggers on my blog. If you have something you'd like to post here that reveals your own path to joy send me an email timberwolf12345@gmail.com

Quote of the day: "We can learn so much from water, take time to appreciate the power of water in your life!"

Believe in yourself!

I've written before about how we're not allowed to make mistakes anymore. In the world today everyone is trying to do things better & faster. Mistakes are held against us & we are judged for every one we make. It didn't use to be that way, people use to be allowed to make mistakes & discover who they are or what they are good at but because of all the pressure that's associated with trying to live a "perfect" life we lose who we are. Discovering ourselves is one of the most important things we can do in our life & I've written before on the ways I've used to discover my true self & my true life's purpose. The most important aspect of discovering yourself is taking the time to look inside & learning to move beyond the EGO.

Today I want to discuss the other part of getting through your daily life & overcoming the mistakes you make. Besides getting to know who you are, the most important advice I could give anyone is to believe in yourself. We all get caught up in the labels that everyone else gives us. We listen so carefully to what others say about us. We worry that we're not liked or that we're misunderstood. Stop it, stop being concerned about what others think. Live your life for yourself. Be true to who you are & believe in yourself.

I'm not saying that you should blindly go through life believing that every action you take is always the right thing to do. No, just the opposite, you need to pay attention to the signs that God/universe sends you in your life. You need to take the time to discover & connect to your true self (soul) & you need to live your life from a place of love. But, the world can be a cruel place & we can encounter people in our life that are very difficult to get along with. To move beyond the hardships we face in life we need to have a deep seated believe in who we are & what we want to do. This believe needs to be flexible & ever changing as we discover the world as it unfolds before us in each moment. But, we need to believe.

Trust in who you are & let go of the need for approval from others. Believe in the process of discovery & life will open up before you. By believing in yourself you move beyond the influences of others & onto a more joyful life.

I believe in each of you. I believe that at our core we are all loving, good people. Take the time to love yourself, open your heart to others & believe in who you are!!

Hugs,

Bill

P.S. I'll be away for a couple of weeks. We were fortunate to get a nice anniversary gift from my in-laws & we're going to travel to Disney World (where we got married) & then camp in the Smoky Mountains. I'm not sure how much internet access I will have at either place so I won't be writing this blog until I return. Please take time to read some of the topics I've written in the past...I look forward to hearing from each of you....hugs


Quote of the day:"Believe in yourself, trust in love & the world will become more amazing then you can imagine."

The skin of our teeth!

I played the lead character of George Antrobus in Thornton Wilder's "The skin of our teeth" when I was a sophomore in college. Why do I bring this up today? because that was a longtime ago & I woke up this morning with the line that's repeated over & over again in that show in my head: "We got through that by the skin of out teeth, one more tight squeeze like that & where would we be!". For those of you that don't know the play "The skin of our teeth" it's about the history of man & how close we were at different points in our history to not making to the next step. We as the human race are very fortunate. We've always found away to survive, even when things get really tough.

So you're wondering what the play has to do with this blog....aren't you? I think there's a lot to be learned from from the line. Remember that our thoughts create actions & if we walk through life believing that we're just getting through it by the skin of our teeth, we will create situations that we just barely get through. That's not a life that we should want to live. We can & should give ourselves credit for making it through difficult times. We tend to not want to give ourselves a pat on the back at all let alone for making it through the things we've had to in our life. I was taught a while ago to stop being so hard on myself. As part of being less hard on myself I was told to reflect on everything I've been through in my life. We're talking about the life changing moments or the difficult times that we all have to get through, if we look back at what we've gotten through & give ourselves credit for still being here, we can begin to understand that we can get through anything. We truly can!!

Life is about the things we experience. We are only an accumulation of our past experiences. I've spoken often in this blog about how we need to let go of the past & live in the current moment. We all get too hung up in what's happened to us in the past. We should, however give ourselves credit for surviving through the challenges we've faced. Don't wear your challenges as a badge of courage. Instead just give yourself credit for getting through these challenges & understand how strong you really are.

The other important message in the play "The skin of our teeth" is that together we can do anything. Each of the characters in the play has their part to help the family survive. We are all part of a great family & we each have our own role to make the world a better place. Trust in your abilities. Believe in your strength!! & remember that thoughts create things. Change the words you use & open your mind to the possibilities of a more joyful life.

Till tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the day:"The seed of joy grows in each of us with care & love. Take care of your thoughts & let joy grow & thrive!"

Finding joy in difficult times

This week I will celebrate 1 year of being unemployed. It is the first time in my life that I haven't been able to find a job. In the past I've been unemployed before but always found work within a short period of time. This time it's been very different, I've only had 2 interviews in the past year. One of the interviews I was way over qualified for & knew I wouldn't get the job. The owner of the company even told that but it was nice to go through the process anyway. The 2nd interview just happened recently & it was in another state which could be the hang up. I've been told that companies won't move people anymore because there are so many people out of work.

I've been asked how I stay so joyful with all of this going on. The answer, to me, is continuing to live in the now. I have times when I get down just like anyone else but because of the practices I learned in my life these times don't last very long. I get frustrated because of not being able to find a job or doing anything to help contribute to the finances of our home but again I move beyond these troubled feelings because of trusting in God/universe.

The truth is I'm just like anyone else struggling to get by. The only difference is that because of the time & energy I've put into self growth I've been able to look at this time as a bump in the road of life. Over the past year I've continued to grow & writing this blog has contributed to my growth. In many ways this time has been very good for me. My self growth & spiritual growth have truly amazed me. It's rare in this world today to have time to focus on yourself the way I have & that's why I encourage each of you to take time for yourself even in your busy life.

I've gone through all of the emotions any of us would go through when something like this happens. I was truly scared to death when I was let go. I didn't believe we would make it through last summer but slowly I began to understand that with a little help anything is possible. I'm not sure, at this point, when I'll discover my next job but I remain open to God/universe & continue to stay living in the now. I truly can't be concerned about tomorrow because I don't know what tomorrow will bring.

The message I have for each one of you, is to know that life is a joyful celebration & no matter what is happening in your life there is always joy to be found. Look for the joy & let go of the pain. The choice is yours, you can live each moment to the fullest or you can coast through life amusing that when the next big thing happens you'll finally be happy. You have the power to change your life, I know because I've done it. Believe in the process & most of all believe in yourself.

Till tomorrow,

Hugs,

Bill

Quote of the day: "The discovery of joy in each moment is a choice we all can make. Let go of tomorrow & live your life to the fullest today."

BTW, if anyone is curious my last position was Tax Controller of a large real estate company, before that I worked 9 years with a Big 4 accounting firm. I also have 8 years in Banking/finance & have volunteered & worked for non-profits.

Celebrating my 200th Blog!

Today I am blessed to write my 200th blog post. I have never been big on milestones, I enjoy living in the moment & allowing the world to unfold around me. If you asked me last June if I would still be writing this blog, I would have said I really don't know. I began writing here through the urgings of many friends on twitter who enjoyed what I had to say about life. I have worked hard to keep this blog on topic, I veered off to share my daughters wedding last August & talked in Feb. for a week about my favorite national parks but all in all I've tried each day to write about the ways each of us can discover more joy in our lives.

The amazing byproduct of writing this blog is how much it's helped me to continue to grow & learn. The responses I've received for all of you have blown me away & I appreciate each & everyone of you. I don't claim to have all the answers. I only know that my life has changed dramatically over the years & I've been able to live an incredibly joyful life for a longtime now.

Things aren't perfect in my life & that's just fine with me. I've learned to roll with the punches & find the joy even in difficult times. In a small way I've tried to help to change the world. I believe in people & I know that each of us can affect the world more then we can imagine. Believe in the power you have inside of you, you are connected to everything & in that connection to God/universe everything is possible.

Thank you for your love & support but more importantly thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts & change your life. You are a co-creator of everything in your life. Create the life you want to live & watch it unfold before you.

Till Monday, enjoy your weekend.

Hugs,

Bill

Quote of the day:"You can create the life you desire. Believe in the power you have & know that love is the catalyst to finding a more joyful life."

Exercise

Do you exercise? I believe that keeping your body fit helps to lead to a better life overall. I was always very active in sports & I had one of those metabolisms that worked overtime until I was in my early 40's. I never really had to worry about staying in shape or gaining weight. That all changed when I hit my mid 40's after many years of sitting behind a desk doing taxes & not having the time (so I thought) to exercise I put on some weight. Once I realized it I got back into an exercise routine. Currently I ride my bike between 16-20 miles a day in the morning & hike with the dogs through our state park approx. 4 miles in the evening. Sure there's times it's a bit hard but overall I feel much better because I'm getting myself back into shape.

The type of exercise I actually want to talk about today is spiritual exercise. Everything I've written over the last 11 months about spiritual growth & living a more joyful life depends on taking the time to work on the things in your life that you need to work on. I know we're all busy & I know that many of us put our needs behind everyone & everything else that comes into our life. We need to stop doing that!! We need to put ourselves first at least most of the time. The work you do on yourself will lead to a more joyful life which in turn will help everyone else in your life. Take time delve into the subjects I've discussed. Find the trouble spots in your life. Work through these issues & reconnect with your true self (soul).

In taking the time to reflect, grow & work on the things we need to work on in our life we will discover the path to a better life. I know, you think about it all the time. You mean to get to it. I understand how life can get away from you, before you know it you'll be looking back & wondering where your life has gone. Stop coasting through life & learn to live life to the fullest. I believe in each & everyone of you because I've been there & I changed my life through the very things I write about. I love my life (other then the looking for a job part), I'm very happy with who I am. It took me a longtime to get there. I know how much work is involved but just like exercise for your body the return is amazing.

Take time for yourself today. Start an exercise program to improve yourself. Move beyond the norm in your life. Find a way past the EGO, let go of the need to help others for just a short time & take care of yourself, grow, learn & become everything you can be!!

Till tomorrow,

Bill

P.S. Tomorrow is my 200th blog I'm not sure what I'll write about yet but I would love to hear from each you on what blogs were your favorites. Thanks for all the support.

Quote of the day:"Exercise not only your body but your mind & spirit. Take time to do the work on you & discover a more joyful life today!!!"

Priorities

Have you set priorities for your life? Do you make a list of the things you want to accomplish? Do you even think about what's important in your life? So many of us just try to get through the day. Somewhere in our head we may have thought about what we want to accomplish in our life but we never spend much time really thinking about it. Before we know it we're 10, 20 or maybe even 30 years down the road in our life & we wonder what happened to the priorities we had for this life of ours.

It's easy to look back & figure out the big events in our life but to live the life we desire takes thought now. I've talked a lot in this blog about living in the current moment & discovering the joy that each moment has for us but that doesn't mean you shouldn't have priorities in your life. One of my first blog's was about creating a vision board & spending time each day in front of this board. This vision board should be filled with your life priorities. You should take time each day to sit quietly & focus on the pictures or words you post on this vision board.

If a vision board isn't your thing, write down the priorities for your life. Writing can be a strong way to focus on what you want to accomplish in your life. Look at the list of your life priorities, take time to focus on what you want to accomplish. Whether you use a vision board or just a list the important thing is to take time to think about what your want to accomplish.

Don't be rigid with your priorities, be willing to change them as new things come into your life. Being flexible in your life is extremely important. Things change all around us & as we grow things that were once important are no longer that important to us. It is by being flexible that we open our lives to the greatest number of possibilities. This flexibility is especially important in achieving our life priorities.

Taking time each day to think about what is important in our life will bring more of your priorities into your life on daily basis. Remember that the path we take to achieving these priorities isn't as important as achieving them. We need to release the results & allow God/universe to work for us.

Set your life priorities today, take time each day to think about your priorities & watch the world unfold before you. You have the power to create anything you want in your life. Believe in yourself & believe in the help that God/universe will send you.

Till tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the day: "To accomplish your life priorities, take time each day to reflect on what's important in your life. Open your heart & allow God/universe to assist in creating the life you always dreamed of."

Seasons

With this weekend being the unofficial start to summer I thought it was time to look again at the seasons. As many of you know I've always had a very close connection to nature & to me the seasons of nature mirror the seasons we all go through in our life. With the start of summer we look to the fulfillment of all our efforts. The summer is a time to enjoy the hard work we've put into our own personal growth. We've made it through the darkness of the winter where we reflect on the past seasons & wait for the spring where we can begin to grow again.

Each season has a purpose within our life & within nature. Whether the timing of the seasons in our life coincide with the actual seasons in nature isn't important. Each of us goes through the cycles of nature: Winter (fallow times, time to strength our roots & self-reflection) Spring (rebirth, growth, storms) Summer (time to enjoy, time to relax & reap the rewards of our hard work in the winter & the growth we experienced in the spring) Fall (time to harvest everything we've planted & prepare for the winter). These cycles are something to remember & observe in your life. No matter how good or bad things are in your life you will move into the next cycle sometime. If you prepare for these cycles, as nature does, you will be ready to experience everything you should in the cycle you're in & you will understand that we all have fallow times & times to enjoy.

As we all get out into nature & enjoy the outside, whether it be our own backyard or a National Park, take time to reconnect with nature. Enjoy the summer, enjoy your life & remember the joy of this season so you'll be prepared when winter comes around again. You are ready to bloom, let go & be everything you can be.

Till tomorrow,


Bill

Quote of the day: "The seasons of our life mirror the seasons in nature, enjoy the summer & discover the joy in this special time of year."

Regrets

"Regrets, I've had a few; But then again, too few to mention. I did what I had to do And saw it through without exemption."

A great old song from Frank Sinatra, I know I'm showing my age, LOL but the message is something to remember. There's really two parts to this message. The first is to let go of regrets. I've talked before about moving beyond the past. I've even given some techniques that I've used. Regrets will eat you up inside, know that what has happened has happened & there's no guarantee that things would have turned out perfectly if you had done something different. We love to imagine where we'd be if only I would have done this!! Or if I hadn't given up on that!! The truth is that you are exactly where you're suppose to be. The only time that matters is this present moment because it's all we really have.

The past is what formed us but by holding on to the past we limit our future. This is especially true with past emotions. We hold onto the emotions that formed us even when we believe we've moved beyond the event. We create triggers & sometimes we don't even understand that the reason why we react, in a certain way, is because of the buried emotions we've never let go. These buried emotions can cause extreme reactions like crying, fear or anger. The only way to live in the current moment is to understand these emotions, learn what the triggers are, acknowledge the feeling & then let it go. I know this sounds easy & truthfully sometimes it can be easy but other times it takes work. To allow yourself to feel the original emotion can be difficult. The longer it's been buried the harder it can be but to move beyond but you need to feel the hurt you've buried or you'll always be stuck in the past.

Regrets can be the same way. You are immediately pulled into the past looking at what would have turned out differently if you had done this or that. We wear our regrets as badges of courage sometimes. "If I hadn't taken that job I would have been a pro golfer" or something like that. The truth is we have no idea what would have happened if we had gone on a different path. We create a glorified reality to lift ourselves beyond the life we are living right now. We love to dream what would have happened & it's so easy to imagine the great successes we would have had. Let go of the regrets in your life & enjoy where you're at now!!

The second part of this song to me is to live your life without regrets. If we live in the current moment & stay connected to our true self (soul) we will find more joy then we can imagine. Understand that there's a reason for everything that happens in your life & although we can all run into rough patches in our lives. The way to move beyond these tough times is to stay focused on the beauty in the current moment. We have an amazing strength within us & this strength is born from our connection to everything. You have the ability to create the life you want, believe in yourself & trust in God/universe. Begin today & discover the true joy in your life.

Till Monday, enjoy your weekend.

Bill


Quote of the day:"Let go of the regrets you have in your life. Live in the now & discover more joy then you can imagine."

Harmony

Do you think about living in harmony? What does harmony mean to you? Everything in the world that we know both within us & outside of us is perfectly balanced. "Every action has an equal and opposite reaction" as Issac Newton told us many years ago. Newton was talking about the physical world & his description is the law of motion but I believe this statement is goes much deeper then he ever intended.

I always look to nature. I think above everything else in my life my connection to nature has been the most consistent. I don't claim to be a naturalist, I just love to observe the way nature works. The harmony in nature is very apparent if we allow it to be. Animals control their numbers depending on the resources available or they are culled to an acceptable level by predators. We use to have a great connection with the earth & the creatures that live on it. Unfortunately through the industrial age we have begun to lose that connection. The earth is in disarray but I believe it will self-correct and return to a state of harmony.

In our lives harmony is just as important as it is in nature. When we live outside of the flow of life, we don't feel quite right. We become ill or depressed because the natural cycle of our life has been interrupted. Rediscovering the harmony in your life isn't difficult, it only takes time & an open mind.

Each of us should strive to only take what we give. We should take time to listen to the natural flow of our life. We should discover the joy of living in perfect harmony. I believe we all have a life's purpose & God/universe guides us along the path of life to lead us to this life's purpose. Sometimes we take a wrong turn but I believe that God/universe gently tries to nudge us back on course. Sometimes we get so lost the and path back to our life's purpose can take us our entire lifetime.

We become lost in our life because we've stopped listening & allow the EGO to take over. The EGO isn't interested in harmony, it only wants more & more & more. It's thirst can never be quenched. Allow the harmony to return to your life. If we each learn to live in harmony within ourselves the world will be a better place. Life is to short to be disconnected from your true source. Open your heart & listen to the natural flow of everything within & without yourself. Be in harmony & discover more joy in every moment.

Till tomorrow,


Bill

Quote of the day: "Rediscover the natural rhythm in your life. Discover harmony & find the joy that's missing."

A Chance encounter

A chance encounter that lead to love. Today is my 10th anniversary. If you've read this blog for a while you know I believe in miracles. I think amazing things can happen in your life everyday if you just look for them. How do I know this? Because miracles have happened to me & one of the greatest miracles was meeting Heidi.

Here's the story of our meeting: Heidi & I were both working at a professional theatre in Kentucky in 1996. Heidi was a stage manager & I was an actor. The theatre had community mailboxes for everyone in the company to pick up their mail. I had been working at the theatre for nearly month & went to pick-up my mail & Heidi was there. I said: "Hi, what are you doing this season?" she answered: "I'm stage managing" I replied "Oh, I don't like manager's". That's how a chance encounter changed my life.

Heidi didn't stage manage any of my shows that summer but we became friends & stayed friends. We would explore the area on our off day "Monday" & just have a lot of fun together. Three years later on the stage of the theatre we met in-front of 250 people & the former governor of Kentucky, I proposed to Heidi. She was stage managing the evening performance & I was doing the curtain speech. The "ring" was actually given to her by the light operator (a woman), as she was up in the booth getting ready for the show. We were married on this day in 2000 at Disneyworld, yes Disneyworld. We were married behind the Polynesian resort at a place called Sunset Pointe. The picture that is my profile picture is from that special day.

So why I am I writing about this here? Because we never know who we're going to meet in our life. The challenge in everyday is to be open to the people who come into your life. You never know who's going to walk into your life & make a difference. I would have never thought that this chance encounter would change my life but by being open to anyone who enters my life, I was able to change my life forever.

Let go of the judgment of others in your life. Open your heart & listen to everyone. We can all learn from the people who enter your life & the message they bring may change your life forever. Miracles happen, I've seen them happen in my life. Today the miracle could be yours.

Till tomorrow,

Bill


Quote of the day: "A chance encounter can change your life. Open your heart to everyone who enters your life & amazing things can happen."

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