There comes a time when abbreviating is a welcome relief. I suspect that the creation of abbreviations in the english language is an example of the human need to simplify life. It is not solely based on a desire to make the phrasing faster.
Clearly we live in a very fast paced world. The use of abbreviations certainly aids the speed at which we communicate. Yet the use of abbrevation can extend so much farther. It is not limited to the literal. It can be incredibly valuable in other contexts as well.
There are times when using a paradigm shift to abbreviate views and static elements in your life structure is a welcome and perhaps even necessary action. To cease to extend the vision, viewpoint or emotional connections by simply abbreviating those elements in your daily life. There is no reason to carry them forward in the extended play version.
If this sounds harsh, it is not intended to. If it sounds as if I am advocating for not choosing to sort through and deal with complex issues, again this is not what I intend. There are just times when it is not necessary to dwell or linger when it is simply and obviously time to abbreviate that moment. I know so many people who cling tightly to the trauma and drama of individual occurences. They seem not to realize that it is in the function of holding on to the anger, despair, etc., that they lose their opportunity to move forward to brighter aspects. Should they take a moment to stand back, they most likely would be able to see that they can indeed put the issue at rest. They can indeed abbreviate its hold on them, and arise refreshed and invigorated.
Of course, there are often times that what drives this continued "mad-fest" is constant exposure to the irritant. A perceived inability for the person to separate themselves from the situation that keeps them chained to concern. Here lies the perfect opporunity to abbreviate, to unplug from the cycle. Should one choose, it takes only the effort to decide that the situation does not have control. It has no power over the individual, and as a result the continiung saga can end. I know this sounds impossible, but in point of fact it is not. The call to action is yours alone.
Abbreviate from the negative whenever possible - you may find the doors open much wider than you would ever expect.
Its Cold Out Here....but Beautiful....
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Knights in White Satin
"Knights in White Satin," now there is an unusual visual. The knight whom we normally see as garbed in his suit of mail, armored and hard, dressed in here in flowing white, soft and unprotected. This dichotomy seems to ring true in modern life. I spent the evening talking to someone. They in their own way saw the world as full of knights and damsels in distress. And it bothered them greatly that the damsels so often resisted being saved.
We talked quite a long while. We talked about how the world has evolved. How perhaps what people, (women) are seeking is comfort, not saving. Women have learned over the years to take care of so much of life for themselves. The illusion of the knight has long since past. While they still look at men as strong and vibrant, they simply do not see them as the all necessary cave-man protector anymore. My friend, in his turn, just did not buy that. He really believed that every woman wants to be totally and completely sheltered, cared-for, protected, and indeed directed. And I found this odd, as his mother raised him on his own, and is a self-started career business woman and has always cared for her family without help.
I would be the very first to say that I know of no person who does not want to have the shelter of someone's love to embrace them. I can't think of anyone that does not desire a relationship where they know that person's strength is there to support them when they need it most. But I can say I am pretty sure I don't know of all that many people who want to be totally and completely dominated so that they can be unburdened of the process of dealing with daily life. But perhaps I just hang around in unusual circles.
I have noticed that I have a few friends lately that seem to be changing as rapidly as the leaves are changing colors. Where once they were very internal with private things and gregarious only with external humor - now I hardly recognize them. They have springboarded into putting almost every element of their lives on public display - almost as if the more people who look at what they are doing will somehow make it more real - more valuable. Or perhaps they are stretching to be validated, and this public offering of themselves is their way achieving such validation. On the other hand, some incredibly open people I have known seem to be retracting and pulling back. They have become rather introspective, having reached a time where putting everything out there has lost its luster. And they seem to be gathering nuts for winter, hoarding them away so they will not be hungry later.
My friend and I talked about this changing and pondered if it was the autumnal equinox, the impact of a cultural shift, or if perhaps we just knew people who spanned so many age groups that it was difficult to get a feel for how the world worked anymore. And I think we decided it was the latter. Consistency among our population's mores and value systems is fairly non-existent. And for those of us who dabble in social media, we seem to touch a broader spectrum and perhaps feel more of the disruption of the cultural rhythms.
I like to think that the more we share our views and see the shifting tides, the more likely it is that we will come to understand how it is that our knights can become comfortable in white satin and we can be comfortable seeing them that way too. Its a thought and perhaps a wish too .........
We talked quite a long while. We talked about how the world has evolved. How perhaps what people, (women) are seeking is comfort, not saving. Women have learned over the years to take care of so much of life for themselves. The illusion of the knight has long since past. While they still look at men as strong and vibrant, they simply do not see them as the all necessary cave-man protector anymore. My friend, in his turn, just did not buy that. He really believed that every woman wants to be totally and completely sheltered, cared-for, protected, and indeed directed. And I found this odd, as his mother raised him on his own, and is a self-started career business woman and has always cared for her family without help.
I would be the very first to say that I know of no person who does not want to have the shelter of someone's love to embrace them. I can't think of anyone that does not desire a relationship where they know that person's strength is there to support them when they need it most. But I can say I am pretty sure I don't know of all that many people who want to be totally and completely dominated so that they can be unburdened of the process of dealing with daily life. But perhaps I just hang around in unusual circles.
I have noticed that I have a few friends lately that seem to be changing as rapidly as the leaves are changing colors. Where once they were very internal with private things and gregarious only with external humor - now I hardly recognize them. They have springboarded into putting almost every element of their lives on public display - almost as if the more people who look at what they are doing will somehow make it more real - more valuable. Or perhaps they are stretching to be validated, and this public offering of themselves is their way achieving such validation. On the other hand, some incredibly open people I have known seem to be retracting and pulling back. They have become rather introspective, having reached a time where putting everything out there has lost its luster. And they seem to be gathering nuts for winter, hoarding them away so they will not be hungry later.
My friend and I talked about this changing and pondered if it was the autumnal equinox, the impact of a cultural shift, or if perhaps we just knew people who spanned so many age groups that it was difficult to get a feel for how the world worked anymore. And I think we decided it was the latter. Consistency among our population's mores and value systems is fairly non-existent. And for those of us who dabble in social media, we seem to touch a broader spectrum and perhaps feel more of the disruption of the cultural rhythms.
I like to think that the more we share our views and see the shifting tides, the more likely it is that we will come to understand how it is that our knights can become comfortable in white satin and we can be comfortable seeing them that way too. Its a thought and perhaps a wish too .........
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Rev-it-up............
There are times when the wind is just the right remedy. I am so looking forward to riding again. Nothing really compares to that exhilaration, well almost nothing.
The feeling that grips you as the road spins away, slipping like a ribbon behind you and stretching out in front. Somehow providing a direction, while there is really no place in particular to go. Why on earth this should be such a centering experience I have no idea. But it is. At least it is for me.
I remember riding in college through the beautiful countryside in Texas. The heat making shimmers on the horizon. Of course those were the reckless days without jackets, gloves or helmets. Just tightly braided hair and long days on the cycle. Glory days indeed. And now, helmeted, jacketed, gloved and still braided, traveling through the much colder yet still lovely areas of the Midwest, I find that the rhythm may have changed a bit but the love of the ride has not.
Seems once a rider, always a rider. In someways I find it odd how much I enjoy this past-time. Odd that I love the slow tilt on a lazy street curve through an old town and the fast pace of open-throttled runs along country roads that seem to have no other point but to wind away to no-where. Odd because I am also someone wno loves to wander about on foot through the grasslands and these same small towns.
But perhaps this is not at odds at all. Just different points of view and different paces of feeling the absolute joy and freedom of being totally connected and vibrantly alive.
So while it may look like rain today, tomorrow looks like a lovely day to simply open it up and ride. Yes, definitely time to rev-it-up and just go for it.
The feeling that grips you as the road spins away, slipping like a ribbon behind you and stretching out in front. Somehow providing a direction, while there is really no place in particular to go. Why on earth this should be such a centering experience I have no idea. But it is. At least it is for me.
I remember riding in college through the beautiful countryside in Texas. The heat making shimmers on the horizon. Of course those were the reckless days without jackets, gloves or helmets. Just tightly braided hair and long days on the cycle. Glory days indeed. And now, helmeted, jacketed, gloved and still braided, traveling through the much colder yet still lovely areas of the Midwest, I find that the rhythm may have changed a bit but the love of the ride has not.
Seems once a rider, always a rider. In someways I find it odd how much I enjoy this past-time. Odd that I love the slow tilt on a lazy street curve through an old town and the fast pace of open-throttled runs along country roads that seem to have no other point but to wind away to no-where. Odd because I am also someone wno loves to wander about on foot through the grasslands and these same small towns.
But perhaps this is not at odds at all. Just different points of view and different paces of feeling the absolute joy and freedom of being totally connected and vibrantly alive.
So while it may look like rain today, tomorrow looks like a lovely day to simply open it up and ride. Yes, definitely time to rev-it-up and just go for it.
Friday, September 17, 2010
On Dancing Barefoot
I took the time to escape last night, to wander about in the moonlight and absorb the comfort of the late breezes. After a day of being battered and bruised by the struggles of business and other interuptions in my karmic balance it was wonderful to have the moments of calm.
It takes time to seek the source of inner-balance, especially when the world seems to be making an effort to keep you tilting at proverbial windmills. I found myself wandering through the quiet streets and into the parks and greenspaces, a barefoot traveler seeking a connection to the root.
In times like these it is enriching to consider the balance between earth, sky and water and its parallel to the unity of mind, body and spirit. To underscore in the minds eye the full circle of nature's capacity to provide sustenance in its never ending cycle and apply this to the core knowledge that this is also how a person finds full enrichment.
Standing under the quarter (well almost) moon, with the stars blazing their path through the sky and curling my toes into the grass, I let the breeze lift not only my hair - but my spirits as well. I found in that escape what I needed most - I found myself. The part of me that would be able to withstand the next day's bout of windmill-tilting without doubting the worthiness of the cause or my ability to ably join in the joust.
Refreshed and invigorated, it was easy to wander back to my home and find in it the comfort that waited there as well. It was so very easy to count my blessings and discount the obstacles. Life is indeed for living, learning, loving and dancing in the moonlight under the stars - barefoot and light of heart.
It takes time to seek the source of inner-balance, especially when the world seems to be making an effort to keep you tilting at proverbial windmills. I found myself wandering through the quiet streets and into the parks and greenspaces, a barefoot traveler seeking a connection to the root.
In times like these it is enriching to consider the balance between earth, sky and water and its parallel to the unity of mind, body and spirit. To underscore in the minds eye the full circle of nature's capacity to provide sustenance in its never ending cycle and apply this to the core knowledge that this is also how a person finds full enrichment.
Standing under the quarter (well almost) moon, with the stars blazing their path through the sky and curling my toes into the grass, I let the breeze lift not only my hair - but my spirits as well. I found in that escape what I needed most - I found myself. The part of me that would be able to withstand the next day's bout of windmill-tilting without doubting the worthiness of the cause or my ability to ably join in the joust.
Refreshed and invigorated, it was easy to wander back to my home and find in it the comfort that waited there as well. It was so very easy to count my blessings and discount the obstacles. Life is indeed for living, learning, loving and dancing in the moonlight under the stars - barefoot and light of heart.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Just Beautifully Said
Listen to the song of the Earth as she turns,
Bask in the life of the sun as she burns,
Seek out the power in your own mind's eye,
Listen to your heart, it'll teach you by and by.
Follow your heart, that's where to begin
Chase down those dreams and go a-dancin' with the wind
Listen to the love that you find along the way
Let your light shine in, and sing your life away.
-- Walkin' Jim Stoltz, American folksinger, writer,
environmental activist, and educator, final verse
What more is there to say...................
Bask in the life of the sun as she burns,
Seek out the power in your own mind's eye,
Listen to your heart, it'll teach you by and by.
Follow your heart, that's where to begin
Chase down those dreams and go a-dancin' with the wind
Listen to the love that you find along the way
Let your light shine in, and sing your life away.
-- Walkin' Jim Stoltz, American folksinger, writer,
environmental activist, and educator, final verse
What more is there to say...................
Creating the Wave: Looking Forward
I would rather have my eyes wide open as the waves come crashing toward me than squeeze them shut in an attempt at protection. Perhaps something in the movement of the wave will enable me to know when to launch upward and ride the crest and avoid being dragged downward in its spiraling decline. Yes, I know I risk the spray blinding me, but with my eyes shut I lose all opportunity to find that moment, however slight, to join in the wave's granduer and find release.
Yet I find when I am at the movies and the moment comes when you know the horrible thing is going to occur, I do avert my gaze. I wonder if this is because I know I cannot change what will happen on the screen? Or if it just that I simply do not want that image burned onto my retina. Perhaps it is a bit of both. I suspect it is, indeed, the latter.
Taking this instance one step further. In life, how often do we avert our gaze from that which is too ugly to face? From the slights that occur everyday to people around us that are simply in-humane to the simple act of not seeing the handicapped people among us? I was driving home the other day and was quite surprised at how long it took my fellow drivers to pull to the side of the road when they heard the ambulance siren coming down the road. Even when the vehicle was in clear view there were many cars that did not move until the ambulance was basically parallel to their position. In fact it appeared that they did not move until they were forced to recognize that the ambulance was a part of their reality. And I wondered again, as I waited to move back into traffic, why it is that we choose eyes shut over eyes open so often?
If we move forward with our eyes open we give ourselves maximum opportunity to respond to our environment. We can, potentially ride the wave, perhaps find a piece of flotsam and move in the direction of our choice (or somewhere near to it). If we are there, with our eyes closed, than moving forward is a dangerous activity, for ourselves and for those we interact with. We lessen our opportunities and it would seem lessen the opportunities for others at the same time (or at least create the potential for impairment as we may stumble blindly into anyone's path at anytime.)
It is not easy to keep your eyes open. In fact it is probably easier to exist somewhere in between. I think most of us do just that. Choosing our moments of clarity and interaction. How much more could be achieve if we compelled ourselves to remain in the moment when those moments most make us want to retreat?
Looking forward............
Yet I find when I am at the movies and the moment comes when you know the horrible thing is going to occur, I do avert my gaze. I wonder if this is because I know I cannot change what will happen on the screen? Or if it just that I simply do not want that image burned onto my retina. Perhaps it is a bit of both. I suspect it is, indeed, the latter.
Taking this instance one step further. In life, how often do we avert our gaze from that which is too ugly to face? From the slights that occur everyday to people around us that are simply in-humane to the simple act of not seeing the handicapped people among us? I was driving home the other day and was quite surprised at how long it took my fellow drivers to pull to the side of the road when they heard the ambulance siren coming down the road. Even when the vehicle was in clear view there were many cars that did not move until the ambulance was basically parallel to their position. In fact it appeared that they did not move until they were forced to recognize that the ambulance was a part of their reality. And I wondered again, as I waited to move back into traffic, why it is that we choose eyes shut over eyes open so often?
If we move forward with our eyes open we give ourselves maximum opportunity to respond to our environment. We can, potentially ride the wave, perhaps find a piece of flotsam and move in the direction of our choice (or somewhere near to it). If we are there, with our eyes closed, than moving forward is a dangerous activity, for ourselves and for those we interact with. We lessen our opportunities and it would seem lessen the opportunities for others at the same time (or at least create the potential for impairment as we may stumble blindly into anyone's path at anytime.)
It is not easy to keep your eyes open. In fact it is probably easier to exist somewhere in between. I think most of us do just that. Choosing our moments of clarity and interaction. How much more could be achieve if we compelled ourselves to remain in the moment when those moments most make us want to retreat?
Looking forward............
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Waiting ......
Sitting here on the edge of my seat just waiting for something to happen. Like the Henry James short story I guess. You know the one, where the main character waits their whole life to feel something extraordinary only to realize that the truly extraordinary thing about their life is that they have felt nothing at all. Only of course, in this case, I do actually hope something will happen. I can't just stay on the edge of my chair.
I think patience is, in general a virtue. But deciding to do nothing is a decision of its own, and one I must admit I am not likely to make. So while I sit here for the moment waiting for something to happen, I am also pondering what I will be doing next. Because, happening usually stems from action, and perhaps I am waiting because I have not acted yet. Hmmm? Am I going in circles? Perhaps indeed I am, but for now I think I have some time to think about where I am and to see what will come my way before I decide which path to take and what I will choose to do.
Nothing comes from nothing, something rarely does - So when I start to move I hope I have more than a glimmer of where I plan to go. Funny though how often the path you start out on does not lead you where you thought it would.
I asked a question of my friends the other day - What would you do for perfectly blissful life? Somehow it evolved into what you would you do for a world permanently at peace? The answers have been pretty diverse. Some humourous and some waxing fairly philosophic. And perhaps that is why I am waiting for something to happen. It just feels like I am right on the edge of something new. Perhaps personal, perhaps work, or perhaps the world at large - not sure, but it just feels like the atmosphere is charged somehow. And I think in a very good way.
Guess I will just rest here a bit and see what happens. I think I will probably post the chain from the discussion here - in case anyone wants to add to the thoughts on world peace and bliss -
Looking Forward.............
I think patience is, in general a virtue. But deciding to do nothing is a decision of its own, and one I must admit I am not likely to make. So while I sit here for the moment waiting for something to happen, I am also pondering what I will be doing next. Because, happening usually stems from action, and perhaps I am waiting because I have not acted yet. Hmmm? Am I going in circles? Perhaps indeed I am, but for now I think I have some time to think about where I am and to see what will come my way before I decide which path to take and what I will choose to do.
Nothing comes from nothing, something rarely does - So when I start to move I hope I have more than a glimmer of where I plan to go. Funny though how often the path you start out on does not lead you where you thought it would.
I asked a question of my friends the other day - What would you do for perfectly blissful life? Somehow it evolved into what you would you do for a world permanently at peace? The answers have been pretty diverse. Some humourous and some waxing fairly philosophic. And perhaps that is why I am waiting for something to happen. It just feels like I am right on the edge of something new. Perhaps personal, perhaps work, or perhaps the world at large - not sure, but it just feels like the atmosphere is charged somehow. And I think in a very good way.
Guess I will just rest here a bit and see what happens. I think I will probably post the chain from the discussion here - in case anyone wants to add to the thoughts on world peace and bliss -
Looking Forward.............
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