The Three Keys to Peace, Joy and Harmony

"Know Thyself," carved into the temple at Delphi (circa 440 BC)

"Nothing in Excess," The second motto of the Temple of Delphi.

And for me, the third key to bring about peace, joy and harmony into my life is
The Golden Rule. . . . which dates back to ancient times and encompasses a wide range of world cultures and religions.

The ancient GREEK meaning of the Golden Rule:

"What thou avoidest suffering thyself seek not to impose on others." Epictetus

"It is impossible to live a pleasant life without living wisely and well and justly (agreeing 'neither to harm nor be harmed'), and it is impossible to live wisely and well and justly without living a pleasant life." Epicurus

Other translations of the Golden Rule" are:

Buddhism

"Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill."

"One who, while himself seeking happiness, oppresses with violence other beings who also desire happiness, will not attain happiness hereafter."

Baha'i Faith

"Ascribe not to any soul that which thou wouldst not have ascribed to thee, and say not that which thou doest not."

"Blessed is he who preferreth his brother before himself."

Christianity

"Love your neighbor as yourself."

"Do to no one what you yourself dislike." ("Do unto others as you would have done unto you.")

Confucianism

"Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself."

Taoism

"Regard your neighbor's gain as your own gain, and your neighbor's loss as your own loss."

"The sage has no interest of his own, but takes the interests of the people as his own. He is kind to the kind; he is also kind to the unkind: for Virtue is kind. He is faithful to the faithful; he is also faithful to the unfaithful: for Virtue is faithful."

Hinduism

"One should never do that to another which one regards as injurious to one’s own self. This, in brief, is the rule of dharma. Other behavior is due to selfish desires."

Judaism

"That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn."

"Thou shalt not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD."

Islam

“That which you want for yourself, seek for mankind.”

“None of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.”

Jainism

"Just as pain is not agreeable to you, it is so with others. Knowing this principle of equality treat other with respect and compassion."

GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND MAY THIS NEW YEAR BRING US CLOSER TO OUR ORIGINAL SELVES . . . OUR TRUE SELVES. MAY WE FIND OUR MEANING WITHIN. AND MAY WE ALL ASPIRE TO LIVE BY THE THREE KEYS TO PEACE, JOY AND HARMONY.


Side Note - I left this blog post even though it was meant for my Sacred Footing blogsite. You see, I had just published the Violin article and was writing this for Sacred Footing. When I discovered that I had made a "mistake," something had happened and I could no longer delete it. (i.e. a comment arrived literally seconds after I hit the publish button and I did not want to not delete the comment) I did post this on my Sacred Footing blog as well.

Painting Myself into Existence

Finding myself within the stone . . . painting myself into existence . . . such is life . . . such is reality.

Aquainted with Evil - Innocence Lost

As a people, have we changed at all? Have we evolved at all? To loosely quote from one of Castaneda's books; "If you think you've changed a little, you haven't changed at all."
When I think back . . . back centuries . . . back millennia . . . I have little hope left. Little hope for all of us, for mankind as a whole, and for me who is a part of this whole.


For as far back as we can collectively remember through historical writings, art, stories . . . from the beginning of our existence we have continued to make the same ill-fated errors in judgment over and over again. To our detriment, we have continued to be the same 'people' we have always been, regardless of the difficult life-lessons we have experienced, the pain, the sorrow and the obvious karmic outcomes of our doings.

Since our beginning, we have engaged ourselves in wars, religious and political conflicts, prejudices, social hierarchies, poverty, rape, pillaging, addictions, greed, sexual exploitations, immoral and unethical behaviors, ignorance, denial and indifference causing us to be uninvolved.

Sure, we can argue that there also exists 'good' people: generous, caring, concerned, involved . . . just as there has always been.

WE HAVE NOT CHANGED. And that is fact.

A few days ago, the body of a young girl, Emily Sander - just eighteen years young - was found. She was a college student. She had her whole life ahead of her. She needed extra money. She found a popular-by-demand side job in the dark world of pornography; a world that would not exist if we were truly an evolving species. But, unfortunately, pornography does exist (as it always has) and it is raping us, especially our children, of the gift of innocence. It is an ever-growing business and our appetite has become insatiable. Pornography, for one, is destroying the fabric of mankind. I know from my own personal experience and the experiences of friends around me.

And then there is the recent news story of the eight-day old infant girl - sexually abused and murdered by her twenty-eight year old father. We can say, "He is a sick @*%&, " but the questions of "How could he . . . ?" or "Why did he?" should really be a question of "What happened to him that he, one of our own, became so filled with darkness and evil that he would ever have thoughts like that in his mind - thoughts that would lead him to do something so cruel, horrible and ungodly?"

The news continues to report the horrific stories perpetrated by mankind - stories we do not want to hear about, but must know about if we are to fully understand the crisis we are facing in this world.

All I can say, with much sadness and despair in my heart, is GOD HELP US ALL.

December 23, 2012 is quickly approaching. While I'm not a 'doomsdayer' by nature - I am actually an incurable romantic and optimist - I don't know where else we can go, what else we can do . . . except PRAY and clean our own minds and hearts of the trash and toxins that have accumulated within us by means of our mere existence and co-inhabitance among our fellow man in the outskirts of the garden.












Thomas Cole. Expulsion from the Garden of Eden (detail). c.1827-1828. Oil on canvas. The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, USA.

Nesting Before Flight

My son Adam, as he was lifting one end of my huge, heavy sofa bed out of the U-haul said to me:

"Mom, I hope your next house is the house I'll bring your grandchildren to visit you."

Of course it won't be. I am not like most of my family. I am like my dad's sister, Wanda. My mom used to joke that she wrote my Aunt Wanda's phone number in pencil rather than pen in her address book. (I think those books are all but obsolete these days.) I used to get excited to see what new, great apartment she had found. One of my favorites was a loft-like place; there was one big bedroom upstairs that overlooked the living room and as a young girl I thought that was so cool. I'm sure her brothers were not as impressed with the floor plans. In fact, I'm sure they thought she was a bit flighty for moving around so much, but I understand. She is flighty and so am I . . . if flighty refers to birds.

You see, I have realized that, although there are many different types of people in this world, we can be put into two major categories: trees and birds. Of the trees there are many kinds: oaks, figs, olive, apple, maple, lemon, palm, weeping willow, pine, etc . . . . Of the birds there are many kinds: doves, ravens, owls, chickens, eagles, hawks, peacocks, sparrow, crow, etc . . . I have come to learn that I am a bird like my Aunt Wanda. I am still discovering what kind of bird I am.

Trees root, for they need to root deeply if they are to survive and thrive. Trees depend on their location - rain to supply water and soil to supply nourishment. They have all they need within their reach. Occasionally, trees may uproot and move to another location. But there is always a plan, a time-line and they re-root quickly. I love trees and I have great respect for their strength and beauty in their constancy. They teach us that we each have an important part in an intricate system, even though we may not be able to see the entirety of the forest beyond us. Trees provide shelter for birds to nest and take rest. Trees provide fruit for birds to eat. Trees bend allowing the wind to pass by. Sometimes they break under the stress of the storm. But, even a dead tree gives. It either remains a skeletal sculpture of art against the horizon or it is lumbered for many other uses. Trees represent life . . . the tree of life.
Psalm 1:3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.

And then there are the birds. Birds are creatures of flight. Occasionally gliding effortlessly through the air while resting their wings . . . going with the flow of the breeze. . . riding on the wings of something much bigger - faith. There comes many a time when birds must use every bit of stored energy to fly against the wind, to weather the storms, to watch for predators, to look for shelter. A bird's life is both agile and fragile at the same time. They build their nests, raise their young, teach their young to fly off and be independent . . . and then they migrate - fly off to a new, sometimes sunnier location and nest again. Birds provide stories for trees to hold onto. Birds are scouts. Birds are messengers - for it was a bird, first a raven, then a dove, that Noah sent out to check if the storm had passed. Birds remind us to keep the faith. Birds represent the big picture. Birds are watched.
Matthew 6:26 "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them . . .

Trees root. Birds nest. I always tried to be a tree, thought of myself as an oak, but I discovered I am a bird . . . I am somewhere between a blue jay and a crow
And I am finally at peace with that.

Photo image by: Russ Hansen

A note of interest: Birds should never own sofa beds. Sofa beds should never be uprooted!

After writing this, I did some research on the internet and came up with some fun ideas about my Tree/Bird theory . . .

BIRD SPIRITS
Blackbird - Understanding energies of mother earth, insight, vitality
Bluebird - Modesty, confidence, happiness, plaintive song
Blue Jay - Proper use of power, adaptability, fearless, resoursefullness
Canary - Power of song, voice, sensitive
Cardinal - Vitality, recognizing self importance, camouflage
Crow - Mystic, secret magic of creation, intelligence
Dove - Feminine energies of peace, maturity, maternity, prophecy
Duck - Emotional comfort and protection, affection
Eagle - Illumination of spirit, healing, creation, spiritual power, vision, wisdom, connection with the divine
Finch - Song, energy of variety and multiplicity
Flicker - New rhythm of growth and healing power, love, balance
Goldfinch - Awakening to the nature spirits
Goose - Vision quest, travel, new adventure, fertility, communication
Grouse - Sacred dancing & drumming, creation, energy, protective
Hawk - Visionary power, guardian, messenger, leads to lifeÕs purpose
Heron - Aggressive self determination and self reliance, balance, wisdom
Hummingbird - Tireless joy and happiness, the nectar of life, healing, strength
Magpie - Proper use of intelligence, occult knowledge, adaptability
Meadowlark - Cheerful journey inward, sublimation, imagination, courageous
Mockingbird - Finding your sacred songs, recognition of your innate abilities
Owl - Mystery of magic, omens, silent wisdom, visions
Parrot - Sunshine and color healing, mimics
Peacock - Resurrection, watchfulness, protective, wisdom
Penguin - Lucid dreaming, out of body experiences, creative energy
Pheasant - Family, fertility and sexuality
Pigeon - Return to the love & security of home, fertility
Quail - Group nourishment and protection, ability, fertility, spot danger
Raven - Magic, creation, shape shifting, vocalizing, playfulness
Road Runner - Mental speed and agility, running
Robin - Spread of new growth, song energy
Sparrow - Awakening, triumph of common nobility, ability to multiply
Stork - Birth and unspoken communication, dance, protective
Swallow - Protection & warmth for home & proper perspective
Swan - True beauty, sensitive, powerful, grace
Turkey - Shared blessings, harvest, energy, sharing
Vulture - Purification, death, rebirth, new vision
Waxwing - Gentleness and courtesy, polite
Woodpecker - Power of rhythm and discrimination, new inner rhythms
Wren - Resourcefulness and boldness, medicine for own environment

What Tree Did You Fall From?

Find your birthday and its corresponding tree.
Then, see the meaning behind it below. Do you recognize yourself?

Dec 23 to Jan 01	Apple Tree
Jan 02 to Jan 11	Fir Tree
Jan 12 to Jan 24	Elm Tree
Jan 25 to Feb 03	Cypress Tree
Feb 04 to Feb 08	Poplar Tree
Feb 09 to Feb 18	Cedar Tree
Feb 19 to Feb 28	Pine Tree
Mar 01 to Mar 10	Weeping Willow Tree
Mar 11 to Mar 20	Lime Tree
Mar 21	Oak Tree
Mar 22 to Mar 31	Hazelnut Tree
Apr 01 to Apr 10	Rowan Tree
Apr 11 to Apr 20	Maple Tree
Apr 21 to Apr 30	Walnut Tree
May 01 to May 14	Poplar Tree
May 15 to May 24	Chestnut Tree
May 25 to Jun 03	Ash Tree
Jun 04 to Jun 13	Hornbeam Tree
Jun 14 to Jun 23	Fig Tree
Jun 24	Birch Tree
Jun 25 to Jul 04	Apple Tree
Jul 05 to Jul 14	Fir Tree
Jul 15 to Jul 25	Elm Tree
Jul 26 to Aug 04	Cypress Tree
Aug 05 to Aug 13	Poplar Tree
Aug 14 to Aug 23	Cedar Tree
Aug 24 to Sep 02	Pine Tree
Sep 03 to Sep 12	Weeping Willow Tree
Sep 13 to Sep 22	Lime Tree
Sep 23	Olive Tree
Sep 24 to Oct 03	Hazelnut Tree
Oct 04 to Oct 13	Rowan Tree
Oct 14 to Oct 23	Maple Tree
Oct 24 to Nov 11	Walnut Tree
Nov 12 to Nov 21	Chestnut Tree
Nov 22 to Dec 01	Ash Tree
Dec 02 to Dec 11	Hornbeam Tree
Dec 12 to Dec 21	Fig Tree
Dec 22	Beech Tree

APPLE TREE (the Love) - of slight build, lots of charm, appeal, and attraction, pleasant aura, flirtatious, adventurous, sensitive, always in love, wants to love and be loved, faithful and tender partner, very generous, scientific talents, lives for today, a carefree philosopher with imagination.

ASH TREE (the Ambition) - uncommonly attractive, vivacious, impulsive, demanding, does not care for criticism, ambitious, intelligent, talented, likes to play with fate, can be egotistic, very reliable and trustworthy, faithful and prudent lover, sometimes brains rule over the heart, but takes partnership very seriously.

BEECH TREE (the Creative) - has good taste, concerned about its looks, materialistic, good organization of life and career, economical, good leader, takes no unnecessary risks, reasonable, splendid lifetime companion, keen on keeping fit (diets, sports, etc.)

BIRCH TREE (the inspiration) - vivacious, attractive, elegant, friendly, unpretentious, modest, does not like anything in excess, abhors the vulgar, loves life in nature and in calm, not very passionate, full of imagination, little ambition, creates a calm and content atmosphere.

CEDAR TREE (the Confidence) - of rare beauty, knows how to adapt, likes luxury, of good health, not in the least shy, tends to look down on others, self-confident, determined, impatient, likes to impress others, many talents, industrious, healthy optimism, waiting for the one true love, able to make quick decisions.

CHESTNUT TREE (the Honesty) - of unusual beauty, does not want to impress, well-developed sense of justice, vivacious, interested, a born diplomat, but irritates easily and sensitive in company, often due to a lack of self confidence, acts sometimes superior, feels not understood loves only once, has difficulties in finding a partner.

CYPRESS TREE (the Faithfulness) - strong, muscular, adaptable, takes what life has to give, content, optimistic, craves money and acknowledgment, hates loneliness, passionate lover which cannot be satisfied, faithful, quick-tempered, unruly, pedantic, and careless.

ELM TREE (the Noble-mindedness) - pleasant shape, tasteful clothes, modest demands, tends not to forgive mistakes, cheerful, likes to lead but not to obey, honest and faithful partner, likes making decisions for others, noble-minded, generous, good sense of humor, practical.

FIG TREE (the Sensibility) - very strong, a bit self-willed, independent, does not allow contradiction or arguments, loves life, its family, children and animals, a bit of a social butterfly, good sense of humor, likes idleness and laziness, of practical talent and intelligence.

FIR TREE (the Mysterious) - extraordinary taste, dignity, sophisticated, loves anything beautiful, moody, stubborn, tends to egoism but cares for those close to them, rather modest, very ambitious, talented, industrious, discontented lover, many friends, many foes, very reliable.

HAZELNUT TREE (the Extraordinary) - charming, undemanding, very understanding, knows how to make an impression, active fighter for social cause, popular, moody, and capricious lover, honest, and tolerant partner, precise sense of judgment.

HORNBEAM TREE (the Good Taste) - of cool beauty, cares for its looks and condition, good taste, is not egoistic, makes life as comfortable as possible, leads a reasonable and disciplined life, looks for kindness and acknowledgment in an emotional partner, dreams of unusual lovers, is seldom happy with its feelings, mistrusts most people, is never sure of its decisions, very conscientious.

LIME TREE (the Doubt) - accepts what life dishes out in a composed way, hates fighting, stress, and labor, dislikes laziness and idleness, soft and relenting, makes sacrifices for friends, many talents but not tenacious enough to make them blossom, often wailing and complaining, very jealous but loyal.

MAPLE TREE (Independence of Mind) - no ordinary person, full of imagination and originality, shy and reserved, ambitious, proud, self-confident, hungers for new experiences, sometimes nervous, has many complexities, good memory, learns easily, complicated love life, wants to impress.

OAK TREE (the Brave) - robust nature, courageous, strong, unrelenting, independent, sensible, does not like change, keeps its feet on the ground, person of action.

OLIVE TREE (the Wisdom) - loves sun, warmth and kind feelings, reasonable, balanced, avoids aggression and violence, tolerant, cheerful, calm, well-developed sense of justice, sensitive, empathetic, free of jealousy, loves to read and the company of sophisticated people.

PINE TREE (the Particular) - loves agreeable company, very robust, knows how to make life comfortable, very active, natural, good companion, but seldom friendly, falls easily in love but its passion burns out quickly, gives up easily, everything disappointments until it finds its ideal, trustworthy, practical.

POPLAR TREE (the Uncertainty) - looks very decorative, not very self-confident, only courageous if necessary, needs goodwill and pleasant surroundings, very choosy, often lonely, great animosity, artistic nature, good organizer, tends to lean toward philosophy, reliable in any situation, takes partnership seriously.

ROWAN TREE (the Sensitivity) - full of charm, cheerful, gifted without egoism, likes to draw attention, loves life, motion, unrest, and even complications, is both dependent and independent, good taste, artistic, passionate, emotional, good company, does not forgive.

WALNUT TREE (the Passion) - unrelenting, strange and full of contrasts, often egotistic, aggressive, noble, broad horizon, unexpected reactions, spontaneous, unlimited ambition, no flexibility, difficult and uncommon partner, not always liked but often admired, ingenious strategist, very jealous and passionate, no compromise.

WEEPING WILLOW (the Melancholy) - beautiful but full of melancholy, attractive, very empathetic, loves anything beautiful and tasteful, loves to travel, dreamer, restless, capricious, honest, can be influenced but is not easy to live with, demanding, good intuition, suffers in love but finds sometimes an anchoring partner.

Celtic tree meanings

The Rowan
Protects against enchantment. Magical Associations: Healing, personal empowerment, divination.

The Ash
of the Ogham alphabet is the Cosmic Ash, or World Tree. Magical Associations: Prosperity, protection, healing.

The Alder
magical associations: Spirituality, teaching, weather magic, duty, mental prowess.

The Willow
in the Tree alphabet stands for the female and lunar rhythms of life. Magickal Associations: Romantic love, healing, protection, fertility, magic for women.

Hawthorn
Magical Associations: Fertility, peace, prosperity, binding.

Oak
Magical Associations: All positive purposes, magic for men, fidelity.

The Holly
symbolizes paternity and fatherhood, has always been regarded as a potent life symbol. Magical Associations: Protection, prophecy, magic for animals, sex magic.

Hazel
Salmon are associated with the Hazel in Irish legend. The Hazel is also strongly associated with meditation and mediation. Magical Associations: Manifestation, spirit contact, protection, fertility.

The Vine
Magical Associations: Fertility, inspiration, prosperity, binding.

The Ivy
puts you in touch with your own inner resources, giving you the ability to see through the eyes of the soul beyond the everyday world. Magical Associations: Healing, protection, cooperation, exorcism

Reed
Magical Associations: Fertility, protection, love, family concerns.

The Elder
is linked to the eternal turnings of life and death, birth and rebirth. Magickal Associations: Exorcism, prosperity, banishing, healing.

The Birch
This tree starts the Celtic tree calendar, and so represents the energies associated with new beginnings. Magical Associations: Protection of children, purification, creation.

What kind of bird are you? Owl Like the wise owl, you are a night person and love knowledge.

Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

Ok, so maybe I just don't know what kind of bird I truly am!

After Love, There is Only Art

It is my feeling that the reality in which we live is not real at all. Our struggles, our battles, our wars, our religious beliefs, our political stances, our morals, our societal rules . . . We have been programmed. We have been overcome. We no longer have access to our own minds, our original God-given minds. Everything we feel, see, do, think, is being dictated to us in doses proportionate to our energy. We are helpless pawns in a game of chess played out by something we cannot see. Something we cannot comprehend. Something that the majority of us deny with every molecule of our being; with every vague and distant memory we erase; with every breath we forcefully take; but "it," the invisible transplanted mind, nevertheless, exists. When our suspicions surface as anxiety, extreme discontent, depression, madness, or the likes, we are deemed ill or crazy and our symptoms are quickly sedated . . . masked. I think it all stems back to the story of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden - a story that has a deep-seeded truth within its core: God (the Universe, our Higher Power, our Creator) gave man and woman everything by bestowing upon (us) the freedom of expression; the powers of co-creation; the God mind. We were once expressions of infiniteness . . . in other words, He gave us art - heart - and it was good. Our hearts and our minds were, once upon a time, ONE in the same with God. Then, the serpent "the foreign being" appeared and offered man and woman a new mind, separate from God. . . the chance (risk) to attain knowledge without having to look to God. "It" led us to believe we needed to find answers to questions that do not and never did exist in the completeness of our original mind. And with that new foreign mind came our first belief: the belief we that are separate, that we possess an individual mind. We based that belief on our newfound freedom (within our new mind) to conjure perspectives, opinions and judgments. We had fundamentally created our ego. And with the ego, came our second belief; self-awareness - we are different. We found ourselves naked and ashamed of our own skin. Then, our third belief; that we are better than . . . God . . . We created arrogance. As creators, we were on a roll. But, it was not our own mind doing the creating, for we no longer had access to our own mind. Subsequently, we kicked ourselves out of the Garden of Eden, and since then we have spent the rest of our time on Earth blaming God or blaming the serpent or blaming ourselves - which is actually our favorite pastime: indulging in self-reflection and self-pity. So, here we are; call us zombies, call us pawns, call us puppets, call us food for thought (the thought of a foreign mind, that is). Call us Pavlovian dogs that cry when stimulated in particular ways, that laugh when stimulated in other particular ways, that fight when stimulated in yet other particular ways . . . and we blindly and so foolishly call ourselves individuals. Our only way to salvation is to release ourselves from the grip of this predatory mind; whether you call it the serpent in the Garden of Eden, or the devil, or societal values, or political beliefs, or religious creeds . . . whatever you wish to call it is irrelevant. What is relevant is the fact it is real, it exists, it is the reality in which we live. "Wake up people! Stop being Pavlov's pets!" Easier said than done, I know. For allowing something else to do our thinking and the rule-making and the moral setting, etc. takes the responsibility off of us and gives us more time to do what we do best; breathe . . . exist . . . pay the bills . . . cry at the horribly sad stories on the news . . . scream out against the war . . . point fingers at Bush or the Pope . . . make it to church on time . . . shop the sales at Nieman's . . . drink another cocktail . . . bitch out the cable man or the grocery clerk or the waitress . . . complain about the high gas prices . . . reflect upon what terrible people we are, you know, all the really important things that affect our lives every day. All the things we deem as real in our lives. But NONE of that is real. None of that is important in the BIG picture - in the grand scheme of life. None of that exists - all that exists is love and all that is real is ART. Art is our only true freedom of expression as creators. It is possibly our last and only link left to our original GOD heart/mind. It is how we express and acknowledge the suppression of our minds. It is how we express the love we are struggling to remember. It is how we express our deepest, most intimate, REAL selves . . . the real selves that we fighting to regain (whether we know it or not) as our own (while engaged in this cold war). Art is our true expression of our infiniteness. In reality, there exists no religion, no politics, no borders. There exists only love . . . and it's purist expression, art. For every painting, for every crayoned picture hanging on a refrigerator, for every symphony and musical composition, for every 5th grade flute concert, for every opera, every ballet, every preschool tap recital, every song sung, every pastry baked, every reduction sauce perfected, for every undercooked cake from an easy bake oven, for every novel never published, for every poem misunderstood, for every floral arrangement on a dinner table, for every variety of fillings inside each chocolate in a box, for every engine ever built to be more powerful than the last, for every scarf ever knitted, for every letter ever written, for every snowman ever rolled, for every angel made by a child in the snow . . . Art is the finest, purist expression of love. Above: Guernica by Picasso depicts scenes of death, violence, brutality, helplessness, suffering people and animals, buildings wrenched by violence and chaos. One might say, this does not look like an expression of love and I say to that; this is the highest expression of love for this is the TRUTH. This is the reality we have chosen with our free will and the subsequent loss of our original God minds.

My Coffee Scenes Get the Red Ink

Aaaaaaaaaand - ACTION . . . then exhale, then inhale . . . write it all, damn it . . . or simply don't think it and definitely don't live it.

If life is book, and we're penning our stories as we go along, then I need to focus more on my plot. If life is not a book, but a path we have chosen to follow, then I need to take a closer look at my current path's direction. If life is not a path, but a classroom on this planet, then I need to rethink this semester's study agenda.


But, back to the 'life is a book' metaphor. . . since we're writers here. Jon's latest post got me thinking, about story-lines and how they either contribute to the plot or they don't - and in a good story, should everything contribute to the plot. And if so, what choices might I make differently - what scenes would I edit out or omit altogether?


So, I thought about my plot; it's been all over the place for a while now. Then, I thought about the action scenes in my story and how I always thought action scenes where pretty much above editing . . . the more action the better the story . . . and how I seem to treat the little nuances in my story with disregard and red pens.

"Ah, she breathed too long, boring, take it out . . . and that cup of organic, shade-grown, fairly traded coffee, she nurses it far too long . . . no one cares about that . . . she's just sitting there drinking that damn cup of coffee when she isn't out watering her garden or peeling potatoes for dinner or talking to her father on the phone or brushing her Golden Retriever or sweeping up dust bunnies."

just some simple, quiet thoughts. nothing action-packed. nothing edited out or spell-checked or corrected for punctuation and grammar. just a perfect moment inside my imperfect story. you are now part of that story . . . part of my plot for today.

Thanks for reading these paragraphs.


But, then again . . . what if we don't have to take responsibility for our lives at all? Just blame it on the Fates, the God's, the exes, the person who took your parking spot, your parents, school, the fact that you ran out of ink at the good part.

The Things We Leave Behind

Last summer,
while walking
along the shore
of Lake Michigan,
I came upon a gifted sight;
a face carved in the sand.
I thought it was rather spectacular.
So simple and so mysteriously complex at the same time.
Kind of artsy.
Kind of philosophical.
The tininess of each grain of its sand.
The vulnerability of its form.
The certainty of its ruin.
And yet, it was lovely and unaffected.
The ideal way to be.
No name attached.
No credit to be taken.
Nothing sought in return . . .
The pleasure of its moment
for both its creator
and its immediate contacts.
It was really a footprint . . . something left behind.
Something beautiful and unselfish.
Something generous.
Something much more significant than the empty bottle of water left behind by someone else just a few yards up.


After reading Jon's beautifully expressed comment, I edited this post to include his words. He is a brilliant thinker and writer. Please visit Jon Zech's blog.
It's a sacrifice of sorts, this sculpture and this post. But there is something more. Your photo and poetic tribute has saved the sandman from destruction; like taking a flower from an alter and pressing it in a book. Is the flower saved or the sacrifice denied?
Both and neither. The sacrifice is completed with its giving. The salvation is completed when the object is raised above its token existence.