Have you ever felt off the map or that you just couldn’t find your place or that there is no map that you literally somehow, someway have gone beyond it? A lot of times we feel like that especially in our current state of, well, unrest and so much division anywhere and everywhere, you look and sometimes it doesn’t even feel like there has been a map or that there is one that gets us to where a place of security, a place of safety a place of Hope; a place where we don’t feel so isolated or alone, yeah, sometimes it feels like there is no map that leads to any kind of any direction. No up. No down. No all around. And so we find ourselves, well, not alone, because maybe the best way to find direction is defined with each other,
looking in different ways for the same thing. . . ?
Psssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssst:
FINDING YOUR WAY
DOESN’T ALWAYS MEAN
STAYING IN THE LINES
OR EVEN
USING A MAP
AT ALL. . .
JUST A MOMENT: LOOKING AT WHAT YOU ARE SEEING
At first glance, it would seem that I’m a 69-year-old Swifty because of all the bracelets that I wear but in just a moment you see that’s the problem with the first glance, because what we look at isn’t always what we see until we hear the rest of the story and most of that story can be told in just a moment and it needs not just to be told but actually heard.
Maybe what needs to be heard the most is we are all unfinished stories waiting for just the next person, the next situation, the next moment to come and add onto us, to complete us a little bit more than what we were before just the moment before THE MOMENT; so take a look. What are you actually seeing; what you’re looking at or do you need to know the story behind what you are looking at; what you are seeing. . . ?
So hum along as your story continues to be written, read aloud and heard. . .
Blind Sight
UK’s John Lewis
is a Master
every year when it comes to
CHRISTMAS
commercials
and what makes this even better
is that it’s a mere
a l t e r n a t i v e
and aren’t we humbled beneficiaries
because of it. . .
Of course it doesn’t hurt
to have a most awesome
THIS IS OUR HOME
song by
Ben and Andy. . .
which prompts us to
THE QUESTION
ARE WE EVER SO BLIND WHEN WE CAN ACTUALLY SEE
(but not exactly sure what we’re looking at)
There’s a reason
we have entered into the
SEASON OF LIGHT
especially since the darkness is getting longer
especially since the ever-so-long-pandemic
is ever so-long-from-ending
especially since the more
we see the less we notice
. . .It’s a question
asked every year when we come to this
S E A S O N:
WILL IT BE DIFFERENT THIS YEAR?
Pssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssst:
The Answer always sways on just one integer
Y O U
It really never matters
How
When
Where
but THAT
You bring Your LIGHT
to any darkened situation. . .
. . .and bring
your-blind-but-now-can-see-better-Self
h o m e
FOUND/TONIGHT
MARCH 19, 2018 was when this was first posted on YouTube and with well over 20,210,965 views I question just what boulder I’ve been living under, especially when it popped up on my YouTube feed, maybe not so randomly this past week. Hmmm.
I really like when certain things come across my YouTube feed without me trying to search for them. When I get something like this, it’s almost as if it’s a divine intervention or message that I need to hear at that time I need to hear itwhich means that as you’re reading this blog post this morning it may be the time that you need to hear or see you too; especially if you weren’t even aware of its existent much like this under the boulder dweller.
Two my favorite singers and talented, songwriters, Ben Platt, and Lin- Manuel Miranda combine to mash songs from Hamilton and Evan Hansen together…why? Not merely because it sounds good, because they want to bring a message of Hope. From what? For what? A better world? So I did a quick Google Search to get the “WHAT FOR” of this song and:
A portion of the proceeds from this record will be going to the March For Our Lives Initiative. Donate now at https://marchforourlives.com/.
So before this sounds like a rant against gun violence or assault weapons, I go back to what Mother Theresa said nearly 50 years ago when asked, “Are you against the war in Vietnam?” Mother Theresa answered meekly, “I’m for peace.” Did you catch that or did it elude you like it did me? She was showing that real power is in WHAT YOU ARE FOR and not WHAT YOU ARE AGAINST. When we rile up and rant what we are against, it always adds up in more bad ways, but when we work together for what we believe in and for what we are for, it takes on a much more positive take.
Yeah, let’s work together for that because that’s a song we could all sing and certainly the world needs to hear. . .
UNDERSTAND. . .
WE ARE ALL IN THE SAME ORCHESTRA
PLAYING THE SAME SYMPHONY
WE ARE ALL IN THE SAME ORCHESTRA
PLAYING THE SAME SYMPHONY
S E E I N G
I See You By JJ Heller, David Heller, and Andy Gullahorn
I see you The summer sun reflecting off the stream The cardinal is shaking off its wings Near the water Where I wander
I see you The leaves gently lifting in the breeze A little girl with grass stains on her knees Runs to her mother Just to hug her
Every sunset is a stained glass window Every park bench is a pew There’s a sanctuary everywhere that I go When my eyes are open I see you
Standing in a crowded subway train Somehow when I look in every face It feels like family I’m thinking maybe I see you In the people who are begging for their food And the ones who pass them by in business suits Everybody Has your heartbeat
Every sunset is a stained glass window Every park bench is a pew There’s a sanctuary everywhere that I go When my eyes are open
I see the glory of the works Your hands have made I see the beauty in the sinner and the saint
Every sunset is a stained glass window Every park bench is a pew There’s a sanctuary everywhere that I go When my eyes are open When my heart is open I see you, I see you
Uhhhhhhhhhh
Songs are always more than just notes and lyrics
and no matter how hard they try
they usually make you feel
what goes way beyond what you
see or hear. . .
THEY CAN’T BE DIRECTED
on really experienced. . .
What I find utterly
A M A Z I N G
is not so much what I see
when I look at
SOMETHING
but what Others see
when we’re looking at the
SAME THING. . .
LOOKING AT THE SAME THING
ISN’T THE MIRACLE. . .
THE MANY THINGS SEEN IN ONE THING
IS. . .
O-V-E-R is the New Beginning
My family hates it,
mostly because it’s an obsession of mine.
It happens every time we get back from vacation
or a family reunion or any big event
. . .I CAN’T LET IT GO!
When we come back from vacation I ask questions like,
“Hey, do you remember what we were doing exactly this time last week or three weeks ago or even,
THIS TIME LAST YEAR?”
Drives’em crazy.
It’s late.
All are asleep.
I just finished watching parts of the third of three football games. . .
Unlike years past
WE were homebound;
we did not do more traveling today
than a gaggle of Turkey’s
P R E-T H A N K S G I V I N G;
I can’t tell you how many times
I’ve walked back into the kitchen after the big dinner,
the table was cleared,
dishes done. . .
Thank God the refrigerator door
doesn’t have an automatic lock on it after a certain amount of accessing times. . .
My pants are tight (yeah, even these sweat pants)
and my heart is even fuller. . .
I R E – M E M B E R. . .
constantly putting back together the pieces of my life
and those that have
t h a n k f u l l y
intermeshed their fabric into my Tapestry. . .
Is I T O v e r ?
I think not. . .
This won’t be the first time you’ll see something like this here. . .
I am always reaching back and bringing it all forth again;
I think the r e a l Thanksgiving
isn’t on the day with all of the parades,
football,
repeated eating fests—-
it’s the DAYS After. . .
EVERYONE is Thankful on THAT day!
But it’s the days following where the
T H A N K F U L M E T E R
might find its truest test. . .
What then?
Get your Thanksgiving ON
the days following when Time blurs on to the next Holiday;
Seriously, are we less thankful the days following?
Do we have to reach back to actually RE-MEMBER
or is it, truly, not just a day, or a season–
Dare it actually be a Lifestyle?
Well. . .
it’s what I ponder
as I finish that last lonely piece of pie—
it was begging for it!
Hmmmmmmmmmmm. . .
I just can’t let it go. . .
I’m thinking
I’m thanking
I’m THINKING
I’M THANKING. . .
that could be a Great thing. . .
A Very Great, Tasty,
FULL – FILLING THING. . .
Y o u ?
As much as you JUST
celebrated THANKSGIVING
. . .and even though your Stomach might still be full,
I hope your heart is EMPTY enough to
truly continue this Season of
T H A N K S
G E T T I N G
. . .may it be way better than you have planned
or i m a g i n e d
ALL-WAYS A SEASON
In this era, where a lot of people are becoming more and more indifferent towards one another, kindness is coming at an expensive price. It is not often that you see people showing kindness towards others. BUT. . .I found this video recently where there was a prepared set of different videos to prove that wrong. Throughout the video, you can watch Santa providing warm clothes to homeless people or older woman praising stranger for doing cool tricks with skateboard and many others. As always I hope this afflicts the Caring Catalyst in you that by merely watching the video, you will realize that kindness in humanity hasn’t been lost completely and there are still people out there ready to show acts of kindness not only to their close ones, but also to any random strangers and make them emotional or even cry by their acts of kindness. THAT it’ll inspire you to bring a special warmth to Another’s CHILL. . .Enjoy watching the video. . .
AND REMEMBER:
JUST BEYOND LOOKING(and actually seeing)
“I SEE YOU!’
‘I AM HERE!’
“For centuries, African Bushmen have greeted each other in this way. When one becomes aware of his brother or sister coming out of the brush, he exclaims, ‘I See You!’ and then the one approaching rejoices, ‘I Am Here!’
“This timeless bearing witness is both simple and profound, and it is telling that much of our modern therapeutic journey is suffered to this end: to have who we are and where we’ve been be seen. For with this simple and direct affirmation, it is possible to claim our own presence, to say, ‘I Am Here.’
“Those people in our lives who have validated our personhood by seeing us and exclaiming so are the foundations of our self-worth. Think of who they are.
“For me, the first to rejoice at my scrambling into the open was my grandmother. If not for her unequivocal love, I might never have the courage to express myself at all. And, after all, isn’t art in all its forms the beautiful trail of our all-too-human attempts to say, again and again, I Am Here.
“It is important to note that being seen enables us to claim our lives, and then it becomes possible to pass the gift on to others. But just as important as bearing witness is the joy with which these Bushmen proclaim what they see. It is the joy of first seeing and first knowing. This is a gift of love.
“In a culture that erases its humanity, that keeps the act of innocence and beginning invisible, we are sorely in need of being seen with joy, so we can proclaim with equal astonishment and innocence that of all the amazing things that could have been or not, We Are Here.
“As far back as we can remember, people of the oldest tribes, unencumbered by civilization, have been rejoicing in being on earth together. Not only can we do this for each other, it is essential.
“For as stars need open space to be seen, as waves need shore to crest, as dew needs grass to soak into, our vitality depends on how we exclaim and rejoice, ‘I See You!’ ‘I Am Here’”
~Mark Nepo from The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have
See. . .
There’s always another way to say it
There’s always another way to hear it
There’s always another way to see it
THERE’S ALWAYS ANOTHER WAY TO BE IT
. . . .Questions, Class?
WOODSWIMMER
WoodSwimmer is a film collaboration between genius animator Brett Foxwell and Conor Grebel (Bedtimes). The footage was taken through a laborious stop motion process of capturing sections of wood as they are thinly shaved away by a milling machine. For more info on the video visit: http://www.bfophoto.com/ Director: Brett Foxwell Music / Editing: Bedtimes (Conor Grebel)
BIG WHOOP, Right. . .
What are you going to show us next Monday on your film-clip Monday Blog Post, Chuck. . . ?
You know. . .it kind of really is a big deal
especially if you’re a lot like me and continually have to
LEARN
TO SEE
WHAT I AM LOOKING AT. . .
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com
10 seconds
just take a minimum of
10 seconds
unless you’re really gutsy and what to add another
50 seconds
to do nothing
not one single thing
e x e p t
to focus
to look
to see
a plant
a tree
or any other natural object
around you
that you regularly see
but rarely notice. . .
D A R E
to notice something
you failed to recognize
before. . .
Go ahead, I’ll wait
or better still,
GO WOODSWIMMING
PEOPLE SEEING
It’s one of my favorite reasons to go the the Mall at Christmas
(Preferably on Christmas Eve)
It’s one of my favorite reasons for going to Vegas
It’s one of my favorite reasons for going to the Beach
It’s one of my favorite reasons for going to the Zoo
It’s one of my favorite reasons for going to Concerts or the Movies
It’s one of my favorite reasons to eat out. . .
PEOPLE WATCHING
People watching is much different than
people recognizing
people noticing
E S P E C I A L L Y
if you are out to not just don’t look. . .
BUT TO SEE!
I try paying attention to the people coming and going. . .
It’s a useful exercise. . .
Each one of those people
is dealing with hopes and dreams
and pressures and fears
and struggles and successes
and failures and mistakes
just like you are. . .
Each one is at the centre of his or her own story
and you are just passing through those stories,
on the fringe and for the most part
u n n o t i c e d. . .
GO AHEAD:
Photo by August de Richelieu on Pexels.com
Try it for a few minutes
the next time you are surrounded by lots of people. . .
It helps to put things in perspective. . .
