“Fortune does not change men; it unmasks them.” Quoted by Madame Necker
I would agree with this statement having seen the world around me and how it affects people. To be released from all financial worries brings an open door of opportunity to use your time and money for something of worth. Most of what I have observed so far is people turn away from this door and open one to selfish endeavors.
My email box can be an interesting mix of nothing and everything coming in at once. One article received this morning was talking about the media coverage for natural disasters happening in the Midwest and how different this is being treated than that which happened a few years back in New Orleans. It was an interesting and pointed article prodding us to look at these two areas and how different they are. One of the sharper points made was when the people in Iowa were asked to evacuate, they did, and no one is now looting goods and shouting where is FEMA?
Did the mistakes of New Orleans help teach us to toughen up and help ourselves or did we become so bloated on this disaster news we can now handle only a small dose before we yawn and change the channel? Personally I despise our news habits especially here in America where we are actually free to report what’s really happening and yet we choose not to. If it doesn’t scare us into a rabbit hole or make us want to rush out and buy something we don’t need right this minute than our corporate powers that be push it off the air as not being worth reporting. I don’t think they have a single clue about what’s really happening with all these natural disasters and by the time they figure it out our ticking clock will have run down too far.
Do you ever have those days in life where you must make a choice? Right or wrong, speaking out or being quiet and just going along? I made a vow to live my life honestly but sometimes in doing that, you aren’t always going to be popular. Today was one of those days and although it was rough I know I will sleep well having taken the “road less traveled”.
Flowers are so intriguing aren’t they, an endless array of variety and color? I have to admit I never used to pay too much attention to these beautiful gifts of color and aromatic pleasures unless they came repackaged by man, stripped of all their natural wonder.
I am changed.
I often look at these flowers with renewed eyes. I don’t want them repackaged or wrapped up in someone else’s opinion of how they should be viewed. I want to see them for what they really are, in raw form.
They are not always perfect but I can appreciate their many hues of color even when seemingly singular in nature.
Today’s topic is clarity. Let’s talk about its importance from a point of view most can understand. Diamonds! Diamonds are rated by their clarity. The less cloudy their countenance the more valuable they are for market. Need I say more for our own value?
I know I long to say what I mean all the time and yet I tend to filter my conversations through an imperfect cloud of “I don’t want to hurt their feelings” and this can sometimes look ambiguous. I long to be the clear diamond, shining brightly in a pile of murky diamonds so it’s time to polish up my actions and stop trying to please and appease the people of this world. If loving Jesus seems crazy to others than as the song goes, “Shine On You Crazy Diamond!”
Ferris wheels and fireworks are provocative images we recognize from youth as being exciting and sometimes scary. I desire to live my life in that state of excitement, anticipation and explosive action!
“The thrill is gone” was bellowed out across the fairgrounds and it rang long in the air of the hot night. I was watching a guitar legend play at 82 years of age; he had his showmanship down to an art of reality. He didn’t need a bunch of dances and choreography or special stage set-up. All he needed was his famous black guitar he calls Lucille and we were a contented audience.
We listened with enjoyment to this artist who told his stories with rhythm. It was quite clear that for B.B. King, the thrill has not gone. His passion for sharing his gift with people beats loudly in his chest for all who would listen. The only disappointment he expressed all evening was his sadness for other blues artists and rappers who felt the need to talk trash about women. He just didn’t agree with that and neither do we.
Living a selfless life is not an easy thing to do and I am always in awe when I come across someone who makes it look simple.
“In looking at myself, I look at my old man; in looking at another, I look at the new man” Author Unknown
When we look at the world with our natural eyes we can only see what we are looking for. A few years ago I was hanging out near a rail bridge in Fort Bragg and something about the natural bridge ties caught my eye. I snapped a photograph but never felt I caught what I sensed in that moment.
Looking at it again I am intrigued by the different ways one can see this bridge. You can see its shadow structure, its natural structure and even its structure reflected on the water. These different views of the same thing captivated my thoughts and how we look at the world every day. What are we really seeing and how much more are we missing?
