I was thinking... that it’s just as easy for a guy... to ask out a gorgeous women on a date than a homely looking one.... it’s the answer we fear hearing... that holds us back from asking the question. Homely... might say yes and the gorgeous one might say no....lol.....we seldom think that homely... will say no... and the gorgeous one might say yes...so because of this dilemma ...we don’t ask either one.....out of fear.
Imagine how we might feel if both said no...or... both said.... it’s a definite maybe...we just hung ourselves out on a clothes line to dry....lol..
The truth is...for me.....that rejection...... is nothing more than a brick wall that we built up so sturdy in front of us... for most of our lives....never realizing that.. it was really as light as a feather. ....easily whisked out of our way...if we chose to....in stride...
We seldom understand that rejection...doesn’t have to be taken so personally...and to realize that it’s simply our individual preferences.... that influence our inquisitive nature about someone we meet or would like to meet or would like to engage in conversation ..and.. we should not take it as a personal affront... when the person ignores, rejects or looks at us rather oddly....
For example... the other day.....I was on line, at the side checkout line at Walgreens, near the cosmetics area....when this very attractive middle aged woman... was on line in front of me...
She was laden with giant clunky jewelry and bracelets on each arm up to her elbows...including multiple rings on every finger and toe... and numerous chains hanging from her neck.. As he reached into her pocket to take out her charge card, she sounded like a ten piece marching band...
I paused... before I spoke...and said to her...excuse me....Airport security must be a bear...? to...which she replied... “I don’t fly”.....but if I’m lying in the street...my children will know that it’s me”To which I replied...I bet they like “heavy metal.. too”.
She sighed...turned her back to me and walked out......
This was just a humorous example of the Art of rejection...
Sometimes, what holds us back from engaging others in the world, might be the answer or reaction to our behavior ......which may remind us of other rejections we have store-housed in our brain....and it inhibits us from our natural inquisitiveness and our desire to approach people who interest us.....even if it’s just in that moment.. that they interest us...which should be enough.........
If all that holds us back... is in the answer we may hear...then the distress must center upon some pre conceived beliefs that are consciously or subconsciously in play....that wrangle us inside...and inhibit us...in our daily lives...
For me...that is..... the Athlete in me....says ...just go ahead and try...and then practice it....and for me.... that’s the best advice that I give myself...just go out and say or do something, and not worry about the answer or the consequence of the question or behavior...and have fun with it...without fear of the rejection... besides...it’s not you anyway.... that they are rejecting...it’s their own little inhibitor inside...which may be at work as well...
We are all affected by fear/Art of rejection...because we all want to be accepted by others...it is somehow built into our nature as humans to be social animals...that social/sexual trait ... I believe that it’s that trait which separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom.....acceptance feels good and we learned that rejection feels bad.
I suspect that Males are very sensitive to rejection...not that women aren’t...but the sexuality leverage that females have over males is innate for a female... for them...they learn from a very early age to do the rejecting....but don’t like to be rejected either and probably don’t really like to abuse the power they have.... but they use it readily...especially if they don’t feel safe or if they get the wrong vibe..... rejecting...is the ultimate escape plan...always queued up behind the scenes...
Interestingly...I don’t really believe it takes females where they need to go anyway...but they do become expert rejecters.....on some psychic level it’s the ultimate equalizer of strength over a man. But just as we come to believe that being rejected feels bad, rejecting also doesn’t feel good either...even though it may appear that way.....
So the women walking out of Walgreens...may pause at some point in her life and say to herself..... “I must say...that guy was pretty funny at the checkout counter”....and perhaps can laugh it off too...but the moment had been lost...but maybe it could become.... a good lighten up reminder.... in her future...
The moral of the story here is.....maybe to lighten up period......have more fun...worry less about rejection...it is what it is...and....should not be taken personally....and in that lies the first lesson.....in the art of handling rejection....rayray
Friday, August 27, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Flexibility...never bends you too far out of shape
One of my favorite Cartoon characters growing up was Gumby....
I loved that he could twist and be twisted into different shape but always returned to his natural state...it somehow taught me to be flexible in my approach to others...especially because of all the differences that exist between people..
And I think this is particularly true when it comes to relationships.....and while many people look for commonalities....they aren’t always the measure of what will make a relationship work.......
Some people say that you have to be on the same page....
I don’t think that 2 people will ever be entirely on the “same page”....that’s impossible... all relationships are extremely challenging because of this fact.
So what it tells me.....is that it’s crucially important to be more accepting of our differences ....than always focusing on our commonalities ...that’s the easy part...for example....
How hard is it..... when u both like watching the Dolphins... on Sunday?
Not very...in my opinion......but after the final whistle blows....we have to be much more flexible in areas of disagreement and core philosophies...which reflect deep tendencies and beliefs...which are so different in all of us..
If we are noticing....Our life continuously reveals the beliefs.... we have come to believe about ourselves... which may not really be us...but only reflect.....what we have come to believe reflects us at a moment in time..
It can be startling when all of a sudden we may not think a particular way any more... and a new self has emerged...that may not sit well with our “companion, spouse, partner, lover, friend, girlfriend, boyfriend..etc........and causes conflict in the core relationship...
Sometimes we can’t control the pace and timing or these internal revelations....large, medium or small....
How about the immediate reactions we feel...which cuts a new relationship short....Haven’t we all had 5 minute dates? Or not even returned an initial email from someone who shows interest in us.. online.?
So at the heart of it...it takes a lot of bending and being flexible to these.... sometimes small ...and sometimes large.... shifts in thinking, which can deeply disturb the root structure which has kept the relationship going.
And not underestimate the value of flexibility.... and not being afraid of changing yourself too... as we recognize it in ourselves.....and feeling safe in expressing it and speaking honestly to each other.... ALWAYS....regardless of the consequences...
Some people hit this wall early and for some... it hits late....it’s inevitable......
People say you have to be strong...... I see it a little differently....
Perhaps we have to be a little less strong and very flexible Just like GUMBY ...and become much more flexible as time goes by...or we are just headed into a wall... in all our relationships....rayray
I loved that he could twist and be twisted into different shape but always returned to his natural state...it somehow taught me to be flexible in my approach to others...especially because of all the differences that exist between people..
And I think this is particularly true when it comes to relationships.....and while many people look for commonalities....they aren’t always the measure of what will make a relationship work.......
Some people say that you have to be on the same page....
I don’t think that 2 people will ever be entirely on the “same page”....that’s impossible... all relationships are extremely challenging because of this fact.
So what it tells me.....is that it’s crucially important to be more accepting of our differences ....than always focusing on our commonalities ...that’s the easy part...for example....
How hard is it..... when u both like watching the Dolphins... on Sunday?
Not very...in my opinion......but after the final whistle blows....we have to be much more flexible in areas of disagreement and core philosophies...which reflect deep tendencies and beliefs...which are so different in all of us..
If we are noticing....Our life continuously reveals the beliefs.... we have come to believe about ourselves... which may not really be us...but only reflect.....what we have come to believe reflects us at a moment in time..
It can be startling when all of a sudden we may not think a particular way any more... and a new self has emerged...that may not sit well with our “companion, spouse, partner, lover, friend, girlfriend, boyfriend..etc........and causes conflict in the core relationship...
Sometimes we can’t control the pace and timing or these internal revelations....large, medium or small....
How about the immediate reactions we feel...which cuts a new relationship short....Haven’t we all had 5 minute dates? Or not even returned an initial email from someone who shows interest in us.. online.?
So at the heart of it...it takes a lot of bending and being flexible to these.... sometimes small ...and sometimes large.... shifts in thinking, which can deeply disturb the root structure which has kept the relationship going.
And not underestimate the value of flexibility.... and not being afraid of changing yourself too... as we recognize it in ourselves.....and feeling safe in expressing it and speaking honestly to each other.... ALWAYS....regardless of the consequences...
Some people hit this wall early and for some... it hits late....it’s inevitable......
People say you have to be strong...... I see it a little differently....
Perhaps we have to be a little less strong and very flexible Just like GUMBY ...and become much more flexible as time goes by...or we are just headed into a wall... in all our relationships....rayray
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
It doesn’t take much to make someone feel like a million bucks
When I think about respect... R E S P E C T....I just don’t think it gets much more basic than that...because respect...or giving someone your respect..... gets down to such a one on one.... gut level interaction...cut and dry...... that you either truly believe that others deserve to be respected as human beings and it becomes a way you live with others... or... you really don’t believe that others...or some others.... deserve it... so why give it?......
Anyone who couldn’t even give someone some basic level of respect... and feels justified in doing so...or....that they could care less....then.....what has happened..... is that a judgment has been made that they are above you... and you don’t deserve to be respected because you are below them.....or.... that they are just smarter and know better...
This is so typical of behavior in a society that separates themselves by class...the higher the class status the more respect that is given....and vice versa....imagine that...yet if you stripped a person down naked, you know...it’s possible that class...could not necessarily be distinguishable ....but I’m certain they would find a way to tell you, while naked, that they are better than you...
I suppose that there are different levels of respect...depending on the circumstance......but it’s all related...to accepting that others are as important... as you think you are...and have equal worth... and that all experience is equal.
Fundamental respect... simply acknowledges someone’s existence in the world... recognizing that they, like you, are alive...and have as much right to be, as you do..... race, color, shape, size, gender/orientation become irrelevant..... As if we were blind...
If we can’t even get past this one, we are so deep rooted in bigoted beliefs, which is simply....the lowest form of human ignorance.... that... it would probably take a personal or major human catastrophe to reset and/or.... to straighten out this thinking...
Right after the attack on the World Trade Center, on 9/11/01, when those buildings collapsed and the incinerated air covered people in soot and ash, and death... Making them resemble ghosts.... and... we saw first hand... the horror that befell our countrymen and women.... we were instantly galvanized and humbled.... by the futility of our human condition that sometimes...our life.... is out of our control...
That shock brought us together....it was more of a shock wave to realign each other to the reality that separation no longer made sense and we included each other...what happened on that fateful day forced us to afford each other.... fundamental respect.
9/11/01... Though desperately tragic... united our country....much like how the attack on Pearl Harbor woke us up from a deep slumber...collectively realizing... that engaging in a World War was the only way out. The time had finally come to have a singular purpose... and focus our resources, hearts and minds on a goal to save our existence, as we knew it.....and we did it...we executed our plan.
It carried us to great heights...It was an honor to be a soldier, a warrior....The military had meaning...and the United States entered into a “golden age”.....millions of babies were born. The country built itself up from the inside out....life was good and people were more balanced with each other... We respected each other on very human levels...
In time, of course, life after tragedy or significant change.... returns us to normalcy......
Many souls were indelibly impacted by the 9/11 catastrophe and it has caused positive change in their outlook...
Others.......however.... resumed where they left off, as if nothing had changed...and just settled back into old beliefs... the lessons learned and the sense of world community have worn off considerably...and quite rapidly....in the blink of an eye....
In just nine years since 9/11...commonality and momentum, as a nation, has been lost... Military spending and fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan continue at monumental levels never seen before in human history and are sucking the country dry of hope and its resources.... .... and sadly.... it has polarized us, as a nation.
Natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina has had a devastating impact on New Orleans and its residents, the Tsunami in Indonesia, and recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile are physical signs that the earth itself is venting.... the entire Pacific rim continues to shift the ground under our feet. People feel their life is set on sand...right now...in every respect....we are unsettled...
On a personal level....many people have had their world turned upside down ... unemployment is extreme....with the specter of job recovery highly remote....houses and cars have been lost or mortgage obligations have put individuals severely under water.....the financial crisis...has undermined our confidence in our institutions...our collective financial stability has been further split between the haves and have not’s. Bailout out has been for banks and insurance companies, but not for people....
I have never been much of a sailor, but I always thought that bailing out a boat was to avoid it sinking... It’s a temporary fix...you still gotta fix the boat??... yet.... we present a bailout as progress and as a solution..
All this has done... is to further confuse people and has gotten the rich richer and the poor poorer and going down faster.... however... the ultimate disrespect...comes...when we start blaming the unfortunate for their circumstance.....and basically say “fuck them”. Let them die.
Meanwhile, the United States, itself, pushes us deeper and deeper into incurring trillions of dollars of debt. Corporations have become wealthy while people are dying a slow death... The Parents have erred... and yet.... we spank the child...we are headed for a role reversal.....
These signs, since 9/11, do not bode well.....and are perilously pushing us closer to violence in the streets...that will make the civil rights movements of the 60’s, look like child’s play.
What do we teach our children about American and World history? How soon we forget... that our country was born out of revolution.
We are heading for the greatest class struggle ever seen and it’s not confined to our borders now.... It has become a world crisis.
“Those who do not remember the past will be condemned to repeat it”... loosely quoted by George Santayana.
These words are as true now as they have ever been...this is the ultimate undoing of society...when we no longer respect each human alive.....and forsake them in the name of progress and the accumulation of wealth and power.
Anyone who couldn’t even give someone some basic level of respect... and feels justified in doing so...or....that they could care less....then.....what has happened..... is that a judgment has been made that they are above you... and you don’t deserve to be respected because you are below them.....or.... that they are just smarter and know better...
This is so typical of behavior in a society that separates themselves by class...the higher the class status the more respect that is given....and vice versa....imagine that...yet if you stripped a person down naked, you know...it’s possible that class...could not necessarily be distinguishable ....but I’m certain they would find a way to tell you, while naked, that they are better than you...
I suppose that there are different levels of respect...depending on the circumstance......but it’s all related...to accepting that others are as important... as you think you are...and have equal worth... and that all experience is equal.
Fundamental respect... simply acknowledges someone’s existence in the world... recognizing that they, like you, are alive...and have as much right to be, as you do..... race, color, shape, size, gender/orientation become irrelevant..... As if we were blind...
If we can’t even get past this one, we are so deep rooted in bigoted beliefs, which is simply....the lowest form of human ignorance.... that... it would probably take a personal or major human catastrophe to reset and/or.... to straighten out this thinking...
Right after the attack on the World Trade Center, on 9/11/01, when those buildings collapsed and the incinerated air covered people in soot and ash, and death... Making them resemble ghosts.... and... we saw first hand... the horror that befell our countrymen and women.... we were instantly galvanized and humbled.... by the futility of our human condition that sometimes...our life.... is out of our control...
That shock brought us together....it was more of a shock wave to realign each other to the reality that separation no longer made sense and we included each other...what happened on that fateful day forced us to afford each other.... fundamental respect.
9/11/01... Though desperately tragic... united our country....much like how the attack on Pearl Harbor woke us up from a deep slumber...collectively realizing... that engaging in a World War was the only way out. The time had finally come to have a singular purpose... and focus our resources, hearts and minds on a goal to save our existence, as we knew it.....and we did it...we executed our plan.
It carried us to great heights...It was an honor to be a soldier, a warrior....The military had meaning...and the United States entered into a “golden age”.....millions of babies were born. The country built itself up from the inside out....life was good and people were more balanced with each other... We respected each other on very human levels...
In time, of course, life after tragedy or significant change.... returns us to normalcy......
Many souls were indelibly impacted by the 9/11 catastrophe and it has caused positive change in their outlook...
Others.......however.... resumed where they left off, as if nothing had changed...and just settled back into old beliefs... the lessons learned and the sense of world community have worn off considerably...and quite rapidly....in the blink of an eye....
In just nine years since 9/11...commonality and momentum, as a nation, has been lost... Military spending and fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan continue at monumental levels never seen before in human history and are sucking the country dry of hope and its resources.... .... and sadly.... it has polarized us, as a nation.
Natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina has had a devastating impact on New Orleans and its residents, the Tsunami in Indonesia, and recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile are physical signs that the earth itself is venting.... the entire Pacific rim continues to shift the ground under our feet. People feel their life is set on sand...right now...in every respect....we are unsettled...
On a personal level....many people have had their world turned upside down ... unemployment is extreme....with the specter of job recovery highly remote....houses and cars have been lost or mortgage obligations have put individuals severely under water.....the financial crisis...has undermined our confidence in our institutions...our collective financial stability has been further split between the haves and have not’s. Bailout out has been for banks and insurance companies, but not for people....
I have never been much of a sailor, but I always thought that bailing out a boat was to avoid it sinking... It’s a temporary fix...you still gotta fix the boat??... yet.... we present a bailout as progress and as a solution..
All this has done... is to further confuse people and has gotten the rich richer and the poor poorer and going down faster.... however... the ultimate disrespect...comes...when we start blaming the unfortunate for their circumstance.....and basically say “fuck them”. Let them die.
Meanwhile, the United States, itself, pushes us deeper and deeper into incurring trillions of dollars of debt. Corporations have become wealthy while people are dying a slow death... The Parents have erred... and yet.... we spank the child...we are headed for a role reversal.....
These signs, since 9/11, do not bode well.....and are perilously pushing us closer to violence in the streets...that will make the civil rights movements of the 60’s, look like child’s play.
What do we teach our children about American and World history? How soon we forget... that our country was born out of revolution.
We are heading for the greatest class struggle ever seen and it’s not confined to our borders now.... It has become a world crisis.
“Those who do not remember the past will be condemned to repeat it”... loosely quoted by George Santayana.
These words are as true now as they have ever been...this is the ultimate undoing of society...when we no longer respect each human alive.....and forsake them in the name of progress and the accumulation of wealth and power.
Monday, August 9, 2010
House, Car and Family on $65 a week?
I had lunch with my Mom yesterday to celebrate my birthday. Her treat!!
She took me out to a fabulous Chinese buffet...near the Beach in Sunny Isles, Florida...and we were chitter chattering between trips back and forth to the buffet tables...chocolate fountain and all....and then....we got to talking.
We got to talking, about my plans next weekend to meet with some of my oldest friends whose families had also purchased homes on Long Island about the same time as our family did in the early 1950’s.
My Father was a Brooklyn kid, and a returning Soldier... who married an English girl, who became his “War Bride”...and by 1954, with 2 growing children..my brother and me.... they left the boroughs of NY.. for a life in suburban Long Island, still pocketed with tomato and potato farms...
My father was an appliance Salesman...who worked for VIM’s...As you might imagine the appliance business was very strong.... and a necessity for the emerging housing communities on Long Island...he managed the store and earned $65 per week.
My mother was a stay at home mom. She proceeded to tell me, that they also purchased their newly built 3 bedroom/2 bath Split level house for $17,500... they put a few thousand down...and took out a 30 year 4% fixed mortgage....plus we had a new car, a Nash, and a family of 4 to feed...my younger brother was not born yet...
I sat in utter amazement that they could accomplish all of that... on $65 dollars a week of income?
She told me that once a month, my dad would get a little excess income from being the store manager...and that they were also able to save after all the expenses were paid.
They were a part of a newly emerging middle class. No credit, little to no debt and money in the bank. It was the “best of times” as she put it...
I started to think about, what in the world has gone wrong...in just 50 years?
We have millions of people who are struggling, unemployed and within a short period of time... will basically run out of money and exhaust all resources....those older Americans’ who have lost their jobs....people in their 60’s... will be taking social security at an early age 62, just to have a source of income.....putting more pressure on a pressurized system.
Many younger Americans will lose their houses...not educate their children..and conceivably could be destitute in short shrift...
I am not talking about irresponsible people...I’m talking about normal hard working people... who have also embraced the American Dream of home ownership, education and living a Middle class life style...
We are on the brink of the “worst of times”...and getting worse..
What is most troubling...is that years of Administrations, both republican and democrat have slowly distanced themselves from the lives and everyday Americans’....and effectively have become the chosen few. While the issues that face people, have been politically abandoned for the sake of the wealthy.
The middle class is evaporating, like the moisture on a black towel...that dries on a sunny day... it is happening very fast...they are overcome with debt, have no resources left and there are no job prospects in sight.....possibly... for years to come......
All that the past 30 years of Reaganomics has done is to widen the gap between the rich and the poor...and frankly they don’t give a shit...things are good for them...
The suburban middle class life which.... my Mother and Father worked so hard to achieve.. Has basically been lost over 2 generations...
This is the heart of the problem... history has taught us that... when there is no middle class, and all that exists... is rich and poor...that that society is destined for, violence and potentially revolutionary behavior and failure.
I just don’t know what to say or do....it’s beyond my comprehension...just the same as living on $65 a week was.... in the 1950’s..
So as my mom, reached into her pocket to pay for the buffet, drinks and a tip....I thought to myself... Damn that was a week’s pay in 1950!!
But she always has something in Reserve....or she wouldn’t do it..
Thanks mom!!...love always...rayray
She took me out to a fabulous Chinese buffet...near the Beach in Sunny Isles, Florida...and we were chitter chattering between trips back and forth to the buffet tables...chocolate fountain and all....and then....we got to talking.
We got to talking, about my plans next weekend to meet with some of my oldest friends whose families had also purchased homes on Long Island about the same time as our family did in the early 1950’s.
My Father was a Brooklyn kid, and a returning Soldier... who married an English girl, who became his “War Bride”...and by 1954, with 2 growing children..my brother and me.... they left the boroughs of NY.. for a life in suburban Long Island, still pocketed with tomato and potato farms...
My father was an appliance Salesman...who worked for VIM’s...As you might imagine the appliance business was very strong.... and a necessity for the emerging housing communities on Long Island...he managed the store and earned $65 per week.
My mother was a stay at home mom. She proceeded to tell me, that they also purchased their newly built 3 bedroom/2 bath Split level house for $17,500... they put a few thousand down...and took out a 30 year 4% fixed mortgage....plus we had a new car, a Nash, and a family of 4 to feed...my younger brother was not born yet...
I sat in utter amazement that they could accomplish all of that... on $65 dollars a week of income?
She told me that once a month, my dad would get a little excess income from being the store manager...and that they were also able to save after all the expenses were paid.
They were a part of a newly emerging middle class. No credit, little to no debt and money in the bank. It was the “best of times” as she put it...
I started to think about, what in the world has gone wrong...in just 50 years?
We have millions of people who are struggling, unemployed and within a short period of time... will basically run out of money and exhaust all resources....those older Americans’ who have lost their jobs....people in their 60’s... will be taking social security at an early age 62, just to have a source of income.....putting more pressure on a pressurized system.
Many younger Americans will lose their houses...not educate their children..and conceivably could be destitute in short shrift...
I am not talking about irresponsible people...I’m talking about normal hard working people... who have also embraced the American Dream of home ownership, education and living a Middle class life style...
We are on the brink of the “worst of times”...and getting worse..
What is most troubling...is that years of Administrations, both republican and democrat have slowly distanced themselves from the lives and everyday Americans’....and effectively have become the chosen few. While the issues that face people, have been politically abandoned for the sake of the wealthy.
The middle class is evaporating, like the moisture on a black towel...that dries on a sunny day... it is happening very fast...they are overcome with debt, have no resources left and there are no job prospects in sight.....possibly... for years to come......
All that the past 30 years of Reaganomics has done is to widen the gap between the rich and the poor...and frankly they don’t give a shit...things are good for them...
The suburban middle class life which.... my Mother and Father worked so hard to achieve.. Has basically been lost over 2 generations...
This is the heart of the problem... history has taught us that... when there is no middle class, and all that exists... is rich and poor...that that society is destined for, violence and potentially revolutionary behavior and failure.
I just don’t know what to say or do....it’s beyond my comprehension...just the same as living on $65 a week was.... in the 1950’s..
So as my mom, reached into her pocket to pay for the buffet, drinks and a tip....I thought to myself... Damn that was a week’s pay in 1950!!
But she always has something in Reserve....or she wouldn’t do it..
Thanks mom!!...love always...rayray
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Don’t be fresh!!
I believe that everything that ever was...has already been thought of before…… simply finding a new way to say it….. is what gives it a fresh voice….fresh meaning….. and. .who among us doesn’t love the taste of something fresh..like... fresh fruit?
One fresh idea can quench a lot of thirst…..the next time you eat a cold juicy grape….try not to smile...
Get fresh with the next person you meet...and you’ll see them smile too....If you get fresh with them....they might even get fresh with you...
When I was younger...fresh.... got you a smack in the mouth...and it wasn’t a kiss...now...I’m enjoying getting fresh with everyone I meet....of course...I’m being silly.....or am I?
Today.....I see that many people are very thirsty for hope and inspiration...real thirsty....like they themselves have been wandering in the desert for 40 years, their throats have become very dry and parched........wishing they could just reach that magical oasis ahead....where they could feel that satisfying first cold gulp....which could wash away years of pain and soothe us from head to toe... the well is drying up...and all they see ahead are mirages.... “the cup has not runneth over.”
All deserts have aquifers...it’s the surface on which we live that is dry...unfortunately... the water, to sustain us, lies much deeper...
We are our own desert and we are our own oasis...we are the cause of the drought and the rainmaker too.... maybe, up until now, we have been unwilling to dig deeper within ourselves...to tap into that well spring.... our reservoir...... our heart is our reservoir...it’s deeper than any well that man has ever dug, nor ever will...when we are willing to dig deeper into our own selves....and unclog that which blocks our path...we will re-discover that bountiful aquifer that has always been within us......but the real beauty is.... that once we drink from that deeper well we will find that this tap will flow so freely to the surface, like a uncapped oil well(i wrote this before the BP Oil spill..lol), or a geyser in Yellowstone.....that our thirst is less noticeable now... because we are happier..
Our heart will always guide us which is right and which is left...choices will clarify quickly, decisions become precise and unscathed by ill thoughts that have continually crept into our head and deadened our heart..
Our own newly retrenched aqueducts...can now flow from the heart and nourish the head...
That which we could never before conceive of will become real to us....possibilities abound...our true self can emerge and our path can be lit up like the runway lights of an airport... at night. When you combine truth with energy... our true purpose will be revealed to us and our compass reset....
However... the final discovery and triumph comes when we realize that there is such abundance... that we must share it with others...because that bounty... was never meant for us alone.
One fresh idea can quench a lot of thirst…..the next time you eat a cold juicy grape….try not to smile...
Get fresh with the next person you meet...and you’ll see them smile too....If you get fresh with them....they might even get fresh with you...
When I was younger...fresh.... got you a smack in the mouth...and it wasn’t a kiss...now...I’m enjoying getting fresh with everyone I meet....of course...I’m being silly.....or am I?
Today.....I see that many people are very thirsty for hope and inspiration...real thirsty....like they themselves have been wandering in the desert for 40 years, their throats have become very dry and parched........wishing they could just reach that magical oasis ahead....where they could feel that satisfying first cold gulp....which could wash away years of pain and soothe us from head to toe... the well is drying up...and all they see ahead are mirages.... “the cup has not runneth over.”
All deserts have aquifers...it’s the surface on which we live that is dry...unfortunately... the water, to sustain us, lies much deeper...
We are our own desert and we are our own oasis...we are the cause of the drought and the rainmaker too.... maybe, up until now, we have been unwilling to dig deeper within ourselves...to tap into that well spring.... our reservoir...... our heart is our reservoir...it’s deeper than any well that man has ever dug, nor ever will...when we are willing to dig deeper into our own selves....and unclog that which blocks our path...we will re-discover that bountiful aquifer that has always been within us......but the real beauty is.... that once we drink from that deeper well we will find that this tap will flow so freely to the surface, like a uncapped oil well(i wrote this before the BP Oil spill..lol), or a geyser in Yellowstone.....that our thirst is less noticeable now... because we are happier..
Our heart will always guide us which is right and which is left...choices will clarify quickly, decisions become precise and unscathed by ill thoughts that have continually crept into our head and deadened our heart..
Our own newly retrenched aqueducts...can now flow from the heart and nourish the head...
That which we could never before conceive of will become real to us....possibilities abound...our true self can emerge and our path can be lit up like the runway lights of an airport... at night. When you combine truth with energy... our true purpose will be revealed to us and our compass reset....
However... the final discovery and triumph comes when we realize that there is such abundance... that we must share it with others...because that bounty... was never meant for us alone.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
“Flew into Miami Beach, BOAC”
Last night..PBS...celebrated and presented the GERSHWIN lifetime achievement award in song writing.....to .. Sir Paul McCartney,...in the East wing of the White house, before the President and many honored guests...
Back in April I had the opportunity to see Paul Live in concert in Miami....and I wrote a piece about it...and I figure the timing is right to put it up on the Blog...so here it is..... rayray
That verse was taken from the Beatles tune. “Back in the USSR”.
I recently attended the Paul McCartney concert in Miami, part of a 5 stop “America’s” tour which includ Phoenix, LA, Miami, Puerto Rico, and Mexico City.
A new friend of mine and her young daughter, went together to see the show. While on the way I mentioned to JB, the young lady, that the Beatles music took the world by storm in the early 1960’s, when I was about her age, and that their first live performance ever, in the United States, just also happened to be in Miami Beach, live on Television on The ED SULLIVAN show... in 1964 nearly 46 years ago.
Back then, television was in its infancy, to a large degree, and was broadcasted live. Ed Sullivan’s variety show was wildly popular across America. In fact, this was a major way that many American families first began to experience cultural events featuring world famous acts and actors...yet experienced them from the comfort of their own living room. If you had a television, and Ed Sullivan came on, the entire family would gather around it every week. It was a family event each week.
But that night, was very significant, for any Baby Boomer. We remember it, as if it were yesterday. It was as significant an event for us, from an indelible memory standpoint... as much as the horror of the attack on Pearl Harbor for our parents, or the Kennedy Assassination, or September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center, which will forever be etched in our children’s memory.
This event, of course, was peaceful, not violent or shocking.. But... joyous and so memorable for Parent and child...It was unifying...
We wanted to show off the Beatles to our parents, like a child wants to show off a new holiday toy. We embraced the Beatles as ours. And as a statement to our parents of what we wanted as kids...love and peace and music.
We wondered whether our parents could relate to the Beatles and embrace them as we did...especially with their long hair, pointed boots and dressed in all black...The Beatles spoke to us and we listened...just as we wanted our parents to listen to us....I think they did...of course they did...
My mom, I’m sure could sing or hum the tune to “Michelle” or “Eleanor Rigby”...in the snap of a finger.
I thought it was notable, and to my pleasant surprise, while on Stage... Paul, made mention of the Ed Sullivan show and coming home to Miami Beach, in recognition of its significance to them and to America and to every person in that audience that saw it live back then in 1964......we were unified in that moment...their success and our lives were forever intertwined... and I really appreciated that he took a moment before the performance got too far underway, in a sense, to sanctify that moment. It certainly didn’t go unnoticed by this writer.
In those 46 years in between visits to Miami, we have all been through a lot...Cold wars, hot wars, good times, bad times...and through it all... there was the Beatles... of course we lost...John Lennon, to an assassin and George Harrison, to illness.... and Ed Sullivan...the father of the Variety show... and the P. T. Barnum of his time. Paul took time from the show to mention those 3 during the course of the evening. It was a magical evening.
We left that stadium humming “Hey Jude” and I was so grateful to witness his return to Miami Beach, sort of where it all began for all of us........
Attached is a list of songs that I put into my phone that evening. I think I missed a few..
Paul McCartney concert April 3rd, 2010
Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club band
Helter Skelter
Yesterday
Get Back
Lady Madonna
Day Tripper
Hey Jude
Live and let Die
Let it be
Give Peace a Chance
A day in the life
Paperback Writer
Sing the changes
Back in the USSR
Ob-la- di Ob- la- da
Band on the Run
You
Feel the Thunder
Where my love goes
Eleanor Rigby
What the use of worrying
Ho Hey Ho....Ho hey ho...Mrs Vandebuilt
Everybody gonna dance
Here today
Blackbird
Two of us
I’m looking through you
My love does it good
Let Em in
Jimi Hendrix tune
For us to remember.........Ray, Nancy, Jenna-Brooke, Judiann
Back in April I had the opportunity to see Paul Live in concert in Miami....and I wrote a piece about it...and I figure the timing is right to put it up on the Blog...so here it is..... rayray
That verse was taken from the Beatles tune. “Back in the USSR”.
I recently attended the Paul McCartney concert in Miami, part of a 5 stop “America’s” tour which includ Phoenix, LA, Miami, Puerto Rico, and Mexico City.
A new friend of mine and her young daughter, went together to see the show. While on the way I mentioned to JB, the young lady, that the Beatles music took the world by storm in the early 1960’s, when I was about her age, and that their first live performance ever, in the United States, just also happened to be in Miami Beach, live on Television on The ED SULLIVAN show... in 1964 nearly 46 years ago.
Back then, television was in its infancy, to a large degree, and was broadcasted live. Ed Sullivan’s variety show was wildly popular across America. In fact, this was a major way that many American families first began to experience cultural events featuring world famous acts and actors...yet experienced them from the comfort of their own living room. If you had a television, and Ed Sullivan came on, the entire family would gather around it every week. It was a family event each week.
But that night, was very significant, for any Baby Boomer. We remember it, as if it were yesterday. It was as significant an event for us, from an indelible memory standpoint... as much as the horror of the attack on Pearl Harbor for our parents, or the Kennedy Assassination, or September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center, which will forever be etched in our children’s memory.
This event, of course, was peaceful, not violent or shocking.. But... joyous and so memorable for Parent and child...It was unifying...
We wanted to show off the Beatles to our parents, like a child wants to show off a new holiday toy. We embraced the Beatles as ours. And as a statement to our parents of what we wanted as kids...love and peace and music.
We wondered whether our parents could relate to the Beatles and embrace them as we did...especially with their long hair, pointed boots and dressed in all black...The Beatles spoke to us and we listened...just as we wanted our parents to listen to us....I think they did...of course they did...
My mom, I’m sure could sing or hum the tune to “Michelle” or “Eleanor Rigby”...in the snap of a finger.
I thought it was notable, and to my pleasant surprise, while on Stage... Paul, made mention of the Ed Sullivan show and coming home to Miami Beach, in recognition of its significance to them and to America and to every person in that audience that saw it live back then in 1964......we were unified in that moment...their success and our lives were forever intertwined... and I really appreciated that he took a moment before the performance got too far underway, in a sense, to sanctify that moment. It certainly didn’t go unnoticed by this writer.
In those 46 years in between visits to Miami, we have all been through a lot...Cold wars, hot wars, good times, bad times...and through it all... there was the Beatles... of course we lost...John Lennon, to an assassin and George Harrison, to illness.... and Ed Sullivan...the father of the Variety show... and the P. T. Barnum of his time. Paul took time from the show to mention those 3 during the course of the evening. It was a magical evening.
We left that stadium humming “Hey Jude” and I was so grateful to witness his return to Miami Beach, sort of where it all began for all of us........
Attached is a list of songs that I put into my phone that evening. I think I missed a few..
Paul McCartney concert April 3rd, 2010
Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club band
Helter Skelter
Yesterday
Get Back
Lady Madonna
Day Tripper
Hey Jude
Live and let Die
Let it be
Give Peace a Chance
A day in the life
Paperback Writer
Sing the changes
Back in the USSR
Ob-la- di Ob- la- da
Band on the Run
You
Feel the Thunder
Where my love goes
Eleanor Rigby
What the use of worrying
Ho Hey Ho....Ho hey ho...Mrs Vandebuilt
Everybody gonna dance
Here today
Blackbird
Two of us
I’m looking through you
My love does it good
Let Em in
Jimi Hendrix tune
For us to remember.........Ray, Nancy, Jenna-Brooke, Judiann
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
If I were Blind...
How about a little change of pace?...here's a poem I wrote... as the backdrop for my book by the same name....rayray
If I were blind
And couldn’t see
I wonder how the world
Would be
We’d have to lend
A special ear
To every sound
Loud and clear
Every touch
Magnified
Every smell
Categorized
The color green
What does it mean?
We would learn a life
Never seen
Only felt
Only smelt
Only heard
Every word
But the truth, in fact
of being blind
Has little to do
With seeing fine
It’s all about beliefs
You see
That clouds our vision
Dramatically
We have our role
And keep it tight
Never open
No insight
That’s the blindness
Of which I speak
It’s reciprocal
Is what I seek
Clear in purpose
Opened wide
Be forgiving
From inside
Accept that life
Is just about
Breathing in
And breathing out
Enjoy each moment
While it lasts
Because before you know it
It’s in the past.
If I were blind
And couldn’t see
I wonder how the world
Would be
We’d have to lend
A special ear
To every sound
Loud and clear
Every touch
Magnified
Every smell
Categorized
The color green
What does it mean?
We would learn a life
Never seen
Only felt
Only smelt
Only heard
Every word
But the truth, in fact
of being blind
Has little to do
With seeing fine
It’s all about beliefs
You see
That clouds our vision
Dramatically
We have our role
And keep it tight
Never open
No insight
That’s the blindness
Of which I speak
It’s reciprocal
Is what I seek
Clear in purpose
Opened wide
Be forgiving
From inside
Accept that life
Is just about
Breathing in
And breathing out
Enjoy each moment
While it lasts
Because before you know it
It’s in the past.
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