The Value of One

Numbers count,

Duh!

Numbers matter

They are matter

They give value

They give weight

Measuring size

And distance

And where you are from me

And I am from her

Numbers tell us things

We use them to tell us about me

And about they guy sitting in his space 9537 kilometers away

We use numbers

Exponential numbers to indicate we should listen to this artist

Or to see this dancer

But there is a number we overlook

The one we forget about as we stumble out the door

Trying to be there by 8:10 (7:55 looks like you're trying too hard)

One

Just One

Not you and me

But One

One me

One you

One God

One ALL

Not "all" as in 2 billion people inhabiting the planet

But ONE

Thought for The Day - Tightrope Walking

I'm no Wallenda, I'm just trying to get through this thing called life! From the "four spiritual laws", the "four agreements", "seven habits of highly effective people" and "fifty ways to leave your lover", there is no room for just being! Seriously, I just want to be! Between regret ("I should have said, did or been there!") and longing ("I want to say, do or be there!") there is narrow chasm, a string, strung from birth and into the dark of the future. It's not morbid, in this second; I'm simply living my life in this moment. And in this moment, I am.

I remember playing as a child, sitting somewhere with my toys, creating an imaginary world in my head and acting it out with my cars and such. Children have that liberty; they can combine their inner world with the materials of the physical realm. But....oh yeah, there is always that interruption of  the joys of innocence! "Don't run too fast, don't run in the house, don't play with that little boy, he's bad, don't touch the stove it's hot..." on and on, boundaries are established, dug in, built up, etc. A child learns to "play safely" and then not at all. Imagination becomes the stuff of the few children who learned to channel their creativity against the blocks society manufactures. Musicians become performers, dancers become ballerinas and writers become authors.

Seriously, just BE. We can't eliminate our past and in truth, we are always looking for, if not "more" something else. But BE. Appreciate this moment, and if it is a moment of pain and not calm or joy, strive to get to a peaceful place.

Thought for The Day - I am "Here"

A red dot marks my location on the map...and this concept gets copied and modified on electronic devices and software. We can be found "here," or "there." Like the "dash" between a birth year and year of departure, there's no telling what that dot contains!  The dot, the dash, they're just indicators, but no indicator of the stories stored in that location. The reps can't tell you I've moved from this spot in the room, the house, or the office building. It can't tell you I'm on the first floor, getting in the tub or in the basement reclining on the couch while the television serenades me. And the dash doesn't indicate how many people's lives we have impacted for the good.

Words, representing a focal point for the day, a point of concentration, like the rudder on a ship. In this venue, the focal word or phrase says "use 'this' as a mile marker, a reminder of things important. Use it to build, tear down, plant and uproot." There exist thoughts, notions and intentions in us that are taking us to a dead end; we want life, especially in us. There are secret plans we've been plotting and scheming, perhaps we aren't aware how damaging and destructive they can be. We need a remedy, a sense of hope to redirect our course. Sometimes one word, a single concept is all that is needed to put us back on the correct path. And sometimes, the equivalent of an embrace (one word or "thought"); that basic human point of contact changes our location and the direction of our lives.

It's just a word, a thought or a feeling. In the language of "dots" and "the dash," it doesn't register. But in the day-to-day living, the microscopic details of the grand design, eternity is found "here."

Thought for The Day - Searching for Me

Gathering the pieces

Not as in lost or abandoned

But as one gathers new and necessary components

Improving on the "model"

It's a life long process, discovering, letting go, making room, adapting and adjusting.

There is always a degree of self-examination to improve what is my life at the moment.

Thought for The Day - Where Does It All Lead?

The planning, the dreaming, the effort and the failures...where does it all lead? The times you couldn't wait to get to the next step up, in your career, your relationship, to see the kids grow up and move out; where does it leave you? When you moved from this "hick town" to the big city or from the hustle and bustle of the big city to a town where everyone knows everyone, now what?

We are always reaching, grasping, trying to be there, rather than here; to make it big and to be rich. For what? What are we gaining that we didn't have before? And what are we losing that made us who we are? We read the latest self-help book, the Bible or other sacred texts and yet we remain petty and greedy. To what end?

There are moments when you stop and wonder what's it all for? And what am I gaining through all this effort? I'm merely asking questions today, wondering if this is where you find yourself as well. It's a moment of hypercritical reflection; a moment where I wonder if my life means much more than my next exchange of carbon dioxide for oxygen.

What about you? You ever feel this way?

Thought for The Day - Hasty

"Desire without knowledge is not good - how much more will hasty feet miss the way!" Proverbs 19:2 NIV

We are perpetually in a rush! There are few who are exceptions to this phrase. We are on the go, chasing after stuff and people. Our four year old car is no longer adequate, we MUST get another. Our clothes are last year's style; there are new clothes to be had. And electronics? At an average price of $200, we are prone to tossing out phones, televisions and computers every two years! We want what we want, except we aren't really sure why.

To the destruction of ourselves and those around us, we rush, lead by needs and desires that really won't satisfied. So what do we do? How do we put "knowledge" to use rather than being lead around by our desire? Consider professional athletes, dancers, and accomplished actors. Their success isn't made in minutes or hours, it is the result of years of hard work and discipline. It is practicing while others are asleep, it's waiting patiently for opportunities, all the while pressing for an open door to display their talents. The same goes for any person, celebrity or not, who desires something worthwhile and long lasting. Dedication, hard work and a clear vision of what can be achieved. That's how we build rich and vital lives.

Thought for The Day - Tripping Over a Pebble

Elastic 18 x 24 pastels

You've scaled mountains, crossed the burning sands, survived corporate attack after attack and this one pebble trips you, and you're flat on your face! Sometimes it is the enemy you can't see, that does the worse damage. And sometimes, it is the fact that you've come so far, and accomplished so much, that this "one thing" reveals what remains inside of you.

This is not to say you haven't accomplished much or that you aren't strong; quite the opposite, it proves that you are. But everyone has a "breaking point." No, I take that back: everyone has several breaking points! And the very shape of life is designed to uncover them! Years ago, having decided to get serious about my Christian life, I decided to attend church every Sunday. A few months of that, I added to it regular Bible study at church AND Sunday school. I was practicing being kind and patient and generous, using softer words and expressions. I was doing fairly well! But one day I thought: "If I could change a couple more bad habits, I would be okay!" Big mistake! It was going to take far more than a couple more self-perceived flaws to change me into a "Godly man!"

Life, our consideration of this journey, will have you "up" one minute and "down" the next. And it isn't always the same stimuli that takes you in either direction. We are prone to failure and in a sense, that's okay. We can also choose to learn from mistakes and rise above each one. But please be aware: there's always a pebble, or twig, or beautiful face, ready to trip you up!

Thought for The Day - Momentum

...let it continue; there are words to be written, to be uttered; bring the other world’s energy to this place and effect a change. Planting seeds, providing soil and rain nourishment. Don’t stunt the growth, but permit it. Remove what is dead and useless to be moved. Pull up what is not desired and grow. But in all, continue moving until your soul says “pause.” 

There images in mind that when rendered, communicate truths. There are colors and shapes to bring from the source, their power and purpose can change the very lives of the viewers. And the only limit is the available time to draw them out. 

As one moves and gets in the practice of "gaining steps," one finds some things, some people fall behind. It isn't intentional, and certainly not your desire to leave, but you are gaining momentum, moving forward. A kind way to put it, is we aren't on the same path and it makes us feel a little easier when conversations don't occur as often. 

Momentum is needed and near perpetually. Even when the path we're on is uphill, full of obstacles or outright blocked, we have to continue on our way. And the difficulties, the times of loneliness, well we hope at some point the road gets smooth and new friends as well as old friends find their way back into our lives. But when you gain momentum, when you're moving forward, continue doing so.

Thought for The Day - A Thousand Days

Shaken Up! 8 x 11 pencils

Mile markers on the path...

In a given day, any day, any part of the day, a thousand themes and subjects run through my head. I could post endlessly. Sometimes people come to mind, I see their faces, guess at their 'situation' (not all of them negative or difficult; just where they are at this point in their life - or could or should be) and more subjects and themes come to mind. No question or doubt what to say, just not enough time in a day...would you hear me if I told you what I thought you?

A thousand...

Points of light

Connected dots

Lines in the sand

A blessing and a curse, this sensitivity. I'm a listener and giver. I hear your pain, wish to heal, but...

I could reach across miles, whisper a word, run a gentle finger across your cheek, wipe a tear from your eye...

Speak of success, soothe a failure, sit with a loss

Words, images...for you and me.

Thought for The Day - Momentum

The Phoenix

Forward Motion...

Moving at a rate of speed that indicates we are out of control...

Free falling...

You ever have one of those days, weeks or months where you feel like you're life is moving way too fast? Where insomnia can most assuredly be traced to tasks you are to complete? And your intuition tells you "something's wrong." Maybe multiple things are wrong. You have that overwhelming sense that 'things' won't turn out well.

Momentum suggests there is movement. I'm suggesting the movement, the forward motion, can be out of our control, beyond our capability to slow the pace.

But I'm also suggesting the following:

• Acknowledge the fear (Seth Godin's "lizard-brain")
• Examine your expectations - all of them good, bad or indifferent
• Breathe deeply - meaning pray, meditate, "go with the flow;" please allow a little space - no a lot of space; this is transition. And change we don't control or welcome is always terrifying!
• Allow the solution(s) to materialize...also requires quiet meditation
• Allow the forward movement to take you to what scares you, through what scares you and into the victory you desire!

I'm not speaking of the above from some philosophical perspective, I'm speaking from practical experience. Even now, as I sit here, "the storm is raging!" And to my sense of well-being, this feels like Hurricane Katrina on steroids. But I allowed myself a moment of quiet reflection; I recalled countless times in the past where similar storms swirled around me. And though, for all practical purposes, this current maelstrom could take me under, for the moment, Peace that surpasses understanding, RULES!

You can't stop your life from moving forward, but perhaps your life is moving in the direction of victory rather than destruction!