Wednesday, January 18, 2012

The longer I live . . .

The more I really see . . .

The more I understand that we are all delicate creatures.

The treadmill . . .

...is where I try to make sense of the universe while expelling negative energy, pushing my body forward to meet modest goals, and clearing my mind.

I can't say that I ever make sense of anything, not really, but during the walking time, I have the illusion that everything is all right or will be.

I went to my first yoga class last week, and I could see myself going again just to hear the philosophy of life, mind, body, spirit, earth, relationships.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Lives . . .

I wouldn't mind being a rock.

A smooth rock that's perhaps spent some time in the riverbed.

I once watched children play in a small stream. I had gone to the park for a change of pace and to write.

My observations merged with the story I was thinking about and I saw the flat rocks as fish for the character to avoid. Pretend fish, of course.

I've always been alive enough to take care of people. And now, I find myself more awake but making lumbering Frankenstein mistakes.

Frankenstein needed an instruction manual. I've often wanted one for myself. Mine would tell me where to live in Wyoming.

Lately I keep thinking about the rock. The rock's purpose is pretty clear: sit in the meadow until someone picks you up, skips you across the stream. Then sink. And do whatever rock's do at the bottom--until something changes.

The rock piece wouldn't make a good story. Good stories require characters that act, react, and interact--not that are exclusively acted upon. But here's the beauty: the rock isn't looking to be a character or to even be in a story. How liberating! The rock just is.

Isn't that what people want, too? To be seen exactly as they are (rock) and liked and appreciated and accepted (mostly) because God created them? (I suppose some people's ideal isn't rock, like mine is. Some might wish to be perceived as something grander or better.) (And no, people don't want to be used...I just realized that I didn't want anyone carrying that analogy forward.)

I wonder if anyone has e-published a guide on how not to be Frankenstein. I bet someone has. And it's probably sitting on a server somewhere for me to download for .99.

I won't look though. I will instead close my eyes and see the gray smooth stone--perhaps it has wavy stripes running through it--resting below a shallow stream of water, waiting for whatever comes after one has sunk.



Sunday, January 1, 2012

The all-encompassing list (an answer) . . .

. . . be happy

live alive instead of sleepwalking through lists

connect to others

be real. authentic.

. . . be even happier for the journey.

(because you asked on "a strong day". . . because this is all I could come up with . . .)