Cobwebs

Blog81:

My bed comfortingly cradles and warms my half-awake body.  My mind calls for more zzzzzzz’z. The thought of comfort quickly dissipates soon as I realize it is indeed a Saturday.   ‘Drudge Saturdays’ come without a warning sometimes.  They just keep on coming when I don’t really want to toil.  Though awake and really dread rising, I lie still, but peek out of the bedcovers straight up the skylight window.   Overcast skies keep a few stars lighted still.  I relish the moment.

I tell myself, “Stay here and watch the stars fade away!”

I convince myself to do just that until the sun asserts itself and begins to explode its light little by little.  I heave a sigh, and accept the new day.  As soon as the room gets well-lit, I get a bigger view of the ceiling.

“Cobwebs,” I scream from within.  “What are they doing there in all four corners? How did spiders get in the room and form again those pesky sticky threads’ network so soon?

Cobwebs are irritating.  They make spots where they set look dirty, unkempt and ugly.  They catch dust easily and make them even worse looking.  What aggravates me is that spiders choose bottom spaces that are hard to reach and clean.  They seem to like those best, but they are irksome!  Far worse than bottom spaces, spiders choose top corners … always … no … all the time! 

“Enough huffing and puffing,” I tell myself. 

It doesn’t move a step forward to protest anything bothersome.  Sometimes, one has to just shrug things off shoulders.  I try to recover what I know about webs that are worth my while. “Nada!” Zip. None I could quickly get out, front and center! 

Out of the blue, I recall its figurative use: Blow … Brush … Clear the cobwebs from one’s mind.   That’s exactly right!  Instead of useless grumbling about their presence, I should take up the thought of clearing my brains’ cobwebs!  I could really use some head-clearing to think faster and better about what to seize for the day so I may have more energy to expend for something else, fun that is!

But then again … how do I reach and wipe out those thick webs out there?  Funny … weird thought comes clear.  Maybe I‘ll just keep them ‘til Halloween!  Yeah … that’s a splendid idea.   Add to the room a few dried out leaves from outside, get a pumpkin and carve into it a Jack-o-lantern. 

Let the preps for hallowed night begin!

Celebrate!

Blog80:

          Love life today!

When you rise tomorrow …

Love life even more!

 

Life today is a gift

It is an opportunity

Life given today is a prospect

It is an occasion with great possibilities
 

Love life today!

When you rise tomorrow …

Love life even more!

What would you do with life today?

What challenges would you conquer?

How would kindness bless you this very day?

For which gifts will you be thankful the most?

Perhaps I’d stroll around my neighborhood

I could bring soup to someone I had not visited

A letter of greetings, I might write

Surely I’ll voice thanksgivings over good health today!

Love life today!

When you rise tomorrow …

Love life even more!

Life today is a star to reach

It is a bubbling spring of potential discoveries

Life bestowed this day is a promise

It is a chance to build up capacity

Love life today!

When you rise tomorrow …

Love life even more!

Forgive someone’s transgression

Purge your grievances

Think of delightful thoughts

Don a pleasing countenance

Love life today!

When you rise tomorrow …

Love life even more!

Love the work you have

Smile and make those around wonder about that beam

Finish something you began yesterday

Dream a dream and plan to realize it

        Celebrate life today!

        Give praises!

        Rejoice!

Inflictions

Blog79:

Look down upon someone
Act more superior than another being
Elevate one’s race higher
Trample on one’s thoughts as mediocre … even useless

            Why do you hurt yourself?

Assert you physical strength on to somebody
Lord your power over another
Scoff at an individual’s work of art
Say boldly that somebody’s creation is inferior

Why do you put on useless armor?

Threaten someone’s life for hurtful fun
Impose a violent act on a soul
Oppose a fellow worker’s plan … just because you get a thrill
Project your anger on everyone but yourself

Why do you reject the good inside you?

Annoy someone
Cast your bad temper on a fellow known or unknown
Feel ill toward another with your loudmouth
Purposely obstruct one’s way

Why do you make a mockery of yourself?

Block someone’s action
Quarrel with anybody
Act belligerently toward your elders
Behave uncontrollably within a circle

        Why do you suffer and wound yourself?

Scare an already fragile creature
Bully those younger souls
Put on a pugnacious demeanor
Be warlike toward a timidly- spirited soul

Why do you rebuff your very soul?

Carry on an abrasive attitude with others
Angrily fume over something petty within your circle
Cantankerously confront … just because
Get combative to win an argument

        Why do you invite injury to yourself?

Impose on another your intimidating disposition
Say a hurtful word to demean a child
Smash a teen’s confidence
Enrage and Infuriate everyone

        Why do you inflict senseless unhappiness to your heart?

Yell and Snap …
Irritate and Cross …
Gnash … Irate …
Offend … Impair …

You think you gain something fruitful with violence?
You think there’s merit in your aggression?
You think you accomplish something of value with viciousness?
You think destroying life leads you out of your own demons?

It’s effortless to hurt
It’s unproblematic to weave hurtful lies
It’s trouble-free to exert one’s power over another
It’s undemanding to bully or invoke pain on someone

       Destructive energies gain nothing but pain!
          Violence brings division … discomfort!
         Aggression creates only injury and wound!
         Brutality conceives bloodshed … ferocity!

Stream of consciousness(8)

Blog78:

6:18 … “Cinn!  What are you up to now?”  I yelp a good, firm yelp.  That called everyone’s attention.  A long strand of rolled-out tp is drapes the floors from the bathroom … the closet … and into the study.  Inside me a Mom’s voice silently screams a second time.  Pet children bring lots of blessings, but more often than not, they spin over and around one’s being lots of stress!

6:57 … I must have asked three times, maybe more, about today’s date and appointment to which Mick and I would need to show.  I daily tell myself to jot things down … put appointments on calendar.  That’s one good way to not forget!  That’s what will make things easier to remember.  Had I been acting on it? NOT!  I had not done so.  Mick screams.  I feel slighted by it.  ‘He could act on sympathizing with my failing memory,” I lament.  Losing memory! There, I said it.  Done! Still … snapping, raising one’s voice tone does no good to me!

         … “Peel away, chipped feeling!”  I demand.

7:05 … It’s just not my day, I guess.  Annoyance, then anger builds within me over that entry door into my workplace hallway being locked earlier than it should be.  I speak out my mind.  “So and so … please let me lock that door.   What’s the deal?  It’s 7:05!”  Raucous … squeals … uncivilized exchange follows.  But I had to speak out my mind this one time over a silly cause.  That silent feud has gone long and it was time to let it out.

         … Calm down, ‘Brain’ … and breathe out the ugly air from inside!”

7:43 … Off to the tasks of the day.  I must get going.  No.  Stop navigating the sites!  Go now!

         Hu San, Owen and Berns must find that light bulb in their heads soon or they’ll be so far behind from their progressing peers.  What could be cooking in those heads?  Say it together: A letter makes a sound or sounds.  When put together, they make a word; words could be strung in acceptable order.  When they are lined up well, meanings … thoughts … form in heads!  Words – they mean so much and do so much in our day-to-day life!

        … Walking through the hallways, I hear my inner voices nag about completing five more pieces of paperwork for that pesky audit! Hmm … notification to parents of screening and test results (3 of those!), change of status for exempt-serve students, application forms for Speech classes.  Don’t forget those referrals that need signatures.  All must be intact by Friday of this week.  Ugh!

10:13 … Intrusions – they always come when I have a full plate.   A new school intern has requested to be mentored.  I was the pick to ‘break her in’.   (Huff and puff …) That will chunk a big deal from my personal time.  What could be done about it?  There’s absolutely nothing!  Sock it to myself, and move on.  ‘Lungs … breathe in and out 3 times.  Brain – get it over with!  You could do it.  Remember – a good turn begets another good!

2:49 … Oddly enough, there are those among and around us who come in all ‘colors’ and/or ‘baggage’ that could either be done away with or dealt with.  The head-butting this AM was one example, and because it is still on my mind, I want it sorted.  I’m not sure what that ludicrous creature’s intent was.  Today, I was not going to budge a bit farther than I’ve done already.  What was her problem?  Does she think she could lord things over me?  I wonder now if she perceived me to be lower than her.  Nothing makes someone downright ugly and discourteous unless he/she to the bone, already got it ingrained.  This AM’s Scenario: You see someone 3-5 feet away from the door you’re about to close.  Do you shut it and lock it up or welcome the person in, then lock it?  The person inside locked the door on me!!!    If I encountered that situation though, I would have kept the door unlocked, opened it and greeted the person.  But that was not the case.  I shortly lost my cool over that, but decided confronting it.  It needed to be taken care of, so I did.  I would perhaps hear more about it, but right now, I couldn’t care a bit.  Off with that ugliness!

3:47 … I’m still here at the workplace; one more thing that must get out to an interpreter.  I could not believe that communications were not attended for a Burmese family, whose children need a dire assistance!  Let’s get that attended now.

7:13 … Home!  I love being home with the critters and Mick.  I honked and out all three came to greet me.  The ‘walk expectation’ first, and then time to recreate!  The table set up a great home-made meal of tuna, salad, corn and beans and cabbage.  Yummm!  Fried bananas topped with honey was scrumptious indeed!

       … Do some house chores tonight? Naaahh … not tonight.  Let’s load that washer tomorrow! 

      … It’s time to rest and leisurely sip a cup of tea. 

You Matter

Blog77:

What matters to you, matters to me!
You want your mind engaged
You want your voice heard on critical issues
You want to be useful
I want all those for you.
 
What matters to you matters to me!
You want to feel worthwhile
You expect respect for your humanity
You want to be valued
I want all those for you.
 
What matters to you matters to me!
You require validation for the output of your soul
You want recognition for your wholesome acts
You want others to be aware of your presence
I want all those for you.
 
What matters to you, matters to me!
You want peace of mind
You want excellent health
You want a tranquil, trouble-free life
I want all those for you.
 
What matters to you, matters to me
You want a decent home
You want a worthwhile source of income
You want affection
I want all those for you.

What matters to you, affects me
What you desire, my heart and mind want
What you aspire for, I want to realize
What you seek, I want to find
I want all those for you.

I am the “I Am”
I want you to be mine.
I am the “Word”
I want you to sing, breathe and live my word.
I am the Beginning of All Things”
I knew you before you were born.
I am the Ending of All things”
I will claim you, if you claim me.
“I Am”

Priority

Blog76:

Give priority to someone’s demand, hardship, basic request or want. We have heard the mantra: “Prioritize! Rank! Order! Line up what’s first, next, last!” 

We find prioritizing and serving greatest needs, then attending to least items in the home, at the workplace, on the road, and mostly on our mind when we’re prompted with multifaceted expectations, and when we’re swamped with tasks that require responses.  Priority demands time: right away, right now, from all of us.  We find it in situations and places of value and significance.  We especially act on a priority task when neglect of it has dire consequences.  Priority commands our instant concentration and awareness. 

We prioritize!  We deal with something that’s most important first.  We list several things to act upon and solve problems in order of magnitude, difficulty and substance.   There’s indeed a throng of priorities in general life that we never-ever take for granted – those emergencies for example.

An emergency - a matter of life and death, takes priority.  Life-threatening situations come first and foremost.  A blood transfusion or a surgical operation to ward off complications in life-saving is by all means requiring prime attention.  A house on fire that may spread and collapse from onset needs quick-thinking action from firefighters.  A drowning child or adult entails attention from someone familiar with treacherous water saving-systems and victim resuscitation.  A search and rescue alert for a missing person and his/her predator/abductor necessitates collaborative prioritization of action and plan from the police, investigators and family of an alleged victim.

What measures do we use in dealing with urgent actions to take, and problems to solve? Calming one’s nerves and anxiety comes to mind.  Panic has no place and it is by all counts detrimental.  Without mind presence we could get overwhelmed … even frustrated.  Our mind must decide to clear up all communication lines between brain, hand and feet.  In problem solving situations, we involve and insist on doing what brings a logical and positive result first.  We look at what ground to cover that’s easy enough to manage and complete.  We sort, plan, then conquer a segment of the problem one at a time until a pattern of next steps become lucid enough to tackle.  Without a calm mind and a problem-solving strategy, we easily could fall apart.

We are called on to prioritize our finances, lest we get economically ruined.  We are summoned to prioritize our goals and objectives in life so that we could meet them one at a time until all are met and enjoyed.  We are invited to prioritize our time spent on things and people that matter to us so we could rejuvenate and head out stronger than ever the second time around.   Prioritizing raises our hope for things we dream about accomplishing.  It keeps us grounded, leveled, and clear headed in our attempt at constructing, deconstructing and reconstructing daily life.  It advances our personal causes and our quests!

Need I say more?  Go, and prioritize something!

A Conversation ...

Blog75:

Why are you crying?

What ‘something’ is so terrible that you could not handle?

Something terrible has happened to me.
I was forced out of my job at the company.
I didn’t have the foresight it could happen to me.
I feel useless.

Think again.  Are you useless?
Now that it happened, what do you think you should do?
What do you want to do?

I want to scream until my lungs give out!
I want to rant and rave at the people who kicked me out!
I want to blame and curse God!

What does God have to do with what happened?
It was a human action, wasn’t it?

It’s all wrong.
I want to tell God that I do not deserve the human action taken.
I want God to affirm that what was done to me was unfair!
I want God to do something.
I want God to do something heinous.
I want God to hurt those that hurt me!

What you want done, God wouldn’t and couldn’t do.
God is God – creator of only what’s good.
God cries as you do.
God suffers with you.
God holds you in His heart.
God hears and listens to the cries of your mind.

It hurts so badly.
I am numbed by the pain it caused.
I feel so alone.
I have no place to get comfort.
I feel so very helpless.
I am totally lost.

You may feel all alone.
You may feel so very uneasy, hurt, helpless, lost.
But you are not alone.
Don’t you remember? God is with you … always!
Praise God for loving you whether you’re broken or whole.
In god’s own time, child … in God’s appointed time …
Tides of oppressive feelings will go away.
Meanwhile … get your head up.
Get your hands and feet moving.
You are God’s creation and co-creator.
Look to your mind and heart and claim creation.
Create with your mind … heart!
Change your course, however small the step the you take.

Reclaim your mark.

You are God’s child!