Creation: The action or process of bringing something into existence
“What can you ever really know of other people’s souls – of their temptations, their opportunities, their struggles? One soul in the whole creation you do know: and it is the only one whose fate is placed in your hands” – C. S. Lewis
We are often told through childhood and grade school that the opposite of death is life when in fact the true opposite of death is creation. Creation is the innovator of all humanity. It is the ability to take nothing more than a thought or concept and through the remarkable ability of our minds make something amazing. It is this gift that each of us possesses that allows us to not only evolve as a society but surround ourselves with wonder.
As we embark on a new year, we look at January as a symbolic gesture of a fresh start. Through the power of resolutions, we are able to relinquish our misfortunes from the previous year and start over. The ability to journey down a road undiscovered and take on the risk of a better tomorrow is quite a unique phenomenon.
What differentiates greatness from mediocrity, is the ability to take conscious thought and implement an action plan.
Do not make this a year of creation, make it a lifetime.
The creation of life is only the beginning. It is the gateway to all potential. Don’t wait, don’t hesitate, don’t resolve to make a difference. We are on the edge of complete insanity as technology is manipulating our culture and bringing us to the brink of global mayhem. If there was ever a time to stand up and allow your imagination to become the next generational icon, this is it. Immortality is a state of being. It is the legacy you leave behind that will define you for generations to come.
We are all blessed with the gift of imagination and the knowledge tools to become the ambassadors of change. Look deep inside yourself and search for the answers that have been waiting to be unleashed. You and you alone are the bearers of creation.
Your time on this earth is now. Own it and set a path for greatness because you have this reverence chained up in your brain waiting to be released.
Don’t wait for the world to come to you. Take it by the hand and guide it down the eternal path of absolute spectacle and astonishment.
“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will.” – George Bernard Shaw
There is a disturbance in the air.
One we cannot see; life we cannot breathe
We bow to the spirits hidden safely behind the stars that shine in the abyss of the eternal playground
It is in the anguish of fear that paranoia puts the soul to rest
In the screaming of the intense silence, we hear the voice of reason reflecting on the misery rotting in our minds.
Closing the vision, the iris burns
Surrounded by a fire that does not burn; a bullet that does not wound
It is an invisible force, so powerful; it pierces the essence of innocence and catapults all emotion to the edge of reality
How can such intensity provide a bed of restful comfort we rationalize to no avail?
With a hint of iridescence, the warmth of the sun illuminates the darkness and an echo of a new tomorrow is written in the clouds
With the pen of prophets and the calligraphy of angels, we read the words in anticipation…
“I just broke up with someone and the last thing she said to me was “You’ll never find anyone like me again!” I’m thinking, “I should hope not! If I don’t want you, why would I want someone like you.”
- Unknown
In the tradition of excellence in humor, last evening could be described as a thought provoking erotic sitcom build around an entire cast of supporting actors with the single goal of embracing every element of life and performing a show led by the ringmaster himself.
It was an night of doppelgangers, lesbians, strippers, strangers, kissing, laughing and a bit of warmth created in a land penned by Lewis Carroll.
It was one of those evenings after a bit of E Entertainment news you wish you could have lived. The glamorous life of a celebrity with all the perks, attention and outrageous events transpiring right before your eyes as the center of life and for just a moment it becomes you. This was one of those nights.
Now we will archive it away and move on to many more subjects of wonder and intrigue as we dig into Pandora’s box of life’s many great wonders and humorous anecdotes.
I was recently talking to a friend who had an ex boyfriend who was just focused on image that he would buy an expensive pair of designer jeans and then sand them down personally to fit the exact specs of an ad on page 57 of GQ that month. It made me think that he may be the same person I saw at the mall stopping at every mirror and making the proper adjustments. Coming from a jeans and tee-shirt man, maybe my thoughts on fashion are flawed. Of course I believe a good look is important as it represents a strong sense of responsibility, creativity, and a savvy sense of fashion.
There was a zombie crawl downtown. It is that time of the year when teens and adults raid thrift shops and purchase tacky dresses and suits only to cover them in fake blood and guts. At least, let’s hope they were fake. There are some that take the season of ghosts and goblins very seriously. Everywhere I turned, I smiled at the sea of dead walking, limping and later in the evening crawling along the streets. Funny how some people put more effort into the appearance of being dead than actually living.
Children are totally funny. On a crazy mad cap Saturday night, I watched Gnomeo and Juliet with a good friend and her two children. The same two children that showed me their favorite stuffed animals and then began to repeatedly hit me in the head with them, over and over and over again. But in the end I got to wear the pink blanket cape. Then randomly, during a tense scene, they would leave their couch, run over, jump on me and then snuggle up. Don’t you wish adults could just be that way.
Buffets are funny. They are cheap, they offer tremendous selection and give the customer the freedom to decide. But, we have an obesity issue, health care costs are rising and many individuals have difficulty with will power. A little bit funny, wouldn’t you say.
The new IPhone 4S cost 169.71 according to a report released this week in the Wall Street Journal. The cost was broken down into components, parts and labor. Labor: $8. Priceless.
Every Saturday and Sunday there is a ritual during football season, drink, drink, eat food with lots of dips and then drink. Multi-million dollar athletes that work out, maintain a strict diet and the pulverize each other each week fill the airwaves. That is 2100 athletes in the NFL and about 8000 in college. While 10,000 fit athletes give their heart and soul, over 100 million sit on about butts and fall into a pit of laziness and obesity.
“I’m 16, and a boy and I remember hearing great old singers and groups like Dixie Chicks, Sara Evans, LeeAnn Rimes, Lee Ann Womack, Alan Jackson, Diamond Rio, Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, Randy Travis and many other songs by these great country music makers! These songs bring back the best memories when I wasn’t in school yet and had all the time in the world to do what I wanted to do outside in the yard or outside in general. Now I’m a sophomore and I can’t slow down and enjoy my life like I used to.”
elmerlandon – YouTube
WTF
There is my self imposed morning rant. It is officially out of my system and now we can move on with clarity and a sense of relaxation. After all, without my first cup of coffee, the thought of a highly energized and distressed commentary just does not make logical sense.
Just to get this out in the open, I was watching the video “Cowboy Take Me Away” by the Dixie Chicks last night. YouTube is single greatest psychological tool for stream of consciousness flow study on the internet. The idea of going from a biographical video on the history of First Avenue Club in Minneapolis to the Dixie Chicks blows my mind away, but somehow it got there.
I am not usually one to scroll down to the comments, but this one was rather long and caught my eye with the detail of the historical reference points. I wasn’t immediately saddened by what I read until I took it in a second time and gave myself a few seconds to process it. The realization that a sixteen year old already feels overwhelmed with daily life and that the carefree lifestyle of being a child fraught with innocence is gone was discerning.
Playing hide and seek in the backyard, laying on a hammock, having coffee or lemonade with your parents on the back patio, or kissing your first crush under a tree are only activities reserved until you hit the ripe old age of twelve. I think not. That is a right, a privilege and a freedom earned by all who have been given the right to breathe.
I know what you are thinking, why such a deep commentary based on one isolated comment? In my mind that one isolated comment is the voice of a generation. A generation of thinkers and observers so overwhelmed with “global insanity” that is at our finger tips 24 hours a day that we lose site of the simple truths right before our eyes.
The real news in the world is the laughter of children in the park, dogs running around the yard, youth soccer programs practicing on a Saturday morning, hikes through the mountainous regions with the sun rising to guide our paths, the music of the songbirds while feeling the chill of the morning dew, a canoe trip down the river or a romantic walk by the ocean. That is the news we all need to live for. It is the morning, afternoon and evening of each day of our lives.
Instead we are showered with civil wars 13,000 miles away, terrorist bombings, economic turmoil, political unrest, corruption and greed, poverty and disease in Africa, smart phones and computer dominance and that is just the first page of the Wall Street Journal. Where does all this madness stop? This isn’t just today but every day and with each passing day, the over load of news just keeps piling up until we have a massive stock pile and no where to haul it.
What is the answer? I am not here to provide an answer, but we need to address that comment. This anonymous YouTube user is the voice for what so many of us are thinking. We should not be afraid to speak up and share these sentiments because if we don’t take back our own lives, we cannot even begin to help others.
It only takes one voice, one dream, one open expression of love and community to open the eyes of millions and create a revolution. We need a revolution of peace to bring life back to you and I and begin to find those days when we were ten and life was only about the moments right before our adventurous eyes.
“The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live.”
- Leo F. Buscaglia
How many times in our lives do we start over?
A marriage
A divorce
A life altering event
A new job
A new home
It seems we need life to guide us into a state of change or motivation instead of letting our emotions, passions and glimpse of irrationality lead us to the true happiness we seek.
How many of us can wake up each morning, look at the life we have chosen and say we are truly happy. I sense many are comfortable with a family, financial stability, routine, security and very limited risk. Is this a safe harbor or true happiness? Yes, of course it is safe, but not where you saw yourself when you were ten years old thinking about the future.
As a child, you are at the peak of imagination and with clarity and vision, you dream the impossible and somewhere along the line life hits you over the head and puts you in a box. When were you planning on breaking those four walls and racing for those dreams?
For most, never. Unfortunately, retirement may be the day you open your eyes and look back and what you could have done and thus a sense of self imposed sorrow runs through your body. For others, there needs to be an event, a moment, a seemingly global tragedy to awaken the senses.
Take a few minutes with a sheet of paper and pen and write down all the things you thought about being as you started growing up.
Here is my list:
Astronaut – The unparalleled feeling of being thrust through the atmosphere to the great abyss and for a few days experiencing absolute freedom while still being paralyzed by the fear of the great abyss.
NBA Basketball Player – I had a great jump shot and I was quick. Not as quick to my right but unfortunately genes did not bless me with a 6’8″ stature. I was given the opportunity to coach 10 and 12 year old girls and boys for a number of years and to this day I am still friends with a few and I am thankful for that.
Actor – Not just an actor but I wanted the whole package; worldwide stardom. Then again with the rise of MTV, I was OK with rock star. I can’t sing and acting, maybe a little community theater. I can’t even fake sing. If there was a Halloween costume for an anti-singer, I could pull it off with my voice alone.
Cowboy – I grew up in Anywhere USA quiet suburban land. It was the American Dream….In the 1950′s. My town had one major newsworthy crime in about 30 years. After a report on Wyoming and a stint of horseback riding in Pennsylvania, I knew. I was meant for the open trail. The dust in my face and the sun being my guide. What a thought. I’m not quite John Wayne so for now, I have to stick with True Grit.
Lawyer – I thought I could change the world. I interned for a Superior Court Judge and the thrill I got each morning, doing case summaries and research knowing I was taking part in justice. I knew that decisions I made would help the judge balance fairness for all that walked into her courtroom. I witnessed domestic violence cases, theft, deception and hatred and realized the courts couldn’t correct the system. Only people can look in the mirror and take responsibility for their actions.
History Teacher – I don’t know about you, but seeing the glimmer in a students eyes; you know the one that expresses them deep in thought and truly engaged in the education process it is priceless. We as humans are a sponge with the capability of continuous learning. Every day is a chance at educational growth and knowledge expressiveness. We are blessed with the give of intelligence. It is a sexy gift we should all strive to never give up. At the end of the day, I could transfer some of my expertise to a group that wants to absorb and further educate others. It is noble, fulfilling, warm and accomplished. It doesn’t pay well and it can wear you out faster than it can help you grow. Another dream by the waste side.
Writer – Writing is therapy. Some see it as a gift, a birth rite, a sign from the heavens. Writing is the true expression of all emotion bottled up and then released in an explosion of color and emotion. It is the novelists, historians, poets, musicians and journalists that not only record history, but help us understand ourselves. Writers help you see what you are afraid to see. Writers bring out a surge in your senses that are hidden away. Writers have a duty to themselves and their readers. They take your hand and guide you to another place. Maybe a fantasy land or a personal memory but they open the door to the imagination of everything. Wait, I suppose I am a writer. But am I an unconditional committed writer??
All of us have a lifetime to create a legacy. Unfortunately, aside from a website that tells you when you will die, we do not know our expiration date. Now is the time.
What makes a legacy? Hmmmm
1. Live each day of your life with purpose and never stop dreaming. Live each day with happiness, sadness, love, respect, and admiration for your chance to not only live a complete day but to see another sunrise.
2. Love your family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, animals and strangers. We are all part of the this miraculous circle of life. We share this planet and though there are some rules and regulations, it is the freedom to take risk and find personal greatness that will write the final chapter of your legacy.
3. Teach the next generation to release the chains of society and lead your own path.
4. Challenge yourself. When you feel the odds are overwhelming or the obstacles too large to overcome, challenge your senses and let your dreams become a reality.
Don’t wait for a recession, an attack, a tragic crime or the safety of a picket fence to hold you back. This is not applicable to all. Many of us are so complete right now and it is a feeling of wonder. If you are on a path of robotic melancholy with a destination already determined; stop walking. You have the chance to turn around and start a new journey.
In the infinite wisdom of now, we are trapped in a moment kidnapped by the tools of our own hands.
Victims of the search for truth
Powerless to the agony of love
Swept away by the waves of time drowning our dreams with the reality we store in conscious thought
It’s hard to breath now
Suffocated by moments overwhelmed by man
We are robots in our skin; flesh eating metal
In the truest of words; arrested by emotions; saturated by potential
In an ironic twist, success is our greatest failure and insanity is the only calming agent
Now I look to a tree in its prominence and desire to grow
It is alone, firm to its roots and a shelter to those that pass under.
A protector to the almighty sun; a seasonal reminder of the passing of life and death
Renewed in warm, it returns for another season, another lesson
Close your eyes and bask as an exchange of energy revives the senses numb to the wasteland we call now
I recently heard someone say “You are lucky to be alive”.
I then spent a great deal of time thinking about that comment. It wasn’t the first time I had ever heard it, but the first time I really thought through the meaning behind the phrase. An optimist and pessimist could spend hours or days debating the merits of those words until they turn blue, shoot each other or hug it out.
My first reaction was “why?”
Why are we lucky to be alive? We are all going to die. Whether we believe in an afterlife, a spiritual resting place or higher power above our earthly knowledge, it is unknown. It is a realm of belief vs. scientific evidence. I am by no means questioning the validity of those that awake the dead and connect with the afterlife. We are all open minded to the possibility of the unknown.
As an infant, we are awakened to all things new. Our curiosity peaks and life experiences are new each and every day. As we age and gain further understanding of life, decisions become more difficult and moving forward in age, pain, suffering, hardship, disease, tragedy and loss become part of our expected routines. Then we pass away leaving loved ones to mourn for us as we take the next step to eternal rest.
That being said, “Why are we lucky to be alive?”
Humanity itself has given the prosecution due evidence to take the negative stance on this debate. National disasters are wiping away entire communities, children and infants are dying of disease before they have a chance to experience life, poverty is forcing families to live like rats on the street, greed, religion and hatred are provoking violence around the world, population increases are threatening the health and well being of the environment and technology is limiting our ability to emotionally connect with
each other.
Are you wondering when this is going to turn positive? Give me a moment, I promise it will.
This has been an extraordinary period in our lives with the Japanese Tsunami, Earthquake in Haiti, Hurricane Irene, Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, global flooding, Chilean Earthquake and flooding, and the West Virginia mining explosion. All deeply tragic and all exploited heavily by the media.
Then I took a step back, looked at my own life and looked at things the news doesn’t seem to want to emphasis. I thought about the smell of the morning dew that reminds me of home and curling under my warm down comforter on a cold winter night. A saw the wonder of two dolphins playing in the ocean and giving all of us a show for free.
I cannot forget the look on my father’s face when he drops me off at the airport, gives me the slight stare of thankfulness and sadness for seeing me go and then hugging me like men are supposed to hug.
Do you know the feeling when you are kissed gently on the neck and then hold each other so close your bodies come together as one. It is one of the safest feelings you can imagine and one that often cannot be put properly into words. It is that feeling that nothing can happen to harm you and that the knowledge of having each other is the only thing you need in the world.
When a warm summer rain falls on you at the beach and the waves crash into the sand showing its power and beauty with each raise of the surf. The water warms your pores with earth’s shower and you are cleansed and refreshed.
I cannot sing. I cannot play guitar. I can’t even pretend to carry a tune, but I will say this, if you give me a song that moves my soul, my acoustic guitar and a glass of wine, I am in a state of utopia that nothing can bring me down from.
Not a day goes by without thoughts of my mother. For many years, I questioned everything. Why was she taken from us? We needed her. This wasn’t fair. This hit a point of hatred, but for what or who I didn’t even know. Over time, I have reflected less on losing her and more on what she offered me and how she shaped who I have become. Those are the thoughts of fondness that I now think about each day I remember her.
Last month, I witnessed the birth of a baby. I was taken back by the reality of a new life on this earth but not the deepest impact on me personally. It was the candid emotional release from the new mom and dad, the purity of the smiles and tears from family and friends and the unity the room brought in celebration. I took a step back and became an observer to this miracle. How could such a small being who cannot even speak, reach out and help grown adults release their most inner emotions. If a seven pound baby can bring a whole room to the highest levels of happiness in a brief moment, anything is possible.
Watch your dad play Darth Vader sometime and take on three children at once….You may suddenly feel a warm spot in your heart.
Are we lucky to be alive?
Yes
More than you know..
Look around you and see how lucky you are….
Listen up Hasbro and Mattel, we have designed the next generation in gaming technology. Put aside your game consoles and wicked 3-D animation and bring it back old school with a taste of the future.
Social Media has officially exploded that even Francis Scott Key would be in awe. By the dawn’s early light we have taken the next step. With Cloud Computing, not only do we have the ability to create the ultimate Big Brother environment, but we can now do it in real time. Welcome to the Real World…Don’t turn around, everyone is watching!!!
“Welcome to your life
There’s no turning back
Even while we sleep
We will find you
Acting on your best behavior
Turn your back on mother nature
Everybody wants to rule the world”
Everybody Wants to Rule the World – Tears for Fears
The Game of Life was designed to provide children with a simulation of the challenges and rewards of life leading you through a path of academia, career choices, family and wealth. In the end, we retire in comfort and luxury or simple golden years. With each spin, we are presented with financial decisions, life choices and expectations that will lead us to the next square and the next phase in our life.
The new game of Life, is Planet Earth, Social Media is the media allowing all of us around the global to witness and partake in your journey and ITunes is providing the soundtrack. It is the ultimate game.
A simple ten number wheel is no longer your only option. You have all the tools and technology at your disposal to guide you in this life journey.
If you want to be an instant star, use YouTube or Twitter to make yourself a viral sensation.
If you want wealth, start an internet start-up, run a net loss for three years, grow your network to 100 million and then go public or sell it for a cool 1.5 billion.
If you want children, go to Match.com or E-Harmony, find your manufactured match and start a family.
If you want to go to college, transfer a check, log in from your bed in your pajamas and get that education you always dreamed of without ever leaving your house.
Most importantly, document every move you make on Foursquare, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google +. Without that, we cannot keep track of the game.
History has a tendency to repeat itself. We must document the journey of the game for future generations to learn. A requirement of this game is a blog. You need one, you must have one, you must let your voice be heard. Without a blog, you are nothing more than 140 characters per action. I hope we were not raised to believe that is our total value in society.
We also have to help critique the world as we explore each turn. Do not forget to update your Yelp and TripAdvisor account. Without criticism, all restaurants and retail outlets would survive.
Now, how can I possibly do all this while I am constantly on the road of life…Duh IPhone or Droid or dare I say Blackberry…Let’s not say that. We are all equipped, thanks to Captain Kirk with a mobile device that allows all this documentation at our fingertips.
Will all this technology give us Cancer?
First, everything gives you cancer. So do not fret about that.
With billions of dollars being funded into Cancer research, a cure for this dreaded disease is now part of the game. You may even be the one to land on that piece and be credited with the ultimate cure.
Did I mention this game is much more difficult than your traditional board game.
I thought I would just pick the green car, spin the wheel and start collecting a salary. Times have changed! Times have changed!
What makes this game so much different than the one we grew up on, is that personal choice is officially eliminated. We don’t have the option of not playing. We are all on the board and all waiting our turn. This is a continuous game, with no winners or losers. Some will become wealthy, some famous, some poor, some ill, but in the end we all want to get to the finish line.
Life is hard, but we love the journey.
Remember, resist temptation, because sometimes what appears to be the greatest things, are just traps along the way.
Just in time for the holiday season, head to Amazon.com or Toys R Us and get your version of Life 2.0…This is not your parents board game.
I’ve been lucky to have known you.
I’ve been fortunate to have loved you.
I’ve been blessed with the fortitude to have a moment of completeness in my life as you passed through exciting my senses and warming the energy around my heart.
You know who you are for you have carried a piece of me with you everywhere you turn.
It is that shared moment that defined a life, that determined a destiny, that felt once again.
Sometimes the hardest part about letting go is realizing that that moment had to happen in its entirety and then let go for the wind to take it away. It is a shared moment of finite perfection that is meant to last, not the eternity of mediocrity hoping to reengage once again what slipped away.
I don’t know what drew me to you other than it just did. It was a tsunami of euphoria that captured my mind, body and soul and swept me into the bottomless abyss of the ocean. Without you, I would not have now; without now I cannot sit here and think of you.
I was fortunate to have been put in a translucent state where destinies found their way to each other and then let their course run. I am not sure if we had control of the time we spent together or time dictated our every word. It is a story that may or may not sometime be told by generations after us.
Those moments are forever on the tombstones of the cemetery in our minds with each stone written the words of our love.
