Wednesday, April 27, 2011

i read the news today oh boy..


i am considering entering the Presidential Race. 

The "Donald" has been all over the media and is at the cutting edge of "culture as entertainment". 

He is also seriously challenging and already severely challenged nation. There are aspects of culture which should remain sacred out of respect for their essnce and history. This is no longer the country my Grandfather spent all that time on a boat to get to and prosper. W have lost our way and are quickly on our way to be an embarrassing sibling at the next family picnic. 

So, i may as well have some fun and go for what i think could be a job i enjoy. I will be up front about a few things early in my campaign.
I will candidly admit I am doing this for some very selfish reasons. 
First, I don't like how i feel about my country and want that feeling to go away. 
Second, i love to travel around on private planes and i abhor traffic. 
Third, i will be asking Barrack Obama to be sticking around. He is a good guy. You can sense it. 
He is a genuine person, with a good and balanced story. The fact that he stepped into a dysfunctional "old boy network" system that his numnuts predecessor screwed the pooch (we the people being the 'pooch') with, 
is not his fault. GW was born and raised in that network, Obama was not. And, he knows how to listen and is a wonderful orator. He is also hip and relevant. 
Something we should be as global citizens. 
If world really was was America (and it's NOT!), America should be the New Yorkers.

Yes. this land that Don Corleone built his empire upon, has become it's very own Freddo. But, it's never to late to get in the row boat...

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

walking

So, I just returned from dinner with an old work colleague. Wonderful dialog.
Mostly about her 15 day photo safari through the back country of Ethiopia.
An out of the ordinary experience filled with all that life is.
She shared of the three generations of woman doing a bridal dance
 adorned with bone bracelets and the garb of indigenous people.

The food was good, the wine was great
but seeing this beautiful and brilliant being glow as she spoke and
the joy she was feeling as she conveyed the essence of what she saw was immeasurable.

But measure it i did! I went for a 6 lap 45 minute walk around the lake just breathing and moving to the silently screaming rhythm of a distant South African dance. She gave me a spark.
 My walking meditation was the fanning. The beauty is lingering and the fire is ablaze.

Such is the power of 'going for a walk'. 

I read Thoreau much of my life but today i connected to Him. Read his essay on Walking.

Sometimes i walk and make believe i am Harry Potter and my body is my wand and six laps around creates a spell on the lake and leaves behind and uplifting energy to anyone who enters the path. 
Don't make fun till you have tried it. Contempt prior to investigation is unwise.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Observation

I spent over an hour listening to my friend on the phone with Comcast trying to get her Internet connection working. To say it was not going well is an understatement. My friend was frustrated, impatient and repeatedly rude. The Comcast person did their best to keep the process going and achieve the end goal. At one point about 45 minutes in, my friend relaxed and began to breathe and even exchanged pleasantries with the human at the other end of the phone. She realized it was 2am in India and this person probably had a life that included some frustrations of her own and yet was doing their best to get this fixed. The entire energy in the room shifted, my friend smiled and the Internet connected.

Observation... the moment these two humans connected as such, the information flow between them became way more smooth, much more pleasant and ultimately more efficient and effective. 

Connection is the first step in effective communication. Even with Comcast.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

On this, the day before my 54th B' Day, i have the same opportunity i have had for the last half century.
Basically, to make choices that are in alignment with my core values and make the corrections when i don't. I say 'and' because i have yet to have the perfect day. So, it's largely about correction.
What i do have (that i am immensely grateful for), is the capacity for practice. 
With the tools now gathered and sufficient self awareness to know the blind spots i can meet life on life's terms and embrace whatever comes my way.

And, like any one else that 'practices' something (be it a sport, an instrument or a tool), i have great days, good days and not so good days. Willingness is the key. That is something within my control. As is my attitude.

Since the tendency for despair has been in me as long as i can remember, monitoring and correcting my attitude is paramount. That will be the focus of my practice today. As it is every day since i started this practice (20 of the last 54 years).

G-d heal my perceptions. Grant that i may have awareness to see the choices available and the strength to make the ones that serve the best for all involved.

it's a new day filled with chioces & possibilities

On this, the day before my 54th B' Day, i have the same opportunity i have had for the last half century.
Basically, to make choices that are in alignment with my core values and make the corrections when i don't. I say 'and' because i have yet to have the perfect day. So, it's largely about correction.
What i do have (and i am immensely grateful for), is the capacity for practice. 
With the tools now gathered and sufficient self awareness to know the blind spots i can meet life on life's terms and embrace whatever comes my way.

And, like any one else that 'practices' something (be it a sport, an instrument or a tool), i have great days, good days and not so good days. Willingness is the key. That is something within my control. As is my attitude.

Since the tendency for despair has been in me as long as i can remember, monitoring and correcting my attitude is paramount. That will be the focus of my practice today. As it is every day since i started this practice (20 of the last 54 years).

G-d heal my perceptions. Grant that i may have awareness to see the choices available and the strength to make the ones that serve the best for all involved. I will keep you posted...