Viewing the tracks

Bringing in the new year is sometimes about looking back to see the tracks in the snow in order to better make new year's resolutions. A science magazine I was reading was looking back over the last 150 years at the advances that had happened and some of the discoveries in geology that had shaped modern thinking. A column in the newspaper was looking back over the last decade at some of the best stories printed. Tiger Woods was named the athlete of the decade. The financial magazines were taking this month's edition to look at the track of the stock market and the performance of some of the up and coming companies.

Looking back is important at times so that one can appreciate the events of the path behind. Some years are better than others for looking behind. But, this year was a very good year, so I don't mind at all looking back at this one. This year yielded a job change, one that led to a change from public education to self-employment. It had been in the planning phase since last January, but came to fruition on November 1st. I also got to spend more time at the lake than I have ever done before. And, I got to travel to Canada for two weeks. I was in phenomenally beautiful country for an extended period of time. What a good time!

This year also spawned some changes in stretching my horizons. Can anyone believe that this non-reader read 6 novels this year, encountered 5 new musical artists or groups, wrote original poems, and wrote more blogs this year than in the last 5 years! Call it a change of heart. Thank you, my heart!

So, this year has been good. It is a springboard in every way for the years to come. It was a change in direction and a change in heart.

Precious gems

Gems are precious sometimes not for their color or sparkle, but because of the "character" they have due to what it takes to make them into a gem. Diamonds and pearls have such character.

Most people know the story behind diamonds. They come from deep within the earth. They are only made over a long period of time. They have to undergo great amounts of pressure and are born of pressure and heat. Even after their birth, they have to go through additional cutting and polishing. It takes a lot of time, effort, and equipment. That is part of the reason why they are the chosen jewel to represent relationships.

Pearls have an equally interesting story. Pearls come from within clams. They start as foreign material that has slipped into the clam while it is eating. The clam protects itself by producing a membrane-like material to protect itself against the irritant. This material eventually turns into a pearl over time. Not all clams make pearls, so that makes the pearl an envied object of affection.

I would like to add a third gem to this list. I was watching a National Geographic program not long ago. Scientists have found a cave in which giant crystals have formed. These are so rare that only in one other spot on the earth is there another instance of a giant crystal cave. The crystals form over thousands of years like diamonds, but not quite as long. They also form if they are immersed in water that is over 120 degrees F. To mine these crystals scientists have had to drain the water and take their lives in their hands while breathing heated air that could kill them.

People love diamonds and pearls partly because they know the pain of the oyster or the rarity of diamond mines. These are gems of character. But, I would like to add a third gem - the giant crystal. I wish I could buy a chip from one of these crystals and mount it on a ring to capture its rare quality and its born-of-pain story.

I have a friend who wears a diamond and a pearl. I would add a ring of giant crystal to this collection if I could, for this friend is of rare quality and has much character, some of it born of adversity, some of it inherent. Don't we all need friends of such high quality and character!

A park gift

This is the time of the year when gifts are on a person's mind. I have been able to enjoy the gift of a park close to my house that I have walked in for the past 7 years. I walk there many mornings of the year. Over the 7 years it has produced a number of scenes for me to think and write about. The park is a gift because it spawns such generative thinking power.




Today even in the cold part of the day, squirrels were gamboling from one tree to the next. They ran spryly, crisply so that it looked like they enjoyed the movement as they chased each other or paused to crunch a nut off the ground. They gave life to the park. I have seen this scene over and over, regardless of the time of year. It's a gift from the park.



Sometimes the park seems a little sinister. During the winter months, many days the sun is not up when I walk, so I walk in the darkness. But, even if the walk begins on a sinister note, it ends giving me comfort because my eyes adjust to the darkness, and I know every crook and cranny of it. So, I lapse into the familiarity of its places.

And, on a number of occasions, pictures emerge in the park that strike me as something to write about - the moon over the trees, the trees dropping their leaves, its winter wonderland look when it snows. It gives me a certain amount of energy.

And finally, the park revives my mental energy. This is especially true if one facet or another of my life is out of whack. I get to concentrate on what is happening and try to figure out an answer or an approach that will yield happiness. Walking there helps me sort out thoughts as to the priorities in my life, or lets me see a direction that I need to take. The last few months, time there has allowed me to think of the new direction I need to take and the priority I need to have. Just recently some interesting ice formations in the park resembled a crown. It gave me pause to apply that symbol to the priorty of the one who has the regal position in my life.

The park has been a gift. I am thankful for my long time walking buddy.

Knowing what's real

Kangaroo leather is characterized by its flexibility, not its stiffness. So, when I bought a hat made from kangaroo leather, the fact that it came folded in a small bag only to bounce into form after taking it from the bag made me know that it was authentic kangaroo leather. It's been a great hat because of its viability ever since.

No doubt there will be a number of caps sold across the United States touting the Olympics in North America this February. There will be caps with the multicolored rings across the front. There will be caps with the word Vancouver 2010 on them. There will be all kinds of insignias on caps, but there won't be one that has the emblem of the Indian nation from the British Columbian area of Canada unless it was bought in Vancouver or in British Columbia. I have one of those authentic caps; it will be a novelty in the area I live in since I live a long way from Vancouver.

Authenticity is important in an age in which one can wear faux furs or sport faux mohawks or buy faux purses. "Knock-off" is a common word these days. So, when it comes to relationships, people are satisfied with "faux" relationships, knock-offs. There are a number of reasons people accept partial relationships rather than complete ones, but one of the reasons is that there are not that many people willing to offer a complete or authentic giving of themselves.



It is a felt emptiness to experience faux relationships. However, one gets to expecting them since authentic ones are few and far between. How refreshing it is to cross paths with someone who brings authenticity, who is transparent, positive, proactive, cheerful, probing, encouraging, energetic, caring, interactive, and enthusiastic. To use an old phrase, "I want to stake my tent" with such a person, not merely to be around them, but to experience authenticity that is just not available anywhere else. It's the difference between wearing silver or wearing gold in a ring.

Nothing like a good ruse

Somewhere around 850 BCE, Trojan and Greek armies had been engaged in warfare for a long time, maybe 10 years. Whatever the length, both armies were worn completely down. Death tolls were high. Important people had been slain. The war seemed like it would only end with the death of the last warrior in the siege. Then, the Greeks did the unthinkable – they offered a peace offering to the Trojans, a gift for being such a formidable foe, loaded their boats for Greece and withdrew from the harbor in front of Troy.

Oh, but that isn’t the end of the story. Literate people know the phrase, “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.” The Trojan horse that had been given to the town as a gift was a ruse. It contained soldiers, who would wait until nightfall to leave the horse, open the gates, and let in the Greek army whose ships had returned to the bay and unloaded for the final assault. It’s a well known ploy. The Iliad just made the trickery famous.

War is good only if you win it. I have been engaged in wars with co-workers before and in larger office politics as well. The one event that wins it every time is the ruse that is created. Some people play by the adage that luck is always better than preparation. Thus, if they win a war, “There’s nothing like dumb luck,” they say. But I want to weigh in on the side of another saying, “There’s no substitute for preparation.” And that preparation is the ruse that makes the enemy feel confident of a winning outcome when really they are about to be brought down to deafening defeat because they have unwittingly exposed their fatal flaws to the opponent.

Fight well, my kindred spirit!

A work of beauty

Sometimes we assign importance to an object or to a person by saying that the object or person is the "heart and soul" of something. It would seem that the terms are redundant, and English, in general, resists redundancy (although it has its fair share built into its grammar). I guess the two terms could be considered redundant simply because they are synonyms. Someone could be the heart or soul of a company, for example, because (s)he feels so passionate about what the company does, and passion is represented by both heart and soul.

But, I think the terms could also be seen differently so that they are not repetitious. Heart is used sometimes to refer to courage, and soul is sometimes used to refer to the personality exuded by someone. So, if a person is the heart and soul of something, then perhaps (s)he is the courageous one and the one that everyone thinks of first because the entity is best represented by the traits of that one person.

I love meeting people who provide heart and soul. I know several of these people. One stands out. I love the sparkle and glitz, the courage, passion, and social networking this person provides for everything and everyone. It is sheer beauty to see.

Hooking

One thing I really like doing is finding what is under someone's layer of words. Usually people lay themselves bare with the language they use or written language habits they have developed. Some people are harder than others in determining what intentions lie under the verbage. But eventually people reveal themselves. It's a little like going fishing and trying to use a hook to catch someone. At first people like to present themselves through the frame of a picture, but eventually they can be hooked so that what does not appear in the picture can be seen. Language study is the perfect hook. It has certainly served me in good stead.

Not an illusion

"The grass is greener on the other side of the fence" is a saying of warning. If it is said, then the one saying it is trying to warn the listener that really nothing is truly greener... It just appears to be that way.

This can certainly be true. And there's a sister saying, "If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is." Another warning. And I heard both of these sayings within a two day span just over the weekend.

But I also know that sayings are just that... They are based on the usual or average experience, the typical way things turn out. It is so sweet when the grass really is greener and something really is truly good and doesn't just seem that way. I guess I am fortunate, but I am trusting my experience this time, and it is telling me that what I am seeing is really greener and what seems good, truly is. I have been wrong before, but that experience has led me to know that pure gold is unmistakably pure gold.

The best lemonade you have ever tasted

Dante wrote one of the masterpieces of the world around 1315 A.C.E., The Divine Comedy. The first section, called The Inferno, describes a descent into the depths of hell. It is an awful place. Many readers of Dante's day were frightened at the description, thinking that it was real.

I have written several blogs about escaping the hellish environment that I worked in until last month. Yes, I feel that I have escaped the inferno. The people that ran the place were crazy, inconsistent, brutish, mean-spirited, and ghoulish at varying turns. I am thankful for the escape, but I really, really find my spirit diminished to know that I left behind a very close colleague of mine in the inferno. The two of us often mused how she had to make lemonade from lemons from the misfires caused by the craziness of the place.

I feel her great pain and wish mightily that she could also find a way of escape. I know how the pressure of the place wears on a person. It drains one's energy beyond belief and never is one led to believe that she is competent, talented, used according to her strength. I feel for her greatly!

What is little known is that the Divine Comedy ends with a section called Paradise. It is all about the heavenly spheres that the main character is led through. It is my earnest belief that her talent and competence will very soon lead her away from this inferno into the "heavenly spheres" of the work world that will showcase her strength for all to see and appreciate. She will soon have an angelic taste of success outside of the inferno.

In the meantime, she will be making a lot of great tasting lemonade simply because she is talented and brilliant.

Thanks giving

I didn't know that when this year started that it would yield a number of events to be so thankful for. What a difference a year makes! Last year at this time, I was not at all enthralled with what was happening in my life. This year I have been given hope... and laughter... and vibrancy... for which I am so very grateful. And I thank the one who has caused such a turn-around.

How nice to get a raise in level

In Great Britain an elevator is called a lift. I like that idea a lot. It takes the weight of people and lifts them from one level to a level higher or more.

Today I was on the first floor of my day and had been for the whole day... until about 1:15. I couldn't get off the first floor. What a dull day. Then the phone sounded. The door to the lift opened. I got on and went up a floor. A couple of hours later the phone sounded again. The door opened again and I went up another floor. A third ring, a third floor. By four o' clock I was looking out the window from floors above where I was before 1:15.

Who would have thought that a phone call would equal a lift... but how my spirits were lifted! I don't take lifts for granted any more. I just enjoy them to the hilt when they occur.

A lesson from late fall

Life comes in seasons and flavors them with characteristics all their own. The very late fall characteristics were evident this morning in the park I walk in. One characteristic is that the leaves are all off the trees. It's not the prettiest time of year, but leaves being gone are a necessary function for the season. When the leaves are gone it allows everything in the biological cycle to take place like the scattering of seeds and the relegation of diminished sunlight to be for the main part of the tree without having to supply ever-needy leaves with nourishment.

Trees without leaves reveal the structure of the tree without the masking of the leaves. Leaves tend to distract one from the structure because of their beauty. But when the tree loses its leaves, mistletoe and nests are no longer protected from view. In late fall and winter the nests are empty. Life is latent. Observers get in touch with the structure of the tree again.

So, in our personal lives we have seasons during which we can lose the masks and see the structure of the events and relationships that make up our lives. It's a perfect time to lop off branches, prune, and reinvigorate trees so that when the beauty of the leaves returns it can sustain life better and make the beauty more vibrant.

I believe that time has come to prune and reinvigorate. Some limbs are cracked and dead. The leaves are gone to expose this. It's time to knock out the nests and get rid of the mistletoe that are leeches on the tree. When the spring arrives the beauty of the tree will be more vibrant and stunning.

I see light in the forest, not losing the forest for the trees

A confluence is when a number of events come together usually for some reason or another. Pessimists see confluence as a time when evil happens or events turn sour. Optimists see confluence as a time when events turn for the better or have a chance for new beginnings.

I want to stand with the optimists. There is a confluence going on with me right now. It's a turn for the better. I know it's true. I just check out the number of times I smile in a day, or the number of times Xanadu, the land of enchantment, enters my mind.

Higher levels

I find myself being more creative than I have been in a long time, maybe a decade or so. I wonder why?

Of course, I know why. And when I am at my highest level of creativity, I am most content. What a gift! And I am thankful to have had my horizons stretched.

Magnifique nouvelles

Buena suerta, mi corazon. Estoy contigo por todo el camino.

Stunning... life-giving

Walking in the park this morning was pure pleasure. A refreshing wind was blowing just enough to whisk leaves from the trees that encirlcle the park... littering the ground with their flaming yellow hue. The sun had been over the horizon by about an hour and was pouring its rays into the park... like a pitcher fills a bowl with liquid. It was stunning... life-giving.

The park has provided many moments to reflect on for me over the last 6 years. But this year it has provided visuals for me for the priority in my life. Today was no different. I have been given new life this year. I guess that is why the park scene this morning meant so much. It was a life-giving scene representative of this year. And it was a stunning scene this morning... because this year has stunned me out of my dull routines into a horizon that has been stretched and adventurous and beautiful!

I look forward to more stunning scenes from the park because I know it will represent new horizons of sheer beauty... full of laughter, excitement, energy, and happiness... a horizon reflecting the pure gold of the piority in my life.

A bright sign

I am not much of a believer in signs. I guess they could happen... but so many people just interpret events as they want to. They just match their desires to happenings that reflect those desires.

So... when I was walking in the park the last two days I was mystified by something I saw. Monday, as I entered the walkway in the park, I looked up at a brilliant moon... yellow in color... flooding the park with light, providing those who walk on the path all the light they would need to walk by. Again this morning, right over the top of the trees the full moon was again standing right over the top of the trees... light pouring over the pathway.

This is not a normal scene. True enough that I have seen the moon a number of times brightly shining on the park... but none where the moon was positioned right over the trees providing the park with brilliant light... So I took it as a sign. It would be easy to look at an event in my life and attach the moon's lighting to it. I am starting a new phase in my career... so the moon represents celestial blessing on this new endeavor... the new endeavor has a bright future.

Maybe that's true. But if it is a sign, I think it represents something else... not a sign that the future is bright for a new endeavor. I look to the source for the brightness, happiness, vitality, hope, and anticipation in my life... and that reflects not a job but one who provides such joyful essence. I should be so lucky as to have a sign in the sky devoted two days to showing me how bright my life is to share this one's essence!

I love it when that happens

Some days just start out a little crisper than other days. I love it when that happens. There's more spring in the step, more nimbleness in the mind, more anticipation to the day ahead.

I guess the real question is why a day starts that way. A number of reasons I'm sure. But one would certainly be what the mind must have thought during the night. Dreams can happen because of the subconscious mind arranging events and people in various scenarios for the mind to play with. But, I remember no dreams from last night.

The subconscious can also produce feelings. It can trigger glia to flood the brain. Glia, in turn, changes the chemical make-up of the brain to experience pleasure even if pain or displeasure is present. So, when I start my day like I did this morning, I know that my subconscious has been at work triggering glia to flood my brain.

Of course, that is mere scientific language. In literary language terms, I know that in the most inner sanctum of my being, the deepest place in my heart, that I have made an adjustment in my fabric. My work place has changed - yes. But other pictures and voices have changed as well and blended into my soul. And that is the reason that this day started out a little crisper than normal. And I love it when that happens.

Brilliant facets

TV had a long-lasting soap opera called Love Is a Many Splendored Thing. That title tells the truth about love. People in general who have a relationship find that the other person has parts to her/his behavior that all fit together. But the package comes as a whole, not as a bunch of parts. So, we have in our language a saying we use when someone's many facets combine in such a way that they "fit" a certain job or skill set. It's called the "complete package." You hear in athletics, for example, that someone is the "complete package."

I don't know if complete packages exist in a relationship between two people, but I believe I have seen it. It also would be a high probabilitythat it occurs once in a lifetime , so carpe diem and eureka are the watchwords if a complete package is seen in a relationship. I'll be listening to the echoes of these two phrases from people who have experienced complete packages. Shouts of these two phrases will happen intermittently, probably, and some people may experience the complete package early in their lives, others late. But, I am certain the echo of these phrases sounds beautiful as the cries waft through the air.

Let me join them. Carpe Diem! Eureka!

Road of happiness

One thing I really have liked this weekend was feeling the cold air of the Rockies again. I grew up in Wyoming, so I developed a liking for the cold. Moving around in freezing temperature was different for a change since I haven't lived in cold air for quite some time. But, it was easy to rearrange my thinking about cold air since I reverted to childhood habits fairly easily.

And speaking of adjustments to thinking, I believe a person has to do that when looking at life. Sometimes, what makes for happiness for a person presents itself when least expected. I am very thankful for such a presentation of happiness - so-o-o-o thankful to the one who brought it to me.

Climate change

This morning I woke up to record temperature lows. This evening I am going to sleep with record temperature lows again. I am not much of a low temperature person. So, walking on the streets in 18 degree weather at 8:30 in the morning was noticeable and uncomfortable. I was dressed warmly enough for it, it's just that it was so cold that my face was cold, my hands were cold inside gloves, my legs were cold despite two layers, and my torso was cold under 4 layers. Snow, 18 degrees, and a little wind made for unexpected change.

Since last January, a change in the weather occurred; it is a change for good, a change for beauty. Now I anticipate days with energy. I look forward to them - all due to one unexpected, beautiful change.

Moonlit

On a recent trip the moon shone brightly enough where I could see the countryside while driving even though it was very dark and late. And like the Earth with its singular moon shining brightly down upon it, a person is so very fortunate when rays of encouragement, care, and affection are felt shining in on him from someone close.

Back from the deep end

I read a novel recently called The Deep End of the Ocean. The title was used from a conversation in the book in which a little 3-year-old was swimming in a pool. His mother invited him to swim with her to the deep end, and the boy said no, that he didn't want to go to the deep end. It would be like going to the deep end of the ocean. The rest of the book is about how the little boy survived being kidnapped and finally ended up back with his family. The symbol was that the boy was destined to go to the deep end of the ocean whether he wanted to or not.

The book was excellent. The emotions described on the family's part when they thought that their son was dead were very accurate. The way that that perception of a lost child worked itself out in the family who lost the child showed exactly the kinds of issues that arise between the family members after a loss. It was an excellent book.

At the end of the book, the relationships in the family had almost completely unraveled. At that point the author put a twist in the ending. Generally, the place for a twist in the plot is not at the end of the book, but this one was appropriate, especially since it realistically represented what life brings to people. The author left the reader to wonder what the outcome of the twist would be. I generally don't like that tactic either. In this case, it would have been better had the author been forthcoming with the outcome of the twist because the twist had too many ramifications to it for the reader to choose from.

I thank the person who gave me this book. I have also been to this place where the child did not want to go and have come back like this child did. In both cases there were certain alterations that took place. I would differ from the book in that from the dark cloud hanging over my experience, the most shimmering of all silver linings emerged - clear and beautiful. It has been 6 years since I was in the deep end, but as the pieces of life have rematerialized in my life, the last 9 months have come together in such a way that it is more beautiful now than it ever was before, has more vitality now than I can remember!

Sharing time & space

There's nothing more important than being there. That's the opening line from the Amica Insurance Company commerical seen on TV. I know the truth of this statement. My daughter had a wreck recently and I was not there. I was out of town. Of course, she understood, but she had called me to come to the scene of the accident. How disappointing for both of us when in a moment of need, I was not available.

But, that incident brings up another idea. That even though someone can be out of town, being there is not always a physical matter. Sometimes it is a mental matter. Someone can be allowed to have a place inside the mind or the heart. In that way being there is perennial. There's no end to it like there is to being gone physically from somewhere or someone.

I know that concept is as old as the hills. It appears in literature through the ages. When people came from distant lands to inhabit some new land, they brought their values with them because those values lived in the new inhabitants' minds all through their long journey. And when people had to be away from the ones they loved for extended periods of time, the loved ones would live in the heart and soul of each other.

It may be an old concept, but it still makes me warm when my mind recalls a face or feels a presence from within when I am out of town. Of course, it's easy today to also send and receive digital pictures. So, if I ever receive one of those digital pictures when I am not with someone in addition to the warmth from from the mind's eye and the inner sensation, I go from warm to breaking into a sweat in no time flat because it is still true that there's nothing more important than being there.

The purest gold of all

What would happen if someone ran across an article of pure gold? (S)He would celebrate beyond belief. Articles of pure gold are hard to come by. So many articles are made of pewter or silver, sometimes an alloy, or gold mixed with some other metal. So ruuning across an article of pure gold is momumental. Its authenticity would be unmistakable, its value could not be counted in dollars.



And if one were to run across another person of the highest quality(of pure gold), the same would be true, and he would be the luckiest person on the face of the earth!!!

In the eye of a needle

I wrote a note about intrigue today. The intrigue had come from a book that I had read several years ago. I learned something from that book that has inspired since that time. I learned that in order to survive in a world full of information and disinformation, that stealth is a good mode of operation at times. I learned that there is a time to strike and a time to disappear. It has helped me in my current job. I told my supervisor just last Thursday that we worked in a palace of smoke and mirrors. We spoke of honesty, but that is a commodity that doesn't have much of a place in a smoked filled house of reflections. It's good, then, that I had read The Eye of the Needle. It's about how to debunk intrigue (which happens in a house of smoke and mirrors). That is why it is my second favorite book of all time.

But, I hate leaving a close friend of mine in that environment. Oh, she is plenty stealthy, and she will survive and resist the manipulation people try to use on her, and she'll have a little sordid fun in the meantime. But, I hate it that she has to deal with the people who create such a maze of smoke and mirror operations. She has to live in the eye of the needle, but she is a master at threading it. Love that about her!!!

Vibrance inside

Tonight I was sitting on the back deck that overlooks the valley below our bluff and across to the houses nestled in the twilight on the opposite ridge above the valley. The sun had already sunk below the horizon, so lights on the houses of the distant ridge were shining and flickering in the distance. I sat musing what was going on in the houses on the distant ridge. Of course, there's no way to know. I'm at a distance.

I guess I was thinking this because of my tendency to keep people at a distance from me. Part of that trait is the result of growing up in the Dallas area where a person has to be somewhat impersonal just to survivie there. There are a number of other influences too. But I had to notice while sitting on the back deck that the light from my kitchen window was spilling out onto the deck. The kitchen light flickered at a distance to those on the ridge I was seeing. But, to me it was pouring out over my shoulder. I knew what was in the house behind me. I could turn and see into it if I wanted to or walk into it. I didn't have to guess what was in it.

A few people see me for who I am. I am not a distant light across the valley. When that happens the light inside of me burns more brilliantly, more vibrantly. I am more productive, more at ease with my soul. I don't always know about what lies in the twilight on the ridges of distant hills, but I am certain that any light shining from my windows, shines more brightly because someone sees into me, accepting me for who I am, inspiring me to greater heights because of who they are. I could only hope the same fortunate circumstance for the people in the houses across the way.

Pleasantries

I am reading an article from my Americas magazine about the country of Guatemala. The title of the article calls Guatemala, encantadora. The picture behind the title shows a beautiful landscape of mountain peaks covered in clouds with just the peaks poking through the clouds. It's truly an enchanting picture.

Trips to the lake place my family owns are usually filled with happiness and tranquility, things that make for a pleasant weekend. This trip was even heightened from that. I was driving down with anticipation of the trip being pleasant, but with a singular vision this time, one that stayed with me for the trip and into the night after I arrived. The trip has been so pleasant as a result. Truly, truly encantadora!!!

Treasures all around

Recently, my aunt contracted a disease. It ravaged her body for about a year. Her treasure was stored for the life after this one, so last week she departed this life for her treasure. I am glad for her.

I have a friend with whom I take an annual trip. He recently called to relate some details of the trip that is coming up. These trips are treasures for me. They allow me to be with someone who knows me over a long period of time. All the conversation is honest talk. They help me steer the course through life just that much better.

I recently got to be with my family. We all live in far-flung towns and have work and schedules, so it is always a treasure when we get to be together on occasion through the year, but this particular gathering was heartwarming because all the plans and ambitions that we have expressed to each other through the years have begun to be realized by each one of us. It was an invigorating time.

Other special people become treasures in my life. They make me feel as if I live in the land of Xanadu, the lovely, tranquil paradise described in Coleridge's poem by the same name (although many people call the poem Kublai Kahn). There, rivers wind through lush scenery, waterfalls spray mist, the greenery of life is everywhere to be seen.

Life can be negative and harsh without a doubt, but I don't have to look far to see treasures in the people that surround me to shut out the otherwise austere environment.

The Gift Part 2

Gifts bring smiles to the face and glia to the brain. They make us feel warm to the core, and they lift our spirits. Our steps have more spring in them. They have the ability to turn the day completely around.

While material gifts can do this, it is the people in our lives as gifts that really make life worth living. I learned a long time ago that a person will have many friends. But, the gift of the friend that fits the description above is not usual - a rarity that may happen only at intervals in one's life.

I thank The Giver of gifts for the smiles, the glia, the warmth, and the lift I get from that rare and special person.

The Gift Part 1

Life has a way of changing an event in a matter of a second. I have a colleague and friend who was just enjoying her daughter's first year birthday party one moment when suddenly her daughter lost breath and turned blue. Immediately, the whole event changed. 911 was called. The ambulance rushed to the scene. Paramedics performed life sustaining techniques.

The scene could have been a very sad one. A close brush with death could have turned to less than a brush. But, occasionally life gives us a reason to smile, a wrapped gift that gives us huge relief. Such was the occasion this time. The emergency room stabilized my friend's one-year-old daughter and prescribed medicine. All was restored.

I am totally grateful for the life of this beautiful, precious child. I know that life can spiral out of one's control (not that a person ever has control over the events in life), so when a bundle of love is restored to health, I stand utterly grateful in the face of a great gift. To the One Who Breathes the Breath of Life, I say "Thank you!"

Molding the opportunity

There is a certain amount of truth to the saying "Opportunity knocks but once." It's not exactly true. But if the same opportunity knocks a second time, some features of the opportunity are changed. This I have seen. But, what I have mainly noticed about opportunity is that it comes in a form altered from a person's vision of it in some major way.

For example, if a person dreamed of a particular place (s)he wanted to go, and got the chance to go there, the reason for going would be totally different than the person had imagined. Here's a tangible example. My friend's wife wanted always to go back to a country in Africa. She got her chance, all right, but the circumstances were totally different from the first time she went and different from the reason she had always thought she would go back under. My friend on the other hand, has wanted to be married to someone of like mind after his first wife died. Well, he got his wish, but the circumstance of marriage has taken him on a track far afield of what he thought he would be doing with his life and training.

Ahhh! What to do when opportunity presents itself! The downside of opportunity is always different than imagined. I hate that the most about opportunity. What a person has been working toward comes and asks one to rearrange some of the most special and delightful parts of the current circumstance. Surely this can be negotiated. And surely it will so that the special part remains. There is nothing like determination! Even opportunity molds itself to the determined person!

Images and more images

Images are good to have and keep. Some images are on paper so that I can look at them over and over again or show them off to others. Some are real, but exist in the mind. The mind's eye can create and recreate these images. And then, some images are created in words. These can be read at will and as often as I want to read them.

Images of any of these three types keep me going. I love looking at pictures whether I took them or not. I review my own blogs sometimes just to see the pictures. With the advent of cell phones that have cameras in them, I can see pictures that are sent to me as often as I want to recall them to the screen, which in some cases is often. Or, I can send them to others for them to enjoy with me.

It is the image in the mind's eye that is really important to me. I can see beautiful scenes or beautiful people. I don't even have to close my eyes. I can see mountains, for example, and superimpose them with the image of another's face. Or I can take an image from what has been said in a conversation and recreate it. I can take words from a poem, such as Xanadu, and meditate on raw beauty depicted in words.

The main thing is that images are of great significance. They keep me going. They allow hopeful irrealis in a reality not filled with hope. They allow beauty and peace if I find myself in an existence where little exists. They fill me with dreams that one day will surely become reality.

Can't do without my daily images!!!

Finding the way in a big city

Vancouver is quite the place. The winter olympics will be here in February 2010. I can see the what they are doing already to prepare for the participants and crowds.

It has a great harbor and many little areas where boats can be kept.

Of course, the main attraction is the impressive skyline on the order of Hong Kong.

Vancouver is a blast. One of the restaurants is called Cloud 9. Pictures from here show the urban sprawl.