Friday, July 23

When "it" was a pronoun

There are days when it seems I have an ok handle on IT and Social Networking applications. And then there are days when trying to get: 1)this tag or 2)that button or 3)a blinking link on the Penuel Ridge website or email marketing campaign or Facebook page makes my head explode.

When will the cranial plug-in be functional so that what I think will appear on the screen?

Is there an app for that?

Have I lived in the woods so long that all the IT knowledge has blown past me at 80 mph on the freeway in a shiny red sports car?

Shit.

Wednesday, July 21

Shadow Selves

Do you feel it too, a presence in the air that doesn't have a shape or form, but is there nonetheless? A few days ago, someone referred to "it" as "shadow selves" coming out in people so they can be seen, dealt with and released.

Maybe more explanation is warranted. I see people acting in ways uncharacteristic to their normal way of being. I hear people saying things they would not normally say out loud; hateful, biting, hurtful things usually locked up in their heads.

Maybe that's it. Maybe so much has been held in and not spoken or acted upon that the pressure valve has to be released or their heads will explode.

I've a not-so-charming habit of saying what's on my mind, even when it might have been prudent to keep it to myself. When I do manage to leave "it" unsaid, "it" shows on my face. No, I'll never do well at the poker table.

Maybe it's the heat? Maybe it's a shift in the Universe? Maybe the world needs a collective colonic.

For me, I'm going to tiptoe quietly through this minefield of human expression gone gritty.

I'm suddenly reminded of a quote, "We don't see the things as they are, we see things as we are."

If that be the case, then maybe I should be an observer of how I'm expressing myself in the world.

Dang it...might be time for another ah-ha moment.

Sunday, July 11

Bookworm

The summer reading programs of my youth are to blame for the glutenous manner in which I consume book after book while the heat and humidity rage outside my window.

It also helps to have been invited into a long-standing book club in the area where I live. With them, I recently read "A Gathering of Old Men" by Ernest Gaines. If you haven't read it or it's been a while, I highly recommend it. Be prepared to squirm in discomfort at the honest portrayal of race relations in the South and to celebrate the triumph of knowing that it's never too late to stand up for yourself.

"The Bridge of San Luis Rey" by Thornton Wilder is another recent read. I wanted those pages of richly-drawn characters to go on forever and for the narrator to step out from the shadows. I've spent many an hour discussing this novel's overarching question with some deep thinkers: "are the events of our lives pre-ordained?" Seems to fly in the face of free will, but I imagine this question will continue to be discussed, challenged and rolled around for many generations to come.

What have you read this summer that gave you pause?

Monday, July 5

Independence Day

Stuck in the muck of mediocrity.

That's how it feels to be me at the moment. This is the time of year when I go deep, to shine light on that which is ready to be released, a declaration of independence of sorts.

This usually results in a list, a renewed sense of purpose, swelling passion to propel me to the other side of now.

Problem is...it's not coming to me as readily as in years past. This may call for a turning inward with flashlight in hand to ferret out what might be hiding in the shadows.

Hmmm...