When you’re flying at 35,000 feet with various and sundry distractions, people walking by your seat and bumping your elbow because you forgot you’re on an airplane, children crying because they’re not used to the air pressure in the cabin, the person in the seat next to you is watching a movie on their device that looks very interesting, or your blood sugar is low because you haven’t eaten since you left the airport three hours ago, literary excellence is not guaranteed. However, because you’re a writer and you like writing you reach down into your knapsack that is under the seat and retrieve the spiral-bound notebook and a ballpoint pen that you bought in Portland, Oregon for your trip and start writing. The following is what I wrote on that flight on May 28, 2023.
I always have a reason for my blog titles, which will become clear soon.
Soylent Green is Made Out of People
Peer Gynt (“Morning Mood” and “Åse’s Death”)
There was this scene in a movie with Edward G. Robinson and Charlton Heston. The soundtrack was a classical piece, very nice but the details of which evade me at the moment I write this in flight. As you watch this scene in the movie you see a large projection screen and hear the wonderful music. When I was researching Soylent Green after my flight I read comments from people who developed a love of classical music after hearing the soundtrack in that scene. Ironically, this movie was released in 1973 about the time I too was developing a liking of classical music. As it happened, I needed an elective for my Journalism degree requirements and thought, how hard can it be, a music course. It turned out to be a very challenging course with tests that required the students to listen to different pieces of music in an auditorium and identify details (the composer, the title of the piece, the period, and the specific movement being played). I think I got a B in the course and was happy with it.
Here are the details from Wikipedia (a direct quote):
“The “going home” score in Sol Roth’s death scene was conducted by Gerald Fried and consists of the main themes from Symphony No. 6 (“Pathétique”) by Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 6 (“Pastoral”) by Beethoven, and Peer Gynt (“Morning Mood” and “Åse’s Death”) by Edvard Grieg.” I included the Tchaikovsky piece.
Anyway, I was going to describe the death scene, but the movie is available and plenty of commentaries about its societal significance in 1973. Back on track now.
Bear with me in my stream of consciousness at altitude. A shirt worn by someone wobbling and working his way down to the rear lavatories on the Boeing 737 read “Shitake Happens”. It bugged me because I read shirts, and I didn’t know exactly what it meant, so on his way back from the restroom I asked him about it. He obligingly stopped long enough to explain that it was a shirt he got at a food festival in California. What fun, eh!
Slot canyon, Zion National Park
What’s the Point?
Or, asked differently, why “People are People”? Because it’s true, and the only way to live your live is to try to accept people the way they are. Having lived part of my life as a judgmental person, this is a surprising statement coming from me. I used to automatically judge a person before I took the time to get to know them. Not a good thing to do.
How about this, I’m at the gym swimming laps, which I love to do, and I see the person swimming in the lane next to mine, not too well I think. That’s when I try to press the “override” button – no, Bernie, you are not going to get out of the pool later and try to give them swimming tips. It’s their life, let them swim anyway they want to. Also, regarding first impressions, hold off on that first negative thought about someone until you spend more time with them. Maybe they’re just having a bad day.
Do a Good Deed!
Tchaikovsky, “Pathetique”
Going beyond that idea a bit, in your daily encounters you may realize that what the mainstream media reports in the news, about people, misrepresents one important concept. The concept is that most people, a vast majority, are solid, genuine, caring, and sympathetic individuals who are always willing to lend a helping hand. Give it a chance, you’ll see what I mean.
In Journalism school we used to have great fun with headlines, coming up with humorous or nonsensical word plays that would get the reader’s attention. In this case, “too many words” refers to something a relative posted in Facebook with that heading. I’m pretty sure what he meant was that writers/authors/reporters/etc. need to get to the point. So, depending on how long this part of my post is, I may comment more on wordiness as a sidebar.
First Some Definitions
Open-mindedness: “Receptive to arguments or ideas” (Merriam-Webster)
Bigotry: “Obstinate or intolerant devotion to one’s own opinions and prejudices” (Merriam-Webster)
Examples of bigotry in a sentence: “A deeply ingrained bigotry prevented her from even considering the counterarguments.”
Why Am I Venting?
Prompted by some Facebook sessions a few weeks ago in which I made the mistake of getting embroiled in a political discussion, I decided to vent in this post.
If I had taken my own advice – “don’t discuss politics using social media” – I wouldn’t have participated in the Facebook sessions that upset me. I say that because for me social media is the wrong platform for exchanging that kind of information. I.e., if someone comments in a news feed that so and so did this or something happened that supports their point of view, I want to be able to ask that person, “What’s your source for that information” or “Why do you believe that’s true?”
“You’re entitled to your own opinions, but you’re not entitled to your own facts.” Daniel Levitin
Anyway, back to my “embroiled political discussion”. Before the dust had settled on the Facebook exchanges that lasted several days, yours truly had been thoroughly thrashed and labelled with some very unkind labels (nothing obscene, but much undeserved labels).
For a bit more grist for this mill, check out this Imprimis piece by Amy Wax. You can read all of it if you want, but at least scroll down to the paragraph that begins, “It is well documented that American universities today, more than ever before”. Read that paragraph and the two paragraphs that follow it.
As you may know, Imprimis is a right-biased source. If that bothers you, just forget all that (bias business) for a minute and read the damn article. Amy Wax provides some thought-provoking ideas.
Here’s some music to listen to as you read and a quote to think about:
Antonio Vivaldi: Four Seasons (Spring)
“Truth and lies were irrelevant, what mattered was what people believed.” (A quote from LethalAgent, a novel by Vince Flynn that I just finished reading)
What’s My Point?
Shouldn’t I be allowed to contradict someone, to express my own opinions and try to ferret out the truth without being lambasted for my own beliefs? And, yes, if I hear a convincing and accurate argument that disagrees with mine, I’m willing to say, OK, you’re right, and I’m wrong.
If you missed this part in the Imprimis piece by Amy Wax, here it is again:
“What those of us in academia should certainly not do is engage in unreasoned speech: hurling slurs and epithets, name-calling, vilification, and mindless labeling. Likewise we should not reject the views of others without providing reasoned arguments. Yet these once common standards of practice have been violated repeatedly at my own and at other academic institutions in recent years—and we increasingly see this trend in society as well.”
Sorry, no pictures this time, but for sure I’ll add pictures in my next blog. I’m done venting (feels great!), thanks for reading and listening. I’ll save the “wordiness” sidebar for another post.
The Who: Tommy’s Holiday Camp (from Tommy, the rock opera)
If you follow my blog and have been patiently waiting for “Part IV – Spiritual”, here it is. I should know better than to attempt multi-part blogs, which seem to take forever to finish. The one I did on Crystal City, inspired by a gym friend who grew up there, took four months to complete. I hope you read Crystal City, it’s an interesting example of humanity gone amuck.
Be sure to read to the end of this post.
The Creative Process Can Be Painful
Starting with a blank page, it’s a challenging process – normally, I have my draft notes (in my green notebook), other sources of information at my fingertips, including blog notes in my daily journal. Sometimes I imagine myself as Michael Keaton in “The Paper” typing away on his keyboard or in a much older classic film about writing a novel or a news story using a manual typewriter, and the writer is frustrated because he’s been sitting for an hour and has only a part of a sentence on the page and a wastebasket full of crumpled paper. Anyway, let’s get back on track.
“Spiritual” Means What?
Looking at its history and literal meaning, according to Merriam-Webster, as an adjective “spiritual” means:
Of, relating to, consisting of, or affecting the spirit
Of or relating to sacred matters
Ecclesiastical rather than lay or temporal
Concerned with religious values
Related or joined in spirit
Historically, first used in the 14th century – source Middle English, from Anglo-French and Late Latin; Anglo-French espirital, spiritual, from Late Latin spiritue alis, from Latin, of breathing, of wind, from spiritus
I like the “breathing” connotation, as in “inspiration” or “respiration”, i.e. spiritual as in an active state.
As befits this series, how does spiritual fit into the scheme of things? I ask myself, “Am I spiritual”? I think we all are spiritual to some degree, but not necessarily in a religious sense.
OK, I’ve decided this piece won’t progress beyond the “draft” stage, something I realized many weeks ago, that “Spiritual” was going to be a real challenge. I’m going to conclude with a story or two, pictures of course and probably some music.
Inspiration
One of the stories I really liked is about a woman who overcame a serious physical ailment and moved on with her life in a very positive way. The article was in the March-April 2020 Daily Word, a Unity publication.
Odds & Ends: about Relaxing
I wanted to include a link to another article with some ideas about relaxing, especially important during the Covid-19 situation. This article was also in the March-April 2020 Daily Word, a Unity publication.
OK, this segment is a bit divergent from the main topic, but in my opinion it speaks of our need for spirituality in our lives, whether it be religious or another form.
“Great spirit, grant that I might not criticize my neighbor until I’ve walked a mile in his moccasins.” (traditional American Indian prayer)
The quote reminds me of my time in scouting when I was growing up (in my first childhood) in Texas. I belonged to a boy scout troop in my hometown. One part of our regular troop meeting, for some of us, was the Caddo Lodge. We had our own special meeting room, members of the lodge had to go through a rigorous all-night initiation, and on special occasions we would perform traditional Indian dance ceremonies. The quote above was similar to the ending prayer for our meetings. Kind of makes you think doesn’t it, at least it reminds me of my New Year’s resolution to “not be so judgemental”.
The Caddo Lodge was not a unique organization, given the existence of well-established groups like the Order of the Arrow, which is still in existence. I belonged to the OA too when I was in scouting. If you’re interested, check out the link for more background.
Canned Heat: Let’s Work Together (Let’s Sick Together)
Coldplay: God Put a Smile on Your Face (Album: A Rush of Blood to the Head)
Crosby, Still, Nash & Young: Helplessly Hoping
Eagles: Love Will Keep Us Alive (Album: Hell Freezes Over)
Chicago: Wake Up Sunshine (Album: Chicago II)
Bottom Line
For me, as a Bible-reading believer and as a person who finds his own inspiration and guidance in the word of God, I wanted to end with these verses and underscore what I’ve been saying in this blog.
Galatians 5:22-24 (NIV Bible): But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
What are Type A and Type B personalities according to Wikipedia?
I think in my last post in this series, Mental, I got into some really heady stuff (sorry, “heady” wasn’t intended to be a pun) about memory, about the long-term effects of marijuana, etc. Obviously mental and emotional are very closely connected and interactive, but think of mental as the engine and emotional as the resulting output – keep the “engine” tuned up and the “output” will be efficient and reliable.
I would label myself as a Type A person – hard for me to relax, always working on something. The Wikipedia definition fits me very well, especially “impatient” and “more competitive”.
Two days ago my morning Daily Word reading (affirmation) was:
“I give my mind and body permission to rest and relax”.
The accompanying Bible verse for that day was:
Psalm 23:2-3: “He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul.”
Wow, even if you don’t read the Bible you have to admit the Psalm verses are powerful and calming.
A Brief Flashback
Looking at my 2019 New Year’s post if you want to check it out. You might want to take the time to think about “what is the meaning of life” or “what is my purpose in life”. David Allan’s Reader’s Digest article provides ideas on how to figure it out.
Don’t Overthink It
Some of the solutions to keeping your emotions in working order are very simple and attainable – try relaxing, practice breath control, do yoga, exercise, hang out with your friends (or if you don’t have a lot of friends, make new friends).
Wrapping It Up
Just quotes . . .
For a creative writer possession of the ‘truth’ is less important than emotional sincerity. (George Orwell)
In the pool area of my gym, the quote below is in huge letters superimposed over the picture of a swimmer looking directly at you with a knowing look in her eyes and saying:
“Before you can accomplish something, you must expect it of yourself.”
Maybe that’s the ticket for making New Year’s resolutions and actually keeping them. As I noticed a couple of days ago, the gym where I work out was very busy. As they say, the traffic will subside when people lose the motivation that prompted their “resolution list” and they stop coming to the gym on a regular basis.
If you read this blog, you know that I’m a big believer in fitness – all kinds, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. It’s challenging, but really worth it in the long run. My goal this time is to throw some ideas your way, just to plant some good thoughts about what to expect of yourself this year.
After you see Woody’s list, you might want to check out the Open Culture web site offerings.
A Humorous Sidebar: Humorous Words
Not to distract you from our main goal, pondering our 2020 resolutions, this humorous Reader’s Digest item was too good not to share. Ignore the ads and enjoy!
A More Serious Item
I watched a program on public TV about N. Scott Momaday, the other night and found his ideas very thought-provoking. Here’s a quote from the program “The Man Made of Words”:
“Most of us have developed an attitude of indifference towards the land. We Americans must come to the moral comprehension of the earth and air. We must live according to the principle of a land ethic. The alternative is that we shall not live at all.”
By the way, he won a Pulitzer Prize for his book, House Made of Dawn. I haven’t read it, but I plan to.
I can’t say that I’m an environmentalist, but I try to be aware of the small role I can play. The part of the country where I live just outlawed the use of plastic grocery bags. If you forget to bring your tote bags, you can buy paper bags for a nickel when you check out. At my house we recycle. Maybe it’s too little too late to undo the damage and save the earth, but you have to try. OK, so you can add that resolution to your list, “don’t forget your tote bag”.
One More “Preachy” Item
A parting shot before I wrap this up. I was watching a program about Tuscany the other night – why is it that public TV seems to be the only thing worth my time these days? Anyway, it was interesting, partly because it looks so beautiful, and I would like to go there.
By the way, the TV program is “Rick Steves Europe”, really well-produced show that provides travel information and history. In this segment they talked about the local history and culture and how it affects the citizens (or vice versa). They were in Siena, Italy, where they practice something called “passiegata”. This is a daily evening ritual where the locals walk around in the streets, visiting with friends, eating, and just relaxing. Notice I said walking, that’s right, no cars. One more comment in the Tuscany piece:
“A community ruled by a just government enjoys peace, prosperity, and is great place to raise your kids.”
FYI: Imprimis
I haven’t read all of these Imprimis publications, but I’ve read enough of them to raise my awareness level of important issues in our society and to make me want to learn more. This is the main link to the web site, you can pick and choose the specific publications of interest to you.
More Music and Pictures
The bridge pictures are NOT metaphorical, nah, of course not, too obvious. The clouds, well, you can draw your own conclusions. Bottom line is, I just like taking pictures, and sometimes they are symbolic. The music, yeah, kind of obvious, but I really like the movie.
If you’re a follower of this blog, hopefully a faithful follower, you probably understand the Rufous angle, my blog theme so to speak. Deja vu, six years back, here’s the link if you care to refresh your memory.
Regarding the Rufous transition, as I look out the window at the bird feeders in my backyard – watching the Juncos, Goldfinches, Sparrows, and other birds, lo and behold the unmistakable shape and colors of the Rufous-sided Towhee as he flits around feeding on the ground (never perching on the feeder). Today being December 21st, he’s supposed to be in the south-lands this time of year. I’m not complaining, I hope he and his mates hang around as long as they want.
I think humans transition too, personally not being a winter person, my first music selection is Four Seasons (Spring), obviously thinking ahead to warmer temperatures and flowers blooming.
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons (Spring)
Introduction to Part II – Mental
What’s in this installment? This is a continuation of my blog series, following Part I, Physical.
I am providing links to my past blogs that are related to this topic, like Mindfulness and any other relevant links as we go.
Speaking of mindfulness, check out these Jon Kabat-Zinn quotes.
Blogger’s disclaimer:
It’s important to me that people enjoy my blog AND learn from it. My most straightforward advice is on my well-worn (note the dirty bill) hat. However, I’m providing other, more intense options for re-oiling your mental machine if you so choose – self-help books, Jon-Kabot-Zinn training, etc. You can pick your own level of engagement but above all:
One of my favorite hats
Setting the Tone for Mental Balance
I’ve included Daily Word quotes in this blog. As part of my daily routine, early in the day I sit down with my journal, my Bible, and my pocket-sized Daily Word booklet and flip to the page for that day. The Daily Word affirmation and the brief text for that day only take maybe 10 minutes or so to read and think about. It makes for a good start for that day. I’m including some of my favorites here. It’s a very inexpensive publication.
Daily Word Readings
June 21, 2019: “Mind, Body, and Spirit: My mind, body, and spirit work together in harmony.”
June 14, 2019: “Clarity: Through Spirit within, my mind is clear.”
June 3, 2019: “Healing Meditation: I am an infinite expression of life. I am whole and well.”
May 10, 2019: “Focus: I focus on the good, bringing out the best in every situation.”
January 9, 2019: “Relax: I am relaxed and rejuvenated. For mental restoration, I practice mindfulness.”
May 18, 2019: “Relax: I relax into a time of prayer.”
The following is a five-step prayer process developed by Unity, the publishers of Daily Word. Please note, as always, I never try to force my religious beliefs on anyone, although my God is spelled with a capital G. Think of this five-step process as a restorative exercise, a counter to our 21st century lifestyles where we constantly experience video images and sound bites, TV commercials, sports on TV, and cell phones always in our right or left hands.
Step 1: Relax – Breathe deeply and let go of outer concerns.
Step 2: Concentrate – Focus my thoughts on the Spirit of God within.
Step 3: Meditate – With an open mind and a receptive heart, feel the peace of God’s presence.
Step 4: Embrace the Silence – Rest in a consciousness of oneness. (Psalm 46:10)
Step 5: Give thanks – Leaving yourself open to receive good.
Deep Diving
I was reading a book by Caroline Leaf titled “Switch on Your Brain”. This book is well-written, by a woman who is highly educated and an expert in her field. I found bits and pieces of it very informative and useful, but when she delved into quantum physics – did you know there is a particle even smaller than a quark (the name of the particle escapes me at the moment) – I realized I should move on to my next book. She uses a lot of biblical references to illustrate her ideas.
Dr. Leaf talks about things like this — did you know that memories never go away? Every single memory in our lives is stored in that amazing organ, our brains. For example, when I started on this section, out of the blue I remembered a play I went to in Houston many many years ago, “The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the inmates of the Asylum at Charenton Under the direction of the Marquis de Sade”, surely one of the longer titles ever for a play. Go ahead and Google it.
I remember it was performed in a theater in the round. The audience encircled the stage, which obviously is challenging for the production crew when making scene changes, etc. OK, that’s just an example of a non-volatile memory that somehow miraculously stays in our heads and then all of a sudden – pop, the thought materializes. Of course, sometimes, especially for older people (like me) when you’re trying to remember something it doesn’t materialize at all.
Quote: “If you want to accomplish something, you must expect it of yourself.” (Anonymous)
Just a suggestion for a “lighter” read, this one might work for you:
The Art of Clear Thinking by Wallace Ermes, available as an audiobook, lots of good reviews.
Something Else Mental – Overthinking
In my opinion, sometimes in a situation the plain truth or solution is right in front of us ready to be acted upon. How about this example of trying to get along with your neighbors. Let’s say, they’re leaving for work in the morning or just getting home from work, ask how they’re doing. Or, you get your neighbors mail by mistake, just walk over, knock on the door, and hand it to them. You’d be amazed at how simple courtesies like that can improve our relationships, even the casual ones.
Driving courtesy – you’re in a long line of traffic and someone is trying to merge into the line. You stay back, honk or motion to them, and let them merge. A by-product of that act is that it makes both of you feel good, kind of like when you pet your dog. Stopping to let people cross the street, same thing, a mutual benefit.
More Serious Examples of Overthinking
Voting – study the candidates and pick one. If you don’t have a lot of time, find an unbiased voter’s guide. If you didn’t vote, don’t complain about who was elected.
Religion – don’t be judgemental, let people choose (notice that “mental” is part of judgemental). Personally, I think there is a God (capital “G”) who loves me, but that’s just me.
Relationships – spouses, friends, getting along, cue Beatles music, “All You Need is Love”.
Moving on to Milepost 99
If you read Part I in this series, you know that I place a high value on physical fitness. Let’s put “mental” in perspective. Logic would tell us that mental well-being is on a par with physical. I’ve run 10 marathons, and I think the mental part of that effort is very important, perhaps 60% or more.
The rhetorical question is, “is it important for us to be mentally healthy, both individually and as a society?” What are we as a society doing to be mentally healthy? A cursory assessment of that question might conclude, not very much. Just look at the TV commercials advertising drugs to “get us back on track”. And, check out the number of self-help books that are constantly published. Not to say those books aren’t well-written and helpful, but are there better ways to get back on track? I’m not the expert, but perhaps something in this blog will set you on the track that is best for you.
Merriam-Webster’s definition of mindfulness: “The practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one’s thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis.”
Sidebar: Imprimis Article
I decided to include Alex Berenson’s thought-provoking piece about marijuana because there are so many things going on in our society that surely must make us wonder about what’s really going on. I only mention the article because I think it’s related to my “mental” subject, and I could do a whole blog on the possible root causes of things like mass shootings, drug dependence (including alcoholism), the #metoo movement, information overload and preoccupation with information (and misinformation). Hey, I’m guilty too – my granddaughter called me a “phone head” the other day. How often do we panic when we realize we forgot our cell phones?
I read Berenson’s article and thought, my word, I didn’t know that about marijuana. Having traversed decades in my later life with NO exposure to that magical weed that we so frequently indulged in back when we were “hippies”, I hadn’t really worried about marijuana. I do live in a state that legalized it, and I do have friends with medical issues that praise its beneficial effects and who use it as medicine. However, when I read Alex Berenson’s Imprimis piece, it gave me a broader perspective on marijuana and how it affects people. Rather than try to summarize the publication, I’ll let you form your own conclusions.
A Parting Quote (non-political)
This quote is from a Criminal Minds episode this year:
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynihan
“Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.” Marcus Aurelius
Books: The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks (not an easy read but a good “self-improvement” book if you’re willing to make the effort, link to audible.com).
I really like Marcus Aurelius quotes, so here’s another one that Hendricks includes in his book toward the end of it. Keep in mind that Marcus Aurelius was a soldier who lived in first century Rome.
“I am part of the whole, all of which is governed by nature. I am intimately related to all of the parts which are of the same kind as myself. If I remember these two things, I cannot be discontented with anything that arises out of the whole because I am connected to the whole.” Marcus Aurelius
“There are times in our lives when we realize that our past is precisely what it is, we cannot change it, but we can change the story we tell ourselves about it, and by doing that we can change the future.” Eleanor Brown (from a Criminal Minds episode)
With the Eleanor Brown quote in mind, let’s dive in to the rest of this November blog.
Other Thoughts – Boomer or Not, Imprimis
It’s fun to reflect to get a different perspective. Obviously, since I’m older, I suppose I’m a “baby boomer”, but I’m right on the cusp. Tom Brokaw called another pre-WWII group “the greatest generation” (he wrote a book by that title). For “millennials”, it would be a shorter time period to reflect on their lives. They also would not be able to remember a time when you didn’t have to lock things – house, car, bike, etc. I was talking to someone at the gym about that, growing up in a time when that was true, at least in a small town like the one where I grew up. You walk out the front door leaving it unlocked and spend the whole day out, no worries. Not drawing conclusions on society in general, but obviously things are different in the 21st century.
As you already know if you read my blog, I’m an Imprimis fan. You might want to check out their publications online or better yet, get on their mailing list for a free printed copy of each publication. For example, here’s a different take on how things used to be, the piece that Amy Wax did for the Imprimis January 2018 publication, “Are We Free to Discuss America’s Real of Problems”. Pay special attention to the first 10 or 12 paragraphs, where she contrasts contemporary American society with our society between the end of World War II and the mid-1960s. You can draw your own conclusions, but I strongly recommend reading the last three paragraphs, especially the one that starts with “Disliking, avoiding, and shunning people who don’t share our politics is not good for our country.”
Back to November 2018 – A Few Snippets
You’ll notice the details that I’m able to remember from the entire month of November – admittedly, I do a daily journal, so it’s not all from memory.
On November 1, I tested some Nike shoes (testing gives me Nike Employee Store privileges, which saves me money on running shoes). November 1 is also my beautiful daughter’s birthday. In my family it’s a tradition to take the birthday honoree out to eat at a restaurant of their choosing. We celebrated her birthday on November 3 at the Old Spaghetti Factory, a great place for adults and kids, with good food and reasonable prices.
The rest of that first week of November, was our normal routine – for my wife, volunteer work at a local senior center, Bible study, pitching in with the grandkids, and cooking for our Monday night family dinner at our house. For me, it was gym workouts, running, and my running club had a banquet to reward volunteers who participated in 2018 events. Actually, on November 6 we went to SoCal to visit relatives. You may have seen my “On the Road, SoCal, November 2018” entry. Just a brief diversion from my November snippets to share my reactions to the SoCal trip.
What Did I Learn in SoCal?
Did I learn anything, or was it just another vacation trip, five days in the sun (no complaints), hanging out with friends and relatives, and total relaxation in a very nice setting. About learning, the question is rhetorical, we always learn things. On this trip I learned on a higher level:
People are tough and resilient. While we were there, the mass shooting at Thousand Oaks happened, and the Woolsey fire in SoCal and the fire in northern California, all happened in that week.
Most people (not all) are friendly and approachable, willing to share things about themselves. There were many people in the hotel who had evacuated their homes.
Most people will help others who are in a bind, sometimes going out of their way to help. There were hundreds of fire-fighting professionals from Oregon and Washington who volunteered two weeks of their time to help fight the fires and to help people in need. Another example, an Oregon man loaded up his business truck with food and supplies and drove to California.
More examples of people helping people, check out these Readers Digest stories – I was especially impressed with “Life Moves Yoga in Killeen, Texas”.
Relationships with people close to you are worth preserving but may require extra effort.
Back to November 2018 – A Few Snippets (continued)
On November 10, we returned to Portland, unpacked and did our laundry. It was good to be back.
On November 11, Veterans Day, I went to a local event honoring Vietnam veterans. It was a large turnout with people from other wars too. There were speeches and socializing, vets meeting other vets, and we received pins honoring our service. Just remember, not everyone who served had a choice, but that doesn’t matter, they served.
Interesting side-note – my Daily Word affirmation for that Sunday was “I am free through the freedom of Spirit.” The Bible verse, 2 Corinthians 3:17, for that day was: “. . . where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”
On November 15, one of our grandsons did a sleepover. We walked the dogs and hung out.
On November 17, I continued my annual battle of the leaves (we have lots of trees) for disposal. My daughter hosted an early Thanksgiving dinner at her house, which gave us all a chance to overeat. The food was delicious.
On November 20, we made a decision on which Medicare supplement insurance to go with, after weeks of researching and thinking about. More leaf accumulation, up to about 50 bags now. Met with my running club in the evening to run on the track at a local school, windy and cold but dry.
Thanksgiving Day, November 22, I ran a 5K race and won my age group, which felt really good. I ran my fastest 5K time of the year. We had already celebrated our Thanksgiving dinner.
On November 24, we got invited over to my brother-in-law’s house for another Thanksgiving dinner, very well prepared and delicious. I overate again.
On November 25, I hauled 54 bags of leaves over to a disposal site, multiple trips in my truck. Done for this year thank goodness.
The rest of the month, we played Top Golf a few times, and did the rest of our normal routine.
“Oscar Wilde: ‘Do you mind if I smoke?’ Sarah Bernhardt: ‘I don’t care if you burn.'” Sarah Bernhardt
Just as a segue, a few words about my creative process. Aside from my lame excuses, my procrastinating, or whatever else might be preventing me from sitting down and working on my blog, I’ll just call it “blogger’s block”, similar to writer’s block. You’ve seen it in the movies, the famous writer (not that I’m famous) sitting at his writing desk, coffee and cigarettes on the desk (not that I smoke or recommend smoking, although I do drink coffee). His waste basket, full to the brim with crumpled sheets of paper, is nearby. He stares at the sheet of paper in his typewriter, a chapter name at the top of the page, and a line or two of text, or possibly just an incomplete sentence. OK, “typewriter”, that’s an older movie, maybe he’s sitting at his laptop keyboard staring at the screen. At any rate he’s not happy.
My writing lapses aren’t usually that dramatic, but I do have them. Thank you, Tom (my gym friend) for kick-starting me by praising my work. Be patient, I’ll take us back to Vietnam in a few minutes, honest – this one is dedicated to you.
Options, Options, and More Options
How about this, I’ll include you in my thinking/decision process, kind of as my virtual writing assistant, helping me decide the content for the next installment of my Vietnam blog. OK, OK, agreed, kind of a not-so-subtle way to get people to comment on my blog.
I have a 36-page double-spaced draft that I wrote nine years after my return from Vietnam. I used an IBM Selectric typewriter, and the draft is on the original paper. Many authors still use typewriters, and some like John Le Carre’ (The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, etc.) write out their manuscripts in longhand. His wife types and edits his manuscripts, which I think is very cool. Anyway, my thought was to just go through my entire 12-month Vietnam tour and select highlights, like the one in my last post, “A Dark and Stormy Night” . As I have already done, I am using some of the text from my nearly 40-year-old draft, for example, the Preface that follows is from “Vietnam Ten Years Ago – A Sailor Remembers”.
“The following narrative is the product of my memories and feelings about a personal experience and the desire to share the experience with others – a retrospective look at something which happened ten years ago. Since that time, it has rattled around in my head, I have discussed it with others, and I have written about it.
The memories of my year spent in Vietnam have not been naggingly painful or filled with nightmarish, melodramatic flashbacks (as others have experienced). In fact, some of what happened was quite pleasant. There are other memories I would rather forget.
Occasionally, I use real names in the narrative, because I remember some of them. However, I have no intentions of misrepresenting actual events or offending any of the real people involved. (Bernie Blazek, October 1979)”
More Options
Keep reading, Tom, we’re getting there.
So, the previous option would be to take my original draft and present it as a blog. Probably not the best choice, presenting over 10,000 words in my blog. Choosing “highlights”, as I’ve been doing, I think is better.
I also thought about getting “political” by addressing the question, “Are wars bad?” I’ve seen the Ken Burns TV series about the Vietnam War, and I was there for a year, but I think that question is beyond the scope of this blog. I will mention just one thing, a snippet from the Michael Berry Radio broadcast from Houston, Texas. You can Google him if you like. On June 6 this year, he dedicated a good part of his show to D-Day veterans, many of whom died in Normandy, France.
Berry talked about an 18-year-old who was drafted. One of the things struck home, about the young man, whose whole life was ahead of him, a girl friend, a future family. He didn’t enlist, but when he was drafted, he went willingly. He never came back. Say what you want about Michael Berry’s political views, but I think he called this one correctly.
OK, one more snippet about a bumper sticker (I may be misquoting it, but you’ll get the idea) that I saw in my neighborhood. “Except for overcoming communism, fascism, Nazism, and slavery, wars have not accomplished a thing.”
I guess one more option would be a musical/pictorial blog, kind of like I’ve done with other topics. By the way, I have to guide you down the music trivia path, just for a moment. If you read the first Vietnam installment I did, I included a song titled In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. You should read this wikipedia piece about the song . . . veeerrry interesting!
OK, Tom, I’m running out of gas on this installment and need to go have dinner. Please feel free to comment and/or make a suggestion (or anyone). ‘Backatcha’ with more later.
The music and pictures are either symbolic or just for entertainment.
Canned Heat: Can’t Find My Way Home
Huey Lewis and the News: The Power of Love
Canned Heat: Let’s Work Together
Don Henley: Dirty Laundry
Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young: Helplessly Hoping
My birthday blog for last year is here. I have a new birthday today.
I’ll start with some music – it’s Winter – and some quotes to set the tone for this piece which could go anywhere, hang on . . .
Takako Nishizaki: Very Best of Vivaldi, “Four Seasons, Winter (Largo)”
This BrainyQuote’s page has a wealth of quotes that relate either directly or in some weird, tangential way to this birthday blog. I started reading some of the quotes after doing the search on Shakespeare’s famous quote, “To be or not to be, that is the question,” which is the hook for the rest of this creative dissertation. I’ll explain more in a minute. Check out Jean-Luc Godard’s quote, “To be or not to be. That’s not really a question.” All you ex-English majors, like me, and grammarians should get a chuckle out of it. And check out Chuck Palahniuk, wow, some powerful, some witty, some head-scratcher quotes. By the way, his birthday is February 21, two days before mine. I should find him on Facebook and wish him a belated Happy Birthday. I’m not sure I can compete with the wisdom in some of the quotes, but as I get back on track here, maybe some of it will make sense to you. Nobody has quoted me yet.
To Do or Not to Do
Many weeks ago I got the idea for this blog. I started a draft on paper – I do that a lot as do many famous writers. Not that I’m famous, but John Le Carre’ is famous and well-published. I was just listening to his latest novel today, A Legacy of Spies. I watched a 60 Minutes interview with him several weeks ago. He lives in England in a remote place called Land’s End and has a separate little house where he writes his books in longhand. His wife types and edits his manuscripts. I thought that his lifestyle was extremely cool. His real name, which he prefers, is David Cornwell. Here he is in Wikipedia if you’re interested.
Back on Track
If you look at the “intro” parts of this blog, Looking for a Rufous, you may have picked up on the whole Rufous thing. Looking for things in life that really, really provide meaning and fulfillment, rather than just “living.” Also, there’s a great quote in Me and My Blog, probably my favorite quote, that says it all in my opinion. Of course, like someone said, if you already know the answer, don’t ask the question. Maybe you’ve figured it out already. Power to you, go for it, I’m perfectly fine with not perpetuating the search for meaning.
Takako Nishizaki: Very Best of Vivaldi, “Four Seasons, Spring (Allegro)”
An Average Day
Early morning sun (unusual for us in our Oregon winter) coming through the living room window, the dogs horsing around, listening to a Chicago song, “Wake Up Sunshine”, feeling good, an upbeat start to my day. I hope your day started on an upbeat note. But not every day starts that way, some days are more of a struggle. More caffeine, doesn’t help. Does that sound familiar? Such is life, eh, ups and downs, it’s normal. But what about the “baseline” parts of your life, the ongoing efforts that help you transcend the temporary mood swings and dark days? Is your baseline OK?
Tom Robbins: “To be or not to be isn’t the question. The question is, how to prolong being.”
I look at the best-selling authors, the scientists who discover cures for diseases, the athletes who strive to do their best, the volunteers who stack sandbags to stop the flood waters, and the others who strive to do things beyond themselves – I look at them in awe, admiring what they do. I’m not saying that being average is bad or that winning second place is not something to be proud of. You were there, that’s what counts.
N. Tonchev, Montana Chamber Orchestra: “Four Seasons, Summer (Presto)”
Parting Words on Starting this New Year (for me)
For this year, my plan is to try to stay healthy. If you’re active doing stuff, that’s a great place to start.
Do new things like meditation, early in the day. Even if it’s only 5 minutes, just relax, clear your thoughts, and focus on your breathing.
Journal, listen to music, watch the birds, cook dinner, talk to your kids or your friends or your dog (you’d be surprised how good a listener a dog can be).
Get involved, open up your mind and figure things out by relying on good, solid information. Segue to the Imprimis site, check it out, pick an area that interests you. I love the latest one, Are We Free to Discuss America’s Real Problems?.
More to come in the next blog.
N. Tonchev, Montana Chamber Orchestra: “Four Seasons, Autumn (Adagio-molto)”
For the answer, go back to my Crystal City, Part I blog to refresh your memory about journalism. Basically, rather than start out with some of the more routine things that happened this past week, I wanted to start with my morning meditation thoughts from this morning, which I thought were well-worth passing along, although the thoughts didn’t actually happen last week. Doesn’t matter really, try to be flexible. :}
As part of my morning routine, as I mentioned last week, I try to spend some time reading – I read different things, always the Bible, and some other things, just to get my day started on the right foot (or the left). Often, I’ll just open my Bible at a random location. This morning was in the book of Psalms, Psalm 15 to be exact. I recommend reading the Bible even if you aren’t “religious” (whatever that means), partly because of the way it was written, especially the Psalms, which are poems, songs of praise, or thankfulness verses, and they show a wide variety of emotions and feelings. My Bible is the New International Version. I quote part of Psalm 15, just a bit to get you started, then you can read all of it, it’s only five verses long.
Psalm 15 (part of it)
Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary?
Who may live on your holy hill?
He whose life is blameless and who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from his heart
and has no slander on his tongue,
who does his neighbor no wrong
and casts no slur on his fellowman,
who despises a vile man
but honors those who fear the Lord,
who keeps his oath
even when it hurts,
who lends his money
without usury
and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things
will never be shaken.
Actually, I got carried away, that’s all of Psalm 5.
Journal Recap
Just a few high points from my journal for the past week, that’s all.
My son-in-law came over to help install a new kitchen faucet after the other one stopped working. Actually, I don’t claim to have mechanical abilities sufficient for such a task, so I watched, and he installed the faucet. It would have taken me three times as long. Water is an amazing commodity in our daily lives, try washing your dishes in the shower.
My wife and I played golf at Killarney Golf Course. It was chilly, but dry, and the greens were as hard as a rock from the cold weather we’ve had. She won (again). We’ve recently started playing golf at a place called Top Golf, which is undercover and has food and drink, not a regular golf course, but still a lot of fun and at least it’s dry and warm.
Lots of soup and salads this week, fortunately I’m married to a creative cook, who creates wonderful soups that are especially good during the cold months. Otherwise, I did my usual routine going to the gym and running, but less distance this time of year. On Saturday we did a sleepover at my daughter’s house so she and her hubby could have a weekend night at the beach while we stayed with the kids. Lots of walks in their new neighborhood, with and without the dogs, just exploring to find the best places to go.
Closing in on Christmas, so maybe my next BOTW will be about Christmas. Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas in advance.
blazinbernie
Looking for a Rufous 