Posts Tagged ‘identity’

Is it 2019 Yet?

December 31, 2018

Is Portland, Oregon weirder than Austin, Texas?

I watched a program on public TV the other day about Vortex I, a documentary about a 1970 event, really interesting and historic as it relates to the state of Oregon. I may have to do a follow-up blog about the Portland vs Austin question.

Thanks to Portland State University and the Oregon Historical Society for the Vortex I web write-up.

It Is Still 2018?

Yes, as I put pen to paper (actually fingers to keyboard) drafting this post, probably my last post for the year, there is only a full day left in 2018 before the big ball drops in Times Square. No, I won’t be there, but I have a runner friend who lives in Oregon but really likes New York.

The first and only time I was in New York occurred when I was a teenager. I was with my oldest sister and her husband, and it was Christmas time. We did a lot of “tourist stuff”, went to Rockefeller Center with the big tree and the ice skaters. We also went to a supper club in mid-town Manhattan where Joan Rivers was performing. She was pregnant, and I thought her jokes were pregnant. Anyway, for a boy who had grown up in small-town Texas, New York was an amazing experience – from a town of less than 8,000 to New York City, walking down 5th Avenue where people were packed in practically elbow to elbow. The subway and Greenwich Village were fun too.

Was 2018 a Good Year for You?

For me, now winding down 2018. I can say that it has been a good year, possibly a great year, but I’m ready to move on to new challenges. When you get “older and wiser”, you tend to get philosophical (and more forgetful) about life. Hopefully, no matter what your age, if you look back and reflect on 2018, you will smile and say that it has been a hoot or an adventure or whatever, and you will look forward to 2019. There are two quotes, a Nelson Demille quote at the top of that page and a Hunter S. Thompson quote at the bottom in my Favorite Quotes post. In my opinion, those two quotes say it all.

What is the Meaning of Life?

If you are at all interested in the meaning of life or the purpose of life I’m suggesting that you read another Reader’s Digest article, to start you off on the right foot for 2019.

The excellent article, Maintain Your Purpose in Life, was written by David G. Allan.

If you’re old enough, you may remember that screensaver from many years ago, a weird red and green cartoon character, mouth open and tongue hanging out (captioned the “meaning of life”) that flitted around the computer screen daring you to click it with your mouse, and of course it always evaded you. Regardless of the implication suggested by the screensaver creator that it isn’t possible to figure it out, read Allan’s article and give it some thought, about your own purpose in life. For him it’s a yearly exercise, and he says that his answer changes over time. Don’t overthink it – the year he got engaged, Allan’s answer to the question was “Love”.

He also points out that this isn’t a theoretical exercise, you should turn your answer into action. If your answer is “love”, then you should love more.

Bottom line, there is no right answer, only what’s right for you at any given time. He talks about how studies have shown that people who have a specific purpose in life and can articulate it, live longer. He suggests that if you take the time to think about it and answer the question, it will in effect add meaning to your life.

Allan quotes some of the answers from famous people.

  • “Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” (Albert Einstein)
  • “The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity.” (Leo Tolstoy)
  • “There is only the meaning we each give to our life, an individual meaning, an individual plot, like an individual novel, a book for each person.” (Anais Nin)

What’s Ahead – Foreshadowing my Blog for 2019

Stuff about good people and what they do. If you read my November blog, I included a link to Reader’s Digest stories. Every November Reader’s Digest publishes their America’s Nicest Places issue. A  couple of other interesting links for you:

Imprimis articles (of course)

Vietnam, my experiences and my observations about the war.

More about “Is Portland, Oregon weirder than Austin, Texas?”

Mindfulness, a continuation of my blog topic. A subject that keeps popping up in the media.

The Big Leap, a book by Gay Hendricks – I included the link in a November post, just boring “self-improvement” stuff. Kind of like meditation, it may require some effort on your part to realize the positive results.

Music and Pictures

Vivaldi, The Four Seasons (Winter)
Vivaldi, The Four Seasons (Spring)
Vivaldi, The Four Seasons (Summer)
Vivaldi, The Four Seasons (Autumn)

Some Parting Shots

I’ve mentioned my Daily Word readings – just a couple of recent ones to pass along that I thought were noteworthy.

December 29, 2018, “Love: It is my nature to extend love.”

“I recognize that forgiveness is easier than condemnation because forgiveness reflects the truth of who I am. God is perfect love and therefore so am I.”

A companion Bible verse, Ephesians 4:26: “Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.”

December 30, 2018: “Power: I am a spiritual being, bestowed with great power.”

“I align my thoughts with my highest good, envisioning health, abundance, love, and success.”

If you have been reading The Big Leap, the last sentence should remind you of Hendrick’s “universal success mantra” that he discusses in the book.

That’s it for 2018, see you next year.

 

 

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Personas

April 20, 2014

What are Personas- Introduction?

Let’s address the definition first, at least by example what I think a persona is . . .

Wait, push the pause button, just a quick side note about this blog topic. If you looked in the “About” section, under “Themes”, you may have read that People is one of the themes in my blog, actually a main theme, so think of Personas as a People topic. You can push play now.

How about this example . . . you’re a rancher, you get up in the morning, put on a clean pair of jeans and a plaid shirt with sturdy pockets, slip on a pair of comfortable boots, well-worn, but clean, and your hat. You sit down for a cup of coffee and a hearty breakfast, anticipating a demanding day getting ready for a stock sale only two weeks away.

Another persona might be . . . you’re an artist and you make artistic pottery. Your kiln is heating up and you’re making some rough sketches on paper – you don’t always do sketches, but the vision of a new series hasn’t quite clearly formed in your mind. You have a vast mental storehouse of ideas that you can draw on, from experiences in different cultures in Spain, in Mesoamerica, and in more domestic, communal settings. As the kiln continues to heat, you warm to the new ideas for your pottery series.

You get the idea, right. Personas are important I think you’d agree, probably a very healthy thing and a part of yourself that should be nurtured, possibly something that is essential, like the ego.

In one of my earlier blog posts, I described myself as several things – a writer, a grandfather, a photographer, and a runner. Recently I put on my running clothes and said to myself that I was a runner. A foregone conclusion I suppose, given that I ran over 1400 miles in 2013, no brag, just fact and that’s not counting the races that I did, probably another 100 miles. I really like running, for the physical exertion, the mental uplift and therapeutic benefits, and the endorphins, of course. And, make no mistake about it, it’s hard work and some days I don’t feel like running, but even on those days, I make an effort and I run. Like that scene from Forrest Gump where Tom Hanks with his long beard and hair is asked why he runs and he says something like, “I like to run.”

Children too have personas, not just adults – in fact, children can have very interesting and provocative personas, partly I think because they are unfettered by all the mental debris that we so-called adults have accumulated over time. Try this one out, perhaps typical of other children’s personas, but in other ways a unique persona.

This young person likes video games – no surprise there. He likes to play outside with his friends, in a part of the country where the climate isn’t always hospitable – who needs a jacket. He likes to make good grades, especially A+’s. His favorite things to learn about are math and science (especially space exploration). He has two baby sisters and likes to spend time with them. And last but not least in this short list of persona attributes, his favorite season is summer, which relates back to another attribute that I mentioned, playing outside. Later on I’ll relate the personas of others who this young person knows well.

April 20, 2014

He rides a motor bike and patrols a trail where I run sometimes, near a big corporate campus for a running shoe and apparel manufacturer. I’ll call him Cliff (not his real name). I often stop during my run to talk to Cliff. He’s a bit younger than me, actually everyone is younger than me, but we have similar backgrounds in that we were both in the service, Cliff in the Coast Guard and me in the Navy. He retired from the Coast Guard after 20 years of service. He was a Boatswain’s Mate. I had that duty for a while on my ship, so I was familiar with what it was like. We joked about how often things got painted aboard a ship. He told me about his duty on the Mississippi River near Baton Rouge. One of their assignments was to maintain the navigation systems on the river, part of which involved servicing the red and green navigation lights that lined the river. The lights help ships orient themselves while underway on the river. He told me one year the river was so dry you could walk all the way across to the other side. He also served in Puerto Rico and Guam and several other places. I think people with a service background, any service, are interesting because of the stories they tell about their experiences. I highly recommend talking to an ex-service person. Next time I stop to talk to Cliff, I think I’ll ask him how many runners and walkers he gets a chance to talk to.

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