Siggy's Blurbs: Siggy's Edge of Country …

If you want to cheat death, don’t worry about your life.  Take the place in the universe God Has given you.

Do what you are commanded to do, what the tiny voice inside of you is directing you to do.

Consequences always exist.  Do not be concerned about them.  Sure, take reasonable precautions, but do not let them shackle you.  Your place in the universes is unraveling.  Do not be afraid.

Follow your heart.  Sometimes it may deceive you but always return to the best life has to offer you.  Do not look at other people’s progress.  Looks are always deceiving.

Vibrate to the pulse of your universe.  It is your place.  Do not be concerned of your significance.  When you are fulfilling only the role, the place put on the earth for you there is never shame.

Too many people are trapped by the expectations of others.  Meet yours first and remember each one of us is important to the Almighty.  That is hard to fathom but fulfill the path He is laying out for you.  It is uniquely yours.  And the more you follow it the more your ripples can change the universes.  One person can change the world.  You have to believe you are here for a purpose.  You may not know it but believe you can make a difference.

To believe otherwise is to lead a life of despair.  Act as if you matter.  And you will.

Tags: change the world, death, despair, follow His path, follow your heart, God, here for a purpose, important to the Almighty, life, life of despair, living, make a difference, The Almighty, tiny voice inside you, trapped in expectations of others, you matter, your place in the universe
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I love mixing with people but I have to linger alone at times to recharge.

I love the quiet of night–the darkness that conceals me and then I withdraw. It is true I often listen to music then but that also enables me to withdraw.

There is so much I want to explore, so much I love but my solitude is essential.

When I come out of my reverie, I am ready to meet the world that is so quick to envelope me.

I love the dawn, the birds that reawaken, who greet me in song in full crescendo.

It is so easy to miss what is under your feet every day and there is so much you take for granted, so much you are unaware of.

There are so many universes you miss because your mind was elsewhere.

Solitude brings me back to the true pulse of the universe.  Then your perception of the magnificent returns even if it is only a shadow of the infinite.

It was there all along.  My universe expands and contracts.  I want to see, experience everything although that is really impossible.  My solitude always enables me to reconnect with the world surrounding me.  My time here is so short.  The world is so vast and I am only one grain of sand on the many beaches that inhabit this earth.  And the earth is only one drop of water in the cavernous oceans of the rest of the universe.  I keep trying to fathom the mystery I truly am.

Tags: alone to recharge, beauty, bird song, birds, dawn, experience, fathom the mystery, God, listen to music, one grain of sand, quiet of night, so many universes, solitude, still of the night, take for granted, the magnificent, time here is so short, world is so vast
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Sometimes I leave my newspapers (and magazines) unread and eventually pitch them.  I have no illusions.  If I miss one story or one article, my life goes on.  I never forgot what Thoreau said in “Walden“:  ‘why read the same thing rehashed over and over?’

There is a glut of information out there.  One thing has never changed:  the saturation point.  There is so much information you can absorb at one time.  As King Solomon says in the Bible:  you can be weary of too much study.

These words were written several thousand years ago.  Nothing has changed in that regard.  There is so much you can study, read.  You still have to live your life.  Sure you can learn from newspapers, books and magazines but if you do not integrate that knowledge into your life it is all for naught.

Thus, I have no reservations about not getting to any written material.  There is so much you can read and so much you can absorb at one time and you certainly have to live your life.  I have absolutely no guilt about leaving any newspapers, (etc.) unread.

Tags: Bible, books, glut of information, God, King Solomon, live your life, magazines, saturation point, Solomon, study, Thoreau, too much study, unread newspapers, Walden
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What is worse than death is living and dying at the same time.  It is knowing you are trapped, that how you spend your time is not in the way you really want to.

Sure, everyone has obligations and duties and some people have less control of their time.  Nevertheless, if you do not have at least one area your whole heart and soul is in then you are slowly dying.

Everyone has been there before.  But you have somehow extricate yourself from that position.  One can get trapped by money, be afraid to leave a position because there will be a transition period in which you may struggle financially.  And there are no guarantees, of course.

God designed us to want to create, to do what is deepest in your fiber.  To do what we are here for.  Everyone is different.  And there are no lack of people to tell you what to do, what path to follow.

The truth is the path each one has to take has no path.  You have to create your own steps on a path that only you can define.

Only you know in your heart and soul where you must go, what you must do.  And if in your heart you know it is the wrong path or you are doing something for the wrong reasons there is deep inside of you a sense of failure.

When you have peace within you, you know you are traveling in the right direction, doing what only you can do.  It is hard resisting the pressures from outside sources.

But if you are leading your life in a way your conscience says is wrong consistently you are slowly dying and that is a fate worst than death.

Tags: create, death, do what we are here for, dying, failure, God, life, living, path, peace within you, sense of failure, slowly dying, trapped, trapped by money, worse than death, your own path
Posted in balance, God, health, knowledge&learning, life, love, time, wisdom, writing, your job/mission/profession | 1 Comment »

Your true inheritance is not your things:  it is the people you have touched in your lifetime.  It is the people who you have influenced who are here after you are gone.  It is your children (if you have been blessed with them), your friends.  Every person you have ever impacted in your life.

It can only happen if you invest time in others, if you are genuine, reached out to those in need.  And there are neighbors always in need in some way.  You just have to pay attention.  That is your true inheritance.

It is not your house, your expensive sound system, your car, your books.  You can not take any possession with you.  In fact, there is nothing you can take with you after you are gone.

The people you have influenced affect others in an ever widening circle.  That is your true inheritance.

Tags: can not take possessions with you, children, friends, God, helping, invest time in others, neighbors, not your things, pay attention, people you have touch, reach out to those in need, your inheritance
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I PODS AND OTHER TECHNOLOGY

“Download your favorite TV program
On your I Pod,” the commercial implored.

Tell me?  Why would I want to do that?
I do not care how good the technology is.
Or how clear that 4 square inch screen is.
After all, it is only 4 square inches.
I have to squint to view the screen.

And another thing:
Who is going to stand
In one spot
For sixty minutes
Holding their I Pod motionless
Viewing their favorite episodes
Of “Sex and the City”
Or whatever?

Sure you can watch your favorite music video.
I have the same problem.
Who wants to hold it still
For three and a half minutes?
I do not care how crisp the clarity
Of the screen is.
How can you possibly make out
The minute figures in it?

Of course, you need headphones
Aren’t you risking hearing loss
If you “pump” the volume high enough
And long enough?

I prefer watching my TV programs
And music videos
On my 28 inch TV screen–
374 square inches NOT 4.

Yes, now you can
Connect your I Pod
To an electronic component with speakers.
In the confines of your home.
Excuse me,
Wasn’t that what
We used to call a stereo?
I prefer listening to my two feet high Bose speakers.

And the commercials are bragging
How much smaller and thinner
They are making I Pods (and other MP3’s)
(and cellular phones).

Now I even saw an ad
In a magazine
Boasting how
Your cellular can possess
Gazillions of memory
And still fit in the palm
Of your hand

The keys on the keyboard
Would be so tiny
How could you possibly use it?

Yah, I know there will always be someone
Who will buy the latest gadget
No matter how impractical the “play toy” is.

All I can do is shake my head.

Am I the only person who thinks
This use of technology
Is ridiculous?

Let me know?

Tags: cellphone, I-pod, MP3, music, small screen for viewing, speakers, stereo, technology, the latest gadget, TV, video
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Life without problems to solve would be incredibly boring.  It is problems in our lives that make it a challenge.  And we mature as we learn to deal with them.

There is only one place that we don’t have any:  and that is when the Lord takes us.  We should be grateful for the opportunity to solve them.  And some never will be solved.  And others we just adjust to.  Our brain is designed for solving complex problems.

Conflict usually brings out the best in us.  Finding compromises and win-win situations is always a challenge.  If no one is satisfied with a solution, something is wrong with it.

Politics is just that–finding the best solutions which are almost always some kind of compromise between opposing parties.  There is really nothing wrong with politics.  It is in every area of our lives:  the family, government, the church, every institution you can think of.  The only question regarding politics is how fairly the compromises were worked out.

Politics almost always involves solving thorny problems.  As a rule, there are no easy answers and not everyone can be satisfied.  Problems are what make our lives interesting and challenging.  So do not bemoan them.  Problems keep us going and gives us a reason to get up each morning.  Be glad you have them.

Tags: brings out the best in us, challenges, church, compromise, family, finding solutions, God, government, make our lives interesting, no easy answers, our brain, politics, problems, solve problems, the Lord, thorny problems
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Just examine one section of the book in the Bible written by King Solomon (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8) to illustrate this.  Truth is absolute but it is more complicated than that.  Yes, truth is absolute but is always balanced by another truth.  There is a time and place for everything.  It states there that ‘for everything there is a season,’ the section of the Bible from which Pete Seeger, the well known folk singer, adapted his lyrics of the song “Turn! Turn! Turn!” which the Byrds had a hit with in the late sixties.

In those lines you have one statement or if you want to call it one truth balanced by another.  For example, ‘there is a time to love and a time to hate, a time to mourn and a time to laugh’ and so forth.

Too many people have pulled this Scripture (and others of course) out of context and declared part of each statement to be absolute truth.  If you were to declare one statement to be absolute truth (and it is), it is not valid for an eternity.

And this happens all the time when a preacher will act as though he/she is the only one who possesses the truth, and others do the same.  Yes, there is a time and season for every truth and be aware there will always (???) another side to it and there is a season for everything.

Tags: "Turn! Turn! Turn!", absolute truth, Bible, double edged sword, Ecclesiastes, for everything there is a season, God, King Solomon, Pete Seeger, Preacher, scripture, seasons, the Byrds, time, time and place for everything, truth, wisdom
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I can not tell you exactly why music is so important to me but it is.  On some level, the music I pick every day to listen to is done intuitively.  As a rule, most of it is uptempo and I actually absorb energy from it.  In fact, if I am tired I can no longer (???) can listen to such music:  I have to switch to something laid back and mellow.

I started listening to music seriously over forty years ago.  I knew back then I was not that articulate.  Music expresses the inexpressible so I was able to relate to it.  My favorite group then was Jefferson Airplane.  I came to the conclusion one reason I loved this group so much (I still do today) because their music had, at times, an angry tone and growing up I was not permitted to express anger at all, in any degree, so listening to them was cathartic.

As I grew older, my tastes kept expanding and were very eclectic.  I listened to a broad range of music:  blues, rock and roll, jazz, just about everything.

Although I spent hours everyday listening to music, it was not wasted time:  my mind would roam.  I started keeping journals and writing poetry.  I was gradually becoming more and more creative and that process started with music.

At the same time, I was also becoming more and more articulate.  Music still was important and I continued to listen all those years every day for hours.  I never stopped.  In fact, I am very fortunate my wife shares my love of music.  I am always acting as her personal DJ.

I do not know if any of theses explanations explain my love of music or why I listen but maybe you can identify with some of these reasons or my drive to keep listening.

I am the only one in my family who is obsessed with music.  I can explain it quite plainly:  I want to listen to music almost more than I want to breathe.  I do not think you can be driven more than that.

Tags: absorb energy from music, blues, creative, eclectic tastes in music, expresses the inexpressible, God, jazz, Jefferson Airplane, keeping journals, knowledge, learning, listen to music, love of music, more articulate, music, my wife, personal DJ, poetry, rock, rock&roll, time, writing, writing poetry
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WELCOME! I hope you will enjoy reading my blurbs.

In addition to the Blogs, I hope to encourage and inform poets and writers at Siggy’s Cafe For Writers & Poets, www.siggyscafe.com.  Here you will find many pages of articles, poems, suggested reading, and more, plus a special section devoted to my love of music.  Siggy

Tags: articles, encourage others, God, love of music, poems, reading, Siggy's Blurbs, Siggy's Cafe for Writers & Poets, suggested reading, tiny voice, welcome, writers, writing
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The one thing I know for certain about my depression is this:  it will end.  That is no small discovery.  Sometimes I can figure out why and sometimes not, but one thing I know for certain it will end.  Yes, I still have periods of them.  Maybe, I am fortunate my spells of depression do not usually last more than a few hours.  There were times in my life when this was not true:  they went on for weeks and months at a time and now the spells of depression I have usually do not last more than several hours.  I have to take meds although none of them are anti-depressants.  One of them is a mood stabilizer.  When in the throes of depression it is like being in a deep well and it is so dark you can not see the sides and the light but I am always comforted by the knowledge the depression will lift.  I just don’t know exactly when.

Tags: depression, depression will end, depression will lift, God, light, like being in a deep well, meds, mood stabilizer, seasons, so dark, time
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