I read in bursts, a paragraph here and there. Sometimes I amaze myself and actually read a whole page. To read a book is a miracle, but to read a novel I have to be mesmerized and turn page after page in wonder.
Knowledge is a circle I had to realize. All knowledge is connected. I do not learn by reading a book sequentially. I usually learn in bursts. That caused me some problems in school. The teacher expected you to make it through a book, then another, etc. Anyway, I surround myself with books. A burst here, a burst there. I even occasionally read a book from cover to cover. Most times I open it anywhere and start reading. I am not compelled to read a book from beginning to end. Novels are difficult. One type of book I do read from cover to cover are interesting memoirs.
Tags: book, knowledge, novel, read, read a book, reading, school, writing
Posted in knowledge&learning, wisdom, writing |
All you can do is mine who you are. As a writer that is all you can do. You are who you are. And that is where your get your material to write. We are all given a tiny piece of the universe. It is small but that is what you got to work with. We all think a little differently. Each person is a “snowflake” and that is what we have to mine as a writer. We can not portray ourselves as we are not. Then it comes across as being phony. We are ourselves for better or worse.
Tags: each person is a "snowflake", material to write, we are ourselves, writer, writing
Posted in God, life, wisdom, writing, your job/mission/profession |
I am going to vanquish my winter blues. It is too much self–indulgence. My pets love me (and my wife). And that is enough. My favorite dog, Tilla, ‘adores’ me, in the words of my daughter. I did nothing to deserve all that. And that is an incomplete list of the seven cats and two dogs who each love me in their own way. My pets do not care what I do or am. And my wife does not care about the degree I do not have, or job for that matter.
Tags: cats, depression, dogs, my daughter, pets, the love of my wife, Tilla, vanquish Winter blues, winter blues
Posted in animals, balance, children, life, local, love, marriage, mental health, pets, relationships, seasons, wisdom |
Universe after universe continues to unfold to me. Maybe, that is why I have no overwhelming desire to travel. My books are each an universe. My poems and other poems also beckon me to new worlds. There is countless ways my curiosity leads me. My garden is another world to explore. Each pet I have is distinctly different and I have to treat each one differently. There are so many worlds to explore just in my backyard. My extensive music collection is another universe. I just have to open my eyes and see what is in front of me–countless universes.
Tags: books, music, my property, new universes unfold
Posted in balance, knowledge&learning, wisdom |
‘Home is where they have to take you in.’ I am not sure if I got this quote verbatim, attributed to the famous poet Robert Frost. I thought about it for awhile. It is from our family we learn grace. We mess up badly and it is, often, our family that forgives us when we return home. No matter how badly I messed up I can return home and start afresh. Grace is a gift. There is no other way to put it. I don’t deserve it. Every person is flawed and makes mistakes. And we return home. No matter what we did.
Tags: every person is flawed, every person makes mistakes, forgiveness, God, grace is a gift, home, our family, return home, Robert Frost, start afresh, we learn grace
Posted in balance, children, God, knowledge&learning, life, relationships, time, wisdom |
I was shaking after this close call. I was driving on the road that goes into mine when out of nowhere a pickup appeared in the opposite direction. The only way I avoided an head on collision was by immediately hugging the bank. It was only by inches I avoided an accident. Not only was that driver going too fast but was at least three feet over the center line. I could have been killed. Sometimes your life could change in a split second. It was a reality check.
Tags: avoided a collision, close call, driver going too fast, driving a car, God, reality check
Posted in death, God, life, local, time, wisdom |
We all live downstream. This was a sign I read on a stream. I thought of several things in, particularly, of global warming and how interrelated the world is. Everything is connected. And countries can’t agree and(???) how to attack this problem.
More locally when some one (or a company) pollutes a stream its(???) effects the body of water downstream. We all have one earth and each person (and each company) has to do its part to preserve it. No one lives in a void.
Tags: body of water, downstream, everything is connected, global warming, one earth, pollution, preserve the earth, streams, world is interrelated
Posted in balance, beauty, God, knowledge&learning, life, nature, relationships, time, wisdom |
Vacations always end. Today Chuck and I will go on that fishing trip we talked about for, at least, a year. Unless, it is cancelled, again. We were supposed to go fishing on Lake Pontchartrain on Wednesday but the waves were too choppy and the bottom of the lake was stirred up.
The fishing would have been lousy that day. This is my last chance this visit to go fishing. I have never caught a fish that weighed several pounds. I might catch a speckled trout or if I am lucky a redfish that weighs even more. Chuck has never fished in this area.
Maybe, next year we will go camping again. We will see. In any case it was fun and I am looking forward now to flying home and sleeping in the same bed with my wife and seeing all my critters (I especially miss Tilla, my favorite dog) and being in familiar surrounding. It was nice to go away but thank God I have a place to go home to. And a wife to return to. This is the longest we been apart–one week.
Tags: a place to go home to, camping, childhood friend, Chuck, dogs, fishing trip, God, Lake Pontchartrain, my wife, New Orleans, pets, redfish, speckled trout, thank God, Tilla, vacation
Posted in God, knowledge&learning, life, love, marriage, nature, pets, time, wisdom |
‘Every family has baggage’ in the words of my friend’s wife. I never gave it a whole lot of thought but she considered my two sisters to be successful. Both graduated from college (one with a Master’s) and held good jobs for decades. In contrast, my friend’s two sisters are struggling supporting themselves and alcoholism. I always criticized my family and saw their shortcomings and was blind to their successes. It made me think a little harder about the word success.
Tags: alcoholism, college, good job, my sisters, success, we all have baggage
Posted in balance, knowledge&learning, life, money, relationships, time, wisdom |
The weather was absolutely gorgeous. I checked the car thermostat. It was sixty degrees deep blue sky without a cloud in sight. I was running to the store for a last minute errand and quickly realized the silk shirt I had on was too warm and I had to take it off. I was going to see my friend Chuck and it was going to be at least twenty degrees warmer in New Orleans. I immediately put a tee shirt on when I arrived back from my errand. I was excited. I had arranged to have a window seat on both legs of my journey today. Vacations are usually another “world”. For a short time you enter someone else’s reality. We can get so used to our own and not see what is directly in front of us any longer. Vacations in a strange place have a way of jarring you. And that is a good thing. Occasionally, anyway.
Tags: airplane, deep blue sky, God, gorgeous weather, my friend, New Orleans, someone else's reality, tee shirt, vacation, visiting an old friend, window seat
Posted in balance, beauty, God, knowledge&learning, life, local, relationships, sports, wisdom |
Tilla, my favorite dog, was only on loan. This was brought to the forefront when I found another lump on his neck. It felt like a cyst like the larger mass on his back. I realized suddenly he was not going to be around forever so I needed to appreciate him now. Humans most of the time outlive their pets. I had to enjoy him now. Not tomorrow but today.
Tags: brevity of pets lives, cyst, dogs, enjoy your pets, my favorite dog, pets, pets are on loan to us, Tilla
Posted in animals, balance, death, local, pets, relationships, time, wisdom |
What do I know for certainty? My wife loves me. So does my favorite dog–Tilla. Probably Coco, his sister. Maybe, that needs to be enough. Two dogs and my wife. Maybe, that should be sufficient. Let me bask in that love. I did nothing to earn that. Of course, I did not mention Jesus. He loves me, too. I don’t know why you can feel so separated and so alone sometimes?
Tags: Coco, dogs, feeling separated and alone, God, Jesus, love, pets, the love of my dogs, the love of my wife, Tilla
Posted in animals, God, life, marriage, pets, relationships, wisdom |
