Tag Archives: Mother Nature

Ceaseless

Ceaseless: (adj) constant and unending

I will leave it to the damn theologians to scour the Holy Book, to find reasons for God to be angry with me. It seems to be what they do the best.

They are so determined to establish my sinful nature so I can be redeemed that they fail to remember that the ceaseless truth of salvation
 begins with the statement “for God so loved…”

There is a balance that should never be achieved. It is better left unbalanced.

I am better off believing that God loves me without having the addendum of a series of examples where that affection can be snatched away.

I don’t know if my love for my children is ceaseless–but I do realize that they need to believe it is.

I don’t know if my vein of creativity is limitless, but I certainly don’t benefit by doubting it.

And I don’t have any assurance whatsoever that the world will continue to revolve and not explode, implode or disassemble.

Yet believing in the ceaseless love of God and the tender attention of Mother Nature does my soul good.

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By-stander

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By-stander:(n) a person who is present at an event or incident but does not take part

Most people know what an oxymoron is. It’s a statement or collection of words that seem to contradict one another–case in point, jumbo shrimp.

That being said, I will tell you the little known oxymorons is the pairing of the two words “innocent by-stander.”

Although I admit meteorites do fall from the sky and hit people in the head, most of the time there’s a warning and an opportunity before a conclusion.

The warning can be subtle. Sometimes you need to tune your ears to Mother Nature in order to heed the precaution. Even though we consider people who focus on warnings to be paranoid, they rarely find themselves categorized as “innocent by-standers.”

After the warning, there’s usually some sort of opportunity:

  • A chance to say something.
  • A door to do something.
  • A way of escape–a few seconds where thinking can be clarified.

Shortly after that opportunity comes a conclusion. It is random and always certain. It doesn’t care about our status–it just follows through on the warning.

An example:

Driving in Seattle, Washington one summer, I was returning from a recording session when I looked ahead–almost a quarter of a mile–and saw a back-up of traffic. But worse, smoke was beginning to rise in small puffs, letting me know that collisions were going on between cars.

I had a very brief opportunity to avoid being part of a huge freeway pile-up. My brakes were not going to be useful–the person behind would just plow into me.

So as I saw the chain reaction developing in front of me, I moved onto the berm and traveled on it for about a mile, as cars continued to pummel one another in the calamity.

It was very close, but I was able to get in front of the origin of the collision. There was no traffic and I was on my way.

Do I think I’m a genius? No.

Have I always been so observant? No.

But when I haven’t, the problems have piled up on me. 

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Break

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Break: (v) to separate into pieces

“He’s waiting for his big break.”

I’ve heard those words stated over and over again in my presence as I have stood idly by, knowing how errant they are, but remaining silent so as not to rock the boat.Dictionary B

There is actually no such thing as a “big break.” What you have are little victories and tragedies that come into your life, which break you up, segregating true ability from ego.

If every person in America were immediately cast into the role of what they thought they were worthy of doing, we would have nuclear war before the end of the day. Our perceptions are twisted by greed and arrogance.

Most of us have no idea of what we’re capable of performing in the cauldron of difficulty–because that’s where talent thrives or dies. No one gets to use their capacity in a vacuum. It’s always under pressure, criticism, lack or even fear.

So to a certain degree, it is Mother Nature’s job to break us. That is the true definition of our “big break”–when we are finally cracked open and the poison is spilled out, so we can rummage through … to find any gold that remains.

 

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Bee

Bee: (n) an insect of a large group to which the honeybee belongsDictionary B

There certainly seem to be a lot of design flaws in Mother Nature.

I am not offering this as a criticism, nor do I think I could have done a better job stomping around the Universe.

It’s just that in the mortal brain, we have a tendency to seek sense where Nature only offers tension. The whole process is held together with tiny fibers, little branches, and maybe chewing gum and lint.

How it actually works is beyond our comprehension.

For instance, I would love to be friends with the bee.

I’ve heard of the good work they do.

  • I realize that they pollinate plants and flowers which keep us alive and allow us to eat, escaping starvation.
  • I am very favorable to honey, the by-product of their process.
  • They are colorful.

But then, they have this thing called a “stinger.” And because I do not want to be stung, I am tempted to kill them, and therefore be party to terminating their noble work, and in a sense, setting in motion my own suicide.

It’s really crappy.

Why couldn’t the bee sing like the bird, so we would be able to admire both mission and personal traits?

But mingled in there is the need for the bee to defend itself against those who would try to quell its progress. So the bee threatens with a sting.

It is bizarre.

It is beyond my grasp.

Yet it works.

And when the bees started to die off a few years ago, we very complex human beings were sent into a dither over the prospect of losing the little fellas.

For after all, we need them.

So we must remember, there are many things in life that benefit us … which are also allowed to sting us if we misuse them.

 

 

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Awry

Awry: (adj & adv) away from the planned or expected course; amiss.

What we all are trying to avoid in our journey is the sensation of disappointment.dictionary with letter A

We can survive tragedy, mayhem, struggle, poverty and anything that falls from the sky as long as we did not have great expectation that it would ever happen.

Even though I know it is popular to have big dreams, huge goals, and make presumptuous statements about the success of our lives, nothing could be any more detrimental to us than to look at what has happened to us, assume that everything went totally awry, and for us to sit in a huge puddle of muddy disappointment.

So what’s the key? How can we avoid disappointment, which cripples our faith?

  1. Don’t have a goal–have a direction.

As you head off in that direction, goals will pop up which you can pursue. But when you assume that your goal has to be achieved, Mother Nature will be more than happy to pour water on your fire.

  1. Have at least three plans.

In other words, if this works, I can do this. But if I get this opportunity, then I can achieve this level. And if it all comes in, by the grace of God, we get the whole enchilada with cheese sauce.

  1. Keep in mind, mankind is watching.

More opportunities will come your way if you’re a good loser. Even though we insist that we admire the winner, we spend a lot of time watching the “trailers,” and what they do next.

  1. And finally, be grateful.

I know it sounds silly to be grateful for a fiasco or when your plans go awry, but most of the things in our lives which we now possess did not come to us as a whole.

They arrived in pieces and we puzzled them together.

Life by its very purpose is intended to create a situation where “the greatest laid plans of mice and men” go awry.

Mice run and hide in embarrassment.

But intelligent humans look for a way to use the surprises to create new dreams.

 

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Ascertain

Ascertain: (v) to find something out for sure; to make certaindictionary with letter A

It’s about a fifty-fifty split–and I certainly hope I am not being generous with myself.

About half the time, I come to a solution for a difficult situation and am proud of how I handled the circumstances.

The other fifty percent of the time, I am reminded of mistakes I made, quick decisions and opportunity lost.

Obviously, my happiness is based on whether I celebrate my score, or commiserate with myself over my misdeeds.

But I will tell you–my grade card has improved over the years. When I was younger, I became angry with life because it was unwilling to understand my plan and make adequate adjustments. It took me many years to comprehend that life refuses to evolve in my direction, but instead, suggests that I do all the mutation of my plans.

I had to ascertain exactly what makes Planet Earth spin on its axis in the right direction. I will pass along my simple discoveries (which I’m sure you have already attained, so be patient with me.)

1. Very rarely does the predictable work.

Sometimes it seems that Mother Nature is quickly bored with solutions and retires them after one use.

Flexibility, ingenuity and patience are the trio that normally possess the next great idea.

2. A bad attitude is the common way to lose all your altitude.

You’re never going to fly as long as you’re held to the ground by the burden of grouchiness. Life just doesn’t care that you’re upset, so get over it, imitate joy and try to promote a consciousness of good cheer.

3. Listen.

Obviously, you are not the first person who has been through this trial. Find those who have gone before you and most importantly, learn their mistakes. Honestly, there isn’t always an obvious answer made available through listening, but you can certainly eliminate a lot of crap.

If you want to ascertain what will solve your next dilemma, I can recommend these three steps. I will not tell you that people with horrible personalities don’t occasionally stumble into blessing, but I can tell you … blessing avoids them like the plague.

 

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Asbestos

Asbestos: (n) an insulator which has been implicated for causing certain cancers.dictionary with letter A

It has taken me many years to balance my life by realizing that there are two questions which have to be answered in the pursuit of success. I will not mislead you by saying that I am always comfortable in balancing the pair, but I do know that to be truly successful and leave behind a worthy legacy, I have to please both Mother Nature and Father God.

Mother Nature wants me to find out what works.

That’s really it. Mother Nature is not terribly concerned about other things, just about whether I honor history, I accept what’s provided and I submit to common sense. The question is:

“Does it work?”

Now, some people stop there. This would be the folks that came up with asbestos.

They found a material which was very effective at insulating against heat and at preventing objects from catching on fire. When it was discovered, I am sure there was a shout of victory from those who felt they had taken on the universe and won the battle.

But they failed to ask the second question–the one that Father God expects us to consider before proceeding on:

“Does it hurt people?”

There are many things that seem to work, but they hurt people.

My dear friend, war often seems like a good idea until we start running out of body bags.

Some business practices which trim the budget by cutting the work force have the smell of fiscal propriety, but later on down the road when the commerce picks up a bit and the economy improves, the companies who followed the path look short-sighted and dastardly.

If the people who manufactured asbestos had taken the time to consider its effect on the human lungs, they wouldn’t have created the mess–in this case, mesothelioma.

Would we have been delayed a trifle in our progress? Perhaps.

But I have more faith in the ingenious abilities of our inventors than I do in the accountants making sure to stay cheap–and sometimes deadly.

It takes two questions:

  • Does it work?
  • Will it hurt people?

Until we have a world that understands this concept, we will continue to sacrifice humanity in the name of progress.

 

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Arid

dictionary with letter A

Arid: (adj) A climate having little or no rain; too dry or barren to support vegetation.

Green grass is beautiful. No doubt about it.

Yet eventually it requires your intervention with a mower.

Mountains are stunning in their visage. Yet somehow or another, they compel you to climb them, which is annoying, to say the least. They can also become quite frigid when the calendar says tepid.

The ocean is gorgeous and powerful. But whether you like it or not, sometimes in its more stormy brawls, it intrudes on us “land-lubbers.”

On the other hand, the desert is nearly perfect. Because it lacks vegetation, does not require water and is ancient in its days, it really doesn’t request much from the surrounding mortals. Yet in its simplicity, it reminds us that:

  • we live on a planet
  • we are part of a cosmos
  • and if we don’t allow the moisture of experience and compassion into our lives, we, too, can dry out and become arid.

I know it may seem strange, but I do love the desert. However, you have to be careful because it is so hot and dry that you may become unaware of your need to hydrate.

So as long as you remember that the desert can live without water but you can’t, you can stroll around and enjoy the complexity of rock formations which have been beaten by the sands of time and the mood swings of Mother Nature.

The desert reminds me that the earth does meet the heavens–and we are all intended to live as one.

     

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    Apprehend

    dictionary with letter A

    Apprehend (v): 1. to arrest someone for a crime. 2. to understand or perceive: (e.g.) great art invites us to apprehend beauty

    Occasionally, the dictionary offers us two definitions of a word, which seem quite unique to one another, if not at odds.

    After all, what does being arrested have to do with learning?

    Yet in a world where we “Cliff” notes, “Tweet” all thoughts and “abridge” our art into compact units, we must understand that somewhere along the line, the attention span of the average person needs to be stopped, frisked and arrested instead of just providing an “Amber Alert.”

    Truthfully, we do have the word “comprehend,” which connotes that a reasonable person can consider an idea to determine if it has personal value.

    But there are things in life which are so essential that they require a yea or nay. Yes, there are too many votes being taken in this country for us to move forward to progress our spiritual or human rights.

    How do we communicate this?

    • I have rejected preaching because it is pompous.
    • Honestly, teaching takes too much time.
    • “Sharing” is a bit ephemeral for my taste.
    • I believe the only way to truly impact our generation is through illumination. Yes–turn on the damn lights and then explain why you have temporarily blinded the room.

    Certain things in our society need to be apprehended quickly–arresting our attention–or the backlash from Mother Nature and Father God will be universal.

    1. No one is better than anyone else.

    Stop debating it; start believing it.

    2. The Earth is the Lord’s but we are the caretakers.

    Grab a hoe or a shovel instead of just using resources.

    3. The greatest injustice on Earth is the inequity between men and women.

    No, it’s not “cute” to fight.

    4. We can’t keep killing and still call ourselves civilized.

    War is a “grave” possibility.

    There you go.

    I suppose I could wait around for people to comprehend these ideas and come to some sort of compromise through debate and cajoling, but I do believe these concepts actually need to be apprehended by everyone immediately … to avoid the foolishness and pain that follow folly.

     

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    Alacrity

    Words from Dic(tionary)

    dictionary with letter A

    Alacrity: (n) brisk and cheerful readiness: e.g. she accepted the invitation with alacrity.

    I think the greatest debate in the human family is this: to understand that there is a difference between what we think should be and what we are actually stuck with.

    Lots of folks spend a lot of their quality time complaining about the injustice, unfairness and inequity of what has been perpetrated against their circumstances, only to discover that “raging against the machine” does not seem to turn off the engine.

    It’s really a simple principle.

    If you decide to manufacture good cheer as a reaction to everything that happens in your life, at least you buy time to receive the opportunity to rectify the violation.

    Sometimes it seems like Mother Nature and humanity have joined together to piss us off just enough to have us impudently stomp our feet and run from the room without ever contributing our talent or faithfulness. Yes, it is possible to be rendered ineffective, not because we lack ability, but because we cannot maintain stability.

    Alacrity–it’s a decision:

    • I would rather be at peace with myself than right.
    • I would rather produce a sense of humor and cheer than be acknowledged.
    • I would rather reflect on better ideas than park my soul in the middle of a busy freeway, inviting others to bang into me.

    Is it easy to do? I guarantee you–it is no more difficult than finding yourself fighting with others for the rights to your life, which they have already decided not to grant you.

    It’s a great word–because it is the belief that as long as we’re pursuing a sense that is common and a joy that is needful, to fake it is truly to make it.

    The play-acting is well worth the effort.