Tag Archives: positive changes

Recipe to Live

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One foot behind

The other in front

Reverse and repeat

Please let me be blunt . . .

 

You are the pilot

In this thing we call real

But work needs to happen

In life that’s the deal . . .

 

It may not be easy

It may not be kind

But wonders are there

If looking you’ll find . . .

 

God gets the credit

For the good in my life

The devil gets the blame

For those moments of strife . . .

 

One foot behind

Now bring it in around

Keep moving forward

To the future you’re bound.

 

It’s 4:00 in the morning!

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4 AM. The clock ticks inexorably towards 5 o’clock but it’s still a long way away. It is dark. It is quiet. But it is not silent. I can hear a clock ticking in the other room . . . tick tick tick. A relentless metronome. Tick tick tick. Isn’t there supposed to be a tock in there somewhere? It’s funny how we interpret what we hear.

I just heard a car, I think, it was a quiet, dull roar. Fortunately no car alarms! I can hear my refrigerator faintly humming. Not a tune I know. Silly me. I get a little punchy in the wee, wee hours of the day. Or is it still night? Technically it’s the morning but that doesn’t seem right until after dawn. But it is a quiet time.

I can hear my heart beating. Odd. It is something that has been doing the same job for more than 59 years and yet it is alien to me. My liver, my spleen. These are all important aspects of what make me but I have no relationship with them. They are the mechanics within the shell of my body. And I am no mechanic!

I am tired. But I am not sleepy. My body wants to rest but my mind insists it has something important to say. I wonder what that is. I wonder what is the meaning of life. Meaning. Mean. Such different meanings. Can you be mean to your meanings? How do we understand? Why do we not understand? We are not so different from each other and yet we insist that we are. Why? Why do we hate what we do not understand? When? When did we come to believe that it was okay to hate? Is that the meaning of life?

Understanding. Perhaps when we understand each other we will realize that only when we are acting as one can we become one. One species, one race, one people. Too few people have tried. We are raised to be individuals and we cannot comprehend how we can be a part of something bigger when we come together as a whole. We do not give up our individuality by joining a group we simply enhance the group.

I feel I’m in ranting but I also feel that it is important. I am important. You are important. But even better than all of that: WE ARE IMPORTANT!

Just Have Fun!

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I was born in the 50s, barely. So I was a child in the 60s. An era of free love, free drugs and an optimism I don’t think we have seen again. Of course as a small child I wasn’t into all the free stuff! I was a child! My sexual awakening came much, much later during a particular . . . Another time perhaps.

One of my favourite shows as a child was Star Trek. The creator, Gene Roddenberry, described it as a ‘western’ in ‘space’. It was a show that was optimistic, it believed in the good that we could be. It was inclusive, mostly. There were crew members of every colour, gender and species. The original show did show women in a slightly different light than men but I don’t think it was disparaging, I think it was protective. And that was the mindset in those days. It still showed powerful women.

I think being so invested in Star Trek as a child help to mold me into the person I am today. No, I’m not an astronaut or a scientist or an explorer, but I do believe I am optimistic and compassionate. I believe in the good that we could be even though we often fail miserably. And isn’t that a good thing? The believing not the failing!

The Star Trek franchise, and yes it is now a franchise, is worth billions. There were several series, lots of movies and more products than you can shake a stick at. Why? Because I think it gives us something we all need: optimism.

Of course there’re probably plenty of people in the world that either do not like or know of the series Star Trek. But I would hazard a guess they still feel the need for a little optimism in our lives.

The news today is full of death, destruction, disease and terror. People are mistreating people for selfish reasons or even for no reason at all and that is terrifying. Movies used to be a form of escapism. We could hide from the realities of the world for a couple of hours in a dark movie theater. We could work out our fears and aggressions on the silver screen and hurt no one.

I love the escapism of a good movie. I love the movie that teaches me something without ramming it down my throat. I like a movie that shows me things I would never do, but someone else does beautifully. People like to be frightened, safely in a movie or titillated by a guilty pleasure. Movies can do that. For 135 minutes, more or less, we can escape reality and just have fun!

Seen any good movies lately!

Celebrations

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We celebrate the gifted

The wise and the young

We throw parties with liquor

And songs that are sung

We celebrate occasions

Importance to us

Long standing partners

Deserve a big fuss

We celebrate the time

With each year passing by

A life fully lived

You can never deny

We celebrate today

For what we believe

Only together

We stand to receive.

 

To my American friends:  Happy 4th of July!

Happy Birthday Canada!

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I first posted this last year when Canada turned 150 years old. I don’t think I could write anything better for this year. So if it is familiar, my apologies. If it is new, please enjoy . .

 

The True North strong and free!

Happy Birthday Canada!

I am proud to be a Canadian. I live in a breathtakingly beautiful country from sea to sea to sea. We have forests and prairies, beaches and lakes, meadows and mountains. When I look up in the sky at night I can see the stars shining brightly. (of course I have to be outside the cities when looking up!) We are a people of explorers, deep thinkers and we are kind. No one makes better fun of us then we do ourselves. We love to laugh. We love to share and we love our country.

We have a reputation for being polite. Wow! If I’m going to be known for something, good manners is right up there at the top. I thank you for that. We have a reputation for honesty and compassion. We may not be known globally for our scientists but I would hazard a guess most of you have used something invented by a Canadian. Turn on any light bulbs lately? We don’t brag much. We don’t have to. Most Canadians don’t know what we have contributed to the world. But that’s okay. What is most important is that we did contribute. The world is a better place because Canada is here and I think Canada is better off being friends with the rest of the world. We make a good friend.

It’s not our way to blow our own horn but once a year we stand up and shout our pride. We are not perfect. We’ve screwed up as a country and individually. Who hasn’t? Hopefully we will correct our mistakes and learn from them. I like to think we will. We are still a young country, still learning. But I think that is an important trait: a willingness to learn.

In the greater scheme of things we are probably no more than a baby. There’re places in the world, many of them, which have homes older than we’ve been a country. We have some catching up to do.

May my country grow old with wisdom and may her people learn to appreciate her. I do.

Our National Anthem (chorus)

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

  

Canada

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Canada  is a country in the northern part of North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering 9.98 million square kilometres (3.85 million square miles), making it the world’s second-largest country by total area and the fourth-largest country by land area. Canada’s border with the United States is the world’s longest binational land border. The majority of the country has a cold or severely cold winter climate, but southerly areas are warm in summer.

Canada is sparsely populated, the majority of its land territory being dominated by forest and tundra and the Rocky Mountains. It is highly urbanized with 82 per cent of the 35.15 million people concentrated in large and medium-sized cities, many near the southern border. One third of the population lives in the three largest metropolitan areas: Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Its capital is Ottawa, and other major urban areas include Calgary, Edmonton, Quebec City, Winnipeg and Hamilton.

Canada is one of the world’s most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many other countries. Its advanced economy is the eleventh largest in the world, relying chiefly upon its abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade networks. Canada’s long and complex relationship with the United States has had a significant impact on its economy and culture.

Canada is a developed country and has the tenth highest nominal per capita income globally as well as the ninth highest ranking in the Human Development Index. It ranks among the highest in international measurements of government transparency, civil liberties, quality of life, economic freedom, and education.

 

A few Canadian inventions:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Canola

Pablum

Canadarm

Snowmobile

Ice hockey

Table hockey

Goalie mask

Insulin

Electron microscope

Plexiglas

Alkaline battery

Electric wheelchair

AM radio

Walkie-talkies

Telephone

Light bulbs

Zipper

I wonder what we’ll think of next?

An Original Thought

13 Replies

I had one today

I’m sure it was true

I thought of a thing

I swear it was new.

 

But wait there’s another

Who thought of it first

I can’t catch a break

I think I am cursed.

 

I just want a single

Never once pondered

A thought all my own

Not to be squandered.

 

Billions of people

All stuck on a ball

Milling together

I’m feeling so small.

 

But you are original

And I am as well

And all of the billions

Our ranks they do swell.

 

So original thought

Is really quite rare

But that doesn’t mean

The attempt shouldn’t dare.

 

Give it a try

Using your brain

And maybe one day

A new thought you will gain!