I often times get asked what it is that propels me to write. I suppose people might be looking for my Muse of sorts. Truthfully I dont necessarily have a particular Muse. I use my experiences in life and my personal journeys to explain what I need and attempt to transcribe such things in a manner that are understandable to the masses. Sometimes it is hard but, I know that there is someone out there that might get benefit from reading. Im not trying to say that Im Gods gift to the written world, and I never will, but I can say that Im a guy thats not affraid to feel and today I feel as if words work better when they inspire action.
We as people need to consider eachother more, we need to feel inspired through the negative actions of others and attempt to turn those negative actions in to positive results.
It is quite obvious that the state of the nation is in dissaray. Our unemployment rate is skyrocketing, the realestate market is in the toilet, the economy is worsening by the day, and the national confidence is way down. If you ask the government, they will tell you that all of this is alost over, but in truth I cant see it. I might be tainted by the liberal media, but honestly, I also read the reports, watch the DOW, and recognize my parents retirement funds are worth what the were over 15 years ago. I think its fair to assume that nothing is getting better at this point, and I should just learn to deal with it.
I have actually learned through these tough times that there is something wonderful out there though. I have stopped obsessing over everything. Ive stopped obsessing over money, material items, status, and percieved notoriety. I have taken this opportunity to learn about others, to learn about the little things in life that really make us who we are. I have taken the time to appreciate people for who they are. I have learned that a little bit of your time can go a long way with a complete stranger, as the small things you may do for them will be returned to you three fold at a later time. You may even find a friend. A good friend, someone that you can count on and talk to.
For the past several months I have been doing many things that require just a small bit of time to make someone smile. On a lazy afternoon, you can sometimes find me playing my guitar and singing on the DC Mall. I always have a great time, and it seems the the kids walking through are the biggest fans. I have no problem passing my strings over if someone else wants to play and I always love to hear the young children singing along. Sometimes they drop a little change, and sometimes they dont, but thats not really the reason that I do it. I go out and play to watch, learn, and take home with me one of the greatest feelings in the world. I feel for those moments I helped bring a smile to someones face, and in return they do the same for me.
Another of those feelings come from working, when time allows, in a local soup kitchen in South East. Truthfully I have met some of the nicest people there. Quite a few have held white collar jobs and are finding out the hardest possible way that there are no jobs available for them. It saddens me when I see someone that used to be full of life and vigor, and now can barely look someone in the eye because of their shame. If you ever want to see unity, walk in to a soup kitchen in the mid afternoon. People helping eachother and actually caring for one another. It is one of the most inspiring feelings in my life. I have learned much from these people, and will carry lessons from them for as long as I will remember. There may be a time when I find myself having to be a client of such a place, and in that i will be greatful for its existance. Not to mention the non-judgemental personalities that welcome you in and actually care about you and your wellbeing.
All this being said please know that it is in no way an attempt to toot my own horn, but more of an example of what I use as a muse. So i suppose it was quite a detailed answer as to why I write what I do. I like to experience life from all aspects and the only way to do that is to actually get out and live. We take a look at those that may be down on their luck, and need a little bit of compassion. Far too many times in our lives we bypass all that may affect us in an attempt to live a perfect little life with no inclusion. (That is of course unless you live in Southern Maryland where drama seems to be all inclusive... lol) I just know that if I was down on my luck it would be nice to have someone say something encouraging, toss me a quater, or hand me a cheeseburger. I also know the feeling that one gets when you have the opportunity to do that and that little action brings in to perspective what life is really about.
Life to me is about loving, living, and feeling, about having hope and giving hope. Life is about attempting to make the world a better place in whatever capacity you can. Life is about knowing that there are people that care for you and may not even know you. Life is about Humanity!
My muse is life and the simple actions that make life better for all, its the people that I saw in court a few days ago, its being with my girlfriend, its all of you. So in short... Thank you all for being my muse and giving me a reason to write.
Be good to eachother, and learn to let go of the negatives in life. Make your life better by helping those that need it, and show compassion, its a gift that will be returned to you one day!
Peace to you all, thank you for reading!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Food For Thought ... vol III
Today marks a day of things yet to come. I awake after dreaming of awkwardness, and distress though the morning presented a bit more than that, and a sudden ease crept across my body and soul. Though it seems that my mind goes a million miles an hour, I still find solace in the fact that the other two strong points in my life are relaxed... Seem as though that is what I get in this insane world of psychotherapy. Hahaha...
So for this day my topic is basically just feeling and understanding of ones self. I have commented on the fact that I can be self important, and that there are instances that remind us not to be. Such as the girl yesterday. I needed to see that woman yesterday, and I also needed to see the rest of the day played out as well. Part of yesterday was the plight of a young man trying to take custody of a child a way from an abusive mother. Not only was this gentleman attempting to take custody of his now three year old child, but also of the unborn child that remained within her at this time. The woman was eight months pregnant.
I was sitting right behind this woman, as she would cry and then stop, almost as if a switch was flipped in her mind and she would become the devil spawn of Beelzebub himself. I have tried to open up my mind and heart to accept both sides of the story, but then I was informed that this was not the first time that something such as this has happened. I was also informed as to the severity of the abuse, which was quite disturbing. Im sure that most that read this will have children or are close enough to people that do, and Im fairly confident that none of you would find it appropriate to block the airpassage of a child by placing and squeezing your hand over the mouth in a manner that would cause broken capilaries on and around the mouth. So not only is there asphyxiation but also bruising. Not really a good way to punish a child. Seriously, maybe a spanking, or the timeout chair, or having to sit in the corner. But I think that the punnishment with which she chose was a bit over the top. For someone to treat a child as such, is definitely abuse, and what would happen if the mental instabilty crested and there was a much more sever life threatening episode that took place.
I listened to the father as he made his case, and in response from the mother, all I heard was about her material pocessions, and how she needed to get them immediately, yet when the court offered her a chance directly after court, said timing didn't work with her schedule. After about 5 minuted of irrational blabbering the father finally just said that he would drop it off to her the next day and she agreed, but not without making a complete fool out of herself.
In the end all that the mother could say was that it wasn't fair, as the father had apparently agreed that if this should ever happen again he would opt again for Mediation. Lets be honest though! If you were concerned for your child would you want to have mediation. Ummmmmm no. I would rather have my child abusing partner to have no rights to the children. At least not without intensive therapy, and even then I would want a Psych Evaluation done before she was to have limited visitation.
Maybe Im insensative, maybe, I shouldnt have an opininion, but honestly, there is no way in hell I wouldnnt have pressed charges. When your child is involved, there is nothing else to think about. I couldnt stant the irrational, immature behavior that I saw from this woman, and I can only commend the father. There are many things that touch my heart and the fathers ability to maintain his stature in court was quite exceptional.
I will say in closing that I greatly hope that the woman in question will recieve the help that she needs, I feel for her. She must feel lost and alone, and though I have such empathy for her, I wont excuse her actions. I will only pray that she will better herself emotionally and begin a positive relationship with her children. I know that it will be a lot of work for her, and though the bleekness of the current day may be a weight that pulls her down for a while, there can always be a silver lining to every cloud, it all about the work. Remember "Faith without work is dead".
Peace to you all and I hope that you find solace in your day, not distress.
So for this day my topic is basically just feeling and understanding of ones self. I have commented on the fact that I can be self important, and that there are instances that remind us not to be. Such as the girl yesterday. I needed to see that woman yesterday, and I also needed to see the rest of the day played out as well. Part of yesterday was the plight of a young man trying to take custody of a child a way from an abusive mother. Not only was this gentleman attempting to take custody of his now three year old child, but also of the unborn child that remained within her at this time. The woman was eight months pregnant.
I was sitting right behind this woman, as she would cry and then stop, almost as if a switch was flipped in her mind and she would become the devil spawn of Beelzebub himself. I have tried to open up my mind and heart to accept both sides of the story, but then I was informed that this was not the first time that something such as this has happened. I was also informed as to the severity of the abuse, which was quite disturbing. Im sure that most that read this will have children or are close enough to people that do, and Im fairly confident that none of you would find it appropriate to block the airpassage of a child by placing and squeezing your hand over the mouth in a manner that would cause broken capilaries on and around the mouth. So not only is there asphyxiation but also bruising. Not really a good way to punish a child. Seriously, maybe a spanking, or the timeout chair, or having to sit in the corner. But I think that the punnishment with which she chose was a bit over the top. For someone to treat a child as such, is definitely abuse, and what would happen if the mental instabilty crested and there was a much more sever life threatening episode that took place.
I listened to the father as he made his case, and in response from the mother, all I heard was about her material pocessions, and how she needed to get them immediately, yet when the court offered her a chance directly after court, said timing didn't work with her schedule. After about 5 minuted of irrational blabbering the father finally just said that he would drop it off to her the next day and she agreed, but not without making a complete fool out of herself.
In the end all that the mother could say was that it wasn't fair, as the father had apparently agreed that if this should ever happen again he would opt again for Mediation. Lets be honest though! If you were concerned for your child would you want to have mediation. Ummmmmm no. I would rather have my child abusing partner to have no rights to the children. At least not without intensive therapy, and even then I would want a Psych Evaluation done before she was to have limited visitation.
Maybe Im insensative, maybe, I shouldnt have an opininion, but honestly, there is no way in hell I wouldnnt have pressed charges. When your child is involved, there is nothing else to think about. I couldnt stant the irrational, immature behavior that I saw from this woman, and I can only commend the father. There are many things that touch my heart and the fathers ability to maintain his stature in court was quite exceptional.
I will say in closing that I greatly hope that the woman in question will recieve the help that she needs, I feel for her. She must feel lost and alone, and though I have such empathy for her, I wont excuse her actions. I will only pray that she will better herself emotionally and begin a positive relationship with her children. I know that it will be a lot of work for her, and though the bleekness of the current day may be a weight that pulls her down for a while, there can always be a silver lining to every cloud, it all about the work. Remember "Faith without work is dead".
Peace to you all and I hope that you find solace in your day, not distress.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Food for Thought... vol II
So a new day is here, and really all I do is find myself pondering the events of the day. I had the opportunity to sit in Domestic Violence court today. I did this not as an offender, or a victim, but as someone that was really interested in seeing what happened in cases such as these. I have realized that it takes all walks to come together and sit in that room. Some sit awaiting their fate, while others sit awaiting their opportunity to set straight years of abuse.
How does one muster the courage to speak truth through a vail of indifference, recognizing not only the risk of retaliation, but the embarrassment of events occurred. It amazes me the steps that people have to take to insure their safety and the safety of their loved ones. I had the opportuinty to sit right next to a woman that was shaken and scared to death of a man that she once loved... As she sat and shook, I had no clue what to say so I did the only thing that I could think of... I put my arm around her and said that it would all be ok I pulled her close and gave her a hug. Luckily I didnt get punched in the face or worse, she simply looked at me and smiled with the softest thank you I have heard in years. It really brought in to perspective what people really need and want out of life. Simple joy and affection.... Even if from a stranger...
I guess all that Im trying to convey to the masses is that a little empathy goes a long way. There really is no need to allow someone to carry a burden if there is a way that you can help. I know that we would all like a perfect world. A world with free love, free gas, and literal freedom, but for now, we can only just try to make do. Making do means that we can all come together for a common good. Whether it be helping someone across the street, giving up your seat on the metro, or showing a little love to a complete stranger to at least comfort them in a way they don't understand. You never know... That person might have to comfort someone that you know one day, and maybe the fact that you showed that little bit of love for them might inspire them do have the capacity to be able to do so without reguard.
Reguardless of my experiences in life, I can say that I have not lost faith in humanity. I dont see the point in giving up on a civilization that has already given me so much in life. From experience to heartache... From smiles to tears... it all what we make of it.
From here on out I will think of this day and remind myself that no matter how self important I may feel there is so much more to life than me. I have bad days, much like all of you and even then I need to remind myself, that we all never really have a bad day. We may have bad moments in those days but its up to us what we do with the rest of those moments in that day. Thanks for reading and enjoy your day... Always remember that "one ounce of action beats a ton of words" (Martin Sexton). Love thy Neighbor!
How does one muster the courage to speak truth through a vail of indifference, recognizing not only the risk of retaliation, but the embarrassment of events occurred. It amazes me the steps that people have to take to insure their safety and the safety of their loved ones. I had the opportuinty to sit right next to a woman that was shaken and scared to death of a man that she once loved... As she sat and shook, I had no clue what to say so I did the only thing that I could think of... I put my arm around her and said that it would all be ok I pulled her close and gave her a hug. Luckily I didnt get punched in the face or worse, she simply looked at me and smiled with the softest thank you I have heard in years. It really brought in to perspective what people really need and want out of life. Simple joy and affection.... Even if from a stranger...
I guess all that Im trying to convey to the masses is that a little empathy goes a long way. There really is no need to allow someone to carry a burden if there is a way that you can help. I know that we would all like a perfect world. A world with free love, free gas, and literal freedom, but for now, we can only just try to make do. Making do means that we can all come together for a common good. Whether it be helping someone across the street, giving up your seat on the metro, or showing a little love to a complete stranger to at least comfort them in a way they don't understand. You never know... That person might have to comfort someone that you know one day, and maybe the fact that you showed that little bit of love for them might inspire them do have the capacity to be able to do so without reguard.
Reguardless of my experiences in life, I can say that I have not lost faith in humanity. I dont see the point in giving up on a civilization that has already given me so much in life. From experience to heartache... From smiles to tears... it all what we make of it.
From here on out I will think of this day and remind myself that no matter how self important I may feel there is so much more to life than me. I have bad days, much like all of you and even then I need to remind myself, that we all never really have a bad day. We may have bad moments in those days but its up to us what we do with the rest of those moments in that day. Thanks for reading and enjoy your day... Always remember that "one ounce of action beats a ton of words" (Martin Sexton). Love thy Neighbor!
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