BootsnAll Travel Network



Archive for December, 2009

« Home

Yo, Atheists And Agnostics! Feeling A Little Seasonally Under-Appreciated?

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

I have a few words of cheer for you from The Holy Spirit, who either “doesn’t… or may or may not…exist” in your book. But, I don’t think you’ll mind this New Year’s Greeting from Him: 

Do You have any comments for the Atheists and Agnostics among us?

Yes, I do and no, I don’t! On the one hand, I would probably be a member of their Club. On the other hand, they don’t believe in Me, so how can I talk to them? 

I think that we really are united, once you take the odious interference that religions have plagued them with, over the millennia. Atheists have the right to be Atheists. That’s how I set things up in the first place! Nobody has to believe in Me, or anything else, for that matter. This is a Free Will universe and anything goes. Of course, that means that everyone takes their chances and must learn to live with the results of their decisions. But, they should be completely free to form, and to live by, their own conclusions.

Religions have done many good things and have been the source of happiness for countless numbers, but they can make life pure hell for people who disagree with them. That destroys free will, so that turns Me away from their close-mindedness. If religions could only relax and not be threatened by someone else’s opinion. Let Me tell you something! I don’t even want to get started on this point. Atheists are choir boys, compared to some of the venal activities performed in My Name. That’s why they turned Atheists, in the first place!

How about Agnostics? Are they just junior Atheists?

I think they are. So many of them want desperately, desperately, desperately to believe in something, but they can’t find anything tasty on the long table spread with every religion’s offerings. Nothing appeals to them, but they do believe in Me. Yes, they do, but they don’t dare articulate it, and this name, Agnostic, is a word that gives them a refuge to hide behind. They are not saying that they don’t believe in God. They are just leaving things up in the air and holding onto a shred of hope that something may come down the pike to explain things in non-material ways.

Meanwhile, both Atheists and Agnostics take comfort in Science, don’t they? At least, that’s a bird in the hand.

Let Me tell you something! I love these Atheists and Agnostics! I love their purity of mind, and most of all, I love their independence and their free will, so much! Tell them that I said:

“Hello! Come and have tea with Me, sometime! I’m hanging around you all the time, because I love your refreshing look at things. Carry on the good work!”

Ever since I can remember, I have identified with these acid-based protozoa, who just dissolve all sorts of fantasies spun by the romantic disillusionment of those who see things according to their own design. There is no room for any free-thinking within many of these ancient constructs. So, I call for more fresh air to come flowing in the portals of the world’s monasteries, so that we can all have a part in the exploration of God’s Truth.

Myself included!

The First Decade Of The New Millennium Has Gone By – What’s Next?

Sunday, December 27th, 2009

It’s customary, at the end of the year, to sum things up. And so, I will try to do the same.

My head is full of all of the points contained in my next book, which should be published around February, 2010. Rather than quoting any small piece of it, as I’ve done many times here in these blogs, I shall try to sum up a little of its meaning. This book is: In secret diffusion, by Linda Layli, Layli Linda. I’m putting it out under my spiritual name, because that’s the one I use in relating to the Upper Kingdoms, where I received the information contained within it.

How I came by that name is probably what every reader will want to know first. When I began to communicate, back and forth, with The Holy Spirit, I was asked to choose a spiritual name. What? Why? I had no idea how to pick out a meaningful name for myself. But then I recalled that I’d been told about one of my previous lives, when I was Layli Gundrich, who had also been in close touch with The Holy Spirit. I simply combined our first names. Couldn’t decide which arrangement sounded best, so I kept both of them. Simple as that. They don’t “mean” anything significant, as far as a translation. Just two sing-songing names, bouncing together.

Nowadays, we invent names for ourselves every time we create a new email address, but this was before the time of our self-naming sophistication.

Okay, how to sum up? This New Year’s Eve marks the end of the first decade past the start of the year 2000. Can you believe it? Already ten years down the new road?

Our planet has turned a corner and walked away from a Third World War, which we came mighty close to falling into, there at the end of the millennium…  before the fall of the Soviet Union. We tend to discount the danger now, but another war would have been fatal for the planet. Many of us suspected it then, and we still  almost pulled the trigger on ourselves. It looks as if we’re now tottering into some kind of a safety zone. Not out of the woods, but coming along. That brink of World War Three was more serious than any of us knew and it would have obliterated things completely. Unknown Forces were hovering around. Not to save us, but to keep this particularly infectious contagion of a Third World War from spreading into the solar system. Earth would have proven to be a malignancy.

As a planetary civilization, we are not alone in the Cosmos, by any means, and we actually don’t rank very high on the scale of advancement compared to many others. Earthlings haven’t earned their wings, in terms of space travel and investigation, so we have not yet been introduced to our neighbors. However, this planet  has long served as both a laboratory and a farm for Higher Cultures, and what we have suspected about alien visitors was frequently the truth. Our naivete has been encouraged, to keep us in the dark.

If Earth’s space science were a human being, it would be a ten-year-old boy, fascinated with bottle rockets, but very clever and capable of advancement; if only his planetary parent society was willing to stop bickering, spend money in his direction, and encourage the necessary education. As is true of many parents, they are, overwhelmed and distracted with domestic problems and are not paying keen attention to this precocious son.

Since unity among the civilizations of any planet is a prerequisite to joining the Country Club of Interstellar Explorers, it really doesn’t matter if those wrangling parents have their head in the sand about the child’s potential, or not. Earth still appears to be struggling to uphold disunity among its national and religious identities and until that is solved, any ambitious space program will be kept leashed fairly closely to Earth’s atmosphere, with only a few exploratory probes allowed to wander out, simply snapping harmless photos of far-away stars.

So, taking care of business here at home has to be the focus of our next decade or two, as usual. We do, however, seem to be lurching along in somewhat the right direction. Perhaps, in this upcoming decade, we can all join hands and learn how similar we are! Let’s get to work on that idea and see where we come out.

Novel, but possible!

Passing On An Urban Legend, Or At Least, It Should Be. Why Don’t You Send It Around, Too?

Friday, December 25th, 2009

 

My sister sent this to me in an email on Christmas morning. I know you’ll enjoy it.

 

The
Cab Ride

I arrived at the address and honked the horn.
After waiting a few minutes
I walked to the
door and knocked… ‘Just a minute’, answered a
frail, elderly voice. I could hear something
being dragged across the floor.

After
a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in
her 90’s stood before me. She was wearing a
print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned
on it, like somebody out of a 1940’s
movie.

By her side was a small nylon
suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had
lived in it for years. All the furniture was
covered with sheets.

There were no
clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils
on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard
box filled with photos and
glassware.

‘Would you carry my bag
out to the car?’ she said. I took the suitcase
to the cab, then returned to assist the
woman.

She took my arm and we walked
slowly toward the curb.

She kept
thanking me for my kindness. ‘It’s nothing’, I
told her.. ‘I just try to treat my passengers
the way I would want my mother
treated’.

‘Oh, you’re such a good
boy’, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave
Me an address and then asked, ‘Could you drive
through downtown?’

‘It’s not the
shortest way,’ I answered
quickly..

‘Oh, I don’t mind,’ she
said. ‘I’m in no hurry. I’m on my way to a
hospice’.

I looked in the rear-view
mirror. Her eyes were glistening. ‘I don’t have
any family left,’ she continued in a soft
voice.. ‘The doctor says I don’t have very
long.’ I quietly reached over and shut off the
meter.

‘What route would you like me
to take?’ I asked.

For the next two
hours, we drove through the city. She showed me
the building where she had once worked as an
elevator
operator.

We drove through the
neighborhood where she and her husband had lived
when they were newlyweds She had me pull up in
front of a furniture warehouse that had once
been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a
girl.

Sometimes she’d ask me to slow
in front of a particular building or corner and
would sit staring into the darkness, saying
nothing.

As the first hint of sun was
creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, ‘I’m
tired. Let’s go now’.

We drove in
silence to the address she had given me. It was
a low building, like a small convalescent home,
with a driveway that passed under a
portico.

Two orderlies came out to
the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were
solicitous and intent, watching her every move.
They must have been expecting her.
I
opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to
the door. The woman was already seated in a
wheelchair.

‘How much do I owe you?’
she asked, reaching into her
purse.

‘Nothing,’ I
said

‘You have to make a living,’ she
answered.

‘There are other
passengers,’ I responded.

Almost
without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She
held onto me tightly.

‘You gave an
old woman a little moment of joy,’ she
said.
‘Thank you.’

I squeezed her
hand, and then walked into the dim morning
light.. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound
of the closing of a life..

I didn’t
pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove
aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that
day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had
gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient
to end his shift?
What
if I had refused to take the run, or had honked
once, then driven away?

On a quick
review, I don’t think that I have done anything
more important in my life.

We’re
conditioned to think that our lives revolve
around great moments.

But great
moments often catch us unaware-beautifully
wrapped in what others may consider a small
one.

PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY
WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID ~BUT~THEY WILL
ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM
FEEL.

You won’t get any big surprise
in 10 days if you send this to ten people. But,
you might help make the world a little kinder
and more compassionate by sending.
it on and
reminding us that often it is the random acts of
kindness that most benefit all of
us.

Thank you, my
friend…

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we
are here we might as well dance.

“In God We Trust”

 

 

 

Is It Okay To Eat Meat?

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009

I’ll continue to share a few quotations from my new book, In Secret Diffusion. This time, I asked The Holy Spirit another question dealing with animals:

Eating meat? Do You have any objections if humans do that and go to the length which obtaining it entails?

“We do not object too much, but some meats do not agree as much as others do. Some are high in fat, and obesity is a great burden on people who indulge their meat preferences towards these heavily-laced, fatty meats. We also want you to know that the animals would not mind giving their flesh to the humans if they were treated much better. Often, they have no quality of life during their raising, and especially, during their slaughter. This is an imbalance that should be corrected by civilized people.”

The Holy Spirit

~~~~~~~~

But, on Christmas Day, I will be serving turkey and ham to my guests as you will to yours and we will all enjoy a wonderful meal. Perhaps as our civilization advances, we can find ways to follow His advice a little more closely and not only feed these animals more natural foods during their lives but find more humane ways to make their slaughter more merciful.

Enjoy your holiday and don’t get caught in any snowstorms!

Do Animals Pray?

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009

I thought I’d share this quotation with you from my upcoming book, In Secret Diffusion, since these are the days I’m working hard to get it ready for my copy editor. Over the past eleven years, I have been having long conversations with The Holy Spirit, and have finally decided to share an ongoing interview with Him, a’la Barbara Walter’s style. I loved this answer so much, that I have finally settled on a phrase from this dear quotation as the title of my book. Since I will be publishing under a pseudonym, please help me keep my secret…about In Secret Diffusion.

Do animals pray, or talk to You?

“Yes, they do and no, they don’t. Animals do connect with Me at all times, but they don’t even think about making a special effort to talk to Me and articulate their needs. They know that I know. I know that they know.

We are always in touch, mentally, in secret diffusion. It’s different than a human consciousness’s connection and animals are not being morally-tested down here in this environment.

They are under no obligation to regain a communication with Me, or to light their fire inside of their hearts. This is a particularly human test. Animals are really quite pure-hearted and following their own self-preservation instincts. This world appears different to them, even if they share the same environment with the human race.”

The Holy Spirit

Which Chakra Are You Working Out Of?

Monday, December 21st, 2009

Today, I shall tackle the last grown-cold, yellow-pad notes I jotted down many days ago. At the time, I was on a roll with analogies, though I didn’t have any immediate need for them. Not wanting to waste a good idea, I captured them sketchily, and this last one actually got a bit of fleshing-out at the time, so here goes:

Let’s say that some New Age Analyst gave you a survey sheet to fill out. There’s this question about “Which chakra are you working out of?” which many people have chosen to leave blank because they don’t deal with the modern terminology brought by the gurus, and they have no idea what a chakra is. They don’t know about the seven, invisible, spinning light vortexes along the human spine, which go from the red root chakra at the tailbone, all the way to the bright white light beaming from the top of the skull. They don’t know that people tend to favor one region of their spiritual development and might even be stuck in a chakra, without knowing it.

Those who operate out of the root chakra, lead with their raw emotions and are heavily into the material side of life. Traveling up through the orange and yellow chakras in the abdomen and solar plexus, one combines the personal, emotional, material outlook with a growing concern for others, until the green heart chakra begins to care more for the general welfare than one’s own. The blue throat chakra expresses that concern outwardly through the voice, and the purple third eye of the forehead sees into the spiritual natural of all things. Finally, the brilliant crown chakra indicates a direct concern with God. So, the question as to which is your current chakra address is really an evaluation of where your energy is being directed.

But, what if our New Age Census Taker has figured out a way to get around this problem of our American general unfamiliarity with that line of questioning? What if they have couched this in the way of a shopping guide for an imaginary condominium? Let’s see if it would work:

Imagine yourself coming to a fine new condo complex prepared to buy a new apartment. You will be shown around by an agent and, according to your tastes, needs, and budget, you will pick out the one choice that is best suited for you. Here is the tour you’ll be taken on:

Basement studios – These are the least expensive – small, modernly efficient and attractive, they have no natural light or windows. Pets are okay, and these apartments are very convenient to the outside street, pool, and yard. Nearby liquor store, fast food court, grocery, and subway access puts all city conveniences at your fingertips. However, it’s noisy, because of the popular nightclub in that same basement, which operates till early morning hours. Consequently, there’s a fairly rapid turnover of neighbors, but the upside is that you will not be asked to take on any building management responsibility. They also infer that you can sneak in overnight guests and no one will be the wiser.

Ground Floor One-Bedroom Apartments – These are larger, plain, modern window apartments, still very affordable. There’s a nice lobby and though there’s still noise from street and entry traffic, it is the pool, yard, and cafe level. Pets and one child allowed. There’s a rapid turnover and you tend not to know the neighbors very well, but you have no building responsibilities.

2nd – 10th Floors – Two & Three Bedroom Apartments – Family floors, larger and pricier, much nicer apartments with friendly neighbors, pets okay. There’s a Montessori play school at one end of the third floor and a beautiful social lounge and a classy, quiet, fine-dining restaurant located on the 6th floor. Very little turnover, and these owners are part of the building cooperative with a stake in the ownership and running of the condominium, therefore, they share some responsibility. They all enjoy large windows and beautiful  views, with very little outside or inside noise.

11th Floor Executive Apartments – These are the balcony, exclusive apartments, with their own elevators, expensive, very elegant and quiet; pets and children are not allowed and neighbors are  non-intrusive and stable. These residents have a large stake in the building ownership and a very active part in its management, as well as the profit generated.

The Penthouse – Very large and elegant, surrounded by a lush roof garden with its own pool. Quiet and lovely. Extremely expensive. No neighbors. No children, no pets. Private elevator. The one choosing this apartment has controlling ownership in the building and is the President of the Residents Association. They carry the overall responsibility for the success of the venture. A yacht slip at the nearby marina is included.

So, at the end of your tour, simply fill out your form and select your apartment. Of course, in real life, all of us are constrained by the realities of the pocketbook. But, we also have personal tastes which tell us what floor we might actually more completely enjoy living on. That’s the side you must listen to when filling out this form. What lifestyle best speaks to you, right at this moment?

That will very likely match the chakra that you are now working out of.

Or, Maybe This Will Happen………

Monday, December 21st, 2009

The fun thing about analogies is, that once you have set one up, everyone can talk about an abstract concept in a central way. At least, they all start out on the same page and can define, or refine, as they go along. Then, others can see what each person is talking about, even if they don’t totally agree with them. It’s also very creative to see how far such a story can be taken. These are very handy when planning a speech or a class. A little analogy goes a long way.

My blogs these days, are trying to resurrect a few yellow-pad analogy notes I jotted down a little while ago:

1.) Life as a boot camp, rather than a school: That life’s purpose is actually more focused, and deliberately a lot tougher, than simply enrolling for classes and aiming towards some degree or other and then maybe using it in a career…or not.

2.) Life as a boardwalk carnival: That our everyday behavior and casual choices do add up to affect, not only our future, but that of the whole society, the whole planet.  Also, that hidden consequences may pop up at any time.

3.) Which chakra are you working out of? Which apartment would you choose if you had to live in a very tall high-rise apartment building, considering the advantages, costs, and qualifications of each? Tomorrow’s subject.

All analogies contain weaknesses, or exceptions to the rule, that can sometimes be used to prove the very opposite. But that weakness gives flexibility, so that a point can be examined from many sides. Take yesterday’s blog about the boardwalk, for example. I actually ended it in a manner that I don’t wholeheartedly believe in. If you recall, the jury was out, as to what the New Millennium owners were going to provide in their rebuilding of a future boardwalk, and the indication was that the people might get exactly what they had “voted” for in their unthinking consumerism.

If the Market had the deciding vote, perhaps all future eateries would be fast food establishments, heavy on the grease and corn syrup; and there wouldn’t be an organic restaurant among them. Similar, common-denominator tastes might hold in all of the activity and entertainment venues. Perhaps that might still be the case, if we’re thinking of the material world alone. Unless folks who value the better stuff take an energetic stand and do what many public warning voices are urging us to do.

Actually and truly, I don’t think that yesterday’s example is where we are headed, but that is one probable outcome for the analogy. What if the boardwalk’s New Millennium Owners were actually taking things in hand for themselves rather than counting the purchasing-power votes of the people? What if they were only going to provide venues of the highest order? Places displaying the finest arts and symphonies, appealing to the more rarefied tastes; restaurants serving the best and healthiest foods; and children’s activities that were great fun but also educational. What if the Market didn’t matter to them, at all? And, what if it were all free?

Oh, but who is going to supply the common taste? Where are the beer and pretzels? Great agitation. But, if it’s free, who cares?

Then, on opening day, the crowd assembles at the gate. Great consternation! Only those whose old ticket books proved that they had always been patrons of that upper end of the boardwalk: of those concert halls and specialty restaurants, would be admitted. Sorry, other folks. Go home! It’s not for you.

Doesn’t this sound a great deal like St. Peter’s Gates? The great elimination? Could be, because this has been spelled out in most Holy Books as a cautionary tale, that what you do today will make a big difference in where you find yourself tomorrow. Pearly Gates, Golden Streets, Mansions… They are all analogies. But, they all carry the same warning about the future. There is a great deal to them, even though their realization might not include the actual, physical description in the story.

Don’t forget, the millennial rollover carried quite a set of these analogies. Don’t cross them off too early in the game. Visuals are very handy. But, they are also easy to pass off as “just stories,” until suddenly, events start adding up. Most of the morals to these stories have everything to do with refining character and becoming spiritualized. Come to think of it, that’s how most children’s stories end, as well, isn’t it.

P.S. In case I’m sounding too snootier-than-thou, let me say that I’m not a heavy patron of the arts, nor do I eat at swanky restaurants, (I’d love to, if I could afford them…but so would everyone) though I do tend towards organic eating. I’m right in the middle with the rest of you folks. But, analogies often have extremes at either end, as does life. Can you take this point any further? This sort of open-ended story is a lot like Silly Putty and can be worked and re-worked. The point is really to get people thinking about outcomes and possibilities.

Okay, tomorrow I’ll leave the boardwalk behind and try to sell you a condo. See you then!

Life As A Boardwalk Carnival

Sunday, December 20th, 2009

Okay, I’ll see if I can resurrect these cold notes and complete a thought started over a week ago. It’s a half-baked idea at the moment; hot when first sketched out here on my yellow pad, but not now. I love analogies. They help me see more clearly; help me describe my thoughts in telegraphed form. But, things die by the wayside, when a day gets too busy to tend to all these little shoots. The next thing I know, that budding plant has wilted. I have a very lazy drill sergeant; I’m afraid, which sometimes means the blogging gets ignored altogether. Let’s see if this one can be revived.

Okay. Imagine a boardwalk on the Jersey Shore. There’s been a long-standing carnival going on and crowds have been enjoying it for years. This would represent life as it has been lived up till the time of the New Millennium, and I’m thinking of the changes that are afoot in these new days… not yet all THAT obvious, because “nothing happened” at the turn of the century, if you were looking for the four horsemen, or if you expected that y2k computer bug to shut everything down. Piece of cake! Nobody talks about those things any more, but they sure did just before New Year’s Day, 2000. Remember?

Still, think of all the gadgets that have come into use since 1999, just ten years ago. Think of the websites you can’t live without – YouTube, Twitter, and whatall. Was social networking even around a decade ago? It’s been so subtle, who can remember?

But, changes…they are occurring, all quiet-like. The warming of the planet is winning believers, as northern seas remain ice free and chunks of coastline fall into the water.

Confusing stuff is going on in economics – both public and personal. Things shift, but what else is new?

Really and truly, history has been full of all sorts of changes, forever. Nothing really new here, is there?

Not exactly. But, there’s the possibility that a “new carnival” has come to town. Unless we discount all of the “news stories” represented by prophecies of old, contained in many more than one spiritual source; or dire warnings by scientists about our old, polluting behavior and its dreadful effect upon our planet-host; or signs warning of a coming paradigm shift, even End Time movies and books. All are still very easy to ignore and to argue about.

Let’s look at our earth life as if it’s a Boardwalk, which has enjoyed a long run, a true heyday. People always bought their season tickets and got them punched for entry to the many venues and exciting rides and food stands. Their dog-earred ticket books are testimonies to the votes they cast for all the best places, in their estimation. Patrons could even suggest new ideas for attractions and if they proved popular, those were kept beyond a trial period. In this way, the Boardwalk stayed in tune with customer-demand and kept the people happy and returning.

It was all lined up, according to tastes, with the Opera House and Symphony Hall on one end and sleazy bars and dance halls on the other, with everything else in the middle. Plenty of family, Disney-type attractions, too. Something for everyone. That was life and It went smoothly for a long, long time.

But, what if the place burned down? Or got bought-out by a corporation? Or whatever? What if change occurred?

What was going to crop up in its stead? Could we keep the lifestyle that we’d all become accustomed to? We’d worry, wouldn’t we? Hoping that our favorite attraction would come back, even better than before.

Let’s imagine that the new owners would have a way to total up all the votes cast at doorways over all the years. Everybody’s innocent fun was going to determine what the new boardwalk would look like, because that’s apparently where the money is. The market is about to speak. Those new owners don’t really care whether its a good idea or a bad idea; as long as it’s a profitable idea.

What will we wind up with? What has our unwitting, collective self decided? All we have now are clues that something is under construction. Will the Arts come back, even though fewer people attended? Are the kids going to get healthy, upbeat places to spend their time; or just a lot of video arcades? How about the party life?

How have we voted, Folks?

Is Life A School Or A Boot Camp?

Friday, December 18th, 2009

I have heard people say that “Life is a School,” and I’ve often used that analogy myself to explain the tests and hard lessons that life obviously contains. You know, we do go through various stages as we move through the age categories and our responsibilities grow so much more difficult to maintain. But then, our experience and maturity should be developing, as well; so that the senior class is much more equipped and expected to succeed than the poor little freshmen, just out of junior high. Nothing wrong with that analogy.

But, let’s look at life as if it’s a Boot Camp; which in actual fact, does become the destination for a certain number of graduates down here in our real life. Since my only impression of boot camp comes from movies, (G.I. Jane among them), I’m sure that many of you soldiers can fill in this comparison well beyond the surface that I’m going to offer here. Life, school, and military training are similar, in that they all offer a linear time period, filled with certain requirements, that we must successfully master in order to progress.

However, life’s Campus/Base is an invisible one, so that, quite frequently, its enrollees don’t even know there’s a program. Things are really subtle around here. Where’s the teacher carefully explaining the material and holding our feet to the fire with tests and grades? Where’s the drill sargeant barking in our face, day and night, ruling over us and leaving no freedom (or necessity) for personal choice? Where are the Rules? Where are the Rewards?  Where’s the wipeout? How about medals? Glory, guts, graduation? Time out? Spring Break? R&R?

Life just goes on and on, often un-dramatically. Is anybody watching? Does anybody care? Some people are breezing through, as if they’re on a green, leafy campus with classes of their choosing; while others are slogging through mountains wearing heavy packs, or dodging bullets on their belly in the mud. And they might even live right in the same town. Might be next door neighbors…except, one has a safe, thirty-year mortgage and a good job; and the other faces homelessness when the bank forecloses.

And that’s just a snapshot of the moment, not their whole life’s story. Who knows, maybe the one emerges from that period with a four-year-degree in Fine Arts, but no job skills; and the other comes out as a Green Beret or a Navy Seal. It’s happening all the time, all around us, and who can say what the end result will be?

However, let’s follow the boot camp idea for awhile: In the Real Man’s Army, you would have a drill sergeant bellowing orders, commanding your every action and pushing you to limits you never imagined achieving. He’s on your case; he knows what he’s doing; and is determined to get you there even if you hate him for it. Unless you wash out, he will hone you to your highest potential.

In real life, you have no drill sergeant dedicated to the task of transforming you to be all you can be. No one is on your back, taking the guesswork out of life. You must be your own taskmaster. Therefore, you might doubt that this analogy is the case. In the real Army, there are obstacle courses, which look exactly like what they are: mud, barbed wire, high fences, rope walks, mountain passes, booby traps, mazes and ambushes. You know to be on your guard and keep all senses alert. You know that you must draw upon your hidden reserves.

Life has things like that, too; but many times, innocent-looking, easy places pose the most challenging obstacles where the dangers are far more subtle. When nobody kicks you out of rec’ rooms; makes you stop wasting time; keeps you on-track…you often tend to just sleep-in or get drunker and drunker.

A boot camp is short and intense. You either make it or you don’t. Life, itself, is generally long and tiresome. The goals are not so clear, and once achieved, don’t always remain so. Possibly, he who becomes wealthy is actually wiping out; and he who plugs diligently along at a simple craft, is actually making it through. Again, no drill sergeant, no scoreboard. But, plenty of obstacles.

However, if we can consciously grasp and hold onto the Boot Camp Analogy during this long and often tedious course that we’ve all landed in; perhaps we can develop a sort of drill sergeant philosophy about getting ourselves through it in one piece as a survivor of the inevitable obstacles; applauding ourselves for remaining on our own two feet and still in the game, with a pretty good chance of graduating successfully. All it takes is knowing the ropes!

Good luck, everybody!

The Ones That Got Away: Fish or Cut Bait

Friday, December 18th, 2009

This past week has been rainy, dark, and chilly. Have you ever noticed that a day like that just never seems to get off the ground? Of course, if you have a work schedule to meet, then there’s not much option about getting on track, but if you have the great luxury of designing your days, as I do, then it’s easy to slack off on your timing, because, after all, the day has not yet begun. So, I have drifted all week.

When one is drifting, computers tend to encroach a little bit more. Okay, a lot more. That’s how I got, momentarily hooked by the match-making site, Plenty Of Fish. My son showed it to me and I went online, merely out of curiosity, and lurked a few times until I saw a man who looked mildly interesting. Can you imagine how many senior citizen men live in Florida and are looking for that certain someone? Well, neither could I. I’m not looking, but I am available, and therefore, qualified for membership. So, what the heck? I filled out a profile and posted some pictures.

That was only a few days ago. I got a few bites…. a much, much younger man with completely tatooed arms, whose photo portrays himself admiring his face in a hand mirror… thought I sounded like an interesting chick. Another man, sixteen years my junior, also wrote; but I could tell he was an intellectual ping-pong player who loved nothing better than to argue philosophy. I shopped around among men my age, within my own city, and I could see that they were very eager to find the Love of Their Life, and settle down into a totally-focused home life. Me, an obvious world-wanderer, was not their cup of tea.

Then, I looked objectively at my profile and it was so full of restlessness and uncertainty about even wanting to do this, that I was sure I must be scaring them away. Well, I actually WAS hoping that I wouldn’t “find” anybody.  That realization continued to become crystal-clear to me over the few days that I had the thing active. I really don’t want any new complications. Why pretend that I do? I really am happy in my single state. So, about an hour ago, I deleted my membership and got out of there. Whew!

The thing is, I could fall for an InterGalactic Friend (I’ve written about these on previous blogs – they are men whom you’ve known before “in other galaxies and other lives,” and those always feel so right from the very beginning) but most of the ones I meet are either married, absolutely the wrong age, or are on their way to somewhere else, far away…usually, all three at the same time. You don’t find those on an internet dating site. And, they are very rare in real life, as well. But, not nonexistent.

Anyway, the sun is now shining, so I have hopes that today will redeem itself by giving me a sudden burst of energy and purpose and I will pick up my new manuscript and get back to work. I have a lot more to do on it and a publisher waiting to receive it, so it’s time to stop drifting and waiting for the day to begin. This is what I need my time and space for: marshaling myself into definitive action about subjects which need a lot of introspection and time-consuming writing. That cannot be done if there is another interested party calling me up on the phone, saying “Let’s do this and that.”

So, watch this space for a few analogies which I will be trying out on you. I wrote notes on the ideas last week and those notes have grown cold, during this cold spell. I shall see if I can breathe a little fire into them and recapture the meaning they had back then. See, there’s this Inner Fire, which can’t afford to be banked and put on hold. I have to tend it all the time and that’s the biggest reason for me to remain alone.

Sorry, big fish in the sea! Guess it’s not my time to be caught or to catch you.