MOI - Monday Apr. 26, 2010

today’s Musing  written and published from Cranston in south- east  Calgary, near the Bow River valley

 

Morning walk: 0C/32F, hazy cloud/fog, snow gave way to some greening up of happy lawns, Gusta loving cool dew to roll her coat in . . . while for me the quiet of this day’s start was just what I need for focus, for sorting, for . . . understanding . . .

 

Amazing lives require - resilience, optimism, acceptance, humor, creativity, responsibility, meaning, and connection. Lost connections - old friends, new friends or friends we want – go from ‘never running out of conversation’ to ‘not wanting to have one’ is a short somewhat slippery slope. This slope I’ve encountered slope from both ends of the slide, as cause, and as effect.  Are you with me? 

 

Someone asked me recently if all my troubles connected to some challenging woman du jour; I answered, ‘no, they undoubtedly connect to a challenging man, moi!’

 

Imagine life’s banality if we each acted/reacted same way, to every situation of facts or feelings; that would be so bizarre, yet when I encounter people I can’t figure out, I am intrigued. What did I miss, what am I missing?  Did I miss a clue, forget to listen carefully for some lightly dropped hint, or key indicator? Where lies the solution?

 

The whole thing does not compute – clearly (well, actually not so clear, but you get my meaning) there is much about a situation I don't know; discussion counterpart had no obligation, to fill missing pieces, for me - but I know when things don’t add up, sometimes it is best to give up. It is usually because we don’t have all the numbers (parts) of the equation. Sometimes. Is this such a time?

 

Two things.  We get them wrong so often.

 

1. impact we have on others

 

2. impact they have on us

 

We are not lab rats, actions/reactions to stimuli, not recorded or compared – we measure failings and triumphs against past experiences – and against little else.  When we have trouble understanding, we ask a friend, not a stranger. When we struggle against an obstacle we ask for help from someone who knows and understands less than we do, yet somehow we expect a cogent answer and instruction on what to do next. Aren’t we weird?

 

It smacks of David asking Goliath for advice on how to win the struggle. We rarely ask the obstacle for advice.  We sparingly tell the person(s) standing in our path, that we need help and guidance in dealing with them. I am not sure if this is bred into us somehow, or if it is fear of showing weakness. 

~~~

THERE IS REASON

 

Moving along, from task to task – place to place, face

to face - novel approach, read much like one – of

intrigue, mystery, drama and dialogue, or not,

which serves to re-teach  our limited reach.

 

Figuring out self, more useful task than to know

another; firmly grip my own acknowledgment,

issues, than figuring out - virtually impossible

when we know them, far less when we don’t.

 

To be curious, with deep wanting, to know

what people think about at night in their sleep,

to know - because, their behavior gets under

our skin, their underlying reasons, or denying.

 

Ways about them, ones that bother most, are

things about ourselves, easily excused, avoided,

because that is the way we are, until we change,

to know the why of it, the sense of it, all of it.

 

~~~

link to archive – The Poetry Project

~~~

 

Mark Kolke

322,952

 

204.2

 

 

RESPONSES/COMMENTS ALWAYS WELCOME; send to: mark@markmusing.com

 

April 25 Comments

 

April 25 - YESTERDAY WHEN I WAS YOUNG  - Your "Weekend Specials" are very special with your links to music selections and your Edith Piaf clips were wonderful. If you have not seen the DVD "La Vie En Rose", it is worth the view...her life story is an amazing one in which she had such determination to conquer adversity!  Thank you for sharing. I think that you influence more people than you think, in a very positive way!  I also got a chuckle out of your friend SB reining you in. I think that we all have more ability within than others are willing to recognize .. so don't "hold back" just because of others opinions!  I keep running marathons as a "Celebration" that I still have the "Distance in Me" and I am happy for it.  I don't run because I am happy; I am happy because I run!!  I'll be running the Maui Marathon September 19th...have already confirmed for a running number to get me back on the road and into a training routine. Maybe you'll be on Maui then and we can meet?  Meanwhile, I am sure you already know that your efforts and thoughts are thoroughly appreciated. You've become part of my small group of "Mentors", SY  Honolulu, HI

 

 

April 25 - YESTERDAY WHEN I WAS YOUNG  - Your mood today matches mine, more or less.At this moment I seem to be on a roll, having gotten back into my career after a 7-year absence, having returned recently from a wonderful course/holiday on Hawaii, and having just bought a condo. But who knows: I'm enjoying it while I can. I am after all, about the same age as Leonard Cohen and John McCain, well past my threescore years and ten. That being said, I feel quite young and very much alive, and for that I'm thanklful to whatever powers of the universe look after these things. So, as I heard that Joe Clark used to say, "Party on", EG, Calgary, AB

 

April 25 - YESTERDAY WHEN I WAS YOUNG  - Trust you were able to keep busy today even though your golf game could not happen. Out here we had maybe 4" while to the south of us there was maybe an inch. I did not receive the Toastmaster link from you and nor did I receive the "Daily Thought" that usually precedes the Musing. Are you now combining the 2 into one??  I will call you this week as I am hoping to have some good news to share. Not wishful thinking but fruits from the labor. Take care, JJ, Calgary, AB