HELLO, MAY I COME IN? - Saturday June 19, 2010

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

 

Morning walk: 8C/46F, light breeze in sunshine, Gusta happy romping while I lope behind just happy not to be wearing rain gear for a change . . .

 

Lazy newspaper reading, coffee guzzling, toast munching morn – no alarm, no rush to rise, nobody there to greet me . . . and some brownies left by last night’s dinner guest. Thanks SB.

 

Sometimes . . .

 

I get tired of my path – not because it is a bad path. I just want to change the conversation; whether it is business or organization stuff, old-friends stuff, new friends, dating misadventures, writing collaborations - in each corner, especially the dimly lit ones, of my life, I want to change the conversation.   Why should friends only talk about their common-bonds, only dwell on reasons they are friends? So much more to explore . . . with everyone we know, and even more with people we don’t.

 

Why do people who do business, only want to do business – when knowing each other on another plane might open connections, idea-mingle/mangle, enlightening lightning that might make differences to them, or someone?

 

Why do strangers remain that - why aren’t they beating pathways to my door?  Of course, if I’m not beating a path to theirs, so why should they reciprocate in advance?

 

My door, your door – across street or planet, deserve knocks of some sort – saying ‘hello, may I come in . . . . ’

 

‘may I enter your life . .. , may I impact your point of view, your feelings, your set of experiences . . ?’

 

‘please, let me in . . . I want to know you, need to know you ..’

 

Most of us, faced with these questions from a complete stranger would treat them like the door-to-door guerilla-evangelistas who ring Saturday morning doorbells. We close doors (or slam) on them, shut people (or ideas) out, without examining them at all - like changing direction, or resisting change, simply because we believe some cliché, or headline as truth simply because someone deserving big type said it. Question remains, do we have some obligation to anyone/group/class/people or ourselves to explore anyone?  Answer – no. 

 

But, if you answer no, what value do you bring to any conversation, to your fellow citizens or to life?  I suppose, you might be valuable for a talent, skill or idea we need – but what value would your life have if nobody wanted to know you?

 

But I digress.  Yes, I want to change the conversation - inspire people to consider spontaneity as a key that opens the lock of knowing what we want.  I believe we will all find, if we reject people because of one thing we don't like, or something we don’t understand without having ever met them half-way, spoken with them - that you will miss most of the good ones worth knowing.

 

If some person, not the most powerful in the world … but the most powerful influence in your life … knocked on your door, would you answer, would you welcome them in? 

 

I wonder, how many people who espouse belief systems we might identify:  liberal, conservative, Christian, Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu, socialist, libertarian, atheist, scientist - if we would open our door to them. If Mohammed, Einstein, Christ, or Goethe rang your doorbell on a Friday night or Saturday morning, would you invite them in for coffee?  Well, what if they didn’t answer to those names or look like them?  Or, what if you were knocking on their door?  Catch my drift . …?

 

OK, stay with me now,  consider this:  someone who needed and wanted love, to give and to get, to smile and be smiled upon, to meet someone halfway, to share, to care . . . if that person showed up at your door, would you open it? Would you let them in?

 

Or, would you say ‘no thanks, not interested’ as you close the door only to see that person trundle off to some other door, to the next knock, the next door slam . . .

 

My point, whichever side of the door you find yourself on most often – is that there need not be a door, a knock or a slam.  The barriers to connection are not contained in a door or a ding-dong sound, they are not in our head either. They are in our invisible feelings/fearings that nobody sees, nobody touches . . .

 

Those invisibles are what we need to connect with.  It is not a settling or compromise of any kind, it is finally waking up to see what is so obvious and embracing it.

 

~~~

INVISIBLE FORCES - archived poetry

 

Some things

live only in our mind

aren’t real

can’t be touched

with fingers

weighed with scales

or captured

in photos – ideas

and disappointments

for instance

have no mass

contain no matter

have no weight

yet these

invisible forces

stronger

in their gravity

their energy

production or

sapping our drive. 

~~~

 

Mark Kolke

321,652

 

RESPONSES/COMMENTS ALWAYS WELCOME; send to: dailycolumn@markkolke.com

 

 

June 18 Comments

 

June 18 - UNDERSTANDING WHY – Guess you're walking Gusta.  I liked your comment yesterday that the critic hasn't gone away and the pessimist hasn't stopped pessimizing!  In high school English class I used to get criticized for "coining words" and probably some of my "coins" are now part of the English dictionary!  Have a good day, SY, Honolulu, HI

June 18 - UNDERSTANDING WHY -  Aloha Mark, First of all, I am on the mend---feeling better one day, and less so the next---sort of like that cliche', two steps forward and three steps back---eventually, we arrive. :) I must tell you that I adore your dailies. I was writing daily posts on my website---but since it's been difficult to sit---I have been writing them about every 3 days. I find your postings, inspirational, deep, philosophical, & oh so thought provoking, emotional, and trendy with everyday sitings of daily operations, churning ho hum hum drum into something to ponder that is simply 'so much fun'. Love it, love them and love you. Thank you for introducing me to Frances. Like her posts on 360boom e-magazine.  And I do wish you a great father's day weekend, with your family. Thank you again for keeping me on your mailing list and continuing to write everyday, you are such a blessing. Aloha blessings, PF, Honolulu, HI

 

June 18 - UNDERSTANDING WHY -  I read your column with great interest.  Not because it  is something I consider doing, but something I do everyday.  I open my  heart to all kinds of people and am delighted by what they give me in return.  One of the dearest people at work is Marie, the Janitor.  She empties my trash twice a day and one day I shared with her as an  equal.  I told her that I am doing the work that of a former subordinate of mine and as a result I really appreciate what she did  on a day-to-day basis.  I told her I wanted to call her up and tell  her so.  The next day there was a treat on my desk - a boiled egg  wrapped in a paper towel with a smiley face drawn on the towel.  She knew I liked boiled eggs in the morning and often the store next door to where I work does not have any because she buys them all up.  She  continues to do little things like this for me, and I do for her.  She is not someone I would pick out as having such a special relationship, but here she is - a gift. So, open your heart and be right sized because we are all people,  people among people.  Who am I to judge?, JK, Kailua, HI

Comments

[true religion outlet]

Hope you're ready for some more inspiration! This week's projects are a little more simple than some I've shared in previous weeks, so I hope you'll beaaaaaaa inspired to actually do some of them, or how about even one of them? Interestingly enough, this week's color theme seems to be green! Enjoy!