The Rain

While I don’t particularly like being out-and-about in the rain, I definitely enjoy what nature provides as a result. We need the rain, our foliage needs the rain. Like snow, it seems as if rain settles people to some degree. It makes us slow down. The sound of rainfall is relaxing, and sets the stage for much self-reflection. Typically after rainfall we are provided with yet another gift. This gift is visual. Take a look at the newest Sky post and you will agree.

Dream Flying

Ever since I was a child, I wanted to fly. I was fascinated with the concept of flight and badly wanted to be a part of it all. I would imagine myself flying and feeling the sensation of wind on my face and body. Yes, I was one of those kids who would stick my head out the car window as we drove. Don’t judge, this was long before any seatbelt laws and personal safety was quite loose back then 🙂 There was a corner area at my next door neighbors house where two walls met that created an updraft with any notable air movement. It didn’t have to be windy for the magic to work. I would take an inflated balloon to that area and bounce it off my hands to see if it would lift on it’s own. Often it did and I wanted to lift off along with it. I began dreaming about flying when I was a child, and have flown in my dreams often to this day. The feeling is oh-so invigorating!

Under the Dreams tab, I posted an essay on flying. The essay does not recount any particular dream, but it does outline how my dream flights have evolved throughout my lifetime.

It Must Be Difficult

It must be difficult to grow old. It happens…to everyone.

I watched a documentary last night on the life of Glen Campbell and his slow demise into Alzheimer’s disease. His last song was titled I Won’t Miss You. Because anyone with Alzheimer’s won’t. They slowly lose their memory until they know no one. Obviously the pain is left with loved one’s who will miss the one who is cognitively drifting away.

But what about others who’s physical bodies erode, and mental ability lessens. They think they are still 100%, but they are not. Physical ailments become more numerous and more frequent and loved ones do their best to make things work with those who are ailing.

It must be very hard to be in this situation. Makes one wonder if instant death is the ‘best way to go’. I wonder what it must be like to be in the shoes of those who experience this kind of slow demise. It must be difficult to forge ahead in everyday life, knowing that the ravages of linear time is not going to reverse. Certainly not an enviable position. Yet we all know that the end is ‘near’. Is the uncertainty comforting or discomforting? I think it’s actually both.

Hang on to everything possible. Allow others to help you when necessary. Appreciate the fact that you opened your eyes this morning, and celebrate life.

How Much Time is Left?

“How much time is left?” I hear this from my students often. My response to them, “Let’s worry about the here and now.” Yet, this question is one that is weaved into the fabric of who we are, and our place on this earth.

How much time is left? I for one, am glad that I don’t know that answer as it pertains to my life. Rather, not knowing puts me in a place where I can envision a glass that is perpetually half-full. There is so much more to say, and do. There is so much opportunity for anything and everything. Possibilities are endless.

If we are constantly ‘worried’ or concerned about the end of our time, then we do not allow ourselves the gift of the moment. Linear time as we know it is unforgiving, and therefore is always scribing what is immediately considered history.

There are immediate benefits to living your life for today. Embrace it. Do not wait…NOW is the time. Live.