Nostalgia (or Zen and the Art of Time Travel)

There was a time when...

we were born 

we were young 

all we did was enjoy ourselves

all that mattered was the joy we felt around us

we were at one with the world

the world was at one with us

the most interesting thing in life was the moment we breathed and noticed

the least of our worries was worrying

all that was good was just good

the world did not revolve around us

the morning dew was wet and new

the Shamrock Shake had the greatest taste

our slippers were the only thing we put on out of bed all day

our dreams were greater than our worries

our thoughts were more often than not on others

we did not think twice about holding hands

our minds were not made up

thoughts did not control our lives

time flew by

we felt creative

we let ourselves shine

we pursued our passion

life was a joy to be lived

memories were not forgotten

we all shared something with someone somewhere

our greatest goals seemed achievable

we owed no one anything

we owed everyone everything

we burned with energy

we slept like babies

we learned to read

we learned to write

we did not think anything of learning something new

we were not afraid

we were not sick

we did not get tired

we burned brighter than the sun

we lived life on our own terms

we spent as much time outside as possible

we watched the sun go down

we watched the sun come up

we learned how to share

we did not know what a fake smile was

we went with the flow

We cannot go back in time, but we can repeat the past. Harvest your memories. Share yourself. Shine your light. By embracing yesterday, make tomorrow brighter than today.

Take the Long Way Around

Time and Energy

One foot in front of the other. Bit by bit, I work and move forward. I press onward, and step by step, I am able to push ahead.

It can be slow going, and lack of visible movement can seem like no movement at all. But in the end I am going somewhere. In fact, I am hurtling through space and time, and moving ahead and beyond farther and faster than I can comprehend. It takes time and energy to move and respond. It takes time and energy to be a part of the working of the world.

If that is all it takes, time and energy, why am I not a part of more in the world and in life? I think because my time and energy are limited. But only self-limited. I limit my own time and energy. I limit the amount of time I spend on writing and expressing myself, and I deplete my energy by doing other things, some worthwhile, and others not.

Time is a finite and infinite concept. Clock time is finite. We don't get any back. Once the date and time are past, they cannot be reclaimed or brought back again. However, there are an infinite number of dates and times. I can experience new things all the time. All the time. All of the time there is something new. All of the time there is something new and worthy for me to get involved in.

It takes me time to create something new. It takes me a while to come up with a concept and to start typing and to turn it into reality. But really, it doesn't take that long at all. In fact, all I have to do is sit down and start typing.

Lo and behold, after that small amount of time and energy invested, there is a something on the other side. A blog post. A bit of energy and time, contained in words, spat out onto the other shore. And then there is the time and energy to be spent on honing what was written, so that there are no sharp edges, so that everything makes sense, so that the time I took to write it is as worthwhile as possible.

It is always worthwhile to create something new. It is always worthwhile to use time and energy to create something new.

And, as always, there is time to take a time out and check Facebook. That comes with the territory. There is always time for that ubiquitous reason for being online in the first place. To share. To be social. To be a part of what is going on in the lives of others.

It doesn't take long to understand that we are all together.

We are all one. We are all the same and all together in time and space. And when we realize we are all together and all the same and all one, then we can be different too.

What is happening here is that we are meeting. We are taking the time to meet and be a part of belonging to one another. And when we are a part of belonging to one another we take time and energy to share.

Time and energy are all the world is made up of: the two elements of all events and actions. Time and energy.

Energy is an accumulation of action and it's potential for being released. It takes a bit of time to create energy. It takes a bit of time to release energy. And when energy is created and released, it is always a special occasion.

What do I mean when I say that all it takes is time and energy? Time to pass and to invest, energy to use and to invest.  Energy is a glorious reason for being. I tend to not have enough of it. I tend to want more energy than I generally have. I want to obtain more and more energy as I move through life.

It is acceptable to watch others and learn from their interactions and experiences.

What am I learning by watching others?

I am learning that there is a glorious trend toward interaction, and that there must be interaction for the world to work and to expand. The most basic interaction is person to person interaction. We are all to become one, one giant family, living in peace and harmony. All it takes is time and energy.

So what am I wasting my time and energy on? Where can I stop investing time and energy and start moving some of my wasted time and energy toward something more meaningful and helpful? Toward something more mindful? Toward something more aware and all inclusive?

I am wasting my time and energy on being lazy. I am wasting my time and energy on smoking cigarettes. I am wasting my time and energy on being fearful and anxious about things that have never happened, and are unlikely to happen at all. The things I am fearful of may indeed happen, but it is unlikely that they will, and so it is more important for me to spend my time and energy elsewhere.

Where else do I waste my time and energy? On non-value added activities. What is a non-value added activity? Worrying. Spacing out. Daydreaming. Being without focus or action. Non-learning.

What should I be spending my time and energy on? On creative self expression. Because through self expression I am learning about myself, I am creating a process of creativity, I am allowing others to witness the process of creativity, and I am allowing others to benefit from my process of creativity.

It takes time and energy to creatively express myself. But it isn't a waste of time or energy. And it isn't false. It isn't deceptive. It is straightforward and part of reality.

I am part of reality. I am part of the truth of living. I am part of the learning and the unlearning of the universe. The unraveling of the truth and the unraveling of the false both happen at the same time. The duality of nature cannot last, and will not stand the test of time. We will all one day realize that all is one, and we are all together with the same love for each other.

"One love! One heart! Let's get together and feel alright" - Bob Marley

What am I going to do now? I am going to appreciate the time I spent here. It was worthwhile. I am going to be thankful that I got out and spent three dollars on a cup of coffee at Starbucks and wrote for twenty minutes and grew to know myself and my fellow humans better, while expending time and energy, while renewing my time and energy. It is an exercise, and all exercise is beneficial.

It doesn't take long for the calendar to turn around any longer. It takes no time at all in fact. We go along in all of our days and ways, and the next thing we know it is tomorrow and the next day and the day after.

It is wise to spend some time focused on the here and the now, stopping time as it passes for just a few moments, to reflect on where we are and where we were, and why we have come and become who we are in the world and beyond.

We are experiencing time as never before. We can sense ourselves hurtling through and past it, we can almost move at the speed with which our lives are lived. It doesn't take long, and it doesn't seem that we will have much longer to worry about the time we take and spend here and there.

I thank you for the time and the energy to create this.

I thank you for the opportunity to create.

I thank you for the action of writing and exercising my true creatively expressive self.

It doesn't take much time.

It doesn't take much energy.

But it does take a little of both.

And that is how we fly.

Sprinkle ourselves with the stardust of time and energy and fly off into the sunset.

Where will we land for the night?

Where will all our time and energy take us?

Only you can know.

Only I can know.

Take us somewhere. Appreciate the journey. Note the time and the energy provided and used.

Writing and Life

Writing has become a life line for me. It is something I do compulsively, something that helps me gather all of my thoughts together, and place them down in a straight line. Sure, the line dips and jags from time to time, but for the most part, my thoughts are straight when I write them.

By writing I am learning about myself. I am learning that I am interested in life and living much more than I previously thought. In the same way that writing is a life line, reading provides sustenance as well. The reading that I decide to do is all based on the interests that I have at the time.

I am intimidated to be writing my thoughts on this blog. But I have to be courageous and write anyway. I can write and write and write. But it goes nowhere if I don't share it. And so I am sharing it. I am sharing my writing, for better or for worse.

Writing is not the only thing I have to share. I also have art and music to share with others. It is a wonderful thing to share with others. It is a great thing to be involved with the world and be interested in something that is going on in the world.

My interest right now is taken up with the idea of sharing my writing. Writing something worth sharing, then sharing it. What does writing offer the rest of my life? Clarity. Writing brings clarity to my thoughts.

I get hung up on the possibility of sharing my writing, when really I should just be focused on the writing itself, and worry about the sharing later. That is what I will do now. Worry about the writing only. Back to my hermitage. Back to my place of safety to regroup, to write.

Write right now. Get a piece of paper out and begin writing. There is no end in sight, only miles and miles of blank page, which is yours to fill up. There is practice in there, there is a light in that tunnel, and it is shining for you, the writer.

Can writing capture life? I think writing can reflect life. And it is a pretty good mirror. There is much to be cleaned and polished in my writing, much that I have to change and enhance so that my mirror accurately reflects life, but it is something that I am willing and interested to do.

What will it take to polish my writing mirror? What will it take to polish it to a shining reflector that can pierce the darkness with its truth and might? What will it take?

It will take practice, discipline, energy and perseverance. It will take the exercise of fruitful creation combined with a ruthless eye for editing. There is only one way for me to create the circumstances for this to happen. I must just practice and write, there is no other way. If I decide to think about writing, nothing will get done. If I decide to reflect on what I have written, nothing will get done. The only way to move forward is to write the most worthless drivel imaginable on a regular basis, and hone the words down through practice, polishing as I go and making sense of the senseless on the way.

Sometimes I pause while writing and try to think of something pithy or resounding or astounding to say, but really, the only thing I need to do is write one more word. One. More. Word. One word at time, it all comes forth. One word at a time, the pearl necklace is strung. It takes a little bit of time, and a lot of energy and concentration, but the work afterwards stands for itself.

I have taken some time away from the blank page over the past few months. I have taken a break with the full knowledge that I was standing back in the shadows, unwilling to bring forth any work. I was unwilling because I thought it had to be something profound. I was wrong. I had forgotten what I started this endeavor for: to let my light shine. Not necessarily the best light I have to offer, or the light I think is the right light for the right time, but to just let it shine regardless, and let the rays fall where they may.

I started this blog to share my creative life with the world, and that is what I am doing. It grows in fits and starts, but it is growing. It takes time to build a masterpiece. I bet most masterpieces looked far from perfect before they were done. This isn't done yet. I am just getting started. It will take a long time to complete this project, but I am in it for the long haul.

I am dedicated to the idea of sharing my growth with the world. I am scared, but that is okay. Some risks are worth taking. I can't forget that I am an American original, and only I have the ability to share my unique experiences.

Writing takes time. Writing takes reflection, but not as much reflection as I have been affording myself lately. Writing takes reflection as it is being written, not before or after. I must mull the words over in my mind as I write them, not in the past or in the future. I am thinking in the present, and I am writing in the present.

The present is all I have. The present is my lifeline. Beyond writing and art and music and reflecting, all I have to offer is the present, and all I have to enjoy is in the present.

Be present.

Be here.

Be now.

Write.

It's my life and I'm going to write it down and share it. I hope you find it something to learn from and enjoy.

There is time between all the events in life to write and to create something that is worth the time taken to create. All creation is worth the time it takes to create. The market may not agree, but the universe does.

I write. I live. I burn with energy and desire to write and share. I am scared to share. I am afraid to publish this, but it is important to me to let others know that it is okay to face your fears. Choose your battles and face your fears. Be bold. Act. Take action. Move constantly in the direction of your dreams.

What are my dreams? To write and create art and music to share with the world all the days of my life. In that respect, today is a success. I can only hope tomorrow will be as well. But I can also do more than hope, I can set myself up for success. I can lead myself to take action in the direction I want to go and grow.

I can follow in the footsteps of others. I can learn from others who have gone before me. I can learn from others who are moving toward their dreams right now. I know of a few. This blog is published as an example of someone moving toward his dreams, and all the trials and successes along the way. Hopefully it can serve as an inspiration to one person somewhere, at some time.

Time is a funny thing. I am writing this in the present. You are reading this in the present. But our presents are different in clock time. Perhaps I will devise a way to publish live every letter I type and every word I rewrite at the time I am writing it. That could be entertaining. Would it serve a purpose? Does it matter?

Little by little I am getting there. Sometimes it takes more time than I thought it would. Other times I am just not applying myself.

Well, here is me applying myself now, and that is all I can ask for and do. Apply myself now. Right now. Write now.