12/28/11
12/27/11
12/26/11
Night Time Is My Time
After hours in the urban landscape...
I'm a night person forced into a lifetime of days.
I'm a night person forced into a lifetime of days.
12/25/11
This Pilgrim's Progress
Now we see through a glass, darkly...
From this world to that which is to come.
The expression to see "through a glass" (or a mirror) "darkly" means having an opaque or limited vision of our existence in this world as we aware of it in this point in time. Our sense of what is real is obscured by what we know in the dimension of reality that we are limited to presently. Only through enlightenment in an extension outside of the one we exist in now will we see clearly the true meaning of life and a higher power greater than ourselves. It is rooted in the Biblical writings of Paul in the New Testament.
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. When I was a child, I used to speak as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I shall know fully as I also have been fully known. But now abide faith, hope and love; but the greatest of these is love. [1 Corinthians 13: 9-13 New American Standard 1977 edition]
Although the spiritual reference is paramount and overrides all else, on a practical level to see though a glass darkly should be a daily reminder on seemingly ordinary events. The point of discord you have with someone on something political or social, an event that prevented or enabled you to do something, a mood or attitude that has a hold on you should be reason to pause and reflect that you are not seeing everything from all angles. We are humans with a limited vision of what is really happening in totality.
Personally I know where my beliefs are and where they will lead me. Although my point of reference is what I have been taught combined with my spiritual experiences I do not limit the power of God and what He may see fit for other people and their view of enlightenment. This is antithetical to what many believe, those who believe in only one way. I only see in part and not yet face to face nor know fully therefore I reserve my judgment. I do believe that the overarching principle is love and to me that also means optimism for the future and thinking positively. Everyone is at different paths and points on the continuum of personal growth and I have faith in my hope that everyone will reach their own destination in peace, love and understanding.
From this world to that which is to come.
The expression to see "through a glass" (or a mirror) "darkly" means having an opaque or limited vision of our existence in this world as we aware of it in this point in time. Our sense of what is real is obscured by what we know in the dimension of reality that we are limited to presently. Only through enlightenment in an extension outside of the one we exist in now will we see clearly the true meaning of life and a higher power greater than ourselves. It is rooted in the Biblical writings of Paul in the New Testament.
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. When I was a child, I used to speak as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I shall know fully as I also have been fully known. But now abide faith, hope and love; but the greatest of these is love. [1 Corinthians 13: 9-13 New American Standard 1977 edition]
Personally I know where my beliefs are and where they will lead me. Although my point of reference is what I have been taught combined with my spiritual experiences I do not limit the power of God and what He may see fit for other people and their view of enlightenment. This is antithetical to what many believe, those who believe in only one way. I only see in part and not yet face to face nor know fully therefore I reserve my judgment. I do believe that the overarching principle is love and to me that also means optimism for the future and thinking positively. Everyone is at different paths and points on the continuum of personal growth and I have faith in my hope that everyone will reach their own destination in peace, love and understanding.
12/24/11
12/23/11
Know Yourself and Be Yourself
We each have an expedition, yours belongs to you...
It is an act of courage that enriches your experience.
The goal is to keep going and not stop. One step a day is progress while taking none is going nowhere. Sometimes that one step is a motivating pause of reflection and in that moment we then still move upward and forward. There are other days when almost maniacally we take many steps and we breakthrough barriers in leaps and bounds. Other times the grade of the climb is so steep that every stride seems purchased at a painful price. Each type of ascent has its own merit.
It is also perfectly acceptable, actually advisable, to occasionally look back and see how far you have come. The act serves as encouragement to keep climbing. The passage in this life is not to reach the end destination but to prepare for it and make the most of the exploration. Ultimately you will get there but on the way positive steps in the right direction will make the expedition enriching and worthwhile. On rough terrain when the hike is steep and the slope slippery looking up to where you are going is more helpful than looking down. The time will come when you have gone over the jagged rock and up ahead are able look back and revel in the accomplishment.
Regardless of where you are in life you can always look around and find someone better off, someone in about the same condition and someone worse off than you are. All three should be humbling experiences to motivate you to keep going rather than to rate yourself against them and allow you to halt. Others have their own journey, the one you have belongs to you and are responsible for each rung you make on the way up. It never hurts to reach down and give a hand to help someone else over the jagged rock, it is advisable since you will need the aid some day.
Positive thinking, optimism, self-reliance and mutual help are the mental tools that will keep you going and avoid stopping. As we move along our pilgrimage we collect and gather the means to take the next step. Know yourself and be yourself, it is an act of courage that enriches your experience, as well as giving you the wisdom to help others. All roads indeed do lead to a common destination but the mission on the journey upward is to make it worthwhile.
It is an act of courage that enriches your experience.
The goal is to keep going and not stop. One step a day is progress while taking none is going nowhere. Sometimes that one step is a motivating pause of reflection and in that moment we then still move upward and forward. There are other days when almost maniacally we take many steps and we breakthrough barriers in leaps and bounds. Other times the grade of the climb is so steep that every stride seems purchased at a painful price. Each type of ascent has its own merit.
It is also perfectly acceptable, actually advisable, to occasionally look back and see how far you have come. The act serves as encouragement to keep climbing. The passage in this life is not to reach the end destination but to prepare for it and make the most of the exploration. Ultimately you will get there but on the way positive steps in the right direction will make the expedition enriching and worthwhile. On rough terrain when the hike is steep and the slope slippery looking up to where you are going is more helpful than looking down. The time will come when you have gone over the jagged rock and up ahead are able look back and revel in the accomplishment.Regardless of where you are in life you can always look around and find someone better off, someone in about the same condition and someone worse off than you are. All three should be humbling experiences to motivate you to keep going rather than to rate yourself against them and allow you to halt. Others have their own journey, the one you have belongs to you and are responsible for each rung you make on the way up. It never hurts to reach down and give a hand to help someone else over the jagged rock, it is advisable since you will need the aid some day.
Positive thinking, optimism, self-reliance and mutual help are the mental tools that will keep you going and avoid stopping. As we move along our pilgrimage we collect and gather the means to take the next step. Know yourself and be yourself, it is an act of courage that enriches your experience, as well as giving you the wisdom to help others. All roads indeed do lead to a common destination but the mission on the journey upward is to make it worthwhile.
12/22/11
12/21/11
Rains of Arizona
Winter rains soak the scorched urban landscape...
Hard rain hits this desert city so infrequently it gives a new meaning to the term desert pavement, which usually refers to the compacted sand and rock on the open range dry desert floor, that creates severe flooding runoff when it does rain. In the urban landscape there is literal man made pavement with insufficient man made drainage to handle the two seasons a year rain hits fast and furious in copious torrents. Just as the natural desert pavement is unable to absorb that amount of moisture into the ground in such a short time, neither can the manufactured pavement of a metropolitan area. It is an intensely exciting period of baptism by immersion and being washed cleaned.
Raindrops fall like bullets in rapid fire machine gun like from the stratosphere above assailing the ground. It happens so quickly with so much force that as it strikes the ground it quickly pools. Even the best inner-city drainage systems are unable to handle these storms. They're built for the gentler more subtle ones that are most likely to occur in between. Since gully washers are so infrequent in the desert the city doesn't have much opportunity to wash off the oil and grime that collects the dust and dirt of daily life. The combination of the two makes anything motorized with wheels float and glide above it with only perpetual motion and grace to guide them. It is a case of driver and all others beware for nature has momentarily asserted control.
These storms are a cause for celebration to urban and suburban desert dwellers. The sky, the air, the roofs, the buildings, the roads, everything is washed clean. The brief period when the storm is pelting the ground everything either dramatically slows or grinds to a complete stop. Indeed for awhile those caught driving in it may be in for as rough a time as intimidating as being stuck in a blizzard in Des Moines. Then slowly the streets and sidewalks drain into any overflow available eventually to make it underground where it will be stored during the long dry spell until the next storm. Life returns to normal only with a fresh, clean new start. The city has been replenished and reborn.
Hard rain hits this desert city so infrequently it gives a new meaning to the term desert pavement, which usually refers to the compacted sand and rock on the open range dry desert floor, that creates severe flooding runoff when it does rain. In the urban landscape there is literal man made pavement with insufficient man made drainage to handle the two seasons a year rain hits fast and furious in copious torrents. Just as the natural desert pavement is unable to absorb that amount of moisture into the ground in such a short time, neither can the manufactured pavement of a metropolitan area. It is an intensely exciting period of baptism by immersion and being washed cleaned.
Raindrops fall like bullets in rapid fire machine gun like from the stratosphere above assailing the ground. It happens so quickly with so much force that as it strikes the ground it quickly pools. Even the best inner-city drainage systems are unable to handle these storms. They're built for the gentler more subtle ones that are most likely to occur in between. Since gully washers are so infrequent in the desert the city doesn't have much opportunity to wash off the oil and grime that collects the dust and dirt of daily life. The combination of the two makes anything motorized with wheels float and glide above it with only perpetual motion and grace to guide them. It is a case of driver and all others beware for nature has momentarily asserted control.
These storms are a cause for celebration to urban and suburban desert dwellers. The sky, the air, the roofs, the buildings, the roads, everything is washed clean. The brief period when the storm is pelting the ground everything either dramatically slows or grinds to a complete stop. Indeed for awhile those caught driving in it may be in for as rough a time as intimidating as being stuck in a blizzard in Des Moines. Then slowly the streets and sidewalks drain into any overflow available eventually to make it underground where it will be stored during the long dry spell until the next storm. Life returns to normal only with a fresh, clean new start. The city has been replenished and reborn.
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