What's the Fuss?

The world is in turmoil. 
So it seems.  On a global scale, nations are dealing with terrorism, disease, genocide, natural disasters and poverty.  On an individual level, it's the same -- people are struggling with their personal fears, health, mortality, physical security and finances.

How do I know this? 
My perception of everything that's happening in the world depends upon how I process electrical impulses in my brain.  Everything that I perceive, everything I've seen, heard or read about, plus everything that I conceive and that I believe, is electrical impulses in my brain.  All Creation ... the Present, Past and Future of the Universe and all that dwell within and beyond it, are merely electrical impulses in my brain.

Does it matter whether there is more to Reality than that? 
For practical purposes, everything has been reduced.  These electrical impulses are mine to do with as I please.  So, just for fun, I'll take my view of the world and stir in some fantasies and some memories. My vision of the future is imaginary, of course.  Memories are my perception of things that happened in the past, minus the details that I've forgotten, plus whatever I now imagine to have perceived at the time. Let's be honest, memories are (to some degree) imaginary.  The Truth is not naked.

So, it's all the same, huh?
When I recall the past or envision the future, it's all just electrical impulses ... like my perception of the present world in turmoil.  Everything is just electrical impulses in my brain.  
But wait! 
 Surely, my brain is not the true center of the Universe. I'm just a lowly pilgrim.  
So why, I humbly ask, is everybody making such a big fuss about my electrical impulses?

If you have an answer to this rhetorical question, I'd like to hear it. It will become another electrical impulse to be processed, then stored or forgotten, like the rest. Ho, Hum!  Of course, that's no excuse for you to be apathetic. I have mine. Go get your own.
   
FINI

Port-of-Call

At birth,
      we disembarked to a port-of-call
             full of joy and sorrow, pain and pleasure.
We may view it as a furlough,
       as a life sentence of imprisonment in a body,
             or as an all-day pass at an amusement park.
When the Captain blows the whistle,
        we stop what we're doing, return to the ship
                     and sail on.

A NEW YEAR (and I don't care)

5:30 am, January 1, 2014.

A new year and I'm still here. For that, I'm grateful.
Yet, what difference does a new year make?
Every day, every hour, every minute,    
every breath is a new beginning,
If I declare it to be so.
On we go.

One step into the future is a step out of the past.
But what of the moment? Where am I now?
If always coming or going,
     when does a human have time for being?
When is Life?

We leave the past behind:
      the celebration and the sorrow.
Memories are safe there -- nothing can hurt them.
Tomorrow has hope and fear, dreams and tears,
     and maybe even glory.
Is that the real story? I don't think so.
Every story has a beginning and an ending.
That's what we remember,
      but it's the middle that really matters:  
      where the peanut butter meets the jelly.

When I look at my hands, I can see where I am and where I have been.
I feel the roughness and the callouses, the stinging that lingers,
      the wounds not quite healed.
One hand is empty - nothing to clutch, nothing to do.
The other holds a pen.
Ah!  There is the moment  - alive and well,
     creating something, pausing, moving, stopping,
     making sense out of life.  So it goes.

Let the revellers toot their tin horns.
Let them have their new year. I don't care.
All I want is one more breath.

FATE - a sudden sonnet

Everything you thought would last,
everything you've counted on,
is disappearing all too fast.
The world you know will soon be gone.
One day you find yourself alone.
The people who you thought were friends
all have troubles of their own.
And so it goes -- it never ends.

When fate is waiting at your door,
turn the lock and let her in.
Find out what she wants you for.
Life might get better than it's been.
It's time to take her as your wife.
Fate's been your roommate all your life.

My New Year's Resolutions for 2013

      in order of difficulty, more or less.  Please wish me luck !

1. Forgive myself for forgetting or defying most of my 2012 resolutions.
2. Try not to make more than $400,000 -- to avoid those nasty tax increases.
3. Get a haircut, maybe.
4. When there's time left on my parking receipt, leave it in the slot for the next guy.
5. When in Walm*rt, refrain from saying, "I'd like to see someone in Ladies Underwear."
6.  What the Heck, refrain from Walm*rt altogether.
7. Discard anything in the fridge with an expiration date from the 20th century.
8. Never leave fewer than 3 sheets of TP on the roll. It's the least I can do to be courteous.
9. Retire the following words or phrases  
         Paradigm, scenario, genre, out-of-the-box, under-the-bus, OMG, LoL, Deal with it,
         We need a bigger boat (I still like that one), or "Are you talkin' to me?"
10. File  my tax return before August,
    assuming the IRS knows before then what deductions didn't go off the Fiscal Cliff.
11. Try not to judge judgmental people.
12. Be as polite to my family as I am to strangers.
13. Remember that if I want people to accept me just the way I am,
            I have to accept them just the way they are (but I can still walk away).
14. Try not to complain, criticize or gossip.
15. Deleted --  already broken.  That's a sign to stop making resolutions. 

LOOKING YOUTHFUL: Another Semi-Serious Sonnet

If you want to look young, just consider the crayon.

There are some that will alwaysok new.

With tips that stay sharp and wrappers that stay on;

But not Red, Yellow, Purple or Blue.

Likewise, Orange and Green are quite quickly worn down

'Til just a dull stub doth remain.

Even gloomier shades, like the Black and the Brown,

Are soon sticks made of wax on the wane.

Yet the Okra, the White and perhaps the Chartreuse,

With their wrappers that haven't been torn,

Simply stay in their box for they don't get much use,

So their points hardly ever look worn.

But what pride can you take appearing so youthful,

If it means that you're not very useful?

Author's Comment:

Many well-preserved people lead useful lives.  In fact, keeping busy helps keeps you young.  This poem refers to those among us who value appearance only  ~  and don't look deeper.   I'd like to incorporate this point into the poem ...  but who ever heard of a sonnet with three stanzas?

IN THE BEGINNINGS: A Semi-serious Sonnet

So ...

God rested on the seventh day.

We have accepted that on faith.

But Scripture doesn't really say

what He did on Day the Eighth.

It seems that only Heaven knows

just how God spent that second week

With omnipotence would you suppose

He'd hit the beach in Martinique?

No!

Creators don't stop making things!

He would make some more dimensions

Full of divine imaginings,

    truly marvelous inventions,

        and Creatures unlike me and you.

That is what creators do!

What is LOVE? Who is GOD? Mysticism for the Shallow Mind

 LOVE is GOD ~
     for GOD is LOVE (1 John 4:8) ~ 
All of it! 
Every warm feeling or thought, 
Every kind word, spoken or written,
Every secret longing, every unselfish action or prayer ~
    ever and everywhere, since the first light of the first dawn.
The unseen, often unfelt, centripetal force that makes us One.
That is what Love is -- and that is who God is.  
Powerful beyond comprehension.  
All the rest is garbage or glitter.
Any more questions?

--  an excerpt from the imaginary anthology, "Mysticism for the Shallow Mind"

Part I. CRITICISM FROM OTHERS

From CRITICISM,  A TRILOGY


FOREWORD

My head wrote this poem to buoy up my heart 
     when it was low in the water. 
It worked -- so now we offer this verse to you, 
     with sincere hope that you’ll find something useful. 
If you don’t like what it says or how it’s said, 
     we really don’t give a dust bunny.

It’s Not About You

Do not take to heart
     any judgmental comments from others.
Cynics and most critics
     are cursed with a relentless itch --
A need to convince themselves
     that they are not inferior to others.

They project their fears and inadequacies
     onto whomever they can.
So when they make disparaging remarks,
     it is one self-image chastising another.
Neither one is yours.
     It’s not about you at all.

If someone throws bricks at you,
     do not stoop to throw them back.
Build something with them --
     perhaps a wall around your garden.
Leave an open gate – you want a boundary,
     not a fortress or a prison.

Elitism is a Euphemism

Snobbery is Insecurity all dressed up
     in fancy, musty clothes from a stuffy attic.
False Pride is Shame going the ball --
     but dreading midnight.
Snobs are afraid they’ll be found out
     to be like everyone else, frail and flawed.

Most of their shortcomings matter very little,
     but one crucial virtue is lacking.
Humility – the habit of seeing yourself
     as you truly are, not as you wish to be.
Once you accept the truth,
     there is nothing left to prove.

Part II. SELF-CRITICISM Reprise from April 6, 2010

From CRITICISM: A TRILOGY

The Road To Perfection

The harshest critic is usually the Judge within you
     taking over the task begun by your parents.
Perhaps it’s time to send that judge down the road –
     and to exile the Judge’s soul-mate, the Victim --
that pin-cushion Martyr, with arrows by the hundreds
     sticking into him or her from all angles.

Do you set higher standards for yourself
     than you do for others? Isn’t that Vanity?
Why be so slow to forgive yourself for making errors,
     when you would so quickly forgive a friend?
Do you think you can achieve Perfection?
     If so, you’ve already made one big mistake.

Accept the fact that the Road to Perfection
     has not been completed -- nor will it ever be.
Check all your baggage except for one knapsack,
     then tear up the ticket and travel light.
Let the Judge and Victim trudge toward Perfection,
     while you head toward Fulfillment instead.

Your Garden

Peer into a mirror as if it were a window
     looking out on a garden.
Then step outside into that garden
     and just admire it for a while.
Now you may look around for weeds,
     but go slowly and carefully with the hoe.

Every new sprout is not an evil alien invader
     on a mission to choke your petunias.
Welcome some wildflowers,
     like Spontaneity and at least a little Risk.
Trust Helen Keller -- “Life is a daring adventure or nothing.
     Security is mostly a superstition. ”

Take time often to water your garden,
     but not with a fire hose.
Compassion is a persistent shower,
     but a gentle one --
Enough to wash the dust from the leaves
     and refresh the thirsty roots.

Now go somewhere else
     and do something different.
Come back in the morning light to see how well
     the garden grew during the night --
Simply because you turned it over and left it alone --
     trusting that all would be well. It is.

Part III. CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM

From CRITICISM,  A TRILOGY


Criticism Without Condescension

The only criticism of any value
     is Constructive Criticism, kindly offered.
Patronization is a hollow bone,
     useful only as a weapon.
Sincerity is the marrow needed for growth.
     Pick no bones without it.


Whom Do You Trust?

Seek the advice of someone with no agenda
     other than to help you.
Someone trustworthy, truthful and tactful,
     who will say what they truly believe.
Don’t bother if you’re just looking for someone
     to agree with you.

Put your own opinion on a shelf, for now,
     to make room in your head for new ideas.
Listen with an open mind
     and adopt ony the ideas that willl work for you.
The finest new clothes may not come in your size.
     Borrow only those that fit.

Value the opinion of a simple man,
     though he may lack tact or eloquence.
Unencumbered by pride or reputation,
     he often sees more clearly than the experts.
With childlike honesty, he will give you his view,
     and be delighted that you asked for it.


Divine Guidance

Tech support is available from our manufacturer.
     Call him -- anytime, any topic, no cost!
Smarter than Google, though slower than a turtle,
     with answers tailored to your needs.
It’s not necessary to put your question into words,
     or even into complete thoughts.

You won’t be addressed by a voice from the sky –
     unless you’re Charlton Heston.
It will be more like a telepathic message
     from Jiminy Cricket, perhaps when you’re asleep.
Wish upon that star … then wait … patiently ... quietly …
     and the answer will seep into you.

Without your knowing when it happened,
     you’ll realize that you can see more clearly.
When you get this gift that some call Grace,
     do what Mom taught you: say, “Thank You!”.
Somehow, the fog will have faded away –
     and you will know what is right and true.


AFTERWORD -- An Earworm for You to Sing and Share

“Has anybody here --
     seen a judge and a victim?
Can you tell me where they hide?”
     “I thought I saw them trudgin’
Down the road to Perfection,
     with Anger, a Martyr, and Pride.”


LAST WORD

Copyright 2010, V. J. Lucid and The Attention Deficit Compan
      but feel free to forward it to friends.
It’s too big to chew without cutting it up,
      so each part and many verses are written to stand alone.
If you like it,  please tell DrSpeedbump@DrSpeedbump.com
If you don’t like it, you can't image the size of the dust bunny I do not give.

A GLOSSARY of EMOTIONS

The Attention Deficit Compan

presents

A GLOSSARY OF EMOTIONS

• Anger is the bottle of warm soda that you dropped on the floor and then left on the table for an unsuspecting person to open.  Sometimes it’s a suit of armor (see Hurt).

• Anxiety is a parasite that feeds on Doubt and defecates more than it consumes.

• Confidence is the jar that contains Anxiety.  Nobody knows what's in there, but you.  

• Contentment happens when you stop bitching long enough to count even a fraction of your blessings.

• Desire and Fear: the two puppeteers who try to move you about.
  They inevitably tangle your strings. 

• They inevitably tangle your strings. 

• Despair is a sea of Sadness on a moonless night in March. Hope is a dolphin.

• Disappointment is a result of focusing on the outcome rather than on the process.

• Discontent is what you get when you can’t see what you already have.

• Embarrassment is the ragged underwear beneath a suit of Dignity.

• Envy is the result of looking in the mirror and seeing somebody else instead of yourself.

• Faith is a conviction made with insufficient evidence.

• Gratitude is Grace going the other way.

• Grief and Sorrow are the wounds left behind when a part of you is ripped away. Sympathy is the bandage and Compassion is a kiss to make it better.  

• Guilt is the hangover your conscience gets when it realizes what Selfishness has done.

• Happiness is the prize you get if you stay on the ride through the ups and downs, remain seated, keep your hands inside the car at all times, and hold on to the few things that really matter.

• Hatred is not the opposite of Love.  That’s Indifference. Hate is the venom of the snake that inevitably bites its own tail.

• Hurt is the little person inside a big suit of Anger, like the Wizard of Oz.

• Jealousy is the jailer who tortures himself when his prisoner tries to escape.

• Loneliness comes to visit when your roommate is a self-image that you don’t really like.

• Love is God, for God is Love.  All of it! Every warm feeling or thought, every kind word, every secret longing, every unselfish action, ever and everywhere: the unseen, often unfelt centripetal force that makes us One.  To learn how to Love and how to Be Loved – that’s why we’re here.  All the rest is colored bubbles.

• Sadness is something  that you need once in a while so you’ll recognize  Happiness when it happens.

• Self-Pity is Sadness with Low Self-Esteem.

• Shame is the noise a secret makes when it rattles the closet door.

• Suffering is the soreness you get for resisting what is.  

• Vengeance is where Pride goeth after the fall.  Humiliation is the driver.

• Zeal is Enthusiasm on Speed.

___________________________________________________
Copyright 2010, 2013 V. J. Lucid
It’s OK to forward it to anyone who might like it.
Lots more at DrSpeedbump.com and TheAttentionDeficitCompan.com

HOW TO ACCEPT WHAT YOU CANNOT CHANGE

Define something that bothers you
and something else that brings you joy.
Write them down in two short phrases.
Now! Give them permission to exist in your kingdom.
Just for now. Not for ever.

Don't wrap your difficulty in despair,
nor get too comfortable with comfort.
Good fortune is a reason to be grateful,
rather than self-congratulatory or smug.
Acceptance precludes neither hope nor risk.

Wear or carry some little trinket, anything,
to remind you daily that "this, too, shall pass."
All that is painful or joyful, beauteous or hideous,
will inevitably fade like the morning fog.
So, give it permission to be in your kingdom ... for now.

Photo Credit: Dave Kemp - PicturePerfect.nu

PONDERING LIFE AFTER DEATH and RAMBLING ON about it, too.

PONDERING

Will there be Life after Death?
Will we find God or Nothing?
We need not fear -- it doesn't matter.
A difference without a distinction.

If there is no afterlife, we won't know it.
If there is, it is beyond knowing,
at least until we get there.
What's the difference between unknown and unknowable?

Two questions,
but just one answer.
One Truth.
One.

RAMBLING ON

We've heard it again and again,
this same answer to many other questions:

"I am the Alpha and the Omega"
"In the end, there can be only One."
"E Pluribus Unum."
"One, singular sensation ..."
"Om."
"We get to carry each other.
      One. One."
One.
"What's so hard about that?

HAIKU TEE-SHIRTS ? Why Not?

Knowing the answers
is not as important as
knowing who to ask.

This Haiku is the first of Dr Speedbump's
serious, satirical and silly Smarty-Pants Slogans
to be available on Tee-shirts, mens' or ladies',
in your choice of size and color
through Zazzle.com

On an austerity budget? Get the same Haiku slogan
on a pin-back button and put it on any old Tee shirt or cap.
TAKE A LOOK HERE

OR
Make your own custom gifts at Zazzle

BLESSINGS - The Final Four

I have been blessed with three of the four best blessings imaginable.
I regret that my gratitude is no match for that grace.
Death is nowhere in sight, and I'm already learning
how to live,
how to love, and
how to be loved.

I have yet to be graced with the ultimate blessing:
to learn how to die.
Whether Death is crouched around the next corner,
or asleep behind the moon,
I do hope to be ready when we meet.
I know of no blessings beyond this.

EVOLUTION

Evolution is nothing more
than God taking very small steps.
Intelligent design is just taking time.
God hasn't finished creating us yet.
Thy Will be done on earth,
little by little.
When You're eternal,
always have been
and always will be,
There's really no need to hurry.

ETERNAL LIFE

In the Here and Now,
Time is a non-entity
Just as it is in Eternity.
In the absence of Time,
We cannot be moved or stopped.
We cannot cease to be.
Eternal life is Here and Now.
A gift that few unwrap.

GOD'S IMAGE and MAN'S IMAGINATION

The Good Book says God created Man in His own image and likeness.
Man returned the favor -- and Michelangelo notarized it
by creating a corporeal image of the Creator, as well as for Adam.
Scripture is still assumed to refer to bodies rather than souls.

Life then imitated Art; and millions more made the same wrong turn.
Man's imagination tends to be limited by his senses.
Even a genius, in the role of artist, has this limitation. Besides,
the fussy old pope probably demanded a picture he could see.

God is a whole lot bigger than our little brains can imagine.
The Universe, His creation, is not merely what it appears to be.
Neither are we. There is much we don't know about ourselves.
Of that we can be certain, humbly confident of our ignorance.

REALITY

Reality is, more or less, the Will of God.
Our Free Will accounts for the "less".
Nothing is anything,
if (or unless) God wills it,
or at least allows it.
So...
I can do anything I wish, God willing.
Conversely, without God, I can do nothing.
Sometimes, God lets me do nothing.
He doesn't expect me to do anything!
Isn't that something?