Just to let you know, next Monday we kick off a new What I Learned From… groupwrite project and I forgot to announce the topic earlier!
This month’s topic: Colorful Characters
Got it? OK, grab the writing instrument of your choice and come back on Monday for all the details, won’t you?
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Did I every tell you I always wanted to be a spaceman? No, not an astronaut – a spaceman, like Flash Gordon or any of those other lucky fellows I used to read about when I was a kid.
I found this illustration in an 1956 book about space travel – well, at least, space travel as they used to imagine it would be like – and this little bit of prose came to mind…
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He reads his books of space adventures and distant futures, of fantasies and new frontiers, dreaming of a life of marvelous excitement among the stars. Sometimes, as the sun retires for the evening leaving only a faint pink glow along the horizon, he imagines himself journeying to those distant sparkling points of promise.
In the dusky silence of day’s end, their crystal voices gently brush his heart with a barely-felt quiver of anticipation and mystery. Listening closely, he hears their cold, siren call and aches to follow them to far-flung shores on ancient worlds of discovery and wonder.
His present world of climbing trees, sunny skies and puppy dogs fades to unreality as new worlds, amazing landscapes, and strange peoples fill his mind’s eye. To his confident and innocent view the future is bright and optimistic, filled with wondrous possibilities – and it is good.
He still looks up at the stars on occasion, remembering those somewhat far-fetched summer dreams of days gone past. He smiles on the inside, though nothing appears where passerbys might see and wonder. These days his thoughts are filled with far more practical matters: choosing a good college, keeping those pesky test grades up, and making career choices. Actual, down-to-earth career choices, he amends to himself, wondering how anyone could possibly know what career they really are best at without having experienced anything first.
The accumulated knowledge of space and time has made great strides over the year. Scientific reality laid to rest the fanciful adventures he knew as a child were just around the corner. Rocket ships filled with adventurous folks just weren’t that practical, it seemed; their lines were dictated far more by coldly logical engineering principles than imagination and dreams. Ah, well.
His present world of books and friendships, cars and sweethearts fades to unreality as he imagines one career path after another, attempting to divine the best and brightest path for himself. So many possibilities; so many exciting things to choose from! To his confident and youthful view the future is bright and optimistic, filled with wondrous possibilities – and it is good.
Deep within his prime, he no longer looks up at the stars with any sense of wonder, his path too filled with family, work and the establishment of what security can be wrung out of his career. Though it’s not exactly the one he started with, still, it suits him and he’s happy. His wife, his children, his faith; they all occupy a central part of who he is now, filling him with a sense of joy and wonder – and especially blessing.
It fills his need to conquer, providing many, if occasionally mundane, goals worthy of his reach. The only horizons sees these days are those he can reach by car or plane; nothing beyond that calls to him any more. Those distant dreams of childhood, of going to strange places and contacting other civilizations – well, that was a dream of childhood, the breath of yesteryear.
Satisfaction and purpose fills his life and he knows the track he follows. After all, the horizon is not that far. To his confident and mature view the future is bright and optimistic, filled with wondrous possibilities – and it is good.
Sitting on the porch as evening falls with awesome silence, he notices the stars once more. Their crystal song is silent now, but maybe… if he listened closely, there is something. Sepia memories of warm summer days and glorious star-filled nights play across the shores of his mind’s eye, bringing a smile upon wrinkled lips. He looks back with fondness at the life he’s lived, content, but at the same time – not. So much accomplished, yet so much missed!
For the first time in a long, long time, those old adventures sprang forth from the dusty recesses he’d laid them. Sacrificed to the relentless pursuit of reality, they’d lain forgotton, waiting, yet still calling with their tiny voices. No anger or remorse, but a hint of sadness just the same.
His great-grandchildren play on the lawn, games of imagination and make-believe, daring each other to push beyond the limits set by reality and parents. He quiestly remembers his own fanciful dreams of flying beyond the star above to see what could be seen, pushing those limits back beyond the edges of the universe. He knows it’s too late for him… but for them, distant horizones of his youth fled away beyond his sight. In his view, once again the future is bright and optimistic, filled with wondrous possibilities – and it is good.
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“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
- Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu
I was walking in a park the other day and happened to notice this Mile Zero marker at my feet. This naturally got me to thinkin’ (sound of grinding gears) about life’s journeys, and how a person can end up where they are. (What can I say? I was in a pensive mood that day.)
If you take the time to think about it, where you are in life right now is the result of a rather long series of events.
For instance, take the leader of any given organization. I mean, whoever it is didn’t just decide one day to be The Top Dog, you know. Nope, they had to learn what it took to handle the role, make planned and skillful career moves, perhaps take advantage of opportunity as it arose. Eventually, if all the cards fell into place, they made it to the top.
Oh, sure; sometimes a leader gets the role by accident. But that doesn’t mean they’re not qualified and have the characteristics needed to lead. It takes time, effort, and sometimes luck to get there, no matter who you are or what your goal is.
Now think about where YOU are right now. Is it anything like where you thought you’d be when you first started out however many years ago? I’d be willing to wager – probably not! No, what characterized most folks’ journeys is the unpredictability of ‘em. You can make your plans, learn the ropes, identify the goals or whatever. But sometimes it’s still a surprise.
Despite that, setting goals and makin’ those plans is certain worth doing. I mean, if nothing else, it’s good training for wherever you end up. But there’s one more thing you need to get where you’re going. And without this one last thing, you might as well give up now.
Sometimes that first step is the hardest one, isn’t it? You’ve spent a lot of time planning, scheming, working, hoping and, depending upon who you turn to for help, praying. Now all that’s left is the doing.
So today’s question is pretty simple: What’s keeping you from takin’ that first (or maybe it’s not the first, but the next) step?
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I was sitting in the lobby of our local car repair place the other day, thinking gloomy thoughts. I know, I know; you usually think of yours truly as a handsome, happy-go-lucky, always cheerful fellow with a big hat and a bigger heart. [Note from the Proprietor: If you happen to think differently, please don't disillusion me! Oh, and Mrs. MZM had me throw in the "handsome" part. Honest.]
Anyhoo – to those of you who have never opened up the hood of a car – I salute you! I’ll tell ya, I’d just as soon never have to do it myself. To be perfectly honest, what’s under there… well, it sorta scares me.
Oh, I know; that admission may jeopardize my lifetime membership to the Manly Men’s Association if it ever gets out. But I’ll freely admit that when it comes to cars I’m pretty much clueless.
It wasn’t always this way. Once upon a time (sounds like the beginning of a fairy tale, doesn’t it?) I was completely unafraid to tinker with my own car. Alas, those days are quickly receding like my, er, hairline (*sigh*). These days, when I open the hood I get absolutely intimidated by the incomprehensible mishmash of hardware, gizmos and spaghetti-like wiring that greets the eye. And all of it covered by a thick greasy layer of gray-black grime that would give even the redoubtable Mr. Clean heart palpitations. Ick.
Nevertheless, the sad, inevitable truth is, if you own a car, then sooner or later, you’re gonna have to fix something. This time it wasn’t anything major, just the battery. The old one wasn’t puttin’ out the power it used to, and it was only a matter of time before we got in the car, turned the key, and got – nuthin’. (Trust me, I’ve been there and there’s no experience quite like it.)
Needless to say, once the new battery was installed, our car was good as new again. (Well, as good as an 11-year old car can be. I’m a firm believer in driving a car until she drops.) But I realized that getting a tired battery isn’t just something that happens to cars. Nope; it happens to people, too.
Yep; it’s not all that unusual for us to experience something similar. Given enough time, you’ll probably experience a time when it seems as though you just don’t have all the emotional energy you need to face life as usual. I know I have. Sometimes the constant battle with getting things done can take such a toll that there comes a moment when you might suddenly look up and think, “Enough!”
Hey, don’t feel like the Lone Stranger, my friends; it happens to a lot of us. So what to do? Well, here’s three ideas I’ve tried in the past.
Take a Break. These days the pace of life seems to be getting faster and faster with no end in sight. It’s so easy to ignore the need for rest now and then. There’s nothing wrong with taking some time off, you know. I mean, the universe isn’t going to come to a screeching halt without you, you know. Hey, here’s a radical idea: try not working every day and taking at least one day a week off. (God Himself prescribed exactly that when He created Life, the Universe, and Everything, so just on that basis alone it ought to be something worth taking seriously, don’cha think?) But you’ll find, as I have, that regular periods of rest can actually make you more productive than if you never took the time.
Switch Tracks for a While. Sometimes when you find yourself completely overwhelmed with whatever’s, uh, whelming you, the best thing you can do is what I call “change the game”. I mean, take a little time to do a totally different task for a while. What happens, see, is you get so caught up in whatever it is you’re doing your mind begins to narrow its focus until that’s all you can see. It’s sorta like running a 400-yard dash. Because of your focus, the only thing you see is the lane you’re in and the finish line; everything else becomes a gray blur. Doing something different, though, will help your brain regain its normal equilibrium and even enable you to think more clearly.
Do Something Different. Maybe, in the immortal words of the Monty Python gang, it’s time for something completely different. And I’m not talkin’ about just for a short while. Nope, I mean maybe your life would be a lot more fulfilling if you were doing something, y’know, else. It’s happened to quite a few folks over the years, including yours truly: starting out in life going in one direction, only to find it just doesn’t satisfy them like they thought it would. The fact is, more and more folks do it all the time. And, there’s no need to feel like you’re doing something no one has ever done before, either, so at least you’ll have plenty of company.
OK, those are just three ideas. What about you? What else would you suggest for someone whose battery has been running dangerously low? Share your advice down there in the comment box and maybe you’ll be helping someone else who’s facing the same challenge right now.
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I’m thinking of… love. Thinking about the how and the why of it. Wondering if I’ll ever understand the whole of it, even. Knowing that it’s not possible for my poor, finite mind to comprehend it. At least, not yet.
Oh, don’t get me wrong; I understand a little. I mean, I’ve experienced the amazing joy of love firsthand. And not just once, but many times, in many different ways. But over the years I’ve noticed a difference in the kinds of love there are. This simple little word doesn’t easily convey to us its rich tapestry of inherent meanings.
For instance, when I say I love… my steak – you know, the one I just cooked to juicy perfection on our backyard grill, with a nice baked potato on the side, done just right and topped with a little butter, bacon, and cheese – well, it’s pretty obvious the love I’m talking about is really just a very intense “like”.
There’s such a thing as love… but that’s not it.
When I say I love… my friends, it’s obvious I’m talking about that feeling of camraderie, of fellowship and friendship I get from the people I know who know me back in more than a casual way.
There’s such a thing as love… but that’s not it.
When I say I love… my own sibling, it’s about a familial relationship. Not that I don’t love that family member any less or any more, just because I had no choice in it, you know. It’s almost an obligation, albeit one I willingly agree to.
There’s such a thing as love… but that’s not it.
Back when I was still single, when I said I loved… the woman with whom I was building the beginnings of a significant relationship with, I was really talking about that feeling most of us recognize as “being in love”. You know what I’m talking about, right? Sweaty palms, hot flashes, brain freezes – all the silly, goofy things we find ourselves doing to first impress, and then win that other person.
There’s such a thing as love… and although I was getting closer… well, that wasn’t quite it.
But what about when I say I love… my wife? I think I’m finally getting close to what real love is. It’s not about getting, but about giving – the giving of my self – to her. To put her interests above my own. To want what she wants, to feel what she feels, to put her above myself in every way. (Not that I claim to be successful at it – but it’s a worthy goal, wouldn’t you say?)
There’s such a thing as love… I wondered and I searched, and finally, I think I know. How do I know? Because I went to the source of love. To the One Who created love in the first place. Because in reality, love is quite easily defined:
Love is patient.
Love is kind.
Love does not envy.
Love does not boast.
Love is not proud.
Love is not rude.
Love is not self-seeking.
Love is not easily angered.
Love keeps no record of wrongs
Love does not delight in evil.
Love rejoices with the truth.
Love always protects
Love always trusts.
Love always hopes.
Love always perseveres.
Love never fails.
In fact, God is love.
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I was driving in our neighborhood the other day when I passed this poor excuse for a tree in a nearby empty lot.
Over the last three years, I’ve seen this thing gradually reduced from a somewhat taller and more, er, robust version of itself – to this. Pretty pathetic, ain’t it?
Every time we get a strong wind, I’m convinced I’ll drive by and see it has given up the ghost and finally assumed the horizontal position. When Hurricane Ike bulldozed through Houston over a year ago, I really thought that would be the final blow, so to speak. Yet every time I’m surprised to find it holding on just a little bit longer.
Oh, sure, it might be a little smaller, perhaps a little, er, less vigorous than is used to be (which may be considered the understatement of the century), but this amazing tree has managed to persevere no matter what’s been thrown at it. But no – this fellah is still hangin’ in there.
But more than that – it’s still growing! You can see a small clump of leaves there on what remains of the only branch left. What’s more, there’s even a few new saplings growing upward from the base of the trunk, too.
I’ll tell ya what, folks, if there ain’t a powerful lesson here, I’ll… well, I’ll eat my hat!
So I guess the million-dollar questions you have to ask yourself today are: What’s been knockin’ ya down, lately? And, what’s your response gonna be?
Next time you’re tempted to give up, just remember this tree. (And yes, I’m talkin’ to me, too.)
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Wow, what a great topic, y’all! Who, I ask you, hasn’t learned something from the smaller-sized versions of ourselves? Even if you don’t have kids of your own, there’s plenty to learn from when we were kids ourselves, right?
Anyhoo – a big ol’ Yeehaw! is in order for the participants in this month’s groupwrite project: What I Learned From Children. In fact, we had [updated again] 19 entries this time around! (sound of crowd cheering enthusiastically)
So take a look at the list below, in which all the entries are listed in the order in which I found ‘em. Do yourself a favor and drop by each writers’ site and start a conversation, why don’cha? You’ll be glad you did.
And of course, here’s a few more from yours truly:
I’d like to thank all those who participated this month, and hope you enjoy some of the wild, weird, and sometimes even whacky stuff that goes on here at the Zone. Don’t forget to drop by next month for another exciting episode of As The World Turns What I Learned From….
And of course, a big ol’ tip o’ the hat to ya!
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Middle Zone Musings is a comfortable place to stop, have a cup of coffee, swap a few stories and share practical ideas for the real world. I don't ask for much, just a bit of your brain every now and then. Have a seat, take a load off, and relax...
