Summer is just starting don’t get strung out?

 PULLING SOME “STRINGS” ANDGETTING INTO THE WEEDS

Summer is fully upon us now and it means picnics, camping, the beach, cold adult beverages etc.etc.etc...and of course amnesia.   Amnesia?  Well it seems every year a substantial percentage. Of people forget how to drive  in snow or sleet every summer and so there. Must be some form of summer forget functions at play.  

Yet  all is not sunshine and rainbows when it comes to the season of sol...Summer  brings with it that almost endless supply of uninvited greenery that we commonly call WEEDS.

Now about 50 years ago  someone  got really tired of kneeling down with a knife or bare hands and pullling, pulling, pulling.  They thought and thought and thought and finally decided there could be this  machine that would whip a chord around at mind blowing speed and that this chord would decapitate the unwanted ground cover.  ....And all was well—-or. Maybe not.  

You see this chord had to be light enough for the motor to generate. Enough rpm to spin a cutting head and while wire whips could have been light enough they would get caught on chain link fencing and tear up wood trim.  They could spark on stone or concrete etc. so wire chord or metal blades in general wouldn’t be idea.  So yes...plastic was the ticket.  

Of course the weed eater...weed whacked...or just plain string trimmer got popular in a hurry and people ...more people buy them each year at the rate of about  10 million more each year and estimates are that there are over 100 million  in existence in the US  right now ‘Existence” being the key word.  Notice  no claim was made. About how many  are in use?  

You see anyone who has ever spent much time with. These modern marvels will tell you about their ingenious nearly fatal flaw—the trimmer. Line and spool assembly.  

We won’t spend too much time on the spool assembly except for stating these are not the same from brand to brand.  While  most of the assemblies are not. Too difficult to attach and then put  back onto the main device, almost every manufacturer has managed to include one or more  small fragile plastic pieces in the head that spins at hyper speeds guaranteeing that if something  falls off it will  be launched  in a random direction into a busy street, hedge or if it is a green or black part it will definitely  land somewhere in the grass or in the patch of weeds you were whacking.  Since these  spool assemblies  are often  build to “float” or automatically feed more string they regularly contain a spring that is essential to the operation of the device and prone to bounce away every time the trimmer line is replaced.   Okay lets review so far... We have these devices that  do a fine job of whipping weeds, yet the companies should technological leadership for the rest of the technology. Sector by producing small essential parts that only their brand  uses and that are easily lost.  They sold these tech secrets  for the cell phone industry making it a certainty that no two devices use the same charger and adapters for all the possible functions.  

Okay now the trimmer line...First of all because these things were to be used by men there was a need to make some bigger and stronger. Than others so that  we could brag about  having a bigger one or a longer one..or something like that and with that we needed. All sorts of different trimmer line.  Some  trimmer line is thinner and more of it can fit  on spoools that hold varying amounts.  Some spools allow for two lines and some  are single liners.  Some Easters allow more than one size chord, but now many.   Now with rare exception this line regardless of its thickness is made from extruded plastic—which is plastics that has been heated and stretched.  Now it doesn’t take a rocket scientist. To figure out that a spool  spin nil at high revolutions and encountering  friction may creat heat—and you guessed it... the plastic chords are heated just to the point where the outer edges  melt slightly and cause the merger of the chord/string.  Then the hot spool can no longer release  the chord as designed when. It gets chipped away by the weeds/fence/your boot/your neighbor’s annoying cat—oh wait..other yard obstacles.  

So then you stand in your yard  with  your whackerin hand removing the spool  parts.  You  spend the five minuted needed to find the parts that. Have bounced around. Your yard and  the extra minute admiring the string of swear  words you have just used in a linguistically artful combination... and then you either  use a store bought replacement spool which costs  about as much per inch as prize Manhattan real estate or any sort of plastic surgery.  Or you may buy  just replacement  line and wrap the  existing spool  on your own hoping  that you have done this in  they right direction or the chord. Will not travel in the direction needed  and your likelihood of success will then equal. The likelihood that GPS technology or navigation technology  will ever be named after the Donner. Party.  

So. Now let’s say we have this  plastic  war weed warrior spinning and doing it’s job and that includes the little pieces of chord flying off into the years when  need be.  What  happens to this plastic?  Rumor has it that  the plastic flies into some dark hole and attaches to the socks that disapppear into an alternative universe where honest politicians  find all the socks that disappear along with all the checks that are in the  mail and where all your calls are really important to us.  Well... seriously no ne has ever really considere what happens to the plastic.  Maybe small animals and  birds eat it which would explain how you never see a “Plastic pink flamingo factory” and yet you see a lot of them.  I know there is a lot of plastic  in our oceans so some of it may go there...who knows?  

Alright what’s this have to do with Peace and Joy?  Well it seems that we do need to do something about some weeds as they can dominate. Our pathways and impact our serenity and yet before  whacking away  maybe we can consider that universe puts some of them  there  for a purpose that we might not  grasp.  Maybe  they are a home for butterflies and hummingbirds?  Maybe when they die in the winter they add nutrients to the  ground so that. In some future world a strong oak tree can  make roots that support the glorious trees in future firsts and furnishings.  

You see seeking. Peace and joy and life are not. Always that simple and maybe we should just  get down on our hands and knees a bit  and let nature reveal itself a little more.  

Enjoy Summer!

 

Has anybody seen my old friend Bobby?

  Has anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?

Well in the “seeking  peace and joy world...there may be a reasonable argument for  using the proper  title of the RFK principle.  That is to say in  a spiritual and mental space where hard work optimisimpersistence and experimenting are. What stands for “hope” Bobby’s edict of pushing us  not to ask “why? But to look. At the world before us and ask why not?”  Seems to ring out like a weedwhacker at seven on Saturday morning.  That is to say some will be irritated if you constantly ask 

Why Not?” And others will hear. It loud and clear and be inspired.  

So it was on this day in 1968 RFK was gunned down just after winning the California primary which  probably  would have lead tow presidential run.  We will never know what that would have looked like in the arc of history...so let’s move on... 

Asking why not-points people away from “who is to blame for the troubles we have and points people. To a broad range of possible directions to move forward.  Seeing perfectly where you come from only tells you where you were and may keep you from choosing to attempt to go back whereas asking what’s possible  allows so many  more chances for working together to move  she was combining talents and honoring a wide range of dreams and purposes.  Seeking Peace and Joy seems to fit right into honoring dreams and gifts people have learned and shared.  

...And in other news....

The first commercially viable personal computer

THE APPLE II  went on sale for the first time. On this date in 1977.  This led to a worldwide  (web? No). Revolution as this tool became and continues to become  the paint brush,telephone, library, movie/music studio, and unfortunately  weapon of all connected  people and nations. Is the computer  good or evil—neither... Cp,[others don

T kill pipelines people do.  Computers don’t spread lies minds and hearts do... I will rob ably  do a whole week on the computer/phone/gaming system/ universe when it comes to peace and joy sometime  in the next. Month or so... yet for now I’ll just note I owned an Apple IIgs and  it opened up a world that still holds  a warm place in my  heart and has a direct connection to this blog... as I have used the computer to continue to learn and grow and seek connections with beautiful people and endless stores of  knowledge.  

For. Now let’s just say I look at the computer. And ask ‘why not?”  

Explore. Alternatives...believe. In possibilities... and know that the tools are often right at your fingertips if you  persist and experiment...

So here’s to the crazy. Ones—

Cars that run on alternative fuels new science question peace and joy question

  Alternative  fuel. His it really what we want?

What history  tells us

Okay we are starting to see hybrid cars, some electric only vehicles and even some self-driving  buggies out there.  One of the claims we are hearing. Is that we need to get away from fossil fuels and dependence. Upon  things like pipelines and oil tankers etc.  Well it’s not like  pipelines can cause any social. And political  or environmental controversy—right?  And. Large ships going through small man made canals haven’t ever been muchof a headache—right?  

So having  brought this to light it seems that  the relatively new concept of creating fuel from renewable biofuels doesn’t seem  all that radical.  Well...before we go praising  our modern  thinking...let’s get some facts about our automotive history.  

Yesterday marks the anniversary  of the halt  in production. Of what is probably America’s most famous antique car and the one that put moving assembly line manufacturing on the map—in 1927 Ford rolled out it’s  last Model T.

Here are some things. We think we know about. Ford’s Model T.

Ford did say  you can have a Model T in any color you’d like as long as it’s black...and yet for the first six years of it’s production you could get a model T in some other colors including green and red.  It was only when Ford wanted. To make the3 assembly line faster and cars more affordable that the color restrictions came in.  Also Olds—the car company had the first assembly line they just didn’t make it move.  Ford got the idea from meat packing plants therefore the model T was related to the T-Bone?  

Anyway ... we will get to the peace and joy and modern day implications soon...just one more diversion... 

The 1908 price of the model T was about. $800.  In 1927  the price was down to $290.  This meant many many more people could afford one.  Oh and the fuel thing.  If it hadn’t been for “STANDARD OIL”  being a monopoly driving the price of gas ...Ford was ready to switch to a plant based biofuel such as ethanol.  Imagine if our foreign policy hadn’t been driven. By dependence upon foreign  oil or our domestic politics weren’t clouded  and fractured by debates over oil reserves, fracking, and pipelines?  Instead of Texas Oil Tycoons we might have Corn Cartels?  

So what does this have to do with seeking peace and joy?  

Choices we make in life and that purified or stripped of historic  context often become mythic and have far too  much influence on today.  Sometimes we become afraid to change because things have always even this way...well maybe?  After all  we may think there is  no greater spiritual division than. God and the Devil—-and yet... at one time Satan did work FOR. God.... Things are not what they. Always were and THEY CHANGE.  

So in seeking peace and joy it is perfectly  acceptable to use change and experiment and accept  change.  Also  history can educate but let’s not  let it dictate.  Ultimately we will make decisions and we can help each other. By making sure. That others understand them in order that  we all can learn from each other’s great ideas and mistakes.  In short it’s not  all (or only ) black and white and we can always find different  sources of energy to fuel all the  things we want to move forward in this life—even the Model % that reached a max of 20 horse power and 45 miles per hour... Oh and by the way just to end up on a final note the Model T —the American classic was modified to be a truck a saw mill power plant and grain processing  engine a mobile chapel and some other crazy variants.... So even back then we knew that standards  could be  set and bent a little for the needs of people and seeking peace...and the definition of joy has flexibility too.  

Well I must get this down the road

 

Seeking peace and joy with one hot babe – Jonah Vark

 JOAN (JEHANNE) OF ARC-

SEEKING PEACE AND JOY WITH. “ONE. HOT  BABE”

So 101  years have passed since the Catholic  church  recognized  Joan of Arc as a great spiritual leader and yet some might say people of a certain gender  still struggle to get  seen as equals in that religion.  Oh  let’s take a deeper look however.... It was on this date in 1431 that this spiritual and military  leader was  burned at the stake for heresy.  Oh..not for matters of religion my friend but primarily because she dressed in male clothing. While serving in the military.  What?  She may have avoided this altogether had the King of France  who benefited greatly from her efforts would have backed her wardrobe.  Now  the 1430’s were slightly before the Age of Enlightenment where most males in high society dressed in silk stockings and wore quite opulent powdered wigs and ruffled shirts (Alice Cooper and Boy George would have envied these cats)... So it was 489 years between  her death and  her “sainthood.”  Now these folks really wanted to make sure  she couldn’t be remembered or honored in any physical way as they burned her—let’s count them—not once—not twice—but three times.  

So what’s the “seeking peace and joy angle? 

We can be pretty sure that JEHANNE didn’t figure on being a saint as some believe she didn’t even know her last name.  No one that knew her during her life  probably believed. She would be revered and honored  in this way.  

You see .. sometimes seeking peace and joy will mean that  a good deal of time will pass before some other folks might understand  your source for peace and joy.

The powers that be did not  back up her efforts even if it were in their  best interests.  Sometimes seeking peace will mean you will stand and say “wait a minute we need some rethinking and change” and people will  be more  interested in. The love of power than the power of love so “the authorities”  maybe Joan could have gone to. The battlefield with a Howitzer  under her hoop skirt yet then again maybe sometimes. We need to think about how best we can serve and our efforts will fall outside the conventional wisdom?  

Finally Joan saved the lives of many people by forming and executing her  strategy  and yet she didn’t come out ahead... sometimes seeking peace and joy will mean you create  peace or joy for others and in a twist of fate you will stumble across  more difficult circumstances.  

History will often vindicate or reveals  your efforts to help and support others —just hope you aren’t wearing a pair of Kingsford. Corduroys  or the wrong gender in a religion that  moves rather slowly.   

In short... be you  help others..don’t be afraid to seek peace and joy, yet know that immediate gratification/happiness isn’t  always the product you will experience.  

What will. People say. About  “(fill in the blank ) of (fill in your current location 600 years or so from now?  My avice— live for today and believe the rest will take care of itself.  ....eventuallye   

Build them or burn them the cascade bridge why is it Golden?

 WE’LL BURN THAT BRIDGE WHEN WE COME TO IT

Unfortunately in the past few years we have been far prouder of the bridges we are famous for burning than the ones we have built or are building.  So maybe seeking peace and joy gives us an opportunity to revisit the notion of bridges?  

Depending  upon  where you call  ground zero on the big blue marble there are probably a few bridges that seem significant  to each of us. For me... there’s the Blue Water Bridge which connects Port Huron withCanada and the Mighty Mac bridge which connects the Uppers with the trolls... and these are the current bridges however there are a few more that bring. Meaning to my experiences.   There  is London Bridge which apparently  is under the US infrastructure  plan as it. Is now and has been falling down. For as long as I can recall.  There is the Bridge. Over Troubled Waters that people have built for me and that I try to build for others.  Oh and there is always the Golden Gate Bridge the Brooklyn Bridge and that Bridge I can’t remember how to spell but these people  building it during WWII  can sure whistle a great song while marching...  T

These are all great bridges and great Bridge songs even though  thinking of them doesn’t alway leave you feelin’ groovy (you thought. I forgot didn’t you? Lol)

 The Bridges I think of most are the old MacArthur  Bridge  from Burlington to Gulfport and the bridge that holds the most meaning.of all... 

The Cascade Bridge.

The Cascade Bridge spans about  100 yards and was built  in 1896.  Now for a little over a decade this bridge has been shut down thus making it necessary for people to travel a long way between a couple  places in Burlington Iowa.  But what’s a mile or two in a car?  Well the meaning  of the bridge isn’t always in the  car or the horse and buggy that used it.  You see I could  be in my bed with the window slightly open  and from a mile or so away hear vehicles  cross the bridge in the night.  The bridge had a sound of people making an effort to get connected, stay connected, get home from the park, or escape to it.  Even as a teen it reminded me that people were making efforts  to stay. Connected with nature and with each other.  That sound reminded  me that sometimes working to make a more direct connection was very important.   Today’s social media allows a lot of options some of which  allow us clearer connections than we have had and some that allow vague connections.  It seems worth. The time to figure out  what bridges in our lives have which meanings and which bridges need work.  I had this crazy thought that as the money is being used to reopen the Cascade Bridge it might be fun to hire a left leaning bridge crew to work from one end and. A right-leaning crew  to work from the other end with the exception that the left leaning. Crew have a right leaning  leadership group and vise versa.  We could prove that we literally have the capacity  to build bridges  in spite of  certain other things if we can agree upon  the notion that being connected  is a benefit to all of us.  

Anyway  in summary bridges keep us connected and  let us know that we are not alone.  Bridges can be built from either side of a gap and there  is little doubt that both sides eventually genefit.  If we don’t put energy into keeping bridges strong they  might crumble...on the other hand when bridges are strong there is no limit to the impact (known and unknown) they might have.  

I am looking forward to  once again hearing the  Cascade Bridge  in the heat of a summer night and knowing I’m not alone and people still want to stay connected.... Peace.

80 candles for the vandals who stole the handles

 EIGHTY CANDLES FOR THE VANDALS WHO STOLE THE HANDLES

This blog should have appeared yesterday.... yet..the time it takes to dribble out the words of this was  otherwise preoccupied  with contemplation of “the most famous nine questions in song lyric history”. If you don’t know what these are walk outside and lick one finger...reside it  into. The air and you’ll discover  it doesn’t take  the weather man to know which way the wind blows.  If this  isn’t enough to clue you in on the nine questions  well this is a tough quiz and  all you can say to the theif is “there must be  some way out of here.”  Oh I can hear some of you thinking. “You’ve got a lot of nerve”  to abuse  these words for just this pile of thoughts.  Yes. But when you’ve got nothin’ you’ve got nothin’ to lose.  Oh and losers now may be llater to win?  Anyway. The nine most powerful questions in lyric history?  The answer my friend is...—well you take it from there...and if you aren’t of a certain age well don’t think twice..it’s alright.

Ok Bob Dylan is 80...quite possibly the most influential person in my music life—ok popular star wise—but  John and Jackson are within an eyelash—

Bob taught me that you didn’t have to have the best voice if your words were powerful and a bunch of other people followed him in that way like Neil Young and Tom Petty... If you can write or deliver songs with  power a few bent notes aren’t going to stop you.... oh and that’s where. Seeking Peace and Joy comes in.  

Blowin

 In the wind is like the soul song of seeking peace and joy or one of them....

It speaks of patience and justice and equality and listening and really  observing and understanding the human experience.  

For me I’ll just take the first three questions and  illustrate the peace and joy impact for me.. you do what you want with the rest...

How  many. Roads (or different paths) must I walk down before I discover  my current purpose?  (Or get called a man?

How many seas must the white dove sail....How many journeys must I take and restart and remain viable for before I reach my final port?  

How many times must I fight for something until I know that victory will not come  through battles but by doing something else.. when will battles. Be a second or third option and when can most of us lay down the bloody sword?

These are questions that cross my mind as I experience the world and make meaning of all the gifts I call experiences every day...  

So... Happy  Birthday Bob—you have made my search. More of an adventure  than I could have imagined I will always  pray that people will make it clear that the times are. A’ hanging and I will always hope that a certain  number of us will rise up and in the jingle jangle  morning come following you

Monster truck rally on peace and joy Sunday Sunday Sunday

 MONSTER TRUCK RALLY THIS SUNDAU\Y!! SUNDAY!!!  SUNDAY!!!!!!!!!!

So as Winter turns into Summer —sure we had Spring....those three days between frostbite and heat stroke...  Well anyway it seems that repair and construction projects for streets and highways should be up and cranking.  A review of the cost projections for what seems to be simple pavement work is shocking, however there is a reasonable alternative we can explore.  

Monster  Trucks!  Quit spending money on big cement trucks and don’t make human beings stand in the road while 18 wheelers carrying hogs rumble  by leaving gifts.  In fact don’t spend any more on roads at all....Just  provide a Monster Truck for  all eligible  drivers.  

Let’s Look at the promise of this automotive alternative.  

One of the most common traffic  problems in our country and in others is the “rush” hours and home commute traffic jam.   

Monster Trucks can either go off road  making the freeway 60 lanes wide if necessary and if this width isn’t enough the Monsters can just start rolling over the slower and broken down Kias.  

Speed? 

Some might worry that  Monster Trucks don’t have  much speed as they are generally  built with  only  a couple forward gears.  However...the assumption about speed is not warranted.  A Monster pushing methane  through a super high compression motor hit 60mph in a fraction  over three seconds.  

Uses Methane... It seems every mammal on the planet is a good source of Methane and if my diet is any indication supplies are nearly endless. 

Fuel Consumption—well that could be a bit of an issue  as their highest speed many of the trucks cruise at about 246 to 400 feet per gallon when doing tricks.  

One last  cool thing about Monsters... 

These days all the different models of trucks are built so that body parts can just be switched  so that it appears that two super-trucks are at the rally when actually one might be.   And that leads me to the peace and joy search letting Big Foot and The Gravedigger lead the way

Seeking peace and joy often means getting yourself engaged in forming the meanings of things and doing this leads down some pretty rough emotional and cognitive  paths.  Some of these paths are little more that a small mud strip through the woods and some  are 12-lane clover leafs through  a sqrawling suburb featuring  the outlet mall where you can get slightly flawed LlL. Bean cargo pants at a low low price.  

Anyway sometimes you are going to adopt the monster truck  attitude and slowly climb over the traffic that has you stuck little by little.  

Sometimes you’l have to go off the ramp and hope you will get high enouhg to reach your goals in seeking peace and joy...with a Monster Truck the record  ramp-assisted  jump reached a  height of 33 feet.  Yes.. a truck was three stories off the ground. 

Sometimes you will feel yourself a bit out of control  while seeking peace and joy...Well... Monster Trucks  are designed to land our their. Wheels regardless of  their path of tumbling nad speaking of tumbling. A few of these trucks  have landed  a double-back flip.  

In the end we are talking about adaptive  machines and seeking  peace and joy is a very lengthy chain of adaptive  experiences and reflected meanings.   So... every now and then strap on the big seat belt climb into thatMonster Tuck and just inch and crunch you way ahead... and you may see that. The 

CROWD GOES WILD!!!!

Snake Allie the straight scoop on a crooked street

 SNAKE ALLEY: THE STRAIGHT SCOOP ON A CROOKED STREET (the P&J Perspective)

So a good deal of research has been conducted over the last century or so regarding “the crookedest street in the world.”  Now of course word choice and order. Are important here.... You see a person could say Wall Street or Pennsylvania  Ave and this might be greeted with a nod of the head...that is if you are thinking about the street with the most crooks lurking around.  But NO!!!!

We’re talking architecture—geometry—distance traveled between point A and point B...

Few things have remained  constant in the world that date back to 1894–hell not much has stayed constant since 1984...but there is 6th St. between Columbia and Washington in Burlington, Iowa and it is  and remains the most crooked street in existence.  You can Google  this historic  little lane that tied in North Hill and the Downtown in a manner that horse-drawn carriages  could take the step hill to a bustling city.  Now, some rigs had a hard time going back up the hill so this street was deemed “one-way” for safety purposes.  When I was a kid—no not in horse-drawn carriage days...but not four score after those days  I counted among foolish accomplishments sledding down the sidewalk on Jefferson street  until gliding  along the curb all the way  from Burlington Junior college. To the Wonder Bread Bakery and Riding my 10 speed down and back up Snake Alley 3 times  without stoppping...why ?  Young and Dumb —enough said?  

So what I didn’t recognize when I was 15?  I didn’t understand that there was an important lesson  in those limestone and blue clay bricks... What lessons might I gained?

Well on the path of life and seeking peace and joy a straight line can’t be done... you must do a little weaving this way and that.  You can pretty much go in the direction you  think is best, however not being patient and following  what’s in front of you might be hazzasrdous.  Second, sometimes once you’ve gone down a road you can turn around and appreciate where you’ve come from, and yet, you can’t really expect to go back very often without upsetting  things a great deal.  

Finally others may imitate. Your path and journey even people in big cities like San Francisco and yet in the end your path will always be something special and like Snake Alley you can’t bring the whole world with you on the path...but those who share your experiences are important. Souls in your universe.  ....

As I said  I might have been better off had I known the lessons of Snake Alley—and then again I’ve met a lot of wonderful people on my crooked  journey and seen the world from a lot of interesting perspectives.  so if you get the chance... maybe you should head down your own Snake  Alley from time to time but remember. Those  skinny little 10 speed tires and those narrow little seats on those bikes won’t make for the most comfortable  ride... and then again sometimes getting from.here to there  can shake you up a bit and be a pain in your. Backside so to speak.... but for  my money...it’s worth every turn and Snake Alley is like that song telling me there is season...turn, turn turn

 

Fall from Grace? Dare to fly!

 MID-WEEK  MELODY?

So some weeks ago this blog featured the “chorus” for this song and as songs sometimes do the rest of the song took some time to come around.  Then  once the other words melted their way into something the chord progression Ifell apart so some experimenting was called for.  

Next  there was a thought about making this a piano song and for a heartbeat is was...and then nope...back to the six string version.  So now for the seeking peace and joy part....

Sometimes seeking peace and joy means exercising  some flexibility  and considering meanings outside the trapezoid— no “outside the box” assumes  too little change...

So this set of lyrics speaks about some things that seeking peace and joy might  include and while the song isn’t “finished”  it’s time to set it free for  the public.  

Here are the lyrics ... click the Play arrow below to hear the tune.... 

Coming. Later this week—The Monster Truck meets the Mystery of Peace and Joy  & 

The Legacy of Snake Alley...it’s not what you may Think 

Dare to Fly (the resilience Song) Lyrics by Jim Whalen

V1

You’ve got to have adventures before your story’s told

Learn to play old maid before you grow too old

Learn to play Gin Rummy  with or without Gin

You may not know where this winds up but you know where to begin

Pre-chorus

Right  Here Right. Now

Right Her Right Now

Chorus 

If you can learn. To laugh with a tear drop in your eye

Learn how to admit what most folks would deny

Learn to love and forgive without  knowing why

Then you can fall from Grace

And Still Dare to Fly..still dare to fly

V2 Know there will be waiting  at places  on the way

Understand that patience  is a price we all must pay

When it’s time to stand up  and give the wheel a spin

You can’t know where this winds up but you know where to begin

Pre- Chorus

Chorus

V3

If you reach for the ceiling that others just don’t see

And you keep believing  in the best we all can be

If you can stumble  often and get up once again

You won’t know how this ends up, but you’ll know where. To begin

Pre-chorus

Chorus 

Chorus.

https://youtu.be/AC_57sXyJlU

How to move up on the ladder?

 A PEACE AND JOY LOOK AT LADDERS

A couple. Month back this blog  discussed  how the corona  experience has disrupted  several career ladders and  how changes in the world of work will continue. To do that  at a faster pace as time moves forward(?)  Basically  there seems to be a high probability  that some ladders  within organizations will no longer have the expected number of rungs for people to climb and advance. In careers so if you are trying to measure your progress in those terms it will become very confusing and difficult.  If that’s how you prove your growth....well good luck.  

However, let’s say  you still trust the ladder idea as you want to make step by step progress.  Well if that provides the symbolic energy. Needed to confirm your decisions are getting you on the path toward your values...then so be it.  Then here are a couple of things to consider.  When we think of ladders and climbing  we often picture  ourselves —okay I picture myself— climbing up alone.  Seeking peace and joy  for me rarely  means a walk down a path by myself..... At the very least  it would be wise to think about climbing with. At least one other person  holding the ladder  steady.  It helps if that person  is paying attention and understands where you  might be headed and can move the ladder slightly if needed especially if you are climbing up to put out  a fire or to reach a book on a high shelf that is just a bit out of  place.  

The other image I have  regarding ladders is that  of a ladder leaning against a barrier or a wall.  In seeking peace and joy it seems you had better do some  reflecting on  the walls around you.  It’s so often we climb all the way to the top  of the ladder called success or happiness  just to realize our ladder was leaning  against the ladder of economic status and not community  improvement or family togetherness.  In short be prepared to cling a lot and be aware that your ladder. May not always be leaning against. The right wall.  

Okay I have this small step ladder in my living room  I might  dol well to figure out  why it’s there and what my next steps are...

More. Soon

Which is wizards in Kings all my

 FROM FALLING HOUSES TO FREEDOM IT’S A LONG AND WINDING ROAD

Okay calm down...it’s not my fault the house fell on your sister”  “I neither have the time.nor the crayons necessary to explain this to you” “what would you do with a brain if you had one?”  “You know OZ never did give something to the tin man that he didn’t didn’t already have”

These are all slightly snotty remarks I’ve used or thought this week as reflections of seeking peace and joy across history and culture have floated by.  

On the 12th history marked the 806th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta.  If you want a full description and the text of this fine document you can Google it or there are a few copies still floating  around.  Like  my high school year book from my sophomore  year there are words in the Magna Carta there are words that have  not been in common use for  quite some time so I’m not going to quote  it here.  It is sufficient to say that if you look really close at the Magna Carta you probably won’t see “I’m the first one to write in your crack” anywhere and yet you may see some things that seem out of place and comical today.  The point is... this document marks “western civilization’s” original statement of the rights of a group of persons other than the king or emperor.  Now this paperwork  did have some remarkable ideas in it about  civil rights and 806 years later we are still working on that.  Maybe by year 900 we will get. To a better place?   On the other hand  if we just look back to the founding of this  nation  in light of pre-Magna days you might appreciate the progress in human rights and civil liberties  we fight for and enjoy.  Also in the course of human history we might realize just how short the history of the United States is.  In seeking peace and joy it’s tempting to want to experience. The perfect world right away yet the universe has an entirely different  meaning for the term “right away.”  

The lesson? Time? Depends  upon your frame of reference and it is often possible to change that.  

So in addition to it being  Magna Carta week it’s also as of today, the 15th,  the birth day of the author of the Wizzard of OZ.  I’ll refer to him as Franky B... I, knowing  of some his opinions on humanity find it difficult to use his full given name.  I do respect parts of his ramble through Munchkin land.  Now  it does seem the Emerald City’s version of the WHO (Wizzard’s Health Organization)  might have worked together with the CDC  and issues clear “falling House in a tornado” guidance and thus we might have avoided an intractable disagreement  regarding foot ware ownership.  But. It’s complicated you know.  Short version of th “seeking. Peace. And joy in the land of oz/“. 

1. House falls onWitch which is sister of  another which and as is the case in many families somebody wants something before the corpse. Is even cold.
2. As often. Happens people outside the family get involved and really  complicate the situagtion and  have motives that do not appear to be congruent with  the family.  Lot’s of people are around to give the  main actors advice and they can’t keep their squeaky little voices out of the fray oh and will eventually tell somebody where to go —like “follow the yellow brick road.”  
3. There will be some lower level  snot who tries to play the gatekeeper or door man. And stop progress but after some badgering you can usually get  to a decisaion maker.  Now you will find out the decision maker had the power to fix things all along, however he had to give you the runaround first.  Eventually you will pick up on the false hope of this guy as after a while the fact that he is hiding behind a curtain of nonsense become evident.  
4. Finally you will wake up from your nightmare with a headache and surerounded by a support system you already  had.  
6. Okay in terms of seeking peace and joy?
8. The road  will lead you through some strange places and won’t be straight forward.  You will meet some strange people that will have some flaws, yet can be tremendous friends.  Sometimes  they will have gifts that they  have not yet recognized so it’s a good idea to look for the positive parts of everyone.  You will meet a few  folks who aren’t what they seem and some of the people who get in the way  of seeking  peace wand joy  are all wet and will indeed. Melt away.  It is usually  a good idea to include a certain amount of singing and dancing along the way. When seeking peace and joy and it never hurts too consult with the meanings found in the heavens from time to time to stay aware of  matters.  
9. Oh let’s see and watch out for winged-monkeys and don’t piss off the trees...you might find out they are a good thing for your survival......
11.