Another year coming to an end...

Well, another year is winding down to the homestretch. With the fall season upon us, it tends to remind us of the passing of time - our time.  The changes in life often happen very quickly, we are caught up in the whirlwind of activities. The rushing flow of life pulls us along in tow through the day to day struggles, events and relationships.

But in the fall there is a time, not everyone notices it, but those of us with more snow on top tend to sense it more often. It's a time to reflect, to take stock in life. Your own life mostly, the direction you're going in and how you fit into or don't fit into the life you are living. It can become a rather shocking wake-up call for those that haven't done it before.

But if you've passed through these calm, still moments before, it's much easier to feel more confident and steady in the assessment of your life in the passing year. The good thing about a fall assessment is that you still have time during the early winter, before the New Year, to complete any tasks you'd forgotten.

I've found my days blurring into one another often; keeping up with a 7yr old, dealing with teenager issues and of course there's the bills, the mortgage and the furry members of the family.  Now add to that the rising costs of just about everything, the shrinking incomes, extended family events and then the world news picture on top of it all.

In our world I've noticed that this fall marks a very violent time. We've more intense feelings, actions and vocalizations now more than I'd noticed in other years. The positive emotions, the surge of purpose and the general feelings of unity where short lived. There's a bitterness, a movement to drag down all that hope that flared for a time, it's spreading a negative, hateful veil over so much of the world.

But I still believe that the light of a single candle can still drive back the darkest night. That the shadows on the wall are only our own insecurities and fears, we alone can drive those that feed on our fears away. So many out there in the world look to corrupt, breed intolerance, hate and violence. Before we fall into their deceptive traps, we must ask "What do they get out of this? What gain/reward do they receive?"

This answer can offer us the most important protection against this kind of manipulation. We need to look to the better person inside of us all.  (I'm being optimistic, but I'm hoping I'm right.) I'm hoping that before the New Year that the emotional health of society will improve. (Wishful thinking, but it's better than nothing.)

So in this time of endings, I hope to see an ending to the dark and troubling times. I hope that in the year ahead there will be room for all and that the light will shine with hope from billions of hearts and drive away the darkness from our lives. I hope all will find better days ahead, that society comes to the realization that we can make our lives brighter a day at a time. We just need to take that first step...to take action.

Take care and safe journey....Carp Diem!

Have been down, but I'm not out...

at least not yet...

I've been down the last few weeks in more ways than I want to think about. Been down with  a head cold (really hate those, hard to think & you feel like one big headache), then got down  in the dumps, both literally and emotionally. (recycling more old metal for cash can lead to  some strange places.) The depression part didn't last too long, mostly 'cause I dislike the  whole numb feeling. So I got down to work and started doing some research, writing notes  and the basic steps to getting back into things. The new elect. bill is down, which is good. But  the overdue still needs to be paid and I'm broke - which is bad.

There are times when you go so far down that there isn't any place left to go but up. You  may even find your going up cause you've passed some cosmic middle and are no longer going  down. So much for the philosophical mumblings, time to move on. See, sleep dep has this  profound way of taking any point of view and skewering in sideways... Haven't been sleeping  too much of late. Would really like to have an off switch.  Sleeping would be so much easier if  I was able to shut down.

When things get more difficult, things go down... our income, our spirits, our options. The only  things that go up are things that we'd rather go down. Like bills, fees, prices - the general  costs of day to day living. Currently, my own situation reflects this situation - though I'm  fighting against it dragging me down. So many are struggling with financial troubles, lack of  work and the swiftly cannibalized charity systems. Opportunities and options are out  there...yet, for so long we've had no need to create our own future, use our wits or step  outside our "comfort zones"...the skills have grown weak for lack of use.

The world is like a roller coaster, with the ups and downs that give life some sense of  adventure and excitement. Too often the day to day grind wears away at our inner sense of  fun and makes it hard to remember the dreams we once had when our world was young.  Days when we looked forward to the future... to making changes and making our mark upon  the world. In the last 2yrs things have come crashing down... the financial machinations of  the corporations, the overblown hype that drove the capital of the world sat upon a  foundation of sand, cybernetic-ly speaking - but still ethereal, an illusion with no true value to  back it...

So it is here, amidst the wreckage of a hastily bulwark-ed economy, with patches and pitch we  seek to keep things afloat. Hoping that we will make it to a harbor in time, needing extensive  repairs. Our torn sails grasping at any true wind, we seek to reach port on pure  determination and bracing ourselves against any new storms... On the horizon there is hope,  light that cuts through the fog of doubt and cold of despair... Brighter days are ahead, if  only we can work together to bring it about.

My own struggles are small, others have suffered more. Yet while we stumble about trying  to hold our lives together, our own troubles seem like unmovable mountains. It's only by  reaching out to others that I've found I could forget about my own troubles for a little  while. In the grand scheme of things our own troubles are small, insignificant - yet they  consume us and control our lives. Our only true hope is to reach out and make the  connections that can ease the weight of our own problems in our efforts to aide another  with their difficulties. What seems impossible to one, may seem a breeze to solve for  another. By sharing the ingenuity and compassion within, we could solve so much heartache  and sorrow that fills the world around us. Block by block, a community at a time, the changes  can grow to overflow the boundaries that separate us from one another.

I've rambled on long enough, it's time for my mind to sleep and my body to rest. Tomorrow  is yet another day to seek a better way... a change of fortune and to continue to keep the spark of hope alive. I wish you all restful sleep, inspired thoughts and warmth of heart...