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 All that remains: in afterlife as 'mainstream' blogger, with what little I know. 20k views |
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Obshchak Some torn to the ground ▼ Read here some old blog entries...  2018 Highlights ▼Brian K Compton   -- ![Merit Badge in Second Time Around Contest
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Congratulations on winning the Grand Overall Prize in [Link To Item #2164876] with your beautiful poem, [Link to Book Entry #933358]. This poem really moved me. Great writing!
Rachel *^*Heartv*^*](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Second_Time_Around_Contest-2164963_14.gif) Short answer, mostly relatable. |
"Burning light inside my dreams I wake up in the dark The light is outside my door..." This song is so truncated and whistfully sweet. What do you suppose she means? We can dream but reality is dark? Yet, if we look outside we'll see what's inside ourselves? I'm composing now in my head hoping I can come up with a worthy poem to relate to this song. I caught up on my sleep and I'm burning with this dream-like energy that wants to spill forth on this page... Dream another time |
| Born This Way... Untraveled Road... I'm on it. |
| Final analysis: How Donald Trump became President https://briankeithcompton.wordpress.com/2016/11/09/how-donald-trump-became-presi... via @wordpressdotcom |
| I always struggled with being labeled as 'different' and then 'sensitive' so I learned to humble myself through self-deprecating humor to gain acceptance... That did not go well, either. So, I'm a mix of narcissist, self-hater and non-conformist who wants to see the world his way...
These days, I'm indifferent, mostly. But, I can be deeply passionate and opinionated when I'm moved. I reserve those feelings for personal stuff. |
"He who humbles himself will be exalted." Just trust in God's mercy. Beautifully worded prayers mean nothing if the heart behind them contains self-righteousness but no real faith or humility. God will draw near to us during times of humble prayer, but if our inner self is haughty as we pray, He will regard our petitions from a distance. Though the Lord is on high, He looks upon the lowly, but the proud He knows from afar. — Psalm 138:6 |
| I lost 20 lbs. in two years, though feels it's really been since the start of summer. My workout regimen is really paying off. But I've turned the corner into AARPland and don't know how much longer I can keep this up. The health insurance company through my wife's employer wants the unhealthy people to pay. So, over the last few years I've been forced to meet certain requirements to avoid having insurance premiums jacked up $50 a pay period. They measured BMI (body mass index) and collected data on height, weight and body fat. I trimmed 5% body fat and dropped BMI below obesity level. Feels like I'm still dropping weight, because I move better on basketball court and people who haven't seen me in awhile are remarking about the difference they see. So, it's encouraging and I want to keep trying. Problem area is my left knee. A doc told me a year ago that I'd be a candidate for knee replacement in three years at this rate. That would mean I'd have to give up the game/running (death sentence 😔) once they repair me. Praying for advances in surgical techniques before my time runs out. In the meantime, I was fitted with a walking brace and I'm using Ace wraps (sometimes on both knees) to reduce stress on those joints. The brace is supposed to keep my leg from bowing. I'm so used to wearing it, would love a mate for my other leg. Puts more strain on my back, but I'm working on posture, too. I'm getting an overhauled version of me. It will never be as good as the original, but I feel good. I like how I feel after running up and down the court (3 times a week, 2-3 hours a day). I lost my appetite for sugars, drink coffee with butter and coconut oil in it (I heard the Bulletproof coffee doesn't really work, but I think it curbs my appetite and like the taste) and I make sure to hydrate a lot (cutting out soda and juice, etc.). Pain meds are also a part of my process, as well as gloucosamine for joint revitalization. I use ibuprofen more than Naproxen because I think it works better in short term, but mix it up based on what I'm doing (and I watch the doses to maximize potential without going over in 24 hour period). I discovered Voltarin gel which I can apply directly to stiff areas to reduce swelling and it is safe because it does not affect vital organs. Ice is very important. Use it when I know I have inflammation that needs to be controlled, and sleep. Did I mention sleep? Workouts are perfect remedy to combat my nocturnal episodes. But, caffeine usage before I play can make me crazy. Cutting out sugars helped. I found a sugarless energy drink and consume it after a coffee. Gets my heart racing. I also know not to go over 400 mgs per 24 hours and come in around 160-200 before I play. But sleep, it can be an issue. It definitely had been in the past. I suffered from depression most my life. Have small bouts still. I can work through most stuff now to get to sleep. I also have sleep apnea which is being treated with a dental appliance to open my airway. Had to get used to that. The nights I can quiet my mind, I sleep relatively well. But, I get behind on my sleep. My wife says that isn't a thing. But, when I take a pill for anti-anxiety when I have a good window to sleep, it's some of the best rest. I can go two consecutive days with three or less hours of sleep, be grumpy but function okay until I hit that sweet sleep spot and hit reset button on normality. I find a rested body performs better at basketball, complains less of pain and needs less repair afterward. That got pretty detailed. Been thinking about that and all the injuries I've suffered and still deal with like tennis elbow and the repaired rotator cuff. And now, the cherry on top: I'm legally blind. I find there are good and bad days with damage to eyes from glaucoma. But, I'm at home in that little gym I've been visiting these past 10 years. I can adapt knowing the game and learning from playing with a lot of the same people. So, with all the people saying I can't, I will myself to play ball better than I have since 30. I don't know where this is taking me. I want to get the most I can from it, before that knee goes or something else derails my run. |
| I don't talk about basketball in my blog anymore. I go to the gym 2-3 times a week, sometimes spending up to three straight hours in pickup games at the YMCA. My game recently improved greatly, but I needed my wife to shoot some video to see how I'm moving. I'm somewhat hesitant to put my head down and run full steam most of the time because of my issues with eyesight (legally blind from glaucoma). Can't be displeased with the results from what I saw so far on video. I don't want to upload entire games to YouTube and taking it from a camera, so there are steps in editing process that I will need time to complete. I write about my experiences in tweet form now, at one of my three Twitter accounts. The rest of my thoughts were going in hand-written journals, but lost interest in doing that, too. |
| I'm reminded how impactful one line in a song can be, especially when it reaches out to you as the last crescendo is dying. One song, Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' comes to mind. "Hit me where the wind blows," comes low and soft, almost inaudibly. I feel poetry can similarly capture that magic. The poem I just penned attempts to encapsulate the purpose and tone of the narration...
I used italic for the final line like Freddie Mercury modulated his voice to inflict feeling to give pause. Happy National Poetry Day |
| I discovered in newsfeed from another writer that it's National Poetry Day. Ironically I tweeted something about poetry on Twitter 10 minutes prior to learning this. https://twitter.com/glaedrfly/status/784008521633435648 Since I'm at work with little free time, I am contemplating finding time to challenge myself to write 10 poems today, hoping one will be meaningful. |
| I'm blessed to be a member of Writing.com and to be able to share my words. This time of year, with the big birthday celebration, there is so much going on. I really want to dive in. But, everytime I get the notion I draw a blank. So much has changed since I started at this website and yet it's the same. So, maybe it's just me. I don't know. I can't bring myself to answer emails on time. I look at events going on but I just don't know what to do. I stopped posting in my notebook. I just don't know what to say. I'm drifting. I think writing is beyond me now. Just want to sit on the front porch rocker, observe some sunrises and sunsets. I yearn for a still day where I can hear my own thoughts and reminisce when I had high hopes. I'll keep checking in. 9.3.16 |
| It feels like we are a nation of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). When will it be enough? How can we stop the tide of violence in America? Is peace an ignorant, forgotten relic of a dream from our past? Why so much unrest in America? These spikes in our country's tumultuous times make us fret. Look at what our children can see on television, on the Internet. Are we supposed to live in fear? Lock all the doors and hide? I'm not the sort to be one of those gawkers or 'rubberneckers' at a freeway accident. Just as I am not likely to Google or tune in to news sources for details about the latest mass shooting or carnage. I get the gist from the headlines, teases and unavoidable cooler talk. I'm disappointed in how the media cold-heartedly disseminates information like subjects of a Don Henley song. And maudlin. Media is self-serving, even though they serve a purpose. Don't sit around a coffee table sipping coffee and shaking your head while taking a moment to stare at the camera as if you commiserate with me. It feels like speaking out as just one person goes nowhere. Seems like there's millions of message boards on the Internet, places like newspapers to opine. And most of us agree bad men will do bad things with weaponry that can be used to either kill or save us. We want it to stop but it doesn't feel like our government is able to enact policy or remedies. Protesting seems pointless, and sometimes, undesirable. We get no where. I've been on the other side of social injustice. Sometimes, I unwittingly provoke it. Misunderstanding, rising anxiety, no leaders to help resolve burning issues fester the minds that need a salve of education. Maybe we're heading away from democracy and toward a police state, as our country tries to justify the need for control in our part of the world. And yet, we are not as bad as some of the other countries that do exercise restraint and get push back way worse than here. I think our president could step up and address the nation on violence. It would likely be controversial and stir debate, because we want less government control not more. We need a leader to lift us, remind us to be strong. As parents, it's time to sit down our kids and have an honest talk about the world today. But too many of us can't wrap our heads around it. What to say? Assure them this is a great country with great opportunities. People are trying to take our freedoms away. We have to be steadfast in our beliefs, need to teach ourselves well, learn and remember how and why this great country was founded. Tuck them in at night, say a prayer if that helps. This is more than a bumpy ride. Strap them in, kiss them and hope for the best. We can never get down or blame one another. We should be checking on our neighbors, spreading good cheer. Don't lock yourself away. Lend them your eyes and ears. We lock arms and unify in our nation's core beliefs. What's unfortunate is we put too much stock in sports, entertainment, distraction, the latest fads and what a dysfunctional family like the Kardashians is doing. We are so obsessed with putting up walls that we've drowned out those things we need to pay attention to. Tear down the walls of indifference. Really consider the avenues through organizations that do good, spread peace. Even if it's through a local church. Participate until you are satisfied you are earning the reward for your freedom. Count your blessings while you're at it. Politics are cartoonish and divide. You almost want to ignore it. We have to push for change, for REAL dialogue. Stop letting government run over us with policy and support visions for a more hopeful tomorrow. Perhaps, we feel cut off, left out. Leadership is needed, too. Not saying we need more politicians, just more voices to unify and keep it real. Most of all, we can't let them wear us down. We cannot let hate become justified by those who carry out violent acts of any type. We need to come from a place of love and patience. If we tune this out, it doesn't go away. It only gets louder. Let's not become desensitized, as we nostalgically reminisce about a time when innocence was revered as greatly as our freedom. |
I have seen the future! I'm just along for the ride. Gotta do what it takes to inspire participation. |
| Happy Father's Day... Dodgeball was invented by dads frustrated with sons who couldn't catch. |
I don't want to be anything other than what I've been trying to be lately... 6.29.15 |
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