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Dialogue with my muse |
| I have been carrying on a dialogue for almost a year. During this time we have discussed the progress of my writing, editing, and publishing efforts. Join in to listen to our conversation about my daily writing life and add your comments if you think of anything Calliope and I miss. |
It is well to be prepared for life as it is, but it is better to be prepared to make life better than it is.~ Sargent Shriver JOE: Good evening Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good evening Joe. I wasn't expecting to hear from you at this late hour. JOE: I started my new schedule today with AmeriCorps. I had to recover from a whole day of first aid, CPR and defibrilator training. CALLIOPE: I thought you were working for the arts council. JOE: I am but they have a series of trainings as part of the experience. CALLIOPE: I see. So you haven't exactly started at the arts council. JOE: No. That's up for tomorrow. CALLIOPE: So I have to wait for another day for my first report. JOE: You do. I am looking forward to it and will be prepared for any eventuality, even a medical emergency which I hope I won't have to face. CALLIOPE: You can't be too prepared. What about your writing? JOE: Somewhat of a mystery. I'm not sure how much time or energy I will have with my new duties. CALLIOPE: Will any writing be involved? JOE: I have some work to do on the GoArt website and have discussed the possibility of writing a blog for them. That's not finalized. If I do go in that direction I will have to see how much blog energy I have. CALLIOPE: Maneat videri. JOE: I see you are working on your Latin. I remember that as "It remains to be seen." I'll get back to you in the next day or so. |
Advice is like snow - the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into the mind~Samuel-Taylor-Coleridge JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good Morning Joe. How are you this year? JOE: So far, so good. But the year is still quite young. CALLIOPE: Point taken. What did you learn from last year? JOE: I was just thinking about that. I need to take my own advice. CALLIOPE: In what regard. JOE: Several times this year I set myself up for disappointment with my assumptions about what to expect from others. CALLIOPE: How did you do that? JOE: By assuming they knew what I wanted and that their needs were similar to mine and then taking it personally when they were not. CALLIOPE: Sounds like a problem. What do you plan to do about it? JOE: I know what to do and often suggest it to others but don't always do it myself. CALLIOPE: Enlighten me. JOE: I need to be clearer in my expectations of others and also remember that people do things for their own reasons rather than to satisfy or annoy me. CALLIOPE: Is that a new approach for you? JOE: No, but sometimes I need to remind myself. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege. ~ Unknown JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Is your mind still resting? JOE: It is but I had a new strategy. I looked at prompts on my Firefox start page for inspiration but did not fine either prompt inspiring. Stuck, I found the above quote and decided to use it as a theme for today. CALLIOPE: I'm glad you found something. I wouldn't want to just sit here and stare at each other. It's even less interesting in cyberspace. JOE: Agreed. In any case, the quote led me to think back over my life to stupid things I have done, some embarrassing and some to my detriment. CALLIOPE: Want to talk about them? JOE: I already have in my memoir, Young Man of the Cloth. No need to drag them out again. CALLIOPE: I suppose not. Have you ever repeated these stupid actions? JOE: I must say I learned from each of them and went on to make new stupid mistakes. Fortunately I leaned how to make good decisions in the process. CALLIOPE: So you are generally happy with the course your life has taken? JOE: I am. For the most part I set me own course but did remain open to opportunities I could not have anticipated. CALLIOPE: Perhaps new opportunities will await you in the next year. JOE: I certainly hope so and plan to make the most of them. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| A doldrum is a period of inactivity or failure to make headway. ~Reference.com JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What are you up to this morning? JOE: Sitting at my computer this morning, I tried to decide what to write. Nothing came to mind except the word "doldrum." CALLIOPE: Doesn't sound good. JOE: That was my first reaction. CALLIOPE: Are you dead in the water? JOE: In the sense of not making progress, yes. However the other part of the definition (a period of inactivity) isn't necessarily bad. CALLIOPE: You mean like taking a break. JOE: Precisely. At least for me, pushing myself all the time leads to burnout. CALLIOPE: Good point. How long will your break be? JOE: Until next Tuesday when I start my AmeriCorps project. CALLIOPE: So you plan to do nothing over the next week? JOE: I didn't say that. I will just stop pushing myself to get things done. My brother is coming to town tomorrow from Hawaii and I plan to enjoy some time with him. CALLIOPE: I hope he doesn't go home frozen. JOE: It will help him appreciate the tropics. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| Cyber Boxing Day- The online version of Boxing Day is sometimes known as Cyber Boxing Day. In the UK in 2008, Boxing Day was the busiest online shopping day of the year.”[18] In 2009, many retailers with both online and High Street stores launched their online sales on Christmas Eve, but their High Street sales on Boxing Day. JOE: Good morning Calliope. Happy Boxing Day. CALLIOPE: You mean Cyber Boxing Day? JOE:I was just thinking about how the original Boxing Day in England started as a day to share gifts with the poor. CALLIOPE: A far cry from what it is now. JOE: Right. Now it's a mad scramble to see how much one can buy on the Internet for how little money. CALLIOPE: Seems out of whack for the Christmas season. JOE: It depends on whether you mean the original spiritual meaning or the commercial explosion. CALLIOPE: Can't argue with you there. JOE: I wonder if it could be different. CALLIOPE:What would you suggest? JOE: A reverse Cyber Boxing Day in which people would take time to share spiritual resources with those less fortunate without expectation of remuneration. CALLIOPE: An interesting thought. I wonder what its chances would be. JOE: Hard to know but worth a try. Talk with you on Monday, the Feast of the Holy Innocents. |
| I never know what I think about something until I read what I've written on it~ William Faulkner JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Merry Christmas. There you go with your Latin again. JOE: Sorry I couldn't resist after reading what Faulkner said. CALLIOPE: Translation please. JOE: It means,"What I have written, I have written." For the whole story, see John 19:22. CALLIOPE: So share your thoughts on Faulkner. JOE: Okay. What he said resonated with me, especially in keeping my journal. CALLIOPE: How so? JOE: I often write to myself about issues, concerns or possibilities I don't quite understand. Writing about them helps clarify my thinking. CALLIOPE: Why do you suppose this happens? JOE: I often shared my understanding of the process with clients during the course of my psychology career. The way I see it, my mind often swirls with partially formed ideas sending me in many directions. In contrast, I can only write one thing at a time, focusing my thinking and clarifying it. CALLIOPE: Interesting perspective. Are you ready to let the wheels rest for a couple days? JOE: I am. I'm looking forward to Christmas with those I love and care for. CALLIOPE: I hope you find it joyful and peaceful. JOE: Peace and joy to you as well and to all my readers. |
| Life is all about stewardship. It all belongs to God - he just loans it to us for a short period of time. The first command God gave to man was to take care of the Earth, which includes managing and protecting the environment.~Rick Warren JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What's on your mind today? JOE: I've been thinking about the newsletter I published this weekend about peace and how we can achieve it. CALLIOPE: Yes? JOE: My focus was on how we approach each other. I neglected to say anything about how we approach the earth itself. CALLIOPE: Tell me. JOE: It's like I'm suggesting people treat each other with respect and then go trash their homes. CALLIOPE: You think it's that bad? JOE: When we allow the earth to poison its inhabitants due to the way we treat it, I think it is that bad. CALLIOPE: What can you do about it? JOE: I think of John the Baptist, the voice of one crying in the desert. CALLIOPE: That's how you feel? JOE: Sometimes I do. Many people are beginning to take environmental concerns seriously while others poo-poo them. CALLIOPE: Getting upset won't help. JOE: I realize that. I guess I can just keep doing my part. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.~Ernest Hemingway JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What news? JOE: Yesterday I mentioned my search for a name badge for my lover, Fuzzy the Clown. CALLIOPE: Yes? JOE: I wanted to tell you more about the search. CALLIOPE: Be my guest. JOE: I started at an office supply store which I knew did a variety of printing tasks. CALLIOPE: Sounds logical. JOE: I thought about how to explain what I wanted although it seemed obvious to me. CALLIOPE: I see. JOE: I approached a very attractive young clerk and looked forward to our transaction. CALLIOPE: Were you disappointed? JOE: I explained that I wanted a personalized name tag for a clown. She went to consult one wiser than she and returned to say that they had plastic sleeves with pins in a certain aisle. I explained that I wanted to provide my own graphics and also wanted a more substantial tag. This seemed to flummox her. She called a still wiser person and then showed me her catalog which did not seem to offer the option of providing my own graphic, even though there were examples of what seemed to be customer provided graphics. I again explained that I would like to provide my own graphic. She offered to have me fill out a form which they would send to their reproduction company to create the badge. She seemed annoyed when I asked her how a form could convey my graphic. I offered to provide it on a disc or by e-mail. She said she would have to check into it and call me back. We both ended the discussion frustrated. So far I have not heard back from her and have made other arrangements on the Internet. CALLIOPE: The moral being that listening is not so easy? JOE: It is. Talk with you tomorrow. |
| What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet. Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2) JOE: Good morning Calliope. CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Great weekend newsletter. JOE: Thanks, I had a variety of nice comments. CALLIOPE: What's on your mind today? JOE: Saturday I tried to track down a name badge for my lover, Fuzzy the Clown. I had meant to order her one for Christmas and forgot to. Now I'm in a last minute search. CALLIOPE: Good luck. JOE: This morning I woke up thinking about names and their significance. CALLIOPE: Tell me more. JOE: In fiction and real life, some names bring to mind whole stories while stories bring to mind certain names. CALLIOPE: Were you thinking of any names and stories in particular? JOE: I thought of quite a few. One connection which comes to mind is Tom Sawyer and the Antebellum South. CALLIOPE: Do you think fiction and reality intersect? JOE: I named my youngest daughter Becky after Becky Thatcher. Talk with you tomorrow. |
Sliding Otter News December 19, 2009 Volume 1, Issue 24 Peace on Earth and In Our Hearts Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will live as one. ~ John Lennon. At Christmas time we hope and pray for peace. But is it only a dream? In pursuing inspiration for this topic, I found that others have preceded me and spoken more eloquently than I can. Let me share some of their words with you. What Peace Is Not Indira Gandhi said, You can’t shake hands with a clenched fist. How can we reach out to others if we harden our hearts? Mother Theresa added, If we have no peace it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. Instead of living as a world community we have divided into factions set against each other. Jimi Hendrix seemed to quote William Gladstone, When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will have peace. Power once grasped is hard to release but power over others sets us against each other. Albert Einstein elaborated, Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding. Not knowing and understanding our brothers and sisters leads us to fear them. Francisco Petrarch wrote, Five enemies of peace inhabit us- avarice, ambition, envy, anger and pride; if these were to be banished, we should infallibly enjoy perfect peace. It is easy to blame others for conflict. How often do we look for our own roadblocks? The Dalai Lama said, This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness. Waiting to be shown the way to peace keeps us from starting on a peaceful path. Eleanor Roosevelt said, It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it. Others can hear us talking about peace but won’t take us seriously until they see our peaceful acts. Henri Nouwen added, Much violence is based on the illusion that life is a property to be defended and not to be shared. Once we try to grab peace for ourselves rather than share it with others, it shatters. What Peace Is Dorothy Thompson moves us toward a positive understanding of peace. Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of creative alternatives for responding to conflict. We can’t expect to agree on everything but must find ways to connect with each other. Albert Camus agreed. Peace is the only battle worth waging. What if we spent as much energy and money enhancing each others’ lives as we do trying to destroy each other? Elsewhere Mother Theresa said, All works of love are works of peace. Somehow we must find a way to move from fearing and hating each other to mutual love and respect. Joan Chittister shares a key to peace, Awareness of the sacred in life is what holds our world together and the lack of awareness and sacred care is what is tearing it apart. She reminds us that peace involves a shared spiritual understanding of our world community. Malcolm X said, You can’t separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has freedom. Our challenge is to find a way to make us all free. Pope John XXIII took this to an international level. The true and solid peace of nations consists not in equality of arms, but in mutual trust alone. The arms race made for a very nervous world. Opening our arms invites others to our embrace. How We Can Find Peace John Kennedy said, But peace does not rest in the charters and covenants alone. It lies in the hearts and minds of all people. Finding peace is not the job of just a few statesmen but the quest of our world community. Cicero wrote, Laws are silent in times of war. We are born to unite with our fellow men and to join in community with the human race. We can’t beat peace into each other. We must join hands and search for it together. Henry David Thoreau wrote, As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness. Being alone and needy gives us a chance to meet each other’s needs. Francis De Sales said, Do not lose your inward peace for anything whatsoever, even if the whole world seems upset. Approaching each other with our own peace helps us to work together for world peace. Thomas Paine wrote, He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself. None of us is at peace unless we all are. Yehudi Menuhin challenges us, Peace may sound simple- one beautiful word- but it requires everything we have, every quality, every strength, every dream, every high ideal. Are we ready for the challenge? Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God. ~ Matthew, V:9 Life Lab Lessons *How can you find peace within yourself? *What can you bring to the peace table? *What fears and hatreds keep you in turmoil? *Dare to risk opening yourself to those you don’t understand. *Work together to find a common path toward peace. |
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Hope they like snow! 
I just tell them to go get a life...
It's a sunshiny 24 here at the moment; 19 in Buffalo.