Quotable

"When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you
don't blame the lettuce. You look for reasons it is not
doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or
less sun. You never blame the lettuce. Yet if we have
problems with our friends or family, we blame the other
person. But if we know how to take care of them, they will
grow well, like the lettuce. Blaming has no positive
effect at all, nor does trying to persuade using reason
and argument. That is my experience. No blame, no
reasoning, no argument, just understanding. If you
understand, and you show that you understand, you can
love, and the situation will change" 
— Thich Nhat Hanh

I Shot the

Saw this on a friend's Facebook wall. Funny. The humor kinda grows on you...

Derailing Bad Attitudes

A colleague at work shared this with me today...love it.


BREAKING NEWS!
The Pity Train has just derailed at the intersection of Suck It Up & Move On, & crashed into We All Have Problems, before coming to a complete stop at Get Over It. Any complaints about how we operate can be forwarded to 1-800-waa-wah with Dr. Sniffle reporting live from Quitchur Bitchin.

Freedom Diving

I thought only death would be so peaceful

My ears are useless, muffled and deaf

I don’t breathe now, lungs stopped

Idol

My heart slows, relaxing under increased pressure

Sight is all that remains

An opaque vision of color and life

Serenity

I can’t stay here

This momentary peace must yield

To the screams of my lungs and mind

Up

Toward the surface

To the world of air breathing creatures

And over stimulated demands

Note: On free diving in the Atlantic near Bermuda.

The Reverberations of Poet's Pen

while reading a poem over at Nevine's, i was reminded of how deep poetry, and creative prose for that mater, reaches into my being. it is a living witness to the full gamut of my life, even though i am most driven to write when my spirit is in pain.

yes. for the scars that remain after the battered soul heals, for the ongoing hemorrhage of internal hope, for the fears arising from tortures too ghastly to be mentioned, for the pit of despair where rests stagnant laughter, mired in decay... for these pieces of the poet's being... there must be poetry. for in the words of the verse, hammered out on life's iron fist, i often find relief and sometimes, in moments of purest grace, wonderful questions.

Public Speaking Words of Wisdom - With an Old Lady Attitude

When I was a young lad…after one of my earliest public presentations had ended many people filed by and spoke words of appreciation and encouragement to me. After almost everyone else had left an elderly lady walked over to me and gave me some words of advice I have never forgotten.

“Young man,” she said, “You need a good job for a beginner. I have some advice for you, if you want it.”

I felt a little slighted, but told her I would welcome her feedback.

“Well,” she continued,” Remember three these three things: 1. Stand up so they can see you. 2. Speak up so they can hear you, and 3. Once you have said what you came to say, Shut Up. You did ok on the first two, but you kept talking too long tonight. Leave us a little room for thinking”

Then she hugged me and shuffled off.

I eventually got over the injury she inflicted on my pride, but I have never gotten over her words. Time and again I have returned to those words.

1. Stand Up – there are numerous skills that the public speaker needs to master in order for our appearance to assist in our communication.  We need to be seen as  a part of the message we are communicating.
2. Speak Up – clearly spoken, well chosen words projected to the back of the room will always command attention.
3. Shut Up – Every day presentation should have a beginning, a middle and an end. The end should be as precise as the beginning and must always leave room for people to draw their own conclusions and do their own thinking.

Good advice for all of us who speak in public.

The Google vs Facebook War - Gone Wild!

Apparently, according to Blogger (a Google product), Facebook isn't even a word, much less a company.

See spell check screen shot...

What Should I Read?

I recently purchased a Kindle and have seen my reading volume take a bit of an up-tick. My daughter  sent me an Amazon e-gift card for my birthday and now, I'm puzzled as to what to purchase next.

So, what should I read?

Recent reads include:

1. The Shallows, Nicolas Carr
2. The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell
3. The Blood that Bonds, Christopher Buecheler
4. Full Dark, No Stars, Steven King

Please feel free to offer suggestions...

The Sea of Me

Swirling foam tickles my ankles

Toes wiggle in the archaic sands

Minnows dart, carving symbols in the tidal plane

Rising sun heats my bare back

Gulls sing anthems to the dawn

Waves rise in the distance, announcing the coming change

Rolling waves, closer, building

Fleeing tides ripping sand and shell away

Sand escapes beneath my feet

Impact 

Salt burns membranes

Water cascades away from sprawled limbs

I have been caught unaware, startled by familiar currents

Laughter swells within the sea 

of me

NOTE: If this one seems familiar, it is one I've been working on for a while and have revised...

A Poem about Change - Falling Away

Falling Away

it is the result of many things

sometimes

working hard

perfect coincidence

circumstance

everything is done and set

complete

in line

as it should be

fixed

time passes and no attention is given to it

we know

it is well

done

assuredly complete

then one day you notice it

leaning

precariously

off center

falling

away from you

then it is gone

completely