What is this?
Pardon the random post, but i need to publish this code KJSYJYD4DSWC to satisfy Technorati...
we will now return you to our regularly scheduled blogging
The folks over at The Salt Life have done an excellent job at marketing themselves. I’m seeing autos adorned with decals and people sporting tee-shirts and high end gear displaying the assortment of Salt Life images. It’s becoming a hot trend and it pisses me off.
What is the Salt Life, exactly? Perhaps you can see it in the classic image of the seasoned sailor.
If you trust the videos on the website, it seems to be about fishing, sunglasses and bikini clad females. If you ask people sporting the logo, you’ll likely get a variety of answers ranging from “It’s about the beach, man” to “It’s about fishing and chillin out.”
These weekenders and visitors like to dip their toes in the sea and throw a toast to the Salt Life. The Salt Life seems to be open to some interpretation – and I think I’ll share mine with you, although, if you are a current fan of the Salt Life brand, you likely won’t like it…won’t like it much at all.
I grew up on the coast of South Carolina. I spent my time fairly equally between the frenzy of Myrtle Beach and the ebb and flow of Murrell's Inlet, SC. I know something about life at the edge of the sea, the salt of the sand and the pungent muck of the marshy inlet tides. Everything about living in this part of the world is salty – sand, sea, marsh, fish, mud, shells, lines, lures, skin and bait – all of it. This is the place of stunning sky-scapes, painted with the swirling orange and navy that only the coast can offer. This is the space of sun bathing, basking in the seemingly eternal warmth of the sun, where the thought of layered clothing and down coats seems to be no more the fabric of myth. For many of you, this is where memories of clever drunkenness and hedonistic frolicking dances in memory and contrasts with the conservative, measured life you live before and after your dip into the salty and wet world of the beach. These sentiments are a romantic notion of the Salt Life. The salt life is much more, dang-it! – if we’re honest and we need to be honest.
I have seen my share of sunsets from the boat in the inlet and done my measure of frolicking in the surf. I have also had to wash the boat, pay for the fuel and learn how to carefully navigate the channels of an inlet made up of unforgiving oyster flats and sandbars. I understand that the salt life is as much about replacing a sheared pin on an outboard motor while stuck knee deep in mud as it is about careening carelessly across wakes. I know that if you don’t clean that popular salt off your gear before you stow it, you’re going to ruin it.
The honest truth is that this Salt Life we are hearing about isn't about escaping the un-Salted life, it’s about living with the annoyance of sand in your shoes and caked mud on your legs from dragging crab traps. It’s about work, the work that yields the right to rest and enjoy the fruits of one’s labor. The Salt Life is about much more than slapping an attractive sticker on your SUV and pulling your forty thousand dollar boat for a weekend at the coast. The Salt Life is about giving a good measure of your soul to the work of living next to beauty and in the harshness of the sea. The sea is an unforgiving mistress and that smile of the old sailor, that enviable detachment and salty distain that you see on his face is earned through years of living the Salt Life.
Your sticker cheapens him.
The theme of this website proclaims “A place for words….” I believe in the power of words, but not just the obvious power of words that hurt or console, I believe words are woven deeply into every fiber of our communication. Words, properly understood can reveal intent and affect outcomes. Even a small change in a phrase or word choice can have a powerful effect on our lives. Allow me to illustrate...
Take the word “but” for example. We use it often, “I understand that, but I think it’s deeper than that.” “I want to, but I’m too tired.” “Yes you did, but that’s not what I meant.” The power of the word ‘but’ is that it negates anything said before it. Someone said once, “’But’ is the great eraser. It erases the value of anything before it.”
It is my observation that there is no better fuel for an argument than a hefty and well placed “BUT!”
I find it very interesting to practice using another word than “but.” Try “and” for example. “And” is a good alternative it makes an acknowledging, respectful way to add another piece of information or perspective to a statement.
“I understand you feel that way, and I still want you to get it done.”
“Yes you did, and that isn’t what I meant.”
“I want to, and I’m too tired.”
Using “and” gives value to both statements and allow us to add information and often depth to a conversation in a nonthreatening fashion. We can acknowledge what someone has said and then add our perspective.
I’ve tried to eliminate the word “but” from my daily speech. It takes some practice and it seems worth the effort. Give it a try. Let me know what happens.
Making some changes...planning for something different... being intentional...and then I was reminded of this wonderful song.
Have you made your New Year's resolution? What are you vowing to give up? I'm giving up nothing! I'm about to start some new things! I'm taking on 2014 and invite you join me.
I'm told that our brains have trouble handling negative statements. When I tell myself "I'm not eating cake," my brain only hears "eat cake!." However, if I tell you, "I'm eating fruit and vegetables tonight," I"m more likely to do just that. Deciding to DO something positive rather than stop something negative is a wiser route. So, here's my list of DOs for 2014...
- Drink more water. A 12 oz glass before two of my three meals each day.
- Spend creative time writing daily. 30 minutes each day, 5 days a week, first thing in the morning.
- Laugh everyday. Hard enough for it to be felt in my belly!
- Spend 5 hours every week disconnected from the digital world. "No phone no lights no motor cars not a single luxury..." Ok. not really THAT, but I couldn't resist the Gilligan's Island reference.
- Walk daily. It doesn't have to be a hard walk, or even a long walk, but a walk for the sake of walking.
- Publish a book of poetry.
- Whatever else I want to add. There will be something else that I need to embrace this year, so I'm keeping this open slot for that thing.
What about you? What's on your TO DO list for 2014?
Apparently, I'm not the only one who is longing to create life space and human intimacy in the digital space.
Apple and Hootsuite have launched messages to address the need to balance digital activities with human intimacy. Here are their videos! Enjoy and Merry Christmas!
So, are they speaking to you?
If you are interested in current events in the Triad of NC, specifically the Winston-Salem area, then by all means turn to the wonderfully edgy and profoundly timely online world of The Camel City Dispatch!
Over the last year, I've found that when my thoughts start asking questions about up-town events, new businesses, political, educational and seasonal news - I can quickly get the skinny by clicking over to the Camel City Dispatch website or checking the Camel City Dispatch Twitter feed for breaking news - and a little attitude.
You can thank me later!
While you are thinking Christmas, consider the charity of your city. Do you know about Compassionate Winston-Salem? These quiet and often unsung heroes of our community are busy about the work of encouragement and caring – right here, right now.
Some of their activities for the month of December include:
Handing out blankets to the homeless
Stand outside the downtown library (or bus station) handing out bottles of water and protein bars.
Handing out small bags of food to that person with the sign at the stop light.
Being mentors for Youth mentoring programs.
Drop over to the Compassionate Winston-Salem website to learn more. This city is made up of wonderful people!
I have been a fan of Michael J. Fox for years. Early on he was my idol because he was living the dream of a professional acting career that was my ultimate life fantasy. Later, as he struggled with life issues and the sordid path of fame, he excelled at choosing a healthier, more balance manifestation of living.
In 1991 he was diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease. Since that day, he has not only fought the disease, but taken the illness as an opportunity to change the face of research and treatment for Parkinsons. Here's a hero. Real life hero. Why? Because he has the ability to help and he is doing it, when that same ability would allow him to isolate, become self absorbed and silent. Michael J. Fox is fighting Parkinsons with a purity of motive.
