South Of Someplace

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Still Feeling The Bern

Still feeling the Bern? I am. Every time I see Trump's name in the flipping news it burns me.

Monday, September 4, 2017

When it seems as though the world's gone mad, maybe the universe is just doing what needs to be done. A change is necessary. It's probably overdue. Perhaps some weakness has been uncovered and needs to be addressed immediately. Our old ways of doing things have not just gone out of fashion; they've lost all reasonable justification.

Change can be maddening, but perhaps what we perceive as madness is a symptom of the chaos and the urgency that drives that change to occur. Change is uncomfortable, because things always get worse before they get bette.

Change is chaotic, because the best way forward is subject to debate. Those who reap the rewards of the current world order will fight to preserve that order. They'll push back against the rising tide - and encourage others to do so - until the tide overwhelms and flattens everything in its path.

Change is jarring, because new ways always seem odd and unacceptable to those who are used to the way that things have been. It's even more stressful for those who long for a selectively nostalgic past.

Change is fateful, because it picks winners and losers. Those who have prospered richly in the past may struggle to find their way in an emerging future.

Yes, there are times when the world seems to be going mad. These are major turning points, and they are often accompanied by suffering and catastrophic loss. But failing to change will lead to even greater losses. When the world does go mad, our primary responsibility is not to stop it and to pull it back to where it started, but rather to guide it rationally and thoughtfully out of the chaos, and to fight tirelessly and courageously for a brighter and more effective tomorrow.

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Source Of Love

I had a vision today

I saw myself portrayed

As a glowing ball of light

Shining from the center

Of a transparent human form

The light beamed out its energy

Of love and warmth and acceptance

To all who came near

Freely

Openly

And without reservation

There were other lights

In the periphery

Shining just as mine did

We beamed out warmth

And joy and love

Gently to each other

Without a thought or a care

We just simply there

And there we shared

Love is not a scarce resource

To draw from other beings

Worrying about the hunger

That we'll feel when they are gone

It's limitless

We can make more

On the spot

More than we'll ever need

Love is something wonderful

That we generate withing our hearts

Like the endless light

Of the sun

We radiate it outward

In all directions

Anyone who needs our love

Can sample of it freely

When first we make it ready to be shared

Our love pours out

In many forms

A smile

A hug

A handshake

Or maybe

A great big, silly high five

A laugh

A look

An encouraging work

Or a generous, heartfelt compliment

Mentioned freely through

Uplifting conversation

Those pleasant chats

So memorable and fun

That leave us feeling stronger

Wiser and elated

For having had them

Love is what we make of our lives

The good that blossoms from inside

Connecting us with others

Every day

In all of the ways

That leave us feeling positive

And better able to face the day

Never wait

For love to come to you

No never wait

For it love to stumble along

With a smile and a song -

That's a mistake!

Start now

Wherever your are

However you feel

Let that love grow wildly inside you

Let it warm and build up steam

And let it surge

With confidence and abandon

Let it run so rampant

That it overflows the container

Of your body

And your being

Beam it out into the world

So pure

So sweet

So much fresh new love

That there will always be

A plentiful supply

There in your space

More than enough to share

Not once

Not twice

But a thousand times

Ten thousand more times over

For anyone and everyone

Who needs a joyous lift

Share that light out freely

Let it shine

All day and night

In limitless supply

From deep within

Your warm and open heart

Thursday, August 24, 2017

Outrage Over NFL Protests

You have the right to express your outrage when NFL players refuse to stand for the national anthem. You also have the opportunity.

Freddie Gray doesn't have that opportunity.

Philando Castillo doesn't have that opportunity.

Ricky Ball doesn't have that opportunity.

Keith Lamont Scott doesn't have that opportunity.

Rekia Boyd doesn't have the opportunity.

Eric Garner doesn't have that opportunity.

Walter Scott doesn't have that opportunity.

Alton Sterling doesn't have that opportunity.

Michael Brown, who was 18 when he was shot dead in Ferguson, Missouri, does not have that opportunity.

Laquan McDonald (17) doesn't have that opportunity.

Jordan Edwards (15) does not have that opportunity.

Tamir Rice, who was a happy 12-year-old when a Cleveland police officer shot him from a moving patrol car, does not have the opportunity to criticize the behavior of protesting professional sportsmen.

The next time you see an athlete kneeling or sitting during the national anthem and you feel outraged by this public display of disobedience, consider focusing some of that outrage on the situations that inspired these protests in the first place. Everyone's life matters - police, citizens, everyone.

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

New York Minute 58 - Psycho Cab Driver

After working until nearly three in the morning on a critical computer failure, I jumped in a taxi in an effort to get home and catch a few hours of sleep. My nerves were already on edge from the challenges of an extremely long and difficult day. Riding with an aggressive driver only made things worse.

Every time a traffic signal turned green, the guy punched the accelerator sending the car lurching forward. Because the guy was driving too fast, the light at the next intersection would almost always be red. (The lights in New York are timed to work with a 25 mile per hour speed limit.) Psycho taxi driver slammed on the brakes at the red light, then punched the accelerator again when the light turned green.

Fifty blocks of lurching starts and stops were only part of the fun. Psycho Guy saw fit to cut off every other driver along the way. I heard so many horns beeping at us, I fears that one of those drivers was going to pull out a gun and start shooting.

When the dickhead dropped me off at my corner, I purposely walked on the wrong side of the street and several doors past my building. I didn't want him to see where I lived. I walked half a block pretending to look at my phone. When I stopped and turned around, he was still sitting at the intersection staring at me. Finally, he took off, and I went home.

Monday, August 21, 2017

Eclipse!

Nothing can eclipse a day like this!

Thursday, August 17, 2017

Happiness Is A New Lens

Happiness is a new lens for my favorite camera.

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Restaurant Week Logic

Restaurant Week, when instead of ordering your usual fifteen-dollar entrée, you can save money by dining out for forty-two dollars per person. 😮

American Racism Revisited

I grew up seeing racism all around me. It wasn't directed toward me, but it made me feel uncomfortable nonetheless. The "off color" jokes were everywhere. The ease with which normally polite people could spout hateful epithets was shocking. It was like watching people play catch with a hand grenade without knowing that it could explode.

Occasionally, I spoke up and protested the use of such language. That's when the deeply ingrained hatred rose up, showed its ugly face and bared its menacing teeth. "You're just a ****** lover!" Thanks for that assessment, Goober, but your thoughtless opinion means nothing to me.

Come To The City

Come to the city today
Meet me for a drink
At a posh hotel
And we'll dine in some
Trendy new place
You can tell me
About your day
And laugh
At the silly things that I say

Walk with me
Through the bustling streets
Sampling all that there is to see
All the way up to Times Square
Take me in your arms
And kiss me there
Under the lights
Those bright famous lights
Kiss me
With the whole world watching

Take in all of the best
That life has to offer

The verve and the passion
The thrill of the action
Then take it back home
In a heart filled again
With excitement
And sweetest romance

Come to the city
And meet me
My love
Let's not let a single day
Slip away
Life is too precious
And love's too delicious
To waste
This opportunity