Why Write A Blog?

You probably have guessed, at this point, that, among other things, I also am a philosopher. I post to this blog when the spirit moves me to write – relatively often. As my regular readers know, I’m not shy about airing my opinions and sharing my experiences with a wide audience.

Often, we see people who send comments, especially inflammatory comments, in response to widely-read, online newspaper articles. Hiding behind an ego-stroking fake name, a pseudonym, it is easy for them to hurl insults back and forth, as no one knows who they are. I always use my own name, in the interests of accountability and credibility. That’s my old-school training, I guess, but it lets me and others know that my feelings and opinions are authentically mine. And that's why I write a blog.

Predatory –

I’ve recently been told, in carefully chosen, delicate terms, that I am ... er, hmm, well ... seeking to entice a troubled, struggling man onto an erring path; the concept was articulated to me by said individual. Gosh ... I was told that he "can feel the tension" and needs to "distance" himself! Well, that certainly was unexpected, but I have thought of a rebuttal of sorts: Should it not be in my nature to fix my sight on the quarry? After all, I’m the Lady Wolf, not the Lady Deer or the Lady Salamander! My ego is tempted to flex its muscle and smirk "Sorry you just can’t deal with it' (it being that quietly elusive temptress quality that I find myself momentarily wishing to possess)! :)

Success And Its Meaning --

So very often, bits of past conversations between me and my precious friend and kindred spirit, the late Philip Knight, come back to me. Sometimes they boldly march across my mind, almost with fanfare; at other times, they gently float into my consciousness. How wise he was about so many things. How I miss him. He was a songwriter, musician, architect, and, in his own way, a philosopher. During the months preceding his death, his perception and ability to articulate important thoughts and put them into the framework of what I call the "bottom line" of an issue or concept ... had been honed to perfection. Or, as close to perfection as any human’s thought processes can get.

Philip was a steadfast and strongly vocal supporter of my music. As songwriters and musicians who, except for our devoted local and geographically remote friends and fans, remained largely unable to tap into the local music industry machinations, we were often frustrated and we often consoled one another.

In the midst of one such conversation, he remarked that people pursue success, thinking that they will chase it, track it down and catch it, or it will arrive (in some glorious, triumphant moment and grand fashion). The thought could follow, I suppose, "and then what"? But, not if one goes farther along with Philip’s definition of success: What if a person’s measure of success is really based on his feelings of happiness with the works he has created? What if, rather than by being in the public’s limelight or accumulating vast wealth, success really is defined by the ability to feel complete as a person and to be at peace with oneself? To be in love with one’s own handiwork and sense of beauty ... to know that you have done what you were destined to do!

It’s so easy to subscribe to the more superficial "success" orientation. I have done so, at many times in my life. But not today. Today I am grateful for the truth of Philip’s words and, I’m especially grateful that he had the courage to say them to me. They make all the difference in the world.

Hard Times & Good Times

There is what I'll call a Value System that I try to keep in mind, for myself and in relation to others, particularly in times of financial stress. Regarding money and feeling balanced, it is this:

Pull in spending,
Sock some away, and
Give some away.

Two Books & One Deck ~

My most recently-acquired book is "10 Secrets For Success And Inner Peace" by Dr. Wayne Dyer. I bought it here in Knoxville at Carpe Librum, the independently-owned bookstore, where it is always fun to browse. If you are on a consciously-chosen life path (or would like to be), I think you will love and benefit from this book. This author is very sincere, wise, and committed to the principles of spiritual peace, strength, and transformation.

Also from Dr. Dyer, and purchased at the same time and place, is the deck I mention, entitled "The Power of Intention". It consists of 50 double-sided (very high quality) cards, each a tool to tap into the energy (I should type that with an upper-case "E" ... Energy) of which each of us is a part – particularly in terms of creating that which we want in life. I love these cards and it’s so easy to pick one up, read it, and reaffirm intent.

The other book I speak of is called "The Emperor Wears No Clothes"; it’s authored by Jack Herer. I came across this single copy of it huddled in a scrunchy corner of a shelf at Border’s about a year ago. It’s an 8 ½ x 11" book – a thoughtful book – full of documentation, photographs, and timetables tracing centuries of use of the cannabis plant and the process by which it was politically exploited, given a new name, demonized and criminalized in the US during relatively recent years, beginning in the late 1930s. The book is in its 11th edition. Mr. Herer’s website address is www.jackherer.com.

The History Channel, during 2007, aired a documentary on cannabis and the documentary’s content matches what is chronicled in the book.

Memory of a long-ago time comes to mind: When I was a child of about 7 or 8, my father and I were walking to the neighborhood store one day (our town was small at that time, with plenty of "wild" and open land). As we often did, we took a well-used shortcut that started at the end of the pavement of a dead-end street. It coursed down some hilly turf that wound through what’s called "red rock" in Connecticut, along with mixed types of soils that resembled smallish dunes, so formed by erosion. My father pointed to what must have been an acre or more of large, billowy plants (to me they looked like trees) along the sides of the dunes ... they were holding the way-faring dunes in place. He explained to me that all that greenery was cannabis. No one bothered it – it grew there every year, until developers’ bulldozers plowed up the land, to build houses and a connecting through-street.