AN INFINITE TALE

The end is seen to be the same
Beginning as well but different name
The converge will meet from lessons gate
The stories told of love and hate

The journey begins with a quiet call
The voice of the passage to which you fall
An alter awaits your infinite tale
Serendipity plots and exterior veil

As the tour continues acceptance strains
Lessons challenge would time explain
Outreach and irony displayed hands will extend
Advance with an ally, a neighbor, a friend.

Mystery extends as the treasures unfold
An infinite tale for histories hold
Transformation sustains the contrast persists
Divisional destiny determines which path will exist

The quest drives our circular tales to unwind
We discover life’s fate of purposeful bind
Truth reveals a unified alteration
A World of One with inspired interpretation.

How About The Flip Side?

This morning I was reminded of how important perception is to the way we live in this world together. I was tuned into a local radio show when a listener called in to ask a question of the shows staff about his upcoming nuptial name dilemma. His fiance wanted her name to be altered by keeping her last name as a middle name and adding his name last. This was accepted almost unanimously with the listening audience.

Now for the twist, she asked that he do the same; use her middle name and his last name. My initial thought was, if you feel compelled to change your name for nuptial sake, what a great compromise! However, my thought process seemed lost in translation.

I was astonished at the reactions and response to this question. The male audience response was overwhelmingly negative. Admittedly in retrospect, I didn't find this part so shocking. However, I found the female response astonishing! Apparently these women were suffering a knee-jerk reaction to the perceived mentality of an archaic mindset pre-programed years earlier. A myriad of responses from women callers came in which included such un-reasoned responses as, "no, because she is setting a precedence of wearing the pants and him wearing the skirt" (aka, you're 1950's response); to "it will cause problems for him by having to change his documents" (poor him, as if she doesn't have to do the same); to "just do it, no one will know" (the ethical response?); to "the man doesn't do that,(the just cause clause); and "it's not accepted"(the pre-programed archaic mind-set robotic response). As I sat there utterly stunned at these responses, it made me wonder, how far have we come? Or, perhaps the better question, how far have we yet to go? It was looking as if the answer to these question were, not very far, and a long way baby!

So ladies, what's up? We profess the desire for equality among the masses, yet we still insist on robbing ourselves of our identity to satisfy the needs of others? Are we willing to give away our individualism without analyzing and formulating a reasonable response? This general "acceptance" of nuptial name swapping was deemed "appropriate" in a "man" made world of rules and regulations many years ago. Let's face it, it stood for your father passing ownership of you to ownership of your husband! I don't know about you, but the only one I want to be owned by is me! Now don't get me wrong, in the spirit of free choice, if taking on your man's name is what you want, more power to you! Been there, done that, when I was young and under the control of the masses; just keep the options open for the rest of the "free" thinking world without judgmental pre-dispositions!

So, what are habits? Habits are tricky little mind control programs. Are we able to reboot and re-create our controls? Amazingly, yes we can! As we have created social habits, so too can we re-create them to meet a new criteria of modern day living. Repetitive thought patterns processed at a conscious level form patterns that embed into our subconscious mind. In turn, this sub-conscious action causes us to act or perform these thought habits without reason. If we begin to re-think and reason through why we have these archaic thought patterns, it stands to reason, we can begin to change them and refresh or reboot our programed behaviors to a new standard of living. Sustaining life with new growth potential allows the perception of endless possibilities that will manifest within us. This manifestation creates the perception of our new reality. So you see, freedom of choice is within your grasp. Keeping an open mind will allow you to not only accept your choice, but accept the choice of others.

One Person - Make A Difference

Remembering Friends

Today I received an email from an old friend who started me thinking. She mentioned in her note how she was "taken back" at how many years had gone by. She said she, "felt a bit embarassed" and wondered if she "still knew me?" As children and young adults, we had spent literally every day together. However, as the years went on and we grew older we lost touch. We travelled different roads, lived different lives, found new friends, and except for the occassional birthday calls, emails and reunions, didn't spend a lot of time together. I thought, "could our bond really be over?" The email triggered something in me and I started to reminisce in my mind the days of my youth. I couldn't help but smile at all the really wonderfully fun and stupid things we did together. We shared so many "firsts" together. Our first day of school, our first time venturing off our block, our first dance, our first experience at love and kissing a boy, and let's not forget, our first time driving, the list goes on and on! Then it hit me, "No Way!" We could never loose our bond. I believe as a child we are the purest sense of ourself. We share a bond of so many wonderful everyday experiences of our youth. We supported one another through moments in truth that no one else will ever know. Our lives were developed together, our likes and dislikes, our talents and passions and our personalities. In our lives as we grow older, we are met with obstacles and roadblocks, and sometimes make choices that alter our true paths. We did not have the same distractions as children as in our adult lives, therefore, we were able to experience one another as our true selves. If each of us are fortunate enough, as we grow we start to see our lives differently. We pay attention to the signs, so to speak, and allow our lives to come full circle. When we become conscious of our true inner self, we can return to who we always were. In the end, our purest being is who we return to being, only better! I feel truly blessed to have wonderful life long friends. Although we may not all see each other daily as in our youth, I will always hold each of them as family in my heart. I will always consider us part of the same, as are we all, our only difference is of degree!

Perception is Everything!

I wanted to share a story my sister told me today about her experience on her recent flight to Florida. As she prepared to take what would be considered a relatively short flight to Florida, little did she know she would be venturing into what she would describe as "one of the worst flights she has ever experienced."

As the plane sat on the runway preparing for take off, she began to feel sick to her stomach. As the engines started and the flight departed, the weather became stormy and unsettling. With the weather becoming increasingly worst, the turbulence on the plane grew more intense, as did her nausea and unsettling in her stomach. The more the plane shifted and bounced, the sicker she became. People were actually beginning to gasp with tension and fear of how their flight would unfold. Were they going to land safely? Would they live to see another day? The fear mounted, the tension increased. Finally, the pilot announced their approach to the airport. As the plane positioned and approached the runway to land, nails were grasping the arm chairs, breath was held, silence was so intense you could hear nothing but the roar of the engine. Touchdown!! "We made it!" she and her friends exclaimed. As my sister and her friends hurried off the plane through the tunnel, they rehashed how that was the worst flight they had ever taken. Along side of them they noticed a small boy with his mother jumping up and down ecstatically. They stopped to see what had peaked his excitement and heard him in all his enthusiasm exclaim, "Mom, Mom, that was the best flight ever!" "Can we do it again, can we!" "I had so much fun bouncing up and down all over the place, please mom, can we do it again!!"

They could hardly believe their ears, but had to laugh. Perception is everything! Children have an innate ability to see life through rose colored glasses. They remind us from their light within that life is what we make it. It is our perception that determines our happiness in the way we look at the world. We all have the power to eliminate our fears simply by turning our perception around. So the next time you feel fear creeping in, remember to put on your rose colored glasses, and see life through the eyes of a child.

What a Long Strange Trip It's Been...

The words to the Grateful Dead song ring effervescent in my head. When it was chosen for our JDHS class of 81 tag line, I didn't realize the prophetic tones that statement would carry in my life. It has truly been a life full of lessons, twists, turns, ups and downs. None of which has been without its purpose, good and bad. Reaching this point on the road has been a long time coming and as strange as it has been, it finally feels right! Ironically, you wake up one day and realize that the search for purpose has been with you all along in the moments you live everyday. It was in that awakening that passion came back to my life. Truth was all around me and the signs all made sense.
I knew then the meaning of "There's no place like home." On the surface it appears that home is an outward place, but in reality, it is within you all along.

In launching my company, Everyday Matters, It is my mission to inform, inspire, and ignite the passions and truths from within my readers. I aspire to share thoughts and stories to brighten your days and enlighten your hearts. My purpose is to inform you of new possibilities to experience and inspire new and creative paths to pursue. Finally, I hope that I can ignite you to take action to Dream Big and Believe!