Black Cat Among Purply-Pink Flowers.

Blitz. A black cat crossed my path today. In the middle of summer too. I thought that was an August thing. But the importance is that she crossed it into a pile of purply-pink flowers fallen from a purply-pink tree. This is a nice reminder of the magic that can be found in a single simplistic moment. It is also a reminder that no matter what you plan, you never know what you'll find when you wake up in the morning.

Midnight grass.

 Whoo, whoo, sounded an owl in the distance. The midnight air was moist, like swimming in sludge. Stars glittered above and reflected among the wet grass twinkling like silver moon fairies. A Gerbil stuck his head out above the grass, his fuzzy hair matted with the wetness. Whoo Whoo.He ducked down below and bolted through in cover of the tall moist grass. He had to get there, he had to. Timothy's life depended upon it. The elixir in his mouth slipped a little as his teeth struggled to grip the slick glass. Whoo. Whoo. Faster and faster the Gerbil bounded as fast as his tiny feet could blur. They went as blurred as the fancy fairy-lighted grass blurring about him like sound and fury rolling over stone. At last he bolted out into the clearing, the house before him, but he quickly backed up into the cover of the tall blades of grass. Whoo. Whoo. His belly touched the ground and his ears lay low. Just fifty yards to the door. Fifty yards exposed to the midnight gaze. Whoo. Whoo. Did he dare?

Hummingbirds.

The magic of a moment can be compared to a hummingbird.
by the time you've seen it, its gone. But its so fantastical, you can write entire novels about it.
or videos...

From a hottub in the rain, or walk through a thunderstorm, from canoeing lovers through lilypad glades, or dancing in nature or watching the stars with your feet in the water, from driving down the street listening to music, to a Midsummer's Night Dream, never doubt the power of a magical moment.

Teaching.

In case you didn't know. I have recently taken up a quest to become an elementary school teacher. 
Here are some things I have learned...

   1)Always befriend the janitors.

    2)Never do anything for a kid that he can't do himself.

    3)You're the boss, not a friend. Therefore, master your "you're dead" look.

    4) Teaching is 80% classroom management, including the rules, environment and daily routines. The rest is lesson plans. Blah. 

If I can teach them these three things in this order, they're golden. 

    1) STANDARDS: sadly, standards have to be the first thing they learn if they are to pass the tests. If not for their benefit, for mine.

    2) GOOD PEOPLE: give them a moral compass, teach them how to think, how to learn, and how to embrace the unknown. 

    3) INSPIRE: inspire them to reach new heights.

Even if it takes you your Entire Life...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6DJcgm3wNY

Even if it takes your entire life. Its worth it...

http://paulslight.blogspot.com/2013/04/homeland.html
http://paulslight.blogspot.com/2013/03/zombified.html
http://paulslight.blogspot.com/2012/05/unknown.html
http://paulslight.blogspot.com/2012/04/know-thyself.html

United

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/19/us/boston-area-violence/index.html

What happened in Boston is living proof of what happens when America is united. If you think about it, America has never lost a war due to a lack of military strength. Historically, our biggest downfall comes when we are divided, whether its passing a simple bill on background checks for guns,the fiscal cliff and recession or the Vietnam war, divided, we fall.

But then, something like tonight comes along, when an entire nation is united to find one man, not only do we find him, we offer him a chance a little mercy and justice. Truly, united, we stand. 

crazy

My life has been crazy of recent.

The crazier the world, the calmer, stabler must you be. The more ambiguous, the darker the world, the clearer, brighter must you shine. 

I do not mean that the hardest stick survives the fiercest waves. I mean water is able to fit to all forms, because it never changes its basic properties. (unless you're poisoned, which just sucks.). 

Happy.

As a writer, Joss Whedon is another example that today's literature has transferred from yesterdays' poetry and novels to today's young adult fiction, video games and film.

 Shadowcat: Everything is so fragile. There's so much conflict, so much pain...you keep waiting for the dust to settle and then you realize it; the dust is your life going on. If happy comes along -- that weird unbearable delight that's actual happy -- I think you have to grab it while you can. You take what you can get, 'cause it's here, and then...gone.


She's right, the world is dust, sand, and we constantly try and build a sandcastle. But if we build it on something permanant, something greater than our insignificant selves, like an idea, a belief that can keep on sharing the light to future generations (think V for Vendetta)... now thats immortality. That is stone. Place our faith in the intangible, and your happy won't get blown away with the first bullet.

 

Homeland

As I have observed my homeland, I have come to find that at the heart of everything we believe lies this simple truth. There is a light of goodness in all of us.  We must let that light shine as we strive for the hill of our dreams, because in that venture our shine will scatter away darkness and beckon other lights to come. For it is in the PURSUIT of our life, our freedoms and our dreams that our nation and our world becomes a brighter place to live.   

There's gotta be a better way to say that...

Zombified.

I've met so many people who have the same response to the question of "What do you believe?" They simply shrug and say, "I don't know. Does it really matter?" or "The world is what it is." It's as if they're too lazy to dig deeper into the darkness of the unknown. They're safe and secure in this lazy kind of acceptance. But it also feels like they are underdeveloped somehow. They're 2 dimensional. Zombified. Just rootless dandelions floating in the breeze.  They don't realize, that in that painful, soul search for "Who am I? What do I believe?" lies an epic, roller coaster quest that adds roots, depth and zest to a life well lived...

The next time you pet your car...

My phone's name is Verity Loud. My last phone's name was George. My computer's name is Francis Lenovo. My brother's computer's name is Opal. Our car is named Christina, but we call her variations thereof ( Katrina, Chris, Christy etc). Yep. I live in a family that names their technology. But are we so weird? Why do we give stuffed animals and dolls to children? Why do we own pets?

The answer is simple. The ultimate way to learn is through scenario. Play is a form of scenario. By creating fake people in our lives, we are teaching ourselves social skills and more importantly... how to love.

Funner

It may finally be in the dictionary, but it still has a bad rep. 
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/funner

Now, at the risk of sounding stupid. Could someone please tell me why "Funner" has such a bad rep?!

"Funner" is a comparative, and comparatives work on adjectives, such as greater, sweeter, greener etc.

 The base word "fun" can be an adjective. Why doesn't it work?

And if "funner" gets jipped, how can we get away with turning an adjective into a verb with the word, "funned"?  As a language pirate, I'm all for it.

I just wish people could tell me if and why "Funner" is grammatically incorrect, and I hope someday, people will take it seriously.

I mean, what sounds better?
 "Life will be funner than a hamster on a wheel" or "Life will be more fun than a wet cat on log?"
If you choose the cat, you're weird. =)

When Love Reigns.

In every major catastrophe in my life the main word on my lips has been "thank you." In the darkest hour, there is always a reason to be thankful. And you know, the offspring of gratitude is joy.

For me, these last few weeks have been dark indeed. But have they? When bad things happen to good people, love reigns. Indeed, due to this reigning love, these days are quite bright.

Significance.

Significant. The word of the day. Find something significant in your life. A person, a moment, memory, amulet, ideal or dream. Something significant to you. Be thankful for it.

Language of America.

Look for the word.

The American Dream

When you picture the American Dream, what do you picture?  California shades and a Ferrari? Money? Mansion? Materials? A simple life out in the country with no worries?

If this is your picture, you’re wrong.

The Dream is not a constant. It’s a goal. It requires sweat. It requires tears. It requires blood. When things don’t work out, when you’re down and unhappy, remember, that is a good thing. It is in the pursuit, not the accomplishment, but the gory pursuit of our imagined dreams that they are made true. Water is stronger than rock. Change does not happen in an instant, but by the hammer's repeated fluid blows.

The American Dream is the freedom to pursue the life we imagine for ourselves.

Walt Disney imagined a world of magic. Losing everything in that pursuit, he hopped on a bus to Los Angeles, owning nothing but a cardboard box, a change of underwear, forty dollars and a side reel of cartoons. Martin Luther King had a Dream. His voice, his life, and death, played out in pursuit of that Dream and now, people of all races celebrate him, side by side.

The list of heroes is endless. All are willing to sacrifice everything for a notion, an idea, imagined life, a belief, a Dream.

But you don’t have to be a hero to pursue a Dream. From teachers to janitors. From lawyers and politicians to social workers and receptionists. From doctors to athletes. In today’s world many invent their own occupation, and many more occupations are yet realized. Even the stay at home Mother who believes her children will improve the world. There are many among us already engaged in the pursuit of the life we have imagined.  

And you know what? When we give our dreams our all, like Disney and King, we succeed…

I have learned this, at least, from my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the directions of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. –Thoreau.

By this success, the pursuit of those dreams which promise global and local happiness will benefit the nation. Indeed, the most powerful action a US citizen can take, arguably even more powerful than a vote, is the act of this gory pursuit of a imagined, better world.

It is therefore our American obligation to pursue our imagined lives, to pursue our dreams.

 

So. What’s your dream?

Belieber.

I can't Belieber I'm saying this, but there is something about Bieber that encompasses the American philosophy. Perhaps its the importance of Beliebering.

What do you believe?

Next to love, belief is the most powerful weapon at mankind's disposal. Like any weapon it can be used for great evil, or great good. In Nolan's Batman, the Joker believed in chaos. Look at the chaos he unleashed. Never doubt the power of a single drop, because with death on one hand and life on the other, and the gun powder of belief, one drop can change the future of the ocean. Besides: 

"Isn't that what an ocean is made of? A multitude of drops?" -Cloud Atlas. 

ps: In the movie, Cloud Atlas, look for the word. Especially when adjacent to the word love.

Servitude

"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."

 All the best teachers know two things. Never do something for a kid when they could do it themselves and befriend the janitor.

Who has more power? The lady on the pedestal or the man who wraps her in gifts and service?

Give a man a fish and he'll be on your hook for life. Teach a man to fish and he'll catch you a whale. 

Never under estimate the power of servitude.

Its an oxymoronic counter cultural thought, but without servitude, there is no freedom.
A country for the people is created by a country built BY the people.

When money is the end goal, capitalism fails. When money is the means for the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness, capitalism succeeds.

When the political games and personal gains are the focus, Democracy fails. But when the needs of America lie in the heart of politicians, Democracy succeeds.

It is this way for all areas of American society. We are a country built BY the services of the people. 

Crayola Pain.

There is this lie that all pain is evil. However, pain is as colored as the rainbow.

One pain that is good is the pain of healing.  

Whether emotional or physical, it is that agonizing pain that makes you wince through your tears and shiver. Yet as you rock back and forth, mindlessly moaning, you can imagine the evil burning out of you. It is the pain that reminds you that you will soon be reforged... and that is something to laugh about.