Color Replaces Words….

Sometimes colors can supersede words.  I am putting together a PowerPoint presentation that uses both words and colors.

 

 

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Get a Life….

I began my quest towards austerity in the year of 1997.  I found myself in a situation where I needed to quickly learn the true meaning between the words “wanting” and “needing”.  Though the initial lesson was painful, I did discover that reducing ownership was not only beneficial in my habit of relocating to other destinations, but seemed to quiet the emotional rollercoaster of life itself.  Less “stuff” to worry about and replacing ego driven purchases with an “I don’t really need it”, attitude.  For sure, there are still small purchases that help soothe the soul, such as some favorite junk foods and of course, my cigars, but overall, I have eliminated much of the overflow.  And those things I need to purchase, such as large ticket items, I usually purchase used or spend some time researching and comparing prices.  As the large ticket items are few and far between, the time I spent with this task is minimal.

Ownership is a phenomenon unto itself.  It is in our lives constantly and dictates much of how we live our lives.  Everything from designer clothing to those big toys that reinforces the ego like nothing else proliferates in today’s instant gratification lifestyle… “The bigger, the better” and “keeping up with the neighbors” is an ongoing game of one-upmanship that not only fuels the economy but also fuels people’s passions for living large.  And that is good. 

On the flip side, I find it almost inspiring to live simply.  My treks into civilization and the world diverse consumer products are rare, which, has an advantage of saving me money on fuel and restaurants.  I purchase most of what I need for groceries and hardware items from small local merchants, frequent those business which sell used items and do much of my own cooking, though most people will tell me that nuking, frying or grilling my foods leaves much to be desired in the area of culinary experiences. 

Another expense I have limited spending a lot of money on is entertainment.  Movies are expensive, shows are limited and cultural events are limited to rodeos and pow-wows.  And to be honest, both are enjoyable, to a point.  There is the state fair once a year and the yearly vacation I take to return to the home where I grew up fills in the gaps.  Other than that, I get my entertainment through music, (that I listen to and by those instruments I am learning to play), reading a good book, communing with nature, photography and last, but not least, my attempts at writing. 

I have been told many times by those who know me, that I need to “get a life” and I reply that I already have one, albeit, dull and boring in the eyes of those who need constant and exciting stimuli to exist.  And I do not judge those who require this form of survival.  My opinion is; “do whatever floats your boat and enjoy life”.  Life is time limited and when reduced to what is genuinely important in one’s life, extremely satisfying.

Ask yourself this:  Where would you go if you followed your passion?  How would living your dream change your life?  What would you feel and what would your life be like?  The answers may surprise you… Now, get a life.

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What’s the Purpose???

I have a destination in this entry to reach so please be patient. I need to set up the sequence to properly put things in their place. I do this not to elicit sympathy but to build a jumping off point to reach my goal. The goal is one’s purpose in life. This is something I do believe. We all have a purpose in life, regardless of our journeys, we are here for a reason. If not for this belief, life would have little meaning. I know there are other thoughts to this but this is the only one that validates that we have meaning and design.

Recently, I had not been feeling all that well and this malady culminated into a hurried trip to the ER, where I was pricked, prodded and made to run my derrière off on a treadmill. To all this, nothing was discovered except that after years of smoking cigars my lungs are in good shape (95% capacity) and my heart showed no signs of disease or damage. Even though I can now reduce my physical age to that of a 20-year-old (my doctor told me the EKG read like someone in their 20′s), the symptoms persisted and actually increased in severity. I sat and pondered what was happening and after looking at all angles, arrived at a possible answer. I tested this theory and finally discovered what it was and theory this was affirmed by my physician. Low level carbon monoxide poisoning was the culprit.

I considered myself extremely lucky that I survived this event, as I know first hand just how deadly this situation is. Last year, I lost 2 friends to this type of poisoning and they are still highly missed in my life. So, the point here is that though I may consider this a case of very good luck, it really does go deeper.

That is purpose. I am still here because I have a purpose in life that I have yet to accomplish. I do not like to compare, as some will, that purpose and destiny are the same. To my way of thinking (and I use the word “thinking” very loosely), destiny is a preordained path one follows that strips us of our choices in life, while purpose is only that we have a role to fulfill, somewhere along the road of we travel. What my role is unknown to me at present but I truly believe it is there and I am reaching for it, in some manner, and will accomplish this, whether I realize I have or not.

The bottom line and the point I am trying desperately to make is that we all have value in this world. Our presence in life does have meaning. Know that no matter what or where you are in life, you have purpose. You have value and you will eventually discover this. Everything happens for a reason, even if we do not understand why at the point that events occur, we will ultimately discover the reasons and in many cases, know that what did happen makes us stronger in spirit and conviction, happier within ourselves and to others or more successful in reaching for the stars. 

“I have always known that at last I would take this road, but yesterday I did not know that it would be today.” —Japanese Haiku

Now, another attempt at creativity: My Back Porch

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