Canvas and Paint.

Ghosts past gently by
Time and hours
A lifetime it seems

   In the aftermath created by the challenges of a day not seen as it should be, Patience silently sat in humble attire gently putting pieces of herself back together.  Just like assembling a puzzle that was familiar and yet having only half of the picture on the box cover, there was some exploring and excitement to see what it would become.  There is this possibility that once assembled, it might be different than before the day that upset and tumbled the neatness of what was.  
   The old recipe seemed gone now so a new one must be forged just as it seemed pertinent to keep up appearances and maintain some flavor of it's root.  Patience wondered if there wasn't some good in being disheveled.


   The little work above came to me last night.  It woke me from my sleep and demanded some attention so I quickly wrote it down.  I hope you liked it now that I could put the pieces in order and make it flow.  I have rarely shared these gems that come to me in the least of hours.  Usually I have not bothered to write them down, I just work them through in my head until they feel good and sleep as it something that needed grooming had come up and then been happily dealt with.  Perhaps I should write them down from now on.  I have recently made the effort to keep pen and paper beside my bed.

   Do you have moments of inspiration that demand attention?  Do they feel urgent or critical or do they appear more as whispers or feelings?  Do you find that listening to them makes a difference?

   I hope that you find a muse this beautiful day.  My wish is that this muse will have a very positive impact on the day and the experience that is yours.  May colors, tastes and sound be an inspiration and may life flow like a great play that inspires and helps you feel so many glorious colors for your canvas called today!

Peace, love and life!
BillyB

The Rebel Within.

This that disturbance that throws me off center.
The one that disturbs the heart and gut.

It is the angst the is there and ready to pounce.
It hides just around the corner and snickers at efforts to be calm.

This is the why behind my troubles.
The one reason I do not just smile and wait with patience.

Behind the locked door of my conscious thoughts lurks
   A part of me that won't be quiet.

There is something inside of me that wants to duke it out
   Just to prove it can.

I breathe and create space for it to have it's tantrum,
   Knowing it will just take time.

Time to let the struggle work it's way out.
Time to let the pent up frustrations deal in their own way.

In the end all with be as it should.
In due time the storm will calm.

Vulnerability and the need to be creative.

   In the life of every human there is a creative streak that must get out or be expressed.  I believe that we, being Godseed for the lack of any better term, must exercise the creative juices and forces from which we came.

   I have recently taken a strong liking and affection for TED.com.  There is so much here that seems to meet the needs of our modern day world.

  It response to one of the talks on video there, I wrote the following.

"The creative process is this fragile connection to the eternal and all of it's mystery.  A glimpse of it's power and majesty for just the briefest of moments.  Being exposed to it gives us such amazing gifts for a brief period of time.  Every time we are exposed to it makes us more vulnerable to the arrows of the human psyche that cannot understand it or grasp it and so without realizing, it tries to dis-effectuate what it cannot come to terms with.  Thus the creative soul will always, in and effort to return to the source of these gifts, render themselves even more vulnerable.  It's like an addiction or being an addict almost.  I wouldn't change a thing about it as this also weakens the power of the ego and the human psyche that so often afflicts our race with violence and that need to be right over the more noble parts of being the selfsame children of creation."

   Here is the video and I would recommend to anyone with a creative lean.  Particularly those who feel the need to express themselves through the written word.  I hope you enjoy it.

http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

   Tell me your thoughts.  Do you agree?  Do you see it differently?  I would love to hear your point of view.

Billy B

Success!?!

 
  Here is a link that you should watch.  It's fun, it's true and it's only 3 minutes!

  It's from TED.com and I highly recommend that you check it out and sign up.  You will get to listen to the most amazing people currently live today!  Those who are difference makers and see what is possible for our race.  Let me know what your feelings are once you listen to a few.

 There is always something that we could say is holding us back.  They are usually excuses or paradigms that we have yet to be willing to get rid of for one reason or another.  Imagine your life with you out of the way!

 Isn't the art of motivation to help people get out of their own way?

Love,
Billy B

A worthwhile ramble.

   Controlling the urges, wants and fascinations of our lives can, for some, be the greatest challenge of them all.  I am ADD and can be OCD.  This means that I can become transfixed by and idea and obsess over that idea until it gives up it's secrets.  This by the way is what makes our scientists in large part so good at what they do.  They fall in love with ideas or questions or topics or whatever and obsess over them until those things start to give up their secrets.  By so doing, they give us the benefits of their efforts and passion to know or to understand.  This is not the outlet that I am talking about.

   About twenty years ago, I had a job where there was a certain amount of time whenever the weather got bad that we had to ourselves.  My friend that worked there and I would create paper airplanes and see who could get them to fly the farthest or fastest, etc.  With very little time, we had paper airplanes that far exceeded what we could have imagined.  We probably could have competed on a collegiate level should such a competition been available to us.  Not that this really benefited us.

   What if the fascination was with something or someone and in an unhealthy or unproductive area.  Because of the growing numbers of ADD (not enough room here or appropriate to go into the why's here) I can see how so many stalkers are appearing.  I have however had moments that my curiosity was peeked and I would take off on a mission to understand or learn about something that had no potential gains or usefulness in my life.  Like the time I wanted to learn how to make foam cutters.  This was inspired by a hobby I had with radio controlled gliders at the time.  Never used what I learned more than a couple of times, never will again, probably.  Useful, no.  Interesting, yeah, kind of.  50+ hours wasted, maybe.  However, what if I could apply the efforts of my curiosity towards my mission, my purpose, the cause that I now understand to be so much a part of my life?  (Hindsight, I know.)  Where would I be now?  How much good could I do if I got started and moved forward as I had in other instances now?  Of course, life can be a bit complicated as you get older.  Family and responsibilities can limit what can be done now versus youth and the energy I had then. Yet, I wonder.  Am I really limited where as to where I can't?  Is my belief in my mission and purpose strong enough to cast off the shackles of fear of failure to make the foray?  I wander if the wisdom of age isn't more of a rational fear?

   What would you set out to do if you knew you could not fail?  Would it be noble?  More to ask myself than others.  What would I do, now in my mid 40's, if I knew I could not fail?

   What is your dream?  What does the wisdom of age keep you from doing?  What fear do you have that keeps you from going after life changing or world changing goals?

   I will suggest that you are worthy of such causes and efforts.  Did you know that there is greater honor in trying and falling short than never daring?  "Tis far greater to aim for the stars and land on the mountain tops than to aim for a dung heap and hit your mark."  True Chinese proverb.

   Vision, purpose and passion to you.  I look forward to hearing your thoughts on my ramblings.

Billy B

Space within.

   Here is a picture looking over the Great Salt Lake from Salt Air towards Stansbury Island.  It looks like a scene from John Carter or similar to me. It's genuine and unaltered taken with my cell phone even though it looks like a digital image. I loved it and felt the need to share it with you.

   The ability of nature to create such fleeting beauty, beauty so amazing as to leave me speechless oft'times, has always amazed me and as I get older and gain perspective I feel the need to pay more attention to it so that I can remember it is not about me.  It's like being on a small boat way out in the ocean.  How can you not feel small and not be impressed by the shear beauty and power of nature?

   As I listened to one of the many CD's I have on my drive home last night (I recommend using your drive time as educational time, the rolling university, as some would say.), John C Maxwell was talking about how priorities put things in perspective.  How they allow you to sort through the minutia of daily life to know what should be given attention and what should be let go by the way side.  In this way, we can stay focused on the activities and endeavors that give us the highest return on our time, attention and effort.  To restate it, living our lives not the lives that others dictate for us.  We will still have the "required of us" and then the "on purpose" activities and then finally the "reward" activities. Balance must be had and when we stay focused on these simple guidelines, it can simplify life immensely.  Having the discipline to do it takes time and conscious effort to develop but rewards us and the ones we love ten fold over living in the proverbial fast lane.

   Another picture from only 5 minutes early than the first looking in a different direction.

   One of the priorities I have set in my life, one that could use a little more focus on, is remembering to create space.  To just pay attention to the quiet stillness within each day and allow that space to have presence.

   By giving this space presence and influence in daily life, the task of sorting through the demands of each day to know which ones should get attention and which ones shouldn't seems to be much easier and with much less conflict or confusion.  It grants perspective that would otherwise be hard to bring to bare.

   What simple activity allows you to find space and perspective in your life?  Does it allow you to focus on priorities?  Have you clearly defined your priorities?  If not, I suggest you take time and create some space within to ponder and consider what is most important and what gives you and your loved ones the biggest and best returns of your efforts and attention.

   My wish is that you have a marvelous day!  Filled with joy and presence.  That this presence creates joy for others.  

Peace, space within and marvelous moments to you this fine, beautiful day!

Billy B

With or without hope.

   There is a distinct need for hope in life.  We as humans, mechanically run on the same things that all mammals run on.  However, we also have a spiritual or mental function that has far greater and reaching impact on our ability to function than any other mammal that I am aware of.  I could be wrong here as I am no animal psychology specialist.  I can only speak from my experience and understanding and I have found that even with the correct food and environment, we as humans will atrophy and die without certain mental/spiritual environmental requirements.

   There is no more dangerous human and no greater waste of human life than a soul without hope.  This is probably why future has such a strong pull emotionally for us.

   One of the reasons that I enjoy and do my best everyday to watch sun up is because it is the physical representation of hope.  The promise of a new day.  Beauty and power beyond that of my mortal body that promises no matter what, there are always new beginnings, new opportunities.  In life, yes there are mulligans to a certain extent.  No matter who I was the day before, I have the privilege and position of a new day.  So do you.

   Do you realize that being successful in life is simply the process of being the best you can more than being less than you can over a certain number of days?  Meaning, do not mistake the rewards of being successful over time with being successful for just one day or just one week.  Each day, you can decide for your self, do you step up or step out?  Step up enough over a given period of time and the consequences are different (usually in a pleasant way) than the consequences of stepping out consistently.  You get to decide which consequences you would rather have.  It is the hope of positive consequences that keeps us, as human beings, going.

   If there was no hope, why do you get out of bed each day?  Unlike an animal who's instinct is to get up and attend to basic functions, we are not so simple.  What do you hope for?  How does it effect your everyday actions, motivations and relationships?  If you could change the outcome of your everyday actions, which is easier to start your change with, your hopes and expectations or your habits.  Can you really change your habits without duress and not change the expected outcome first?

   What is your motivating factor to everyday life?  Do you have a plan or do you just get up to address feed, function and sleep each day?

   For me, there is always the hope that I can make a difference, in my own life and in the lives of others.  That it is all not for naught,  There is this underlying belief that there is purpose and in the end, the hope that the purpose is worthy of the effort and whatever outcome I can manage with my efforts and energies.

   My wish for you is that you will see when others are loosing hope and be able to transfer a little bit of your hope to them.  That your hope will burn so brightly in your life as to make the lives of others better.  My hope is that you will find your purpose and live life to it's fullest!

Peace, love and sincere meaningful hope to you and yours.

BillyB