Category Archives: Articles on travel

Travel articles including trips where art is a large focus. Food, travel and general interests including food reviews.

Articles on travel
Things we learned as of last evening-by the way this post has been prerecorded-but here it goes. Last night my son and I spent the early hours of the evening making a fire, lesson 1-it’s not as easy as Bear Gryllis would have you think, or is it? We learned very quickly that we know the process of starting a fire and when we slow down and do what we know we’re supposed to do-magically we have a very nice fire indeed. The problem we have with starting a fire is the excitement and speed in which we try to do the act skips over crucial steps that would make the fire easy. We regrouped and slowed down and instead of fighting to keep a fire going we succeeded in getting a fire to last through the evening and put it out only when we decided to,
It was cold and windy but for me it made the evening more memorable. We spent time in silence, it’s funny how fires bring out the deep intense stares into oblivion, must be the light in the darkness, we’re like moths attracted to the warmth and light, luckily we are a bit smarter than moths and don’t burn ourselves, well some of us do but that’s another story and another camping evening. We watched for shooting stars and just relaxed while we watched the reward for our troubles. It was one of those extremely bright nights, so bright  you would think it was an eclipse in the middle of the day, I missed the darkness, there is something about look into the blackness and the blackness stares back. Without television, Internet, cell phones, we were able to actually spend time without the distractions of daily life.
We had the entire campsite and the lake to ourselves which is kind of wonderful and still a bit unnerving-the right mix for time away from civilization is a few people in the distance and just enough remote without feeling like you are a survivor in some foreign jungle. During the evening we got to watch deer across the lake and it was like nature came looking for us, I still think they were probably not happy with the light in their eyes but it was exciting to be able to watch them without scaring them away. Another amazing thing to listen to was the owl in the grove across the water, I couldn’t have asked for a better sound to listen to while enjoying the outdoors.
The next morning, I actually got to see the sunrise and get out on the lake in the really cold water of early winter. By the way, when kayaking you get wet and even if the air is warm the water is ridiculously cold. My son seems to care more about the fishing than the idea of drowning or freezing to death. It was pretty windy and neither of us caught anything-again! After this trip I have since been studying the illusive smallmouth bass and my next trip I hope will be a whole new chapter on fishing and actually catching-I definitely am starting at a good point-there’s only getting better! It was an amazing day and the evening even got better visiting Turner Falls and Tucker Tower but the amazing thing is the peace and serenity of nature which I have only recently begun to rediscover.
So how do you relax? Where do you find peace? I am just realizing again, starting with a new found faith and an intentional attitude of slowing down and taking stock in my life-Peace is available for all of us but we need to slow down long enough to realize it. We need to find silence and solitude as only in these times do we find our true selves and the chance at rekindling our faith-by the way when starting a fire, don’t forget the kindle-I’m just saying.

Articles on travel

The Problem with Filters, Why and Why Not?

On the left is the original from a point and shoot camera, the middle is just filtering and adding a bit of saturation to colors and shadows and the final is just playing with colors and saturation.

I remember just starting to use Photoshop, every week I  would discover a new filter to use. One specific filter I remember and definitely have witnessed its overuse is the lens flare tool. So why not use the tools you have? Why not go crazy with colors and effects, throw in some multiple fonts and maybe some shapes and you have a work of art right? Here is my problem with filters, they can often make the simple pure act of capturing an inspiration contrived or overdone.

lens flare versus same filters with more subtle effects.

I have spoken recently about an image having just enough, nothing more or less, a complete and final inspiration stands on its own and the viewer enjoys the piece as a whole. A poorly or overused filter can cause more of a distraction than an improvement on a work. I am impressed when the viewer who knows how to use filters and is aware of their effects can not pinpoint what filter was used but the image is cohesive There is a beauty to purity and capturing something the way you actually envision it and even more amazing is subtlety especially when creativity tends to strive for all the bells and whistles.

A well used filter will allow just the right amount of highlight or low light to a scene or work and allow the over processing or under processing of an original, it gives the creative professional an opportunity to push an effect or allow more options to the original image. Of course this is all subjective and my idea of overuse or contrived is anothers’ masterpiece so allow for opinion and personal style to dictate what is too much. I happen to love subtlety and I believe there is not much that we can improve on  images of nature which are to me, pretty amazing and perfect in their own way. For the abstracts and non-representational creatives, of course you decide what is perfect and what is too much but we have all seen the overuse and cheesy effects it is up to creatives and their own vision to decide what is over the top and where cheese becomes genius.

Articles on travel

Being Artsy vs True Inspiration

I have had the chance to see much photography and art over the recent years and have come to the point where I don’t necessarily see what I inspires me to create, instead I realize what I don’t want to create. I have tried in the past, especially with black and white, to capture the artsy shapes and patterns that seem interesting to me but not necessarily to others and I would think on most times I have failed to capture the inspiration that begged to be photographed. I have just recently admitted to myself that the inspiration might never have been there and logically I was thinking that the shape or pattern would be seen as that iconic image-enter the realm of artsy.

Inspiration is very intangible, you don’t create because you think it will be seen as deep or interesting, you create because the image practically jumps in your lap. The painting or photograph that is truly inspired becomes the image in its time, it naturally appears from out of chaos and is obvious to the artist eye, it does not attempt to be interesting or dramatic, it just is.

The creative process has stops and starts, the flow is not controlled by the artist although it can be easier digested if the creative has time and silence to be open and aware. Inspiration comes suddenly and dramatically but it is also somewhat like a puzzle that gives up its secrets with subtle cues. Being creative is a rapidly changing point of view that speaks of pictures in words and words in pictures. I believe the most amazing creative endeavors are those that speak from some supernatural place where the viewer or reader takes something from the piece that is not clearly written or executed. The feeling of sadness from a pastoral scene that invokes a feeling of ones’ childhood, the realization of ones’ own qualities or weakness only unlocked from a piece that speaks nothing specific or tangible; these are those supernatural moments where art speaks beyond its medium.

In the realm of photography I seek images that haunt me, if it is a portrait, I want the person to be saying something to me without a sound. I want to feel haunted by the subject and feel as if I have just interrupted an important moment in someones’ life. I would rather the viewer hate my painting or photograph than leave it empty, it is all about feeling something, anything really.

Another difference between the artsy and the true inspiration is that the feeling of artsy fades very quickly, inspiration is not hampered by time or style and fashion of the day. You see that which is inspired and it grows and changes every time you see it or remember it. Inspiration has depth much like a complex wine that gives up its qualities and flavors only over time and nothing is constant, everything changes, grows and lasts the test of time. You remember and go back to an inspired piece and the artist or writer doesn’t have to explain what they were thinking or feeling.

True inspiration becomes less of the artists’ and more of the viewers’, the creative gives up ownership of the piece as the viewer creates their own idea or feeling, an inspired work can be explained and dissected by many and the artist never has to say a word because there are no right or wrong answers. The viewer is left to discover the piece and it changes and grows depending on the viewers’ point of view.

This is so subjective and would love to have others opinions, this is my opinion, how I see art and the creative process but just as I mentioned-it is the viewer who describes it for themselves and this writing only attempts to lead the reader to make their own decision on what is artsy and what is true inspiration.

Articles on travel

The New Series: Nothing is Simple

Upcoming painting of Turner Falls Oklahoma

I have usually worked on paintings that have been on a list of paintings to do for often years before they actually see paint. I always think of this as the fermentation of an idea or inspiration, probably the reason why the edges are often soft and the thought is open for the viewers’ interpretation instead of the realistic, straight forward landscape. Recently, I was able to finish many of the paintings that had been on the list for a long time and now the work that is being created are fresh and most of the inspiration is very recent and still very clear in memory.

So you would think this recent series would be so quick and easy but that is just not the case with creativity. One canvas that you see on Tuesday is often completely a different canvas when you look at it on the following Tuesday or even the next day for that matter. No, there is no magical change of the actual form and no, there is no magical metamorphosis of the image over time but the eye of the artist is always changing and can often be extremely critical. When you start a painting often the excitement of the direction you are going become almost intoxicating and after the initial rush you are left to a painting that it seems like some one else started and you like it enough not to want to damage the essence that make it attractive to you and yet as the artist, I feel incapable of moving forward.

View of the autumn foliage from Tucker Tower

This series started quickly and with great enthusiasm and yet it stopped just as suddenly. I have several large and small paintings in different stages of completion but they are all suddenly like a train wreck that I can’t seem to find the path through the execution. Even the feeling of the entire piece is barely discernible and yet it started out so clearly. I believe you take the image out of memory when you start the work and than there is the insecurity and doubt that follow and often haunt the artist through the creative process.

My theory on this whole process is don’t ever get attached to any single painting and realize that you can recreate the same painting over and over again and each time you will see it differently. Be bold with color and welcome failure, every process of painting is a learning process and only after getting past the original fear and insecurity does the true beauty of the piece become true to itself. The next two days I have off and plan on working somewhat furiously on the paintings and while I am in the process of painting the landscapes that are in process, another group of paintings have appeared on the list. One painting is of the waterfalls at Turner Falls and another looking down from the tower at Tucker Tower on Lake Murray, with this season comes the cold atmospheric breeze and the perfect atmosphere for the kind of landscapes that seem to haunt my imagination.

Articles on travel

This New Undiscovered Species: The Bully

In recent years we suddenly discovered a new species of people-the bully. Schools create dances and songs and processes to defeat this unfortunate foe as if we have only just realized that they exist. Bullies have existed in one way or another for centuries as long as there have been differences in strength differences in skin color, looks, egos and tolerances there have been and always will be bullies. The government can not legislate their extinction no more than dances and songs can wish them away.

I think of myself as a kind person so why should I be disgusted with this whole campaign of outlawing the bully? It is the hypocrisy of this campaign that disgusts me, not its intention nor its cause.
Bullies do not fit into the community, strength does not motivate them instead a lack of compassion, a feeling of narcissism or insecurity, it is the bullies’ problem but it becomes ours because there are no boundaries to the bully in this day where sticking up for ones’ self is as distasteful as being the bully. This stick your head in the sand policy creates a playground for the bully where no one can defend themselves against their abuse. I have always thought that signs should be put up that say we will stick together, its the unity in a community that keeps the bully at bay. It’s hard to bully someone if you know their friends or a large group of concerned people will stand against them.
Another element to the lack of unity is the fact that the media, the same entity that preaches tolerance and kindness is nasty and bullies its own. Kids are taught not to taunt each other and than they see on television the celebrities are torn to shreds and calling someone fat, a slob, a slut becomes today’s comedy routine. Such a mixed message our kids see as the bully mentality is alive and well and has invaded our homes through the Internet, cable news and celebrity tabloid.
Children are being raised with narcissistic tendencies which says your feelings and well being trump any others, so why not bully, why not be unkind to others. In the past it was more what you can do for the fellow man or what you can contribute to the community now it is what you deserve and what your company or community owes you. We have lawyers advertising how they can get you what you deserve and treats the insurance companies like they are evil when you need to wonder which is more evil. The obese are worthy of ridicule, the ugly deserve all the jokes and taunts they get but lets talk about being kind to each other. Kids are taught that losing is a horrible thing to be avoided at all costs while the actual feeling of success is fabricated as everyone gets a trophy. Losing builds humility and teaches lessons that are integral for the child, only a leader that has learned to follow can lead well. This is the problem, compassion, humility and a sense of debt to others instead of the self indulgent feeling that world revolves around you.
I think we need to teach our children compassion and kindness, not ignore all the nastiness but explain it to our children and let them realize why it occurs instead of treating it like the white elephant in the room. We need our children to have empathy so they will treat others as they want to be treated. Bullies exist because there are inconsistencies in our society, they feed on weakness and no matter how much we would love for them to disappear all of our dancing and legislation is not winning. We need to not only get together as a society and become more united but we need to bring the bully into the fold, the bully can not exist where there is unity and strength and the tendencies that allow the bully to bully are often eliminated when the bully is taught compassion, empathy and is welcomed into a society that doesn’t ostracize people that don’t fit.
Articles on travel

The Missing Ingredient

I have a theory about marriage and divorce-not the impulsive, never should have done that marriage instead the marriage where both are best friends and over time find they can’t make things work. Speaking from being divorced myself, all I can say is knowing the problem doesn’t always fix the situation. My theory is the missing ingredient. When you meet some one for the first time there is something both of you bring to the relationship and there are ingredients that each possess that make the relationship special. I equate the relationship with making an amazing cake for years and than over the years leaving out certain ingredients-the cake is still average but not amazing and over time it becomes a bland flavor that never satisfies. A marriage is much the same and that missing ingredient will one day change a wonderful relationship to a stale flavorless affair.

This post is not about marriage though nor baking a cake, this post is about business as the missing ingredient still applies. Starting a business is a beautiful thing, doing a service or creating a product that one is passionate about and allowing others to share in the success and passion of creating and selling that product or service. These days success and profit seem to be synonymous with greed and the evils of a capitalist society which I believe is quite sad and agenda driven but my post is not about politics its business; the good the bad and the ugly.

I miss the day of the small town merchant where everyone knows each other and goods and services can be bartered and conducted over a handshake and an IOU. I miss the days when a workers passion for a product or service amounted to a lifetime of loyalty and a company that returns the favor in assisting with the inevitable retirement of the employee. Instead, now a company uses up its employees as tools and squeezes all the passion and creativity out of them until the bottom line says the employees services are no longer cost effective. On the other side of the coin the dispassionate employee that takes advantage of a companies’ small favors and than expects that the employer owes them something. We have replaced honor and honesty with lawyers and contracts, the confidence in a pension with the instability of a 401k run by a stock market that is only interested in its own interests. No one can trust anyone, the company share holders are out to protect its shareholders, the employee is out the protect themselves and their family and the government is desperate to take as much from all of the above as it can. The bottom line has replaced common sense and loyalty, the small company that once could rely on its workers is now a hostage to its share holders, greed is a necessary evil to keep the entire network of people that all have their hands in the pot reaching for whatever is deserved or deemed deserved.

I think the problem is the fact that things get too big, too quickly and the common sense of keeping the margin down and the profits up leaves any hope for compassion or humanity as an unsustainable cost that must be managed. The small business becomes the organism that is comprised of its pieces, it can only feed itself to keep all of its pieces alive without any concern for any individual element. The competition of business motivates the company to get larger and larger and the small business is devoured until the cold unfeeling conglomerate is the only option and the small ma and pa business is not a sustainable luxury. Although honesty and integrity are beautiful things they can not compete with the bottom line which keeps the whole structure alive and although we all want these virtues to enjoy them risks losing that which we all need to live the lives we have forged which again seem too large and sustainable to support with the smaller profits and honesty of the small town business.

So what is this missing ingredient, through this whole process I have been trying to articulate in my mind and the obvious virtues of honesty, integrity and compassion are not the actual structure but more the beams that create something we have lost as our small towns turn into large cities; community. The community was the organism that could maintain its pieces and each piece gave back to the organism so the organism could keep its loyalty and compassion to its individual elements. The stock market, the corporate machine and all of the trappings of business have replaced the community, to keep this new community alive compassion and loyalty are unsustainable costs. Everything we gain we lose something and one of the most crucial products that allow people to be people is the community and I think we all need to find a way to resurrect this vital missing ingredient.

Articles on travel

I have forgotten the last time I really took the time to enjoy a sunrise. This past weekend we camped at Lake Murray near Ardmore Oklahoma, right across from Tucker Tower as we usually do but this time there were so few people it seemed we had the lake and the campground to ourselves. I took a break from my self-induced change of eating habit and enjoyed the all american cuisine; the hotdog. My son grilled them and we did a taste test of two brands and we both agreed that mine was far superior and yet at the same time-your camping so it doesn’t really matter how good your dogs are-your camping so everything tastes better. I am partial to Nathans and Hebrew National-I’m just sayin.

We got to watch deer from across the lake and I wasn’t sure who was watching who-except for the fact that we had flash lights and they didn’t. The night was the perfect start to fall although the moon was so bright it felt like it was daylight all night. I actually slept even if the wind was gusting at  a ridiculous rate and we were wondering if the tent was going to fly off without us-it was pretty perfect all in all.

The next morning, I got to enjoy the sunrise, kayak for three hours and enjoy my sons sausage and eggs-my change of diet habits start again on Monday. After kayaking we went to a place that I have visited many times but I felt like I was seeing it for the first time, Tucker Tower. A long walk from the parking lot to the upper deck gave me quite a workout but by the time I got to the top I was ready for more. The gold, amber and red leaves were perfect complements to the deep blue green lake. I think I have only been up during the later winter months and never got the full beauty of the autumn foliage. My son had been up once before but it was so long ago it was all new to him. One interesting thing about the top of the tower-the overabundance of lady bugs and millipedes, we split our visit between looking at the amazing lake and checking out the busy lady bugs as they swarmed us.

 Our next stop was Turner Falls in Davis Oklahoma, another place I had visited many times before but for some reason it was particularly beautiful that afternoon and the light was at the perfect angle. I have painted the waterfall before and I have already started sketching a new one because the light and color were so amazing. I was already a bit  tired from climbing to the top of the tower and kayaking against the wind-did I mention the wind was still strong during the afternoon and directly in the opposite direction as we were kayaking. So I wasn’t planning on doing the hiking to the top of the falls, so instead we hiked over the falls and to the other side of the mountain, again by the time I was done I was ready for more exercise, nothing like adrenalin to give you lots of energy.

On the other side of the falls you can look over the river that feeds the falls and explore a second cave that I had never seen before. I had visited the falls many times and never had a chance to the see this side of the falls. The fall foliage was breathtaking against the mountains surrounding the river. I still am eager to explore the other miles of trails around the falls and feel like I had just discovered Turner Falls after so many years of just fishing for trout and taking pictures of the falls, there is a whole other area of this park I am eager to explore.

It was just a weekend but the fact that we did so much made it feel more like a full vacation. We got home early in the afternoon, tired but refreshed and ready for the week. I think it is not just what we choose to do on our vacations it’s how open we are to nuances and find new aspects of places we’ve been before.

Articles on travel

Where do we go?

California-Big Basin State Park Californias’ oldest state park and an amazing place so close to Redwood City

Our sixth trip is in the works, and we have finally decided where we will be going-Kentucky of all places. To recap, first we were on our way to Wisconsin with my brother and his family when my son came down with a fateful stomach bug, enter a father’s answer to a crisis. We planned and executed a trip down to the Texas Hill Country to see the caves-first stop Inner space caverns and all caves, waterfalls, zoos, rock collecting and other destinations to follow.

First lesson in a great vacation plan-be flexible, meet change and crisis with alternatives and possibilities and don’t be afraid to get out there. This first trip was a bit uncomfortable for me because I have a tendency to get sleepy at the wheel on long trips but it all worked out perfect-my confidence sparks the next idea and next years’ trip begins its preplanned stage. The best word or essence of this trip I could describe is freedom-the feeling that our world is out there and all we have to do is go find it, both of us were addicted to the road trip.
The next trip was a plan to take my son to the coast for a red fish trip, a hobby he had recently picked up-fishing. My initial idea was more the trip to the coast but it turned into a San Antonio/Rockport trip-the way to Rockport was a bit further than I had traveled before and again the nervous feeling of the long road did cross my mind-energy drinks bought and used as an emergency tool much like a tire iron and flares I guess. 
Fishing with Lanny Philips Rockport Texas
We went to San Antonio and he saw a pamphlet for ghost tours and the second lesson in our vacation process: the wild card-come up with an idea and don’t hesitate to say YES! In the next five minutes I was on the phone setting up a ghost tour for the evening. It is the diversity of our interests and the opportunity to do whatever comes up that makes our vacations so successful. Another lesson in vacationing-be open to new experiences and share interests that are common, this way no one is bored and no one feels slighted. When we are out on the road-there is nothing that is off limits.
Next lesson is to search for interests that are common and have the attitude that you will see everything you can-the road to the destination is the destination. A long ride to somewhere becomes  a bunch of short excursions to manageable trips. This lessens road fatigue and keeps the vacation unpredictable and exciting-you pretty much start the vacation the minute you get in the car.
The next trip was something I came up with as I had made some extra freelance money and was able to go out and purchase airplane tickets. Alcatraz here we come-we went to San Francisco and planned on caves, zoos and the pacific coast-my son had his first plane ride that he remembers and got acquainted with public transportation and the freedom of the rental car. Can I just say one of the best things he remembers is the food-we did not spare expense and I have since not missed one penny of what I spent.
Another lesson-don’t go broke on a vacation but don’t go halfway either-finding that balance is the hardest part. 
Another added interest on this trip was aquariums-Monterrey, Aquarium of the Bay-it was a great addition to our repertoire. This trip was I think, still our very best, we went from San Francisco to San Diego and back to Alcatraz-luckily we only stayed for an evening on the rock and the park system was nice enough to ferry us back to freedom. One outstanding element of this trip was as I mentioned-the food-Dungeness crab and Anchor steam beer for me. My recommendation would be the crab house on Pier 39. The best burger either of us have ever had was at Louis-another amazing restaurant I would highly recommend. In this trip my son who is quickly approaching his teens took the initiative to pick restaurants and hotels using his smartphone we recently invested in-he became a navigator, hotel reservations and arrangements for dinner and he did a really nice job of setting us up with great places to eat and navigating when we got off course. Another lesson in vacation-its both of your vacation and the more involved and interested your preteen is the more you both share the vacation and the excitement of the vacation-it’s not all about you!
How do you follow up a trip like our San Francisco/San Diego trip? Best thought I would give is don’t try-one does not compare to the other or you will quickly be disappointed. I decided that we would go somewhere I have been wanting to go for a long time-Mountain Home Arkansas and my main idea was to kayak and boat which the weather and chill in the air quickly changed-again be flexible and ready to change plans. Again we got to enjoy caves, amazing dinners and fishing for trout both with a guide and along the road-it wasn’t the California trip but it was amazing in its own way and both will remember all aspects fondly. 
Petit Jean State Park Arkansas
Our most recent trip was to Oklahoma-this was a wonderful trip but the least memorable probably and my explanation is that we brought our kayaks-this I believe limits your freedom to go see things and places and limits the trip to fewer options. We kayaked, camped, stayed in a cabin and stayed in the comfort of a hotel-all experiences were amazing including trout fishing and a trip to natural falls state park which we both enjoyed. We discovered the prettiest lake in Oklahoma-Ten Killer Lake and were able to fish where you can see the bottom of the lake in Broken Bow. We cooked salmon on the grill and watched bald eagles  fly across the immense sky-it was an amazing trip-probably on a scale of 1-10 a 9-the only difference with the other trips is that they all were twelves and thirteens-it’s all perspective.
Lake Murray State Park Oklahoma
Which brings me to my final lesson on the road trip-perspective-take everything as it comes, look for the challenges that bring wisdom and realize that the whole reason you are out there is to enjoy time together and feel the freedom of being open to all possibilities. Leave the phone and texting alone, talk about everything from nature, memory and everything in between. The trip, just as in life is what you make it, realize you’ll never get the money you spend back nor will you ever  miss it if you do it right. Go out there and gather memories much like the magnets you put on the fridge, every memory is a trinket that will never be anything less than priceless. Enjoy your freedom and realize its out there waiting to be explored so go explore. Next stop Kentucky, the Atlantic coast and everything between.
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This Sunday Morning

“I may be more whole now than I have ever been in my life” a quote from a soldier that had lost both his legs and his right arm in battle. Those words resonate with me so much because I have realized divine moments in the darkest times and who better to bring that point home than a wounded soldier whose life is altered forever.
Life is measured much with things, wealth, power-and next in line is appearance-which is usually thin and perfect and where nature fails there is always Photoshop to fill in the imperfections. Our children are taught what is successful and what is of worth by the bombardment of the media with images of what is beautiful and what is considered successful while well meaning parents insist the opposite is true. Bullies are celebrated on the news and in every fashion and tabloid blurb as the line between tabloid trash and news blurs. In the midst of a lack of empathy and respect for our neighbor, we try to teach our children that bullying is wrong. Trophies and fabricated accolades boost our children’s self esteem on a weak and empty foundation while the powers that be insist we don’t keep score. I believe that these are all flaws of living in a world that rejects the divine and where science attempts to explain all miracles. The statement that the soldier made would turn our secular utopia on its ear on the premise of logic if nothing else.
How could one be whole and feel joy when their legs and limbs are gone, that which we consider basic necessities to our fulfilled life. This is where nature and the divine directly contradict our whole idea of what is good and meaningful. I watched Sunday morning today, something I have mentioned in previous entries, and I finally realize and can articulate why I love this show so much. The show celebrates people, their struggles and successes and connects us with how life is not the tidy or perfect and how meaning and worth far transcends our mere appearances. The quirks in us make the mundane amazing, our failures make successes valuable and our lives are measured by the wisdom and joy of our experiences not the worth of our belongings. Stories of the unattractive, by media standards, that become the leading actor or the successful face to launch a campaign are celebrated and people that find new lives and possibilities in the darkest times. 
Back to that soldier, he was singing Leonard Cohen’s’ Hallelujah and only after losing his limbs realizes its meaning. He is singing with Roger waters with other soldiers who have all lost limbs or eyes and they are finding worth, meaning in their lives that have been altered, to me this is a testament to find worth in our lives despite tragedy or the misfortune. I see the divine as the miracle that fills those gaps and make our struggles and failures mean something. While we have lost and suffer calamites, against all logic, we are never more whole.

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A search for clarity; A grey day

I have been absent for a while, not for the lack of desire to write, only for a lack of clarity. Life moves so quickly that we barely hang on to the rails never mind see where the journey is leading. In essence recently I gave in-allowing my higher authority to have its’ way with my life and direction-we humans have  a difficult time giving up the reigns I guess but I just decided to allow myself to stop being so in charge of my daily struggle. The result has been a bit of clarity but more importantly a feeling of joy that I have had a hard time fathoming lately, I would prefer there was something standing in the way of feeling joy but instead it was my own lack of awareness.

I walked again today and the realization of how much a child can see and enjoy the simplest things while the adult doesn’t have time to stop or smell anything occurred to me. Even if there was a rose around or the occasional garden to stroll through, when do we stop and listen to our environment. I am finding that every time I walk I end up realizing my surroundings and have a better understanding of life and more of a desire to write. The feeling would be like a person walking around with dark glasses and suddenly taking them off, the colors seem brighter, the surroundings clearer. Add all the other senses to that same awareness and the artist or writer feels as if they have just woken out of a dream.

I watched the cool gray colors of the lake, the silence of the empty field was extremely relaxing even if I was sweating from being very out of shape, okay my son would appreciate me admitting this fact. I could see the cars flying by on the bridge, the same bridge we had walked many time before, but now those cars almost seemed like a view from outside the treadmill. I took a break from everything, I listened to the birds and the breezes without listening to politics, the media or friends and family with their own distractions. I suddenly am aware of solitude, I can smell the cedar from a recently stained fence, notice pigeons high in the sky acting more like eagles than lowly pigeons.

My perspective changed, I have heard that exercise causes endorphins in the brain to rage, well I could feel those endorphins and it was pretty amazing. I also think a body or mind in motion tends to stay in motion. I think we too often dig ourselves into the politics of the day and the anger and frustration without realizing our lives are smaller and more intimate than the media would have us believe. We need to find joy in the simple things that we do and the happiness we lack is the byproduct of experiencing the simplicity of joy.

I have a friend that lives with a passion, she is a cook, an author, a creative and she lives her life like an artist uses a brush, I think I can see better into others’ lives than my own and realize how well or unwell others actions affect their own happiness-this realization has not only grown my admiration for a life well spent but intrigued me to live closer to the idea of being free to feel and experience my life, not as a long and boring repetitive sequel but a painting with many different colors and strokes for texture, each person that comes into my life will add the different hues and create a subject matter that I can be inspired by.

It’s amazing what a walk can do-brings us questions and makes those answers not only clearer but strikes up more questions for us to ask. This is the impetus to write and this is the purpose for clarity. I would love to know how my readers find clarity. Do you search for clarity in writing, philosophy, exercise-what is your process for allowing the muses to have their way with you?