Hoper of Far-Flung Hopes

A quote from Dr. Who:

We always have choice of how we wish to be in the Universe, how we manage to express ourselves. When things go poorly or badly or we are disappointed by our circumstances, we opt for the 'half empty' or 'half full' view. It's always our choice.

I admit that there are times when I go to the Dark Side, choosing to see the worst case scenario in changing, disappointing or difficult situations. I work to keep that move to a minimum, to spend as little time in Mordor as possible. When I recognize that I'm there, when I discover the darkness clouding my mind and soul, I find something to smile about ~ some small thing ~ the sun shining, the beauty of the clouds, the sharpness of the air, anything that will provide the opportunity to change. The best thing is remaining the optimist!

What do you do to keep yourself in the ranks of hopers?

Impressive Stars

We often consider ourselves to be the very center of the Universe... well, at least of our personal Universe. We human beings very often fail to notice the beauty and glory of nature that surrounds us regularly. It is as though we believe that wherever we are is all that exists....  until that moment when something catches us up, takes our breath away, wakes up our sleeping senses and souls. Then we gasp with awe at the wonder of the stars.

What scene woke you up lately? When did you last find yourself walking amongst the stars? 

11/22/1963 ~ 50 Years Gone

  Those of us "of a certain age" remember the assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy on November 11th, 1963. It was a moment when our entire world stood still in shock and grief. When we wondered what could have altered so dramatically in our lives that we could be witness to the killing of a popular president.

Kennedy's death rocked our sense of safety and well-being. It made us realize that even the 'mighty' and those who lived in Camelot could be torn asunder.

There was another death that occurred that same day. This man was older, perhaps wiser, certainly more experienced, and British, although he died in Los Angeles.  He is known to most of us only through the works he wrote, particularly the words of Brave New World:

• Words can be like X-rays if you use them properly -- they'll go through anything. You read and you're pierced.
• But I don't want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin.
• I want to know what passion is. I want to feel something strongly.

What do you remember of each of these men? How did their lives ~ and their deaths affect you? How did their words affect you?

Portal to Another Realm

What do you see when you look at this picture? What's your first thought? What changes after looking at it over time?

When I first looked at this image, I thought I was looking at a stylized drawing of an MRI tube. Now that I've said that, do you see what I'm talking about? Isn't it fascinating to hear what someone else perceives? How does that affect what you perceive?

For me this place is a portal to another realm of existence. I can look at it for a brief time and see a table ready to be set.... or an eye looking over a card, perhaps a Tarot choice.....

Every day we see, we dream, we imagine images like this one. Rarely do we allow the scene to grab us and pull us in, close enough to smell, taste the moment it arrived.

Insurgent

from the teaser:
"One choice can transform you - or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves - and herself - while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love."








Insurgent is the second book of the Divergent trilogy. It picks up the story at the precise point where Divergent left off.... and it continues with Tris struggling to be true to herself as she's finding out more about who and what she is. This seems to be a common theme in dystopian literature. Another theme is that it's the young who will save and provide safety for the world as it will be in the future. The youth take on seriously adult roles, make very tough decisions and fight incredible odds to survive. When things are really, really bad, the youth are the only ones who can lead and fight through to a better tomorrow ~ even if it's only minimally better.

Why is dystopian literature so popular? What is it about a world in pieces, being pieced back together by youth, that fascinates us so much?

I cannot rest from travel

From Ulysses by Alfred Lord Tennyson:

I cannot rest from travel; I will drink
Life to the lees.
All times I have enjoyed
Greatly, have suffered greatly, both with those
That loved me, and alone; on shore, and when
Through scudding drifts the rainy Hyades
Vext the dim sea.
I am become a name....

Much of the poem Ulysses relates directly to the warring, searching nature of his travels. These few lines ring with a sense of truth for me and a sense of description of the lives and love of several friends.

I cannot rest from travel ~ I have always been a traveler of some sort; a gypsy in the midst of the city. I marvel at so much in the world, even in places familiar.

I will drink life to the lees ~ My goal, though not always realized, is to be fully alive. I want to be awake and aware of all that is around me. There is so much that I miss on a daily basis, yet I feel full and enriched by all that's around me.

I am become a name ~ What power there is to that phrase! For me, it means that through all this, I have earned my title, my name. I have passed through whatever elemental there may be and come out the other side, recognized, acknowledged, named.

What do the lines of this poem mean to you? Do you have a poem that speaks powerfully to you?

Dreamscape

image by Daniel Danger

In many of my dreams, I find myself walking or running or simply floating in the air. I'm out of reach of those who are seeking to harm me. I'm also in a position to see what's happening below which enables me to decide what kind of action to take next: keep rising into the air, move in the air in one direction or another, shout a warning to those below me, find my way down to the ground.... lots of choices.

"Flying dreams and the ability to control your flight is representative of your own personal sense of power." (dreammoods.com) I've found this to be so true! When I feel like I'm being chased or 'shot down' in the dream, I realize that it's due to my feeling somewhat out of control in the awake world. I've loved the sense of empowerment that being airborne and in control &/or out of danger gives me. I reinforces my overall sense of well-being.

Which of your dreams affects your sense of well-being? What do you do to reinforce your self? and your sense of personal power?