Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Filling a Void

The emphasis of many people's lives is on healing, instead of on enjoying life. I've been subconsciously concerned with rectifying wounds of the past by recreating painful situations in the present. This sort of play-acting can be helpful for learning and growing, if dealt with correctly. But much of the time I've found myself creating the same pattern over and over again, then struggling with regret and confusion about how I perpetuate old habits and beliefs.

"You fell in love because your old brain had your partner confused with your parents! Your old brain believed that it had finally found the ideal antidote to make up for the psychological and emotional damage you experienced in childhood." - Harville Hendrix

If this is even partially true, then we should be able to see our relationship issues coming from a mile away. How your mother felt about you when you were born, the issues your parents dealt with in the first few years of your life, and climactic incidents throughout our early childhood would be the outline for relationships to come. 


But there's so much more to life than living out these tired old stories. To move from the subconscious phase and into the conscious phase, we must embrace each moment with courage and honesty, separating the habitual, tired re-woundings of the past from the beautiful, perfect present.

"To see your drama clearly is to be liberated from it."
- Ken Keyes Jr.

This is my cry! Live each moment for this moment alone! I will see each day as nothing but this day, a perfect play of light and sound, full of miraculous amounts of joy!

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Meaning in Mourning

I feel a darkness in my heart since the tragedy in Norway. Fratricide creates a sort of emptiness and awkwardness, conjuring uncomfortable questions about the capacity of human beings and design flaws in the master plan.

I found this quote that helped me feel a little less lost for the moment:
"On earth, God is trying to evolve the universal art of right living by encouraging in men's hearts feelings of brotherhood and appreciation for others.

He has therefore permitted no nation to be complete in itself. To the members of each race He has given some special aptitude, some unique genius, with which they may make a distinctive contribution to the world civilization.

Peace on earth will be hastened by a constructive exchange among nations of their best features. Ignoring the faults of a race, we should discern and emulate its virtues. It is important to note that the great saints of history have personified the ideals of all lands, and have embodied the highest aspirations of all religions." -Paramahansa Yogananda

Friday, July 22, 2011

Mixed metaphors

I love mixed metaphors: a quintessential breakdown of the English language, a moment where words fail to convey their figurative meaning and you end up with an often hilarious surrealist image.


Understanding metaphor is a crucial element of learning another language. The cultural beliefs, context, and unspoken understanding wrapped up in metaphor can leave the foreigner totally lost. I remember being taught not only metaphors in Swahili but also the nature of not saying exactly what you're thinking. Taking a round-about way of saying something can be both more polite and an art form. 


I love metaphors because the beauty of sharing an indescribable feeling with another person is a part of human existence I crave.


Here are some of my favorite mixed metaphors, uncredited (out of love for you, Mom):


"Do you follow where I'm coming from?"
(From "do you follow me? and "do you see where I'm coming from?"


"Button your seatbelts"
(From "fasten your seatbelts" and "button up your britches")


"You're blowing their trumpet?" 
(From "blowing smoke up their ass" and "toot their own horn.")


"A heart as big as gold."
(From "a heart like a lion" or "a heart as big as Texas" and "good as gold.")


"Biting the hand that rocks the cradle"
(From "Don't bite the hand that feeds you" and "don't rock the boat" and maybe "robbing the cradle"


"It's like water under a ducks back."
(From "It's like water under a bridge", "It's like oil off a ducks back" and "below the belt.")

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

good god

god is good.

this is all I've got.
backlogged.
you can tell a lot about a person by what they capitalize when they aren't thinking about it.
i once tested in the 70th percentile for capitalization. my mom was flabbergasted at my shocking and abrupt ineptitude. i thought it was the most hilarious thing!

new york city, where you can drink the tap water.
and brush elbows with one thousand people every day.