Giving Thanks & Wondering

There must be countless ways to give thanks besides getting together with gobs of food. Couldn't the spirit of thanks find expression in a place of minimization, solitude and fasting?

Is the absence of work and the presence of gobblers the essence of gratitude? Many work during and on holidays, some by choice. Are they ungrateful, unhappy? I'm sure some are appreciative while doing so.

Holidays are holy days. What about those 300+ unofficial, non-nationalized holidays? How do we give thanks for anything at anytime? By satisfying ourselves, buying each other presents, feeding each other or by using our gifts and talents and sharing them with those who need them or by investing in self improvement more than home improvement?

What do we give thanks for? What we have or what we give or some of both? Are we thankful for life and opportunity? Do we wish each other well every day with the festiveness of holiday fever? Do we encourage and require each other to be better. Do we abide by the golden rule, the greatest commandment or the second greatest? Do we stop lying to ourselves (the source of every outward lie and root of evil) and seek satisfaction in our spirit? Do we pursue our purposes and use our gifts?

Over the years, I get the sense that sometimes our method of giving thanks has an obligatory component. There's a pressure to participate rather than pleasure. I gotta cook. I gotta shop. I gotta decorate. I gotta travel. I gotta deal with that relative. I ain't gonna get no rest, etc...What do we really give thanks for? That it's over? To be able to return to our routines? To be able to go back to work and rest? To be able to replenish our other resources?

What are we thankful for now, three days after one of the biggest events of our seasonal lives? I am thankful for flexibility, options and individuality. I'm thankful to be able to help in moments of need and not when it's convenient. I am thankful for spontaneous kindness that is empathized, even if by imagining and wondering, “how would I...?” or “what if I...?”

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gifts, giving thanks, holidays, satisfaction, self improvement

More Happy versus Happier

Words are merely mechanisms to convey meaning. Desperate clinging to the English language, especially in informal settings, in light of its ad libbed existence and erratic tendencies, is retentive of ignorance and an incontinence of sense.

If I am already happy and my happiness increases and I want to describe this feeling should I say I am more happy or happier? While considering this pseudo-dilemma should I hold my lips and buttocks as tightly as possible or is it more lovely or lovelier to relax and communicate in the manner of the moment?

I said “more happy.”

”You dress like that and talk like that?” interrupted the cool whipper.

Yep! And I also write like that and like this and any other way that says what I choose to convey. Oh, and by the way, f**k you!

At times I grunt, groan, whoop, hoot and holler to express myself quite effectively. Pray tell their proper usage. Meaning and communication of ideas, thoughts and emotions comes from words, actions, silence, absence, physiological changes, etc. in combinations far more superior than English.

Word usage for “proper English” sake has a so much more far greater uselessness than it does utility. In fact, “proper English” is logically inconsistent and plagued with internal turmoil, thus the constant confusion. This guarantees everyone will succumb to the schizophrenic English language from time to time, especially in personal settings.

No need for the proper police to panic. Extolling English is not the educational epitome of enlightenment. In fact, according to simplistic linguistics, the less “proper” you allow yourself to be, the more happier you will become.

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communicate, enlightenment, happier, linguistics, proper English

The Favor of Feedback

As I receive feedback, a delightful dimension envelopes me, one where HDTV and Bose are antiquated mediums for and measures of clarity.

At the risk of sounding silly, feedback means feeding back after being fed. Feedback is sought in all areas of life. The most noticeable examples occur during childrearing, in school, at work or when someone prepares a meal. We eagerly expect to know how we're doing or how we did. Thank you is feedback, a smile is feedback, clapping is feedback and giving back is feedback, as are prayer and praise. Feedback is a favor that goes a long way. Souls suffer without it.

An artist would starve to creative death without feedback which is why not sharing our talents and gifts puts us at risk of being malnourished and unable to flourish. Feedback helps us learn, grow, evolve and re-energize. Feedback allows this artist to re-enjoy his creation as experiences filtered and sifted through another soul - sorta like watching my child on the playground sharing favor, making friends.

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Recurring Dreams & Meanings

I dream often. Some have obvious origins and meanings while others, for the time being, remain elusive, inconclusive.

After crossing the creek, I'm way over yonder from where I was, living full time, learning, teaching, yearning, reaching, sitting still, traveling, breaking down, establishing, raising sublime by thickening the line between extremes, staying focused, leaving a trail unpaved over rivers and oceans, stretching up from my knees and to those with needs, either way overcoming, step by leap by faith...

Sometimes I'm in the left lane on a super highway. Like a spectator, I watch my exit pass by. I figure I'll take the next exit or crossover but there aren't any for miles. The road takes many turns after once being mostly straightforward. It's getting dark, there's no way or where to pull over, plus there are no cell phones...

What are the meanings of these recurring dreams? I know my dreams are not merely for pondering or escapism, they are what clarifies and invigorates my visions, counter punches my indecisions.

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meaning, overcoming, recurring dreams