Enjoying the Quiet

The exists a majority of people who are ambivalent about solitude, both loving and fearing it, depending on how they experience aloneness at specific points in their life. However, in relevance to the individual, solitude is simply the state of being alone without being lonely. It is a constructive way to engage one’s own being and replenish self-esteem…a way to enjoy the quiet of our inner self. In fact, Mother Nature deems solitude so essential to survival that she forces it upon us in the form of sleep.

Solitude and loneliness by definition and in meaning are complete opposites. Both are characterized by solitariness and a sense of isolation, so it is understandable how easily they can be confused. Loneliness is a form of discontent,  an estrangement of self that feeds on negativity, whereas solitude is more a positive contractor and cultivates inner peace through self-knowledge.

It was during my mid-teens, while seeking to escape the “ever-present” hum of life that confused the man maturing in me, when I first discovered that particular pleasure one gets from being alone. As it happened, my refuge turned out to be the nearby woods, in a unique place made familiar by the frequency of my visits. Here the sounds of nothing in particular were heard; here the noise of the living was silenced by the wind as it moved from tree to tree, here the quiet beckoned and enticed my imagination. I would close my eyes hoping to enhance my sense of hearing, for the quiet is perhaps the purist of sounds and therefore most difficult to recognize. In the spirit of self-knowledge it grabs hold the mind and speaks in a voice that utters not words but bolsters dynamic images of what one dares dream.

There I would sit, listening, letting my thoughts zing trying not to feel the chill of the air or the discomfort of the ground. I ignored the view of darkness caused from closed eyelids and focused on those images that the quiet was so willing to share. My body as much as my mind seemed to disappear into them and soon I felt nothing at all-I was in another world. A world no longer silent or dark but a world made bright and clairvoyant through imagination, vision, and delusion.

The quiet became more pronounced with each thought as it took hold of me. Then, one by one, as they came and went, my physical being faded deeper into the shadows left behind, freeing my mind from the race of humans escalating it to the ranks of the immortal. There were no secrets here, nothing was hidden or meant to confuse and everything seemingly had purpose, each in accord, and each just as meaningful and necessary as the other. With out any one…none would exist.

Can you hear it? The quiet is there in you too! It is a part of everyone and awaits us all, anxious to share and be heard.

It’s All About Getting What YOU Want

OH Brother by Paul Ciccone, Jr.

No one can reach a desired goal without first defining what the  objective is. (A friendly bit of advice: before you begin working on  your castle in the clouds…ascertain that it will sit atop a stable foundation. In other words, set realistic goals.)

Our society, so emphasizes success as the means to happiness that most of us confuse success and happiness. They are NOT the same. Success is nothing more than getting what YOU want. It is the accomplishment of something YOU deem important, and…it occurs in much the same way for everyone. If one sets a particular goal – no matter how small or how large – and in attempting to accomplish that goal finds him/herself experiencing a period of completion, then he/she has been successful. In other words, if you start out with a specific intention and you then follow that intention through to some point of accomplishment, you have succeeded. Assuredly and by definition, this is success; but it is not necessarily happiness.

Now mind you, this is just my opinion and I dare “stress the importance” of forming your own definition of happiness. Please, do not waste a lot of time and energy chasing someone else’s version of the word. Certainly, be inspired by others; but keep in mind that the basis to happiness is as individual as is each of us.  Consider what it means specifically for you and then-go for it!

There are those who suggest that happiness comes from doing what you love, others will tell you it stems from doing for others, and still some might insist that it is the underlying enjoyment of all facets of life. I suppose they are all right in their respective opinions, hence I am not going to disagree with them. Instead, I have this to offer: happiness is all the above, plus-it is knowing when to put one’s hands where one’s mouth is…when one’s mouth is spitting out opinions.

Just Wondering

It seems to me that most people regularly question where their life is going; yet I wonder how many ever take a moment to turn around and see where it is they have been.

I wonder: if one traveled far enough, long enough, would not one eventually arrive somewhere…regardless of how many side steps one takes; whether the way was mapped or merely suggested; the destination predetermined or unknown; the traveler, accompanied or going it alone?

I wonder: is it possible to live a meaningful life, without first pondering life; is it from experiencing difficulty that we grow better; is it because of darkness that we can see the stars…or is it that we ponder life to give it meaning, become bitter because of difficulties, and blinded once the darkness is complete? Is it the load we bear that wears us down…or the way we carry it? Understandably, happiness stems from how one defines it. The thing is…everyone’s definition is different. I believe that there are finer things in life than trophies and fame, more to accomplish than waving degrees or trying to please, and I ask, what point is there to lying…when the truth serves the better purpose?

I wonder: why is it that nothing seems impossible to someone who does not have to do it? If a thing considered pleasurable, were to be made habitual, would that then, convert pleasure into a dull and routine necessity? One lesson history teaches is that no one learns very much from it. Yet, there is a certain charm to history and its enigmatic lesson…from age to age, nothing ever changes – yet everything is completely different.

I wonder: why the brilliant color of an autumn landscape and the crisp crunch of leaves underfoot  provides inspiration for artists and frolicking school children, when to a majority of  New Englanders, fallen foliage creates just one more chore to complete before the snow flies…leaf disposal. I never could understand the seemingly urgent need of some home owners to rake their leaves; other than that of trying to maintain a lawn. Oak and beech tree leaves, take far longer to decompose than maples, ash, and birch; hence if left in large quantities they could mat up and potentially kill off portions of grass.
Leaves are nature’s compost and compost, to the home gardener, can be a most economical and desirable fertilizer. Made from leaves, weeds, yard clippings, and barnyard manure, the mixture when correctly processed can serve as a universal plant food to satisfy the demands of all vegetables, shrubs, and flowers. Best of all it does not cost anything. Sure, it takes effort and time; but what doesn’t?
Here is a hint for composting leaves: weeds should always be mixed with the leaves when building the compost, whether a shallow pit is used or the stack is built on level ground, since the leaves, when piled up alone, have a tendency to compact together. This compacting of the leaves prevents suitable aeration while the stack is processing. By alternating a layer of weeds with a thin layer of leaves, this can be eliminated. And in order to have a more nearly balanced fertilizer, there should also be a layer, some two or three inches thick, of reasonably fertile soil, this also alternated regularly with the leaf-weed layers. The soil, wherever possible, should be mixed with poultry or other animal manure, as well as a bit of slaked lime or ground limestone. If dry materials are employed for making the compost, all of the stuff should be thoroughly soaked with water as the different layers are put in.

Tuttimal

America: Where are YOU

We Americans desperately need to acknowledge the facts, to open our eyes to the corruption and hear the truth behind the lies of our political heads of state. Then, it may be that we can do what needs doing (and that certainly isn’t supporting the rich or insisting that our neighbors keep their yards the same way we do ours). Enough is enough and now is the time to say NO to government intervention!

Government spending is so far out of control that God only knows how many generations will suffer because of it. Huge waves of illegal immigration, constant waging of war, and incongruous monetary policy, threaten worldwide well-being and security….our individual rights, our personal freedoms, and our American identity.

We must stop looking to Washington for some mystical “quick fix” to what ails US and the world because this political Gargantuan seeks only to have more control and more power. It howls about promulgating democracy and personal liberties, screams to the world “follow me, for my way is best” then whimsically threatens to kick the neighbors’ butts to prove it. These are hardly methods of promoting democracy; they are ways of demanding obedience. Government is a beast with an insatiable appetite of greed, gorging itself at the expense of individual liberties and it will stop at nothing to satisfy itself.

As an American, I cherish the ideals that motivated the Founding Fathers and caused them to put their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor on the line. I made every effort to follow their example; even went so far as to put my very life on the line in support of them. However, today the American Dream has experienced a shameful metamorphosis, going from principles to materialism and all the fault of that behemoth two-faced giant…government. WE need to come together-slay the cursed beast and give America back to the people.

Make NO mistake about it: The American Dream is a great deal more than mere materiality. Material gain is a single fruit of freedom, not its root; individual freedom is the foundation of American greatness, not governmental policy. Collectively, American citizens have the power to defeat this monster and instill in its place…leadership that is capable of upholding and sustaining the very principles politics has excused.

© September 2008 by Tuttimal

Today One More Time

Today is More than Just Another Day:

Today, comes to each singularly and just once in a life-time. Come tomorrow, today will be gone…and it will be gone forever more. In its stead will be something left behind…another yesterday.

Today is allocated the exact amount of time that yesterday was, however do not assume that for any one of us this holds true; for none of us knows how much of today is meant for them. Instead of contemplating what you should do or can do, make the most of what it offers by doing something you consider worthwhile, however insignificant or consequential you assume others think it to be. Today we are exchanging a day of our life for a memory.

Why not make it special?