Ponder This...Why Blog?

There may be as many reasons to blog as there are people who do it. Many people blog because they have an area of interest that they love to discuss with like-minded enthusiasts, such as gadgets, couponing, music, etc. Others use blogging as a way to break into the writing business, or to tell funny stories. There are those who seek to help others who are "in the same boat" with a disease or condition. These are all great reasons to blog.

My reason is something entirely different. I love language. I like the way it can be made to flow on a page, or off the tounge. I have always wished that I had great talent in fictional writing, and I always read great fiction with amazement and a tinge of jealousy. But, I know that's not my bag. What I do have is a near constant inner dialogue about everyday issues. I've secretly been blogging for years...it was just inside my head, where you couldn't see it. If I happened to be with someone, they probably ended up hearing it, but more often than not, that delicious flow of words stayed right in my brain.

Recently, a couple of my friends told me about their blogs, and I started reading them. I realized that this was exactly what I needed...a place to put my "musings"...a home for all that "writing" that had been going on for so many years already. So, here it is, for the whole world to see, though I suspect only about a handful will ever read it. :0) Why blog? Well, that's for YOU to decide.

Ponder This....Attention, Please!

How long has it been since you paid attention? Now, I'm not talking about merely looking at what you are doing, I mean really staying absolutely in the moment, and taking in everything.

I was driving down Rupe yesterday, with about a hundred things buzzing in my head, and it suddenly hit me that I rarely ever think about or do one thing at one time. Most often, my hands are busy with one thing, and my mind is busy with the next things on the to-do list. That means that many times I am missing out on a lot of what is REALLY going on. Ever have a converstation with your mind half on the TV show you're watching? How about while you are driving? Can you make eye contact with the other person? Can you really engage yourself in what is happening?

There are so many things that demand our attention on a daily basis, like people, gadgets, work, entertainment, food, pets...the list goes on and on. Of all these, what is the MOST important to you? I have decided that people, and people I love in particular, are the most important. Many times they are only getting a tiny piece of my attention when we are together, because of all the other things distracting me. So, I'm going to make a mindful effort to give my FULL attention to people more often. That may mean we have to turn off the TV for a few minutes, or that I need to park the car before I hear how your day went. I think I want to look you in the eyes when you're talking to me, and really listen, instead of just hearing. After all, attention pleases all of us. :0)

Ponder This...Not-so-instant gratification

Digital cameras give us instant gratification. You take a shot, check it, and if everything's not perfect, you delete and try again. We can zoom in and get only a fraction of what the old "film" gave us in a photo. We can edit out the toys all over the floor, or the goofy face someone made, or the random pet that wandered onto the scene at precisely the wrong moment. We can erase the photos the kids took of the weeds in the backyard, or the bad hair day we had on vacation with just the touch of a button. Is this always a good thing?

While cleaning off an old bookshelf, I ran across some of those little photo albums we used to get back before we had a digital camera. They were full of random memories. There were lots of candid shots. There were photos my daughter took of her stuffed animals, and halves of our heads, and beloved pets who have gone to Heaven now. It was an amazing treasure trove of things and times I'd forgotten. What's more, I could hold them. Since going digital, I rarely print a photo. They scroll on my screensaver or flash on a digital frame. But, holding these photos was like placing my hands around a little bit of the past. It's almost as if to prove that those moments were solid once, as real as the photo in my hand.

So, this week I have decided to dig out the "film" camera, dust it off, and make some new, not-so-instantly gratifying memories to find someday in the future...like long forgotten, perfectly imperfect treasures.

Ponder This...Death is death

Osama Bin Lauden is dead. It is prudent that those of us who are targets of his organization are relieved that he can no longer personally threaten us. That being said, I can't help but feel that street parties and public displays of celebration are not appropriate. We claim to be a Christian nation, and so, is it right to teach our children that the killing of another human being is a cause for celebration?

Am I saying that we should have let him go free? No. Am I saying that there was another way out of the situation our special forces were sent into? Not at all. It is a somber truth that men kill one another, regardless of the reasons or provocation. Death is death. Nothing to celebrate.

Ponder This...RESISTANCE IS INEVITABLE....

From the day kids are born, they are motivated by what they want and don't want. They start out crying to get their way, because that is the singularly most effective way of accomplishing it at that time. People do not like to hear a crying baby for very long. It makes grown-ups sad, grates their nerves, and generally spurs them into action to solve whatever problem needs attention.

When they are able to talk, children start to ask for what they want, and protest what they don't want, typically, with the word NO! For example, the parent says, "It's time for bed.". "NO!", says the child who is resisting an end to play and fun, and exciting things. There is only one inflection in which this word is delivered, and it is always ALL CAPS with an EXCLAMATION POINT. This is the stage where parents begin to become truly annoyed with resistance, but are usually able to re-direct the child by making a game out of the offending task.

Then comes the stage I am currently experiencing as a parent...Continuous and Constant Negotiation, or, the Struggle for Ultimate Power. This is the most challenging stage of resistance, because meeting the need, or offering distractions no longer do the trick. This is the stage of life when teachers start to remark that you may have a great future as a lawyer for the ACLU. I know this, because a teacher once said that exact phrase to me. I could reason and argue more effectively, and for longer periods of time, than anyone. That was before I met my daughter. :0/ That girl has a great future...with the ACLU. :0)

Ponder this…GENUINE FAKE REALITY

I was told recently that several long running soap operas are ending this spring. I no longer watch any daytime TV, but I have to say that the news pained me a bit. You see, I grew up in an era where soaps were “STORIES”, and you didn’t interrupt or act up during the precious time they were on. My great grandmother, and various other female members of my household were enthralled with them. As I got a bit older, I have to admit that I got sucked into the world of kidnappings, long lost twins, and amnesia stricken unintentional polygamists.

The draw to these “stories” was mainly that they could NEVER happen. You were allowed to escape into a world that was ridiculous, sumptuously decorated, and completely fake. It was comforting to know that your life, while bits of it could mimic some parts of an episode, would never be that “fantastic”. It was pure fantasy, and everybody knew it. The world of the soap, and your world were firmly divided by REALITY, and most people were not tempted to try to live a soap opera.

The new trend that is ultimately causing the death of the soap is “REALITY” TV. This is where television has taken a decided turn for the worse. The trouble with “reality” on TV is that it is not much more real than a soap opera, but is being packaged as “REAL”. Many people honestly believe that life is like that for regular people. Now don’t scoff! I have seen the younger generation who is growing up with this phenomenon, and they are being sucked in to an ALTERNATE reality. They believe that everyone has to scream and cry, and fight, and curse, and have an emotional roller coaster ride every single day, and that this is normal and REAL. They believe that almost everyone will become an instant celebrity at some point, become a back stabber, do drugs, be successful, and then become a deranged lunatic. By elementary school they have already begun to imitate “REALITY” TV, and it’s not a pretty thing.

It seems a worthy cause in my opinion to correctly label our entertainment, if not for the benefit of the audience for which it was intended, at least for the generations to come. After all, they won’t have the good ol’ FAKE “REALITY” to compare their REAL reality to.