Wake Up

We are not human beings on a spiritual journey, we are spiritual beings on a human journey.

Stephen Covey
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Years ago I went to visit a very wise man. I was seeking his advice. My acting career was going fairly well. But I was also doing a lot of broadcasting work and could drop everything and stay with that full time. I had also been doing some teaching and wanted to do more. My drawings and paintings were becoming better known. I was confused about which direction I ought to go with my life and just wanted to talk it out with him. I spelled it all out and said I was uncertain about which of those activities I should focus on. His reply, which I've never forgotten, was "The answer is none of the above. What you should be doing is waking up."

That remark has stayed with me all these years as one of the touchstones of my life, something to test all fundamental questions against. I once wrote isn't it odd that we spend most of our adult lives somewhere between asleep and awake?

These are some of those fundamental questions. Why aren't we fully awake yet? Why do we see "through a glass darkly"? and are unable to view reality face to face? Is the glass dark, or is it our own darkness that obscures the view? Is the glass a window, or a mirror, a telescope, a microscope, or all of those? Is the truth in the image on the glass or in the one behind it?

I used to take a train from Westchester into New York City. That route is a particularly busy one for trains going in many directions. Out the window I would see other tracks as they slid in under the train or fanned out from beneath it, and feel the rumble and bump as those tracks moved under the train. Eventually the ride would smooth out as we made it on to the main track and shortly after that into the tunnel which took us to Grand Central Station.

It is necessary and important for humans to make a lot of changes on their journeys. There are changes in schools, jobs and careers, in dwellings and neighborhoods, family and friends and changes in experiences, beliefs, opinions and understanding. At a certain point some people click on to the final track and know that the destination is enlightenment and spirituality. But is spiritual evolution simply a matter of waking up? Are all the choices, changes, bumps and rumbles along the journey happening in our sleep? "We are such stuff as dreams are made on" said Shakespeare.

"Know thyself" is another one of those vital touchstones of life. I have a lot of questions and some of them are fundamental and have cosmic importance to my life and to the world. But I won't have many answers until after I wake up. "Now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." When I truly understand myself I can wake up, become enlightened, cease looking for myself through a glass, know myself as a spiritual being and find my place on the journey.
(I Cor. 13)

DB - The Vagabond
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WINTER QUESTION
(This is not a contest)

What was the most significant event that happened in 2010?

dbdacoba@aol.com

Only 5 responses so far

I await your answer.
DB
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The Dancing Man

No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.

Charles Dickens
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Thank you, all of you, to those I can reply to and those I can't, for you kind and comforting words to me about my friend Bill.
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Now this is the story of a man named Sam. Sam is a dancer who performs mainly in musical comedies. He's a good dancer and a good man.

I was the principle player in a musical years ago, and in it I had a solo dance. I'm not much of a dancer and I need a lot of help and preparation. The show had a choreographer who was very interested in staging the big ensemble numbers but had no interest in me.

On the first day of rehearsal I explained my limitations to her and requested that she set my choreography as soon as possible so that I could learn it and practice it.

Nothing happened, A full week went by while she worked with the dancers and never noticed me. I repeat, I was the leading performer in this musical and the only one with a solo dance and my needs and wishes were being totally ignored.

Finally we got together and she gave me some opening steps which were very good and just right, but then she left it there. I made a tape of the orchestra playing the music for my dance and worked on it back in my room. But beyond the opening steps I didn't know what to do and in rehearsal I just did a lot of jumping around in order to fill out the music, expecting that she would get back to it and finish designing the dance.

When I asked her when we would work it out she said she liked all the jumping around. Well I didn't. It wasn't authentic to the character, to the story or to the music. But when we got to the first public performance that's what I did. After that night she left for another job.

Then I went to Sam and said "Sammy, please, you've got to help me." He obviously had seen the dance and how second rate it was and how much I was suffering because he didn't even take a breath. "Sure" he said.

The next morning we got together on the stage when no one was there. I played the tape and showed him the first few steps I had. He listened to the rest of the music and when I played it through again he came up with a dance that was perfect. Right off the top of his head. Right off the bottoms of his feet. The only trouble was it was too complicated for me. He said 'Okay" and simplified it a bit. It was still beyond my ability as a dancer, so he simplified it a bit more and it was fine. I could do it. We ran through it a few times as he taught it to me. Then I did it on my own while he watched and made a few corrections. Then I ran it five or six more times until I was secure with it.

At the performance that night that was the dance I did and I was applauded even from the stage.

Thank you Sam.

DB - The Vagabond
***********************

WINTER QUESTION
(This is not a contest)

What was the most significant event that happened in 2010?

dbdacoba@aol.com

Only 5 responses so far

I await your answer.
DB
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The Loss Of A Friend

Only the gentle are truly strong.

James Dean
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Yesterday morning I sent yet another email to Just Plain Bill and was soon informed by his son that Bill left us last November. I was very sad to read that news. I wept.

Bill was a particular friend of mine and I will miss him very much. He was always instant with advice, encouragement and instructions to help me with my computer. When every now and then I was sloppy with my journal entries he was my proofreader.

After all these years he was the only Jlander/Blogspotter I have ever met personally, face to face. He often visited me here, bringing something to give me. He gave me some books. One day he brought me a bottle of Wild Turkey, my favorite hard stuff. I still have a golf club mitten he left behind, a calling card, I guess. He gave me my digital camera and taught me how to use it. He spent two hours one day trying to get my deviant, devilish Dell to work and finally took it away. And when some of you got together, pooled your resources and bought me the Hewlett Packard computer I have now, it was Just Plain Bill who delivered it to my front door, hauled it up three flights to my attic aerie and helped me to install it.

Bill once told me he had no sense of humor and yet on a few occasions we shared good times and laughs together over crab cakes and manhattans at the King George here in Bristol. The King George is closed now. Bill once told me about some of the bars he used to visit in this area but whose doors are shut now. I got him to laugh about it when I said "Bill, you've closed more bars than the temperance movement. What's your secret?"

Bill was a good guy for certain. We discussed many things. We disagreed about politics but we never argued about it. In fact I never heard him say a harsh or unkind word about anyone or anything. He was a true gentleman and a fine, first rate friend. I will never forget him.

Good bye Bill. May a giant bubble of blessings surround you wherever you go.

Dana Bate
Vagabond Journeys
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WEEKEND PUZZLE ANSWERS

Weekend Puzzle Answers

Here are some famous trios. Who are they?

There was one winner, the unbeatable Val of the Blogspot Tigers.
The puzzle was:
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
T KTY, T NJQB TQE T ATQM JZ ATDK
NSJJE, UVBTR TQE RBTKU
IKJUNO, URDSSU TQE QTUA
ZTDRA, AJXB TQE IATKDRO
ZTRABK, UJQ TQE AJSO YAJUR
AJX, UMDX TQE HCFX
ACBO, EBVBO TQE SJCDB
SDZB, SDNBKRO TQE RAB XCKUCDR JZ ATXXDQBUU
XBRBK, XTCS TQE FTKO
KBTEDQY, VKDRDQY TQE TKDRAFTRDI
KBE, VADRB TQE NSCB
UQTX, IKTIMSB TQE XJX
RAB RAKBB URJJYBU
RDQMBK RJ BGBKU RJ IATQIB
RJF, EDIM TQE ATKKO
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
And Val's correct answers were:
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a rag, a bone, and a hank of hair
blood, sweat and tears
Crosby, Stills and Nash
faith, hope and charity
Father, Son and Holy Ghost
hop, skip and jump
Huey, Dewey and Louie
life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
Peter, Paul and Mary
reading, writing and arithmetic
red, white and blue
snap, crackle and pop
The Three Stooges
Tinker to Evers to Chance
Tom, Dick and Harry
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
And the winner of the quick one was Pacifica of the Email Lions
Something happened on August 28, 888 that didn't happen again until February 2, 2000. What was it?
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All the dates in between 8, 28, 888 and 2, 02, 2000 had odd numbers.
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Congratulations to both.
DB
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How We Define Life

It is better to create than to learn. Creating is the essence of life.

Julius Caesar
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I have a two disk recording of the Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin by Bach, played by Nathan Milstein. Other great violinists have played and recorded those pieces but Milstein's performances are my favorites simply because they were the first and thus he defined the music for me.

I look back over my career sometimes. The less I do that the better. But I wonder sometimes what to make of it. An actor's life is a very gossamer thing, particularly a stage actor's life. But I comfort myself by realizing that I have probably defined some great roles and helped define some great plays for people. Maybe I have defined the roles of Big Daddy, Sir Toby, Eddie Carbone, Zorba and John Procter to people, even if they see another production.

But beyond my own sphere of interest, impact is being made on the world at all times by the fact that creation is still going on. I know that my life has been affected by music, theatre, literature and works of art.. I think it is impossible to measure the depths to which some creations can affect the life of people. A lot of it is probably unconscious.

But consider this. None of us are disconnected from the world. Every picture you paint, every drawing, every photograph, every thing you make, everything you say and do becomes a permanent part of creation. It is an efficacious part of the world, of life. and by being in the world it has altered and defined life, and not just yours.

Civilization today is the summation of all the people who have lived. And that includes you and me. You may think your contributions are small, well, considering the vast number of people who have lived, all contributions are small, but they are all important. They are the essence of life.

DB - The Vagabond
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Weekend Puzzle

Here are some famous trios. Who are they.

On your mark. Get set. Go!
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

T KTY, T NJQB TQE T ATQM JZ ATDK

NSJJE, UVBTR TQE RBTKU

IKJUNO, URDSSU TQE QTUA

ZTDRA, AJXB TQE IATKDRO

ZTRABK, UJQ TQE AJSO YAJUR

AJX, UMDX TQE HCFX

ACBO, EBVBO TQE SJCDB

SDZB, SDNBKRO TQE RAB XCKUCDR JZ ATXXDQBUU

XBRBK, XTCS TQE FTKO

KBTEDQY, VKDRDQY TQE TKDRAFTRDI

KBE, VADRB TQE NSCB

UQTX, IKTIMSB TQE XJX

RAB RAKBB URJJYBU

RDQMBK RJ BGBKU RJ IATQIB

RJF, EDIM TQE ATKKO
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Good luck.
------------------------
Here's a quick one, if you read this far.
Something happened on August 28, 888 that didn't happen again until February 2, 2000. What was it?
2 correct answers so far

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The Mixture In The Jar

Life is bitter. Life is sweet. Life is marmalade.

Anonymous
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I know a man who is in love every minute of his day with a woman he never sees and almost never talks to, and then only through emails. They worked together many years ago and that's how they met. There were a few times when they almost became close but there was always something that interrupted. As the years past they saw each other less and less, but he kept in his heart and his mind a constant yearning for her and a continuing hope for her happiness and well being.

Eventually she got married to a great guy. He's glad of that but his heart burns with a solitary desire that things had worked out differently. She knows how he feels because he told her. But she has been happily married for 15 years. He tries not to think about her, but he thinks about her every day. It is a bitter pill that won't dissolve.
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I've never been much of a wine drinker. I do enjoy beer, and can drink buckets of it, which makes me very jolly. If I have a cocktail it's generally a manhattan. Just Plain Bill http://justplainbill7.blogspot.com/ and I have enjoyed some of those together at a local oasis.

But at the Artists' Christmas party last December I had a glass of wine (Merlot) for the first time in many years. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it, I had two glasses of it. So I then bought a bottle of wine for myself to have with my dinner, a tasty and gentle Cabernet Sauvignon. Wednesday evening I had a glass with my dinner and it was a delight.

I planned to have two glasses of it. But I drank half the glass with my dinner and as the evening wore on I sipped the rest of it and then went gracefully and sweetly to sleep.
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I performed in a very large musical production at a theatre up north one winter. During rehearsals I climbed up to an upper level, waited for the orchestra and choir to finish, then stepped forward and delivered a speech. I was by myself on that upper lever though there were benches set up around me.

But on opening night when I ascended the steps all those benches were filled with young girls, members of the high school chorus. Each one was as pretty as the next one. I must have appeared a bit shocked to see them for they all smiled at my reaction. They made a place for me to sit and I sat feeling like a father with 20 beautiful daughters all the same age.

After the performance i discovered that one of those girls was mildly, but permanently crippled. She needed to walk with a cane. I thought how bitter it was that such a young, pretty girl should be cursed with that burden for the rest of her life. I got to talking with her and found that she was a delightful person, sweet, charming, intelligent and full of life. I sought her out after every performance and we became temporary buddies. I am grateful to her. She taught me a lot about the bittersweetness of life, about the marmalade of life.

DB - The Vagabond
************************

Weekend Puzzle

Here are some famous trios. Who are they.

On your mark. Get set. Go!
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

T KTY, T NJQB TQE T ATQM JZ ATDK

NSJJE, UVBTR TQE RBTKU

IKJUNO, URDSSU TQE QTUA

ZTDRA, AJXB TQE IATKDRO

ZTRABK, UJQ TQE AJSO YAJUR

AJX, UMDX TQE HCFX

ACBO, EBVBO TQE SJCDB

SDZB, SDNBKRO TQE RAB XCKUCDR JZ ATXXDQBUU

XBRBK, XTCS TQE FTKO

KBTEDQY, VKDRDQY TQE TKDRAFTRDI

KBE, VADRB TQE NSCB

UQTX, IKTIMSB TQE XJX

RAB RAKBB URJJYBU

RDQMBK RJ BGBKU RJ IATQIB

RJF, EDIM TQE ATKKO
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Good luck.
------------------------
Here's a quick one, if you read this far.
Something happened on August 28, 888 that didn't happen again until February 2, 2000. What was it?
2 correct answers so far.

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I'm Stylish

History would be an excellent thing if only it were true.

Leo Tolstoy
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It has been twice now that I have received the Stylish Blogger Award. The first one came from the Yellow Dog Farm and another one from the Lone Star Concerto, The rules say I must thank the one who honored me with the award, so thank you both from the bottom.

Next the rules say I am supposed to tell you 7 things about myself. I don't have 7 things to tell. My life story and it's details are written out in my journal, Vagabond Journeys, in which there are over a thousand entries, some still to be rediscovered from the dusty vaults of Google. Besides a recital of facts, a biography, doesn't tell the story of a man, The only words that count are those that tell what a person is, above, around and beside all the "facts" of life.

Another rule connected with this award is that I am supposed to pass it on to 15 people, 15 other deserving blogs. I can't possibly do that. I follow 88 blogs, and I do click onto every one of them, which is why I don't get to yours as often as I want to. I figure anyone who has shown an interest in me and my writing even occasionally deserves my attention.

Lastly I'm supposed to paste the award on my journal. The images that are at the bottom of my profile have been there for years. They moved from emachines through Dell and onto Hewlett Packard. But owing to the vagaries of my contract with HP I am unable to paste anything else, no pictures, no graphics, no videos, nothing except words. So please accept my words because words are what I've got.

DB - Vagabond Journeys
******************************

Weekend Puzzle

Here are some famous trios. Who are they.

On your mark. Get set. Go!
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

T KTY, T NJQB TQE T ATQM JZ ATDK

NSJJE, UVBTR TQE RBTKU

IKJUNO, URDSSU TQE QTUA

ZTDRA, AJXB TQE IATKDRO

ZTRABK, UJQ TQE AJSO YAJUR

AJX, UMDX TQE HCFX

ACBO, EBVBO TQE SJCDB

SDZB, SDNBKRO TQE RAB XCKUCDR JZ ATXXDQBUU

XBRBK, XTCS TQE FTKO

KBTEDQY, VKDRDQY TQE TKDRAFTRDI

KBE, VADRB TQE NSCB

UQTX, IKTIMSB TQE XJX

RAB RAKBB URJJYBU

RDQMBK RJ BGBKU RJ IATQIB

RJF, EDIM TQE ATKKO
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Good luck.
------------------------
Here's a quick one, if you read this far.
Something happened on August 28, 888 that didn't happen again until February 2, 2000. What was it?
1 correct answer so far

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